Today’s The World Around Us will be presented in Arabic and English, with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Chinese, English, French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Thai and Spanish.

Greetings, bright viewers. Welcome to The World Around Us on Supreme Master Television. Bethlehem is known as one of the most sacred cities in the Holy Land and perhaps even throughout the world. Located 9 kilometers from Jerusalem, Bethlehem was already a prestigious city with a rich history starting around 15 century BC.

Known as the City of David, Bethlehem is where King David was born and was anointed in the 10th century BC. It was also the city where the Patriach Jacob chose to build the shrine of his beloved wife Rachel, which is Judaism’s third most important holy site.

But Bethlehem is perhaps best known for being the birthplace of Jesus Christ, Peace Be Upon Him. Indeed, because of his birth, Bethlehem has become the holy site for Judaism, Christianity and Muslim alike for the past 2,000 years. There are about 32,000 inhabitants in the city of Bethlehem today; 40% are Christian and 60% are Muslims.

In an interview with Supreme Master Television, the Honorable Mayor of Bethlehem Dr. Victor Batarseh told us that all co-citizens share a special affection for the city and cherish the memory their hometown has to offer to humanity.

Well, Bethlehem, as you know, [is] the holiest city in the world. It is the birthplace of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the cradle of Christianity. This small town, though it is small in size, but it has a very big message to all the world. The star of Bethlehem always shines all over the world, sending a message of love and peace. Because the Prince of Peace was born in this holy city.

Jesus Christ was born in a miraculous yet humble birth in Bethlehem, according to the Gospels of Luke and Matthew of the Holy Bible. Virgin Mary, then a young woman living in Nazareth, received the good news from Angel Gabriel about the coming of a son named Jesus, who would be the Son of God.

Due to an order by the Roman Emperor, Mary and her husband-to-be Joseph had to travel 105 kilometers to Bethlehem to register for a census. When they arrived at Bethlehem, all inns were full. According to the stories told, Mary and Joseph spent the night at the stable, and Jesus was born that very night. There was no crib for the baby, and he was therefore placed in a manger with fresh hay, as the newborn’s bed.

Similar to the Christian narration, the Qur’an also recorded that as Mary was in seclusion, in her deep prayer to Allah, God sent the Angel Gabriel to inform her of the good news of the coming of a son sent from the Lord. After the conception, Mary went away alone to a distance place which many Arabian scholars believe could be Bethlehem.

There, behind a withered palm tree, Allah responded to Mary’s prayer by providing to her ripe dates which showered upon her from the trunk of the now-vibrant palm tree, and by having a stream of cool water emerge beneath her feet.

Bethlehem, as the birthplace of Jesus, is an important holy site in Muslim tradition. It is reported that Prophet Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him, during his mystic night’s journey to Jerusalem, stopped and prayed at the Shrine of Rachel in Bethlehem.

In the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, that night when Jesus was born, there were a few shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem watching over their flocks of sheep. Angel Gabriel appeared to them to tell them that a Savior had just been born. As the loving light of the angels erased their fear, the shepherds quickly headed to Bethlehem and witnessed Jesus lying in the manger. Today, the village of Beit Sahour 2 km east of Bethlehem is considered the site of the Shepherds’ Field.

Now we will go to the church. We can see in the entrance of the church, the angel. We walk together inside the church of Shepherds’ Fields. This is the holy place for the Christians. What's happened here? We can see it in three pictures, describe it here. This is the first picture, when the shepherds saw the angel appear to them and they are afraid.

In the second picture, the shepherds know that Jesus was born and they will be quiet. If you want to know, you come to the picture, and look for it. You see the shepherds, they sit down and are quiet and we see the dog in this picture also, it's quiet.

This is the picture number 3. They told us about the shepherds [who] know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and this is a greatest happening. And all the people, they are happy and dancing and carrying the olive trees and they will be happy about the birth of Jesus.

