Ep 102: Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes (Part 1)

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"Have you ever wondered about the nativity's historical and cultural significance? Today, we explore the geography, culture, and historical setting of Jesus' birth, enriching Luke's narrative with deeper insights into its cultural and historical context."

Discover a fresh perspective on the timeless story of Jesus' birth as we challenge the traditional narrative with insights from Kenneth E. Bailey's "Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes". Uncover the cultural and historical nuances of the nativity story that often go unnoticed, such as Joseph's journey to Bethlehem, the hospitality he would have received as a descendant of King David, and the special care arranged for Mary. We invite you to explore the significance of Mary's relatives and the societal customs of ancient Palestine, painting a richer, more authentic picture of this cornerstone event in the Christian faith.

Join us as we delve into the geography and cultural practices of the Holy Land, bringing to life the realities of Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem. Learn about the authentic setting of Jesus' birth, where the manger was likely part of a single-room family dwelling, offering a fascinating glimpse into the everyday lives of people during that era. By connecting these insights with other biblical narratives, we deepen our understanding of the Gospel of Luke and its profound cultural alignment. Tune in to see the nativity through a lens that enriches your understanding of its historical significance and lasting impact.

The authors site has numerous articles that you will find informative:
https://www.kennethbailey.net/
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Next to the door was either afew feet lower than the rest of
the floor or blocked off withheavy timbers.
Each night, into thatdesignated area, the family cow,
donkey and a few sheep would bedriven, and every morning these
same animals would be taken outand tied up in the courtyard of

(00:26):
the house.
The animal stall would then becleaned for the day.
Such simple homes can be tracedfrom the time of David up to
the middle of the 20th century.
Jesus, you're the only name.
You're the only name.
You're the only name.

(00:47):
You're the only name.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
Hello and welcome to Plays on Word Radio, where we
discuss, analyze, work and playon the Word of God.
Thank you for joining us onthis excursion.
Today let's join Pastor Teddy,also known as Fred David Kenny
Jr, the founder of Plays on WordTheater, as he does a deep dive
into the Word of God.
Amen.

Speaker 2 (01:23):
Amen.
Welcome to all you listeners toPlays on Word Radio.
God bless you.
Happy New Year to you.
Amen 2025.
Kicking it off, we're alive,amen.
Yes, well, I tell you what.

(01:43):
Yes, well, I tell you what.
One of the things that we didlast week, we started to get
into what was it?
The story of Jesus, and Ireferenced a book called Jesus

(02:04):
Through Middle Eastern EyesCultural Studies in the Gospels
by Kenneth E Bailey and KennethE Bailey he looks like he passed
in 2016.
He was an acclaimed author, alecturer in Middle Eastern New
Testament studies, an ordainedPresbyterian minister.
He served as the canontheologian of the Anglican

(02:27):
Diocese of Pittsburgh and heauthored more than 150 articles
in English and Arabic.
His writings include JesusThrough Middle Eastern Eyes.
That's this book.
The Good Shepherd, the OpenHearts in Bethlehem a Christmas
drama.
Bailey spent 40 years livingand teaching in seminaries and

(02:49):
institutes in Egypt, lebanon,jerusalem and Cyprus, and we did
get some feedback from lastweek's episode.
People were like, hey, you knowyou cut that off too soon.
I want you to go farther intoit.
So what I was thinking, what Iwould do, rather than me mush it

(03:13):
all together, I'm going to readthis chapter and the story of
Jesus' birth.
I'm going to read the chapterfrom.
We'll do an excerpt all rightfrom Jesus through Middle
Eastern eyes.
Now, this is his opinion.
I'm not saying that what he'sclaiming are the facts here.

(03:38):
I do think it's worth pondering.
It's interesting and compellingthe case that he's making.
So let me read through it andsee what you think.
All right, the story of Jesus'birth, luke 2, verse 1 through
20.
The traditional events of theChristmas story are well known

(04:01):
to all Christians.
The birth of Jesus includesthree wise men bearing gifts,
shepherds in the fields inmidwinter, a baby born in a
stable and no room in the inn.
These aspects of the accountare firmly fixed in the popular
mind.
The question becomes is there acritical distinction to be made
between the text and thetraditional understanding of it?
Have the centuries addedmeaning to our understanding of

(04:25):
the texts that are not there?
A diamond ring is admired andworn with pride, but with the
passing of time it needs to betaken to a jeweler to be cleaned
, to restore to its originalbrilliance.
The more the ring is worn, thegreater the need for occasional
cleaning".
The more familiar we are withthe biblical story, the more

