Childbirth in Jesus' Time

By J. M. Hochstetler

The Adoration of the Shepherds
Gerrit van Honthorst, 1622

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone had an especially blessed holiday.

As the Christmas season approached this year, I began to think about an aspect of the birth of Jesus that’s often glossed over: the practical realities Mary would have encountered in giving births. As a mother and a student of history, I’ve never bought into one common narrative—that she and Joseph faced this experience alone. That would mean that Joseph, a Jewish man who faithfully observed the laws and rituals of Judaism, would have had to help Mary through her labor and delivery—unthinkable in any culture of that day, and rendering him unclean according to Jewish law. Men would never violate these cultural norms except possibly in an urgent situation when no women were available. For one thing, they didn’t have the knowledge and practical skills. And every community, including Bethlehem, would have had at least one midwife as well as other women who had experience with labor and delivery.

Biblical accounts are skimpy on the details, but midwifery in Judaism would have looked essentially the same as that in the surrounding society, with the exception of specific religious precepts. And a midwife would certainly have been summoned so that everything related to the birth could be handled according to Jewish law. So what would the birth of Jesus actually have looked like?

Although the Bible is skimpy on the details, the Old Testament does depict women as being supported by midwives or other women during childbirth. Midwives, skilled practitioners of their profession, were significant figures in ancient society who provided comfort, pain relief, and encouragement to the laboring woman. They performed rituals and prayers to protect her and her baby, used their expertise to deal with any complications that might arise, delivered the baby and the afterbirth, and supervised the mother and baby’s aftercare. Joseph would definitely have been excluded, nor would he have protested. Giving birth was the province of women, and men were happy to absent themselves.

Soranus

In the 2nd century AD Soranus of Ephesus, a Greek physician who practiced in Alexandria and Rome and was one of the chief representatives of the Methodic school of medicine, described the qualifications and practices of a midwife in his book Gynaecology:

A suitable person ... must be literate in order to be able to comprehend the art through theory too: she must have her wits about her so that she may easily follow what is said and what is happening: she must have a good memory to retain the imparted instructions … She must love work in order to persevere through all vicissitudes … She must be respectable since people will have to trust their household and the secrets of their lives to her and because to women of bad character the semblance of medical instruction is a cover for evil scheming. She must not be handicapped as regards her senses since there are things which she must see, answers which she must hear when questioning, and objects which she must grasp by her sense of touch. She needs sound limbs so as not to be handicapped in the performances of her work and she must be robust, for she takes a double task upon herself during the hardship of her professional visits. Long and slim fingers and short nails are necessary to touch a deep lying inflammation without causing too much pain…. She will have a quiet disposition, for she will have to share many secrets of life. She must not be greedy for money, lest she give an abortive wickedly for payment; she will be free from superstition so as not to overlook salutary measures on account of a dream or omen or some customary rite or vulgar superstition.

Woman giving birth on a birthing chair
Roman era

His list of the things that a midwife should provide for a woman in labor included clean olive oil for lubrication; warm water for cleansing; warm fomentations (ointments) to alleviate pain; soft sea sponges for washing the body; clean cloth to cover the woman’s parts and to swaddle the newborn; a pillow to lay in front of the woman, where the baby could be placed until the afterbirth was delivered; good things to smell as needed to revive the laboring woman; two beds, one hard for use during labor and one soft for her to rest on after delivery.

The most common position for childbirth was squatting, kneeling, or seated in a birthing chair, which had a u-shaped opening in the seat and supports for the woman’s feet and back. Soranus advised that if possible a midwife should provide a birthing chair, but that when one was not available, the woman should sit on the laps of two women for support. There is historical evidence that in some cultures a hole was dug for the woman to squat over while standing on brightly painted birth bricks. Women did not give birth while lying on their backs until male doctors began to displace midwives in the 19th century.

Painted Egyptian birthing brick discovered in 2001
c. 1750-1700 BCE

As soon as a baby was born, it was washed in salt water or wine, which have antiseptic properties, and rubbed with olive oil to soothe its skin. It was then wrapped snugly, but not tightly, in linen strips with the arms and legs straight as an aid to developing strong, straight limbs. Luke’s gospel records that Mary wrapped her newborn baby son in such bands of cloth. There were no such things as diapers. Instead the baby was kept close to the mother at all times, and its excretions were caught in a small clay pot that she carried with her for that purpose. Mothers quickly learned to read the signs that their baby was about to defecate, and since the infant virtually never left her side, this was easy to do. In fact, it’s still common practice in many parts of the world.

