John Webster said Jesus was born "in an obscure Palestinian village" (Letters, December 20).
But Jesus was not born in Palestine at all. He was born in Bethlehem, Judea, see Matthew 2:1-12. It was his Jewish family home. Bethlehem is a Hebrew word meaning "house of bread".
The Jewish population of Judea and Samaria was conquered and largely driven out in 70CE and 135CE.
The Roman Emperor Hadrian changed the name of Israel and Judea to "Palestina" in 135CE.
He formed the term by Latinising the name of the Philistines, the ancient enemies of Israel, hoping to erase the name of Israel forever. Jesus was born in Judea.
-Gerald Oberman, Hove
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