(04:49):
difficult it is to view itoutside of the way it has always
been understood.
And the longer imprecision inthe tradition remains
unchallenged, the deeper itbecomes embedded in Christian
consciousness.
The birth story of Jesus issuch a story.
The traditional understanding ofthe account in Luke 2, verses

(05:12):
1-18, contains a number ofcritical flaws.
These include number one Josephwas returning to the village of
his origin In the Middle East.
Historical memories are longand the extended family with its
connection to the village oforigin is important In such a

(05:32):
world.
A man like Joseph could haveappeared in Bethlehem and told
people I am Joseph, son of Heli,son of Matath, the son of Levi,
and most homes in town would beopen to him.
Number two Joseph was a royal,that is, he was from the family
of King David.

(05:53):
The family of David was sofamous in Bethlehem that local
folk apparently called the townthe City of David.
As often happens, the officialname of the village was
Bethlehem.
Everyone knew that the Hebrewscriptures referred to Jerusalem
as the city of David, yetlocally many apparently called

(06:15):
Bethlehem the city of David,luke 2.4.
Being of that famous family,joseph would have been welcome
anywhere in town.
Number three in every culture,a woman about to give birth is
given special attention.
Simple rural communities theworld over always assist one of

(06:39):
their own women in childbirth,regardless of the circumstances.
Are we to imagine thatBethlehem was an exception?
Was there no sense of honor inBethlehem?
Surely the community would havesensed its responsibility to
help Joseph find adequateshelter for Mary and provide the
care she needed.
To turn away a descendant ofDavid in the city of David would

(07:04):
be an unspeakable shame on theentire village.
Number four Mary had relativesin a nearby village.
A few months prior to the birthof Jesus, Mary had visited her
cousin Elizabeth in the hillcountry of Judea and was
welcomed by her.
Bethlehem was located in thecenter of Judea.
By the time, therefore, thatMary and Joseph arrived in

(07:28):
Bethlehem, they were but a shortdistance from the home of
Zechariah and Elizabeth.
If Joseph had failed to findshelter in Bethlehem, he would
naturally have turned toZechariah and Elizabeth.
But did he have time for thosefew extra miles?
Number five Joseph had time tomake adequate arrangements.

(07:49):
Luke 2, verse 4, says thatJoseph and Mary.
Number five Joseph had time tomake adequate arrangements.
Luke 2, verse 4, says thatJoseph and Mary, quote went up
from Galilee to Judea, closequote.
And verse 6 states.
Quote while they were therecomma the days were accomplished
that she should be delivered.
Close quote.

(08:10):
The average Christian thinksthat Jesus was born the same
night the Holy Family arrived.
Hence Joseph's haste andwillingness to accept any
shelter, even the shelter of astable.
Traditional Christmas pageantsreinforced this idea year after
year.
In the text, the time spent inBethlehem before the birth is

(08:31):
not specified, but it was surelylong enough to find adequate
shelter or to turn to Mary'sfamily.
This late-night arrival,eminent birth myth is so deeply
ingrained in the popularChristian mind that it is
important to inquire into itsorigin.
Where did the idea come from,the source of this

(08:55):
misinterpretation?
Well, actually at the topthere's a heading it says a
Christian novel.
Now I'll continue.
The source of thismisinterpretation stems from
approximately 200 years afterthe birth of Jesus, when an
anonymous Christian wrote anexpanded account of the birth of
Jesus that has survived and iscalled the Proto-Evangelium of

(09:17):
James.
James had nothing to do with it.
The author was not a Jew anddid not understand Palestinian
geography or Jewish tradition.
In that period, many wrotebooks claiming famous people as
their authors.
Scholars date this particularquote novel close quote to

(09:39):
around the year AD 200, and itis full of imaginative details.
Jerome, the famous Latinscholar, attacked it, as did
many of the popes.
It was composed in Greek, buttranslated into Latin, syriac,
armenian, georgian, ethiopic,coptic and Old Slavonic.

(10:02):
The author had clearly read thegospel stories, but he or she
was unfamiliar with thegeography of the Holy Land.
In the novel, for example, theauthor describes the road
between Jerusalem and Bethlehemas a desert.
It is not a desert, but ratherrich farmland In the novel, as

(10:24):
they approach Bethlehem, marysays to Joseph take me down from
the ass, for the child withinme presses me to come forth.
Responding to this request,joseph leaves Mary in a cave and
rushes off to Bethlehem to finda midwife.
After seeing fanciful visionson the way, joseph returns with

(10:47):
the midwife the baby has alreadybeen born To be faced with a
dark cloud and then bright lightovershadowing the cave.
A woman by the name of Salomeappears out of nowhere and meets
the midwife, who tells her thata virgin has given birth and is
still a virgin.
Salome expresses doubt at thismarvel and her hand turns

(11:11):
leprous as a result.
After an examination, mary'sclaim is vindicated.
Then an angel suddenly standsbefore Salome and tells her to
touch the child.
So she does so and the diseasedhand is miraculously healed and
the novel spins on from there.

