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Situated in the mountains just south of Jerusalem,
Bethlehem has played a pivotal role in history. Nearby, the
Matriarch Rachel is buried and her tomb is a pilgrimage site to this day. To
Bethlehem, Ruth the
Moabitess comforted her mother-in-law Naomi with the words, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God" [Ruth
1:16]. Ruth married Boaz of
Bethlehem, redeeming Naomi's family inheritance.
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Micah the prophet had promised, "But thou,
Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of
Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel. All the population was told to register in the cities where they had been born. The
Gospel according to Luke says that
Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem for a census while she was "great with child. "Joseph and Mary arrived in
Bethlehem where Mary gave birth to
Jesus in a stable, and placed him in a manger. |
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At the beginning of the 4th century, Queen Helena and Emperor
Constantine of Byzantium ordered construction of a beautiful basilica over a place thought to be the place
Jesus was born. Restored by the Emperor Justinian in the 6th century, this is the only ancient church in the land that retains its original shape. |
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Interior of St. Catherine
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From Manger Square outside of the sanctuary the church looks like a massive fortress. Though the actual place of he birth is not certain inside the Grotto of the Manger a large Silver Star placed there in 1717 commemorates a place to recall where
Jesus was born. This is one of the most sacred sites in
Christianity and pilgrims flock here for worship and as well as the singing of Christmas carols. |
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