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Stephen Carlson on the "Inn" in Luke's Infancy Account

11/30/2015

13 Comments

 
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Since Christmas is quickly approaching, I thought I would point my readers to a fantastic article by Stephen Carlson published in NTS in 2010 titled, "The Accommodations of Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem: Κατάλυμα in Luke 2.7." Carlson's study turns the traditional interpretation of the "inn" as being a kind of ancient hotel on its head. He also denies the view that Jesus was born in a stable or barn. Through a detailed lexical and semantic analysis of the term κατάλυμα (traditionally translated "inn") and Jewish patrilocal marital customs during the time of Jesus, Carlson demonstrates that the reference to κατάλυμα in Luke 2.7 alludes to a marital chamber built on top, or onto the side of, the main room of a family village home. According to Carlson, the phrase διότι οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς τόπος ἐν τῷ καταλύματι should be rendered "because they did not have room in their place to stay." The reference to "their place" is the marital chamber attached to the family village home of Joseph where the married couple would have stayed for some time before finding their own place. Since there was no space in their room, Mary had to give birth in the larger main room of the house, where the rest of the family slept. Carlson also shows that it was common for a "manger" to be present in the main room of most Jewish homes and so this detail of the birth account is in keeping with Jewish living customs. I quote Carlson's conclusion found on page 342 of the article:

"Luke's infancy narrative therefore presupposes the following events. Joseph took his betrothed Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem (2.5). Bethlehem was his hometown (v. 3) and, in accordance with the patrilocal marital customs of the day, it must also have been the place where they finalized their matrimonial arrangements by bringing her into his home. As a newly married man, he no longer would have to sleep in the main room of the village house with his other relatives, but he and his bride could stay in a marital chamber attached to the house until they could get a place of their own. They stayed there for some time until she came to full term (v. 6), and she gave birth to Jesus in the main room of the house rather than in her marital apartment because it was too small, and she laid the newborn in one of those mangers (v. 7) common to the main room of an ancient farmhouse. After staying at least another forty days in Bethlehem (v. 22; cf. Lev 12.2–8), Joseph and Mary eventually moved to Nazareth to make their home together in her family's town (v. 39; cf. 1.26–27). To be sure, this scenario as presupposed in Luke's infancy account diverges greatly from the conventional Christmas story. There is no inn, no innkeeper, and no stable. But it is grounded in a careful exegesis of the text."

This is one of those articles that can be described as being truly groundbreaking. Carlson's conclusions are so convincing that it would take considerable evidence to overturn them. Indeed, some may be uncomfortable with how this evidence changes the face of the traditional Christmas story, but it is, as Carlson admits, "grounded in a careful exegesis of the text." This article needs to be circulated widely, not only among academics, but also pastors and lay people alike, because it has serious implications for how we should understand this story as told by Luke. Carlson has posted this article on his personal website and it can be found here. Happy reading and happy holidays to all!

13 Comments
Mary Anne
11/30/2015 10:32:58 pm

So then, would the shepherds have come into the main room of the family's home to worship the newborn King?

Reply
Dayrl
12/1/2015 10:01:20 pm

When the unknown number of wise men should up Jesus was much closer to 2 years of age and not a new born. Too many liberties are added to the birth narrative.......

Reply
mischa
12/2/2015 06:46:17 pm

But she said shepherds. Are you implying that the shepherds and the wise men were one and the same? Also, I see no evidence to imply that the star hung over the place where Christ was born or lived for years. They followed the star and found the child. Has a study been done on the term "young child"? You are "with child" before the babe is even born. Did the mother of Moses not call him a "goodly child" at birth? (see also Deut 28:57, Ruth 4:16 just to name 2) Scripture says in Matthew 2, that Herod slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. This, at least to me, implies not the age of the child, but that the time Herod took action, was not at the time of the birth. He may have assumed the men were searching for year before realizing that they were not going to return. So, the wise men showed up just after the birth, but Herods order came much later.

Greg
11/30/2015 10:39:43 pm

Wow, interesting take on the birth narrative. Even with the "possibility" the wonderous event remains etched in our faith. Thanks for the work...

Reply
Stephen Carlson
12/1/2015 05:35:33 am

Thanks, Brice!

Reply
VelvetVoice
12/1/2015 07:58:14 am

So when did they go to Egypt?

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Scaramouche
12/1/2015 03:41:55 pm

Except weren't they already on the road journeying to be counted in the census? This would not have been "their place to stay" but rather someone else's house. Seems unlikely unless I'm misunderstanding something.

Reply
Brice C. Jones link
12/1/2015 06:33:21 pm

In Luke's account, Joseph does not take the family to Egypt. That detail is found only in Matthew's Gospel (ch. 2).

Reply
mischa
12/2/2015 06:47:46 pm

So is it somehow not relevant?

Spiker
12/1/2015 03:57:12 pm

It's curious that a marital chamber (in law apartment?) would not be
large enough for a married couple and an infant. Admittedly if Joseph was poor this might be a re-tasked room. Could Joseph have kept animals in it at one point and then convert it to a marital chamber?

Reply
Chris
12/1/2015 09:14:27 pm

What is the relationship between this article and the one by Bailey in 1979 on a very similar topic? I've been reading through footnotes but have not found it yet.

Reply
Graham
12/2/2015 12:15:06 am

Here's a link to an article by Bailey from 2003: http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2008/11/08/The-Manger-and-the-Inn.aspx

And here's a copy of the pdf of Carlson's article: http://www.hypotyposeis.org/papers/Carlson%202010%20NTS.pdf

If the later breaks copyright (not sure, just found the link on Google Scholar) then please remove the link.

Reply
Alan Rudnick link
12/2/2015 09:04:27 am

It's been know and well documented that the Greek reveals "inn" as inaccurate to modern readers. Being a hometown setting, the "room" would have been crowded. Archaeology reveals animals were often kept indoors in the home.

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