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This article was first published on Bryan Windle\u2019s\u00a0Bible Archaeology Report<\/a>\u00a0blog.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n This top-ten list is also presented in episode 223 of\u00a0Digging for Truth:<\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\n For many, Christmas is a festive season steeped in tradition, which may have some kernels of truth but is more mythical than historical. Having studied the earliest accounts of Jesus\u2019s birth, I\u2019m convinced that they accurately record the birth of\u00a0Jesus of Nazareth<\/a>. I do not consider them to be much later legends written a century or more after the life of Jesus.<\/p>\n Consider that the earliest records of Christ\u2019s birth come from a man who spent years as Jesus\u2019s disciple (Matthew) and a historian who carefully researched Jesus\u2019s life by speaking directly with eyewitnesses (Luke). According to the latest research, these two accounts were written within the lifetime of people who actually knew Jesus, including His mother, His siblings, and His disciples.1 Furthermore, Jesus\u2019s disciple Peter testified, \u201cWe did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty\u201d (2 Pt 1:16).2 More poetically, the apostle John wrote, \u201cAnd the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth\u201d (Jn 1:14).<\/p>\n I believe the archaeological evidence affirms various elements in the nativity accounts of the Gospels. Yes, there are supernatural elements in these, which by definition cannot be affirmed by archaeology (given that archaeology deals with mankind\u2019s physical and cultural remains of the past). However, there is good historical evidence that could lead a reasonable person to conclude that the Gospel accounts of Jesus\u2019s birth are accurately set in the first-century Roman world, not in the world of make-believe. To illustrate this, I\u2019ve compiled a list of the top ten archaeological discoveries related to the nativity story. Some are highly specific, while others are more general, but all affirm specific details in the biblical text.<\/p>\n Before beginning, I want to emphasize that this list is only going to deal with archaeological remains. We will not be discussing astronomical features of the star that guided the magi, or possible fields in which the shepherds watched their flocks (there are at least three locations put forth as the shepherds\u2019 field3). In fact, because of the nature of their job, shepherds from the first century left few, if any, remains.<\/p>\n Here then are the top ten archaeological discoveries related to Christmas.<\/p>\n 10. The Great Isaiah Scroll<\/p>\n Matthew 1:22\u201323:\u00a0All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: \u201cBehold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel\u201d (which means, God with us).<\/p>\n Hundreds of years before Jesus was born in\u00a0Bethlehem<\/a>, prophets had foretold the coming of the Messiah. When Jesus\u2019s disciple Matthew decided to write about Jesus\u2019s life, he directly tied the birth of Christ to several of these prophecies. He quotes Isaiah<\/a>, who said that the Messiah would be born of a virgin and would be called Immanuel (Is 7:14). When the magi arrived in Jerusalem looking for the newborn King of the Jews, Herod (the reigning king of the Jews) asked the chief priests and scribes where the Christ was to be born. Matthew records that the chief priests quoted from Micah 5:2: \u201cThey told him, \u2018In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: \u201cAnd you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel\u201d\u2019\u201d (Mt 2:5\u20136).<\/p>\n Copies of both Isaiah and Micah were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, one of the greatest archaeological finds of all time. The Great Isaiah Scroll is one of the original seven Dead Sea Scrolls; it was discovered in Cave 1 at Qumran in 1947 and dates to the first century BC.4\u00a0Scrolls of the Minor Prophets containing copies of Micah were found in Qumran Cave 4 and caves at Nahal Hever and Wadi Murabba\u2019at.5\u00a0Together, these scrolls demonstrate that the writings of the prophets were being collected and copied and were widely known before Matthew wrote his Gospel.