Bethlehem

• Primary regionCanaan & Israel
• TimelineConquest & Judges, United Kingdom, Jesus the Messiah
• Key textsRuth 1; 1 Samuel 16; Micah 5:2; Matthew 2; Luke 2
• Covered in classSession 6

What the sources say, and how sure we are

• The text says

  Bethlehem is the setting of Ruth, the home of David’s family, and in Matthew and Luke the birthplace of Jesus, in line with Micah 5:2.Ruth 1:1; 1 Sam 16:1–13; Mic 5:2; Matt 2:1–6; Luke 2:4–7

• Outside evidence

  A clay seal impression from Jerusalem, from the 7th century BC, bears the words “Bethlehem,” showing that the town existed as an administrative center in the Judean kingdom.Bethlehem bulla, City of David

• Debated

  The Church of the Nativity marks a site chosen by the 4th century. Some scholars suggest the birth in Bethlehem was shaped to fit Micah 5:2, while others accept it as history, and Matthew and Luke tell the story differently.Matt 2; Luke 2