I like this one
Consider these historical facts:
1. St. Irenaeus, writing in AD 180, saw Christ’s conception as being on March 25th and; therefore, the Feast Day of the Nativity would fall nine months later on December 25.
Supposedly this guy Irenaeus make this claim...
2. We’ve already seen St. Hippolytus do the same in ca. AD 200.
20 years later, someone copies what Irenaeus supposedly said...
3. Julius Africanus repeats this in AD 221, in his Chronographai.
And 21 years after that, another copycat from the same group...
4. By the fourth century, there is little doubt in the Christian world as to when Christ was born. St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Augustine and more would begin a symphonic proclamation.
And that my friends is how history is made...One guy copying what someone else said...But then we have a blip on the radar screen...
For these and other reasons, modern scholar, S.E. Hijmans, admits:
While they (the Christians) were aware that pagans called this day the “birthday of Sol Invictus,” this did not concern them and it did not play any role in their choice of date for Christmas (Hijmans, S.E., Sol, the Sun in the Art and Religions of Rome, p. 595).
Yup...Uh hum...Sure thing Jethro...
2. The rapid diffusion of this custom proved its genuineness via the “sensus fidelium,” i.e., the “sense of the faithful” that will not steer the church awry.
So there you have it...It's genuine history since the Catholic religion wouldn't steer anybody wrong...(So says the Catholic religion)...
The date of the angel’s appearance to Zachariah is certainly relevant. If we can determine when he served then we can figure out something close to the date of John’s conception and by extension the date of the annunciation.