THE BABE OF BETHLEHEM.
THE BIRTH OF JESUS.
Equally definite with the prophecies declaring that the Messiah would be
born in the lineage of David are the predictions that fix the place of
His birth at Bethlehem, a small town in Judea. There seems to have been
no difference of opinion among priests, scribes, or rabbis on the
matter, either before or since the great event. Bethlehem, though small
and of little importance in trade or commerce, was doubly endeared to
the Jewish heart as the birthplace of David and as that of the
prospective Messiah. Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth of Galilee, far
removed from Bethlehem of Judea; and, at the time of which we speak, the
maternity of the Virgin was fast approaching.
At that time a decree went out from Rome ordering a taxing of the people
in all kingdoms and provinces tributary to the empire; the call was of
general scope, it provided "that all the world should be taxed."[216]
The taxing herein referred to may properly be understood as an
enrolment,[217] or a registration, whereby a census of Roman subjects
would be secured, upon which as a basis the taxation of the different
peoples would be determined. This particular census was the second of
three such general registrations recorded by historians as occurring at
intervals of about twenty years. Had the census been taken by the usual
Roman method, each person would have been enrolled at the town of his
residence; but the Jewish custom, for which the Roman law had respect,
necessitated registration at the cities or towns claimed by the
respective families as their ancestral homes. As to whether the
requirement was strictly mandatory that every family should thus
register at the city of its ancestors, we need not be specially
concerned; certain it is that Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem, the
city of David, to be inscribed under the imperial decree.[218]
The little town was crowded at the time, most likely by the multitude
that had come in obedience to the same summons; and, in consequence,
Joseph and Mary failed to find the most desirable accommodations and had
to be content with the conditions of an improvised camp, as travelers
unnumbered had done before, and as uncounted others have done since, in
that region and elsewhere. We cannot reasonably regard this circumstance
as evidence of extreme destitution; doubtless it entailed inconvenience,
but it gives us no assurance of great distress or suffering.[219] It was
while she was in this situation that Mary the Virgin gave birth to her
firstborn, the Son of the Highest, the Only Begotten of the Eternal
Father, Jesus the Christ.
But few details of attendant circumstances are furnished us. We are not
told how soon the birth occurred after the arrival of Mary and her
husband at Bethlehem. It may have been the purpose of the evangelist who
made the record to touch upon matters of purely human interest as
lightly as was consistent with the narration of fact, in order that the
central truth might neither be hidden nor overshadowed by unimportant
incident. We read in Holy Writ this only of the actual birth: "And so it
was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she
should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and
wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there
was no room for them at the inn."[220]
In vivid contrast with the simplicity and brevity of the scriptural
account and of its paucity of incidental details, is the mass of
circumstance supplied by the imagination of men, much of which is wholly
unsupported by authoritative record and in many respects is plainly
inconsistent and untrue. It is the part of prudence and wisdom to
segregate and keep distinctly separate the authenticated statements of
fact, in so momentous a matter, from the fanciful commentaries of
historians, theologians, and writers of fiction, as also from the
emotional rhapsodies of poets and artistic extravaganzas wrought by
chisel or brush.
From the period of its beginning, Bethlehem had been the home of people
engaged mostly in pastoral and agricultural pursuits. It is quite in
line with what is known of the town and its environs to find at the
season of Messiah's birth, which was in the springtime of the year, that
flocks were in the field both night and day under the watchful care of
their keepers. Unto certain of these humble shepherds came the first
proclamation that the Savior had been born. Thus runs the simple record:
"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord
came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and
they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for,
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all
people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall
find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And
suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will toward men."[221]
Tidings of such import had never before been delivered by angel or
received by man--good tidings of great joy, given to but few and those
among the humblest of earth, but destined to spread to all people. There
is sublime grandeur in the scene, as there is divine authorship in the
message, and the climax is such as the mind of man could never have
conceived--the sudden appearance of a multitude of the heavenly host,
singing audibly to human ears the briefest, most consistent and most
truly complete of all the songs of peace ever attuned by mortal or
spirit choir. What a consummation to be wished--Peace on earth! But how
can such come except through the maintenance of good will toward men?
And through what means could glory to God in the highest be more
effectively rendered?
