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In the end, as long as one finds the true meaning of Christmas, that is what counts. (We need to keep the true meaning - Everyone, to the mall for shopping! /sarcasm). One thing I do wish is that some groups would quit trying to include the "Flying Spaghetti Monster" and other things in displays.

If one wishes to peruse the full writings of various bishops, scholars, apologists, etcetera (from the 2nd century A.D. on), a great resource is "Early Christian Writings, Early Church Fathers" [link below].

Listed are : Church Fathers: Didache, down to Church Fathers Justin Martyr, Claudius Appollinaris, Irenaeus of Lyons, Theophilus of Antioch, Polycrates of Ephesus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Serapion of Antioch, Hippolytus of Rome, Origen, and many, many others (30 plus in all).

Early Christian Writings, Early Church Fathers:

http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/churchfathers.html

I asked this question to a holy roller guy I used to work with. He told me the date of 25 December was originally a pagan holiday, and the assignation of the Christmas holiday to this date was actually the result of a political compromise by a king of England. I have no reason to disbelieve him!

A previous FR article: Yes, Christ Was Really Born on December 25: a Defense of the Trad Date for Christmas

Christmas = Winter Solstice
Easter = Spring Equinox

The Bill of Rights was ratified in 1787. What if we were discussing the real meaning of the any of the Amendments (say, the Second) and could only go back to what a scholar said in 1987 about its true meaning, how reliable would that opinion likely be?

Do we trust the opinion of say, Justice Ginsburg to be completely honest about the meaning of the Second Amendment? Well of course it would be foolish to. Yet, instead of searching the Scriptures about the true, accurate and harmonious facts about the birth of Our Savior, no, we are happy to base a pivotal holiday of the Christian holidays upon this tissue of historical noise: “Finally, in about 200 C.E., a Christian teacher in Egypt makes reference to the date Jesus was born.”

But it gets worse, far worse. In this Post-Christian society. We have seen a tech mob ride Mozilla CEO Brenden Eich out of a job because they found out that he believes that marriage should only be between one man and one woman. I see in other news that techies almost relish the vast holiday parties that Google throws. Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is gay, was widely quoted as anticipating an “iPad Christmas”.

By his actions, Tim Cook acknowledges that Jesus is important to his employees and to him personally. Otherwise, why would he cheer selling a lot of iPads for the holiday that celebrates His birth? Obviously a lot of techies have no problem with how Google observes Christmas.

But if a person wants to actually study the words of Jesus, and shapes his thinking and actions based on those words, how should he react when Jesus clearly speaks to the topic of sexual morality? (Like in Revelation 22:15?) How should he react when he knows that God could not bless anyone with a gift of a behavior that He declares to be detestable? How should he react knowing that should he make his opinion public that he could suffer the same fate and public humiliation as Brenden Eich did?

If advocates of same sex marriage want to be consistent, they must now repudiate Jesus and anything associated with Him including Christmas. Are these people proud enough of being gay and or supporting equal rights for gays that they are willing to stop observing Christmas? Or will they just re-imagine Christmas to suit their agenda? What does that make them?

If a society that violates many of the core values of Jesus can still observe a day that is dedicated to His birth, what does that say about their values? What does that say about the holiday?

The brutal answer is: the holiday is as corrupted as they all are. Jesus was not born on any day near December 25. There is not a single passage in God’s word that commands that anyone observe the day of His birth, while there are many that command observing His Teachings, which include commands to live a life of morality, including sexual morality. Jesus said (dare I quote Him?) it was God’s intent from the beginning of humanity that marriage was ONLY to be between one man and one woman. He also lamented that many people call Him Lord yet do not obey Him.

And He said that people who insist on adding to His word or taking away from what He said, would be cursed. And clearly we are now very cursed. The fruits of the way that society relates to Jesus and His teachings show how corrupted we have become. The truth about Jesus does indeed set people free, if only they were willing to read His Word as closely as they read their friend’s Facebook postings.

Luke 2 provides several clues. Not Winter, sheep are not in the field for Winter at 35 North. Zechariah is the order of Abijah. Not wasted information. We learned that King David assigned orders for priestly service. Now we can determine when John was born, and 6 months later, Jesus. Not December...

LFC,

Do you care or just like stirring the pot?

I can’t answer for why the ancient church selected Dec 25th over any other day, and any attempt to change it at this late date seems to me to be immaterial.

