The Bible does not mention a stable, only the manger (feeding-trough) in which the newborn baby was laid (Luke 2:7, 12, 16). Mary and Joseph evidently stayed in an area where animals, most likely sheep, were kept. That would usually make it a cave with a low stone wall around the outside to protect the flock during the night-time, when predators would be hunting. Such caves are still used by shepherds in the Bethlehem area and records going back as early as the second century AD indicate that the Savior was born in a cave. Portions of that cave still exist and can be seen beneath two adjacent churches in Bethlehem.
