Bethlehem

Bethlehem (Hebrew and Aramaic for “house of bread”), also known as Bayt Lahm, town in the West Bank, near Jerusalem. The town is specified in the Bible as the birthplace of both David (king of Judah and Israel) and Jesus Christ. Originally called Aphrath, the town is also referred to as Bethlehem-Judah to distinguish it from another Bethlehem (Joshua 19:15-16) in the territory of the tribe of Zebulun.

The economy of the modern town depends largely on tourism and pilgrimages. Local artisans produce religious souvenirs and handicrafts from mother-of-pearl and olive wood. Situated on top of a green, fertile hill just south of Jerusalem, Bethlehem serves as a market town for Bedouin and nearby villagers. It also has a university.

Bethlehem is first mentioned in the Old Testament as the place where Rachel (wife of the patriarch Jacob) was buried (Genesis 35:19). According to the Book of Ruth, it later became the home of King David's ancestors and of David himself (I Samuel 17:12). In the Book of Micah, Bethlehem is mentioned as the birthplace of the future Messiah (Micah 5:2).

With the exception of St Mark, the authors of the Gospels claim Bethlehem as the birthplace of Christ, and, as such, it has been revered by Christians as a holy place. Bethlehem contains one of the oldest churches in the world, the Church of the Nativity, built by Constantine the Great, emperor of Rome, in 330 on the traditional site of the Nativity. Despite rebuilding by the Roman Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century, much of the original church still stands, and the shrine is constantly visited by pilgrims from all branches of Christendom. Occupied by Israel from 1967, the town was transferred to Palestinian rule, as part of the Middle East peace process, at the end of 1995. Population 21,947 (1997 estimate).