The trustful and unsophisticated keepers of sheep had not asked for sign
or confirmation; their faith was in unison with the heavenly
communication; nevertheless the angel had given them what he called a
sign, to guide them in their search. They waited not, but went in haste,
for in their hearts they believed, yea, more than believed, they knew,
and this was the tenor of their resolve: "Let us now go even unto
Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath
made known unto us."[222] They found the Babe in the manger, with the
mother and Joseph near by; and, having seen, they went out and testified
to the truth concerning the Child. They returned to their flocks,
glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.
There is meaning as deep as the pathos that all must feel in the
seemingly parenthetical remark by Luke. "But Mary kept all these things,
and pondered them in her heart."[223] It is apparent that the great
truth as to the personality and mission of her divine Son had not yet
unfolded itself in its fulness to her mind. The whole course of events,
from the salutation of Gabriel to the reverent testimony of the
shepherds concerning the announcing angel and the heavenly hosts, was
largely a mystery to that stainless mother and wife.
REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW STRICTLY OBSERVED.
The Child was born a Jew; the mother was a Jewess, and the reputed and
legal father, Joseph, was a Jew. The true paternity of the Child was
known to but few, perhaps at that time to none save Mary, Joseph, and
possibly Elisabeth and Zacharias; as He grew He was regarded by the
people as Joseph's son.[224] The requirements of the law were carried
out with exactitude in all matters pertaining to the Child. When eight
days old He was circumcized, as was required of every male born in
Israel;[225] and at the same time He received as an earthly bestowal the
name that had been prescribed at the annunciation. He was called JESUS,
which, being interpreted is Savior; the name was rightfully His for He
came to save the people from their sins.[226]
Part of the law given through Moses to the Israelites in the wilderness
and continued in force down through the centuries, related to the
procedure prescribed for women after childbirth.[227] In compliance
therewith, Mary remained in retirement forty days following the birth of
her Son; then she and her husband brought the Boy for presentation
before the Lord as prescribed for the male firstborn of every family. It
is manifestly impossible that all such presentations could have taken
place in the temple, for many Jews lived at great distances from
Jerusalem; it was the rule, however, that parents should present their
children in the temple when possible. Jesus was born within five or six
miles from Jerusalem; He was accordingly taken to the temple for the
ceremonial of redemption from the requirement applying to the firstborn
of all Israelites except Levites. It will be remembered that the
children of Israel had been delivered from the bondage of Egypt with the
accompaniment of signs and wonders. Because of Pharaoh's repeated
refusals to let the people go, plagues had been brought upon the
Egyptians, one of which was the death of the firstborn throughout the
land, excepting only the people of Israel. In remembrance of this
manifestation of power, the Israelites were required to dedicate their
firstborn sons to the service of the sanctuary.[228] Subsequently the
Lord directed that all males belonging to the tribe of Levi should be
devoted to this special labor instead of the firstborn in every tribe;
nevertheless the eldest son was still claimed as particularly the Lord's
own, and had to be formally exempted from the earlier requirement of
service by the paying of a ransom.[229]
In connection with the ceremony of purification, every mother was
required to furnish a yearling lamb for a burnt offering, and a young
pigeon or dove for a sin offering; but in the case of any woman who was
unable to provide a lamb, a pair of doves or pigeons might be offered.
We learn of the humble circumstances of Joseph and Mary from the fact
that they brought the less costly offering, two doves or pigeons,
instead of one bird and a lamb.
Among the righteous and devout Israelites were some who, in spite of
traditionalism, rabbinism, and priestly corruption, still lived in
righteous expectation of inspired confidence, awaiting patiently the
consolation of Israel.[230] One of these was Simeon, then living in
Jerusalem. Through the power of the Holy Ghost he had gained the promise
that he should not see death until he had looked upon the Lord's Christ
in the flesh. Prompted by the Spirit he repaired to the temple on the
day of the presentation of Jesus, and recognized in the Babe the
promised Messiah. In the moment of realization that the hope of his life
had found glorious consummation, Simeon raised the Child reverently in
his arms, and, with the simple but undying eloquence that comes of God
uttered this splendid supplication, in which thanksgiving, resignation
and praise are so richly blended:
"Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according
to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou
hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten
the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel."[231]
Then under the spirit of prophecy, Simeon told of the greatness of the
Child's mission, and of the anguish that the mother would be called to
endure because of Him, which would be even like unto that of a sword
piercing her soul. The Spirit's witness to the divinity of Jesus was not
to be confined to a man. There was at that time in the temple a godly
woman of great age, Anna, a prophetess who devoted herself exclusively
to temple service; and she, being inspired of God, recognized her
Redeemer, and testified of Him to all about her. Both Joseph and Mary
marveled at the things that were spoken of the Child; seemingly they
were not yet able to comprehend the majesty of Him who had come to them
through so miraculous a conception and so marvelous a birth.
