Bridget Supple, an antenatal teacher and author of The Birthkeeper of Bethlehem, shares her perspective on the often-neglected account of the midwife in the Christmas birth narratives 

It caused quite a stir when headlines announced in December 2022 that archaeologists had found the ancient tomb of Mary’s midwife, Salome. 

We all know the age-old Nativity story, with many of us having been entertained by a primary school production complete with singing, dancing and tea-towel wearing shepherds. A sweet portrayal of Mary and Joseph travelling with their trusty steed (cue a whole-class rendition of ‘Little Donkey’) and knocking on doors until a lowly stable is eventually offered as the birthplace of Jesus Christ. The story is as familiar to us as Brussel sprouts at Christmas, so it came as quite a surprise to many reading those headlines that this scenario probably wasn’t actually the case.

The local midwife 

If Mary and Joseph made it to Bethlehem, as the famous story portrays, then rather than birthing alone, the local midwife would have been called. In Jewish tradition surrounding childbirth, once women have had a show, their waters break, or contraction pain becomes regular, they are considered in a state of “yoledet” and must be separated from men. There cannot be physical… (Register to read the rest of the article)