But was Jesus really born on December 25? The short answer is no. It is not believed Jesus was born on the day Christmas is globally celebrated. Instead, Christmas was chosen as a convenient celebratory day on the same day of a pagan holiday that celebrated the winter solstice, according to The History Channel.
The Roman Christian historian Sextus Julius Africanus dated Jesus ‘ conception to March 25 (the same date upon which he held that the world was created), which, after nine months in his mother’s womb, would result in a December 25 birth .
According to Luke, the couple traveled from Nazareth, where they lived, to Bethlehem, Joseph’s home town, and it was there that the baby Jesus was born. Thus it is more likely, he said, that Jesus was born sometime between late July and early October.
We believe that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea, April 6, B.C. 1. Kimball merely refers to his birthday on April 6th (presumably also at 1 BC) as a fact.
Jesus ‘ brothers and sisters The Gospel of Mark (6:3) and the Gospel of Matthew (13:55–56) mention James, Joseph/Joses, Judas/Jude and Simon as brothers of Jesus , the son of Mary .
With the story of the birth of Christ coinciding with this date, many Christian symbols for Christ use the astrological symbol for Pisces, the fishes. The figure Christ himself bears many of the temperaments and personality traits of a Pisces, and is thus considered an archetype of the Piscean.
The nativity accounts in the New Testament gospels of Matthew and Luke do not mention a date or time of year for the birth of Jesus . Karl Rahner states that the authors of the gospels generally focused on theological elements rather than historical chronologies.
Now one scripture deals with a more festive use of trees in worship. Leviticus 23:40: And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees , branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.
Christmas is Not Supported By Scripture None of Jesus’ disciples, nor any of His apostles attempted to celebrate the miraculous birth of our Lord and Savior. But not once in the Bible does God tell us to celebrate Christmas ” (Halff, 1).
The terms anno Domini (AD) and before Christ ( BC ) are used to label or number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Traditionally, English follows Latin usage by placing the “AD” abbreviation before the year number.
They found that a bright star which appeared over Bethlehem 2,000 years ago pinpointed the date of Christ’s birth as June 17 rather than December 25.
Jesus | |
---|---|
Born | c. 4 BC Kingdom of Judea, Roman Empire |
Died | AD 30 or 33 (aged 33–36) Jerusalem, Judea, Roman Empire |
Cause of death | Crucifixion |
Parent(s) | Mary Joseph |
Using these methods, most scholars assume a date of birth between 6 and 4 BC, and that Jesus’ preaching began around AD 27–29 and lasted one to three years . They calculate the death of Jesus as having taken place between AD 30 and 36.
Various factors contributed to the selection of December 25 as a date of celebration: it was the date of the winter solstice on the Roman calendar and it was nine months after March 25 , the date of the vernal equinox and a date linked to the conception of Jesus (celebrated as the Feast of the Annunciation).