WISE MEN SEARCH FOR THE KING.
Some time after the presentation of Jesus in the temple, though how long
we are not told, possibly but a few days, possibly weeks or even months,
Herod, king of Judea, was greatly troubled, as were the people of
Jerusalem in general, over the report that a Child of Prophecy--one
destined to become King of the Jews--had been born. Herod was
professedly an adherent of the religion of Judah, though by birth an
Idumean, by descent an Edomite or one of the posterity of Esau, all of
whom the Jews hated; and of all Edomites not one was more bitterly
detested than was Herod the king. He was tyrannical and merciless,
sparing neither foe nor friend who came under suspicion of being a
possible hindrance to his ambitious designs. He had his wife and several
of his sons, as well as others of his blood kindred, cruelly murdered;
and he put to death nearly all of the great national council, the
Sanhedrin. His reign was one of revolting cruelty and unbridled
oppression. Only when in danger of inciting a national revolt or in fear
of incurring the displeasure of his imperial master, the Roman emperor,
did he stay his hand in any undertaking.[232]
Rumors of the birth of Jesus reached Herod's ears in this way. There
came to Jerusalem certain men from afar, wise men they were called, and
they asked, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen
his star in the east, and are come to worship him."[233] Herod summoned
"all the chief priests and scribes of the people," and demanded of them
where, according to the prophets, Christ should be born. They answered
him: "In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And
thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes
of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my
people Israel."[234]
Herod sent secretly for the wise men, and inquired of them as to the
source of their information, and particularly as to the time at which
the star, to which they attached such significance, had appeared. Then
he directed them to Bethlehem, saying: "Go and search diligently for the
young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may
come and worship him also." As the men set out from Jerusalem on the
last stage of their journey of inquiry and search, they rejoiced
exceedingly, for the new star they had seen in the east was again
visible. They found the house wherein Mary was living with her husband
and the Babe, and as they recognized the royal Child they "fell down,
and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they
presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."[235]
Having thus gloriously accomplished the purpose of their pilgrimage,
these devout and learned travelers prepared to return home, and would
have stopped at Jerusalem to report to the king as he had requested, but
"being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod,
they departed into their own country another way."[236]
Much has been written, beyond all possible warrant of scriptural
authority, concerning the visit of the magi, or wise men, who thus
sought and found the infant Christ. As a matter of fact, we are left
without information as to their country, nation, or tribal relationship;
we are not even told how many they were, though unauthenticated
tradition has designated them as "the three wise men," and has even
given them names; whereas they are left unnamed in the scriptures, the
only true record of them extant, and may have numbered but two or many.
Attempts have been made to identify the star whose appearance in their
eastern sky had assured the magi that the King was born; but astronomy
furnishes no satisfactory confirmation. The recorded appearance of the
star has been associated by both ancient and modern interpreters with
the prophecy of Balaam, who, though not an Israelite had blessed Israel,
and under divine inspiration had predicted: "there shall come a Star out
of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel."[237] Moreover, as
already shown, the appearance of a new star was a predicted sign
recognized and acknowledged among the people of the western world as
witness of Messiah's birth.[238]
THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT.
Herod's perfidy in directing the magi to return and report to him where
the royal Infant was to be found, falsely professing that he wished to
worship Him also, while in his heart he purposed taking the Child's
life, was thwarted by the divine warning given to the wise men as
already noted. Following their departure, the angel of the Lord appeared
to Joseph, saying: "Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and
flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod
will seek the young child to destroy him."[239] In obedience to this
command, Joseph took Mary and her Child, and set out by night on the
journey to Egypt; and there the family remained until divinely directed
to return. When it was apparent to the king that the wise men had
ignored his instructions, he was exceedingly angry; and, estimating the
earliest time at which the birth could have occurred according to the
magis' statement of the star's appearing, he ruthlessly ordered the
slaughter of "all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the
coasts thereof, from two years old and under."[240] In this massacre of
the innocents, the evangelist found a fulfilment of Jeremiah's fateful
voicing of the word of the Lord, spoken six centuries earlier and
expressed in the forceful past tense as though then already
accomplished: "In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and
weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would
not be comforted, because they are not."[241]
BIRTH OF JESUS MADE KNOWN TO THE NEPHITES.