What the church has always believe is that Jesus was born, and that is what is being celebrated. I know many people who celebrate their “birthday” on a different day then when they were born.

I think you should look at the larger issue of obeying the teaching of Jesus and the NT writers, and less on the trivia of the Christian faith.

Grace and Peace,
K51

At least we know WHERE He was born.

Unlike a certain modern day leader.

There is no mention of birth celebrations in the writings of early Christian writers such as Irenaeus (c. 130-200) or Tertullian (c. 160-225).

Tertullian gives the date as Dec. 25 actually. The passage is disputed as an interpolation, but it's there.

Moreover, even if it is an interpolation, Tertullian also gives the Annunciation as March 25, from which Christ's birthday on Dec. 25 nine months later is inferred.

And the evidence from Tertullian harmonizes well with Chrysostom's claim in the 4th century as he was trying to get the feast spread in the East, that the Roman Church celebrated it on the 25th from time immemorial. He even claims the date was found in the census records, at Rome.

Does it even matter at this point? Christmas has moved from Jesus and into “Good will to all mankind.” For the most part, Christmas is a celebration anyone can participate celebrating and, outside of some acts of greed, it is a holiday that I think Jesus would appreciate. It is the one holiday where giving versus receiving is the focus, where happiness and joy are integral to its meaning. Many do celebrate Jesus at Christmas. The Catholic mass is an amazing celebration in many churches. Protestants of all denominations make a huge celebration as well. I don’t think Jesus would disapprove.

The theory that makes the most sense to me has to do with marketing.

The pagans held one of their biggest feasts of the year on the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. This maked the end of the year and the start of the new one.

Not to be outdone, Christians held THEIR biggest feast right after the pagan feast ended.

Which feast would prospective converts remember? The last one they attended, most likely. And Christianity prospered. Simple.

On our modern Gregorian calendar, which did NOT exist at the time of Christ Jesus’ birth, He was born on October 4, 4BC.
Born, sometime overnight, on 15 Tishri, 3758 on the Hebrew’s calendar. See:http://antipas.net/heb_cal_3758.htm

The Bible offers few clues: Celebrations of Jesus' nativity are not mentioned in the Gospels or Acts; the date is not given, not even the time of year. The biblical reference to shepherds tending their flocks at night when the hear the news of Jesus' birth (Luke 2:8) night suggest the spring lambing season; in the cold month of December, on the other hand, sheep might well have been corralled. Yet most scholars would urge caution about extracting such a precise but incidental detail from a narrative whose focus is theological rather than calendrical.

I've long suspected that Jesus was born in the spring. Doesn't really matter particularly to me when we celebrate the event. We ought to do it every day.

For your perusal enjoyment...

This Is Appendix 179 From The Companion Bible.

I. Parallel Datings of the Times of Our Lord.

II. Dates of "The Begetting" and The Nativity.

III. "The Course of Abia".

A.M. = Anno Mundi; that is to say, in the year of the world.
B.C. = Before Christ. Reckoned as from 4004 A.M.
A.C. = Anno Christi; that is to say, in the year of Christ. Reckoned from the Nativity, in 4000 A.M. and 749-750 A.U.C.
A.U.C. = Anno Urbis Conditoe; that is to say; the year in which the City (Rome) was founded.

