No Room in the Inn
A consequences of growing old in America is having time to reexamine beliefs that may not hold up to the challenges of science or scholarship. Christian scholars, including the Pope who is a biblical scholar, have concluded there are problems with the Gospel accounts of the nativity. There was no stable and Jesus was probably born in a home belonging to a member of Joseph's family. The discrepancies can be attributed to poor translations and and the desire of early Christian leaders to emphasize the humble origins of the Christ child. While the recounting of the nativity may be fanciful, no one doubts the event took place. I loved the story and committed it to memory as a child and those words, "no room in the inn," come to mind whenever I pass one of the tent villages that spring up in this area.
