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63-983: Christian tradition holds Beit Sahour to be the site of the Annunciation to the Shepherds . There are two enclosures in the eastern part of Beit Sahour that are claimed by different Christian denominations to be the actual 'Shepherds Field': one belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church , and the other, the Catholic site, belonging to the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land . The mainly Christian Palestinian inhabitants are being pressured by encroaching Israeli settlements , with one housing development threatened with demolition . The name Beit Sahour has been translated variously as "House of

126-496: A curved lintel. In worldwide architecture of different eras and many cultures, a lintel has been an element of post and lintel construction. Many different building materials have been used for lintels. In classical Western architecture and construction methods, by Merriam-Webster definition, a lintel is a load-bearing member and is placed over an entranceway. The lintel may be called an architrave , but that term has alternative meanings that include more structure besides

189-421: A god. Lintels may also be used to reduce scattered radiation in medical applications. For example, Medical linacs operating at high energies will produce activated neutrons which will be scattered outside the treatment bunker maze with a dose rate that depends on the maze cross section. Lintels may be visible or recessed in the roof of the facility, and reduce dose rate in publicly accessible areas by reducing

252-484: A hill occupied by a military base until 2006, is now the site of a development project. A restaurant, a climbing tower, a football field and a park are being built on the hillside. The municipality of Beit Sahour also has plans for a hospital and a sports center. The municipal council of Beit Sahour was established by the British Mandate on April 16, 1926, but was formally implemented in 1929. Prior to that date,

315-426: A manger." After this, a great many more angels appear, praising God with the words "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." Deciding to do as the angel had said, the shepherds travel to Bethlehem, and find Mary and Joseph and the infant Jesus lying in the manger , just as they had been told. The adoration of the shepherds follows. The King James Version of

378-557: A much greater role in Charles Wesley 's " Hark! The Herald Angels Sing " (1739), which begins: Hark! The herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King; Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!" Joyful, all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies; With th'angelic host proclaim, "Christ is born in Bethlehem!" Nahum Tate 's well-known carol " While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks " (1700)

441-587: A pacifist sense, as does " It Came Upon the Midnight Clear ". The German carol " Kommet, ihr Hirten " (Come, you Shepherds) reflects the Annunciation and the Adoration of the shepherds. The phrase "Peace on earth, good will to men" has been widely used in a variety of contexts. For example, Samuel Morse 's farewell message in 1871 read "Greetings and thanks to the telegraph fraternity throughout

504-450: A population of 37 "Latins" (Catholics) in 11 houses, and 187 "Greeks" (Eastern Orthodox) in 48 houses, bringing the total population of both villages, Beit Sahour el-foka and Beit Sahour et-tahta ("lower Beit Sahour"), to 190 (men only) in 76 houses. In 1883, the PEF 's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described Beit Sahur as: This village is a sort of suburb of Bethlehem, situated on

567-704: A significant role. The town had a prominent role in the Palestinian national "Bethlehem 2000" project, as extensive renovations of tourist sites, hotels and businesses, and historic sites were carried out prior to the millennium celebrations. During the First Intifada , residents in the town had attempted to develop their own dairy industry —a move resisted by Israeli authorities. These efforts were documented in 2014 film The Wanted 18 , co-directed by Palestinian filmmaker Amer Shomali and Canadian Paul Cowan . Social and economic development were disrupted by

630-405: A total of 454 houses. In the 1945 statistics the population of Beit Sahour was 2,770; 370 Muslims and 2,400 Christians, who owned 6,946 (rural) and 138 (urban) dunams of land, according to an official land and population survey. 1,031 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 3,641 for cereals, while 100 dunams were built-up (urban) land. In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War , and after

693-462: Is a free translation of the German, which says "Hirten erst kund gemacht / durch der Engel Halleluja ... That is "Shepherds heard the news first, through (by means of) the angels' Halleluja. No mention of shepherds quailing or quaking, nor of 'Glories streaming from heaven afar'. The German does go on to say the song sounds loudly from far and near - "tönt es laut von fern und nah ..." The episode plays

