With approximately 3,400 residents, modest in size like its ancient namesake once was, the rural town of Bethlehem has two places that connect beautifully to that miraculous event of the Nativity.

Every Christmas, a relatively small town in the Palestinian West Bank comes center stage: Bethlehem. Jesus, according to some biblical sources, was born in this town some two millennia ago.

Given that there were probably no inns in a small town like Bethlehem, it’s possible that ... and how this new religion changed the ancient world.

Uneasy peace. It’s hard for me to envision something like this happening to Bethlehem, especially on Christmas in 2018, when I first set foot in the ancient town where time seemed to stand still. Amid ...