Mary and Baby Jesus with Stone Manger

Mary & Baby Jesus with Stone Manger

I read recently that the manger that Mary used for a bed for her newborn baby was probably made of stone.  This would contradict the many drawings and paintings that show a wooden manger.  In ancient Israel the mangers were often made of stone.  The The Romans invented concrete in the 3rd Century BC.  Israel was conquered by the Roman general Pompey in 63 BC.  So it is likely that concrete was used in construction in Israel during the 6 decades before Jesus' birth.   The Romans also improved the arch with the use of their concrete to hold the rocks together.  The keystone in the top of the arch is very important as well.  Before the Roman Arch there WERE arches in many other ancient civilizations such as Babylon, Egypt, and Greece.  But the Roman Arch was held together with Roman Concrete and so it could support large structures.  Before the Roman Arch the arches were all small and use for smaller buildings.  Interesting that Jesus is the Keystone of Christianity. 

In the above drawing you see a manger outside a stable.  The stable entrance has an arch over it.  The stone manger is full of straw or hay.  You can see into the stable and view a lamb and an ox plus the back wall of the stable as well.  Since stonework had been part of the Jewish AND Roman architecture I drew a stable made of carved stone or perhaps bricks.

Remember that Jesus is the Lamb of God who would go on to suffer in Gethsemane and die on the cross for all of Mankind.  Because he made this sacrifice we all will one day be resurrected with perfect bodies that have no flaws.  Of course we also can be forgiven for our sins if we repent of them and try to do better.   That repentance is possible because Jesus died on the cross.

So we celebrate the birth of our Savior because he truly was and IS our Savior.   If we keep God's commandments and repent when we mess up we can one day return to live with Jesus on this Earth in a glorified state. . . with our Heavenly Parents and our Elder Brother Jesus . . . and with our loved ones as well. 

One final point is that the term "swaddling clothes" are strips of cloth they used to wrap around the newborn baby in the thought that it helped their legs and arms grow straight.  So notice the strip of swaddling cloth on Baby Jesus' arm. 

NOTE:  Printable versions of drawing is found by clicking on the Holidays button or on the All Printables button up at the top of the page.   Newer drawings are at the bottom of the All Printables list and this drawing will be under the Holidays button and last on the Christmas list of drawings.