As heretofore shown, the prophets of the western hemisphere had foretold
in great plainness the earthly advent of the Lord, and had specifically
set forth the time, place, and circumstances of His birth.[242] As the
time drew near the people were divided by conflicting opinions
concerning the reliability of these prophecies; and intolerant
unbelievers cruelly persecuted those, who, like Zacharias, Simeon, Anna,
and other righteous ones in Palestine, had maintained in faith and trust
their unwavering expectation of the coming of the Lord. Samuel, a
righteous Lamanite, who, because of his faithfulness and sacrificing
devotion had been blessed with the spirit and power of prophecy,
fearlessly proclaimed the birth of Christ as near: "And behold, he said
unto them, Behold I give unto you a sign; for five years more cometh,
and behold, then cometh the Son of God to redeem all those who shall
believe on his name."[243] The prophet told of many signs and wonders,
which were to mark the great event. As the five years ran their course,
the believers grew more steadfast, the unbelievers more violent, until
the last day of the specified period dawned; and this was the "day set
apart by the unbelievers, that all those who believed in those
traditions should be put to death, except the sign should come to pass
which had been given by Samuel the prophet."[244]
Nephi, a prophet of the time, cried unto the Lord in anguish of soul
because of the persecution of which his people were the victims; "and
behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying, Lift up your head
and be of good cheer, for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night
shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to
shew unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to
be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets. Behold, I come unto my own,
to fulfil all things which I have made known unto the children of men,
from the foundation of the world, and do the will, both of the Father,
and of the Son; of the Father, because of me, and of the Son, because of
my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand, and this night shall the sign
be given."[245]
The words of the prophet were fulfilled that night; for though the sun
set in its usual course there was no darkness; and on the morrow the sun
rose on a land already illumined; a day and a night and another day had
been as one day; and this was but one of the signs. A new star appeared
in the firmament of the west, even as was seen by the magi in the east;
and there were many other marvelous manifestations as the prophets had
predicted. All these things occurred on what is now known as the
American continent, six hundred years after Lehi and his little company
had left Jerusalem to come hither.
THE TIME OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS.
The time of Messiah's birth is a subject upon which specialists in
theology and history, and those who are designated in literature "the
learned," fail to agree. Numerous lines of investigation have been
followed, only to reach divergent conclusions, both as to the year and
as to the month and day within the year at which the "Christian era" in
reality began. The establishment of the birth of Christ as an event
marking a time from which chronological data should be calculated, was
first effected about 532 A.D. by Dionysius Exiguus; and as a basis for
the reckoning of time this method has come to be known as the Dionysian
system, and takes for its fundamental datum A.U.C. 753, that is to say
753 years after the founding of Rome, as the year of our Lord's birth.
So far as there exists any consensus of opinion among later scholars who
have investigated the subject, it is to the effect that the Dionysian
calculation is wrong, in that it places the birth of Christ between
three and four years too late; and that therefore our Lord was born in
the third or fourth year before the beginning of what is designated by
the scholars of Oxford and Cambridge, "the Common Account called Anno
Domini."[246]
Without attempting to analyze the mass of calculation data relating to
this subject, we accept the Dionysian basis as correct with respect to
the year, which is to say that we believe Christ to have been born in
the year known to us as B.C. 1, and, as shall be shown, in an early
month of that year. In support of this belief we cite the inspired
record known as the "Revelation on Church Government, given through
Joseph the Prophet, in April, 1830," which opens with these words: "The
rise of the Church of Christ in these last days, being one thousand
eight hundred and thirty years since the coming of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ in the flesh."[247]
Another evidence of the correctness of our commonly accepted chronology
is furnished by the Book of Mormon record. Therein we read that "in the
commencement of the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah,"
the word of the Lord came to Lehi at Jerusalem, directing him to take
his family and depart into the wilderness.[248] In the early stages of
their journey toward the sea, Lehi prophesied, as had been shown him of
the Lord, concerning the impending destruction of Jerusalem and the
captivity of the Jews. Furthermore, he predicted the eventual return of
the people of Judah from their exile in Babylon, and the birth of the
Messiah, which latter event he definitely declared would take place six
hundred years from the time he and his people had left Jerusalem.[249]
This specification of time was repeated by later prophecy;[250] and the
signs of the actual fulfilment are recorded as having been realized "six
hundred years from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem."[251] These
scriptures fix the time of the beginning of Zedekiah's reign as six
hundred years before the birth of Christ. According to the commonly
accepted reckoning, Zedekiah was made king in the year 597 B.C.[252]
This shows a discrepancy of about three years between the commonly
accepted date of Zedekiah's inauguration as king and that given in the
Book of Mormon statement; and, as already seen, there is a difference of
between three and four years between the Dionysian reckoning and the
nearest approach to an agreement among scholars concerning the beginning
of the current era. Book of Mormon chronology therefore sustains in
general the correctness of the common or Dionysian system.