<\/p>\n 9. The\u00a0Res Gestae (Acts or Achievements) of Caesar Augustus<\/p>\n Luke 2:1:\u00a0In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.<\/p>\n The Res Gestae is an autobiographical inscription left by\u00a0Caesar Augustus<\/a>, which was displayed upon his death in accordance with his will. It was originally displayed on two bronze pillars in front of his Mausoleum in Rome. While the pillars no longer survive, copies have been discovered in four different locations: the Ankara temple, a gateway at Pisidian Antioch, the acropolis of Apollonia, and a wall at Sardis.6\u00a0In his autobiography, Augustus describes taking a census of the Roman Empire on no less than three occasions, including one in 8 BC in which 4,233,000 Roman citizens were numbered (Res Gestae 8). Augustus also notes another event: \u201cWhile I was administering my thirteenth consulship [2 BC] the Senate and the\u00a0equestrian\u00a0order and the entire Roman people gave me the title of Father of my Country\u201d (Res Gestae 35).7\u00a0Josephus likely references this event in Antiquities 17.2.4,\u00a0where he states, \u201cWhen all the people of the Jews gave assurance of their good will to Caesar, and to the king\u2019s government, these very men [Pharisees] did not swear, being above six thousand.\u201d8\u00a0Some scholars believe that there was an empire-wide registration associated with this event, which is how Josephus knew there were 6,000 Pharisees who refused to take the oath to Caesar.9\u00a0In either case, the biblical description of Caesar Augustus initiating a census or registration is consistent with his actions around the time of the birth of Christ.<\/p>\n 8. The Tombstone of Q. Aemilius Secundus<\/p>\n Luke 2:2:\u00a0This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.<\/p>\n The historicity of\u00a0Quirinius<\/a>\u00a0has never been in question; he is mentioned by many ancient writers, including Josephus, Cassius Dio, Strabo, Suetonius, Tacitus, Pliny the Elder, and Caesar Augustus himself.10\u00a0However, there is an interesting inscription naming Quirinius that relates to the Christmas narrative. The tombstone of a Roman officer named Q. Aemilius Secundus records that Publius Sulpicius Quirinius, while \u201clegate [governor] of Caesar in Syria,\u201d commanded him to conduct a census of the district of Apamea\u2019s 117,000 citizens.11<\/p>\n To be clear, the Aemilius Secundus inscription is likely referring to a census Quirinius oversaw in AD 6 (mentioned by Luke in Acts 5:37) rather than the one Luke mentions at the time of Christ\u2019s birth. It is believed that Quirinius was the governor in Syria in AD 6, but was he also the governor of Syria earlier, at the time of Christ\u2019s birth? There is another ancient inscription that mentions a Roman official who twice served as the governor of Syria, so that was possible. Moreover, Luke doesn\u2019t actually say Quirinius was governor; the Greek word he uses means that he was governing in some capacity. It is known that Quirinius held numerous official positions in the Roman Empire during his lifetime, including senator,12 duumvir,13 consul,14 and legate,15 each of which could be described as governing using the word Luke employs.<\/p>\n Still, the Aemilius Secundus inscription establishes that Quirinius was a respected Roman official who served as governor of Syria and who was the type of man the emperor trusted to oversee a census, which all aligns with Luke\u2019s description of him.<\/p>\n 7. Roman Census Edict\u2014Papyrus 904<\/p>\n Luke 2:3:\u00a0And all went to be registered, each to his own town.<\/p>\n An edict from Gaius Vibius Maximus (ca. AD 104), prefect of the Roman province of Egypt, is recorded on Papyrus 904 in the British Museum. It has very similar wording to what Luke records:<\/p>\n Gaius Vibius Maximus, prefect of Egypt [says]: Seeing that the time has come for the house-to-house census, it is necessary to compel those who for any cause whatsoever are residing out of their homes (or districts) to return to their own homes, that they may both carry out the regular order of the census, and may also attend diligently to the cultivation of their allotments.16<\/p>\n It is interesting to note that the word translated census in the edict of Gaius Vibius Maximus is the same Greek word that Luke uses:\u00a0apographe.17<\/p>\n While Roman censuses did not normally require people to return to their ancestral homes, Papyrus 904 demonstrates that people did have to return to their home districts if they owned property there. It has been suggested that Joseph likely owned property in Bethlehem and thus had to make the trek with Mary from Nazareth to register for the upcoming census in his hometown.18<\/p>\n 6. First-Century Remains at Nazareth<\/p>\n Luke 1:26\u201327:\u00a0In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin\u2019s name was Mary.