Paradise Cafe Discussions - A Place For Bible Research And Christian Encouragement

Hi,
I've been stewing on these verses for a year now. Last winter there was a show on the History Channel that brought out some new ideas I'd like to get your thoughts on. I keep scanning the program guide to see if the show repeats, I'll post if I see it.

O.K. , so there were archeologists, historians, & etc. talking on the show and discussing the "story" we are familiar with and putting forth some evidence/ideas that were new to me.

verses 4-6, it does not say they arrived with no where to stay or that Mary gave birth on arriving. They proposed Joseph was returning to his family's city & would have probably had family there to stay with.The show mentioned the practicle side of removing Mary to another town to give birth. The verses just say while there , Mary gave birth.This was interesting to me , because it doesn't mean they had to be traveling at the same time of year as the birth.

verse 7, the show went into a description of what homes in Bethlehem were like.It is a hilltop/side town, no more that a village at the time.Dwellings were built 2 room,2 story on the hillside. The animals kept in the lower room, often a part of the hill excavated into a cave to enlarge it.Above , but open to below ( to allow warmth from the animals), was the upper room or family quarters. This was were cooking & eating took place and some of the indoor work.Everyone also slept in this area, making pallets & squeezing in on the floor where they could find room. Not a good situation for laying a newborn baby down in. Homes could be very crowded , especially if there were out of town visitors.Laying your baby in a manger down below was a safe but still warm bed.

The "inn" , this is were the show brought out the greek and shed light on the word inn. It is also translated " upper room" in Luke 22:11-12. They said the word "inn" could also be translated "upper room". That in larger homes in the wealthier areas there could be an extra room, built on to a home that was used like our formal living/dining rooms. The extra room was added above the families living quarters & so called "the upper room".It was also rented out for banquets & sleeping space. That there were not inns like we think of them now, but rooms available for staying in & the word "inn" is then used.

I do not know any greek, when looking at Strongs for research/ cross referance of words and do not have the knowledge to understand if words that are similar are just different from the grammar/use or actually different because of talking about different things.KWIM?

The other use of inn is in the verses about the Good Samaritan at Luke 10:35.

If anyone can shead some light on understanding the greek words used for inn, innkeeper, upper room, I'd appreciate it.
Thanks, BF

Will do some research.
In France I stayed in such a home. The decision on where to build was always dependant on a spring, a source of water. This stone building was half way up a mountain.
The animal area (goats and sheep and a donkey that ate my apple pie) was downstairs and backed into the mountain. Upstairs was the living, cooking, dining area. Finally up in the roof the couple who owned the house made a sleeping area. It was unlikely that a house in the Middle East had a pitched roof, so this would not be possible.
Eventually the couple added amenities like a bathroom and toilet with septic tank and soak away.
Summer daytime it was glorious sitting on the patio under a very old olive tree, with a view down the valley. Most cooking was done outside, but the flies were almost a year round problem even when the room downstairs was cleared out and made habitable.

I will look up the word for inn in Greek perhaps tomorrow but living with animals was more common than we think.
http://www.paradisecafediscussions.net/s...p?tid=4913

Thank you, I'll keep looking in.
BF

The kata-lumati is translated as guest room and lodging room in the Bible. Upper room is a totally different word.
Kata means down lumati means a loosening (of dirt) from what I understand. It is indeed a spare room for guests and emergencies and can be hired.

The Samaritan took the injured man to a pan-dokeion in which pan means all and dokeion means receiving. So it was a place that would take all in and would be more like what we would consider an inn to be.

Thank you Manhu for taking your time with this. I have found a few things to read when I have more time.
BF