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756-555: Is also very common in the West, though the Magi are very often omitted. For example, the 1485 Adoration of the shepherds scene by Domenico Ghirlandaio includes the annunciation to the shepherds peripherally, in the upper left corner, even though it represents an episode occurring prior to the main scene. Similarly, in the Nativity at Night of Geertgen tot Sint Jans , the annunciation to

819-607: Is entirely devoted to describing the annunciation to the shepherds, and the episode is also significant in " The First Nowell ", Angels from the Realms of Glory , the originally French carol " Angels We Have Heard on High ", and several others. The carol " I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day ", written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow during the American Civil War , reflects on the phrase "Peace on earth, good will to men" in

882-640: Is geographically distinct from Beit Sahour and lies very close to the Old City of Jerusalem , upon a lofty hill across the valley of Kidron , not far from En-Rogel . It surrounded the tomb of Sheikh Ahmad al-Sahuri, a local saint to whom the local Arab tribe of al-Sawahreh Mujir al-Din mentions this place in a biography of a Muslim scholar Sha'ban bin Salim bin Sha'ban , who died in Beit Sahur al-Atiqah in 1483 at

945-498: Is home to two sites alleged to be the biblical "Shepherds' Field". Kenisat er-Ruwat is the name of the site where, according to tradition, St. Helena built a convent, which is today known as the shepherd's cave. The Franciscans acquired a shrine there in 1347. The Status Quo , a 250-year old understanding between religious communities, applies in principle to the site, although no concrete regulations could be found. The new Greek Orthodox monastery, which includes on its grounds

1008-544: Is pleased" ( ESV ). The Douay-Rheims Bible , translated from the Latin Vulgate , derives from the same Greek text as the original Codex Sinaiticus , but renders it "on earth peace to men of good will". In the New American Bible , this is updated to "on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests". It is generally considered significant that this message was given to shepherds, who were located on

1071-448: Is referred to as a sill , but, unlike a lintel, does not serve to bear a load to ensure the integrity of the wall. Modern-day lintels may be made using prestressed concrete and are also referred to as beams in beam-and-block slabs or as ribs in rib-and-block slabs. These prestressed concrete lintels and blocks can serve as components that are packed together and propped to form a suspended -floor concrete slab . An arch functions as

1134-475: Is the ruin Khirbet Beit Bassa , which is identified with Bethbassi , a fortress in the toparchy of Herodium in which Hasmonean leader Jonathan Appus was besieged by Seleucid general Bacchides . Beit Sahour is twinned with many cities and communes across the world. Beit Saḥur al-Atiqah ('ancient Beit Sahur') or Beit Sahour al-Wadi ('Beit Sahur of the valley'), Palestine grid 171/123,

1197-613: Is typical in the West; one or more dogs may be included, as in the Taddeo Gaddi (right, with red collar). The annunciation to the shepherds became less common as an independent subject in the late Middle Ages, but depictions continued in later centuries. Famous depictions by Abraham Hondius and Rembrandt exist. Along with the Agony in the Garden and the Arrest of Christ the scene

1260-572: The 1949 Armistice Agreements , Beit Sahur came under Jordanian rule . In 1961, the population of Beit Sahur was 5,316. Since the Six-Day War in 1967, Beit Sahour has been under Israeli occupation . The population in the 1967 census was 5,380. According to ARIJ , 52.8% of the village land is classified as being in Area A , while the remaining 47.2% is in Area C . From 1997 and onwards, Israel has confiscated hundred of dunams of village land for

1323-593: The Greek text of the New Testament involving a single letter. The Greek text accepted by most modern theological scholars today uses the words epi gēs eirēnē en anthrōpois eudokias (ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας), literally "on earth peace to men of good will", with the last word being in the genitive case (apparently reflecting a Semitic idiom that reads strangely in Greek ). Most ancient manuscripts of

