Little Town of Bethlehem History

During 14^th Century BC, Egyptians had discovered the city of Bethlehem but records show the oldest inhabitation dates back to Paleolithic era, the age of stone. This was the age when humans began to group together and created tools out of stones. “Bayt Lahm” is Arabic for House of Meat but perhaps it originates from Hebrew House of Bread or even House of God Lahmu. Lahmu is a deity from Akkadian mythology. 

Bethlehem is a village situated just south of Jerusalem and stands at an elevation of about 775 meters above sea level where the western highlands are fertile farmlands and the eastern part is desert.

Rachel’s Tomb which dates back to the early Byzantine period is located north of Bethlehem. Historically, it is known as Dome of Rachel and in Arabic Qubbat Rakhil and is also called Bilal ibn Rabah Mosque. This tomb is regarded as sacred place by Jews, Muslims and Christians.

Rachel, wife of Jacob and mother of two of his twelve sons died giving birth to Benjamin. This is where Jacob set a pillar upon her grave.

The Roman emperor, Hadrian had the village destroyed during the three-year war but when the Roman Empire officially endorsed Christianity, people began to return to Bethlehem. And around 338, Constantine had a church built which is believed to be the birth place of Jesus. According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus’ parents lived in Nazareth but traveled to Bethlehem when Jesus was born there before the family returned to Nazareth.

Bethlehem today has a population of around 27,000. In 1948 during the Nakba (Diaspora), many Palestinians were forced to leave their homes because of the political conflict and continuous violence. Some of these Palestinian people became refugees in Bethlehem itself. There are three refugee camps: Dheisheh refugee camp has about 11,000 inhabitants, Aida refugee camp has about 6,000 inhabitants, and Beit Jebreen refugee camp has almost 3,000 inhabitants.      

For nearly 2,000 years, Christian community lived in peace and prospered in Palestine. The Palestinian Christians were among the first to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. The ancient town of Bethlehem remained sacred to Christian pilgrims from around the world.

Bethlehem has many historical sacred sites and one of the most important Christian Holiest place is the Church of Nativity. This structure is built over a cave where Jesus Christ was born. Saint Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine I first built this structure which began in 327 and was completed in 333. But then the structure was destroyed in 529 during the Samaritan Revolt. The current basilica was rebuilt in its present form in 565 by the Emperor Justinian I.  Years later, the Crusaders made further repairs and additions to the building. There were more expansion of the compound in the coming years and today it covers approximately 12,000 square meters.

The Church of Nativity is administered jointly by Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic authorities. The structure is a combination of two churches: the main Basilica of the Nativity is maintained by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. While the adjoining Church of St. Catherine, the Roman Catholic Church, was built in a more modern Gothic revival style. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem celebrates Midnight Mass on Christmas Even at this church. The Roman Catholic follow the Gregorian calendar so they celebrate Nativity on December 25^th.  And since the Greek Orthodox Church follow Julian calendar, they celebrate Nativity on January 7^th.

Old City

The center of Bethlehem is known as old city which consists of eight quarters, laid out in a mosaic style, forming the area around the Manger Square. The quarters include the Christian al-Najajreh, al-Farahiyeh, al-Anatreh, al-Tarajmeh, al-Qawawsa and Hreizat quarters and al-Fawaghreh.  Most of the Christian quarters are named after the Arab Ghassanid clans that settled there. The total population of the old city is about 5,000.

The city’s main streets and old markets are lined with shops selling handicrafts, Middle Eastern spices, and jewelry. Many shops in Bethlehem sell olive wood carvings. The tradition of olive wood carving handicrafts has been passed along by many generations. The city is known for its beautiful olive wood carvings made from the local olive groves. It is one of the main product purchased by tourists who visit Bethlehem. Religious handicrafts are also a major industry and some products include ornaments handmade from mother-of-pearl as well as olive wood statues, nativity sets, and crosses.

The olive tree is known for its historical presence, its beauty, its symbolic significance, and most importantly for its economic significance. Olive trees are a major commercial crop for Palestine, and many families depend on it for their livelihood. Many products are extracted from the olive tree, these include, olives, olive oil, olive wood, and olive based soap. In fact, olive oil is the second major export item in Palestine.

Olive trees grow at a rate of 1-2 feet each year, reaching a height of 20 to 40 feet after about 40 years. They generally live for about 400 years, but many are known to be 700 or 1000 years old.  Historians date the first olive trees in Palestine to 4,000 years before Christ.

For many Palestinians, the olive tree resembles them as a symbol of their nation. It is seen as embodying the qualities of rootedness and durability. The olive tree is a major part of the Palestinian identity.

The Bible mentions olive 16 times. Traditional oil is supplied from olive trees which lights the lamps over the birthplace of Christ in the Church of the Nativity. Olives and their oil have a spiritual significance throughout the Middle East, the oil mentioned in the bible 140 times. The Qur’an and Torah also mention it as symbol of peace, life and fertility.

Olive also has nutritional value which contains some natural acid called oleic acid. Eating small amounts of olive oil is considered to be good for you and in fact, oleic acid is known to prevent the clogged arteries and heart attacks often caused by bad animal derived fat.