<\/p>\n Internet claims that Nazareth didn\u2019t exist in the first century abound. Ren\u00e9 Salm has even written a book called The Myth of Nazareth: The Invented Town of Jesus, in which he claims that there is no evidence for the town of Nazareth prior to AD 70, in contradiction of the Gospels.19<\/p>\n The archaeological evidence, however, overwhelmingly refutes the unformed claims of Jesus mythicists. Pottery and oil lamps discovered in the rock-cut caves and tunnels at the Church of the Annunciation site indicate that someone was living there in the Late Hellenistic period and early first century AD.20\u00a0In 2009, excavations at Nazareth led by Yardenna Alexandre on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority uncovered a first-century house that was dated by the artifacts unearthed inside, including pottery sherds and fragments of chalkstone vessels.21\u00a0Furthermore, archaeologist Ken Dark has outlined the results of his own excavations beneath the Sisters of Nazareth convent in his recent book Archaeology of Jesus\u2019 Nazareth. In it he gives an overview of the excavations that took place over the course of over 100 years at the site, highlighting more evidence, such as glass phials22\u00a0and Early Roman coins,23 that again demonstrates that Nazareth was occupied in the early first century AD, as the Gospels state. Moreover, his own excavations there have revealed what is likely a first-century courtyard house that matches the location of a home that was written about by early pilgrims and venerated by the Byzantines as the childhood home of Jesus.24\u00a0Whether or not this was the house where Jesus was raised, it is clear that Nazareth was indeed occupied in the early first century AD.<\/p>\n 5. First-Century Remains at Bethlehem<\/p>\n Luke 2:4:\u00a0And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David.<\/p>\n A few, such as archaeologist Aviram Oshri, have argued that Bethlehem of Judea was not inhabited during the first century, and that Jesus was born in another town named Bethlehem in Galilee.25\u00a0While evidence from first-century Bethlehem of Judea is sparse (primarily because a modern city is there and the site has not been sufficiently excavated), some archaeological remains from the time of Jesus have been found. In 1969, in a survey by Gutman and Berman, objects from the Roman period were discovered southwest of the Church of the Nativity.26\u00a0More recently, excavations conducted near the Church of the Nativity in 2015\u20132016 unearthed an abundance of pottery and artifacts dating to the first century AD, clearly demonstrating there was a village at the site at the time of Jesus. In an on-site interview, archaeologist Shimon Gibson stated, \u201cThis is the southwest corner of the Church of the Nativity. .\u00a0.\u00a0. We\u2019re sinking a trench down to early levels, and we have, without doubt, pottery dating from the time of Jesus. What we\u2019ve been able to prove up till now is the existence of a village from the time of Jesus. This is very important.\u201d27\u00a0It is now clear that the village of Bethlehem was occupied at the time of Jesus, just as the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke state.<\/p>\n 4. Mangers<\/p>\n Luke 2:6\u20137:\u00a0And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.<\/p>\n Christmas cards and carols give the impression that baby Jesus was born in a barn out back of the local Motel 6 because there was \u201cno room for them in the inn.\u201d This is a Western reading of the biblical text, however. The word Luke uses for \u201cinn\u201d is the Greek word\u00a0kataluma,\u00a0which is translated upper\u00a0room\u00a0\/ guest\u00a0room in Luke 22:12. If Luke had meant to refer to a \u201cmotel,\u201d he likely would have used a different Greek word\u2014pandocheion\u2014as he does in the story of the Good Samaritan who takes the injured man to a \u201cmotel inn,\u201d where there is even an innkeeper\u00a0(pandocheus)\u00a0(10:34\u201335).28\u00a0The NIV now translates the verse to read, \u201cthere was no guest room available for them.