The Town of Bethlehem

No town in the world has such a joyous history or exalted status as Bethlehem.

The Magi brought gold, frankincense and myrrh from the east, to the humble manger in a stable and knelt down and worshipped the child who was born there. It was here that the child Jesus gave his first cry as he emerged from the womb of the Virgin Mary.

Bethlehem the birthplace of Jesus Christ, is three times holy, being revered by the followers of the three revealed religions. It contains the shrine of Rachel, the mother of the patriarch Joseph, who was buried on the way to Ephrathah (or Bethlehem), and it is here that the Prophet Muhammed (God bless him and grant him salvation) prayed on his way to Jerusalem. He is reported as having said, "When I was taken on the Midnight Journey to Jerusalem, Gabriel took me to Abraham's grave and said, 'Alight and pray two raq'as, for here is the grave of your father Abraham', and then he took me to Bethlehem, saying, 'Alight and pray two raq'as, for here is the birthplace of your brother Jesus, peace be upon him', and then I was taken to the Rock".

Three thousand years before the birth of Christ, Bethlehem was already known as a settlement. Canaanite tribes (including Jebusites, Hittites, Amarites and others) who settled in Palestine, built small cities surrounded by walls for protection against the attacks of raiders. One of these cities was Beit Lahama known today as Bethlehem. So, the word Bethlehem derives from Lahmo the Chaldean god of fertility, which was adopted by the Canaanites as Lahama.

In accordance with the Canaanite practice of building temples to their gods, they built a temple for Lahama on the present mount of the Nativity which overlooked the fertile valleys of the region (The Shepherds' Fields). Canaanite wells, ramparts and other structures on the Nativity mount and other sites in Bethlehem clearly establish its Canaanite origin 1000 years before the Hebrew period.