Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

4 Theories on the Date of Christmas [Ecumenical]
Black Cordelias ^ | December 2, 2008

Posted on 12/02/2008 10:25:39 AM PST by NYer

nativityscene

Contrary to the popular belief that Christmas was set on Dec. 25 simply to rival a pagan feast, there are at least 4 theories explaining the date from a Christian perspective.  All of them may be true.

Theory 1: Day of Creation and the Conception of Jesus.

David Bennett at Per Christum has an excellent article beginning with this explanation:

The main reason early Christians chose December 25th for the date of Christmas relates to the date of the creation of the world. Jewish thought had placed the date of creation on March 25th, and it was early Christian writer Sextus Julius Africanus who suggested that Christ became incarnate on that date (it makes great symbolic sense!).

According to Sextus Julius, since Christ became incarnate from the moment of his conception, this means that, after 9 months in the Virgin Mary’s womb, Jesus was born on December 25. While the scope of Julius’ influence is unknown, nonetheless, we encounter a Jewish reason why the date of December 25th was chosen for the birth date of Jesus.

Theory 2: Chrisostom:  The Zechariah Connection

Regarding the dating of Christmas, my favorite account comes from the Eastern liturgical great, St. John Chrisostom. Here is a note from NC Times, with the saint’s account of the matter:

Inside the Vatican magazine also supported Dec. 25, citing a report from St. John Chrysostom (patriarch of Constantinople who died in A.D. 407) that Christians had marked Dec. 25 from the early days of the church. Chrysostom had a further argument that modern scholars ignore:

Luke 1 says Zechariah was performing priestly duty in the Temple when an angel told his wife Elizabeth she would bear John the Baptist. During the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, Mary learned about her conception of Jesus and visited Elizabeth “with haste.”

The 24 classes of Jewish priests served one week in the Temple, and Zechariah was in the eighth class. Rabbinical tradition fixed the class on duty when the Temple was destroyed in A.D. 70 and, calculating backward from that, Zechariah’s class would have been serving Oct. 2-9 in 5 B.C. So Mary’s conception visit six months later might have occurred the following March and Jesus’ birth nine months afterward.

“Though it is not a matter of faith, there is no good reason not to accept the tradition” of March 25 conception and Dec. 25 birth, the magazine contended.

Theory 3: Conception and Birth into Heaven

Ken Collins has an excellent summary of this theory on his site.

There is evidence that, some years earlier, Christians had made a sincere attempt to calculate the actual date of Jesus’ birthday. People commonly believe that Christmas was instituted on the date of a pagan holiday to supplant it, but it was actually the other way around. Christmas was there first.

In ancient Judaism, there was a common belief, which ancient Christians inherited, that the prophets of Israel died on the on the same date as their birth or conception. This may be behind the long-standing Christian custom of referring to the date of a martyr’s death as their “birthday in heaven.” According to ancient western calculations, Jesus was crucified on 25 March, so they assumed that 25 March was the date of Jesus’ conception. The Annunciation is still commemorated on that date to this day. Nine months after 25 March leads to 25 December, which would be the birthday of Jesus Christ if all those assumptions and calculations were correct. They aren’t correct, but the fact remains that the date has a Christian origin. footnote

In AD 354, Philocalus wrote a Christian martyrology that dates the nativity of Jesus Christ on December 25, and cites an earlier work as backup. From this we can deduce that Christmas was celebrated on the present date at least as early as AD 335 in Rome.

Theory 4:  Mary Knew, They All Knew

ASimpleSinner is a combox hero on this topic and has the best and most simple answer:

Simpler still, a hopelessly plain-spoken traditionalist priest (Fr. Wolfe, FSSP) came out shooting straight from the hip on this issue.

He asks in a live sermon, “What mother here can forget the date of thier first child’s birth?”

As the Catholic Encylopedia relays “No doubt, the words of St. John (19:27), “and from that hour the disciple took her to his own”, refer not merely to the time between Easter and Pentecost, but they extend to the whole of Mary’s later life.”

Traditions are pretty clear that Mary, our inheritance from the last will & testament of Christ (”Woman, behold your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” ), remained with the Apostles after Pentecost, encouraging the faithful, and recieving pilgrims.

Think about that. If you lived with the Mother of Our Lord, what would you ask of her? EVERYTHING.

“Mother what was Jesus’ favorite food? When was He born? What games did He play as a child? What were His first words?…”

They knew when His birthday was.

Furhter, we all celebrate it on the same day. People who tell you eastern Christians celebrate it in January are confused by (a) the Epiphany or (b) use of the Julian calendar! From as far East as India to as far West as Spain, it is on the same date on all liturgical calendars. Coincidence?

This has only been doubted in the recent era by folks adhearing to sola scriptura (though the veracity of this date using Biblical evidence is possible!) and modern biblical scholars who rely heavily on a historical critical method that does not consider ancient traditional teachings. The idea that we can’t be sure of the dating of Scripture or what in Scripture is authentic, is just plain odd and foreign to a Catholic.

December 25: Not just a memorial, an actual birthdate.



TOPICS: Catholic; Current Events; History
KEYWORDS: christmas; jesus; nativity
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-31 last
To: NYer
Mithraism was very popular in the Roman Empire right around the same time as Christianity was gaining ground. Mithras was said to also have been born of a virgin (or in some traditions straight from a solid rock) on December 25th, which was the winter solstice on the Julian calendar.

Celebrations of the winter solstice far predate Christianity.

