Jots & Tittles

018

Did Rachel Have a Breech Birth?

“They set out from Bethel; but when they were still some distance short of Ephrath, Rachel was in childbirth, and she had hard labor. When her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, ‘Have no fear, for it is another boy for you.’”

Genesis 35:16–17

These verses may be the first recorded instance of a breech delivery, according to medical doctor and Bible enthusiast Joseph Jacobs, of London. Jacobs’s suggestion appears in the July-September 1996 issue of The Jewish Bible Quarterly. He notes that according to the biblical account, the midwife was able to determine the sex of the child during the delivery—possible only in a breech birth, in which the lower half of the infant’s body emerges first and the head follows, often after a prolonged interval. In a normal delivery, where the head and shoulders come first, and the rest of the body follows almost immediately, the sex of a child cannot be determined before complete delivery.

Unfortunately, the outcome of this breech birth is not a happy one. Although the child, Benjamin, survives, Rachel does not. What caused her death? Breech births, treated today mainly by Cesarean section, were a serious complication in ancient times, often causing the death of the mother.

Bethlehem Facelift

Bethlehem city planners hope to attract nearly four million visitors after renovations to Manger Square are completed in the year 2000. Thanks to a $2.5 million donation from the Swedish government, Manger Square, currently an asphalt parking lot crowded with tour buses, will be transformed into an outdoor plaza filled with trees and fountains. Manger Square abuts the fourth-century Church of the Nativity, built over the grotto where tradition says Jesus was born.

Why is Sweden footing the bill?

The Swedish government says it hopes its effort will help bring peace to the region—and it didn’t hurt that a Swedish architect won the town’s design competition. Under the Swedish plan, the square’s asphalt will be replaced by patterned tiles. Trees, water fountains and clusters of tables and chairs will line the square; a police station facing the square will be torn down and replaced with a civic center holding an auditorium, a museum of art and religion, and a restaurant. Michel Nasser, a representative of the Bethlehem 2000 committee, says the center will serve as a base for pilgrims. Organizers hope renovations will be completed in time for the millennium celebrations. Work was scheduled to begin after Christmas 1997.

As part of Bethlehem’s “new look,” city planners hope to refurbish the inside of the Church of the Nativity as well, which is in desperate need of repair. Medieval mosaics on the walls have chipped and scarred. Paintings of saints on the interior’s 14 pillars have faded almost beyond recognition, and centuries of candle soot have blackened the grotto’s ceiling. Empress Helena, Constantine’s mother, built the first, octagonal church at the site in the fourth century. Much of the building seen today, however, dates to the reign of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I (483–565).

For those tourists who are concerned that all the renovations will displace the souvenir stands, never fear. Rows of souvenir shops selling olive-wood nativity scenes and faded postcards will remain in place.

Holy Theme Park, Batman!

A proposed “Holy Land” theme park, said to be the brainchild of a group of high-profile Hollywood investors, wants to spread religious shrines and inter-active Bible scenes over 3,000 acres of Mesquite, Nevada, located an hour’s drive from Las Vegas. Mesquite has yet to approve the $1.1 billion dollar proposal. In addition to rides, the park would feature Bible scenes in the form of holograms, virtual reality, and theatrical and statuary re-creations. Various religions would be invited to participate at their own expense.

Although plans do not include a 33-story statue of Jesus for visitors to climb in, as originally reported in newspapers, the park will offer a ride through the parting of the Red Sea, a re-creation of Noah’s Ark, and a site where people can see Lazarus being raised from the dead.

According to Jesus, people should wait and judge things “by their fruits.” Though not ready to pass judgment just yet, the Reverend Pat Leary, vicar general of the Roman Catholic diocese of Las Vegas, has expressed doubts about the project. Leary told Reuters, “Sometimes such endeavors border on bad taste.”

019

Investing by the Book

“If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

1 Timothy 5:8

That verse serves as the inspiration for the Timothy Plan, a conservative Christian investment fund that puts its money where its values are. The fund screens out from its portfolio companies involved in any way with abortion (manufacturers of abortifacients, hospitals that perform abortions, insurance companies that pay for them, and companies that contribute to Planned Parenthood), pornography (including companies that advertise in adult magazines and sponsors of violent television shows), alcohol and tobacco production, and gambling.

Arthur D. Ally, president of the Winter Park, Florida-based Timothy Plan, told BR that for 1997, the fund enjoyed a 21.4% return, keeping close pace with the Dow as a whole (which was up 22.6%) but lagging behind the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, which saw a 31% gain. (Ally, like all investment advisers, cautions that past performance is no guarantee of future earnings.)

You don’t have to be a conservative Christian, of course, to care about the morality of the companies in your investment portfolio. Political liberals have for years had several “socially responsible” funds to choose from, which scorn companies that damage the environment, produce nuclear energy or that, during the era of apartheid, did business in South Africa.

Individual investors can ask their brokers to tailor their investments to meet their religious and moral concerns. Suzanne Harvey, who researches companies for Prudential Securities, notes that a large portion of her work is related to investors’ religious convictions. Companies that sell or manufacture caffeine, for example, are out for Christian Scientist clients, and alcohol is a no-no for Muslim investors. She notes that alcohol is also out of bounds for conservative Christians and for some liberals, who view it as a health problem.

Workplace issues are also a growing concern, Harvey notes. More and more investors want to know about working conditions, diversity in the work force and family-friendly benefits, such as leave to care for a family member. One flashpoint is domestic partners: Some conservatives avoid companies that grant benefits to their employees’ unmarried or homosexual partners; some liberals avoid companies that don’t.

One problem with screening investments—whatever the criteria—is the risk of getting a lower return. “Screening doesn’t necessarily mean underperformance,” Prudential’s Harvey told BR, “but if you screen vast numbers of companies,” returns are likely to be hurt.

Larry Paul, a certified financial planner in the Washington, D.C., area, says funds that use social or religious screens “can compete with the market.” There are always trade-offs in financial planning, he notes. Investors nearing retirement, for example, will likely seek fiscally conservative funds; younger investors can afford to be more daring and invest in funds that offer greater returns but also risk greater losses. Screening is another such trade-off, Paul told BR. “If [social or religious criteria] are a priority, the only question is, do you get a good enough return? You don’t have to own the number one fund,” Paul says.

019

On View

Vatican Treasures: Early Christian, Renaissance, and Baroque Art from the Papal Collections

February 8—April 12, 1998

The popes were among the greatest art patrons in history. This exhibit brings to the United States 39 masterpieces commissioned by and for popes. The show is organized according to three important artistic periods (from the 6th through 18th centuries) in the religious life of the church, with reliquaries and precious objects from the medieval period; paintings and sculpture from the Baroque period; and liturgical objects, illuminated manuscripts and vestments from the Renaissance. Beginning with the most significant group of Byzantine and early medieval objects ever to leave the Vatican, the show climaxes with the nearly 10-foot-high oil painting The Entombment of Christ, by Caravaggio. Other highlights include the ninth-century enamel Cross of Paschal I, the Christmas Missal of Alexander VI, sculptures by Bernini and the 1,400-year-old gem-encrusted, gilt silver Cross of Justin II, commissioned by the Byzantine emperor as a gift to the pope in the sixth century.

Did Rachel Have a Breech Birth?