Scholar Articles
 

No Room At The Inn - Bethlehem

(The Inn - "something got lost in the translation")

Written by Hani Abu Dayyeh
 
K's Note: The following information was from a personal email correspondence.

---

"So here we have four main possibilities for the word Kataluma: It can  be translated as 'living area', 'guest room', hostel', or 'tent' depending on which scenario is correct. Why then do most Bible translations use the English word, 'Inn?'
 

---

...there is another point of difference [ from today's traditional explanation ] of story of nativity. It is the idea of, "No room at the Inn."

Bethlehem was a very small settlement and was not on any significant trade routes. So the idea of an "Inn" in Bethlehem is, to say the least, far fetched.

Jerusalem definitely. It was a pilgrimage center and the pilgrims had to be served. It is thought that the upper room was one of those service centers. They found on Mt. Zion public bathrooms.

The Galileans when they came to Jerusalem camped up on the Mt. of Olives and I am sure that although the pilgrims will being in their food with them, still they would have needed some services. But, Bethlehem was not much of any religious center or trade center to talk about.

Also, when Mary and Joseph came to their own tribe to be counted, then they came to their own extended family.  There is no way that any member of the family would have told Mary and Joseph that there is no room. It is just not in the culture still today certainly when Mary was in the her ninth month and ready to deliver.

Something got lost in the translation.  What was meant when Mary and Joseph came the their folks in this small nondescript settlement, that there was no space in the family living space and they sent her to where the animals were. It must be remembered that people now remember that their fathers and grandfathers lived in caves with their animals.

If one goes south of Hebron, there are still people living in caves with their animals.  What normally happens, is that in the deeper recesses of the cave the animals would have been kept and they are separated from the family space by thorny bushes that are collected and used as very good burning material to cook.

So when people first come in they do not have to go through the animals to get to the living space.  The living space will be the place, where they cook, eat, sleep and sit with people visiting.

Usually the inner part of the cave were the animals are is also the warmest part of the cave and were you naturally place a women who is giving birth. So when the family member that lived there, said that there is "no room at the inn," something got lost into the translation. What was said was that there is no room in the living area here but go inside where it is warmer to give birth.  And there would be other women folks who were more experienced helping Mary with her birthing.

There are several things in our bible that if put within the context their geographical, historical and cultural settings would be much more understandable and more straightforward.

Often times, I find us trying to explain things to prove their authenticity in such convoluted manner that they sound even less authentic and more fictional.

Our bible is a record of events that happened in those settings and are only explainable in the context of those settings.

There is nothing complex with our Bible. It is as straightforward as it gets and when we try to philosophize about the meanings and give it dimensions much more than what is said or reported, we really lose perspective of the simplicity of our faith and the message of our faith.

K's note: 
OK, I'm jumping up in down in full agreement!  It has never been said better!