I.
PARALLEL DATINGS OF THE TIMES OF OUR LORD.

A.M.	B.C. - A.D.	A.C.	A.U.C.	YEARS OF THE REIGN OF AUGUSTUS (OCTAVIUS).	YEARS OF THE REIGN OF TIBERIUS.
3960	44		9
1	43		710
2	42		11
3	41		12
4	40		13
5	39		14 Herod declared king by the Romans, according to Josephus (*Ant.*xvii. 8 § 1), who states that his death took place thiryt-seven years later, and as he always reckoned his years from Nisan to Nisan (including initial and terminal fractions of Nisan as complete years), the death of Herod would be in 749-750 A.U.C., or 4-3 B.C.
6	38		15
7	37		16
8	36		17
9	35		18
3970	34		19
1	33		720
2	32		21
3	Battle of Actium 31		722	1st year of Octavius.
4	30 Decree of Senate of Rome.		23	2
5	29		24	3
6	28		25	4
7	27		26	5 AUGUSTUS (Octavius) IMPERATOR
8	26		27	6
9	25		28	7
3980	24		29	8
1	23		730	9
2	22		31	10
3	21		32	11
4	20		33	12
5	19		34	13
6	18		35	14
7	17		36	15
8	16		37	16
9	15		38	17
3990	14		39	18
1	13		740	19
2	12		41	20
3	11		42	21
4	10		43	22
5	9		44	23
6	8		45	24
7	7		46	25
8	6		47	26
9	{5}		48	27
(See Appendix 50) 4000	THE NATIVITY 1st taxing or Census Luke 2:2 {4	YEARS OF THE AGE OF THE LORD 0}	749 Herod d.c end of January 3 B.C.	28 Our Lord birth 15th Tisri = 29th September 4 B.C.
{1	{3	Quirinus' First Governorship. 1}	750	29
{2	{2	2}	51	30
3	{1	3}	52	31
4004	0 A.D.	4	753	32 A.D. reckoning begins, owing to the mistake of *Dionysius Exiguus* in arranging the Calendar of the Christian Era in A.D. 532.
5	1	5	54	33
6	2	6	55	34
7	3	7	56	35
8	4	8	57	36
9	5	9	58	37
4010	6	10	59	38
1	7	11	760	39
2	8	12 Christ in the Temple	61	40
3	9	13	62	41
4	2nd Census (?) 10	14	63	42	YEARS OF THE REIGN OF TIBERIUS.
5	11	15	64	43
6	12	16	65	44 1st yr. of Tiberius'	1 joint reign with Augustus.
7	13	17	66	45	2
8	14	18	67	19th August 46 Augustus dies.	3 Tiberius alone.
9	15	19	68		4
4020	16	20	69		5
1	17	21	770		6
2	18	22	71		7
3	19	23	72		8
4	20	24	73		9
5	21	25	74		10
6	22	26	75		11
7	23	27	76		12
8	3rd Census (?) 24	28	77		13 3rd Census this year (?).
9	25	29	78		14
4030	26 The Ministry	30 of our	779 Lord	begins (Luke 3:23) in the	15th year of Tiberius.
1	27	31	780		16
2	28	32	81		17
ANNO MUNDI 4033	THE CRUCIFIXION 29	A.D.THE LORD 33	YEARS OF AGE.	A.U.C. ROMAN RECKONING. 782	THE 18th year of Tiberius.

II.
DATES OF "THE BEGETTING" (he gennesis, Matthew 1:18,20 (see Revised Version marg.). John 1:14-) OF OUR LORD AND HIS BIRTH. (Luke 2:7. John 1:-14.)