What do you think about these practices? Might some be better for mothers and babies than the standard procedures in place today? Please share your thoughts and experiences!

~~~

J. M. Hochstetler is the daughter of Mennonite farmers and a lifelong student of history. She is a professional editor, a publisher, and the author of award-winning historical fiction whose books have been endorsed by bestselling authors such as Lori Benton, Laura Frantz, and Jocelyn Green. Her American Patriot Series is the only comprehensive historical fiction series on the American Revolution. She is also the author of One Holy Night, the Christian Small Publishers 2009 Book of the Year, and co-authored the award-winning Northkill Amish Series with Bob Hostetler.

Kings or Wise Men? Who Really Visited Jesus from the East?

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo - Adoration of the Magi ,

                         1655-1660 {PD}

by Kathleen Rouser 

Who were the mysterious magi and where did they come from?

They were possibly Zoroastrian priests from Persia which is modern-day Iran. Zoroastrianism purports belief in a single deity, Ahura Mazda, and that there is a conflict between good and evil. It dates back to the 6th century B.C.

Magi was a term created by those who were skeptical of their religion and is the root word for magician. In a negative terms in means “sorcerer.”

Those referred to as wise men in different biblical accounts were advisors to ancient kings. They would have been astrologers and interpreters of signs. Astrology at that time had closer ties to astronomy. They would have also been educated scholars.

Around 530 B.C. Daniel served in the Persian court of Cyrus. Were advisors to Darius, priests of a monotheistic religion, intrigued by the prophet who worshipped the one true God? Perhaps they had many conversations about scripture and prophecy of the Messiah, who would be the Savior of the world. Balaam’s prophecy in Numbers 24:17 states: "A star will rise from Jacob a scepter will emerge from Israel."(NLT)

One theory some theologians have proposed is that there was evidence that the message of the Gospel was in the stars until it was corrupted by astrology after the Tower of Babel had been built. Is it possible these wise men had searched for such a message in the stars and found the one star that they followed to the Messiah? The wise men came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” (Matthew 2:2, KJV)

The three Magi (Balthasar, Caspar, 
Melchior) !2th Century {PD}

When did they visit the baby Jesus?

When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:10-11, NLT)

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. (Matthew 2:16, NLT)

When wise men are included in the Christmas narrative, they are often depicted visiting the baby Jesus at the site of the of manger where he was born, along with the shepherds who visited on the night of Jesus’ birth. However, two things would indicate that it could have been even a year or more later. Some translations say they entered the house to visit the child, not a place where a manger was kept. Also, Herod, to make sure he had no competition from this prophesied King of the Jews, decided to execute not only newborn infants, but every male child two years and younger. It’s likely that a year or two had passed and by then they were living in a house with a toddler-aged Jesus.

What was the significance of their gifts?

As quoted above, the wise men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to give the child in an act of worship. One interpretation, that originated with Origen, in the time of the early church is that gold was a gift fit for a king, frankincense was a perfume to be offered to a God, and myrrh was an ointment for anointing a dead body, so it was associated with death. The symbolism of virtue is attributed to gold, prayer is attributed to frankincense, and sacrifice is attributed to myrrh. Gold and frankincense reflected the life the child would grow up to live and myrrh reflected the sacrifice He would make for us.

Caspar by Jan van Biljert,Oil on panel. 
Circa 1640–1650, Rau Antiques2018, [cc]

What traditional beliefs have come from the visit of the Wise Men?

Since the three gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were presented to the Christ child, tradition has it that there were three wise men. However, in the eastern Syriac churches, the traditional number is twelve. The actual number is not mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew.

In western Christian tradition the names attributed to the supposed three wise men are Balthasar, from Arabia, Melchior from Persia, and Gaspar, from India. Eastern Christian traditions ascribe different names and sometimes different countries of origin than in the western church. However, in Matthew 2:12 it says they “returned to their own country.” In the original language this means a single place of origin.

They have also been referred to as kings. This tradition comes from viewing Psalm 72:10b, The eastern kings of Sheba and Seba will bring him gifts, as a prophecy of this event. Yet, there is no evidence in the Matthew 2 passage that they were kings.

While the wise men are often pictured as arriving by camel, these wealthy individuals likely covered the eight or nine hundred miles of their journey by riding swift Arabian horses, the preferred method of travel of the day. Camels were used mainly as pack animals.

James Tissot, "The Magi Journeying," c. 1890
Brooklyn Museum [cc]

