[b-greek] Luke 2:7 - no TOPOS in the inn

From: Neal Stublen (nstublen_greek@yahoo.com)
Date: Sun Dec 23 2001 - 00:05:58 EST


Dear B-Greekers,

Is it possible that Luke's account of Jesus' birth in Luke 2:7 does not
refer to the entire stay of Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem, but only that the
inn had no facilities to accommodate a woman giving birth? Would an inn
necessarily have had private rooms? Is it possible that an inn had a common
area for the guests to share?

As I have always heard the story, Mary and Joseph ended up in the stables
because there were no vacancies in the inn, but does TOPOS give the idea of
vacancies or could it also mean there was no place, given Mary's
circumstances?

My question arose while looking at verse 6. Is it possible (or even likely)
that Mary and Joseph had been spending some time in Bethlehem already (EN TW
EINAI AUTOUS) and at some point during their stay Mary went into labor?
Could we think that perhaps Mary and Joseph had been staying in the inn
while in Bethlehem, but when she went into labor the inn could not
accommodate the birth of a child and it was better for them to move to the
stables?

I have a pretty good idea that I'm way off base here, but would the text
prevent me from understanding the story this way? (I'm a novice with the
Greek text, but looking to learn more.)

Thanks for indulging me,
Neal Stublen
Newark, DE


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