Birth and Infancy of Jesus 

In mid-August, 7 BCE, Joseph prepared to go to Bethlehem to register for a census of Herod’s kingdom for taxation purposes. Mary insisted on accompanying him. They set off from Nazareth, with Mary riding on a donkey while Joseph walked. When they reached Bethlehem, due to a lack of available rooms, they found lodging in a cleaned-up stable below an overcrowded inn. Mary was weary and asked Joseph to stay with her instead of enrolling immediately. The next day, on August 21st, 7 BCE, Mary gave birth to Jesus. A few weeks later, priests from Mesopotamia, guided by a dream, arrived in Bethlehem and left gifts with Mary for the baby. The legend of the star of Bethlehem originated from an astronomical event involving the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, but later generations turned it into a myth surrounding the birth of Jesus.

Many weeks after Jesus’ birth, Joseph and Mary went to the temple in Jerusalem to present their baby to the priests, redeem him, and perform the purification ceremony. Simeon and Anna, who were close to the priest Zacharias, had all conspired to dramatize the event. Anna had written a stirring poem that Simeon sang proclaiming Jesus a child of promise, surprising Joseph, Mary, and others present. Joseph and Mary were overwhelmed by this public event.

After the visit of the priests of Ur to Bethlehem, Herod became suspicious and summoned them for questioning. Unsatisfied with their explanation, he sent them to find the child and report back. Meanwhile, Herod's informers brought him news of the event in the temple but failed to follow Joseph and Mary. Herod, growing angry, demanded the child be brought to him, but failing to find him after a year of searching, he ruthlessly ordered all male babies in Bethlehem under two years old be killed. Joseph and Mary, warned by a member of Herod’s court and believer in the coming Messiah, fled the night before the massacre occurred to Alexandria in Egypt with Jesus, where they stayed for two years before returning to Bethlehem.

In the month of March, 8 BCE (also the month Joseph and Mary were married), Caesar Augustus issued a decree that everyone in the Roman Empire needed to be counted for taxation purposes. The Jews, however, were against being “numbered,” and due to difficulties faced by King Herod of Judea, the census was delayed for one year. The census was conducted in 8 BCE throughout the Roman Empire, but in Herod's kingdom, it took place in 7 BCE.

Mary didn't have to go to Bethlehem for the registration, as Joseph was authorized to do it on behalf of their family. However, Mary, being rather adventurous and aggressive in nature, insisted on going because she didn't want to be left alone in case she gave birth while Joseph was away. She also hoped to visit her relative Elizabeth, who lived near Bethlehem.

Joseph initially tried to stop Mary from accompanying him, but he finally agreed. They packed food for their journey and set off from Nazareth early in the morning on August 18th, 7 BCE. Mary, being pregnant, rode on their only donkey while Joseph walked and led the animal. Because of Joseph’s financial responsibilities towards his parents and the expenses of building their home, it was a financially challenging time for them.

On the first day of travel, they camped near the river Jordan, discussing the nature of the child they were expecting. Joseph believed the child would be a spiritual teacher, while Mary thought of him as a Jewish Messiah and deliverer of their nation. The next day, they reached Jericho, where they stayed at an inn and engaged in conversations about the harsh Roman rule, the census, and the influence of Jerusalem and Alexandria as centers of culture and education. They continued their journey early in the morning on August 20th, visited the temple in Jerusalem, and finally arrived in Bethlehem in the afternoon.

Finding no room in the crowded inn, Joseph sought lodging with relatives but couldn't find any space available in Bethlehem. They were then directed to the stable area carved into the rock below the inn, which had been cleared for lodgers. Joseph left their donkey in the courtyard and carried their belongings down to their accommodations, which turned out to be a converted grain storage room with tent curtains that was in front of the stables and mangers. Despite the unconventional lodging, they considered themselves fortunate to have a comfortable place to stay. Although Joseph intended to go and enroll immediately, Mary was tired and distressed, so she asked him to stay with her, and he complied.

Throughout the night, Mary tossed and turned, unable to find rest, while sleep eluded both of them. As dawn broke, the signs of childbirth grew stronger, and on August 21st, 7 BCE, at noon, with the compassionate help of fellow female travelers, Mary gave birth to a precious baby boy. Jesus of Nazareth entered the world, lovingly swaddled in the clothes Mary had wisely brought along. He was tenderly placed in a nearby manger.

In a manner familiar to every newborn who came before him and would come after, the promised child arrived. On the eighth day, following Jewish customs, he was circumcised and officially named Joshua, or Jesus.

The day after Jesus' birth, Joseph registered for the census. He also encountered a man they had conversed with two nights prior in Jericho, who introduced him to an affluent acquaintance at the inn. This kind-hearted individual gladly offered to switch accommodations with the couple from Nazareth. That afternoon, they moved to the inn, where they resided for nearly three weeks until they found a place to stay with a distant relative of Joseph.

The second day after Jesus' birth, Mary sent a message to Elizabeth, informing her of the arrival of their child. In response, Elizabeth invited Joseph to Jerusalem to discuss their affairs with Zacharias. The following week, Joseph journeyed to Jerusalem to confer with Zacharias. Both Zacharias and Elizabeth had become fervently convinced that Jesus was the long-awaited Jewish deliverer, the Messiah, and that their son, John, would be his chief assistant, his trusted right-hand man, fulfilling a remarkable destiny. Since Mary shared these beliefs, it wasn't difficult to persuade Joseph to remain in Bethlehem, the City of David, so that Jesus could grow up to be the successor of David, reigning on the throne of Israel. Consequently, they stayed in Bethlehem for over a year, with Joseph continuing his work as a carpenter.

