Where Was Jesus Born?

Christian tradition states that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Judea (now Palestine). This is about six miles, ten kilometers, south of Jerusalem "on the east side of the 'Patriarch's Highway' that ran along the ridge between Shechem and Hebron:" 1 The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem was built by Constantine the Great, circa 330 CE. It is believed by many Christians and Muslims to have been built over the location of Jesus' birth. The exact spot of Jesus' birth is identified by a hole in a 14 point star in a underground cave beneath the church.

However, the location of Christ's birth is not certain.
bullet Matthew 2:1-6 quotes Micah 5:2 as one proof that Jesus was the anticipated Messiah. Micah predicted that out of Bethlehem would "come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel." The picture drawn by Matthew is of an engaged couple who were living in Bethlehem at the time of Jesus' birth.
bullet Luke 2:1-7 describes Joseph and Mary as residents of Nazareth in the Galilee. They had to travel the approximately 90 miles (140 km) south from Nazareth in the Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea in order to take part in the Roman census and taxation. Jesus was born while they were in Bethlehem. This version of the Christmas story seems a little strange, for many reasons:
bullet The status of a woman in 1st century Palestine was only slightly above that of a slave. Only Joseph would be required to register with the authorities, because only men paid taxes. The presence of his fiancée or wife would be redundant. Mary would hardly have made the 100 mile trip while 9 months pregnant unless it was absolutely necessary. Joseph would have traveled alone.
bullet Aviram Oshri, a senior archaeologist with the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA), has said: "Basic medical knowledge tells you that a heavily pregnant woman could not ride a donkey that kind of distance without losing her baby." 6
bullet There is no record of a worldwide census having been made in the last decade BCE. If one had been conducted, it would have been so disruptive that it certainly would have been recorded at the time in Roman documents. A census was taken by Quirinius during 6 CE, but that would have been when Jesus was about ten years of age. Also, it was held in Judea, but not the Galilee where Joseph lived. 8
bullet It makes absolutely no sense to require Jews and other inhabitants of the Roman Empire to return to their ancestral town for registration. The economy of the Empire would be devastated if everyone had to make such a visit. The transportation facilities would be hopelessly overloaded. Censuses are always taken where people live -- in ancient times and now.
bullet Mark 6:1 contradicts Matthew by identifying Nazareth as Jesus' birthplace as his "hometown." John 7:41-43 also contradicts Matthew. It has people in a crowd rejecting Jesus as the Messiah because the Messiah was expected to come from Bethlehem in Judea, whereas Jesus was known to come from Galilee. But both are compatible with Luke's account, assuming that Joseph and Mary returned quickly from Bethlehem in Judea to Nazareth.
bullet There are numerous references in New Testament that identify Jesus as coming from Nazareth. The early Christians were called "Nazarenes." Jesus was called "Jesus of Nazareth" or "Jesus the Nazarene" or "Jesus the Nazorean" - and never "Jesus of Bethlehem." 8