So as you can see, traditions concerning the wise men from the east have risen and changed over the many centuries since the birth of Jesus. However, we can conclude that these men who gave of their riches and time to travel and seek out the King of Jews, believed He was deity. They truly were very wise men to worship the Messiah of the Jewish people, King of kings and Lord of lords, the Savior of the world. 

Please let me know in the comments if you've learned something new from this article. Or share something I didn't cover here. I would love to find out what others know/think about the wise men who visited Jesus. 

Kathleen Rouser is the multi-published author of the 2017 Bookvana Award winner, Rumors and Promises, her first novel about the people of fictional Stone Creek, Michigan, and its sequel, Secrets and Wishes. She is a longtime member in good standing of American Christian Fiction Writers. Kathleen wanted to be a writer before she could even read. She longs to create characters who resonate with readers and realize the need for a transforming Savior in their everyday lives. She lives in Michigan with her hero and husband of thirty-some years, and continues on the elusive quest to brew the perfect cup of coffee to enjoy while she is writing. Connect with Kathleen on her website at kathleenrouser.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/kathleenerouser/, and on Twitter @KathleenRouser.

Bookvana Awards Winner

Sophie Biddle is an heiress on the run with a child in tow. Wary and self-reliant, Sophie is caught off guard when meeting a kind, but meddling and handsome minister at the local mercantile. Believing he has failed God and his former flock, the Reverend Ian McCormick is determined to start anew in Stone Creek, Michigan. While Sophie seeks acceptance for her child and a measure of respect for herself, the rumors swirl about her sordid past. Should Ian show concern for Sophie's plight? If he does, he'll risk losing everything — including his new position as pastor of Stone Creek. Will the scandals of their pasts bind them together, or drive both deeper into a spiral of shame?

A Life Changed: Matthew, the Apostle

Knowing I will be studying the Gospel of Matthew this year in Community Bible Study got me thinking that I could use a refresher on just who the Apostle Matthew was. I thought I’d share what I found with you.

In the first century, A.D. Judea, in a land under the thumb of pagan Roman rule, lived a Jewish man named Levi, the son of Alphaeus, (in Mark 2:14). Though another one of the disciples is James, the son of Alphaeus, most Bible scholars do not believe they were brothers.

Unfortunately, the Romans ruled with a heavy hand and tax collectors, such as Levi, had to pay the Romans before paying themselves. Anything collected in excess of what was due to the tax collector could take as pay. The average Jewish person looked on them as traitors, sinners, and outcasts from decent society. Social contact with them caused defilement.

The Calling of St. Matthew by
Hendrick ter Brugghen, 1621, {PD}
from Wikimedia Commons

It was just another day at the office for Levi. We can picture him in his tax collector’s booth, in luxurious clothing. Perhaps a canopy flapped in the breeze above him to protect him from the hot sun. He swats flies away from his face and argues with his neighbor over the tax due and moves a pile of coins into a wooden box. Perhaps, at that moment, he is sick of the whole thing: the cheating, the lying, being hated by his own people, enduring the prejudice of the Romans, having the trappings of outwardly being rich while feeling impoverished and lonely in his spirit.

But then Jesus walked down that road toward Levi, growing ever closer:

14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up and followed him.

15 Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.) 16 But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?”

17When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” (Mark 2:14-17, NLT)

St. Matthew and the Angel by
Guido Reni, 1635-1640, {PD}
from Wikimedia Commons

Levi was changed that day and we know him as Matthew, which in Hebrew means “gift of Yahweh.” It’s not known whether Jesus gave him the new name or he chose to use it for himself.

Bible scholars seem to concur that when Matthew wrote his account of the life of Jesus around twenty years later that his writings were especially targeted to communicate Jesus to the Jewish people as the fulfillment of the Old Testament law and prophets. On one website, Orthodox scholars broke the chapters into Jesus, the Messiah: “as Prophet and Law-Giver (Ch. 5-7), Lord over the world both visible and invisible (Ch. 8-25)," and finally as "High Priest offered as Sacrifice for the sins of all mankind (Ch. 26-27).” Scholars disagree as to whether Matthew’s account was first written in Aramaic and then translated into Greek.

Another biography cited that Matthew’s skills as a tax collector would have made him uniquely suited to writing an account of the gospel. As someone who worked with money and dealt with people he possibly had unique powers of observation and experience with record-keeping. I’d not quite thought of it that way before.

After Matthew repented, since he was one of Jesus’ twelve closest disciples, he would have witnessed the miracles and heard the Messiah’s life-changing teachings firsthand. He followed Jesus along this hard but amazing path, then experienced the agony of losing the Messiah to death by crucifixion and the blessing of the joyous Resurrection of Christ! 

The Martyrdom of St. Matthew
by Claude Vignon, 1617, {PD}
from Wikimedia Commons

