JESUS’
BETHLEHEM
The roofs overlap in this oriental city in which all of the
bells of Christianity celebrate the Nativity. It takes its name
from the Hebrew words beth - for house – and lehem –
for bread, perhaps to indicate the fertility of the region.
 The
mausoleum1 of Rachel, the favorite wife of Jacob, the third
Hebrew patriarch, stands at the entrance of the city on the
side of the road coming from Jerusalem. She died upon giving
birth to Benjamin, the youngest of the twelve sons of Jacob:
The
death of Rachel
Because
the birth was difficult, the mid-wife said to her: «
Fear not, it is also a boy. » As her soul was departing,
for she was dying, she named him Ben-Oni, but his father called
him Benjamin. Rachel died and was buried on the road to Efrata-Bethlehem.
Genesis
35: 17 - 20
In
the mind of the Jew, the image of Rachel is that of the mother
of Israel crying for her children dispersed in the four corners
of the world.
The
region of Bethlehem is located in the center of the land allotted
to the tribe of Yehuda. During the period of the Judges, its
fields are the setting of a beautiful Biblical romance. Ruth,
the Moabite, was married to one of Naomi’s two sons. After
the death of her children, Naomi decides to return to Judea.
Rather than abandon her to her fate, Ruth chooses to follow
her mother-in-law. The two women are reduced to gleaning the
fields to live. Boaz, the wealthy landowner, notices Ruth and
instructs his reapers to leave some ears of grain lying on the
ground. The first meeting between the landowner and the stranger
is described in this passage from the scroll of Ruth:
Ruth and Boaz
Boaz
said to Ruth: « Listen to me, my daughter, do not glean
in another field, do not go far from here and stay close to
my servants. Keep your eyes on the field that they reap and
follow them. I have commanded my servants to not touch you;
and when you are thirsty, go to the jugs and drink what the
servants have drawn. » She then bowed down to prostrate
before him with her face to the ground. She said to him: «
Why have I found favor in your eyes that you noticed me, a
foreigner? » Boaz replied: «They have told me
all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death
of your husband and how you left your father, your mother
and the land of your birth to come to a people that you did
not know before. May the Eternal recompense you for all you
have done! May the Eternal, the God of Israel, under whose
wings you have found refuge fully reward you. »
Ruth
2: 8 – 12
King David was to descend from the ensuing union between Ruth
and Boaz:
Beautiful
David
…
he had a rosy complexion, beautiful eyes and was handsome.
And God said to Samuel: Rise and anoint him for it is he.
» Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the
presence of his brothers; and from that day forward, the spirit
of God was upon David.
I
Samuel 16: 12 – 13
The city of
Bethlehem would pass on to posterity as the birthplace of Jesus.
According to Luke’s version, Jesus was born while Joseph
and Mary were in Bethlehem for the census. The evangelist continues:
The birth of a Savior
While
they were there, the time had come for Mary to give birth,
and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in
swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was
no room for them at the inn. There were shepherds in this
region that passed through the fields watching their flocks.
An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the
Lord shone all around them. They were very frightened. But
the angel said to them: «Do not fear for I bring you
the good news of the great joy that will be to all people:
today in the city of David, a Savior has been born to you;
he is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: you
will find a newborn baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying
in a manger. » And suddenly a multitude of heavenly
host joined the angel praising God and saying: « Glory
to God on high and peace and goodwill among men. »
Luke 2: 6 – 14
 The
cave of the Nativity is first mentioned by Justin Martyr (150
– 155) and then by Origen (3rd century). Throughout this
time, the Christians venerated this site in spite of «
the woods dedicated to Adonis that are sheltered there. »
Around 325 – 326, Helen, the mother of Constantine, the
first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, supervises the
construction of the first basilica. In the 5th century, Saint
Jerome (385 – 420), the bishop of Jerusalem, opens a monastery
where he works on the Latin translation of the Bible that will
be the basis of the Vulgate. In 529, the Samaritans destroy
the basilica during an uprising. Rebuilt in the 6th century
by the emperor Justinian, it assumes the appearance that it
more or less has today.
The Crusaders
seize the city before marching on to Jerusalem (1099). The kings
Baudouin the 1st and Baudouin the 2nd are crowned in its church.
The building remains in the hands of the Christians under the
Mamluks and the Turks; its caretakers constantly lower the entrance
of the basilica in order to protect themselves against assailants.
According to another account, the low doors of the monument,
the « doors of humility » were designed by the Crusaders
to oblige the pilgrims to bow as if entering a cave. Vestiges
of various periods – Byzantine moldings, an arch from
the Middle Ages – stand out on the façade. The
interior is divided into nine naves by four rows of a dozen
columns; a transept crosses them and there are apses at each
end. A mobile plank of wood in the central nave bears the vestiges
of a mosaic that dates back to the time of Constantine. Saints
are depicted on the columns, the genealogy of Christ is depicted
over the architraves and the various councils are represented
on the walls.
On each side
of the choir, flights of stairs lead to the cave of the Nativity,
which is under the authority of the Greek-Orthodox. A star is
fixed over an alter indicating: « Hic de Virgine Maria
Jesus Christus natus est » or « Jesus Christ was
born to the Virgin Mary here.» Even Gustave Flaubert who
was quite reserved regarding holy sites did not hide his emotions:
The song of the Nativity
Five
lamps are lit on the very site of the Nativity, which is protected
by a gate […]. A large star marks the spot on the ground
where Jesus was placed; its gold filigree has been removed.
Some of the lamps are made of green glass […]. I remained
there; it was difficult for me to pull myself away; it is
beautiful, it is true, it sings mystical joy; some of the
lamps were extinguished! One of the five lamps of the Adoration
by the three wise men was out!
G.
Flaubert, A Voyage to the Orient
At Christmas, the mid-night mass is transmitted throughout the
world from the Franciscan Church of Saint Catherine (1881).
A network of caves leads to the Crypt of the Innocents, which
is dedicated to the children executed by Herod. A gallery under
the alter leads to the tombs of Saint Paul and of his daughter,
Saint Eustachius, of two Roman noblewomen who retired to Bethlehem
and that of Saint Jerome. Chateaubriand speaks about the latter
in his journal:
The
cell of a cenobite
Saint
Jerome spent most of his life in this cave. It is here that
he saw the fall of the Roman Empire; it is here that he welcomed
fugitive patricians who after having possessed worldly palaces
were happy to share the cell of a cenobite. The peace of the
holy and the troubles of the world have a marvelous effect
on the epistles of this wise interpreter of the Scripture.
Chateaubriand,
Itinerary from Paris to Jerusalem
A chapel dedicated to Saint Jerome is connected to the Monastery
of the Canon of Saint Augustine, which was entrusted with the
maintenance of the basilica in the 20th century. For a long
time, the basilica had been a source of dispute between the
diverse Christian communities. An agreement was made in the
middle of the 19th century, dividing the responsibilities and
establishing the protocol of the religious ceremonies.
Until
the arrival of Moslem refugees in 1948, the city of Bethlehem
was, for the most part, Christian. Today it is included in a
complex that comprises Beit Sahur and Beit Jala. There are many
churches and other Christian institutions including the monastery
of the order of Saint Francis of Sales in Beit Jala. All the
Christian communities, the Roman Catholics and above all, the
Greek-Orthodox are represented, as well as the small communities
of the Syrian-Orthodox, the Syrian Catholics, the Melchites,
the Protestants, the Maronites, the Armenians…
Bethlehem is now in Palestinian territory with an Israeli enclave
around Rachel’s Tomb.
|