I once asked myself
HOW A STABLE LOOKS LIKE
The scene is familiar to billions the world over: a ramshackle but warm stable, a newborn baby lying in a manger, and a collection of livestock standing peacefully in the background. But was it really like that? What animals would actually have there been in a Bethlehem stable 2000 years ago, and what else was lurking in the shadows and dirt? There are no first-hand accounts of the birth of Jesus. Nevertheless, the archaeology of the region has given us a wealth of information on the history of domestic animals, and veterinary science allows us to make educated guesses about the animals likely to have witnessed such an event. Our sketch of the Nativity scene is in no way definitive, but it represents a best guess at what might have been around. Lowing cattle, etc Most of the familiar farmyard animals were firmly domesticated by Jesus’s time, possibly because wild animals were being over-hunted and people needed another food source. “With the exception of the turkey, all livestock animals had been domesticated a long time before the birth of Jesus,” says Albano Beja-Pereira of the University of Porto in Portugal. Sheep were probably the first, with an initial wave of domestication 11,000 years ago and a second 6000 years ago. Cattle followed shortly afterwards: they were domesticated in south-west Asia from wild animals called aurochs and then taken to Africa and Europe. Pigs were domesticated around the same time, in several different places
Creepy-crawlies The obvious answer is insects and parasites, in huge numbers. Densely packed creatures are always tempting targets for parasites looking for a home, and domestic animals are no exception. If we go with tradition and assume that Jesus was born in winter, any animals in the vicinity would have been crawling with lice. Cows would surely have been infested with cattle-biting lice, which chew on their hair and skin. “Lice are more common in winter, because the animals’ coats are longer and thickly matted,” says Richard Wall of the University of Bristol, UK. Animals shed their winter coats in spring, along with most of their lice, so a summer birth would have been less itchy. Anyone hanging around a stable would have been irritated by the bazaar fly, the Middle East equivalent of the common housefly. As well as buzzing around infuriatingly, the fly can also spread the eye disease trachoma. Plenty of insects bite humans, and some are willing to venture indoors. Stable flies mostly feed on the blood of livestock, particularly cattle, but they do sometimes bite humans as well. Aside from the obvious harmful effects of having one’s blood sucked, some of these flies carry anthrax. It’s best to be careful when using straw as bedding, too. It is often infested with straw itch mites, one of the most aptly named organisms around. They do not feed off humans, preferring to eat other insects, but if they get on your skin they can cause dermatitis. Flesh-eaters Annoying and potentially harmful as these species are, their unpleasantness pales in comparison with that of the sheep bot fly. Adult females squirt live maggots up the noses of sheep, where they crawl up into the sinuses and head cavity. The maggots spend the winter there, feeding on the animal’s mucous membranes. In spring they crawl back down into the nostril and get sneezed out. Notwithstanding their name, the flies don’t limit themselves to sheep. Unlucky humans can wind up with maggots living in their throats or up their noses, which can cause fever. Particularly unfortunate individuals suffer ophthalmomyiasis – maggots living in their eye sockets. Another insect with a similar lifestyle is the spotted flesh fly, a common pest in the Middle East. Disdaining noses, they insert their young into open wounds and scratches, including navel wounds where umbilical cords have been detached. They often go for the genitals, infecting millions of animals around the world. Humans are not safe, and there are rare cases of newborn babies being infected. We won’t even mention rats and mice. All in all, if you are about to give birth, try and arrange to do so somewhere other than a stable.
SIGNIFICANT OF THE MANGER
Believe it or not, Jesus wasn't actually born in a manger (a food trough for animals). But after Jesus was delivered, his mother did lay Him in a manger after wrapping Him in swaddling cloths. So why was Jesus laid in an animal feed trough in the first place? Thousands of years ago, God the Father promised His Son's birth soon after Adam and Eve's sin in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:15). Because sin now created a rift in mankind's relationship with God, we needed a Savior who would sacrifice Himself as payment for the sins of those who believe in Him. To that end, God put a plan in motion that would result in the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of the only Being capable of becoming the perfect sacrifice God's justice and holiness required. When Jesus's mother, Mary, was pregnant, she was forced to travel to the town of Bethlehem with her husband, Joseph, so their family could be counted in a census of the entire Roman territory (Luke 2:1–5). This fulfilled the prophecy saying the Messiah would be born in that city: "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days" (Micah 5:2). Some time after they arrived, Mary gave birth to Jesus. The Bible tells us that the reason Mary laid Jesus in the manger was because "there was no place for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7). There is more than one meaning for the Greek word for "inn" (kataluma)—it can refer to a hotel-like residence, but it can also be translated as "lodging-place." This has caused some controversy as to whether or not Jesus was actually born in a house with an area serving as a nighttime shelter, or a stable as many suppose (taken from the fact that Jesus was laid in a manger). Many houses in that day had a wooden or stone feeding trough for the animals that were brought in against the cold night. If Jesus was born in a house, it is likely that Mary and Joseph were relegated to the lower floor due to the overcrowding in the upper-level guest rooms. Regardless of the exact location of Jesus' birth, Jesus' first bed was an indicator of His nature and purpose. Rather than coming to earth amidst fanfare and in plush surroundings, the King of Creation and God's own Son was born among animals, with his very first visitors being lowly shepherds from the fields. This humble king would grow up to one day sacrifice His life on a cross for sinners, rise again, and then return to His Father's side in power and glory.
CHRIST IS BORN
CHRIST IS ALIVE
MERRY CHRISTMAS
in advance!!