\u201d<\/p>\n Moreover, there isn\u2019t even a stable mentioned\u2014only a manger. Archaeologist Gary Byers has noted that \u201cnumerous permanent stone-carved or plastered stone-built mangers have been identified on the ground floor of domestic structures from biblical times.\u201d29\u00a0The mangers are sometimes found between the pillars that formed interior walls. Occasionally houses in the first century were built beside a cave, which was used as the stable room, such that it was actually part of the ground floor structure of the home. These domestic stable rooms would have likely housed young or sick animals, or perhaps the \u201cfatted calf.\u201d Examples of stone mangers can still be seen in Israel today in places like Megiddo and Bethlehem.<\/p>\n A more biblical and historically accurate interpretation of Jesus\u2019s birth is that He was likely born in the stable room on the ground floor of a relative\u2019s house because the guest room upstairs was already taken. Rather than being alone in the barn out back, Mary was likely surrounded by family when she gave birth to Jesus.<\/p>\n 3. Palace of King Herod<\/p>\n Matthew 2:1\u20133:\u00a0Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,\u00a0saying, \u201cWhere is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.\u201d\u00a0When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.<\/p>\n When the mysterious magi arrived in Jerusalem, they met with\u00a0Herod the Great<\/a>\u00a0(Mt 2:7), who questioned them about their quest to find the newborn King of the Jews. Herod, who was notoriously paranoid about people plotting to take his throne, wanted to know where this child was so that he could have him killed (Mt 2:8, 2:12, 2:16\u201318). Herod\u2019s meeting with the magi likely took place at his palace in Jerusalem. Little remains today of Herod\u2019s magnificent palace. The base of one of the three towers that formed the northern part of the palace can be seen near the Jaffa Gate.30\u00a0The foundation of one portion of Herod\u2019s palace can be seen today beneath the Kishle, an Ottomon-era prison that is part of the Tower of David Museum. Excavations have revealed two parallel Herodian walls running north\u2013south that were dated on the basis of pottery found in the foundation trenches. Between the walls there was a deep layer of earth and stones. These retaining walls helped create a raised, artificial platform on which Herod\u2019s palace was built.31<\/p>\n 2. Nabataean Incense<\/p>\n Matthew 2:11:\u00a0And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.<\/p>\n Little is definitively known about the magi who presented the Christ Child with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. While some believe they were Babylonian astrologers or Persian priests, there is good evidence to suggest\u00a0they may have been Nabataean wise men<\/a>. At the very least, the frankincense and myrrh that they brought were almost certainly obtained through the Nabataean trade system.<\/p>\n The Nabataeans controlled the main trade routes along the Incense Road, from Arabia through their capital of Petra and on to the coastal port of Gaza.32\u00a0Along this route, they transported frankincense and myrrh from places such as Yemen, in Arabia, to the Mediterranean. In fact, when Christ was born, Nabataea held a virtual monopoly on the frankincense trade.33\u00a0The Nabataeans distributed perfumes like frankincense in ceramic bottles known as unguentaria, many of which have been unearthed by archaeologists. Calcite alabaster beehive jars were used for myrrh; these are found all along the trade route from the area of modern-day Yemen up to the area of ancient Petra.34\u00a0Of course, none of this proves the nativity story is true. It does, however, demonstrate that it is reliably set in the first-century world from a historical perspective.