Icons : Nativity : The Cave of Bethlehem

Caves and grottos were utilized by man from the very ancient times. They sheltered him from the elements of nature and danger, provided living quarters and room for his domestic activities. The cave where Christ was born, had been utilized as a shelter for animals.

No reference about the cave is made in the Gospels, but the record of it is found in the apocryphal gospels of St. James and St. Matthew. The cave of Bethlehem, as the place of Christ's birth, is reported as early as the second century by St. Justin the Philosopher. By the fourth century the cave became a popular place of pilgrimage where a splendid basilica was built.

The cave is always depicted in dark colors as a reminder of the shadow of death that ruled over mankind before the "Sun of Righteousness" has shown forth. St. John the Evangelist transcribes the words of Isaiah who foretold the coming of Light (Christ) some 600 years BC: "The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned" (Jn. 4:16). People who have lost all hope for reconciliation with God were reassured that the days of salvation will come, as St. Luke quotes prophet Zechariah: "…through the tender mercy of our God when the day shall dawn upon us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death" (Lk. 1:78-79). And then Christ Himself summoned Apostle Paul to propagate the arrival of that Light: "So that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me" (Acts 26:18).

The black gap of the cave and the Babe in the white swaddling linen shows a sharp contrast, like the difference between night and day. The black space, a symbol of emptiness, absence of hope, but presence of sickness and death is illuminated by the birth of Christ. The darkness that imposes fear and terror is eliminated by the Divine Presence of Christ pouring out light into the man's surroundings enabling him to dispose of fear and acquire faith and hope. If a tiny candlelight can illuminate a large room, it should not be difficult to envision the difference between the darkness of hell and the Light of Eternity. The light foretold by the prophets and confirmed by God in His Incarnation can only be seen by the spiritual eye cultivated in faith.

The angels were quick to announce the good news to the shepherds about the Saviour's birth: "And this will be the sign unto you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger" (Lk. 2:12). The angelic message is to be understood that the sign is not in the swaddling clothes, but that the Child was an infant, Who Appeared among men at birth and not at some advanced age. Luke clearly points out that "she (the Virgin) gave birth to her first born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (Lk. 2:7). The swaddling clothes and the color of linen have their respecttive iconographic "signs" and significance, but not as sign of directions for the shepherds, as some writers tend to see it. The swaddling clothes and the manger were an indication to the shepherds that they are to look for an infant in a stable and not in a home or a palace.

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