We will say a short prayer for peace on Earth, and will return with more on Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television.

Welcome back to The World Around Us and our program about the holy city of Bethlehem, the birthplace of the great enlightened Master Jesus.

Every part of this land, you can find that our Lord Jesus Christ passed through this land. This land is very rich in history. This land is very rich because it is the center of the three religions, of the main religions of this world, which are Christianity, Islam and Judaism. This land is sacred for the three religions.

Each year at the time of Christmas, the city is bustling with people from all over the world who come to honor Jesus’ birth. Of course, the Church of the Nativity, originally built by Saint Helena, mother of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine the Great, becomes a central must-visit destination.

This is the Manger Square. People come here from all over the world, especially in Christmas. I would like to speak about the church, which is a very important church in all Palestine and all the world, of course.

The church was established in 529 by the Emperor Justinian, the emperor of Byzantine. You can see it is divided into three parts. The first one, behind us directly, is for the Greek Orthodox. The second, to the right there, is for the Catholics, and this is for the Armenians.

The small Church of Nativity is one of the world’s oldest continuously operating churches. In fact, it is the only major church in the Holy Land that has remained intact from the early Christian period to the present. The structure is built over the cave where Jesus was born. Through the ages, the site has been altered and enhanced by successive generations.

And we can take a look at the entrance. The entrance was reduced three times. The first time was from the Justinian era, 529. And the arch from Crusaders. That’s about the 12 centuries ago. And the small one is from the Turkish era, about 200 years ago. Okay. Let’s go.

Approaching the church, one notices that the entrance is particularly small. It is only 120 centimeters (less than 4 feet) high. One can still see traces of the original arch, which was almost 3 meters (more than 9 feet) high. In the end, it became known as The Door of Humility. The reason, on one hand, was to protect the Church and what it contained. However, perhaps the more important reason given is that it made important visitors dismount from their horses upon entering the sacred space.

Thus it symbolized the equality of all people before God.

Back in the days when Jesus Christ was newly born, there were also people coming from afar celebrating his birth. The Gospel of Matthew records the three Magi, or three wise men from the East, who brought precious gifts to the newly born Jesus. They came a long journey following the star of Bethlehem. Some scholars believe that these Magi came from Persia and Africa.

As the three Magi finally found Jesus, they fell down and kneeled in front of him with happiness and respect. There have been interesting discussions about the gifts the three Magi brought to Jesus: They were gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Some believe these gifts are originally tributaries given to a king, with myrrh as an anointing oil, frankinsense as a perfume, and gold as a precious metal.

Others believe the gifts had spiritual significance, with gold symbolizing kingship on Earth or virtue, frankincense priestship or prayer, and myrrh a pain reliever. No record tells exactly where these Magi went after they presented the gifts. It is said some of their relics were found by Saint Helena and are now in the Cologne Cathedral in Germany.

However it is interpreted, the gift-giving spirit itself has touched people’s hearts today, and especially near Christmas time.

This is the Holy Land for every religious [person], not just for Jewish or Muslim or Christian. This is [an] international country, international city.

In many ways, the search for the precise birthplace of this great enlightened Master is still on today. Some say Jesus was born in a relative’s house. Others say he was born in a different city with the same name of Bethlehem. Yet one thing is certain: that the deep longing to feel the presence of Lord Jesus never fades away. For he has and always will represent God’s eternal Peace and Love.

Our message from Bethlehem, from my office here, just opposite the Church of the Nativity, where our Lord Jesus Christ was born, is a message of love and peace. It is a message of love and peace for every single creature on this planet, without referring to any religion or to any ethnic groups. We love peace.

On the coming occasion of Lord Jesus’ birth, may the peace-loving spirit of Bethlehem prevail throughout the world.

Thank you for joining us on The World Around Us. Now, please stay tuned for Words of Wisdom, after Noteworthy News, here on Supreme Master Television. May Heaven bless you and your loved ones.