<\/p>\n 1. The Church of the Nativity<\/p>\n The most famous structure in Bethlehem is the Church of the Nativity, which is said to have been built over the cave where Jesus was born. This site has a long and documented historical trail associating it with the birth of Jesus:<\/p>\n The earliest written references to the location of Jesus\u2019s birth outside of the Bible come from Justin Martyr (ca. 150)35\u00a0and Origen (ca. 248),36 both of whom state that Jesus was born in a cave near Bethlehem. Excavations inside the Church of the Nativity have confirmed that an octagonal basilica dating to the time of Constantine lies beneath the current structure.39\u00a0Furthermore, caves dating to the first century were found beneath the Constantinian church during 1949\u20131950 excavations led by Bellarmino Bagatti.40<\/p>\n Thus, there is a very early and continuous testimony dating back almost 1,900 years that links the birth of Jesus to the site that is occupied today by the Church of the Nativity.<\/p>\n Conclusion<\/p>\n When all of this is considered, it is clear that there is an ancient tradition linking the birth of Jesus to Bethlehem. Moreover, elements in the earliest nativity accounts have proven to be historically accurate from an archaeological perspective. Some will brush the story of Jesus\u2019s birth off as legendary simply because of their\u00a0a priori\u00a0bias against anything supernatural. However, if a supernatural, all-powerful, all-knowing, good God exists, as described in the Bible, then we ought not be surprised at a supernatural birth of His Son. Others may disregard the Gospel accounts merely because they are religious texts. However, this argument is predicated on a logical fallacy known as the false dichotomy\u2014in this case believing that an ancient text can be either historical or religious but not both.<\/p>\n Simply put, I see no reason to doubt the veracity of the description of Jesus\u2019s birth in the Gospels on historical grounds.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Endnotes<\/p>\n 1 In Jonathan Bernier\u2019s well-reasoned and methodologically sound book\u00a0Rethinking the Dates of the New Testament: The Evidence for Early Composition\u00a0(Baker Academic, 2022), he concludes that the book of Acts \u201cwas written ca. 62 and the Synoptic Gospels prior to that date, with Matthew\u2019s Gospel likely written prior to Luke\u2019s, and Mark\u2019s Gospel prior to Matthew\u2019s\u201d (p. 71). This is within the lifetime of many who knew Jesus. Jude, the half brother of Jesus, likely wrote his epistle no later than ca. 96 (Bernier, 213), and was alive when Matthew and Luke wrote.\u00a0Peter wasn\u2019t martyred until AD 64\u201368, so he was also alive when at least Luke\u2019s Gospel was written. Church history says that Mary lived with John, as Jesus requested from the cross (Jn 19:26\u201327), and that they spent their senior years near Ephesus, where she was buried (Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 3.31, 5.24, P.G., XX, 280, 493).\u00a0Thus, she would have been alive when both Gospels were written.<\/p>\n 2 All Scripture quotations in this article are taken from the ESV.<\/p>\n 3 \u201cShepherds\u2019 Field,\u201d\u00a0See the Holy Land, accessed November 20, 2023, https:\/\/www.seetheholyland.net\/shepherds-field\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n 4 \u201cThe Great Isaiah Scroll,\u201d\u00a0The Digital Dead Sea Scrolls, accessed November 20, 2023, http:\/\/dss.collections.imj.org.il\/isaiah<\/a>.<\/p>\n 5 \u201cMicah 5,\u201d\u00a0Dead Sea Scrolls Bible Translations, Craig Davis, accessed November 20, 2023, https:\/\/dssenglishbible.com\/micah%205.htm<\/a>.<\/p>\n 6 \u201cPlaster Cast: Res Gestae, Latin Inscription, First Panel,\u201d\u00a0Spurlock\u00a0Museum\u00a0of World Cultures, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, accessed October 30, 2023, https:\/\/www.spurlock.illinois.edu\/collections\/search-collection\/details.php?a=1900.12.0094<\/a>.<\/p>\n 7 \u201cAugustus, Res Gestae,\u201d Livius.org, last modified September 15, 2020, https:\/\/www.livius.org\/sources\/content\/augustus-res-gestae\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n 8 William Whiston, trans., Josephus: The Complete Works (Thomas Nelson, 1998), 544.<\/p>\n 9 Jack Finegan,\u00a0Handbook of Biblical Chronology: Principles of Time Reckoning in the Ancient World and Problems of Chronology in the Bible, rev. ed.\u00a0(Hendrickson, 1998), 305\u20136.