A couple things to chew on...

Here are some pictures and thoughts from our recent trip to the Galilee area. The first picture is of a structure that would have been representative of those that were built during Jesus time.The traditional Jewish structure during the reign of David through the Kingdom of Judah was a house consisting of four rooms. The main room was kind of a living area. Visiting guests would also stay in this room. Two other rooms would be devoted to the upkeep of the home i.e. preparing meals, housing the animals during the winter, etc. The last room would be the private family room, also known as the Inner Room.

During Jesus time, the traditional four room Jewish house began to cross over to the Roman concept of the insula. With the concept of the insula, rooms are added on to the house as the family grows and more space is needed. However, the homes maintained the Jewish four room model in the way the rooms were used. The tracline would be the main room, where most of the major happenings of the house took place. Visiting guests would stay in the tracline. Parallel or adjacent to the tracline would be a shed/storage room where they would keep any tools, supplies, etc. This is also where they would keep their animals in the winter when there was storms or bad weather. Above the storage room is the family room, or bedroom. Strategically placed so that the rising heat from the animals in the winter would heat the room while they are sleeping.

The baking/cooking area as you enter the house.

The Tracline, or main room of the house.

The storage room.

So why is this relevant? A couple of points...

Point #1

During the time around Jesus birth, Joseph and Mary are traveling to Joseph's ancestral home in Bethlehem due to the census. The Bible tells us that there was no room for them in the inn. Here's the probem: there was no such thing as an inn in those times(this discrepancy is due to a King James translation error). The hospitality rules of the time decree that if you are traveling you either stay with your family or another local family. So when the Bible states that there is no room for Mary and Joseph, it means that the tracline is already full of visiting guests(who are probably also there due to the census). However, we know that the flocks are out in the fields(indicating that is either the early fall or late summer). Since the flocks are out, the storage room would have been cleaned out and available for extra visitors. There would however, have been the facilities used for the storage of the animals left in the room(a manger, perhaps?).

So, from all of this, we can deduce that the nativity picture that we all have imprinted in our minds is probably historically false. Instead being born in a remote cave or stable with only Mary, Joseph and a couple sheep present, Jesus was probably born in a room surrounded by the women of the family with whom Joseph and Mary are staying with. Culturally, they would not have allowed Mary to undergo childbirth alone. Katie was quite relieved to learn this.

Point #2

Note the structure of the house. See any wood? No, and for good reason. There is very little wood in Israel. As such, why is it that we have the image in our heads of Jesus the Carpenter constructing things from wood? In reality, Jesus was a tecton, or a stonemason. The misconception here again comes from the European translation of the Bible in the Middle Ages. European's built houses from wood, not stones, hence the mistranslation.

Tectons were very skilled individuals. Joseph was a tecton, and as is the custom, Jesus learned his trade from his father. When a house was built, the tecton would come in and lay the foundation, making sure it was level, and would build it to a point until the family building the house could take over.

According to rabbinical tradition, the rabbi's almost always had a trade in addition to being a teacher of the law. As such, Jesus and the Disciples probably worked their day jobs in addition to teaching. I don't know if you can tell from the pictures, but the stones in these houses are good sized. Imagine throwing those around all day. It'd be one heck of a workout. Jesus was, in the words of Vern, a hoss. A very built individual. It is speculated that this is what enabled him to withstand the Roman scourging. The romanticized caucasian Jesus of our movies would have been dead after 10 strokes.

There are all sorts of other fun scriptural tie-ins here, but I have rambled on enough for one post. I will post some more pictures from our Galilee trip later.

Alexander