Bethlehem
Luke 2:4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee,
out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is
called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David) [or from David]
Luke 2:15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone
away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go
even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the
Lord hath made known unto us.
Micah 5:2 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; whose goings forth have been from
of old, from everlasting.
John 7:42 Hath not the scripture said, That Christ
cometh of the seed of
David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? (seed=semen) (Ref. KJV)
Bethlehem: (Hebrew: Bēṯ Leḥem,: Bet Leḥem
[bet ˈleχem], lit. "House of Bread"; Ancient Greek : Arabic: Bayt Laḥm or Bēt Laḥm, lit.
"House of Meat”(To Breed or past thence Bread)
Birthplace of Jesus: Two accounts in the New Testament describe Jesus as being born in Bethlehem. According
to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus' parents lived in Nazareth and travelled for the Census of Quirinius to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, after which they
returned home. The Gospel of Matthew account implies that the family already
lived in Bethlehem and later fled to Nazareth to escape persecution. Matthew
says that Herod the Great, told that a
'King of the Jews' has been born in Bethlehem, ordered the killing of all the
children aged two and under in the town and surrounding areas. Joseph is warned of
this in a dream, and the family escapes this fate by fleeing to Egypt and
returning only after Herod has died. Most modern biographers of Herod doubt the
massacre was a real event.
Early Christians interpreted a verse in the Book of Micah as a prophecy
of the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem.
Modern scholars question whether Jesus was born in Bethlehem, seeing the
biblical stories not as historical accounts but as symbolic narratives invented
to present the birth of Jesus as fulfillment of prophecy and imply a connection
to the lineage of King David. The Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of John do not
include a nativity narrative, but refer to him only as being from Nazareth. In
a 2005 article in Archaeology magazine, archaeologist Aviram Oshri points to an
absence of evidence of the settlement of Bethlehem near Jerusalem at the time
when Jesus was born, and postulates that Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Galilee. In a 2011 article in Biblical Archaeology Review
magazine, Jerome Murphy-O'Connor argues for the traditional position
that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, near Jerusalem.
The existence
of early traditions of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem is attested by the Christian apologist Justin Martyr, who stated in
his Dialogue with Trypho (c. 155–161) that the Holy Family had taken
refuge in a cave outside of the town. Origen of Alexandria, writing
around the year 247, referred to a cave in the town of Bethlehem which local
people believed was the birthplace of Jesus.
Christmas celebrations: Christmas rites are held in Bethlehem
on three different dates: December 25 is the traditional date by the Roman
Catholic and Protestant denominations,
but Greek, Coptic and Syrian Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 6 and Armenian Orthodox Christians on January 19. Most
Christmas processions pass through Manger Square, the plaza outside the
Basilica of the Nativity. Roman Catholic services take place in St. Catherine's Church and
Protestants often hold services at Shepherds' Fields. (Ref.
Wikipedia)
1: a building that serves as living quarters for one or a few
families : home
2a (1) : a shelter or
refuge (as a nest or den) of a wild animal (2) : a natural
covering (as a test or shell) that encloses and protects an animal or a colony
of zooids (The term zooid has historically also been used for an
organic cell or organized body that has independent movement within a living
organism, especially a motile gamete such as a spermatozoon
(within semen) (in the
case of algae now zoid),
or an independent animal-like organism produced asexually, as by budding or fission.) (semen)
b :
a building in which something is housed
<a carriage house>
3a : one of the 12
equal sectors in which the celestial sphere is divided in astrology
b :
a zodiacal sign that is the seat of a planet's greatest influence
4a : household
b :
a family including ancestors, descendants, and kindred <the
house
of Tudor>
5a : a residence for
a religious community or for students
b :
the community or students in residence
6a : a legislative,
deliberative, or consultative assembly; especially : one constituting
a division of a bicameral body
b :
the building or chamber where such an assembly meets
c :
a quorum of such an assembly
7a : a place of
business or entertainment <a movie house>
b (1) :
a business organization <a publishing
house>
(2)
:
a gambling establishment
c :
the audience in a theater or concert hall <a
full house
on opening night>
8: the circular area 12 feet in diameter surrounding the tee
and within which a curling stone must rest in order to count
9[from
The Warehouse, Chicago dance club that
pioneered the style] : a type of dance music mixed by a disc jockey that features
overdubbing with a heavy repetitive drumbeat and repeated electronic melody
lines.
1.
Would
you like to come to my house for dinner?
2.
I
spent the weekend just puttering around the house.
3.
He
made enough noise to wake the whole house.
Middle English hous,
from Old English hūs; akin to Old High German hūs house
First Known Use: before
12th century
(Ref. merriam-webster)