--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 21 number: 4 published: 1918-02 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations, “Bethlehem, the Birth Place of Christ,” *Improvement Era* 21, no. 4 (February 1918): 352." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2104unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera2104unse start_page: 352 end_page: 352 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1918-02) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2104unse publication_year: 1918 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1918, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Bethlehem, the Birth Place of Christ BETHLEHEM, THE BIRTHPLACE OF CHRIST Cementing their hold in Palestine, the British forces that captured Jeru- salem have established guards at Bethlehem. The British forces have taken measures to safeguard all the shrines in Jerusalem and all the holy places nearby. This photo shows the Church of the Nativity, built where Jesus was born in Bethlehem. In the foreground is the market place that has been an open square as far back as history and tradition reach. The church in the background is flanked by three monasteries, two of which can be seen, one on the left and the other extending towards us on the right. It is thought that the center structure is the one erected here in the year 320 by the Emperor Constantine. According to Jerome, who lived here shortly after its construction, this church was undoubtedly built upon the site of the Bethlehem kahn or inn where Christ was born.