After Jesus' ascension, it’s believed that Matthew remained in Judea, sharing the Good News with his people for the next fifteen years. Tradition says that he went on to Ethiopia and other countries on the continents of Africa and Asia to spread the Gospel of Christ.

Writings of the Roman Catholic Church and Foxe’s Book of Martyrs assert that Matthew was martyred in Ethiopia with a halberd (combination hatchet and spear). His death was estimated to be in 74 A.D. The Catholic Church celebrates his feast day on September 21 and the Orthodox Church in American celebrates it on November 16. He is considered the patron saint of accountants, bankers, and bookkeepers.

Matthew, the Apostle, was a sinner saved by God’s wonderful grace, an example of how our old lives can be made new and used by Him to accomplish His work.

Kathleen Rouser is the award-winning author of Rumors and Promises, her first novel about the people of fictional Stone Creek, Michigan, and the novella, The Pocket Watch. She is a longtime member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Kathleen has loved making up stories since she was a little girl and wanted to be a writer before she could even read. She longs to create characters who resonate with readers and realize the need for a transforming Savior in their everyday lives. She lives in Michigan with her hero and husband of 36 years, and the sassy tail-less cat who found a home in their empty nest. Connect with Kathleen on her website at kathleenrouser.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/kathleenerouser/, and on Twitter @KathleenRouser. 

The Origins of Christmas--and Giveaway!

A very hearty HO HO HO to all of you!! In the UK the day after Christmas is known as Boxing Day, and traditionally the Christmas season extends through Epiphany on January 6. Which means it’s still the season to make merry. So in the true spirit of Christmas past, I’m going to delve into the history, traditions, and symbols of our Christmas celebration.

I’m offering 2 copies of my award-winning Christmas story, One Holy Night, for our drawing, so be sure to post a comment today before midnight to be entered! I’ll announce the winners tomorrow morning.

Now on to Christmas.

When Was Jesus Born?

There have been a number of theories about when Christ was actually born, but most of the evidence points to either 5 or 4 BC. The Bible records that Jesus was born during Herod’s reign, and Herod died in 4 BC. Consequently, Jesus could not have been born any later than 4 BC.

Engel erscheint den Hirten, anonymous Dutch painter

The scriptures also mention a Roman census at the time of Jesus birth. It is known that Herod the Great was a friend of Mark Antony. He, in turn, was on intimate terms with Caesar Augustus, who ordered this census. The census that most closely corresponds to the one mentioned in Luke is the Imperial Citizens Census decreed in 8 BC. Undoubtedly such an extensive census would have taken several years to complete and probably reached Palestine around 6 to 5 BC.

If Jesus was born in the winter of 6 BC, he would have been close to two years old when Herod ordered all the baby boys in Bethlehem to be killed not long before he died a painful death in the spring of 4 BC. If Jesus was born in 5 BC, then he would still have been a baby when his parents secretly fled with him to Egypt to escape Herod’s murderous designs.

The Adoration of the Magi, Abraham Bloemaert

Who Were the Magi?

These unnamed wise men were likely Zoroastrians from Persia. Since they are known to have studied the stars, it would have been natural for them to investigate an astrological phenomenon like the one recorded as announcing Jesus’ birth. It is also very credible that the journey from Persia to Bethlehem could have taken up to two years.

What Was the Star?

There are two theories that may identify the star the Magi followed to Bethlehem.

First, in December of 7 BC there was a confluence of Jupiter and Saturn. By February of 6 BC Mars was in close proximity to the two planets. Astrologically, this is known as Jupiter and Saturn in Pisces. To the ancients, Jupiter represented the greatest of the gods, while the sign of Pisces (the fish) would indicate that a very important ruler was to be born.

The second possibility is a comet that appeared for about seventy days in the late winter or early spring of 5-4 BC. Another comet then appeared in March of 4 BC. The Greek term for star is aster, which can be interpreted as any astrological phenomenon. That makes either of these comets also a possibility for the star that announced Jesus’ birth, especially since they would have been visible from Persia and would have appeared to be traveling westward.

In his book The First Christmas, Paul L. Maier suggests that the configuration of Jupiter with Saturn in 7-6 BC alerted the Magi that a new ruler would soon be born. Then when the comet of 5 BC appeared with its brilliant light, it is very believable that they would have followed it. Maier also believes that when Herod questioned the Magi about when they first saw the star, they described the astrological sign they had observed two years earlier. This would explain why Herod had all the baby boys in Bethlehem less than two years old killed.

Where Was Jesus Born?

Birth of Jesus by Gerard van Honthorst

Accounts of Jesus’ birth were documented early on. Origen (185-254 AD) wrote that he saw “the grotto with the manger where He [Jesus] was swaddled.” Stone feeding troughs contemporary to Jesus’ time have been excavated in stables in Bethlehem. The grotto that is the traditional birthplace has been saved from destruction several times. The first was because Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD) tried to destroy the new Christian religion by building a temple to Adonis there. The result of his efforts was that the grotto was preserved, along with a record of its location and significance.