TEBETH (29)	1 =25-26	DECEMBER (7) (5 B.C.).
	2 = 26-27
	3 = 27-28
	4 = 28-29
	5 = 29-30
	6 = 30-31
	7 = 31-1
	8 = 1-2	JANUARY (31) (4 B.C.).
	9 = 2-3
	10 = 3-4
	11 = 4-5
	12 = 5-6
	13 = 6-7
	14 = 7-8
	15 = 8-9
	16 = 9-10
	17 = 10-11
	18 = 11-12
	19 = 12-13
	20 = 13-14
	21 = 14-15
	22 = 15-16
	23 = 16-17
	24 = 17-18
	25 = 18-19
	26 = 19-20
	27 = 20-21
	28 = 21-22
	29 = 22-23
SEBAT (30)	1 = 23-24
	2 = 24-25
	3 = 25-26
	4 = 26-27
	5 = 27-28
	6 = 28-29
	7 = 29-30
	8 = 30-31
	9 = 31-1
	10 = 1-2	FEBUARY (29) (Leap Year)
	11 = 2-3
	12 = 3-4
	13 = 4-5
	14 = 5-6
	15 = 6-7
	16 = 7-8
	17 = 8-9
	18 = 9-10
	19 = 10-11
	20 = 11-12
	21 = 12-13
	22 = 13-14
	23 = 14-15
	24 = 15-16
	25 = 16-17
	26 = 17-18
	27 = 18-19
	28 = 19-20
	29 = 20-21
	30 = 21-22
ADAR (29)	1 = 22-23
	2 = 23-24
	3 = 24-25
	4 = 25-26
	5 = 26-27
	6 = 27-28
	7 = 28-29
	8 = 29-1
	9 = 1-2	MARCH (31)
	10 = 2-3
	11 = 3-4
	12 = 4-5
	13 = 5-6
	14 = 6-7
	15 = 7-8
	16 = 8-9
	17 = 9-10
	18 = 10-11
	19 = 11-12
	__________
	78 \| 78
	20 = 12-13
	21 = 13-14
	22 = 14-15
	23 = 15-16
	24 = 16-17
	25 = 17-18
	26 = 18-19
	27 = 19-20
	28 = 20-21
	29 = 21-22
NISAN (30)	1 = 22-23
	2 = 23-24
	3 = 24-25
	4 = 25-26
	5 = 26-27
	6 = 27-28
	7 = 28-29
	8 = 29-30
	9 = 30-31
	10 = 31-1
	11 = 1-2	APRIL (30)
	12 = 2-3
	13 = 3-4
	14 = 4-5
	15 = 5-6
	16 = 6-7
	17 = 7-8
	18 = 8-9
	19 = 9-10
	20 = 10-11
	21 = 11-12
	22 = 12-13
	23 = 13-14
	24 = 14-15
	25 = 15-16
	26 = 16-17
	27 = 17-18
	28 = 18-19
	29 = 19-20
	30 = 20-21
ZIF (29)	1 = 21-22
	2 = 22-23
	3 = 23-24
	4 = 24-25
	5 = 25-26
	6 = 26-27
	7 = 27-28
	8 = 28-29
	9 = 29-30
	10 = 30-31
	11 = 1-2	MAY (31)
	12 = 2-3
	13 = 3-4
	14 = 4-5
	15 = 5-6
	16 = 6-7
	17 = 7-8
	18 = 8-9
	19 = 9-10
	20 = 10-11
	21 = 11-12
	22 = 12-13
	23 = 13-14
	24 = 14-15
	25 = 15-16
	26 = 16-17
	27 = 17-18
	28 = 18-19
	29 = 19-20
SIVAN (30)	1 = 20-21
	2 = 21-22
	3 = 22-23
	4 = 23-24
	5 = 24-25
	6 = 25-26
	7 = 26-27
	8 = 27-28
	9 = 28-29
	________
	156 \| 156
	10 = 29-30
	11 = 30-31
	12 = 31-1
	13 = 1-2	JUNE (30)
	14 = 2-3
	15 = 3-4
	16 = 4-5
	17 = 5-6
	18 = 6-7
	19 = 7-8
	20 = 8-9
	21 = 9-10
	22 = 10-11
	23 = 11-12
	24 = 12-13
	25 = 13-14
	26 = 14-15
	27 = 15-16
	28 = 16-17
	29 = 17-18
	30 = 18-19
THAMMUZ (29)	1 = 19-20
	2 = 20-21
	3 = 21-22
	4 = 22-23
	5 = 23-24
	6 = 24-25
	7 = 25-26
	8 = 26-27
	9 = 27-28
	10 = 28-29
	11 = 29-30
	12 =30-1
	13 = 1-2	JULY (31)
	14 = 2-3
	15 = 3-4
	16 = 4-5
	17 = 5-6
	18 = 6-7
	19 = 7-8
	20 = 8-9
	21 = 9-10
	22 = 10-11
	23 = 11-12
	24 = 12-13
	25 = 13-14
	26 = 14-15
	27 = 15-16
	28 = 16-17
	29 = 17-18
AB (30)	1 = 18-19
	2 = 19-20
	3 = 20-21
	4 = 21-22
	5 = 22-23
	6 = 23-24
	7 = 24-25
	8 = 25-26
	9 = 26-27
	10 = 27-28
	11 = 28-29
	12 = 29-30
	13 = 30-31
	14 = 31-1
	15 = 1-2	AUGUST (31)
	16 = 2-3
	17 = 3-4
	18 = 4-5
	19 = 5-6
	20 = 6-7
	21 = 7-8
	22 = 8-9
	23 = 9-10
	24 = 10-11
	25 = 11-12
	26 = 12-13
	27 = 13-14
	28 = 14-15
	__________
	234 \| 234
	29 = 15-16
	30 = 16-17
ELUL (29)	1 = 17-18
	2 = 18-19
	3 = 19-20
	4 = 20-21
	5 = 21-22
	6 = 22-23
	7 = 23-24
	8 = 24-25
	9 = 25-26
	10 = 26-27
	11 = 27-28
	12 = 28-29
	13 = 29-30
	14 = 30-31
	15 = 31-1	SEPTEMBER (29)
	16 = 1-2
	17 = 2-3
	18 = 3-4
	19 = 4-5
	20 = 5-6
	21 = 6-7
	22 = 7-8
	23 = 8-9
	24 = 9-10
	25 = 10-11
	26 = 11-12
	27 = 12-13
	28 = 13-14
	29 = 14-15
ETHANIM (TISRI) (15)	1 = 15-16
	2 = 16-17
	3 = 17-18
	4 = 18-19
	5 = 19-20
	6 = 20-21
	7 = 21-22
	8 = 22-23
	9 = 23-24
	10 = 24-25
	11 = 25-26
	12 = 26-27
	13 = 27-28
	14 = 28-29
ETHANIM OR (TISRI)	15 = 29-30	SEPTEMBER
	____________
Days on Jewish reckoning,	280 \| 280	days, on Gentile reckoning.
	_____ _____
According to Jewish reckoning.		According to Gentile (Western) reckoning.
TEBETH 29 days		DECEMBER 7 days
SEBAT 30 days		JANUARY 31 days
ADAR 29 days		FEBUARY 29 days
NISAN 30 days		MARCH 31 days
ZIF 29 days		APRIL 30 days
SIVAN 30 days		MAY 31 days
THAMMUZ 29 days		JUNE 30 days
AB 30 days		JULY 31 days
ELUL 29 days		AUGUST 31 days
ETHANIM 15 days		SEPTEMBER 29 days
__________		__________
280		280
==========		==========

