ISRAEL. Milk Grotto: Escape to Egypt

Milk Grotto


- holy family stayed here on the way to Egypt.
Ancient legends preserved history to stop the Holy Family in the cave on the way to Egypt. And when Mary nursed Jesus, a drop of milk fell on the stone, which was as white as chalk. Through this belief in the Milk Grotto started coming infertile women, loss of Mary about the baby.
But how is it that the Holy Family went to Egypt? In our time, this trip would not have surprised anyone: from Israel to Egypt to go to relax easier than of Kyiv in the Crimea. But two thousand years ago, Egypt was not the world resort. Powerful country of the pharaohs and slaves was not very welcoming to outsiders. The people of Israel knew about it from our own history - 430 years, they were slaves in Egypt. And to the Jewish family to decide on such a journey, they had a very good reason. What caused them to leave their home and go through the desert, in which once the Israelis went 40 years before they arrived in the Promised land of God? Learned about this from the Gospel of Matthew:
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, Magi came to Jerusalem from the east and say where that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him. Upon hearing this, King Herod was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 
And he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born? And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet: 
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are not least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who upaset my people Israel. 
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them what time the star appeared, and he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the child, and when you find it, let me know, so that I may come and worship him. They had heard the king, they departed. And lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy, and went into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him; and opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed another way into their own country. 
When they were gone, - an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. He got up, took the child and his mother by night and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent and slew all the male children in Bethlehem and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, The voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation, and weeping, and great; Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are not. Upon the death of Herod, - behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother and go to the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child. 
He got up, took the child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: but in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

So, escape to Egypt was forced, in order to preserve the life of Jesus. But if you compare the texts of Matthew and Luke, the question arises of what the city hit the road, Joseph and Mary? Of Bethlehem or Nazareth? In fact, according to the Gospel of Luke, shortly after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the Holy Family returned to Nazareth - a city where they came to Bethlehem only census:
And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.
And if a trip to Egypt began in Nazareth, then stop in Bethlehem, where Herod ordered the destruction of infants under two years old, looks out of place. More on this - in future articles.