Animals of the Nativity- The Donkey

The Christmas period is filled with the images of animals from robins to reindeer. One of the most important images to feature on Christmas cards and decorations is the nativity. Have you ever wondered about the animals’ origins and their roles in this iconic Christmas scene? This series explores the species that surround the manger.

The Donkey

Often perceived as stubborn and described as beasts of burden, donkeys have a fascinating origin and are essential to all nativities. Early Christians of the fourth century created windows and alfresco nativity scenes which featured a donkey alongside an ox. According to the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament,

“The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s manger; Israel has no knowledge, my people have no understanding” (Isa 1: 2–3).

Historians have interpreted this scripture to mean that both animals know their place by serving people in their livelihoods, such as working in the fields or in the marketplace. In a recent article published in Science, researchers found evidence that donkeys first became domesticated seven thousand years ago when herders in Kenya and the Horn of Africa began taming Equus africanus — wild African ass. Five thousand years ago domesticated donkeys began to expand their range as trading spread from Egypt to Sudan, and by two thousand five hundred years ago the species had populations in Asia and Europe.

According to the charity, Spana, there are forty-two million working donkeys worldwide. Unlike their domestic relatives, Equus africanus — wild African ass, is critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. There are currently only twenty-three to two hundred Equus africanus in the wild today.

In the time of the nativity, donkeys were a common form of transport and would have been the only transport option available for people of Joseph and Mary’s status.

Originally published at http://theuntamedbeast.uk on December 17, 2022.