Manger Square
Church of the Nativity, commissioned by Constantine I in 327 AD.
Mosque of Omar renovated in 1860, named after the Caliph Omar Ibn Al - Khattab (581- 644)
Photo Exhibition BETHLEHEM,
Bethlehem, Palestinian Authority
« ON THE FOOTSTEPS OF MOSHE - MOSES - MOUSSA »
The International Center of Bethlehem
15.03.2000 - 18.04.2000
Bethlehem
Bethlehem (Arabic: Bayt lahm, a name stemming from the Syriac “house of bread”; Hebrew: Bethlehem, also “house of bread“) is a town in the West Bank, a Palestine region located about 10 km from Jerusalem with 30,000 inhabitants, mostly Muslim Palestinians
The city has a small community of Palestinian Christians, one of the oldest Christian communities in the World. Its metropolitan area covers the towns of Beit Jala and Beit Sahour.
The city is an important religious center In the Jewish tradition it is the place of birth and coronation of David, King of Israel. It is considered by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth.
This is a site of pilgrimage which generates an important activity at Christmas time.
The city is also a holy place for Judaism: the tomb of Rachel is located at the entrance of the city. Since the Oslo Agreements, the city is under the administration of the Palestinian Authority. In the Genesis, Bethlehem is the place where Rachel died and Benjamin, the second son of Rachel and Jacob, was born.
The formula "On the way to Bethlehem (Ephratah)" occurs several times in the Biblical texts.
In the Books of Samuel, King David is the son of Jesse of Bethlehem; for this reason the prophet Micah made it the home of the future Messiah: "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."
In the New Testament, according to Matthew and Luke, Bethlehem in Judea is the birthplace of Jesus. His parents went there for the census because this was the home town of Joseph, who was a descendant of David.
In the eleventh century, Bernard of Clairvaux extended the Hebrew etymology into the Christian meaning of Jesus as "the living bread come down from Heaven."
There are several holy sites in Bethlehem: Rachel's Tomb, the Church of the Nativity, the Milk Grotto and the Mosque of Omar.
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Organization : Non Profit Association Ouvertures a.s.b.l., Annelie Löhr-Campion, Belgium ouverturesforpeace.eu |