Although most famous as the birthplace of Jesus, the biblical significance of Bethlehem actually began much earlier when Ruth traveled there with her mother Naomi. Ruth married Boaz, and many generations later David was born into this family. This great king of Israel had been prophesized by Micah (5:2-4) "But you (Bethlehem) Ephrathah, the least of the clans of Judah, out of you will be born for me the one who is to rule over Israel." Many believed that Jesus was the ultimate fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy because he, too, was born in Bethlehem of the house of David.

Because of an early Christian tradition that Jesus was born in a cave, when Bethlehem became an important Christian monastic center during the 4^th century AD, churches commemorating Christ’s birth were built over or near caves in the area. This tradition also attached itself to St. Jerome who translated the Bible into Latin while living in Bethlehem. Pictures of St. Jerome working in his cave, although perhaps not factual, were a frequent subject in Western religious art.