Bethlehem

Located in ancient Judah in central Palestine, 5 miles south of Jerusalem in the Judaean Hills. It is an ancient settlement, possibly mentioned in the Amarna Letters (14th-century-BCE diplomatic documents found at Tell el-Amarna, Egypt). In the Bible, the earliest reference to the town is in connection with Rachel, who died on the wayside near here (Genesis 35:19). The town is regarded by Christians as the site of Christ's nativity; it was an early home of King David; the nativity site was desecrated by Hadrian in 135 CE with the planting of the grove of Adonis; Constantine destroyed the grove & built a basilica here in 315; the grotto under the church is claimed to be site of Jesus' manger. The town has been a monastic center for several centuries; St. Jerome built a monastery here and translated the Old Testament into Latin from the original Hebrew, with the help of Palestinian rabbis in the 5th century. The town is an agricultural market and trade center and an important pilgrimage and tourist center. It produces religious articles and other items of mother-of-pearl and carved olivewood.