CRECHE LOSING ITS CACHE : NATIVITY PROBABLY IN CAVE, NOT FREE-STANDING STABLE, SCHOLARS SAY.Byline: Diego Ribandeneira The Boston Globe It has become the standard Christmas scene at many churches: baby Jesus lying in a manger inside a wooden stable surrounded by his parents, Joseph and Mary, a handful of shepherds, the three wise men and various barn animals. For most Christians, the Christmas creche is the season's most enduring religious image. There's just one problem: It probably didn't happen quite that way. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a number of biblical scholars, the available evidence suggests that Jesus was born not in a free-standing stable, but in a cave. While this theory is not based on any new archeological finds, it is gaining renewed currency among contemporary scholars. During the time of Jesus' birth, some scholars argue, naturally occurring caves in the hills of Bethlehem were often used as stables. So if Joseph, as the Gospel according to Luke describes it, could find no room at the inn, it is likely that he would have found shelter in a cave used by the inn to house its animals. ``In that part of the world, caves are commonly used for two things - burials and stables,'' said Paul Wallace, professor of classics and religious studies at the University at Albany, who spent 30 years working in the Middle East. ``Rather than having a free-standing stable with a separate building, throughout the eastern Mediterranean, people commonly take their animals and put them in a cave,'' Wallace added. Indeed, in the Middle East, many Christians regard the sacred site of Jesus' birth to be the cave lying beneath the Church of the Nativity The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem (Arabic, كنيسة المهد) is one of the oldest continuously operating churches in the world. in Bethlehem. The church, which sits in Manger Square, is one of the most-visited sites in the Holy Land and Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox Adj. 1. Greek Orthodox - of or relating to or characteristic of the Eastern Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Orthodox faith, religion, religious belief - a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny; "he and Armenian Orthodox groups all have altars there. So, where did the inspiration arise for the ubiquitous portrayal of the Nativity scene A nativity scene, also called a crib or crèche (meaning "crib" or "manger" in French) generally refers to any depiction of the birth or birthplace of Jesus. In Italy it is known as presepe showing Jesus born in a stable? The answer is as varied as the number of scholars weighing in on the subject. It seems to have been a blend of Western assumptions about what a stable looks like and the influence of various Christian teachers. ``The fact is that we don't have many facts about these stories,'' said Jeffrey Trumbower, associate professor of religious studies at St. Michael's College St. Michael's College may refer to:
Some scholars attribute the popularization pop·u·lar·ize tr.v. pop·u·lar·ized, pop·u·lar·iz·ing, pop·u·lar·iz·es 1. To make popular: A famous dancer popularized the new hairstyle. 2. of Christmas creches to St. Francis of Assisi. During Christmas 1223, St. Francis wrote that he wished to ``make a memorial of that child who was born in Bethlehem and in some sort behold with bodily eyes the hardships of his infant state, lying on hay in a manger with the ox and the ass standing by.'' In Europe at that time a manger would typically be found in a stable, most likely a free-standing wood structure, scholars say. ``In Christian tradition Christian traditions are traditions of practice or belief associated with Christianity. The term has several connected meanings. In terms of belief, traditions are generally stories or history that are or were widely accepted without being part of Christian doctrine. , people have filled in the gaps in the Gospel with their own cultural influences and so we get the picture of a manger in a wood stable,'' said Anthony Salderini, professor of biblical studies Biblical studies is the academic study of the Judeo-Christian Bible and related texts. For Christianity, the Bible traditionally comprises the New Testament and Old Testament, which together are sometimes called the "Scriptures. at Boston College Boston College, main campus at Chestnut Hill, Mass.; coeducational; Jesuit; est. and opened 1863. Actually a university, the school's Chestnut Hill campus comprises colleges of arts and sciences and business administration, the graduate school, and schools of nursing . The Bible itself offers few clues. Only two Gospels, Matthew and Luke, talk about Jesus' birth. And Matthew doesn't mention any details surrounding his birth, implying that Joseph and Mary already lived in Bethlehem and, therefore, would have no need to find a place to bear Mary's child Mary's Child or Our Lady's Child is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales as tale number 3.[1] The Brothers Grimm noted its similarity to the Italian The Goat-faced Girl and the Norwegian . In Luke, Joseph and Mary return to their native Bethlehem because of a census mandated by the Roman emperor. Only a single sentence discusses Jesus' birth. That passage, Chapter 2:7, says, ``And she gave birth to her firstborn first·born adj. First in order of birth; born first. n. The child in a family who is born first. Noun 1. firstborn - the offspring who came first in the order of birth eldest son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.'' Some early church historians, such as Justin Martyr, writing less than 200 years after Jesus' death, described the birth of Jesus inside a cave. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Today's Nativity scenes may be more influenced by Western concepts of stables than historical fact. Associated Press |
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