Church of the Shepherds and Field- Bethlehem

Church of the Shepherds

When you visit Bethlehem you will want to travel

 a short distance east to the 

Christian village of Beit Sahour. 

Here is perhaps where the Shepherd's Field

 is located as spoken of in the Biblical account

 of the appearance of the angels to the shepherds.

These beautiful paintings are in the

 Church of the Shepherds located here.

This Roman Catholic chapel 
was built by the Franciscans 

over the cave show in an earlier post.
The Bethlehem Cave

The Chapel was designed

 by Italian Antonio  Barluzzi     

to resemble a shepherd's tent.
The dodecagonal shape with five apses
 has an inclined plane, 
that looks like a field tent
 used by shepherds at that time.
The Light that penetrates
 the concrete and glass dome,
 illuminating the center
 reminds one of the divine light
 that appeared to the shepherds.

The surrounding hillsides
 where the shepherds tended their flocks.
The flat brown field is known as Ruth's Field- 
or the field of Boaz from the Old Testament story in 
Ruth 2:1-17.

It was amazing to gain this perspective-
 that you could see the story of Ruth,
 right where the Shepherds were,
 and where Jesus was born.
Really-- the Old Testament
 and New Testament tied together.