<\/p>\n 10 Bryan Windle, \u201cQuirinius: An Archaeological Biography,\u201d\u00a0Bible Archaeology Report,\u00a0December 19, 2019, https:\/\/biblearchaeologyreport.com\/2019\/12\/19\/quirinius-an-archaeological-biography\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n 11 \u201cFunerary Inscription of Quintus Aemilius Secundus,\u201d accessed November 10, 2023, https:\/\/ancientrome.ru\/art\/artworken\/img.htm?id=7323<\/a>.<\/p>\n 12 Josephus,\u00a0Antiquities\u00a018.1.1.<\/p>\n 13\u00a0Inscriptiones Latinae Selectae,\u00a09502\u20139503.<\/p>\n 14 Pliny,\u00a0Natural History\u00a05.23.4;\u00a0Cassius Dio,\u00a0Roman History 54.28;\u00a0Res Gestae\u00a010; Tacitus,\u00a0Annals 3.48; Suetonius,\u00a0Tiberius\u00a049.<\/p>\n 15\u00a0Inscriptiones Latinae Selectae,\u00a02683.<\/p>\n 16 As quoted in George Milligan, \u201cThe Greek Papyri and the New Testament,\u201d\u00a0Biblical World 34, no. 3 (September 1909): 158, https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/3142022<\/a>.<\/p>\n 17 Stephen Caesar, \u201cA Brief Comment on the Census in Luke 2,\u201d\u00a0Associates for Biblical Research, October 16, 2008, https:\/\/biblearchaeology.org\/research\/chronological-categories\/new-testament-era\/4192<\/a>.<\/p>\n 18 Craig S. Keener,\u00a0The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, 2nd ed. (IVP Academic, 2014), 184.<\/p>\n 19\u00a0https:\/\/www.nazarethmyth.info<\/a>.<\/p>\n 20 Ken Dark,\u00a0Archaeology of Jesus\u2019 Nazareth\u00a0(Oxford University Press, 2023), 45.<\/p>\n 21 \u201cFor the Very First Time: A Residential Building from the Time of Jesus Was Exposed in the Heart of Nazareth,\u201d\u00a0Israel Antiquitites Authority,\u00a0December 21, 2009, https:\/\/www.iaa.org.il\/page_news\/page\/news-430<\/a>.<\/p>\n 22 Dark,\u00a0Archaeology of Jesus\u2019 Nazareth, 57.<\/p>\n 23 Dark, 88.<\/p>\n 24 Dark, 123\u201331.<\/p>\n 25 Sheera Frenkel, \u201cDig Finds Evidence of Another Bethlehem,\u201d NPR, December 25, 2012, https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2012\/12\/25\/168010065<\/a>.<\/p>\n 26 \u201cChronique Arch\u00e9ologique,\u201d\u00a0Revue Biblique\u00a077, no. 4 (October 1970): 583, https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/44088070<\/a>.<\/p>\n 27 Expedition Bible, \u201cUnearthing the Prophecy of Jesus\u2019 Birthplace,\u201d YouTube video, 5:02, August 19, 2022, https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LTRFJBvB_sw<\/a>.<\/p>\n 28 Walter L. Liefeld, Luke, in\u00a0Matthew, Mark, Luke, vol. 8 of\u00a0The Expositor\u2019s Bible Commentary with the New International Version of the Holy Bible,\u00a0ed. Frank E. G\u00e6belein (Zondervan, 1984), 844.<\/p>\n 29 Gary A. Byers, \u201cAway in a Manger, but Not in a Barn,\u201d\u00a0Bible and Spade\u00a029, no. 1 (Winter 2016): 7, https:\/\/biblearchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/Away-in-A-Manger.pdf<\/a>.<\/p>\n 30 Ehud Netzer,\u00a0The Architecture of Herod, the Great Builder, with the assistance of Rachel Laureys-Chachy (Baker Academic, 2008),\u00a0127.<\/p>\n 31 Amit Re\u2019em, \u201cFirst and Second Temple Period Fortifications and Herod\u2019s Palace in the Jerusaelm Kishle Compound,\u201d in Ancient Jerusalem Revealed: Archaeological Discoveries, 1998\u20132018,\u00a0ed. Hillel Geva (Israel Exploration Society, 2019),\u00a0141.<\/p>\n 32 \u201cThe Ancient City of Petra,\u201d\u00a0OLogy, American Museum of Natural History, accessed November 20, 2023, https:\/\/www.amnh.org\/explore\/ology\/archaeology\/the-ancient-city-of-petra2<\/a>.<\/p>\n 33 Scott Stripling, personal communication, December 3, 2016.<\/p>\n 34 Bryan Windle, \u201cWho Were the Magi?,\u201d\u00a0Bible Archaeology Report, December 22, 2022, https:\/\/biblearchaeologyreport.com\/2022\/12\/22\/who-were-the-magi\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n 35 Justin Martyr,\u00a0Dialogue with Trypho, 78.<\/p>\n 36 Origen,\u00a0Contra Celsum 1.51.<\/p>\n 37 Eusebius,\u00a0Life of Constantine\u00a03.41\u201343.<\/p>\n 38 Jerome,\u00a0Letter to Sabinianus (Letter 147), section 4, https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/3001147.htm<\/a>.<\/p>\n 39 Randall Price with H. Wayne House,\u00a0Zondervan Handbook of Biblical Archaeology (Zondervan, 2017), 237.<\/p>\n 40 Joel P. Kramer,\u00a0Where God Came Down: The Archaeological Evidence\u00a0(Expedition Bible, 2020), 93.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0 This article was first published on Bryan Windle\u2019s\u00a0Bible Archaeology Report\u00a0blog. \u00a0 This top-ten list is also presented…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":192861,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154],"class_list":["post-192860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem-headlines","tag-bethlehem-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192860","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192860"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192860\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Top](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Top-Ten-Christmas-Image-1.jpg\")
