TWO WORLDS BETHLEHEM TODAY IS A CITY OF CONTRASTS

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30937, 18 December 1965, Page 14

TWO WORLDS BETHLEHEM TODAY IS A CITY OF CONTRASTS

IMMcbtm’i trowbted past has given may to MMiern tow Hem report* a correspondent of the “Yorkshire Post* in Jordan./ ' ’ (Xeprinted from the “Yorkshire Post” bV orrenpemenl.J Bethlehem, whose streets and hotels will soon be filled with pilgrims come to spend Christmas in the town where Jesus Christ was born 1965 years ago, is today a city of contrasts.

Built on two terraced hills, 2500 feet above sea level, in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Bethlehem is truly picturesque. Its hills are shaded by olive groves and fruit orchards. During the day the walls of its churches, mosques and houses bake in the warm Mediterranean sun. At night the town lies quiet and cool under those same stars which lit the way for the Wise Men (Magi, or Four Kings from the East) when they came to pay homage to the Babe lying in a manger. On Manger Street (AlMahd) and Star Street (An Nijmeh), the two main roads of this little town, camels and donkeys today jostle cars and carts. Desert Arabs in flowing robes and colourful headdresses rub shoulders in the market with Western-dressed town dwellers. Chequered History The narrow streets of Bethlehem reverberate with the sounds of an oriental community—the cry of mint beverage pedlars, the singing hammers of tinsmiths at work in their sidewalk shops, the braying of donkeys and the many-tongued murmurings of the crowds of tourists, monks, nuns and Arabicspeaking tqwnsmen. But Bethlehem, today a place of quiet pilgrimage and a flrat-class summer holiday resort, has not always enjoyed tranquillity. Hardly had the Baby come to bring His message of love and peace to the world when Bethlehem was plunged into mourning by Herod’s order that all male infants up to two years of age must die. That tragic order was but the beginning of a chequered history during which ArabMoslem conquerors succeeded Roman rulers, Western Crusaders were followed by Turks, and Christians quarrelled violently among themselves. But first, In the centuries immediately following the birth of Jesus and the Christian church, Bethlehem became a centre of Christianity. Anl this it ha*; .emalned through the vicissitudes of ages down to the present day when, although part of an Arab kingdom, its population of just under 20,000 people are predominantly Christian. It was in 326 AD that St Helena, mother of the then Roman Emperor Constantine, came to Bethlehem. With the help of early Christians living

there, she found the place where Jesus was born and began building on the site a church, the Church of the Nativity, which was completed in 333 AD. It was in Bethlehem, too, that St. Jerome first translated the Bible into Latin. The cell in which he worked is now the site of a monasl*When the Arabs came to Bethlehem after the fall of Jerusalem in the year 636 AD, a gradual process of Arabisation began. In less than two centuries, the semi-tribal people who inhabited the town had become Arabised, except that they had been able to preserve their Christian beliefs, thanks to a toleration exceptional in those days. The Crusaders

The coming of the Crusaders and the establishment of the Kingdom of Jerusalem under them, not without its attendant quota of fighting, ushered in a period of progress and development for the little town. Handicrafts thrived, and the manufacture of religious articles became firmly established as a trade. Mother-of-pearl mosaics became a local art; and today there is scarcely a home in which this skill is not practised. Many Crusaders married Christian girls of Bethlehem. Some settled in the town permanently and became assimilated. The European origin of many of the people of Bethlehem, is reflected in the blue eyes and fair hair of many of its present inhabitants. One large family even bears the name of Salibi (Crusader). Under Turkish rule (15171917), Bethlehem knew more suffering. Travel to the town was restricted and religious activity was curtailed, if not

suppressed- Misunderstandings arose between the riugy of the Latin and Greek Orthodox churches, and the sound of their quarrels often reverberated in the Chancelleries of the major European P °Lster, under the British Mandate (1917-1948), the town enjoyed an era of groat intellectual and economic • regeneration. Many of its sons became doctors, lawyers and engineers, and its general standard of culture was probably higher than that of any other town in Palestine. Spinning and weaving were added to the handicrafts of the townsmen and a general air of prosperity pervaded the town. An additional factor was that many of the young men emigrated to North and South America, made money, and returned to contribute to the development of the town. Mediterranean Climate

Bethlehem enjoys a typical Mediterranean climate. Summers are moderately hot and dry, with afternoons and evenings often relieved by an invigorating breese from the sea and little rain. Winters are cold because of its altitude. This climate has done much to turn the town into a first class summer resort, offering as it does the double attraction of a religious pilgrimage and comfortable holiday in beautiful surroundings. The town welcomes thousands of tourists each year and the sale of religious souvenirs accounts for a large part of the town's revenue. Apart from the traditional mother-of-pearl work, Bethlehem’s artisans excel in carving olive wood and black stone from the Dead Sea, as well as making silver jewellery, crucifixes and rosaries.