The first full account of a Christmas service at the grotto was written in the fourth century. Aetheria, a nun, described hangings of silk, decorations of gold and jewels, numerous lamps and candelabra, and the chanting of psalms during the sacrament of the Mass.

Why December 25?

The actual date of Christ’s birth has never been credibly established in spite of a number of attempts to do so. Church leaders early on began to speculate on the actual date of Jesus’ birth, with a number of dates being proposed. Clement of Alexandria (c.150-c.215) favored May 20, while other church leaders argued for April 18, April 19, and May 28. Hippolytus (c.170-c.236) advocated January 2, and others argued for November 17, November 20, and March 25. A Latin treatise written around 243 set the date as March 21, the supposed date on which God created the sun. Polycarp (c.69-c.155) had already followed the same logic in concluding that Christ’s birth and baptism most likely occurred on a Wednesday because God created the sun on the fourth day of the week. But there wasn’t enough evidence available to conclusively prove any of these dates, and there were serious flaws to the calculations behind all of them.

So why was December 25 chosen as the date of Jesus’ birth? For one thing, December 25 was sacred not only to the Romans, but also to the Persians, whose religion was one of Christianity’s main rivals during the first century. Some scholars claim that the celebration of the Christ mass was instituted to compete with the pagan traditions that were creeping into the church.

From the beginning, celebrating Christmas was controversial. Origen (c.185 to c. 254) preached that the celebration of birthdays was for pagan gods, and that Christ would be dishonored if his birth was celebrated in the same way the pagans honored their rulers. The giving of lavish gifts and excesses of eating and drinking that accompanied pagan celebrations contrasted drastically with the nativity’s simplicity and offended church leaders. Even today, many people condemn these traditions as being contrary to the true spirit of Christmas.

Not all of Origen’s contemporaries agreed that Christ’s birthday should not be celebrated, however. In fact, the nativity has been observed in some form since 98 AD, and in 137 the bishop of Rome established it as a solemn feast day. As Christianity spread, individual churches increasingly adapted traditions from some of the pagan winter festivals practiced throughout the Middle East and Europe, such as hanging evergreens and giving presents, for their celebration of Jesus’ birth.

For the first three centuries of the Common Era, the celebration of Christ’s birth didn’t take place in December. When individual churches observed the nativity, they usually did so on January 6 during Epiphany, one of the church’s earliest feasts. Western Christians first celebrated the Christ mass on December 25 in 336, after Emperor Constantine declared Christianity the empire’s favored religion. That was the date of two other related festivals: natalis solis invicti, the Roman “birth of the unconquered sun,” and the birthday of Mithras, the Iranian “Sun of Righteousness” whose worship was popular with Roman soldiers. The winter solstice, another celebration of the sun, fell just a few days earlier. Since pagans already honored deities with some parallels to the true God, church leaders decided to appropriate the date by substituting their own festival. So in 350 AD, Pope Julius I set the observance of the Christ mass on December 25.

Although Eastern churches initially held on to January 6 as the date for Christ’s birth and baptism, most eventually also adopted December 25, while still celebrating his baptism on January 6. The Armenian Church continues to celebrate the nativity on January 6, while the Western church designates Epiphany as the date the Magi located the Christ child. The earliest English reference to December 25 as Christmas first appeared in late Old English in 1038 as Cristes Maesse, the Mass of Christ.

Traditional Christmas Customs

The Christmas Fair, Georg von Rosen

Many of our traditional Christmas customs appeared during the Middle Ages. The tradition of reenacting the nativity scene was introduced by Saint Francis of Assisi (1182-1226), when on Christmas Eve 1223, he and his companions worshiped in a cave near Greccio, Italy, surrounded by the traditional oxen, sheep, and donkeys. Saint Francis’ friars wrote the first festive songs that became the first Christmas carols. By the fourteenth century, carols were firmly established as a treasured part of the religious observance of Christ’s birthday.

Although the pagan origins of the date of Christmas and of many Christmas traditions have caused opposition to the holiday from the beginning, in general the church has viewed efforts to reshape the surrounding secular culture in a positive light. In 320 one theologian wrote, “We hold this day holy, not like the pagans because of the birth of the sun, but because of him who made it.” And to that, I say, Amen!

Do you have a favorite Christmas tradition, perhaps one you share with your family? If so, please share it with us!

I’m offering 2 copies of One Holy Night in the giveaway. Any comments posted before midnight will be entered and 2 winners will be chosen. Check back tomorrow morning to find out who the lucky winners are!