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1386-629: The International Solidarity Movement . George Rishmawi is director of PCR. During the First Intifada, the Palestinian Center for Rapprochement between Peoples issued an invitation to Israelis of goodwill to come and spend a weekend (Shabbat) in Palestinian homes using the slogan "Break Bread, Not Bones". The Alternative Information Center is also partly based in the town. Elias Rishmawi, a member of

1449-678: The La Flora Hours in Naples shows the shepherds playing to the Infant Jesus , as a delighted Virgin Mary stands to one side. Christmas cantatas often deal with the Annunciation. It features prominently in both Bach's Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend , Part II of Bach's Christmas Oratorio , and in Part I of Handel's Messiah . Many Christmas carols mention the annunciation to

1512-711: The Second Intifada . Beit Sahour is a center of Palestinian political activism. The town played a key role in the First and Second Intifadas, with local activists pioneering nonviolent resistance techniques. During the First Intifada and the Second Intifada, the Palestinian Center for Rapprochement between Peoples (PCR) based in Beit Sahour encouraged non-violent activism under the aegis of

1575-757: The 18th century from Rashda in Upper Egypt , Shobak in Transjordan and Al-Kukaliya "in Syria " cemented the Christian character of the village. In spite of the influx of Christian families, they remained in the minority all until 1839, when Muslims from Palestine fought in the armies led by Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt in his war against the Turkish Sultan . Huge losses, due mainly to heat and dehydration rather than battle, meant that three quarters of

1638-464: The 1984 census, there were 8,900 Beit Sahouris. 67% were Greek Orthodox , 17% were Sunni Muslim, 8% were Latin Catholic , 6% were Greek Catholic and 2% were Lutheran . The old core of Beit Sahour is reputed to be close to the place where, according to the New Testament , an angel announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds—the "Annunciation to the shepherds". The eastern part of Beit Sahour

1701-613: The Beit Sahour council, is co-founder, together with Ghassan Andoni, Majed Nassar, Rifat Odeh Kassis and Jamal Salameh, of the Alternative Tourism Group (ATG), a non-governmental organisation specializing in tours of the Palestinian territories , where the olive harvest is used as a backdrop for showing the effects of the Israeli occupation and land confiscation on the Palestinian population. In 1989, during

1764-463: The Bible translates the words of the angels differently from modern versions, using the words "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men". Most Christmas carols reflect this older translation, with " It Came Upon the Midnight Clear ", for example, using the words "Peace on the earth, good will to men, / From Heaven's all gracious King." The disparity reflects a dispute about

1827-581: The First Intifada, the Palestinian resistance ( Unified National Leadership of the Uprising , UNLU) and Ghassan Andoni and Kamel Danoun , urged people to stop paying taxes to Israel, which inherited and modified the previous Jordanian tax-collection regime in the West Bank . "No taxation without representation," said a statement from the organizers. "The military authorities do not represent us, and we did not invite them to come to our land. Must we pay for

1890-520: The Greek New Testament have this reading. The original version of the ancient Codex Sinaiticus (denoted א* by scholars ) has this reading, but it has been altered by erasure of the last letter to epi gēs eirēnē en anthrōpois eudokia (ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία), literally "on earth (first subject: peace) to men (second subject: good will)," with two subjects in the nominative case . Expressed in standard English, this gives

1953-639: The Magicians" by Palmer (1881), and more recently on Palestinian websites as "House of Vigilance" or literally as "House of the Night Watch". Modern Beit Sahour is also known as Beit Sahur an-Nasara ("Beit Sahur of the Christians"). Another, former village near Jerusalem, known as Beit Sahur al-Atiqah ("ancient Beit Sahur") or Beit Sahour al-Wadi ("Beit Sahur of the Valley"), is fully distinct from

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2016-730: The Sheepfold"). Within the environs of Beit Sahour is the ruin Khirbet Umm Toba . An archaeological survey-excavation was conducted at the site in 2010, 2013 and 2016 by Zubair Adawi on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), which yielded pottery from the Byzantine era. Some had surmised that the site may have been the Caphartobas of Josephus . In the southern outskirts of the village

2079-600: The age of 105. In 1596, Beit Sahour al-Wadi appeared in Ottoman tax registers as a village in the nahiyah of Quds of the Liwa of Quds . Beit Sahour al-Wadi had a population of 40 Muslim households. The villagers paid taxes on wheat, barley, vines or fruit trees, and goats or beehives; a total of 4,500 akçe . All of the revenue went to waqfs ; half of which was to the madrasah Muzhiriyya in Jerusalem. The place

2142-629: The ancient church, was established through the efforts of Archimandrite Serapheim Savvaitis as a metochion of the Lavra of St. Sabbas between 1971–1989. The Catholic site belongs to the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land and includes the Chapel of the Shepherds' Field , along with two cave chapels and the ruins of a Byzantine monastery known in Arabic as Khirbet Siyar el-Ghanem ("Ruins of

2205-406: The annunciation of peace and good will, "(just) at that moment, someone slugs Uncle Ben." Lintel (architecture) A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals , doors , windows and fireplaces . It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented/structural item. In the case of windows, the bottom span

2268-530: The annunciation to the shepherds became an independent subject for art in the 9th century, but has remained relatively uncommon as such, except in extended cycles with many scenes. The standard Byzantine depiction, still used in Eastern Orthodox icons to the present, is to show the scene in the background of a Nativity , typically on the right, while the Three Magi approach on the left. This

2331-446: The bullets that kill our children or for the expenses of the occupying army?" The people of Beit Sahour responded to this call with an organized citywide tax strike that included refusal to pay and file tax returns. Israeli defense minister Yitzhak Rabin responded: "We will teach them there is a price for refusing the laws of Israel." The Israeli military authorities placed the town under curfew for 42 days, blocked food shipments into

2394-603: The centuries. Examples of the ornamental use of lintels are in the hypostyle halls and slab stelas in ancient Egypt and the Indian rock-cut architecture of Buddhist temples in caves. Preceding prehistoric and subsequent Indian Buddhist temples were wooden buildings with structural load-bearing wood lintels across openings. The rock-cut excavated cave temples were more durable, and the non-load-bearing carved stone lintels allowed creative ornamental uses of classical Buddhist elements. Highly skilled artisans were able to simulate

2457-488: The conditions there during the tax strike. Israel's military occupation had the authority to create and enforce taxes beyond the baseline Jordanian code enacted in 1963 in areas formerly administered by that country, including Beit Sahour. During the Intifada, they used that authority to impose taxes on Palestinians as collective punishment measures to discourage the Intifada, for instance "the glass tax (for broken windows),

2520-575: The construction of the Israeli settlement of Har Homa . The mainly Christian Palestinian inhabitants are being pressured by encroaching Israeli settlements, with one housing development being ruled as illegal by an Israeli court in the early 2000s and, as of 2013, standing under threat of demolition. The town's economy is largely based on tourism and related industries, such as the manufacture of olive-wood carvings. Agriculture and work in Israel also play

2583-713: The development of art and architecture in the South Indian Kannadiga culture. It is remembered today primarily for its Hindu temples ' mandapa , lintels, and other architectural elements, such as at the Chennakesava Temple . The Maya civilization in the Americas was known for its sophisticated art and monumental architecture. The Mayan city of Yaxchilan , on the Usumacinta River in present-day southern Mexico, specialized in

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2646-430: The familiar "Peace on earth, good will to men" of many ancient Christmas carols. Even though some other ancient Greek manuscripts (and many medieval ones) agree with the edited Codex Sinaiticus , most modern religious scholars and Bible translators accept the reading of the majority of ancient manuscripts, translating as "on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests" ( NIV ) or "on earth peace among those with whom he

2709-559: The first village council was established in 1925 at the initiative of the citizens of Beit Sahour. The village council developed into a municipal council in 1955 under the chairmanship of Nicola Abu Eita. In the 2005 municipal election , two lists gained seats in the municipal council. Eight seats went to 'United Beit Sahour' and five to 'Sons of Beit Sahour'. The most popular vote was for Hani Naji Atallah Abdel Masieh of United Beit Sahour with 2,690 votes, followed by Elen Michael Saliba Qsais of Sons of Bethlehem with 2,280 votes. According to

2772-456: The lintel. The lintel is a structural element that is usually rested on stone pillars or stacked stone columns, over a portal or entranceway. A lintel may support the chimney above a fireplace, or span the distance of a path or road, forming a stone lintel bridge. The use of the lintel form as a decorative building element over portals, with no structural function, has been employed in the architectural traditions and styles of most cultures over

2835-548: The look of wood, imitating the nuances of a wooden structure and the wood grain in excavating cave temples from monolithic rock. In freestanding Indian building examples, the Hoysala architecture tradition between the 11th and 14th centuries produced many elaborately carved non-structural stone lintels in the Southern Deccan Plateau region of southern India. The Hoysala Empire era was an important period in

2898-683: The lower rungs of the social ladder in first-century Palestine . Contrasting with the more powerful characters mentioned in the Nativity , such as the Emperor Augustus , they seem to reflect Mary 's words in the Magnificat : "He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble." The shepherds, taken as Jewish, also combine with the Gentile Three Magi , in later tradition thought to be one each from

2961-619: The male Muslims of Beit Sahour perished, leaving the Christians in the majority. Beit Sahour, like the rest of Palestine, was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517, and in the census of 1525/26 ( AH 932), Beit Sahur an-Nasara ('Christian Beit Sahur') had 5 Christian and 7 Muslim households, increasing in 1538/39 (AH 945) to 8 Christian and 8 Muslim households. By 1553/34 (AH 961), 13 Christian and 21 Muslim households were noted, and in 1562/63 (AH 970), 9 Christian and 17 Muslim households were counted. In 1596, Beit Sahur an-Nasara

3024-559: The place as: "Ruins of a village with wells and a mukam ." Clermont-Ganneau found here several old tombs in the 1890s. Annunciation to the shepherds The annunciation to the shepherds is an episode in the Nativity of Jesus described in the Bible in Luke 2 , in which angels tell a group of shepherds about the birth of Jesus . It is a common subject of Christian art and of Christmas carols . As described in verses 8–20 of

3087-585: The same ridge, with the broad plateau east of it known as the 'Shepherd's Field' ... [with] the small Greek Church of the Grotto of the Shephard, a subterranean chapel reached by 20 steps, containing pictures and mosaic. Above the vault are ruins with a Latin altar. Bait Sahur contains a well-built modern house belonging to the Latin curé , and is surrounded with olives and vines. In 1896 the population of Beit Sahour

3150-429: The second chapter of the Gospel of Luke , shepherds were tending their flocks out in the countryside near Bethlehem , when they were terrified by the appearance of an angel . The angel explains that he has a message of good news for all people, namely that "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in

3213-425: The shepherds is seen on a hillside through an opening in the stable wall. Scenes showing the shepherds at the side of the crib are a different subject, formally known as the Adoration of the shepherds . This is very commonly combined with the Adoration of the Magi , which makes for a balanced composition, as the two groups often occupy opposite sides of the image space around the central figures, and fitted with

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3276-422: The shepherds, with the Gloria in Excelsis Deo being the most ancient. Phillips Brooks ' " O Little Town of Bethlehem " (1867) has the lines "O morning stars together, proclaim the holy birth, / And praises sing to God the King, and peace to men on earth!" The originally German carol " Silent Night " has "Shepherds quake at the sight; / Glories stream from heaven afar, / Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!" However, this

