Where was Moses buried? Answer that, and I'll believe you may know when Jesus was born.


Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

The first evidence of the Christmas feast is from Egypt, referenced to the Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911.





Were flocks and shepherds out in the rain?

But a bigger question is, Would Augustus require the citizens to return to their native lands in the middle of the winter and rainy season?

Clearly the city of Jesus' birth was Bethlehem as Micah 5:2 prophesied and as the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John confirm. (See Matthew 2:1,5-6,8,16; Luke 2:4,15; John 7:42) "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." (Micah 5:2)

This tower at Bethlehem is first mentioned in Genesis 35:21, "And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar" ("tower of Edar" - Migdal Edar).

Jacob brought his family to Edar (the tower) and there Rachel died after delivering her son, Benjamin. She was buried there in Ephratah which is Bethlehem" (Gen. 35:19).

Later, when the temple in Jerusalem was in operation, this tower was also the place ewes were safely brought to give birth to the lambs. In this sheltered building/cave the priests would bring in the ewes which were about to lamb for protection.

According to Edersheim in "The Life And Times Of Jesus The Messiah," in Book 2, Chapter 6, states, "This Migdal Edar was not the watchtower for the ordinary flocks that pastured on the barren sheep ground beyond Bethlehem, but it lay close to the town, on the road to Jerusalem. A passage from the Mishnah (Shekelim 7:4) leads to the conclusion that the flocks which pastured there were destined for Temple sacrifices."

So the fields outside of Bethlehem became the place where a special group of shepherds raised the lambs that were sacrificed in the Temple. The tower was maintained as a ceremonially clean stable for a birthing place for these lambs. The surrounding fields was where shepherds grazed the flocks.

These shepherds customarily kept their flocks outdoors twenty-four hours a day every day of the year, it was only the ewes that were brought inside to deliver their lambs. These lambs had to be carefully cared for during the first few days of their lives, because they must not have any blemish.

We don't know the exact date when Jesus was born -- but there are clues in scripture which make the "season" we focus on Christ's birth, not the day quite possible to be the time when He was born.


Where was Moses buried?

Deut. 32:49-50 Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho...And die in the mount whither thou goest up.

So even though we don't know the exact spot, we do know the location.
Of course Moses isn't buried there any more, as he was resurrected and taken to the heaven.

Dedication,

Read some more and you'll learn some more. For starters, Moses wasn't buried on mount Nebo. I don't believe that the Christmas season is when Jesus was born either.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Now, I wonder how the person who completed the last chapter in the book of Deut. after Moses death, would know anything beyond the point that I quoted? Moses goes up the mountain ALONE, following the directions given him. He dies, and the Lord takes his body and buries it in a valley in Moab.

But what difference does it make? Moses isn't in any grave. Christ resurrected him and took him to heaven.

As to believing Christ was born in the Christmas season -- that's totally up to you.
I simply showed from scripture the two most likely times when He was born and one of them was late December/early January.

It is possible that He was born during the Christmas season, (late December to early January)

That's an interesting question, but there's no need to question the source of Inspiration. We can accept it as fact. Since Moses was not buried where he died, and since there must have been a great many valleys in Moab, there's no way of telling where he was buried. The surest thing we have is that it was not on a mountain.

Regarding Christmas and the nativity, it's almost the surest thing we have that Christ was not born at that time either. I think it most likely that He was born in September.

The following website raises pertinent points in this regard:

http://christmasxmas.xanga.com/395124709/item/

The major points are these:

1) Most everyone agrees that the months of greatest precipitation in Palestine were the winter-spring months.
2) Three of the winter months have frost in Israel.
3) Snow can fall during those times, especially December-January.
4) Shepherds would not be out on the hills in such weather. They traditionally brought their sheep into the folds during the winter months, leaving the hills by mid-October.
5) No Roman governor would have asked the citizens to travel for a census over such muddy or icy roads.
6) The inn in Bethlehem would have been full at one of the feast times, such as the feast of tabernacles (Septemberish). (Bethlehem was but a short distance from Jerusalem.) A Roman governor may well have capitalized upon such a time of gathering to conduct his census.

Anyhow, the link above quotes from many well-known sources and Bible commentaries. There's no reason to push for the Christmas date of Jesus' birth, is there? Why should we fancy that date?

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

If we are of the type of those in Constantine's day trying to justify it.

I did not until I read the instructions of Ellen G White. Is it not safe for us to follow her counsel any more?

None of these points disqualifies the season.
We already found out that sheep kept by the "tower of the flock" were outside year round. The ewes being brought in only to lamb.

GreenC:
5) No Roman governor would have asked the citizens to travel for a census over such muddy or icy roads.

Response:
That is mere assumption. Now, I agree, Christ could also have been born end of Sept/beginning October. However, a Roman governor could ask the people to travel anytime he wanted. And winter is a time when the people weren't doing that much else.


GreenC.
6) The inn in Bethlehem would have been full at one of the feast times, such as the feast of tabernacles (Septemberish). (Bethlehem was but a short distance from Jerusalem.) A Roman governor may well have capitalized upon such a time of gathering to conduct his census.

Response:
Bethlehem was just a small village -- probably had only one inn. So it won't take much to fill it.

Remember that everyone had to go to the city of their fathers for the censes. This wasn't a call for everyone to come to Bethlehem. (or Jerusalem) So feast time would have been very difficult -- many of the people would have had to report in cities far from Jerusalem and won't have been able to attend the feast.
So I don't see how it would be "capitalizing" on a gathering when it was asking people to travel in all directions.


GreenC.
Anyhow, the link above quotes from many well-known sources and Bible commentaries. There's no reason to push for the Christmas date of Jesus' birth, is there? Why should we fancy that date?

Response:
The issue is -- are we more righteous by denouncing it when it COULD have been the season.
Is it right to put people on a guilt trip because they remember Christ's birth in a special way during this season?