Does the birthplace of Christ have some kind of physical marker?

Answer 1

good question... I sure would like to know the answer to that one two...

Answer 2

There's a large church at the *claimed* site of the Nativity, but it took 300 years before anyone started building. Apparently nobody thought it was important enough to remember where Christ was born at the time, so the actual location (if, indeed, there is one) is not known with certainty. The fact that a settlement called 'Bethlehem' didn't exist at the supposed time of the Nativity kind of complicates matters; the fact that there are now *two* towns called Bethlehem in the area makes for even more confusion.

You'd think if a giant star came to rest above the earth, followed by a host of angels singing "Glory to God in the highest," and some strange men from the east bearing gold to the newborn son of a carpenter - well, somebody might have put up a plaque or a marker of some kind. Certainly if Luke knew the story in such detail 70 years later, there must have been a persistent local awareness of it.

And yet, nobody seems to know for sure. Strange, that.

Answer 3

The Church of the Holy Nativity in Bethlehem, the oldest Christian church in the holy land still in use, commemorates the site where it is believed that Jesus was born.

"The construction began in 326 AD, and with the aid of the locals' traditions who believed that the cave in which Jesus Christ was born was at the end of the village, the architects were able to construct the shape of the cave according to architectural and devotional requirements. The cave was encased by an octagonal structure forming the sanctuary of the basilica, which stretched away to the west in five aisles divided by four rows of monolithic columns." (1)

"Early tradition places the birth of Jesus in a cave. Scripture doesn't mention the existence of a cave, and skeptics note that many biblical events were commemorated in caves (more convenient for pilgrims to be sheltered from sun and rain?). But it is also true that many houses in the area are built in front of caves. A cave could serve a household well by providing shelter for the animals or a place of storage.

According to tradition, Mary gave birth to Jesus at the place of where the star is located on the floor. The tradition that the birth was in a cave is one of the oldest Christian traditions. Justin Martyr mentions it in the mid-2nd century, as does the Protoevangelium of James (also 2nd c.). Origen notes that the cave of Jesus' birth was pointed out in his day and no doubt this was the same place where the Byzantine church was erected." (2)

"It is controlled jointly by three Christian denominations - the Armenian Church, the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church.

The Grotto of the Nativity contains the manger that is believed to be the place where the baby Jesus was laid after he was born. The grotto is encased in white marble.

The site of the birth is marked by a 14-point star on a marble stone.

The High Altar stands above the Grotto.

The site has been venerated by Christians since St Justin Martyr identified it as the site of Jesus' birth in the second century. " (3)

Answer 4

The Church of Bethlehem. There is a marker inside that is supposed to be where Jesus lay in the manger.

Oddly enough, the place where the church is built was a pagan shrine during the time of Jesus.