As to the season of the year in which Christ was born, there is among
the learned as great a diversity of opinion as that relating to the year
itself. It is claimed by many Biblical scholars that December 25th, the
day celebrated in Christendom as Christmas, cannot be the correct date.
We believe April 6th to be the birthday of Jesus Christ as indicated in
a revelation of the present dispensation already cited,[253] in which
that day is made without qualification the completion of the one
thousand eight hundred and thirtieth year since the coming of the Lord
in the flesh. This acceptance is admittedly based on faith in modern
revelation, and in no wise is set forth as the result of chronological
research or analysis. We believe that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem
of Judea, April 6, B.C. 1.
NOTES TO CHAPTER 8.
1. The "Taxing."--Regarding the presence of Joseph and Mary in
Bethlehem, far from their Galilean home, and the imperial decree by
compliance with which they were led there, the following notes are
worthy of consideration. Farrar (_Life of Christ_, p. 24, note), says:
"It appears to be uncertain whether the journey of Mary with her husband
was obligatory or voluntary.... Women were liable to a capitation tax,
if this enrolment also involved taxation. But, apart from any legal
necessity, it may easily be imagined that at such a moment Mary would
desire not to be left alone. The cruel suspicion of which she had been
the subject, and which had almost led to the breaking off of her
betrothal (Matt. 1:19) would make her cling all the more to the
protection of her husband." The following excerpt is from Geikie's _Life
and Words of Christ_, vol. 1, chap. 9; p. 108: "The Jewish nation had
paid tribute to Rome through their rulers, since the days of Pompey; and
the methodical Augustus, who now reigned, and had to restore order and
soundness to the finances of the empire, after the confusion and
exhaustion of the civil wars, took good care that this obligation should
neither be forgotten nor evaded. He was accustomed to require a census
to be taken periodically in every province of his vast dominions, that
he might know the number of soldiers he could levy in each, and the
amount of taxes due to the treasury.... In an empire embracing the then
known world, such a census could hardly have been made simultaneously,
or in any short or fixed time; more probably it was the work of years,
in successive provinces or kingdoms. Sooner or later, however, even the
dominions of vassal kings like Herod had to furnish the statistics
demanded by their master. He had received his kingdom on the footing of
a subject, and grew more entirely dependent on Augustus as years passed,
asking his sanction at every turn for steps he proposed to take. He
would, thus, be only too ready to meet his wish, by obtaining the
statistics he sought, as may be judged from the fact that in one of the
last years of his life, just before Christ's birth, he made the whole
Jewish nation take a solemn oath of allegiance to the emperor as well as
to himself.
"It is quite probable that the mode of taking the required statistics
was left very much to Herod, at once to show respect to him before his
people, and from the known opposition of the Jews to anything like a
general numeration, even apart from the taxation to which it was
designed to lead. At the time to which the narrative refers, a simple
registration seems to have been made, on the old Hebrew plan of
enrolling by families in their ancestral districts, of course for future
use; and thus it passed over quietly.... The proclamation having been
made through the land, Joseph had no choice but to go to Bethlehem, the
city of David, the place in which his family descent, from the house and
lineage of David, required him to be inscribed."
