Re-Tracing Mary's Footsteps Through Check Points, Visas and Borders

BETHLEHEM, Dec. 25, 2006 — -- It's a direct route of 36 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem, but scholars say the biblical path taken by the pregnant Mary diverged east to the Jordan Valley, where it would have been safer and easier to travel.

Scholars believe they have worked out her route on a path through what is now considered Israel to the ancient city of Jericho then arriving in Bethlehem. It would have been an incredible journey across deserts and ancient cities with challenges that experts say relate to the current political environment.

"I think in some ways there is an interesting parallel that can be drawn, border crossings, police at the borders, soldiers at the border," said biblical scholar Steven Pfann.

ABC News followed the route, and found across the Jordan valley there are bustling Arab towns serving the same type of bread found 2000 years ago.

At the location where Mary and Joseph might have waded through the Jordan River, there is an Israeli security guard at what is now the border between Jordan and the West Bank.

To leave Jordan one must travel several miles through the West Bank to reach the border with Israel. Travelers must provide a visa, pay a departure tax and go through customs. Then, they are stopped by the Israeli Army outside the ancient town of Jericho, now Palestinian territory.

Jericho would have been the busiest town Mary and Joseph crossed, with plenty of options for lodging and meals.

The most grueling part of the trip to Bethlehem today is the ancient route out of Jericho, blockaded again by the Israeli Army. This part of the trip can not be done by car.

The rest of Joseph and Mary's path is now impossible to complete, as it is blocked by the Israeli security fence. Even Bethlehem, a Palestinian city, is cut off from nearby Jerusalem.

While some scholars focus on this route and its significance, others think it is more a work of fiction than history.

"It's an extremely good yarn, and that's why it has survived, because people prefer good yarns to the truth," said Father Jerry Murphy O'Connor in Jerusalem.

Either way it is an amazing story and an incredible journey to explore.

This article originally mistakenly did not identify Bethlehem as a part of the West Bank. The article has now been corrected.