(11:32):
Authors of popular novelsusually have good imaginations.
An important part of thisnovel's storyline is that Jesus
was born even before his parentsarrived in Bethlehem.
This novel is the earliestknown reference to the notion
that Jesus was born at night, orborn, let me say, jesus was

(11:54):
born the night Mary and Josepharrived in or near Bethlehem.
The average Christian who hasnever heard of this book is
nonetheless unconsciouslyinfluenced by it.
The novel is a fancifulexpansion of the gospel account,
not the gospel story itself.

(12:15):
To summarize the problem in thetraditional interpretation of
Luke, chapter 2, verse 1 through7, joseph was returning to his
home village where he couldeasily find shelter Because he
was a descendant of King David.
Nearly all doors in the villagewere open to him.
Mary had relatives nearby andcould have turned to them, but

(12:38):
did not.
There was plenty of time toarrange suitable housing.
How could a Jewish town fail tohelp a young Jewish mother
about to give birth?
In the light of these culturaland historical realities, how
are we to understand the text?
Two questions arise when wasthe manger and what was the inn?

(13:03):
In answer to both questions.
It is evident that the story ofthe birth of Jesus in Luke is
authentic to the geography andhistory of the Holy Land.
The text records that Mary andJoseph went up from Nazareth to
Bethlehem.
Bethlehem is built on a ridgewhich is considerably higher

(13:23):
than Nazareth.
Second, the title City of Davidwas probably a local name to
which Luke adds quote which iscalled Bethlehem close quote for
the benefit of non-localreaders.
Third, the text informs thereaders that Joseph was quote of

(13:43):
the house and of the lineage ofDavid, close quote.
In the Middle East, the houseof so-and-so means the family of
so-and-so.
Greek readers of this accountcould have visualized a building
when they read quote House ofDavid, close quote.
Luke may have added the termlineage to be sure his readers

(14:07):
understood him.
He did not change the text,which was apparently already
fixed in their tradition when hereceived it Luke 1, verse 2.
But he was free to add a fewexplanatory notes.
Fourth, luke mentions that thechild was wrapped with swaddling
cloths.

(14:27):
This ancient custom is referredto in Ezekiel 16, verse 4 and
is still practiced among villagepeople in Syria and Palestine.
Finally, a Davidic Christologysurfaces in the account.
These five points emphasizethat the story was composed by a

(14:48):
Messianic Jew at a very earlystage in the life of the church.
I won't throw any editorial inthere.
Let me continue.
For the Western mind the wordmanger invokes the words stable
or barn.
But in the traditional MiddleEastern villages this is not the

(15:09):
case.
In the parable of the rich fool, luke, chapter 12, verse 13
through 21, there is mention ofstorehouses but not barns.
People of great wealth wouldnaturally have had separate
quarters for animals, but simplevillage homes in Palestine
often had but two rooms.

(15:30):
One was exclusively for guests.
That room would be attached tothe end of each house or be a
prophet's chamber on the roof,as in the story of Elijah, 1
Kings 17, verse 19.
The main room was a family roomwhere the entire family cooked,

(15:50):
ate, slept and lived.
The end of the room next to thedoor was either a few feet
lower than the rest of the flooror blocked off with heavy
timbers.
Each night, into thatdesignated area, the family cow,

(16:27):
donkey and a few sheep would bedriven.
And then he gives a figure,draws it on page 29.
Here the roof is flat and canhave a guest room built on it,
or a guest room can be attachedto the end of the house.
The door on the lower levelserves as an entrance for the

(16:48):
people and animals.
The farmer wants the animals inthe house each night because
they provide heat in the winter.
I told you that last week.
They provide heat in the winterand are safe from theft.
The house viewed from above isthe illustrator.
He gives an illustration whatit looks like from above and
it's just a family room, bigfamily room, and then two
mangers and a stable area withsteps.

