The Traditional Nativity Scene
Language is humanity’s first technology (Gen 2:20), and it powerfully shapes what we see and don’t see about the world. A great example of this comes from the the King James Version (1611) of the first Christmas, which reads:
“While they were there [Bethlehem] … she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger (phatnē); because there was no room for them in the inn (katalyma)”
Luke 2:6-7
These seven words— “there was no room for them in the inn” —is the source of the traditional nativity scene: Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem for the census, but all the rooms at all the hotels are booked, so baby Jesus is born alone in a barn, surrounded by animals and angels.
Why The Traditional Picture is Wrong
However, this traditional image of a “hotel with no vacancy” is based on two problems: a mistranslation of a Greek word and a cultural misunderstanding of the first century world.
In fact, the idea of Jesus being born in a barn is almost as anachronistic as picturing Jesus being born next to a Telsa Cybertruck which you can see below.
Cybertruck Christmas Nativity Scene by johndyer on Sketchfab
Linguistic Misunderstanding: Inn vs. Spare Room
The majority of the confusion in this passage comes from a mistranslation of the Greek word katalyma which the King James Version first rendered as “inn.” There is a separate Greek word pandokheion that actually does refer to a commercial inn, or a place where a traveller could rent a room for the night. In fact, Luke uses the term pandokheion a few chapters later when the Good Samaritan brought the wounded man to an “inn” (Luke 10:34).
However, the word katalyma usually refers to something more like an “extra room” added onto a house that could be used for a variety of purposes (see 3D image above). The other linguistic misunderstanding comes from the Greek word topos which is translated “room” in the KJV. Topos means something like “space” or “place,” so in this context, it means “there was no place/space (topos) left in the spare room (katalyma).”
Many modern translations continue to follow the KJV (NASB, ESV, NET) and still include the word “inn,” but several others have updated the passage. The CSB and NIV (2011 update) render the passage, “because there was no guest room available for them” (Luke 2:6-7).
Cultural Misunderstanding: Mangers go in the House
The second part of the error comes from a cultural misunderstanding about Jesus’s manger (phatnē). When an English-speaking person heard Luke’s story in 1611, they naturally pictured their way of life where a house was only for people and the only place one would find a trough or manger (phatnē) would be in a barn used for animals. So if baby Jesus were placed in a manger, the European reader would naturally picture a barn separate from a house.
But in the first century Jewish world, it was common to keep animals inside the house on the first floor along with their manger (phatnē). While the lower part of the house was used for cooking and keeping animals, there was often an “upper room” (Greek anōgeon) above for sleeping and eating meals. Luke actually uses both katalyma (extra room) and anōgeon (upper room) in Luke 22:11-12 when Jesus asks the disciples to find a place for the Last Supper. (Interestingly, then, Jesus’s first and last meal took place in a katalyma.)
The other cultural misunderstanding is that when Mary and Joseph travelled to the small town of Bethlehem, it would have been expected that Joseph’s relatives would host them. The idea that they would have to look for a VRBO in his town of origin just doesn’t make sense in the first century world, however much it feels natural in our time. It’s possible that katalyma could refer to a rented room of some kind, but culturally this seems unlikely.
For another take on this, see the excellent post from Ian Paul Jesus wasn’t born in a stable—and that makes all the difference.
A Socially-Intimate Nativity for a Socially-Distant Time
Putting the pieces back together, when Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem for the census, according to custom and culture, they would have been immediately received by their relatives, not forced to look for a commercial inn (pandokheion). But their relatives had a problem: there was no more “space” (topos) in the “side room” (katalyma) where one would normally put guests, especially ones with a newborn.
So they adapted.
Since the guest room (katalyma) was full, and there was no European-style barn out back, Mary and Joseph stayed in the main part of the house. They wrapped (sparganoō) Jesus in cloth and placed him in one of the mangers (phatnē), right in the center of the family action. Rather than being alone in a barn (or sitting in a Cybertruck), the Son of God came into the world surrounded by family, animals, food, children, guests, and all the other chaos we normally associate with Christmas.
While they were [in Bethlehem] …
Luke 2:6-7 (adapted)
she gave birth to her firstborn son,
and wrapped him in swaddling clothes,
and laid him in a manger [in the living area]
because there was no space for them
in the spare room [of their relative’s house].
For many of us, Christmas 2020 looked more like our traditional (wrong) image of the first Christmas. We weren’t as free to travel and see friends or host large family gatherings. The air mattress stayed in the closet, and the sheets on the hide-a-bed didn’t need to be changed.
As we hopefully return to some form of normalcy at Christmas, may we enjoy the chaos of screaming babies and finding enough beds for our guests, reflecting on our longing for Christ’s return when he will make all things new.
Until then, may we rejoice over his first coming and rest in the hope that he will return soon.
Merry Christmas!
Dear John,
Over a decade ago I heard Dr. Kenneth E. Bailey’s name referenced in a talk at a conference. I was intrigued by the idea presented and went looking for something more. The first thing I found was on CD Baby, was inexpensive and so I ordered the DVD, “A Clear View of the Birth of Jesus, A Middle Eastern Understanding”. It was and is still a powerful set of four lectures. Since I was a child and the only believer in my family I had had some serious questions about the birth story and had never found an answer. You can imagine my joy in a long prayer answered.
As a child unanswered questions created a trust problem in God and those teaching me. When I grew up I was determined to do my best to teach children things that were clear and always respect and entertain questions.
It is one of the reasons I never included the three magi in the beginning of the birth story.
Thank you for this post! Stephanie