Bethlehem, the City of David

This blog is a continuation of the recent entry on the Tour of Israel in late May to early June 2014 (Read here). 

*************************

Our Day 5 tour on 31 May 2014 started with departure from our hotel in Jerusalem. Our bus took us to the Shepherd's Field after passing through Bethlehem.

Bethleham was probably a little known settlement until Prophet Micah uttered a prophesy around 700 BC foretelling that a ruler would come out of this small place to rule Israel (Micah 5:2). By late first century AD, the influx of pilgrims to Bethlehem permanently linked this place as the earthly birth place of Jesus.

Our very first encounter with Bethlehem was in an excavated site in the Field of Boaz. We were brought to see an ancient olive oil press unearthed from an old settlement. Boaz is the husband of Ruth, a Moabite woman who is the great grandmother of King David. 

King David who spent his childhood as a shepherd boy is believed to have shepherded his sheep around fields in Bethlehem. Appropriately, Bethlehem is also being referred to as the City of David.

A typical field we saw.

Ancient olive oil press.

Olive oil is closely associated with Jewish daily lives. Besides cooking, lighting of oil lamps, specially prepared olive oil is also used in the anointing of many religious items. 

"Make this into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer, it will be the sacred anointing oil......." Exodus 30: 25-28.

Souvenirs shops are aplenty in Boaz Field.

***********************

Many came to see old caves which were once the safe havens for shepherds and sheep. Some have been converted to little chapels for worship and meditation.

The blackened cave lining is attributed to generations of smoke exposure by cooking and heating using fire wood by the cave occupants.

*******************************

Bethlehem is just 10Km south of Jerusalem and is under the jurisdiction of Palestinian self-rule West Bank. Despite the dwindling Christian population, it remains a favorite Christian pilgrimage site.

A small Chapel now occupies the spot traditionally believed to be where the angels appeared to the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus in Shepherd's Field. This is the Roman Catholic Shepherd's Field Chapel also known as Igreja dos Pastores which was built in 1953. Beautiful murals depicting the nativity and the annunciation of Jesus birth adorn the inner walls.

The skylight under the circular dome is unique and is said to represent a bright Star.

***************************

Nicholas Blincoe in his book, entitled "Bethlehem" sums up the Town:

Bethlehem has developed its own culture, somewhat in a bubble. It is a bit posh, quite Christian, and filled with impossible-seeming contradictions. It is insular yet international, educated and open yet capable of the worst small-town snobbery. It is a town of shopkeepers, natural conservatives, yet it sympathizes with the populism and anti-elitism of the radical left. The city has embraced the nationalist struggle, while keeping aloof from the political mainstream, favoring smaller parties like the Popular Front of for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Communists rather than Fatah.