The Open court . ing, though nuich changed and several times rebuilt in parts. lived here 34 years of his life. His study, a rock-cut room, isstill shown to the traveler. Here he translated the Bible into Latin, THE BIRTHPLACE OF JESUS. 711 and here he died and was buried, A hallway connects the place ofhis literary labors with the vault which holds his tomb and those ofhis faithful admirers and disciples, a certain Eusebius (not theChurch historian) and two Roman ladies, Paula and Eustochium. Two staircases lead down to the chapel of the Nativity, onein the south from the Greek chap
The Open court . ing, though nuich changed and several times rebuilt in parts. lived here 34 years of his life. His study, a rock-cut room, isstill shown to the traveler. Here he translated the Bible into Latin, THE BIRTHPLACE OF JESUS. 711 and here he died and was buried, A hallway connects the place ofhis literary labors with the vault which holds his tomb and those ofhis faithful admirers and disciples, a certain Eusebius (not theChurch historian) and two Roman ladies, Paula and Eustochium. Two staircases lead down to the chapel of the Nativity, onein the south from the Greek chapel, the other in the north from theArmenian chapel. It is a cave 38 feet long and ii feet wide. Aniche at the east end near the southern stairs has been marked inthe pavement by a silver star as the very spot of Christs nativity,and on a marble tablet we read the words, Hie de Virgine Maria,. WHERE THE ANGELS SANG THE GLORIA TO THE SHEPHERDS. Jesus Christus natus est. On the other side of the southern stairsin the western wall of the cave is another niche which has beenselected to serve as the spot where the manger stood, but the originalmanger discovered here has been carried to Rome, where it is pre-served in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore. Further north, weare told, is the place where the magi stood when offering their giftsand worshiping the new-born Saviour. At Christmas the nativity of Christ is celebrated by the popu-lation together with thousands of pilgrims who gather here from 712 THE OPEN COURT. long distances. The patriarch leaves Jerusalem in the morning tovisit Bethlehem for this purpose. He is received with great pompand accompanied to the church of St. Catharine. The service lastsfully nine hours, from three in the afternoon until midnight. Attwelve oclock the candles are lit, and while the Gloria is intoned tothe accompaniment of shepherds pipes, the w
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade188, booksubjectreligion, bookyear1887