2. Jesus Born Amidst Poor Surroundings.--Undoubtedly the accommodations
for physical comfort amidst which Jesus was born were few and poor. But
the environment, considered in the light of the customs of the country
and time, was far from the state of abject deprivation which modern and
western ways would make it appear. "Camping out" was no unusual exigency
among travelers in Palestine at the time of our Lord's birth; nor is it
considered such to-day. It is, however, beyond question that Jesus was
born into a comparatively poor family, amidst humble surroundings
associated with the inconveniences incident to travel. Cunningham
Geikie, _Life and Words of Christ_, chap. 9, pp. 112, 113, says: "It was
to Bethlehem that Joseph and Mary were coming, the town of Ruth and
Boaz, and the early home of their own great forefather David. As they
approached it from Jerusalem they would pass, at the last mile, a spot
sacred to Jewish memory, where the light of Jacob's life went out, when
his first love, Rachel, died, and was buried, as her tomb still shows,
'in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.' ... Traveling in the East
has always been very different from Western ideas. As in all
thinly-settled countries, private hospitality, in early times, supplied
the want of inns, but it was the peculiarity of the East that this
friendly custom continued through a long series of ages. On the great
roads through barren or uninhabited parts, the need of shelter led, very
early, to the erection of rude and simple buildings, of varying size,
known as khans, which offered the wayfarer the protection of walls and a
roof, and water, but little more. The smaller structures consisted of
sometimes only a single empty room, on the floor of which the traveler
might spread his carpet for sleep; the larger ones, always built in a
hollow square, enclosing a court for the beasts, with water in it for
them and their masters. From immemorial antiquity it has been a favorite
mode of benevolence to raise such places of shelter, as we see so far
back as the times of David, when Chimham built a great khan near
Bethlehem, on the caravan road to Egypt."
Canon Farrar (_Life of Christ_, chap, 1) accepts the traditional belief
that the shelter within which Jesus was born was that of one of the
numerous limestone caves which abound in the region, and which are still
used by travelers as resting places. He says: "In Palestine it not
infrequently happens that the entire khan, or at any rate the portion of
it in which the animals are housed, is one of those innumerable caves
which abound in the limestone rocks of its central hills. Such seems to
have been in the case at the little town of Bethlehem-Ephratah, in the
land of Judah. Justin Martyr, the Apologist, who, from his birth at
Shechem, was familiar with Palestine, and who lived less than a century
after the time of our Lord, places the scene of the nativity in a cave.
This is, indeed, the ancient and constant tradition both of the Eastern
and the Western Churches, and it is one of the few to which, though
unrecorded in the Gospel history, we may attach a reasonable
probability."
3. Herod the Great.--The history of Herod I, otherwise known as Herod
the Great, must be sought in special works, in which the subject is
treated at length. Some of the principal facts should be considered in
our present study, and for the assistance of the student a few extracts
from works regarded as reliable are presented herewith.
Condensed from part of article in the _Standard Bible Dictionary_,
edited by Jacobus, Nourse, and Zenos; published by Funk and Wagnalls
Co., 1909:--Herod I, the son of Antipater, was early given office by his
father, who had been made procurator of Judea. The first office which
Herod held was that of governor of Galilee. He was then a young man of
about twenty-five, energetic and athletic. Immediately he set about the
eradication of the robber bands that infested his district, and soon was
able to execute the robber chief Hezekiah and several of his followers.
For this he was summoned to Jerusalem by the Sanhedrin, tried and
condemned, but with the connivance of Hyrcanus II [the high priest and
ethnarch] he escaped by night.--He went to Rome where he was appointed
King of Judea by Antony and Octavius.--For the next two years he was
engaged in fighting the forces of Antigonus, whom he finally defeated,
and in 37 B.C. gained possession of Jerusalem.--As king, Herod
confronted serious difficulties. The Jews objected to him because of his
birth and reputation. The Asmonean family regarded him as a usurper,
notwithstanding the fact that he had married Mariamne. The Pharisees
were shocked at his Hellenistic sympathies, as well as at his severe
methods of government. On the other hand the Romans held him responsible
for the order of his kingdom, and the protection of the eastern frontier
of the Republic. Herod met these various difficulties with
characteristic energy and even cruelty, and generally with cold
sagacity. Although he taxed the people severely, in times of famine he
remitted their dues and even sold his plate to get means to buy them
food. While he never became actually friendly with the Pharisees, they
profited by his hostility to the party of the Asmoneans, which led at
the beginning of his reign to the execution of a number of Sadducees who
were members of the Sanhedrin.
From Smith's _Comprehensive Dictionary of the Bible_: The latter part
"of the reign of Herod was undisturbed by external troubles, but his
domestic life was embittered by an almost uninterrupted series of
injuries and cruel acts of vengeance. The terrible acts of bloodshed
which Herod perpetrated in his own family were accompanied by others
among his subjects equally terrible, from the number who fell victims to
them. According to the well-known story, he ordered the nobles whom he
had called to him in his last moments to be executed immediately after
his decease, that so at least his death might be attended by universal
mourning. It was at the time of his fatal illness that he must have
caused the slaughter of the infants at Bethlehem" (Matt. 2:16-18).
