HA!! This is comparing apples to oranges!! Mary and Joseph did not go to Bethlehem to sponge off the system. They did not go there looking for a better life! The census that was ordered by Caesar Augustus was the first of its kind. It was done because the Roman government wanted to make sure that everyone in the Empire was paying their taxes correctly. The census was carried out all over Empire (most of Europe): but in Palestine, it was carried out in a Jewish way rather than a Roman way. This meant that families had to register in the their historical tribal town rather than where they lived. This also meant that Joseph and the very pregnant Mary would have had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, as this was town that Josephs family (the royal family of David) originally came from - a journey of about 70 miles (112 kilometres). (quoted from whychristmas/story/birth.shtml)
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 05:39:23 +0000