21 posted on 12/03/2008 7:34:34 AM PST by GunRunner
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Straight Vermonter

I’d guess lambing was timed to occur with the new grass and grass growth in arid climates is dependent on the rainy season. The rainy season around Jerusalem starts in November.


22 posted on 12/03/2008 10:08:57 AM PST by Varda
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Varda

No, lambs were almost always born in the spring (or late winter if they came early). Modern animal husbandry practices can produce lambs in spring and fall but that wasn’t available 2,000 years ago.


23 posted on 12/03/2008 11:29:50 AM PST by Straight Vermonter (Posting from deep behind the Maple Curtain)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: Straight Vermonter
Modern animal husbandry produces whole crops of extra early lambs or twins or a couple of crops a years. Extra early in the US is January. Naturally lambs will come in the spring here because of the grass. The birth of grazing animals and new grass always goes together.

But extra early can be different with different breeds and I never farmed in a desert so I looked it up.

AWASSI SHEEP
"Ewes coming in heat very early in the season may lamb when there is still a shortage of grazing before the rains."

Before the rains is October.

"In Iraq, the principal lambing season of Awassi ewes is in November, and in Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic and Israel in December-January. "

If the lamb of God was born during lambing season then December is one of those months.

24 posted on 12/03/2008 12:47:12 PM PST by Varda
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: Straight Vermonter
So unless it was springtime the shepherds would have been home in bed rather than watching over their sheep.

Not necessarily. The animals would have been kept in a cave at night during winter. A good shepherd would have had someone staying in the cave at night to keep guard over the sheep. Whoever guarded the cave would have let Mary and Joseph stay in the cave that night.

25 posted on 12/03/2008 5:04:09 PM PST by stripes1776 ("That if gold rust, what shall iron do?" --Chaucer)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: stripes1776

Except the scripture says “in the fields”.


26 posted on 12/04/2008 4:40:10 AM PST by Straight Vermonter (Posting from deep behind the Maple Curtain)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: lawdave
John says at the end of his Gospel that there is much more that could have been recorded that was not recorded.

That leaves room for all types of conjectures about all types of topics. They could have had Doubting Thomas day, for example. I think I'll stay away from that thin ice.
27 posted on 12/04/2008 4:43:33 AM PST by AD from SpringBay (We deserve the government we allow.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Straight Vermonter
Except the scripture says “in the fields”.

Well, you could always start your own church and celebrate Christmas on whatever date you think Christ was born. For example, you might celebrate Christmas on March 25.

On the other hand, you could stop celebrating Christmas altogether, like the Puritans. After all, the Bible does not say to celebrate Christmas, so stop celebrating it.

28 posted on 12/04/2008 12:40:34 PM PST by stripes1776 ("That if gold rust, what shall iron do?" --Chaucer)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: XeniaSt
The question is whether you believe and trust
the Holy Word of Elohim in Luke 1
or you trust the traditions of man
Yah'shua's birth on Sukkot
(Sukkot is the Feast of Tabernacles or booths,
where we live in temporary shelters.
Sukkot is when YHvH took on a temporary
garment to be with His People
and to die as the Lamb of G-d on Pesach
in order to bring salvation to all
who would call on His Name: Yah'shua
( YHvH is become my salvation)).

Sukkot as the date is supported by Elizabeth's
pregnancy of John the Immerser.
The time sequence is outlined by the
Holy Word of Elohim in Luke 1 with Zacharias.

Zacharias served as a high priest and
based on his tribe, we know when he served
(1 Chronicles 24:7-18) and when he was
struck dumb and when John was conceived.

John would have been born on Pesach.
Most Jews believed that Elijah
would come at Pesach to announce
the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5).

Factor in when Miriam visited her cousin Elizabeth,
Elizabeth was six months pregnant (Luke 1:26)
Thus the timing of Yah'shua's birth can be ascertained.

John (1:14) tells us that Yah'shua was made flesh
and tabernacled among us.

The word "dwelt" in the Koine Greek is:

σκηνόω Strong's G4637 - skēnoō
1) to fix one's tabernacle,
have one's tabernacle,
abide (or live) in a tabernacle (or tent),
tabernacle
2) to dwell

Eight days after the beginning of Sukkot is
another Holy Feast Day called Shemini Atzeret.

Eight days after a Jewish male is born he is circumcised.

After the Eighth day comes the the most Joyous day:
Simchat Torah or
the rejoicing in the Torah (The Word of Elohim).

Nine months back from Sukkot is Chanukah
where the light entered the temple.

Biblical Dates for the Birth of Yochanan the Immerser
and for the Conception and Birth of Yeshua HaMashiach

shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach Adonai

29 posted on 12/04/2008 1:05:03 PM PST by Uri’el-2012 (Psalm 78:35 And they remembered that God was their ROCK, And the Most High God their Redeemer.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: stripes1776

I wasn’t aware that the cornerstone of Christianity was that Christ was born a certain day.


30 posted on 12/04/2008 8:31:44 PM PST by Straight Vermonter (Posting from deep behind the Maple Curtain)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: Straight Vermonter
I wasn’t aware that the cornerstone of Christianity was that Christ was born a certain day.

But it is a cornerstone. It's called the Incarnation. Scholars may dispute the exact day and year. But what a Christian scholar never disputes is that God was made man, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.

Celebrate the birth of God whenever you like.

31 posted on 12/04/2008 10:09:02 PM PST by stripes1776 ("That if gold rust, what shall iron do?" --Chaucer)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-31 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson