I very nearly did not approve this comment because of its tone, but since it was made in reply to someone elses question, I will permit the dialogue to continue in this space. (Revelation 1:13-15). The last mention of him in the Bible is when the family went to the temple in Jerusalem for the Passover when Jesus was 12 years old (Luke 2:41-51). Joseph immediately heeded the warning from the angel and woke up Mary and Jesus. . Unavailable on an ad-supported plan due to licensing restrictions. Beautiful, brought tears to my eyes. Also, to Elaine (no reply link was under her comment about progressives). "Wake up and take Mary and the baby to Egypt and stay there until I tell you further," the angel said. Then they continued traveling to Mostorod, a city north of Cairo. Listen to our Bible studies now from your browser. According to some scholars the earlier manuscripts of Josephus writings state that Herod died in 1 BC, not 4 BC. Remembering that they told him they first saw the star two years ago, he orders all male children in Bethlehem (and the surrounding areas!) from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, a Th.M. It is not true that the people of Israel are brown. Rather, just as we oftentimes tell stories today and include certain details that others omit, so did the inspired writers of Scripture. Learn how your comment data is processed. But a year and a half seems too long anyway, at least as I figure it, as I explain in the post. Did they stay in Bethlehem long or return back? Reconciliation, forgiveness, victory, new creation, substitution, redemption, adoptionthese are some, but not all, of the ways that the New Testament writers and later Christian theologians would explain how Jesus death saves us. According to Albert Barnes commentary on the book of Matthew, King Herod the Great died in his 37th year of reign. But a part of me does hope he was black. Oral traditions were the norm. And if this was an important feature of his visit, why do we not have a complete record in the Bible of His birth and the rest of his life up to the time he presented himself to John for baptism, to support this allegation. It seems probable that He was between one and two years oldbased upon the account of Herods order to kill all the children two years and under. But the gospel of Matthew primarily wants us to take away from this episode an appreciation for how Jesus recapitulated the history of Israel in his own life. Dr. Elmer Towns is a college and seminary professor, an author of popular and scholarly works (the editor of two encyclopedias), a popular seminar lecturer, and dedicated worker in Sunday school, and has developed over 20 resource packets for leadership education.His personal education includes a B.S. The family traveled to Nazareth which took them a journey of at least 170 kilometers. Shepherds visit the baby and bow down in praise. It is probable that the Magi were led by the star to Bethlehem, offered their homage, departed, Joseph was warned, and the holy family started to Egypt, all the same night. The Church of St Sergius in Cairo stands where . And of course, we have four gospels which all more or less agree the details of his ministry for the last 3+ years of his life. Alfred Plummer, in his exegetical commentary on the Gospel according to Matthew, notes that, We know neither how old the child Christ was when He was taken into Egypt nor how long he remained there. Where they lived after Jesus born. Heres an interesting and related issue. The flight into Egypt probably took place two or three years before that the stay in Egypt must have lasted some years. We do know that following the death of King Herod the Great, the angel of the Lord appeared once again to Joseph instructing him to go into the land of Israel, for they are dead which sought the young childs life (Matthew 2:20b). If Jesus had arrived with great fanfare as the heir to the Roman imperial throne, wed know the facts of his early life a lot better. . ii. 14, note), and take the young Child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou . They reached Egypt after a 65 kilometers journey where they lived for three years until after the death of Herod in 4 B.C. Not that there would be anything wrong with that but you wouldnt be lying on Jesus if you depicted Him as he probably waslight skinned. When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. (We have no real idea of where Jesus lived in Egypt for all that.) Even among them at times is found compassion. There is beauty in the ways of God. The book-to-blog version of the book I co-authored with Dr. Stephen J. Godfrey on creationism, paleontology, and biblical interpretation. Scholars dont believe the visit happened on the night of the Lords birth because Matt. . Then in Session 19, about Galatians, I note that in this letter Paul gives several more illustrations of how Jesus life, death, and resurrection bring us salvation. and 4 B.C. John 21:25). The Lord of heavn to earth come down. On December 25th, Christians around the world commemorate the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ and His early years, such as the Holy Family's flight into Egypt. the baby Jesus born this night. What spiritual rejoicing was there when this little family, hides in the place that so long ago was used against Gods house. I believe that this is how Jesus would have looked too. God in a dream, takes Mary and Jesus and goes down into Egypt. The flight into Egypt is a story recounted in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 2:1323) and in New Testament apocrypha. I cant help but laugh at the thought. The Israelites flee from Egypt. Taught by tradition as set forth by God. with skin of yellow hue. I would think Yasohowa or Yahweh would want you to depict him correctly, as a black man. So they went to Egypt and stayed there till Herod died. The fact is, however, such a conjecture cannot logically be upheld unless both of the inspired writers claimed to write exhaustive, chronological accounts of everything Jesus did. And he writes that if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. In other words, Jesus delivers us from the conditions that characterize the present evil age and enables us to live under the conditions that characterize the age to come or the new creation. Return from Egypt Sometime after Herod had died, the holy family returns from Egypt . I think this Christmas carol by Alfred Burt says it all. Keep in mind that they are exposed to a desert climate so they will be tanned but they are definitely not black. I would be afraid to lie on Jesus and his family. Mansions must be interpreted by any modern reader as planets (let the reader understand). Well, for starters, as a rule in the ancient world births werent officially recorded as they are now, people didnt have birth certificates, etc. How long did Jesus parents hide him in Egypt? Jacob is 147 years old. It is only extremist groups such as the Taliban or ISIS, which hardly deserve the name Muslim or Islamic, that wantonly destroy historical records and artifacts. It is widely understood that the likely time of Herod the Great death is sometime in 4 BC. Jews originally were a brown people, you cant have zero melanin in a hot climate or desert climatic zones, would give you skin cancer. Why did Jesus hide in Egypt? I believe Jesus was born of a virgin, both man and God. Joseph is between 39 and 56 years old. Drawing on the recapitulation. I thank the Lord for the joy that I always feel about your site. Jonathan Cahn has explained how Jesus birth date was Nisan one, 6BC; or March 20th. The Holy Family moved on to Old Cairo where they took refuge in a cave. Our traditional crche or manger scenes are wrong about this; the shepherds came there, but the Magi didnt. Joseph was told to take them to Egypt so that they would blend in. warned in a dream, Joseph, Mary and Jesus flee to safety in Egypt. Hi Christy. At least in the case of Jesus, we know that he did exist and can still believe in Him, His Message and His Promise, even if the nativity stories are myth. . Remember, Herod had all babies killed up through the age of two, therefore, Jesus and family would not have come back. In Luke 2:21 we read that the Lord was circumcised on the eighth day, but this didnt require them to go to the Temple. 13-15. Most scholarship places the date of Herod's death around 4 BCE. (Matthew 2:16-18). If each man is married with an average of 5 children, this brings the entire population of Israel to 6,000,000. Did Ruth seduce Boaz to get him to marry her? My brother-in-law recently had his DNA profiled. The way the gospel writers see Jesus reliving the experience of Israel is another biblical example. The nativity stories are generally accepted as myths and the arguments for this assertion are excellently presented in this article: http://www.religioustolerance.org/myths-about-jesus-birth.htm. The only possible reason for requiring the birth to be of a virgin, it said so in the Old Testament but the prophecies of the Messiah in the OT got so many details of his coming wrong, that a large proportion of Jews to this day, do not accept him as The Messiah We wonder why the world rejected Jesus. Those who choose not to believe, in this freely given eternal life, are only giving up the best thing ever!!! Herod the King was known as Herod the Great, and was made King by the Romans in the year 43 BC Historians tell us that his death occurred approximately 4 BC According to Matthew Henrys commentary on the book of Matthew, page 10, Christ was born in the 35th year of Herod the Greats reign. So what exactly was Jesus death all about? how old was jesus when they fled to egypt. But I do suspect that B.C.E may have been created to leave Christ out. I believe Jesus went to Egypt as a fulfillment t of prophecy. See Revelations 12:6. You say, And since Jesus was born around the time of the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, his birth occurred some time between 6 B.C. But, according to Galatians 1:17-18, Paul actually went to Arabia, back to Damascus, and then after three years he went up to Jerusalem. Herod died 4 BC, five days after he had put his son, Antipeter, to death and a little before the Passover. So 12 Stars around Mother Mary head indicaes 12 months and 12 jesus followers. A prophecy, of necessity, relates to a future event and the Birth of Jesus was already neary 100 years in the past when this prophecy was made in 93AD. The only possible reason for requiring the birth to be of a virgin, it said so in the Old Testament but the prophecies of the Messiah in the OT got so many details of his comingl wrong, that a large proportion of Jews to this day, do not accept him as The Messiah