The mortal end of the tyrant and multi-murderer is thus treated by
Farrar in his _Life of Christ_, pp. 54, 55:--"It must have been very
shortly after the murder of the innocents that Herod died. Only five
days before his death he had made a frantic attempt at suicide, and had
ordered the execution of his eldest son Antipater. His death-bed, which
once more reminds us of Henry VIII., was accompanied by circumstances of
peculiar horror; and it has been asserted that he died of a loathsome
disease, which is hardly mentioned in history, except in the case of men
who have been rendered infamous by an atrocity of persecuting zeal. On
his bed of intolerable anguish, in that splendid and luxurious palace
which he had built for himself, under the palms of Jericho, swollen with
disease and scorched by thirst, ulcerated externally and glowing
inwardly with a 'soft slow fire,' surrounded by plotting sons and
plundering slaves, detesting all and detested by all, longing for death
as a release from his tortures yet dreading it as the beginning of worse
terrors, stung by remorse yet still unslaked with murder, a horror to
all around him yet in his guilty conscience a worse terror to himself,
devoured by the premature corruption of an anticipated grave, eaten of
worms as though visibly smitten by the finger of God's wrath after
seventy years of successful villainy, the wretched old man, whom men had
called the Great, lay in savage frenzy awaiting his last hour. As he
knew that none would shed one tear for him, he determined that they
should shed many for themselves, and issued an order that, under pain of
death, the principal families of the kingdom and the chiefs of the
tribes should come to Jericho. They came, and then, shutting them in the
hippodrome, he secretly commanded his sister Salome that at the moment
of his death they should all be massacred. And so, choking as it were
with blood, devising massacres in its very delirium, the soul of Herod
passed forth into the night."
For mention of the Temple of Herod see Note 5, following Chapter 6.
4. Gifts from the Wise Men to the Child Jesus.--The scriptural account
of the visit of the wise men to Jesus and His mother states that they
"fell down and worshipped him," and furthermore that "when they had
opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and
frankincense, and myrrh." The offering of gifts to a superior in rank,
either as to worldly status or recognized spiritual endowment, was a
custom of early days and still prevails in many oriental lands. It is
worthy of note that we have no record of these men from the east
offering gifts to Herod in his palace; they did, however, impart of
their treasure to the lowly Infant, in whom they recognized the King
they had come to seek. The tendency to ascribe occult significance to
even trifling details mentioned in scripture, and particularly as
regards the life of Christ, has led to many fanciful suggestions
concerning the gold and frankincense and myrrh specified in this
incident. Some have supposed a half-hidden symbolism therein--gold a
tribute to His royal estate, frankincense an offering in recognition of
His priesthood, and myrrh for His burial. The sacred record offers no
basis for such conjecture. Myrrh and frankincense are aromatic resins
derived from plants indigenous to eastern lands, and they have been used
from very early times in medicine and in the preparation of perfumes and
incense mixtures. They were presumably among the natural productions of
the lands from which the magi came, though probably even there they were
costly and highly esteemed. Such, together with gold, which is of value
among all nations, were most appropriate as gifts for a king. Any
mystical significance one may choose to attach to the presents must be
remembered as his own supposition or fancy, and not as based on
scriptural warrant.