3339-420: The stone carving of ornamental lintel elements within structural stone lintels. The earliest carved lintels were created in 723 CE. At the Yaxchilan archaeological site there are fifty-eight lintels with decorative pieces spanning the doorways of major structures. Among the finest Mayan carving to be excavated are three temple door lintels that feature narrative scenes of a queen celebrating the king's anointing by

3402-400: The stones tax (for damage done by stones), the missile tax (for Gulf War damage), and a general intifada tax, among others." The United Nations Security Council considered a resolution demanding that Israel return the property it confiscated during the Beit Sahour tax resistance. The United States vetoed the resolution, which was supported by the other eleven council members. 'Ush Ghurab,

3465-452: The theological interpretation of the episode, where the two groups represented the peoples of the world between them. This combination is first found in the 6th-century Monza ampullae made in Palestine. The landscape varies, though scenes in the background of a Nativity very often show the shepherds on a steep hill, making visual sense of their placement above the main Nativity scene. The number of shepherds shown varies also, though three

3528-405: The three continents then known, to represent the first declaration of the Christian message to all the peoples of the world. The phrase "peace to men on whom his favor rests" has been interpreted both as expressing a restriction to a particular group of people that God has chosen and inclusively, as God displaying favor to the world. Initially depicted only as part of a broader Nativity scene ,

3591-416: The town of Beit Sahour in the Bethlehem Governorate. According to local tradition, Beit Sahour was uninhabited until the 14th century when a number of Muslim and Christian families from Wadi Musa near Petra (today in Jordan ) settled in caves on the site of the modern village. Another Christian family of Wadi Musa, from the remnants of the Ghassanids , arrived in the 17th century. Further immigration in

3654-427: The town, cut telephone lines to the town, tried to bar reporters from the town, imprisoned ten residents (among them Fuad Kokaly and Rifat Odeh Kassis ) and seized in house-to-house raids millions of dollars in money and property belonging to 350 families. The Israeli military stopped the consuls-general of Belgium, Britain, France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Sweden when they attempted to go to Beit Sahour and investigate

3717-444: The world. Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will to men. – S. F. B. Morse." Linus van Pelt recites the scene verbatim at the climax of A Charlie Brown Christmas , explaining that "that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown ". The novelty song " I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas " uses the line to juxtapose the meaning of the holiday with the often chaotic nature of the celebrations; as Gabriel Heatter preaches

3780-456: Was estimated to be about 861 persons. A construction text, dating to 1897, engraved in the lintel of a door on Municipality Street has been examined, and was found to be a poem in 19th century Christian naskhi script. In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities , Bait Sahur had a population 1,519; 285 Muslims and 1,234 Christians, increasing in the 1931 census to 1,942; 395 Muslims and 1,547 Christians, in

3843-414: Was noted by French geographer Guerin in 1863 as being 40 minutes south-east of Jerusalem , a short distance south of the Kidron Valley . An Ottoman village list from about 1870 showed that Beit Sahour et-Tahta ("the lower Beit Sahour") [mislabelled?] had a population of 66 (whereby only men were counted), with a total of 17 houses. In 1883, the PEF 's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described

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3906-412: Was one of those used most often in the development of the depiction of night scenes, especially in 15th century Early Netherlandish painting and manuscript illustration (see illustrations here and the Geertgen tot Sint Jans linked above). In Renaissance art, drawing on classical stories of Orpheus , the shepherds are sometimes depicted with musical instruments. A charming but atypical miniature in

3969-511: Was registered as a village in the nahiyah of Quds (Jerusalem) of the Liwa of Quds, with a total population of 24 households; 15 Muslim and 9 Christian. The villages paid taxes on the same products as the villagers of Beit Sahur al-Atiqah. The Franciscans ceased holding religious services at the shrine by Shepherd's Field around 1820. In 1864 a new Roman Catholic church and school were completed. An Ottoman village list from about 1870 showed that Beit Sahour el-foka ("upper Beit Sahour") had

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