~~~

J. M. Hochstetler is the daughter of Mennonite farmers and a lifelong student of history. She is also an author, editor, and publisher. Her American Patriot Series is the only comprehensive historical fiction series on the American Revolution. Northkill, Book 1 of the Northkill Amish Series coauthored with Bob Hostetler, won Foreword Magazine’s 2014 INDY Book of the Year Bronze Award for historical fiction. Book 2, The Return, released April 1, 2017. One Holy Night, a contemporary retelling of the Christmas story, was the Christian Small Publishers 2009 Book of the Year.

The Legends and Symbolism of the Lily

“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing,  yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. (Matthew 6:28-29, NLT)

While there are many varieties and colors of lilies today, from the brilliant pastels of tiger lilies to the warm, bright orange of the common daylily, in this article I’m considering the symbolism of the white lilies we often attach to Easter.

I was surprised to find in my research that they were symbolic in Greek mythology. They represented the Greek goddess Hera, from whose drops of left over breast milk they were said to have sprung. Even the Roman goddess, Venus, had her part to play. Jealous of their beauty and purity, legend has it that she added an ugly pistil to the their center to mar their loveliness. 

CC 2005 by Solipsist

Lilies were mentioned in Old Testament scripture. In ancient Judaism they were symbolic of righteousness, resurrection, and even of Israel. While lilies may wither in the sunlight, but for being watered, God was like the dew which nourished and protected Israel.

In early Christianity it was said that lilies arose from Eve’s repentant tears when having to leave Eden after the fall into sin. They became associated with innocence and purity and thus, the Virgin Mary.  

Jesus, Himself, referred to the “lilies of the field” during the Sermon on the Mount, reminding us that God is a better clothing designer than His people are. His proof is in the beauty, delicacy, and color of even lowly flowers of the field which He created. He is the ultimate provider of clothing. Perhaps the most likely connection of the lily to Easter is that it is said lilies were discovered in the Garden of Gethsemane after Jesus’ death and resurrection. They have been nick-named “the white-robed apostles of hope.” 

Since throughout the centuries they have been associated with innocence and purity, it makes sense that they would become prevalent as we remember our pure and sinless Savior, Jesus Christ, who died to cleanse us from sin and rose from the grave to give us new life in Him.

PD Sermon on the Mount by I. Makarov

Fast-forward to 1919, when Edward Houghton, a United States veteran first brought home the Easter Lily which was originally called the Bermuda lily. It flourished in his home state of Oregon. By 1945 more than 1000 lily farmers could harvest and sell bulbs across the country. They have since become readily available for Easter services and celebrations everywhere flowers are sold. The rest, as they say, is history!

Giveaway information: It's the one-year anniversary of the publication of
my first full-length novel, Rumors and Promises. Please leave a comment
for a chance to enter, by April 25th. Paperback for U.S. and Canada only.
E-book version for other international entries. 

Sophie Biddle, an heiress on the run with a child in tow, considers herself abandoned by her family and God. Wary, self-reliant Sophie is caught off guard when meeting a kind, but meddling and handsome minister at the local mercantile. 

In 1900, Reverend Ian McCormick is determined to start anew in Stone Creek, Michigan, believing he has failed God and his former flock. He works harder than ever to forget his mistake, hoping to prove himself a most pleasing servant to his new congregation and once again to God. 

While Sophie seeks acceptance for the child and a measure of respect for herself, the rumors swirl about her sordid past. Should Ian show concern for Sophie plight, he could risk everything - including his position as pastor of Stone Creek.

Now the pair must choose to trust God and forgive those who slander and gossip, or run. Will the scandals of their pasts bind them together forever, or drive both deeper into despair?

Kathleen Rouser has loved making up stories since she was a little girl and wanted to be a writer before she could read. She desires to create characters, who resonate with readers and realize the need for a transforming Savior in their everyday lives. Her first full-length novel, Rumors and Promises, was published by Heritage Beacon Fiction, an imprint of LPC Books, in April, 2016.

Previously a homeschool mother of three, she more recently has been a college student and sometimes a mild-mannered dental assistant by day. Along with her sassy tail-less cat, she lives  Michigan with her hero and husband of 35 years, who not only listens to her stories, but also cooks for her.

The Church of St. Anne in Jerusalem

Front of the Church of St. Anne.
Photo Credit: Berthold Werner, Wikipedia, public domain

Several months ago someone shared a video on Facebook of RoseAngela singing “How Great Thou Art” in the Church of St. Anne in Jerusalem. Her voice, the acoustics, everything was absolutely mesmerizing. The caption read, “Singing in St. Anne's right by the remains of the Pools of Bethesda which is where Jesus healed the crippled man (!!!!) The acoustics in this church are coveted by churches everywhere but no one has been able to replicate it.”

