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many translations and redacting may have introduced errors as may be argued by someone trying to disprove the bible. However, it is more likely that all these recopyings of these books only further increased the difficulty of an already difficult passage. To explain this we need to understand our history. Notice that Matthew and Luke use the word Judea, which comes from the Greek word Ioudaia. Ioudaia is a country that first came in to existence during the reign of the Maccabee Kings from about 165 - 63 BC. This country was formed from the land immediately around Jerusalem and was added to by John Hyrcanus, Simon's third son, who ruled from 135 to 104 BCE. As Ethnarch and High Priest of Jerusalem, John Hyrcanus conquered the people of Trans-Jordan, Samaria, Galilee, Idumea (also known as Edom), and forced them to convert to become Pharisees, the religion being propagated by the Maccabee kings.

The historian Josephus writes in his book, Antiquities of the Jews, Book XIII, 9:1., "Hyrcanus...subdued all the Idumeans; and permitted them to stay in that country, if they would circumcise their genitals, and make use of the laws of the Jews; and they were so desirous of living in the country of their forefathers, that they submitted to the use of circumcision, and of the rest of the Jewish ways of living; at which time therefore this befell them, that they were hereafter no other than Jews." Thus we learn that the region of Galilee was a province of the country of Judea, which was a political entity created in the second century BC and is not the ancient Israelite land of Judah. We also see that

Jews are Judean not Judahites (descendents of Judah or people of the Israelite land of Judah). This is confirmed for us throughout the New Testament by the use of the Greek word Ioudaios, which is translated as Jew or Jewish, rather then the Greek word Iouda, which means Judahite (of the tribe of Judah).

Judah and Judea through from 930 BC till 1 AD.

 Click on image to enlarge and get additional maps.

From about 4 BC to 6 AD Herod Archelaus (23 BC - 18 AD) was the ruler (king) of Samaria, Judea, and Idumea. Bethlehem-Ephratah in Galilee was included in his country of Judea, thus Herod ruled over Bethlehem Galilee as well. Herod Antipas who is often referred to as the governor of Galilee was in fact only ruler of the eastern quarter of Galilee and the region of Perea which is east of the Jordan river. Thus we find that Bethlehem Galilee was part of the country of Judea at the (cont.)