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BiblePlaces Newsletter
Vol 15, #3 - December 7, 2016
Sending a
Christmas-themed newsletter seems like an obvious idea, but it's been
ten years since we did it last. Since that time, we've taken and
collected some great photos and we've learned a few things as well. We
share some of that with you in this month's newsletter.
We continue to work
on a new photo collection that we think you'll like very much. We'll
have news here just as soon as it is available.
If you'd like more
biblical geography, archaeology, and history than you get from this
periodic newsletter, subscribe to our
blog, follow us on
Twitter, or like us on
Facebook.
Todd Bolen
Photographer,
BiblePlaces.com
Assoc. Professor, The Master's
University
New at the BiblePlaces Blog...
Was Paul Heading for Alexandria? - A summary of a recent proposal
that Paul and Barnabas were originally headed for Egypt on their
first missionary journey...
Weekend Roundup
- Links to the latest stories in the biblical world...
New Excavation: Khirbet el-Mastarah in the Jordan Valley - A
team will begin working next summer on a site that holds promise
for understanding the settlement of the Israelite tribes during
the monarchy...
Update on Excavation of Holy Sepulcher - Researchers had 60
hours to study the traditional tomb of Jesus before it was sealed
up...
New Book: A Political History of the Arameans - K.
Lawson Younger Jr.'s book looks at the history of Israel's
northern neighbors from their origins through the Iron Age...
And more...
"Jesus in His Context" Conference
A unique and fascinating conference on "Jesus in
His Context" is being presented in June by the Institute of
Biblical Context. Six experienced contextualists will address the
geographical, historical, cultural, literary, and visual contexts
of Jesus and the Gospels. Special emphasis will be given to
contextual frameworks,
how to read the white spaces between the
lines of the text, weaving together the social dynamics of a
Near-Eastern village for interpretive insights, all with the goal
of seeing the original meaning of the text and discovering "the
rest of the story" that Westerners often miss.
The conference is
being held June 12-14 in Zeeland, Michigan, and you can learn more
in the
brochure. Registration opens on January 1, and you'll be able
to find more information at the website of
Preserving Bible Times. I plan to attend and I encourage you
to check it out!
Featured BiblePlaces Photos:
The First Christmas
For centuries,
artists have used their imaginations to capture the look of that first Christmas
with Mary and Joseph in a stable in the little town of
Bethlehem. The overall lack of detail in the Gospel narratives provides much
freedom for illustrators and cinematographers alike. This month we're going to
join the crowd, but with this difference: all of our photos were taken on
location, even if some imagination was involved. We've selected eight images
from our collections to provide what we believe are the most accurate
illustrations of one of the most important events in human history.All of the photos below are available, with captions, in a
free PowerPoint presentation.
A limited version is
also available
in pdf format. |
Journey to Bethlehem
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Click photograph for higher-resolution version. Download
the
PowerPoint presentation for all of the photos. |
Joseph and
Mary traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem. If they avoided
Samaria, as most Jewish travelers seemed to do, they would
have passed through Jericho and ascended the route next to the
Wadi Qilt on their way to Jerusalem. The Ascent of Adummim
avoids the wilderness wadis as it climbs up to the Mount of
Olives. From Jerusalem, Joseph and his pregnant wife turned
left to head south to the city of their ancestor David. Some
months later, the Magi may have traveled this same route on
their way to worship the king.
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O Little Town of Bethlehem
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Click photograph for higher-resolution version. |
Bethlehem is
not impressive today, and it was not impressive then. Joseph
and Mary probably arrived to a village with not more than a
few hundred inhabitants. Bethlehem was significant as the home
of Ruth and the birthplace of David, but it never seems to
have been large or prominent before the birth of the Messiah.
The view above shows the area of the Church of the Nativity,
the ancient core of the village. This photograph was taken in
the 1850s, before parking garages, visitor centers, and
hundreds of shops obscured the natural landscape. Source:
The New York Public Library.
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No Room in the "Inn"
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Click photograph for higher-resolution version. |
Though the
English translations pretty consistently render Luke's word
kataluma as "inn," many scholars today believe that a
more accurate translation is "guest room." This American
Colony photograph shows just such an upper room that was used
for housing those visiting the village. For more about
the translation of this word and its possible significance,
see our previous comments
here.
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While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night
|
Click photograph for higher-resolution version. |
Shepherds do
still tend their flocks by night in the Bethlehem area, even
in the month of December, despite what some commentators
claim. The image above was likely staged by the American
Colony photographers, but it reflects a common practice in the
Bethlehem area and throughout the hills of Judea and Samaria.
Some years ago I was hiking east of Bethlehem on Christmas
morning when our party came across a shepherd who had spent
the night with his sheep. Two thousand years ago a group of
shepherds working in this area were honored to be the first to
learn of the birth of the Great Shepherd.
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No Crying He Makes
|
Click photograph for higher-resolution version. |
This
photograph was taken about 100 years ago in the town of
Bethlehem. As with all such nativity scenes, the creator used
a bit of imagination to flesh out details not recorded in
Scripture. Nonetheless, the scene is helpful in reminding us
of the very ordinariness of the entrance of God's Son to
earth.
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Away in a (Stone) Manger
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Click photograph for higher-resolution version. |
The most
plentiful building material in Israel then and now is
limestone, and it is not surprising that many feeding troughs
from ancient Israel were carved from stone blocks. Despite
the common portrayal of a wooden manger (see the previous
photo), Jesus's first crib was probably something similar to
this stone manger discovered at Tekoa, just a few miles south
of Bethlehem.
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We Three Kings
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Click photograph for higher-resolution version. |
It's not impossible that there were three Magi, nor is it
unreasonable that they rode on camels. Their visit to the
"house" where Jesus was staying (Matt 2:11) suggests that they
arrived some time after the night of his birth. They traveled
first to Jerusalem, where the priests directed them to the
prophesied place of the Messiah's birth in Bethlehem. In
bringing gifts of gold and frankincense, the Magi foreshadowed
the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy that one day the nations
will bring tribute as they come to Jerusalem to worship the
king and to submit to his law (Isa 2, 4, 11, 32, 60).
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The Slaughter of the Innocents
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Click photograph for higher-resolution version. |
The Messiah,
of course, was a threat to sinful men whose rule he will bring
to an end. As soon as Herod
heard that the prophecy of Messiah's birth was fulfilled, he gave
orders to execute all of the young boys in Bethlehem. This
photo shows Herod's palace-fortress, the Herodium, looking
toward Bethlehem. Herod's efforts were thwarted by the Lord
and a few months later, his decaying corpse was interred on
the right (northeastern) slope of this hill. No one today
celebrates Herod's birth, rejoices in his life, or anticipates
his return.
All of these
photos are available in a free
PowerPoint presentation as well as a limited
pdf version. Readers are
welcome to use these images for personal study and teaching.
Commercial use requires separate permission.
These
photos come from current and forthcoming collections
produced by BiblePlaces.com, including
Judah and the Dead Sea,
Southern Palestine,
Traditional Life and Customs. We especially recommend the
Pictorial
Library of the Bible Lands as well as
The American Colony and Eric Matson Collection.
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All contents � 2016 Todd Bolen. Text and
photographs may be used for personal and educational use with
attribution. Commercial use requires written permission.
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