280 days = 40 weeks - forty sevens, the perfect period of human gestation [7x5x8=280].

The Component Numbers of 280 are highly significant in this connection.

7 denotes Spiritual Perfection.

5 denotes Divine Grace.

8 denotes Resurrection, Regeneration, etc. (Appendix 10).

1st TEBETH = 25th December (5 B.C.)

15th ETHANIM = 29th September (4 B.C.).

From 1st TEBETH to 15th ETHANIM (inclusive) = 280 days.

From 25th DECEMBER (5 B.C .) to 29th SEPTEMBER (4 B.C.) = 280 days.

It thus appears without the shadow of a doubt that the day assigned to the Birth of the Lord, videlicet: December 25, was the day on which He was "begotten of the Holy Ghost", that is to say, by pneuma hagion = divine power (Matthew 1:18, 20 marg.), and His birth took place on the 15th of Ethanim, September 29, in the year following, thus making beautifully clear the meaning of John 1:14,"The Word became flesh" (Matthew 1:18,20) on 1st Tebeth or December 25 (5 B.C.), "and tabernacled (Greek eskenosen) with us", on 15th of Ethanim or September 29 (4 B.C.).
The 15th of Ethanim (or Tisri) was the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles. The Circumcision therefore took place on the eighth day of the Feast = 22nd Ethanim = October 6-7 (Leviticus 23:33-43). So that these two momentous events fall into their proper place and order, and the real reason is made clear why the 25th of December is associated with our Lord, and was set apart by the Apostolic Church to commemorate the stupendous event of the "Word becoming flesh" - and not, as we have for so long been led to suppose, the commemoration of a pagon festival.
An overwhelmingly strong argument in favour of the correctness of this view lies in the fact that the date of "the Festival of Michael and All Angels" has been from very early times the 29th day of September, on Gentile (Western) reckoning.
    But "the Church" even then had lost sight of the reason why this date rather than any other in the Calendar should be so indissolubly associated with the great Angelic Festival.
   The following expresses the almost universal knowledge or rather want of knowledge of "Christendom" on the subject: "We pass on now to consider, in the third place, the commemoration of September 29, the festival of Michaelmas, par excellence. It does not appear at all certain what was the original special idea of the commemoration of this day" (Smith Dictionary of Chr. Antiqq. (1893), volume ii, page 1177 (3) ).
   A reference, however, to the Table and statements above, make the "original special idea" why the Festival of "Michael and All Angels" is held on September 29 abundantly clear. Our Lord was born on that day, the first day of the "Feast of Tabernacle" (Leviticus 23:39). This was on the fifteenth day of the seventh Jewish month called Tisri, or Ethanim (Appendix 51. 5), corresponding to our September 29 (of the year 4 B.C.).
   The "Begetting" (gennesis) Day of the Lord was announced by the Angel Gabriel. See notes on Daniel 8:16, and Luke 1:19.
   The "Birth" Day, by "(the) Angel of the Lord", unnamed in either Matthew and Luke.
   That this Angelic Being was "Michael the Archangel" (of Jude 9), and "Mika'el hassar haggadol-"Michael the Great Prince"-of Daniel 12:1, seems clear for the following reason: If, "when again (yet future) He bringeth the First-begotten into the world, He saith, Let all the Angels of God worship Him" (Hebrews 1:6; quoting Psalm 97:6)-then this must include the great Archangel Michael himself. By parity of reasoning, on the First "bringing" into the world of the only begotten Son, the Archangel must have been present. And the tremendous announcement to the shepherds, that the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) was on earth in the person of the Babe of Bethlehem, must therefore have been made by the same head of the heavenly host (Luke 2:9-14). In mundane affairs, announcement of supremest importance (of Kings, etc.) are invariably conveyed through the most exalted personage in the realm. The point need not be laboured.
