Do you celebrate December 25th as Jesus' birthday? If so, why? I am attending a COC and they do not believe that December 25th is the birth date. The members do celebrate Christmas but leave Christ out of it. So do you guys believe that December 25th is the birthday of Jesus?
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December 25th
- Thread starter SPB1987
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No, I don't think that's His birthday at all, because the angels appeared to the shepherds with their grazing flacks in the fields, somethng sheep don't normally do in the middle of winter. Plus, it was a very inappropriate time of year for Ceasar to call a census requiring thousands upon thousands of travelers to travel to their ancestral home to register.
But on the other hand, one day is as good as another since scriptures don't tell us the exact day. There is a bit of history as to why the early church chose that date, and it's quite interesting, at least it was to me.
But on the other hand, one day is as good as another since scriptures don't tell us the exact day. There is a bit of history as to why the early church chose that date, and it's quite interesting, at least it was to me.
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Good point. I picked up American Bible Society presents The Life of Christ today and it deals with this issue. It states that in the 4th century the Pope decided to celebrate it on December 25th. It also notes that December 25th was the birthday of the God Sol Invictus, Mithra and Attis. The winter solstice was also celebrated on this day. Essentially the date was picked to prevent pagans from becoming upset.
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For Catholics Christs Mass (hence Christmas) is held on 25th December to celebrate his birth because the twenty-four classes of Jewish priests, served each a week in the Temple; Zachary was in the eighth class, Abia. The Temple was destroyed 9 Ab, A.D. 70; late rabbinical tradition says that class 1, Jojarib, was then serving.
Assuming that Christ was born A.U.C. 749, and in seventy turbulent years the weekly succession never failed, it is calculated that the eighth class was serving 2-9 October, A.U.C. 748, whence Christ's conception falls in March, and birth presumably in December.
Additionally, The Book of Jubilee from Qumran, Dead Sea Scrolls, actually says that Zacharias had to serve in last week of March. So Elizabeth become pregnant in April, her sixth month with a baby was in March, and, consequently, archangel Gabriel visit Mary in March too.
I put the link to Dead Sea Scrolls below. Use Google translator to translate.
ZENIT - La storia conferma la nascita di Gesù il 25 dicembre
In the bigger scheme of things, dates are not really important, what matters is that we celebrate his birth and remember his ultimate sacrifice.
Blessings
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ViaCrucis
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I don't celebrate December 25th as Jesus' birthday, but as the Feast Day and celebration of His Incarnation, birth and nativity. "Birthday" connotes something closer to what we have for ourselves in our culture. December 25th is a liturgical celebration of the Incarnation, of the Word of God becoming flesh and dwelling among us.
While Jesus probably wasn't born on December 25th, a winter birth isn't out of the question. The date was probably chosen because December 25th is exactly nine months after March 25th, what was the generally accepted date of His death (and conception, due to a belief that having a perfect life meant dying on the same day He was conceived); this is also why March 25th is the Feast of the Annunciation.
-CryptoLutheran
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Ellwood3
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Hello SPB1987
No, December 25 is not the day of Jesus' birth. That day was not set because people believed Jesus was born that day. Though it is a day to remember He came to earth (the Incarnation), it was thought also to recall the bringing of gifts by the Magi.
We don't know the number of Magi.
What we do know is that December 25 is the day the Magi would have entered Jerusalem.
When we look at the stars we can look back into time.
Somebody did. His name is Rick Larsen, he's a law professor, and became fascinated with the Star of Bethlehem, and searched for it using astronomy software. He found the Star--what it was.
He also found the time the Star stopped over Jerusalem.
He learned it stopped on what on our calendar is December 25.
In other words, when God ordered the universe, including its stars, He puts signs in the sky, some of which have been discovered.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUH7ZnqHLuI
The DVD is called The Star of Bethlehem, though he also found the day of Christ's probable death.
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Yes, we celebrate it. For little kids it's Jesus' birthday. For older folks it gets more complex, involving the Incarnation, with a penitential season preceding it to help us think about why it was that Jesus had to come. For anyone who is old enough to understand, we're clear that we don't know the actual date, and that this may well have been a Christian response to a pagan holiday.
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lesliedellow
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I personally don't know anybody who claims 25 December, or any other date, as the actual birth date of Jesus. Everybody knows that it is a conventional date.
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ViaCrucis
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December 25th isn't Jesus' birthday.
December 25th is the Feast of the Nativity, or Christmas. It is a liturgical feast day, and also a liturgical season on the Christian calendar (lasting from December 25th to January 5th, the "Twelve Days of Christmas"). On the Western liturgical calendar it is between the Season of Advent and the Season of Epiphany (Theophany in the East).
