Well it’s that time of year again. To some it’s the “most wonderful time of the year.” To others it’s “let the fighting begin!” To some, ”It’s Merry Christmas not Happy Holidays!” Then there are my atheist friends who wish me “Happy Saturnalia Day!” Some believers go “all out” for Christmas and others who tell us Christmas is a pagan holiday, Christmas trees are condemned as heathen by Jeremiah and Jesus wasn’t born on December 25th!
I think most Christians are aware that there are many traditions in Christmas that have developed over the years that aren’t Biblical (although not necessarily anti-Bible!). Decorating ones house in the winter goes way back even among non-believers. Winter can be very depressing time especially before electricity. They would use evergreens and Poinsettias because, well, what else was growing that time of year? Some Christians did refuse to observe Christmas like the Puritans. They were a sect within the Church of England (Anglican/Episcopal) that wanted to purify the church of Romanism. They felt that Christmas was a Catholic holiday.
There is no observance of the birth of Christ by Christians in Scripture. Jews and early Christians didn’t commemorate birthdays. While the observation of holidays is left entirely up to the individual. That would include one’s church meeting on Sunday or Saturday or “keeping” the Sabbath!
One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. Romans 14:5
Was Jesus born on December 25th? Well, I don’t really know, the Bible doesn’t give us His birthday. However, it is very unlikely that December 25th was the day of His birth. Why?
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Luke 2:8
Shepherds in Israel would corral their flocks no later than the end of October! So where did the date come from? The theory is that it came from Constantine the Roman emperor who married the church and state in 331 AD, effectively creating what we now know as the Roman Catholic Church. In 336 it was decreed that Jesus’ birth would be celebrated on December 25th. There were several things going on during that time of year: First the Festival of Saturnalia from December 17-23rd. then there was Sol Invictus (Unconquered Sun) celebrated on the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. As the time of daylight begin increasing the sun is said to “return to life”. Then there was also the Jewish Festival of Lights or Hanukkah. So, it is believed that that date was selected to correspond to the other events.
However, there may be more to that date! In 221 AD, Sextus Julius Africanus a Christian from Jerusalem (160 AD – 240 AD) wrote Chronographiai, a history of the world in five volumes. Unfortunately, the work only exists today in fragments and extensive quotations by Eusebius and others. He calculated the period between Creation and Jesus as 5500 years. He had Jesus birth on December 25th! That was before Constantine was even born.
When, then, was Jesus born? Some have tried to date his birth based on astronomical history by dating the star that the Magi saw. The fatal flaw to this is that the Magi did not come to Jesus on his birth night! We read in Matthew 2:11:
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
Notice, Jesus is in a house and he is a young child not a baby and He could have been as old as 2, as Herod tried to kill all the male children up to two years old. It is Herod’s slaughter of the children that caused Joseph to take Jesus to Egypt;
And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. Matthew 2:13-15
Being there until the death of Herod who died on April 4th, 4 B.C. So, Jesus would have to have been be born before then. But I believe the Bible gives us some fascinating clues to determine the approximate day of His birth!
TO BE CONTINUED
