The Manger

I was thinking about the Nativity scene today, and about the Manger in particular when it occurred to me that I was not entirely certain what a Manger actually was. All I knew about it is that 1) it is found in a stable and 2) Baby Jesus was put into one following his birth. So I decided to look it up and this is what I learned:

Manger: a container (usually in a barn or stable) from which cattle or horses feed.

Nice. So the savior of humanity was born in a stable and then put into the animal food. When you think about it, there must have been a better place to have this baby. True, the inn was all full and Bethlehem was overrun with people on that particular night (or so the Bible says), but there must have been a park, or a tree to sit under? The Department of Social Services would be all over this.

When you look at Nativity scenes, it always appears that the lambs, cattle and camels all seem to be smiling at the manger, so who knows? Maybe some angel whispered in their ears about the "Son of God, and Host of Hosts, and so on". After all, if I was almighty and my virgin conceived son was about to be born in a stable, I probably would have sent some form of holy cleaning crew down to get the place in order and keep the animals in line.

But another thought comes to mind. Given all the recent discussion about how the Bible was manipulated by the Church, omitting some information and keeping other information, mostly to make Jesus seem so much larger than life (check "Da Vinci Code") - wouldn't the part about being laid in animal food have been changed?

Just a thought. Happy Holidays!