The First Christmas - BiblePlaces.com€¦ · The First Christmas Photos from the collections of BiblePlaces.com . These images are distributed with the December 2016 edition of the
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The First Christmas Photos from the collections of BiblePlaces.com
The First Christmas Photos from the collections of
BiblePlaces.com
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Presentation Notes
These images are distributed with the December 2016 edition of the BiblePlaces Newsletter. They come from the collections of BiblePlaces.com which are copyrighted by Todd Bolen. Permission to use is granted for personal and educational purposes. Commercial use or re-distribution requires written permission.
Ascent of Adummim and Wadi Qilt (aerial view from the east)
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Joseph and Mary traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem. If they avoided Samaria, as most Jewish travelers seemed to do, they would have passed through Jericho and ascended the route next to the Wadi Qilt on their way to Jerusalem. The Ascent of Adummim avoids the wilderness wadis as it climbs up to the Mount of Olives. From Jerusalem, Joseph and his pregnant wife turned left to head south to the city of their ancestor David. Some months later, the Magi may have traveled this same route on their way to worship the king. This photo comes from a forthcoming collection of BiblePlaces.com. ws010515963
Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem (from the north)
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Bethlehem is not impressive today, and it was not impressive then. Joseph and Mary probably arrived to a village with not more than a few hundred inhabitants. Bethlehem was significant as the home of Ruth and the birthplace of David, but it never seems to have been large or prominent before the birth of the Messiah. The view above shows the area of the Church of the Nativity, the ancient core of the village. This photograph was taken in the 1850s, before parking garages, visitor centers, and hundreds of shops obscured the natural landscape. This illustration comes from Félix Bonfils, Views of Egypt, Palestine and Syria. Public domain, from The New York Public Library, http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-6424-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 nypl82652
Village guest chamber
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Though the English translations pretty consistently render Luke's word kataluma as "inn," many scholars today believe that a more accurate translation is "guest room." This American Colony photograph shows just such an upper room that was used for housing those visiting the village. For more about the translation of this word and its possible significance, see our previous comments at http://blog.bibleplaces.com/2006/12/in-typical-christmas-pageant-one-of.html. This photo comes from “Traditional Life and Customs,” volume 6 of The American Colony and Eric Matson Collection. mat05610
Pastoral night scene with Bethlehem in distance
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Shepherds do still tend their flocks by night in the Bethlehem area, even in the month of December, despite what some commentators claim. The image above was likely staged by the American Colony photographers, but it reflects a common practice in the Bethlehem area and throughout the hills of Judea and Samaria. Some years ago I was hiking east of Bethlehem on Christmas morning when our party came across a shepherd who had spent the night with his sheep. Two thousand years ago a group of shepherds working in this area were honored to be the first to learn of the birth of the Great Shepherd. This photo comes from “Traditional Life and Customs,” volume 6 of The American Colony and Eric Matson Collection. mat02990
In the Shepherds’
Field, Bethlehem
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This photo comes from Picturesque Palestine, volume 1: Jerusalem, Judah and Ephraim. pp1125
Shepherd in Bethlehem fields on Christmas Eve
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This photo was taken on December 24, 1964. It comes from Views That Have Vanished: The Photographs of David Bivin. db6412240308
Native home near Bethlehem
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This photograph was taken about 100 years ago in the town of Bethlehem. As with all such nativity scenes, the creator used a bit of imagination to flesh out details not recorded in Scripture. Nonetheless, the scene is helpful in reminding us of the very ordinariness of the entrance of God's Son to earth. This photo comes from “Traditional Life and Customs,” volume 6 of The American Colony and Eric Matson Collection. mat05495
Stone manger at Tekoa
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The most plentiful building material in Israel then and now is limestone, and it is not surprising that many feeding troughs from ancient Israel were carved from stone blocks. Despite the common portrayal of a wooden manger (see the previous photo), Jesus's first crib was probably something similar to this stone manger discovered at Tekoa, just a few miles south of Bethlehem. This photo comes from “Judah and the Dead Sea,” volume 4 of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands. tb111706040
Three men on camels approaching Bethlehem
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It's not impossible that there were three Magi, nor is it unreasonable that they rode on camels. Their visit to the "house" where Jesus was staying (Matt 2:11) suggests that they arrived some time after the night of his birth. They traveled first to Jerusalem, where the priests directed them to the prophesied place of the Messiah's birth in Bethlehem. In bringing gifts of gold and frankincense, the Magi foreshadowed the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy that one day the nations will bring tribute as they come to Jerusalem to worship the king and to submit to his law (Isa 2, 4, 11, 32, 60). This photo comes from “Traditional Life and Customs,” volume 6 of The American Colony and Eric Matson Collection. mat06285
Herodium and Bethlehem (aerial view from the east)
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The Messiah, of course, was a threat to sinful men whose rule he will bring to an end. As soon as Herod heard that the prophecy of Messiah's birth was fulfilled, he gave orders to execute all of the young boys in Bethlehem. This photo shows Herod's palace-fortress, the Herodium, looking toward Bethlehem. Herod's efforts were thwarted by the Lord and a few months later, his decaying corpse was interred on the right (northeastern) slope of this hill. No one today celebrates Herod's birth, rejoices in his life, or anticipates his return. See the next slide for identifying labels. This photo comes from a forthcoming collection of BiblePlaces.com. ws021815417
Herodium and Bethlehem (aerial view from the east)
Upper Herodium
Bethlehem
Presenter
Presentation Notes
The Messiah, of course, was a threat to sinful men whose rule he will bring to an end. As soon as Herod heard that the prophecy of Messiah's birth was fulfilled, he gave orders to execute all of the young boys in Bethlehem. This photo shows Herod's palace-fortress, the Herodium, looking toward Bethlehem. Herod's efforts were thwarted by the Lord and a few months later, his decaying corpse was interred on the right (northeastern) slope of this hill. No one today celebrates Herod's birth, rejoices in his life, or anticipates his return. This photo comes from a forthcoming collection of BiblePlaces.com. ws021815417
The Pictorial Library of Bible Lands is a collection of 17,600 high resolution images of biblical sites and scenes. Volumes in the collection
include:
For more information about the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, go to: http://www.bibleplaces.com/details/
Galilee and the North Samaria and the Center Jerusalem Judah and the Dead Sea Negev and the Wilderness Jordan Egypt Lebanon Eastern and Central Turkey Western Turkey
Greece The Greek Islands Cyprus and Crete Italy and Malta Rome Cultural Images of the Holy Land Trees, Plants, and Flowers of the Holy Land Signs of the Holy Land
The American Colony and Eric Matson Collection comprises more than 4,000 selected photographs of sites and scenes from Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. All of the images are included in pre-made PowerPoint files for quick and easy use, as well as in high-resolution jpg format, suitable for projecting or printing. Quotations from 19th-century travelers give additional context to many of the photographs. This collection includes the following volumes:
For more details about this collection, go to: http://www.lifeintheholyland.com/49_matson_american_colony_8_volumes.htm The original source of these images is the G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection at the U.S. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, online at http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pp/matpchtml/matpcabt.html.
Volume 1: Northern Palestine Volume 2: Jerusalem Volume 3: Southern Palestine Volume 4: Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan Volume 5: Egypt and Sinai Volume 6: Traditional Life and Customs Volume 7: Early 20th-Century History Volume 8: People of Palestine