At the momentous noon birth of Jesus, the angels sang glorious songs of celebration over the Bethlehem manger, although these beautiful melodies were not heard by human ears. No shepherds or any other mortals came to honor the newborn until the arrival of certain priests from Ur, who were sent by Zacharias from Jerusalem.

These priests from Mesopotamia had been previously informed by a peculiar religious teacher in their land that he had dreamed of the appearance of the "light of life" on earth, a baby born among the Jewish people. And so, these three seekers set out in search of this "light of life." After weeks of futile exploration in Jerusalem, they were preparing to return to Ur when Zacharias crossed their path. He shared his belief that Jesus was the object of their quest and directed them to Bethlehem. There, they found the baby and presented their gifts to Mary, his earthly mother. The visit took place when Jesus was almost three weeks old.

These wise men did not follow a star to guide them to Bethlehem. The enchanting legend of the star of Bethlehem originated in light of the following circumstances. Jesus was born on August 21st at noon, 7 BCE. On May 29th, 7 BCE, an extraordinary alignment of Jupiter and Saturn occurred in the Pisces constellation. Remarkably, similar conjunctions transpired on September 29th and December 5th of that same year. Based on these extraordinary yet entirely natural events, well-intentioned enthusiasts of future generations wove the captivating tale of the star of Bethlehem and the adoring Magi led by its luminous glow to the humble manger, where they beheld and worshiped the newborn child. Oriental and nearby Oriental minds delight in fables, continuously crafting such beautiful myths around the lives of their religious and political leaders. In the absence of printing, when knowledge primarily passed through oral tradition from one generation to another, myths easily transformed into traditions, and traditions eventually became accepted as facts.

Moses had instructed the Jews that every firstborn son belonged to God, but instead of sacrificing the child, as was common in other cultures, the parents could redeem him by paying five shekels to a priest. Additionally, there was a Jewish rule that required a mother to request purification at the temple after a certain period of time following childbirth. Joseph and Mary went to the temple in Jerusalem to present Jesus to the priests, pay the redemption fee, and fulfill Mary's purification ceremony.

At the temple, there were two notable individuals, Simeon and Anna, who were close associates of the priest Zacharias. Simeon was a singer from Judea, while Anna was a poet from Galilee. Both of them eagerly anticipated the coming of the Messiah and believed that Jesus was the long-awaited deliverer of the Jewish people, thanks to the information Zacharias had shared with them.

Zacharias had arranged with Simeon and Anna to identify Jesus among the procession of firstborn children with a specific hand gesture. For this special occasion, Anna wrote a poem in which Simeon surprised everyone by singing, including Joseph, Mary, and all the people gathered in the temple courts.

This poem expressed not only gratitude and praise to the God of Israel but also referred to a child of promise who will be a prophet to establish God's kingdom and bring knowledge of salvation and forgiveness of sins. The poem expressed joy in God's mercy and the dawn of a new era, bringing light to those in darkness. It concluded with the expression of a sense of fulfillment and peace, having witnessed the salvation prepared for all people, including the gentiles, and the glory of Israel. These words of praise and glory for the “child of promise” were undoubtedly directed toward Jesus.

On their way back to Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary were quiet and overwhelmed by the scene in the temple. Mary was troubled by some of the words in Anna's poem, and Joseph was not comfortable with the idea of Jesus being proclaimed as the expected Messiah of the Jewish people.

Herod always had a loyal group of watchers at his disposal who reported anything of concern. When they informed him about the priests from Ur visiting Bethlehem, Herod summoned these Chaldeans to appear before him. He questioned them extensively about the new "king of the Jews," but their answers were unsatisfactory. They explained that the baby had been born to a woman who had traveled to Bethlehem with her husband for the census. Herod wasn't convinced and sent them away with some money, instructing them to locate the child so that he could also come and worship him, as they had claimed his kingdom to be spiritual rather than worldly. However, when the wise men didn't return, Herod became suspicious. As he contemplated these events, his informants returned and provided a detailed report on the recent occurrences in the temple. They brought him a copy of parts of the song that Simeon had sung during Jesus' redemption ceremonies. However, they had failed to track Joseph and Mary, which angered Herod greatly because they couldn't tell him where the couple had taken the baby. He then sent out search parties to find Joseph and Mary. Aware that Herod was pursuing the family from Nazareth, Zacharias and Elizabeth stayed away from Bethlehem, while Joseph's relatives hid the baby boy.

Joseph was afraid to seek employment, and their limited savings were rapidly diminishing. Even during the purification rituals at the temple, Joseph considered himself poor enough to offer two young pigeons for Mary, following Moses' instructions for the purification of economically disadvantaged mothers.

After more than a year of fruitless searching by Herod's spies and suspecting that the baby was still concealed in Bethlehem, Herod issued an order for a systematic search of every house in the area. He cold-heartedly commanded that all male babies under the age of two be killed. Herod hoped that by doing this, he would ensure the destruction of the child who was destined to become the "king of the Jews." Consequently, on a single day in mid-October of 6 BCE, sixteen baby boys in Bethlehem lost their lives. Intrigue and murder, even within his own family, were commonplace at Herod's court.

Jesus was slightly over one year old when the massacre of these infants occurred and was saved from that tragedy due to believers in the Messiah's coming, even among Herod's court officials. One of them, upon learning about the order to kill the male babies in Bethlehem, contacted Zacharias, who then sent a messenger to Joseph. On the night before the massacre, Joseph and Mary left Bethlehem with the baby and fled to Alexandria in Egypt. To avoid drawing attention, they made the journey alone. They resided in Alexandria with prosperous relatives from Joseph's family while Joseph found work in his trade as a carpenter. They remained there for two years, only returning to Bethlehem after Herod's death.