THE CHURCH OF NATIVITY

The Church of Nativity awmzia chu ‘Pianna Biak In’ tihna a ni ber ang. Latin thumal ‘nativitas’ chuan ‘pianna’ tihna a ni a; chuta ṭang chuan Sáp ṭawng thumal ‘nativity’ tih hi a lo kal a. The Church of Nativity chu Bethlehem-a Isua pianna hmuna biak in hming a ni. Kum AD 325-ah khán Rom lalber Constantine-a nu Helen-i chu Israel ramah a zin a; chumi ṭum chuan hmun pawimawh pathum—(1) Isua pianna hmun, (2) Isuan a zirtîrte Lalpa Ṭawngṭaina a zirtîrna hmun leh (3) Isua thihna hmun (Kalvari) te chu a zawng chhuak a. Chûng hmun pathumah chuan a fapa Constantine-a’n biak in a sa a; Isua pianna hmuna biak in ‘The Church of Nativity’ an tih ták chu kum AD 339, May 31 khán Pathian hnénah hlan a ni.

He biak in hi kum AD 529-a Samaritan Revolt an tihah khán tih chhiat a ni a; nimahsela, Justinian-a khán a sa ṭha leh a, hulhliap a siam belh nghé nghé a. Justinian-a’n a sak ṭhat aṭang khán vawi tam tak siam ṭhat táwk mah se, biak in ruangám erawh chu tih danglam a ni lo. Biak in chheh vél (compound) erawh chu tih zauh belh zêl a ni a; tûnah chuan square metres 12,000 láia zau a ni ta. He biak in hi kohhran pathumin an inchan sem a; chûng kohhran pathumte chu—(1) Catholic, (2) Greek Orthodox leh (3) Armenian Apostolic te an ni.

Kum 1847 khán Isua pianna lái tak an tiha tangkaraw arsi lem an siam chu Grik puithiamten an ru bo a; mi ṭhenkhat chuan indona hmingthang tak ‘Crimean War’ (1853-56) chhuah chhan kha niin an sawi. The Church of Nativity inchan semtu Kohhran pathumte hi an inngeih lo hle mai a; an hmun chan chu an duh táwk lo a; hmun an phiah hian an ṭhenawm kohhran dang chan chu an va phiat tel zauh a. Chû chu an lo hmuh chuan an inhauh phah a; a cháng chuan thisen chhuak khawpin puithiamte chu an insual ṭhin. Kum tin Dexember 29-a biak in then fai hnatláng an neih ni-ah hian an insual phah fo a ni. ‘Remna Lal’ pianna hmuna kohhran pathum inngeih hlei thei lo khu a mak hle!

The Church of Nativity kawngkapui khu a tìrah chuan sáng táwk tak a ni a. Amaherawhchu, hun lo kal zélah biak in rawk tumtute chu sakawr chunga chuangin an tlân lût ṭhin a; chumi dan nán chuan a kawngka khu an ti zîm ta hlauh thung a. Chû vàng chuan The Church of Nativity chhûnga lût tùrte chu kùn ngei ngei a ngái a. Mi ṭhenkhatin, “Isua pianna hmuna biak ina luh dáwn chuan inphah hniam entîr nán kûn chunga luh a ngái,” an tih hi chu thu belh chian dãwl lo a ni; sakawr chung chuang mite tlàn luh theih lohna tùra tlâi khawhnûa kawngka khu an tih zìm hnuhnawh a ni záwk!

The Church of Nativity chhûngah khuan khawchhak mi fing pathum lem (mosaic painting) a awm a. Persian-hoin kum AD 614-a Bethlehem an lák lái khán biak in khu tih chhiat an tum a; mahse, mi fing lem, Persian inchei dàna inchei an hmuh tákah chuan an hotupa chuan biak in tih chhiat a phal ta lo a. Mi fing lem chu tûn thlengin hmuh theihin a la awm.

Khawchhak mi fingte kha tute nge an nih Bible-ah sawi chianna a awm lo a. Thawnthûah erawh chuan an hming nèn lama sawi a ni thung. An hming ni-a an sawi chu—Balthasar (Bathisarea), Melchior (Melichior) leh Gaspar (Gathaspa) a ni. Chanchin Ṭha Matthaia ziakah khán pathum an ni tih sawi a ni lo a; mahse, an thilpék kha pathum a nih avàngin ‘khawchhak mi fing pathum’ tiin an sawi ta mai a ni. Khawchhak mi fingte kha Grik Thuthlung Tharah ‘magoi’ (singular magus) tih an nih avàngin Persia mi ni-a ngaih an ni ber a. Thawnthu-ah erawh chuan Balthasar chu Aigupta mi, Melchior chu Grik mi, Gaspar chu India mi tih an ni. India mi Gaspar chu Hardwar khuaa mi ni-a sawi a ni bawk.

Khawchhak mi fingte kha ‘Lal’ anga sawi an ni bawk a. Chanchin Ṭha Matthaia ziakah hian ‘lal’ an nih thu sawi a ni lo. Eng vànga lal anga sawi ni ta mai nge an nih? A chhan chu Thuthlung Hlui thu ṭhenkhat beh chhana sawi a ni a; chûng chu Isaia 60.3; Sam 68.29; Sam 72.10 te hi a ni.

The Church of Nativity-a pulpit khu khawvéla pulpit sáng ber niin an sawi a, ft 23-a sáng a ni. Pulpit awmna dawh dàn thlang lamah khuan Isua pianna hmun Grotto of Nativity pûka lut thlákna tùr Step, lehlam lehlamah a awm a. The Church of Nativity hnuaiah khuan pûk 11 a awm a; chûng pûk zînga sei ber chu Isua pianna pûk a ni.