The fact of the Birth of our Lord having been revealed to the shepherds by the Archangel Michael on the 15th of Tisri (or Ethtanim), corresponding to September 29, 4 B.C.-the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles-must have been known to believers in the Apostolic Age. But "the mystery of iniquity" which was "already working" in Paul's day (2 Thessalonians 2:7) quickly enshrouded this and the other great fact of the Jewish month Tebeth (corresponding to December 25, 5 B.C.)-as well as other connected with His sojourn on earth,⁴-in a rising mist of obscurity in which they have ever since been lost.
The earliest allusion to December 25 (modern reckoning) as the date for the Nativity is found in the Stromata of Clement of Alexandria, about the beginning of the third century A.D. (See note ³).⁵
That "Christmas" was a pagan festival long before the time of our Lord is beyond doubt. In Egypt Horus (or Harpocrates ⁶), the son of Isis (Queen of Heaven), was born about the time of the winter solstice.⁷ By the time of the early part of the fourth century A.D., the real reason for observing Christmas as the date for the miraculous "begetting" of Matthew 1:18 and "the Word becoming flesh" of John 1:14 had been lost sight of. The policy of Constantine, and his Edict of Milan, by establishing universal freedom of religion furthered this. When many of the followers of the old pagan systems-the vast majority of the empire, it must be remembered- adopted the Christian religion as a cult, which Constantine had made fashionable, and the "Church" became the Church of the Roman Empire, they brought in with them, among a number of other things emanating from Egypt and Babylon, the various Festival Days of the old "religious". Thus "Chirstmas Day," the birthday of the Egyptian Horus (Osiris), became gradually substituted for the real Natalis Domini of our blessed Saviour, videlicet: September 29,or Michaelmas Day.
If, however, we realize that the centre of gravity, so to speak, of what we call the Incarnation is the Incarnation itself- the wondrous fact of the Divine "begetting", when "the Word became flesh" (see Matthew 1:18 and John 1:14) - and that this is to be associated with December 25 instead of March - as for 1,600 years Christendom has been led to believe - then "Christmas" will be seen in quite another light, and many who have hitherto been troubled with scruples concerning the day being, as they have been taught, the anniversary of a Pagan festival, will be enabled to worship on that Day without alloy of doubt, as the time when the stupendous miracle which is the foundation stone of the Christian faith, came to pass.
   The "Annunciation" by the Angel Gabriel marked the gennesis of Matthew 1:18, and the first words of John 1:14.
   The announcement to the shepherds by the Archangel Michael marked the Birth of our Lord. John 1:14 is read as though "the Word became flesh (Revised Version), and dwelt among us", were one and the same thing where - as they are two clauses.
   The paragraph should read thus:

"And the Word became flesh; (Greek ho logos sarx egeneto.)

And tabernacled with (or among) us." (Greek kai eskenosen en hemin).

   The word tabernacled here (preserved in Revised Version marg.) receives beautiful significance from the knowledge that "the Lord of Glory" was "found in fashion as a man" , and thus tabernacling in human flesh. And in turn it shows in equally beautiful significance that our Lord was born on the first day of the great Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, videlicet: the 15th of Tisri, corresponding to September 29, 4 B.C. (modern reckoning).
   The circumcision of our Lord took place therefore on the eighth day, the last day of the Feast, the "Great Day of the Feast" of John 7:37 ("Tabernacles" had eight days. The Feast of Unleavened Bread had seven days, and Pentecost one. See Leviticus 23).
The main arguments against the Nativity having taken place in December may be set forth very simply:

(i) The extreme improbability, amounting almost to impossibility, that Mary, under such circumstances, could have undertaken a journey of about 70 miles (as the crow flies), through a hill district averaging some 3,000 feet above sea - level, in the depth of winter:

(ii) Shepherds and their flocks would not be found "abiding" (Greek agrauleo) in the open fields at night in December (Tebeth), for the paramount reason that there would be no pasturage at that time. It was the custom then (as now) to withdraw the flocks during the month Marchesvan (October-November)⁸ from the open districts and house them for the winter.

