Excavating the Evidence for Jesus

Church of the Nativity

Situated in Bethlehem is the Church of the Nativity, commemorating the birth of Jesus above the cave where ancient tradition placed the nativity. Although the Gospels state only that Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem because there was no room for them in the guestroom (Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:7-15), this tells us that Jesus was born where the animals were kept at night, which indicates the birth likely happened in a cave rather than an open air animal pen.