5. Testimonies from Shepherds and Magi.--The following instructive note
on the testimonies relating to Messiah's birth, is taken from the _Young
Men's Mutual Improvement Association Manual_ for 1897-8: "It will be
observed that the testimonies concerning the birth of the Messiah are
from two extremes, the lowly shepherds in the Judean field, and the
learned magi from the far east. We cannot think this is the result of
mere chance, but that in it may be discerned the purpose and wisdom of
God. All Israel was looking forward to the coming of the Messiah, and in
the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem, the hope of Israel--though unknown to
Israel--is fulfilled. Messiah, of whom the prophet spake, is born. But
there must be those who can testify of that truth, and hence to the
shepherds who watched their flocks by night an angel was sent to say:
'Fear not, behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be
to all people; for unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a
Saviour, which is Christ, the Lord.' And for a sign of the truth of the
message, they were to find the child wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying
in a manger in Bethlehem. And they went with haste and found Mary and
Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger; and when they had seen it, they
made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
God had raised up to Himself witnesses among the people to testify that
Messiah was born, that the hope of Israel was fulfilled. But there were
classes of people among the Jews whom these lowly shepherd witnesses
could not reach, and had they been able to reach them, the story of the
angel's visit, and the concourse of angels singing the magnificent song
of 'Peace on earth, good will to men,' would doubtless have been
accounted an idle tale of superstitious folk, deceived by their own
over-wrought imaginations or idle dreams. Hence God raised up another
class of witnesses--the 'wise men from the east'--witnesses that could
enter the royal palace of proud King Herod and boldly ask: 'Where is he
that is born king of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east,
and are come to worship him'; a testimony that startled Herod and
troubled all Jerusalem. So that indeed God raised up witnesses for
Himself to meet all classes and conditions of men--the testimony of
angels for the poor and the lowly; the testimony of wise men for the
haughty king and proud priests of Judea. So that of the things
concerning the birth of Messiah, no less than of the things of His death
and resurrection from the dead, His disciples could say, 'these things
were not done in a corner.'"
6. The Year of Christ's Birth.--In treating this topic Dr. Charles F.
Deems (_The Light of the Nations_, p. 28), after giving careful
consideration of the estimates, calculations, and assumptions of men who
have employed many means in their investigation and reach only
discordant results says: "It is annoying to see learned men use the same
apparatus of calculation and reach the most diverse results. It is
bewildering to attempt a reconciliation of these varying calculations."
In an appended note the same author states: "For example: the birth of
our Lord is placed in B.C. 1 by Pearson and Hug; B.C. 2 by Scalinger;
B.C. 3 by Baronius and Paulus; B.C. 4 by Bengel, Wieseler, and Greswell;
B.C. 5 by Usher and Petavius; B.C. 6 by Strong, Luvin, and Clark; B.C. 7
by Ideler and Sanclemente."
FOOTNOTES:
[216] Luke 2:1; see also verses 2-4. Note 1, end of chapter.
[217] Note marginal reading, Oxford and Bagster Bibles.
[218] Note 1, end of chapter.
[219] Note 2, end of chapter.
[220] Luke 2:6, 7.
[221] Luke 2:8-14.
[222] Luke 2:15.
[223] Luke 2:19.
[224] Luke 4:22; Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3.
[225] Gen. 17:12, 13; Lev. 12:3; compare John 7:22. Page 88.
[226] Luke 2:21; compare 1:31; Matt. 1:21, 25.
[227] Lev. chap. 12.
[228] Exo. 12:29; 13:2, 12; 22:29, 30.
[229] Numb. 8:15-18; 18:15, 16.
[230] Luke 2:25; see also verse 38; Mark 15:43; compare Psa. 40:1.
[231] Luke 2:29-32. These verses are known in Christian hymnology as the
Nunc Dimittis; the name has reference to the first two words of the
Latin version.
[232] Note 3, end of chapter.
[233] Matt. 2:2; read 1-10.
[234] Matt. 2:5, 6; compare Micah 5:2; John 7:42.
[235] Note 4, end of chapter.
[236] Note 5, end of chapter.
[237] Numb. 24:17.
[238] B. of M., Helaman 14:5; 3 Nephi 1:21. Pp. 52, 101 and 721 herein.
[239] Matt. 2:13.
[240] Matt. 2:16.
[241] Matt. 2:17, 18; compare Jer. 31:15.
[242] Page 49.
[243] B. of M., Helaman 14:2; read 1-9.
[244] B. of M., 3 Nephi 1:9; read verses 4-21.
[245] B. of M., 3 Nephi 1:12-21.
[246] Marginal reading, Oxford and Bagster Bibles, Matt. 2:1.
[247] Doc. and Cov. 20:1; compare 21:3. Note 6, end of chapter.
[248] B. of M., 1 Nephi 1:4; 2:2-4.
[249] B. of M., 1 Nephi 10:4.
[250] B. of M., 1 Nephi 19:8; 2 Nephi 25:19.
[251] B. of M., 3 Nephi 1:1.
[252] "Standard Bible Dictionary," edited by Jacobus, Nourse, and Zenos,
pub. by Funk & Wagnalls Co., New York and London, 1909, p. 915, article
"Zedekiah."
[253] Doc. and Cov. 20:1; compare 21:2