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Every head bows at Church of the Nativity By TERRY HOUSHOLDER
It's not a requirement, it's a necessity. A tiny sixth-century doorway, made smaller by Crusaders and the Turks centuries later as a way to stop horsemen from storming the basilica, forces people to stoop low to enter. Bowing today is seen as respect and reverence for what visitors and pilgrims are about to see firsthand - the traditional place of the birth of Jesus. The Church of the Nativity, a grand, fortress-looking structure, is the oldest church in the Holy Land and possibly the oldest complete church in the world. There is considerable historical evidence that the church, built over a simple cave, is the actual location of the birth of the savior. The Biblical gospels do not speak of Jesus being born in a cave, but an animal stable. However, even today in the Judean hills, there are primitive shepherd dwellings where families live directly above caves which provide shelter for their animals. Oral history of the place of Jesus' birth was strong among the early Christians and in 135 A.D., the Roman Emperor Hadrian gave orders that a grove, dedicated to the pagan god Adonis, should be planted in the immediate area of the cave as a way to keep Christian worshipers away. In this, he marked the exact location for 200 years. When Empress Helena, mother of the Christian Roman Emperor
Constantine, visited Bethlehem in the fourth century, Emperor Justinian replaced it in the latter part of the sixth century with a larger structure and the church was left alone by the Arab invaders of the seventh and 11th centuries because Jesus is named in the Koran as one of the holy prophets. Justinian's church, which incorporated parts of Constantine's structure, has survived to this day, except for some improvements made by the Crusaders who captured it in 1099. Today, the Church of the Nativity is jointly owned by the Greek Orthodox and Armenian churches, thus reflecting the Eastern traditions. The Greeks occupy the area to the right of the altar and the Armenians the left. Adjacent to the north wall of the basilica is the more modern Roman Catholic Church of St. Catherine, run by Franciscan priests. The most impressive site in the church is the place of the nativity, reached by a descending set of stairs. It measures 40 feet by 10 feet and our group was fortunate to enter it at a time when there were few other visitors. Lit by hanging lamps, the grotto, lined with marble since the sixth century to preserve the rock, is protected by heavy leather drapes. However, some of the natural rock is visible. A silver star set in the floor marks the traditional place of birth. The roof is blackened by candles that have burned at the site for 1,400 years. The church stands over the famed Manger Square, which is packed today with worshipers celebrating the birth of Christ. Christmas Eve in Bethlehem is a major event for Roman Catholics and Protestants. The annual choir-singing event in Manger Square today reaches the whole world via television. Christmas lasts longer in Bethlehem than anywhere. The Greek Orthodox celebration is Jan. 7; the Aremenians mark the birth on Jan. 19. |
No one enters one
of Christianity's holiest sites - the Church of the Nativity
in Bethlehem - without bowing in submission and humility to the
Lord.
she
was told the legend and immediately ordered a church be built
over the cave.| Return to Holy Land up Close index |  |
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