(iii) The Roman authorities in imposing such a "census taking" for the hated and unpopular "foreign" tax would not have enforced the imperial decree (Luke 2:1) at the most inconvenient and inclement season of the year, by compelling the people to enroll themselves at their respective "cities" in December. In such a case they would naturally choose the "line" of least resistance", and select a time of year that would cause least friction, and interference with the habits and pursuits of the Jewish people. This would be in the autumn, when the agricultural round of the year was complete, and the people generally more or less at liberty to take advantage, as we know many did, of the opportunity of "going up" to Jerusalem for the "Feast of Tabernacles" (compare John 7:8-10, etc.), the crowning Feast of the Jewish year.

To take advantage of such a time would be to the Romans the simplest and most natural policy, whereas to attempt to enforce the Edict of Registration for the purposes of Imperial taxation in the depth of winter, - when travelling for such a purpose would have been deeply resented, and perhaps have brought about a revolt,-would never have been attempted by such an astute ruler as Augustus.
With regard to the other two "Quarter Days", June 24, March 25, these are both associated with the miraculous (Luke 1:7) "conception" and the birth of the Forerunner, as December 25 and September 29 are with our Lord's miraculous "Begetting" and Birth; and are therefore connected with "the Course of Abiah."

III.
"THE COURSE OF ABIA" (Luke 1:5).

This was the eighth of the priestly courses of ministration in the Temple (1 Chronicles 24:10), and occurred, as did the others, twice in the year.

The "Courses"were changed every week, beginning each with a Sabbath. The reckoning commenced on the 22nd day of Tisri or Ethanim (Appendix 51. 5). This was the eighth and last day of the Feast of Tabernacles = the "Great Day of the Feast" (John 7:37), and was a Sabbath (Leviticus 23:39).

The first course fell by lot to Jehoiarib, and the eighth to Abia or Abijah (1 Chronicles 24:10).

Bearing in mind that all the courses served together at the three Great Feasts, the dates for the two yearly "ministrations" of Abiah will be seen to fall as follows:

The first ⁹ ministration was from 12-18 Chisleu = December 6-12.

The second ministration was from 12-18 Sivan = June 13-19.

The announcement therefore to Zacharias in the Temple as to the conception of John the Baptist took place between 12-18 SIVAN (June 13-19), in the year 5 B.C. After finishing his "ministration", the aged priest "departed to his own house" (Luke 1:23), which was in a city¹⁰ in "the hill country" of Juda (verse 39).

The day following the end of the "Course of Abia" being a Sabbath (Sivan 19), he would not be able to leave Jerusalem before the 20th.

The thirty miles journey would probably occupy, for an old man, a couple of days at least. He would therefore arrive at his house on the 21st or 22nd. This leaves ample time for the miraculous "conception" of Elizabeth to take place on or about 23rd of SIVAN ¹¹ - which would correspond to June 23-24 of that year. The fact of the conception and its date would necessarily be known at the time and afterwards, and hence the 23rd SIVAN would henceforth be associated with the conception of John Baptist as the 1st TEBETH would be with that of our Lord.

But the same influences that speedily obscured and presently obliterated the real dates of our Lord's "Begetting" and Birth, were also at work with regard to those of the Forerunner, and with the same results. As soon as the true Birth day of Christ had been shifted from its proper date, videlicet: the 15th of Tisri (September 29), and a Festival Day from the Pagan Calendars substituted for it (videlicet: December 25), then everything else had to be altered too.

Hence "Lady Day" in association with March 25 (new style) became necessarily connected with the Annunciation. And June 24 made its appearance, as it still is in our Calendar, as the date of "the Nativity of John the Baptist", instead of, as it really is, the date of his miraculous conception.

The Four "Quarter Days" may therefore be set forth thus: first in the chronological order of the events with which they are associated, videlicet:

The conception of John Baptist	on or about 23rd SIVAN = June 24	in the year 5 B.C.
The *Gennesis* (Begetting) of our Lord	on or about 1st TEBETH = December 25	in the year 5 B.C.
The birth of John Baptist	on or about 4th-7th NISAN = March 25-28	in the year 4 B.C.
The birth of our Lord	on or about 15th TISRI = September 29	in the year 4 B.C.

or, placing the two sets together naturally:-

{The conception of John	23rd SIVAN = June 23-24	in the year 5 B.C.
{The birth of John	7th NISAN = March 28-29	in the year 4 B.C.
{The Miraculous "Begetting"	1st TEBETH = December 25	in the year 5 B.C.
{The NATIVITY	15th TISRI = September 29	in the year 4 B.C.