(17:08):
Okay, back to our text here.
And there's two elongatedcircles here on this diagram and
it says mangers next to it.
So now he's going to elaborateon that.
The elongated circles representmangers dug out of the lower
end of the living room.
The quote family living roomclose quote had a slight slope

(17:30):
in the direction of the animalstall, which aids in sweeping
and washing.
Dirt and water naturally movedownhill into the space for the
animals and can be swept out ofthe floor.
If the family cow is hungryduring the night, she can stand
up and eat from the mangers cutout of the floor of the living
room.
Eat from the mangers cut out ofthe floor of the living room.

(17:51):
Mangers for sheep can be ofwood and placed on the floor of
the lower level.
This style of traditional homefits naturally into the birth
story of Jesus, but such homesare also implicit in Old
Testament stories are alsoimplicit in Old Testament
stories In 1 Samuel 28,.

(18:11):
Saul was a guest in the houseof the medium of Endor.
When the king refused to eat,the medium then took a fatted
calf that was in the house verse24, killed it and prepared a
meal for the king and hisservants.
She did not fetch a calf fromthe field or the barn from

(18:33):
within the house.
The story of Jephthah in Judges11, 29-40 assumes the same kind
of one-room home.
On his way to war, jephthahmakes a vow that if God will
grant him victory on his returnhome he will sacrifice the first
thing that comes out of hishouse.
Jephthah wins the battle, butas he returns home, tragically

(18:56):
to his horror, his daughter isthe first to step out of the
house.
Most likely he returned earlyin the morning and fully
expected one of the animals tobe coming bounded out of the
room in which they had beencramped all together all night.
The text is not relating thestory of a brutal butcher.
The reader is obliged to assumethat it never crossed his mind

(19:21):
that a member of his familywould step out first.
Only with this assumption doesthe story make any sense.
Had his home housed only humanbeings, he would never have made
such a vow, if only peoplelived in the house.
Who was he planning to murderand why?

(19:41):
The story is a tragedy, but heexpected an animal.
These same simple homes alsoappear in the New Testament.
In Matthew 5, verses 14-15,jesus says no one after lighting
a lamp, puts it under a bushelbut on a stand, and it gives
light to all the house.

(20:01):
Obviously, jesus was assuming atypical village home with one
room.
If a single lamp sheds light oneverybody in the house, that
house can only have one room.
Another example of the sameassumption appears in Luke,
chapter 13, verse 10 through 17,where on the Sabbath, jesus

(20:22):
healed a woman who was bent overand could not fully straighten
herself.
Jesus called her and said Woman, you are freed from your
infirmity.
The head of the synagogue wasangry because Jesus had worked
on the Sabbath.
Jesus responded you hypocrites,does not each one of you on the
Sabbath, untie his fox or hisass from his manger and lead it

(20:45):
away to water.
That's verse 15.
His point being today, on theSabbath, you untied an animal, I
untied a woman.
How can you blame me?
The text reports that all hisadversaries were put to shame.
That's verse 17.
Clearly Jesus knew that everynight his opponents had at least

(21:06):
an ox or an ass in their house.
That morning, everyone in theroom had taken the animals out
of the house and tied them upoutside.
The ruler of the synagogue didnot reply.
Oh, I never touched the animalson the Sabbath.
It's unthinkable to leaveanimals in the house during the
day and there were no stables.

(21:28):
One of the earliest and mostcarefully translated Arabic
versions of the New Testamentwas made probably in Palestine
in the 9th century.
Only eight copies have survived.
This great version, translatedfrom the Greek records this
verse as quote Does not everyone of you untie his ox or his

(21:48):
donkey from the manger in thehouse and take it outside and
water it?
Close quote.
No Greek manuscript has thewords quote in the house, close
quote in this text.
But this 9th century Arabicspeaking Christian translator
understood the text correctly.
Doesn't everybody have a mangerin a house In his world?

(22:17):
Simple Middle Eastern villagersalways did.
The one-room village home withmangers has been noted by modern
scholars as well.
William Thompson, anArabic-speaking Presbyterian
missionary scholar well, that'sa mouthful of the mid-19th
century observed village homesin Bethlehem and wrote, quote it
is my impression that the birthactually took place in an
ordinary house of some commonpeasant and that the baby was

(22:40):
laid in one of the mangers suchas are still found in the
dwellings of farmers in thisregion.
Close quote the Anglicanscholar EFF Bishop, such as are
still found in the dwellings offarmers in this region.
The Anglican scholar E F FBishop, who lived in Jerusalem
from 1922 to 1950, wrote Perhapsrecourse was had to one of the

(23:01):
Bethlehem houses, with the lowersection provided for the
animals, with mangers hallowedin stone, the dais being
reserved for the family.
Such a manger being immovable,filled with crushed straw, would
do duty for a cradle For morethan a hundred years.

