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Bethlehem
The birthplace of Jesus Christ, Bethlehem is located approximately 5 miles (8 kilometers) south of Jerusalem in the district of Ephrathah in Judea. The prophet Micah prophesied that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the Messiah. Micah 5: 1,3,4 . Bethlehem means house of bread. It was the burial place of Rachel, the wife of Jacob, Genesis 35: 16-20, the home of Naomi and her family and the setting of much of the Book of Ruth. Bethlehem was also David's ancestral home and it was here he was anointed king by the prophet Samuel.
Joseph and Mary travelled to Bethlehem for the census of Caesar Augustus. This was because Joseph was of the house and line of David, as the evangelist explained. Luke 2: 1-7. The promise given to David of an everlasting kingdom was to be fulfilled in Jesus, the Messiah, who would often be referred to as Son of David. Mark 10: 46-52 The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem today, replacing an earlier one built in 330AD by St Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, marks the place of the stable in which Jesus was born.
Today, Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank, with a population of about 30,000 people. Since 1995 it has been governed by the Palestinian National Authority. The town is inhabited by one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. Although the size of this community has shrunk in recent years due to emigration, it is still one of the largest Palestinian Christian communities.
Bethlehem has a Muslim majority. The greater Bethlehem area includes the towns of Beit Jala and Beit Sahour, as well as the refugee camps of Aida and Azza.
Cardinal O'Brien mourns situation of Christians in Jesus' Land
Papal Schedule in Bethlehem Wednesday 13th May 2009
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