I made a note of the post, knowing I wanted to do some research on St. Anne’s and watch more videos. So, today is the day, and I've spent several hours listening to the voices from St. Anne's. They are just as mesmerizing as I thought they would be.

First, here's a little virtual tour of St. Anne's as you walk in and how the church looks from the back and the interior. And, as a bonus, you get to hear the choir sing.

If you'd like to see more videos, just go to youtube and search for The Church of St. Anne, and you'll find several. It looks like people can just sing if they want to. Well, *I* wouldn't (ahem), but those with a voice like RoseAngela definitely should! :)

Built between 1131-1138 and located at the start of the Via Dolorosa (the Way of Suffering, and long held to be the path that Jesus walked to his cruxifiction) and near the Lions’ Gate, the Church of St. Anne is a Roman Catholic church in the old city of Jerusalem.

From a description on Wikipedia, “The three-aisled basilica incorporates cross-vaulted ceilings and pillars, clear clean lines and a somewhat unadorned interior. The nave is separated from the lower lateral aisles by arcades of arches. The high altar, designed by the French sculptor Philippe Kaeppelin incorporates many different scenes. On the front of the altar are depicted the Nativity (left), the Descent from the Cross (center) and the Annunciation (right); on the left-hand end is the teaching of Mary by her mother, on the right-hand end her presentation in the Temple. In the south aisle is a flight of steps leading down to the crypt, in a grotto believed by the Crusaders to be Mary's birthplace. An altar dedicated to Mary is located there. The Byzantine basilica was partly stretched over two water basins, collectively known as the Pools of Bethesda, and built upon a series of piers, one of which still stands today in its entirety.”

It is also believed that the church was erected over the location where Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Virgin Mary lived, so Mary, the mother of Jesus was likely born in this spot. Also, the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the cripple man (John 5:1-9) is not far from the spot.

The above descriptions alone are enough to make this church revered and holy ground, but the acoustics take even the normal hush and reverence that is found in churches and sanctuaries and amplifies it (pun intended) a hundredfold. It’s said that the sounds move across the open space and up from the grotto, and that there is a 5-8 second reverberation. Listening to the videos, I believe it.

There were SO many wonderful videos, but here is a short one that I enjoyed, mostly because it was obvious that Kindra didn't have to be listed on some program or have permission to sing. Her friends/family kept encouraging her to. I was floored. Her voice was so beautiful, and I would have loved to hear more. Much, much more!




The videos of people singing in St. Anne’s are awe-inspiring. The church is a destination point (almost a pilgrimage) for soloists and choirs the world over. Even just watching and listening to some of these audio/videos brings tears to my eyes and a reverence to my heart. I can feel and hear the reverence in their voices as they start to sing and realize the power and just awesome glory in that place.

And then I think of the hundreds and thousands of people who raised their voices in songs of praise in that church in the last 878 years. A huge majority of those were before recording devices, wifi, and worldwide social media. They sang their songs, those who were near enough to hear, enjoyed, praised, and worshiped, and then, like a vapor, their voices and the echoes was gone.

But, now, here I am, thousands of miles away, and modern-day technology lets me listen to recordings of people singing in St. Anne’s in Jerusalem.

Wow. Isn’t that amazing?

Back to RoseAngela, the amazing voice that led me on this journey via the worldwide web. I visited her Facebook page again last week and discovered that she and her husband just welcomed a new baby into their family this past July, and that she’s from Georgia. The video of her singing in the Church of St. Anne was recorded in 2012, but somehow resurfaced in 2016 and has over 54,000 likes, 170,000 shares, and 10,000 comments to date. She mentioned somewhere on her page that she didn’t know why the video suddenly took off again, but somebody somewhere needed to be blessed by it now rather than four years ago.

And now, I leave you with RoseAngela singing "How Great Thou Art" in The Church of St. Anne, Jerusalem.

Enjoy and be blessed!

Gethsemane: Garden of Suffering

I hope you all had a blessed and joyful Resurrection Day. In light of the Easter season, I thought I'd share about our visit to the Garden of Gethsemane outside of Jerusalem. This stop was extra special to me, and I hope you will enjoy this virtual visit.

The Garden of Gethsemane

The garden is situated to the east of the city, with a great view of the Temple Mount. It is mentioned several times in the Scriptures as one of Jesus' favorite retreats, and you can see why. It must have been gorgeous in its prime.

The garden was probably composed of Olive trees, and there are still several thousand-year-old trees remaining. The story behind these trees are amazing.