NOTES

¹ ZUMPT fixes Quirinus' (Cyrenius') First Governorship as 4 B.C. to 1 B.C. Justin Martyr thrice says that our Lord was born under Quirinus (Apol. 1. XXXIV, page 37; XLVI, page 46; Dial. LXXVIII, page 195. Clarks edition).

² According to some, Augustus died August 19, A.D. 14. Therefore if Tiberius' co-regnancy was for two years before Augustus' death his first year was 765 A.U.C. = 12 A.D.. His fifteenth year consequently was A.U.C. 779 = 26 A.D. = 4030 A.M. and A.C. 30, for our Lord was thirty years of age when He begun His Ministry (Luke 3:23). Clement of Alexandria gives the years of Augustus' reign as being 43-46, according to different reckonings in his day.

³ According to Clement of Alexandria (compare A.D. 190-220) "Our Lord was born in the twenty-eighth year when first the census was ordered to be taken in the reign of Augustus" (Stromata, Book i, see Clark's edition i. pages 444-445). If that is correct, and it is true that a Census was taken every fourteen years, then the next would fall in A.D. 10, and the succeeding one would have been due A.D. 24.

⁴ Notably the day of the crucifixion, etc (see Appendix 156 and Appendix 165).

⁵ His statements are, however, very vague, and he mentions several dates claimed by others as correct.

⁶ Osiris reincarnated.

⁷ See Wilkinson's Ancient Egyptians, Volume III, page 79 (Birch's edition).

⁸ It is true that the Lebanon shepherds are in the habit of keeping their flocks alive during the winter months, by cutting down branches of trees in the forests in that district, to feed the sheep on the leaves and twigs, when in autumn the pastures are dried up, and in winter, when snow covers the ground (compare Land and Book, page 204), but there is no evidence that the Bethlehem district was afforested in the manner.

⁹ Reckoning of course from Ethanim or Tisri - the First month of the civil year. The sacred year was six month later, and began on 1st Nisan.

¹⁰ The "city" is not named (possibly Juttah, some 30 miles to the south of Jerusalem).

¹¹ The conception of John Baptist was, in view of Luke 1:7, as miraculous as that of Isaac; but it is not necessary to insist upon the complete period of forty sevens in the case of Elizabeth. Therefore the birth of the Forerunner may have been three or four days short of the full two hundred and eighty days, - as indicated in the above table.

Appendix List

therain.org 1999.

Very poorly researched article.

The discrepancy in dates between the Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholics has nothing to do with disagreement of the time of Christ’s birth; The Catholics realigned their calendars, while the Orthodox didn’t.

Origen’s mocking of birthdays hardly has any relevance to Christmas; he’s not mocking that people recall fondly a birthday, but what he sees as immoral behavior and general jackassery.

Early Christians had two reasons for deciding that Dec. 25th was Christmas... and they certainly were aware of the Mediterranean climate when they did so:

First was the belief that great prophets were assumed into heaven on the day they had been conceived on Earth, their “heavenly birthday.” Since (using the Western calendar) Jesus was believed to have been killed on Friday, March 25th, that date became celebrated as the Feast of the Annunciation (whereas Good Friday remained tied to the Christian interpretation of the Hebrew calendar). December 25th was 9 months after that.

Second, Jesus identified himself as the true and everlasting Temple of Zion. (”Destroy this Temple and on the third day, I will raise it up...”) Dec. 25th was celebrated as the Feast of the Dedication, when the Spirit of the Living God indwelled within the Temple. Hence, it makes sense to celebrate Dec. 25th as the day when the Spirit of the Living God indwelled within Mankind. In fact, it was on Dec. 25th that Christ actually identified himself as the Temple.

Neither of these suppositions are historical in nature, but both are very pious.

On December 25, Christians around the world will gather to celebrate Jesus' birth.

Not all of us.

In the end, as long as one finds the true meaning of Christmas, that is what counts.

NOT according to the Father.

Deu 12:30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
Deu 12:31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
Deu 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.