--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: During the first 13 centuries after the…" description: "\"During the first 13 centuries after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, no one thought of setting up a creche to celebrate Christmas. The pre-eminent Chri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/nancy-pearcey-3368_bethlehem_during-the-first-13-centuries-after-the_187268.png" --- # During the first 13 centuries after the birth of Jesus in… ![“During the first 13 centuries after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, no one thought of setting up a creche to celebrate Christmas. The pre-eminent Christian holiday was Easter, not Christmas.” quote by Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/nancy-pearcey-3368_bethlehem_during-the-first-13-centuries-after-the_187268.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/nancy-pearcey-3368_bethlehem_during-the-first-13-centuries-after-the_187268.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/nancy-pearcey-3368_bethlehem_during-the-first-13-centuries-after-the_187268.png) > “During the first 13 centuries after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, no one thought of setting up a creche to celebrate Christmas. The pre-eminent Christian holiday was Easter, not Christmas.” [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Christmas traditions evolved slowly; early Christians focused on Easter, and the nativity scene emerged later as cultural practices shifted. **In simple terms:** Early Christians emphasized Easter, not Christmas. Key Takeaway Recognize how traditions can change over time. Themes history religion tradition culture evolution Mood reflective curious Type historical educational When to use this quote - church calendars - holiday planning - educational curricula - museum exhibits Key Concepts Christianity ritual development social adaptation Questions to Reflect On - How do modern holidays reflect cultural evolution? - What factors cause religious practices to change? A Different Perspective The shift may reflect broader societal changes, not just religious intent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bethlehem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bethlehem/) [Bethlehem Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bethlehem-thought-1986806/) [Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Birth Of Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth-of-jesus/) [Celebrate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celebrate/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Christmas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas/) [Creche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creche-1986804/) [Creche Celebrate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creche-celebrate-1986803/) [Easter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easter/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holiday/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Jesus Bethlehem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus-bethlehem-474131/) [Jesus birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus-birth/) [Setting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/setting/) [Setting Creche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/setting-creche-1986805/) ## Related quotes > [“Jesus Maria,’ the boy says. ‘The star that guides us to Bethlehem. I thought it was an engine for torture.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/jesus-maria-the-boy-says-the-star-that-guides-us-to-bethlehem-i/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [There would be no Christmas if there had not been Easter. The babe Jesus of Bethlehem would be but another baby without the redeeming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/there-would-be-no-christmas-if-there-had-not-been-easter-the-babe/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [The coming of Jesus at Bethlehem brought joy to the world and to every human heart. may His coming this Christmas bring to each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/the-coming-of-jesus-at-bethlehem-brought-joy-to-the-world-and-to/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [Fantasy is uni-age. You can start it in the creche, and it follows you to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/fantasy-is-uni-age-you-can-start-it-in-the-creche-and-it-follows-you/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“She made a creche outside the Inn. The natives thought it was wonderful, and Sister Honey was gratified by their numbers. Why have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/she-made-a-creche-outside-the-inn-the-natives-thought-it-was/) [Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) > [I have this concept that I will create a creche for old people. Yes, a creche, how when you go to work you drop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shilpa-shinde/i-have-this-concept-that-i-will-create-a-creche-for-old-people-yes-a/) [Shilpa Shinde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shilpa-shinde/) > [Fortunately I have a good support network around me but am I sitting here and saying to myself: 'Should every football club have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-hayes/fortunately-i-have-a-good-support-network-around-me-but-am-i-sitting/) [Emma Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-hayes/) > [The birth of Jesus is the sunrise in the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/the-birth-of-jesus-is-the-sunrise-in-the-bible/) [Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) > [“Every other person who is at the heart of any religion has had his or her beginning either in fancy or in fact. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/every-other-person-who-is-at-the-heart-of-any-religion-has-had-his-or/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [The birth of Jesus made possible not just a new way of understanding life but a new way of living it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/the-birth-of-jesus-made-possible-not-just-a-new-way-of-understanding/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [Loving God, help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/loving-god-help-us-remember-the-birth-of-jesus-that-we-may-share-in/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall save his people from their sins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/thou-shalt-call-his-name-jesus-he-shall-save-his-people-from-their/) [Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/) > [But to make a holiday record that involves favorite American songs and then also get to sing about Jesus birth, it just seemed like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-grant/but-to-make-a-holiday-record-that-involves-favorite-american-songs/) [Amy Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-grant/) > [Teacher: 'What is the true meaning of Christmas?' Me: 'Jesus birthday' \*clearly its about presents and being cute\*](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/teacher-what-is-the-true-meaning-of-christmas-me-jesus-birthday/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is impossible to conceive how different things would have turned out if that birth had not happened whenever, wherever, however it didfor millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/it-is-impossible-to-conceive-how-different-things-would-have-turned/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) ## More by Nancy Pearcey > [Pro-lifers have long been castigated for bringing private values into the public square. But actually it is the pro-abortion position that is based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/pro-lifers-have-long-been-castigated-for-bringing-private-values-into/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [“Redemption is not just about being saved \*from\* the consequences of sin, it is also about being saved \*to\* something- to resume the task…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/redemption-is-not-just-about-being-saved-from-the-consequences-of-sin/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [“Author conveys contemporary respect for Methodist preachers who rode the circuit of frontier settlements to put themselves at risk for the Gospel near the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/author-conveys-contemporary-respect-for-methodist-preachers-who-rode/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [Literary theory has become a parody of science, generating its own arcane jargon. 