Every year the festival of Christmas is celebrated all over the world on 25 December. Preparations start several days before this festival celebrated on the birthday of Lord Jesus. Christmas preparations are visible from home to office and even in the market. People pray in churches, decorate houses and sing songs, saying that everything was peaceful at the time of the birth of Jesus Christ. Usually it is shown in films that Jesus was born in a quiet village, amidst a starry sky, but historian and author Joan Taylor has made a different claim in her book.
In films, the world is shown to be peaceful at the time of Jesus’ birth, but there is no consensus among people on this scene. Many historians consider this scene shown in films to be incomplete. According to historian and author Joan Taylor, this photo does not tell the whole truth. In fact, Jesus’ birth and early life occurred during a time of conflict, fear, and instability. Author Joan Taylor told that since childhood she also felt that Jesus was born in very peaceful circumstances, but when she started researching for her book, she came to know that the circumstances of her family were not very good. He was kept in a cowshed, where there was also the danger of wild animals.
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Historian and author Joan Taylor’s book ‘Boy Jesus: Growing Up Judean in Turbulent Times’ tells a different story of Jesus’ birth. His book claims that Jesus was born at a time when Judea was under the Roman Empire and there was constant tension. History also clearly shows that Jesus’ family was not living in a safe environment. The place where Jesus was laid after birth was a place to keep dirty animal feed. Jesus could not find a comfortable place or bed at the time of his birth. This means that Jesus was born in a poor family.
King Herod was a king of Judea, who ruled from 37 BC to 4 BC. Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem in Palestine in approximately 4-6 BC during the reign of Herod. Author Joan Taylor believes that Herod was a cruel ruler. He said, ‘The atmosphere becomes more serious as soon as the name of King Herod comes in the story of the birth of Jesus. In that era, Herod meant fear and cruelty. He was appointed by the Roman Empire and could go to any extent to save power. Jesus’ family associated itself with the lineage of King David, providing hope for a new king in the future. A few years ago, Herod had destroyed David’s tomb and looted the treasure from there. This makes it clear how afraid he was of this dynasty and any hopes associated with it. It was natural for a child born in such an environment and his family to live in fear.
The famous story about the birth of Jesus states that he was born in Belmoth and it was considered a quiet and small village, but historian writer Joan Taylor does not support this. Joan Taylor describes Belmoth as a place full of tension and violence. They believe that when Herod came to power, he had to face opposition and rebellion from the local people. Violent clashes broke out between his supporters and opponents around Bethlehem, in which many people were killed. After capturing this area, Herod built a huge monument named Herodium on a hill near Bethlehem, which was a reminder of his victory and massacre. Joan Taylor believes that Bethlehem was such an important city that a large aqueduct (bridge-like structure) was built to deliver water to it, which shows that it was no ordinary village.
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Bethlehem is often thought of as a quiet and small village, but history shows it to be a tense and violent place. When Herod came to power, he had to face opposition and rebellion from the local people. Violent clashes broke out between his supporters and opponents around Bethlehem, in which many people were killed. Herod later built a huge monument called the Herodium on a hill near Bethlehem to commemorate his victory and the massacre. Not only this, Bethlehem was such an important city that a large aqueduct was built to supply water to it, which shows that it was no ordinary village.
Joan Taylor told that there was an atmosphere of fear in Belmath at the time of Jesus’ birth. Even Jesus’ family was not safe because of the fear of King Herod. According to the Gospels, Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with their newborn child to save their lives. This was not an ordinary journey but Jesus’ family had to flee their home, society and identity. The family has taken this difficult decision to save the life of the newborn. At the same time, anger against Roman rule was growing throughout Judea. Jesus is believed to have been born in the last two years of Herod’s reign. After Herod’s death, people in Jerusalem captured the temple and demanded freedom, but in response, Herod’s son Archelaus massacred thousands of people.
According to Joan Taylor, Jesus’ family moved to Galilee in northern Israel. They say that it was during this turbulent period that Jesus’ family returned from Egypt and settled in the village of Nazareth in Galilee. At that time, Galilee was outside Roman control for some time, so Jesus’ family felt relatively safe living there. However, this situation did not last long. The Roman general Varus sent troops from Syria and brutally crushed the rebellion. The surrounding city of Sepphoris was destroyed, several villages were burned and a large number of Jewish rebels were crucified. Even after this, Archelaus’ rule remained full of fear and tyranny.
Historian Joan Taylor says that films and some ancient texts do not depict Jesus’ childhood accurately and in historical context. Referring to the recent film ‘The Carpenter’s Son’, he said that it is not based on the Bible. They believe that the film is based on a non-Biblical text and that the text was written long after the birth of Jesus. In this text Jesus is shown as a child who harms people in anger. In this, negative and dangerous thinking towards Jews is also visible.
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A nativity scene is a scene showing the birth of Jesus. It mainly depicts his mother Mary, father Joseph and the newborn Jesus. In this scene the story of the birth of Jesus is shown. According to historians, the real story of Jesus’ birth is as relevant even today. In today’s world of turmoil, Jesus’ birth becomes the story of a family facing power, fear, and flight. Some churches in America are now linking the nativity scene to the suffering of refugees and migrants, to show that Jesus was also born amid conflict.
Joan Taylor said, ‘Looked at from the perspective of history, the nativity story of Jesus is not just one of peace and happiness. This is a story of hope born amidst oppression, fear and instability. Perhaps this is the reason why this story still touches people and gives a message of hope even in difficult times.
