Three wise men would have known better.
So what?
If my kids want to buy me presents, make me a cake and celebrate my birthday in August, I would love it!
Eventhough my birthday is in January.
Does that mean the Jehovah’s Witnesses would be too busy to come up to me during the summer because they’re doing Christmas Shopping?
I don't think the Bible numbers the Magi. Only the gifts. If they can't get that right, then what else don't they know?
As a (rank) astro buff, I’ve always been intrigued with this quest, and have read many plausible natural explanations for the “Christmas Star.” Actually, from around 8 BC through 1 BC there were quite a few significant conjunctions in some key constellations that could be interpreted as ‘the’ event.
From the Biblical texts re: the visit of the Magi and slaughter of the Holy Innocents up to 2 years of age that followed, the appearance would have had to happen a year or two before Herod the Great died (~1 BC?). Also, the article again erroneously implies that the Wise Men were at the stable shortly after Jesus’ birth, when it was written that they visited the Christ CHILD in a HOUSE (i.e. months later).
By the time the Wise Men found Jesus, He was a child living in a house with His parents, not a baby in a manger. He could have been as old as two years, since Herod had all the male Hebrew children two years and younger put to death in order to try to kill Jesus.
So it doesn’t really matter what time of year the Wise Men found Jesus.
According to the Bible, Jesus started His ministry at age 30, and was put to death 3 1/2 years later at the Passover. Given that the Passover occurs in late March or early April(first full moon after the Spring Equinox), Jesus would have been born 1/2 year before that, in late September or early October.
Now, given that He was born in late September or early October, it means that He was conceived in late December or early January. Since life begins at conception, it is entirely appropriate to celebrate His coming to earth at that time.
Not to mention that nobody in their right mind would’ve insisted everyone travel back to their home town for a census in the dead of winter...let alone there be shepherds lying in the fields with their sheep...in the snow.
It’s been said for years that shepherds wouldn’t be watching their flocks at night in the dead of winter.
Jesus would have been born in the springtime, say some.
And who CARES what His zodiac sign might have been?
And wasn’t the current Christmas observance superimposed over a former pagan holiday?
None of this, of course, diminishes in any way the Miracle of the Nativity of our Lord.
It is quite possible and quite probable that Jesus Christ was NOT born on December 25th as that day was the old Roman Winter Solstice celebration that was taken over by the resurgent Christian church.
However, we have now been celebrating Christmas on December 25th for 2 millenia. So, if and when Jesus’s birth certificate is found with a March or June birthday (and mark my words, we will find Jesus’s BC before we find Bam’s BC!), I will still celebrate December 25th as Christmas.
Theologically I dont think churches would care. The Lord was born and the world was saved and if we take one day to honor Him, it does not theologically or spirtually matter if that was the exact day He was born.
Plus a summer Christmas would not be as much fun. Santa in his heavy winter coats would have a serious case of BO
So?
Could they have been following three UFO’s?
I have been hearing the “It wasn’t in December” stuff since I was a child in the 60’s. You Know - It doesn’t matter one iota to me.
The astronomers know little of astrology, which makes their opinion on such a matter valuless. .
Headline should have read:
ASTRONOMERS CONFIRM THE BIRTH OF JESUS.
But atheists still refuse to admit Jesus existed.
This has been the prime theory for many years. The thinking is that the Romans changed Christmas, which was a the time a fairly minor holiday, to December after the Empire converted because it coincided with a pagan holiday.
This hypothesis is over 20 years old.
Maybe they’re right. If Jesus were a Capricorn he would have said “Give joyfully unto Caesar” and “the harvest is plentiful, the laboroers are few—that’s because you’re all a bunch of lazy louts.”
Nit picking makes me crazy!