talisyn Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 (edited) Getting back to why Joseph and Mary had to go to Bethlehem...Michah 52 But thou, Beth-lehem 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. Mary could have been on the top of Mt. Fuji or in India or sunning in Hawaii, but she would have still given birth in Bethlehem. Taxes, wars, or even a plague of wild pygmy yaks, there would have been a reason and she would have ended up there. Discussing the whys and wherefores is fun and all, but our own personal beliefs of society of the ancient Roman vassal states or literary license of apostles really don't come into play Edited January 1, 2010 by talisyn spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volgadon Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 It is worth noting that none of the gospels state that Joseph was a native of Nazareth. To me it seems likely that he was actually residing in Bethlehem, had gone up marry Mary (terribly tautological, I'm sorry) and returned in time to be taxed at the boule (the city hall), or what seems more likely in a minor town like Bethlehem- the synagogue. He was after all a techton, which would be a middle-class contractor in today's understanding. As one of the few construction professionals to be paid in cash, Joseph would definitely have been among the leaders of a small community such as Bethlehem, the very people that were taxed. I'm pretty sure that either Luke or his source conflated that local taxation with that later census, as is wont to happen in historical (or even contemporary) accounts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prodigal_Son Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 It is worth noting that none of the gospels state that Joseph was a native of Nazareth. To me it seems likely that he was actually residing in Bethlehem, had gone up marry Mary (terribly tautological, I'm sorry) and returned in time to be taxed at the boule (the city hall), or what seems more likely in a minor town like Bethlehem- the synagogue. He was after all a techton, which would be a middle-class contractor in today's understanding. As one of the few construction professionals to be paid in cash, Joseph would definitely have been among the leaders of a small community such as Bethlehem, the very people that were taxed.I'm pretty sure that either Luke or his source conflated that local taxation with that later census, as is wont to happen in historical (or even contemporary) accounts.Interesting thought, though I have a couple of ideas to tweak it:First, they were not middle class. The sacrifice performed for Christ's birth was the poor option: the double-birdie. Had Joseph and Mary been able to perform the 'better' sacrifice for the very Son of God, they would have.Second, they remained in Nazareth to raise Jesus until told to flee to Egypt - and that would certainly go along with what you're suggesting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volgadon Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 Actually, it seems that 'double-birdie' sacrifice was the standard one by then, but consider this, Joseph had just been taxed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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