The Trees

Radiocarbon dating places these trees as around 2300 years old. The curious thing about this when Titus came to destroy Jerusalem in 70 A.D., he had ordered all of the trees in the area to be cut down and used for their siege equipment. So it would seem that either these eight trees escaped that destruction, or they have reemerged from the roots of those cut down. Oh, the stories that these trees could tell! They could probably tell us of our Lord's tears as he wept in the garden, they may have witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple, the crusades, the building of the Muslim Dome of the Rock temple. 

Today, the fruit from these eight trees are harvested each year. The oil from the olives goes to light the sanctuary lamps in the Catholic Gethsemane church, and the seeds are used to make rosary beads.

The Grotto

A short distance from these eight trees, beside the Catholic Tomb of Mary, is a natural grotto. There is a stone passageway that leads to a small area of about 624 square feet. This cave is believed to be the place that Jesus prayed with his disciples, met Nicodemus, and where Judas brought the guards on the night he betrayed Jesus.

Grotto Entrance

Inside this cave, there had been an olive press. On one wall, there is a hole that would have been the perfect height for the main beam of an olive press.

In John 18:1-2, the apostle mentions going into the garden.

When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.
And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples.

Notice that Judas "knew the place for Jesus resorted there often." This was something I had not considered prior to my visit to the Grotto. I always imagined Jesus was just in a big garden. But looking closely at the Scripture, it seems there should be a landmark or a more comfortable place for them to occupy while in the garden. A certain "place" that Judas would have known where the disciples were sleeping (comfortably, it would seem) while Jesus went out a little space (possibly among the ancient trees that remain) to pray. This cave may be that very place.

What an experience it was to visit this cave and hold a small service. 

Service inside the Grotto of Gethsemane

How did you imagine the garden of Gethsemane to be?

The Gates of Hell: Ceasarea Philipi

Blogger: Amber Schamel


Last month, we talked about the other Caesarea in Israel, Caesarea on the Sea. This month we're
talking about Caesarea Philipi which is also a very important location in Bible history. I'll be sharing some of the pictures that we took when we visited the site.

Background

Recreation of the Sanctuary of Pan

Caesarea Philippi was an ancient Roman city located at the Southeast base of Mount Hermon. This is in the area that was given to the tribe of Dan, close to the Golan Heights.

 The city was built near a spring named Panias after the Greek god Pan, who was the deity of desolate places. This spring is one of the two that feed the Jordan River. Upon the founding of this city, the spring was gushing from a cave of limestone. Today, however, the water has diminished to a seep.

The Gates of Hell

In ancient times, the spring cave was dedicated to Pan, and a temple of white marble was built next to it. In Greek mythology, Pan looked much like Mr. Tumnus from Narnia. He had the hindquarters of a goat and played a pan flute. Besides being the deity of desolate places, he was also the god of goats, shepherds and nature. 

The unique thing about this spring cave is that, at the time, there was also a bottomless pit that held more water than could be measured. It was striking to Alexander the Great, as well as all the people that witnessed it. Jewish historian Josephus spoke of it:

Panias (or Banias) Sprng

So when he had conducted Caesar to the sea, and was returned home, he built him a most beautiful temple, of the whitest stone in Zenodorus's country, near the place called Panium (Panias, Caesarea Philippi). This is a very fine cave in a mountain, under which there is a great cavity in the earth, and the cavern is abrupt, and prodigiously deep, and full of a still water; over it hangs a vast mountain; and under the caverns arise the springs of the river Jordan. Herod adorned this place, which was already a very remarkable one, still further by the erection of this temple, which he dedicated to Caesar." - Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 15,10,3


The ancient pagan priests would kill a goat, and throw it into the cave. The superstition was that if the sacrifice was 'eaten' by the cave, it was accepted, however if the blood of the sacrifice seeped into the water and ran back out of the cave, it was rejected. 

Cave or Grotto of Pan

Because the pagans believed that caves were a door to the underworld, and that water was symbolic of the abyss, this cave came to be known as the Gates of Hell (Hades). This is interesting when we note the Scriptural references to this location. 

Scriptural Reference

Caesarea Philipi is mentioned in Matthew 16:13-18:

 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

 *KJV, emphasis mine. 

Ruins at Caesarea Philipi

Of course Jesus was speaking of more than just the pagan temple that lay yards from them as he spoke. The saying symbolized Christ's (and therefore our) victory over death, but this is also an example that no pagan religion or worship will prevail over the church of the Living God.

These "gates of hell" certainly did not, because the city was destroyed, probably in an earthquake around 363 A.D, and as a result of Jesus' prophecy.

 

Author of over half a dozen books, Amber Schamel writes riveting stories that bring HIStory to life. She has a passion for travel, history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest". She lives in Colorado and spends half her time volunteering in the Ozarks. Visit her online at: www.AmberSchamel.com/