This graphic slide shows Papyrus 4 (?4), an early Greek manuscript of the Gospel of Luke that includes the nativity account. Image: Wes Huff \/ https:\/\/www.wesleyhuff.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Top](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Top-Ten-Christmas-Image-2.jpg\")
Several panels of the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa). Photo: Public Domain, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=22587076<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Top](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Top-Ten-Christmas-Image-3.jpg\")
This Res Gestae (Acts of Augustus) inscription is on display in the Yalva\u00e7 Museum near Pisidian Antioch in Turkey. Photo: Todd Bolen \/ BiblePlaces.com.<\/p>\n![\"Top](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Top-Ten-Christmas-Image-4.jpg\")
The tombstone of Q. Aemilius Secundus, who conducted a census in Apamea in Syria for the legate Quirinius. Photo: Jona Lendering \/ Livius.org \/ CC0 1.0 Universal. https:\/\/www.livius.org\/pictures\/lebanon\/beirut-berytus\/beirut-museum-pieces\/beirut-tombstone-of-q-aemilius-secundus\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Top](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Top-Ten-Christmas-Image-5.jpg\")
Papyrus 904 is an edict from the Roman governor in Egypt requiring people to return to their homes for the upcoming census. It is currently housed in the British Museum. Photo: \u00a9 The Trustees of the British Museum \/ CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.<\/p>\n![\"Top](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Top-Ten-Christmas-Image-6.jpg\")
The rock-cut doorway of a first-century house discovered near the Sisters of Nazareth convent. This house may have been the childhood home of Jesus. Photo: Ken Dark. Used by permission.<\/p>\n![\"Top](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Top-Ten-Christmas-Image-7.png\")
These excavations in 2014\u20132015 near the Church of the Nativity revealed evidence of the first-century village of Bethlehem. Photo: Courtesy of Joel Kramer.<\/p>\n![\"Top](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Top-Ten-Christmas-Image-8.jpg\")
A stone manger at Megiddo. Photo: Todd Bolen \/ BiblePlaces.com.<\/p>\n![\"Top](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Top-Ten-Christmas-Image-9-scaled.jpg\")
The remains of Herod\u2019s palace can be seen today near the Tower of David Museum, beneath the Kishle, an Ottoman-era prison. Photo: Bryan Windle.<\/p>\n![\"Top](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Top-Ten-Christmas-Image-10.png\")
The gifts of the magi may have looked like these: (Left) A Nabataean gold pendant with garnet, ca. second to first century BC. It is currently housed in the Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim. Photo: Neck B\u00fcrgin. (Center) A ceramic Nabataean unguentarium in which perfumes like frankincense were kept. Photo: Metmuseum.org \/ Public Domain. (Right) A calcite alabaster beehive jar was the type of jar used for myrrh; these are found all along the trade route from the area of modern-day Yemen up to the area of ancient Petra. This one dates to the second century BC. Photo: The British Museum \/ CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.<\/p>\n
\nEusebius (ca. 338) records that a church was built over this cave during the reign of Constantine.37
\nJerome (ca. 382\u2013405) lived in Bethlehem and wrote about \u201cthe cave wherein the Son of God was born.\u201d38<\/p>\n![\"Top](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Top-Ten-Christmas-Image-11.jpg\")
An aerial view of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Photo: Bill Schlegel \/ BiblePlaces.com.<\/p>\n