Pûk pakhat chu Jerome-a’n Latin ṭawnga Bible a lehlinna hmun kha niin an sawi a. Pûk pakhat dang chu Jerome-a an phùmna hmun a ni thung a; Jerome-a ruh ro erawh chu Rome khuaa Church of Santa Maria Maggiore-ah an la thla tawh. Pûk dang pakhat chu kohhran chanchin ziaktu hmingthang tak Eusebius-a thlàn awmna a ni. Jerome-a’n Latin ṭawnga Bible a lehlinna pûk chu kil li nei a ni a. Jerome-a’n Bible a lehlin lái khán Setanan a ti buai a ni àwm e; a thinrim chu Setana chu lehkhatui bûrin a vawm a, a vawmna hnûhma pawh chu tûn thlengin an la chhinchhiah nghé nghé a ni, A rei tawh vang vang hle mai!

Isua pianna pûk dung lam khu ft 40 dáwn láia sei a ni ang a; a vàng lam erawh chu ft 6/7 vél lek a ni thung. Pulpit thlang lam sîr tawna chhuk thlákna Step kha 5 ve ve a ni a. Step-in pûk chhuat a zuk pawhna inkár, chhak lamah chuan Isua pianna an tih tak chu chhinchhiah a ni. Bang chhak hawi zawngin a kual chho a; a kual thûk lái ber chu inches 43 a ni. Chumi kual chungah chuan rapchung a awm a; rapchung chu chhuat aṭangin inches 41-a sáng a ni. November 9, 1998-a ka tlawh lái khán papchungah chuan khàwnvàr 16 an khái a; chûng zînga pahnih, chhim lam ber leh hmàr lam bera mi chi chhit lái a ni a; a chhuatah khàwnvàr 2 chhit lái a ni bawk.

Rapchung hnuai, Isua pianna hmun chhuatah chuan khawchhak Arsi lem, hmáwr zum 14 nei chu an kilh bet a; arsi kák hmáwr zum chu a tàwp aṭanga a lehlam tàwp thlengin inches 27 a ni. Arsi an kilh behna lái (centre) takah chuan a bialin an ti khuar a; chumi khuar thûk lam chu centimetres 3 chauh a ni. Arsi kák ṭobul, a lái kualah chuan Latin ṭawngin ‘HIC DE VIRGINE MARIA JESUS CHRISTUS NATUS EST’ tih an ziak a; a awmzia chu, ‘Hetah hian nula thianghlim Mari’n Isua Krista a hring’ tihna a ni.

Arsi awmna pûk chhuat thlang lamah chuan ran chaw pékna thlèng dahna an tih, pûk tepèn te tak tê a awm bawk a. Chû pûk tepèna chhukna tùr chuan Step 3 a awm a; Step sàn záwng chu inches 9 a ni. Ran chaw pékna thleng dahna an tih lái tak chu chhim lam bang hrûlah kãng deuh hleka siam a ni a; inches 46-a sei, inches 12 chiaha záu a ni. Ran chaw pékna thlèng erawh chu hmuh tùr a awm tawh lo a; Rome khawpuia Church of Santa Maria Maggiore-ah an la thla tawh an ti!

Tûnlái Bethlehem chanchinah kãwi zawk i la. Tûnah chuan Bethlehem chu khaw lian ve tak a ni tawh a; mihring chêng pawh 25,000 zet an ni tawh. West Bank huam chhûnga awm a nih avàngin kum 1995 December aṭang khán Palestinian Authority chan a ni ta a. An sum hnâr pawimawh tak pakhat chu khualzin sum an dawn khu a ni a; chû vàng chuan khualzin thlenna tùr hotel pawh an sak belh hnem tawh hle.

Bethlehem khaw mite eizawnna pawimawh tak pakhat chu thil tênau siamna ‘cottage industry’ a ni a. Khualzinte lei duh tùr thil chi hrang hrang olive thingin an siam a; an thil siam langsàr zualte chu—nausén Isua lem te, khawchhak mi fing lem te, sangháwngsei lem te, krâws te, in lem pángngâi te, báwm (box) te reuh tê te a ni. Muslim-ho khuan Isua chu chatuan nun nán hmang duh ve lo mah se, an tisa nunna atán erawh chuan an hmang nasa hle thung a ni!

Bethlehem khaw chhûng pawh Isua pian lái chanchin hming cháwiin a luah khat hneh hle. Star Street te, Manger Street te, Shepherd’s Street te, Milk Grotto Street te, Davida tuichhunchhuah tih te a ni nawk mai. Milk Grotto Street-ah hian Catholic puithiam Franciscan páwlin biak in an sa a; chû biak in hmun chu Aigupta-a Josefa te chhûngkua an tlànchhiat dáwna an bihrûkna a ni an ti. Chuta an bihrûk lái chuan Mari hnute tui chu chhuatah a far a; chû chu lungpuiah a lo chang ta a ni an ti a. Chû lung chu hnute tui rawng ang deuhin a vâr deuh roh nghé nghé a ni. Nû nau pawm hnute tui ngah lote chu hé hmunah hian lo kalin hnute tui ngah dîlin Pathian hnénah an ṭawngṭai ṭhin.

Isua pian láia arsi lo lang kha mi fingten Bethlehem an thlen hnûah khán Bethlehem-a tuichhunchhuah pakhatah a tla a. Tûn thleng hian mi rilru thianghlimte chuan arsi chu an la hmu thei an ti nia!