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Oh, we know that being a Christian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/many-of-us-don-t-even-know-what-it-means-to-have-a-christian/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [“People are not relativistic when it comes to matters of science, engineering, and technology; rather, they are relativistic and pluralistic in matters of religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/people-are-not-relativistic-when-it-comes-to-matters-of-science/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [Knowing the truth has meaning only as a first step to living the truth day by day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/knowing-the-truth-has-meaning-only-as-a-first-step-to-living-the/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [The most consistent versions of materialism deny the reality of anything beyond matter - no soul, no spirit, no will, no mind. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/the-most-consistent-versions-of-materialism-deny-the-reality-of/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [In many cases students are never exposed to competing ideas within their families, churches, or Christian schools, and as a result they go out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/in-many-cases-students-are-never-exposed-to-competing-ideas-within/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [“The sword of the Spirit has been muffled up and decked out with flowers and ribbons," author writes, conveying the sentiments of a Congregationist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/the-sword-of-the-spirit-has-been-muffled-up-and-decked-out-with/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [“No matter how hard people work to suppress their knowledge of God, creation itself keeps challenging them. “Human life is a continual wrestling match…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/no-matter-how-hard-people-work-to-suppress-their-knowledge-of-god/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [The loss of objectivity in moral thought does not lead to liberation. It leads to oppression. Secular ideologies preach liberty, but they practice tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/the-loss-of-objectivity-in-moral-thought-does-not-lead-to-liberation/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [“Christianity explains why truth is not merely a human construction. The world is not a creation of my own mind. It is the handiwork…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/christianity-explains-why-truth-is-not-merely-a-human-construction/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [Because a human is a someone and not a something, the source of human life must also be a Someone - not the blind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/because-a-human-is-a-someone-and-not-a-something-the-source-of-human/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [Christian adults need to think about talking to our own children as a form of cross-cultural missions. Cultural change happens so quickly that teens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/christian-adults-need-to-think-about-talking-to-our-own-children-as-a/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) [Explore all 132 Nancy Pearcey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) ## More Bethlehem quotes > [“Rachel’s tomb is located a short distance north of Bethlehem, on the road between Jerusalem and Hebron. It consists of a small building with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-river-editors/rachel-s-tomb-is-located-a-short-distance-north-of-bethlehem-on-the/) [Charles River Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-river-editors/) > [One response was given by the innkeeper when Mary and Joseph wanted to find a room where the Child could be born. The innkeeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/one-response-was-given-by-the-innkeeper-when-mary-and-joseph-wanted/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [This Christmas, as the spirit of the season permeates our hearts, let us do something that expresses our feelings in an outward way, showing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-e-stevenson/this-christmas-as-the-spirit-of-the-season-permeates-our-hearts-let/) [Gary E. Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-e-stevenson/) > [And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches toward Bethlehem to be born?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/and-what-rough-beast-its-hour-come-round-at-last-slouches-toward/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [Force was the factor in the government of the world when Christ was born, and force was the source and exercise of authority both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/force-was-the-factor-in-the-government-of-the-world-when-christ-was/) [Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/) > [“Shall we go to Bethlehem, men? Or shall we DANCE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/shall-we-go-to-bethlehem-men-or-shall-we-dance/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Maybe your life resembles a Bethlehem stable. Crude in some spots, smelly in others. Not much glamour. Not always neat. People in your circle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/maybe-your-life-resembles-a-bethlehem-stable-crude-in-some-spots/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [Bethlehem and Golgotha, the Manger and the Cross, the birth and the death, must always be seen together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-sidlow-baxter/bethlehem-and-golgotha-the-manger-and-the-cross-the-birth-and-the/) [J. Sidlow Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-sidlow-baxter/) > [It is difficult to look at any newborn baby and accept that he or she will necessarily encounter pain, challenges, disappointments, and hardships in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-d-huntsman/it-is-difficult-to-look-at-any-newborn-baby-and-accept-that-he-or-she/) [Eric D. Huntsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-d-huntsman/) > [Christ was born in the first century, yet he belongs to all centuries. He was born a Jew, yet He belongs to all races.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-truett/christ-was-born-in-the-first-century-yet-he-belongs-to-all-centuries/) [George W Truett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-truett/) > [Let the Bible be the Bible. It's not about science. It's not accurate history. It is a grab bag of religious fantasies written by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/let-the-bible-be-the-bible-it-s-not-about-science-it-s-not-accurate/) [Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/) > [Christmas in Bethlehem. The ancient dream: a cold, clear night made brilliant by a glorious star, the smell of incense, shepherds and wise men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucinda-franks/christmas-in-bethlehem-the-ancient-dream-a-cold-clear-night-made/) [Lucinda Franks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucinda-franks/) > [I am not a believer in large salaries. I hold that every man should be paid for personal production. Our big men at Bethlehem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schwab/i-am-not-a-believer-in-large-salaries-i-hold-that-every-man-should-be/) [Charles M. Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schwab/) > [Christ could be born a thousand times in Bethlehem - but all in vain until He is born in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelus-silesius/christ-could-be-born-a-thousand-times-in-bethlehem-but-all-in-vain/) [Angelus Silesius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelus-silesius/) > [“Despite my incessant desperation, I simply cannot paint the perfect picture within which I would wish to live out my life. And because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/despite-my-incessant-desperation-i-simply-cannot-paint-the-perfect/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) [Browse all 109 Bethlehem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bethlehem/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "During the first 13 centuries after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, no one thought of setting up a creche to celebrate Christmas. 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