The Christian liturgical calendar is divided into liturgical seasons. The Western calendar effectively begins and ends with Advent (the four Sundays, inclusive, before Christmas), which begins on Advent Sunday (a moveable feast). Christmas begins on December 25th, and ends on January 5th. Epiphany begins on January 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany, and lasts until the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday, which begins the Season of Lent. Lent is a period of forty days, Sundays excluded, until Holy Saturday. Holy Week is a set of seven days beginning on Palm Sunday, until Holy Saturday. Following Holy Saturday is Easter or Paschal Sunday, the preeminent Holy Day of Christianity. Easter lasts until Pentecost Sunday, about fifty days after Easter Sunday. Following Pentecost each Sunday is marked the nth Sunday after Pentecost, and is referred to as "Ordinary Time" because the days are marked by ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc). Ordinary Time concludes on Advent Sunday, when the year begins again.
Each liturgical season commemorates something of deep importance for Christians:
Advent -- Advent is simultaneously the season that we reflect back on the promise of Christ's first coming, the hope of the Prophets of old, etc. The most famous Advent hymn is Come, O Come Emmanuel (often mistaken as a Christmas hymn). Advent also commemorates our hope, our longing for Christ's second coming, His future advent from heaven when He comes as judge, to renew all things, to raise the dead, and establish the everlasting reign of God. It is thus both the start of the Church year and its conclusion.
Christmas -- Christmas commemorates the birth of Christ, His nativity. When God, become man, was birthed from Mary's womb.
Epiphany -- Epiphany commemorates the "manifestation" (epiphany) of Christ's glory as the Messiah and God's only-begotten, as the King of all things. And thus it remembers His baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist, when the voice of God the Father spoke, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove. In the West it also includes the commemoration of the Visitation of the Magi from the East, who came to the Child Jesus to worship Him as King.
Lent -- A period of fasting and repentance, remembering Jesus forty days of fasting in the Judean wilderness. It is a somber time, intended that we look inwardly at our sins, seeing them, confessing them, repenting of them. Lent has also taken on the quality of denying oneself even as Jesus did in the desert. Many also take this time to provide for those less fortunate than themselves with what they would normally provide for themselves. We see in ourselves that we have much, and thus have much to give. And so we pour ourselves out in repentance before God, and see ourselves as servants to our fellow man, especially the "least of these".
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Holy Week consists of:
Palm Sunday -- The triumphant entry of Christ into Jerusalem.
Holy Monday,
Holy Tuesday,
Holy Wednesday,
Maundy Thursday -- The word "maundy" is archaic, it refers to service, that is, when Christ at the Last Supper washed the feet of His disciples. It remembers the Last Supper, the institution of the Eucharist, and Christ's betrayal by Judas Iscariot.
Good Friday -- Also archaic, more literally it is "God's Friday". Remembering Christ's arrest, trial, His sufferings, death, and burial. Good Friday is a somber, dark time. Many churches will remove all the various decorations in the sanctuary, everything will be bare, especially the altar. Black is incorporated to signify darkness. Many Good Friday services end in darkness, without a benediction. A traditional Tenebrae Service concludes with the book of the Gospel, after reading the Passion narrative, slammed shut to create a loud sound as though the stone has been rolled in front of Jesus' tomb. And it ends just as abruptly, in total dark and silence. Christ is dead.
Holy Saturday -- Also called the Great Sabbath, a quiet day of reflection. Jesus is resting in the grave, dead, the disciples have fled, scattered. There is nothing to do but wait.
Easter Sunday -- Or Pascha. We declare our loud Hallelujahs as we declare Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! It is the highest point in the church year, we are celebrating Christ's triumphant victory over sin and death. That our sins are indeed forgiven, that there is eternal life in Jesus Christ the Risen Lord. We bring our voices up, in joyous, celebrating song. Jesus is risen! He is risen! Glory be to God! Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come!
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Pentecost -- The fiftieth day after Easter Sunday. We remember the ushering in of the Church's great gospel mission to the world, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentecost in the 2nd chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. We, as the Church, walking in the Spirit are to take this good news of Jesus to the nations, to make disciples, and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. To know that our Lord Jesus is with us always, even unto the end of the age, when He comes again in glory, to judge the quick and the dead, and renew all things.
And then, the year ends, Advent.
So you see, Christmas isn't "Jesus' birthday", it is the liturgical feast of His birth. A very different thing. Whether Jesus was born on December 25th or January 17th, or August 30th--that ultimately makes no difference. The point isn't when He was born, but THAT He was born.
-CryptoLutheran
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The date is 9 months after the traditional date of the Annunciation. It may be incorrect, but it's as good a date as any.
I celebrate our Queen's birthday on a date other than the one she was born on, for that matter.
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South Bound
I stand with Israel.
We don't believe it's His birthday, that's just when we celebrate His birth.
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Late December was chosen as the Christmas date to be close to the Winter Solstice for the ease to converting Pagans to Christianity.
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ViaCrucis
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That's one theory.
But the date of December 25th was also calculated by adding nine months to when He was believed to have been conceived.
The idea is that Jesus was conceived on the same day He was crucified. The traditional date of the crucifixion was March 25th. Exactly nine months later is December 25th. March 25th has also been celebrated as the Feast of the Annunciation since at least late antiquity.
In the Armenian Church The Nativity is part of Epiphany, and as such is celebrated on January 6th.
-CryptoLutheran
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