(23:23):
Scholars resident in the MiddleEast have understood Luke 2,
verse 7, as referring to afamily room with mangers cut
into the floor at one end.
If this interpretation ispursued, there remains the
question of the identity of theinn.
What precisely was it that wasfull?

(23:44):
Was it that was full If Josephand Mary were taken into a
private home and at birth, jesuswas placed in a manger in that
home.
How is the word in in Luke 2,verse 7, to be understood?
Most English translations statethat after the child was born
he was laid in a manger becausethere was no room for them in

(24:05):
the inn.
This sounds as if they wererejected by the people of
Bethlehem.
Was that really the case?
There is a trap in traditionallanguage.
No room in the inn has taken onthe meaning of the inn had a
number of rooms and all wereoccupied.
Had a number of rooms and allwere occupied.

(24:29):
The no vacancy sign was alreadyswitched on when Joseph and
Mary arrived in Bethlehem.
But the Greek word does notrefer to quote a room in an inn,
close quote but rather to aquote space, close quote as in.
There is no space on my deskfor my new computer.
It is important to keep thiscorrection in mind as we turn to

(24:53):
the word we have been told wasan in.
The Greek word in Luke 2, 7 thatis commonly translated in is
katalima.
7 that is commonly translatedin is katalima.
This is not the ordinary wordfor a commercial.

(25:14):
In In the parable of the GoodSamaritan, luke 10, verse 25
through 37, the Samaritan takesthe wounded man to an inn.
The Greek word in that text ispandoshion.
The first part of this wordmeans all.
The second part, as a verb,means to receive.
So this word is the place thatreceives all, namely a

(25:40):
commercial inn.
This common Greek term for aninn was so widely known across
the Middle East that over thecenturies it was absorbed as a
Greek loan word into Armenian,coptic, arabic and Turkish, with
the same meaning a commercialinn.

(26:07):
His readers to think Joseph wasturned away from an inn.
He would have used the wordpandoshion, which clearly meant
a commercial inn, but in Luke 2,verse 7, it's kataluma that
word is crowded.
What then does this word mean?
Literally, kataluma is simply aplace to stay, and it can refer

(26:28):
to many types of shelters.
The three that are options forthis story are in the English
translation house Arabicbiblical tradition of more than
1,000 years and guest roomLuke's choice years and guest

(26:51):
room Luke's choice.
Indeed, luke used this term onone other occasion in his gospel
, where it's defined in the textitself.
We talked about this last week.
In Luke 22, jesus tells hisdisciples behold, when you have
entered a city, a man carrying ajar will meet you Follow him
into the house which he entersand tell the householder.
The teacher says to you followhim into the house which he
enters and tell the householder.
The teacher says to you whereis the guest room kataluma in

(27:11):
the Greek where I'm to eat thePassover with my disciples, and
he will show you a large upperroom furnished there.
Make ready.
That's from Luke 22, verse 10through 12.
Here the keyword kataluma isdefined as an upper room.
That's where we get the termupper room, which is clearly a
guest room in a private home.

(27:33):
The precise meaning makesperfect sense when applied to
the birth story In Luke, chaptertwo, verse seven.
Luke tells his readers thatJesus was placed in a manger in
the family room because in thathome the guest room was already
full.
If at the end of Luke's gospelthe word kataluma means a guest

(27:54):
room attached to a private homethat's from chapter 22, verse 11
, why would it not have the samemeaning near the beginning of
his gospel?
The family room with anattached guest room would have
looked something like thediagram below.
Then he gives a diagram like adownward view.

(28:15):
All the way to the right is thecataluma, a guest room with a
door.
Then in the middle there's abigger room.
It's the family room with themangers and the steps that go
down, three steps that go downto the stable room area, and
that's figure 1-3.
I should put these up on the.
I should put them up on thesite so you can see them.

(28:37):
Send me an email if you want tosee these diagrams.
I'll get them back to you.
Okay, we're out of time.
Oh man, you guys are going tokill me.
We're out of time again.
I tell you what I'm going to do.
I'm going to continue thischapter next week.
Okay, give me next week, wewill finish this chapter up.

(29:00):
Okay, all right.
So, yeah, you'll be able tohear this whole chapter.
I tell you what until next week, the Lord bless you and keep
you.
The Lord make his face to shineupon you and be gracious to you
.
The Lord lift up hiscountenance upon you and give
you peace.

Speaker 1 (29:33):
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