Do you really believe that Dec. 25th is the birth date of Jesus?

Question

If not, then where do you think they got that date from?

Answer 1

I don't even care. It's not like I gotta give him a present every year or anything.

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Answer 2

it's not. they invented it, like they invented most of the things everyone insists on parroting out.

You can read this, if you're in the mood (warning: some parts are boring as fu*ck. anyway...):
The year of the Christian Nativity must be ascertained by historical and chronological research, since there is no certain and harmonious tradition on the subject. The "Anno Domini" dating system, which was introduced by the Roman abbot Dionysius Exiguus, in the sixth century, and came into general use two years later, during the reign of Charlemagne, puts the Nativity Dec. 25, 754 Anno Urbis, that is, after the founding of the city of Rome. Nearly all chronologers agree that this is wrong by at least four years. Christ was born 750 AU (or 4 BCE) if not earlier.

According to Matthew 2:1 (comp. Luke 1:5, 26), Christ was born "in the days of King Herod" I, "the Great," who died, according to Josephus, at Jericho, 750 AU, just before Passover. This date has been verified by the astronomical calculation of the eclipse of the moon, which took place March 13, 750 AU, a few days before Herod's death.

Allowing two months or more for the events between the birth of Christ and the murder of the Innocents by Herod, the Nativity must be put back at least to February or January, 750 AU (or 4 BCE), if not earlier. ( note to Millinialists: the real year 2000 has therefore come and gone ...... )

So why do we celebrate it on December 25th?

December 25th occurs about the time of the Winter Solistice, the shortest day of the year. The shortening days were taken as a sign that the Sun was getting weaker. After the Solistice, the days begin to get longer ...... and pagan peoples thought that was an indication that the Sun was getting stronger.

Thus, the Winter Solistice became the "birthday" of several gods: Attis, Frey, Thor, Dionysus, Osiris, Adonis, Mithra, Tammuz, Cernunnos and so forth. It is a "solar holiday," marking the time that the sun becomes apparently stronger day by day.

http://www.locksley.com/6696/xmas.htm

http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/Christmas_TheRealStory.htm

Answer 3

When the Church first began converting the pagans, they had a great business plan. Tell them that the Christians have all the same holidays, they're just called something different, so it's not that bad to convert. All the pagans had been celebrating the birth of the sun on the winter solstice (Dec 21) so they said that was Jesus. Since the pagans couldn't read they didn't care that the bible said Jesus was born in the spring. It didn't catch on as well as the Church hoped, so they started the Inquisition. That worked better.

Answer 4

No, December 25 was adopted from other, mostly pagan, sources which celebrated at the solstice. Jesus was actually born on August 21, 7 B.C.

122:8.1 All that night Mary was restless so that neither of them slept much. By the break of day the pangs of childbirth were well in evidence, and at noon, August 21, 7 B.C., with the help and kind ministrations of women fellow travelers, Mary was delivered of a male child. Jesus of Nazareth was born into the world, was wrapped in the clothes which Mary had brought along for such a possible contingency, and laid in a near-by manger.

Answer 5

no, they got the date from worshipping of sun gods on December 25th. I.e. mithra and saturnilia. The church mandated a "christ-mass" to stop people from celebrating these pagan holidays. In fact the Empire forced people to convert to christianity.

There is also good reason to believe that Jesus' birth took place closer to the fall months. It is known that shepherds bring their flocks in in October. In the stories of Jesus' birth the flocks are still out, therefor historians can deduce that Jesus would have been born in late september or early october. Which is actually closer to the Jewish New Year or Feast of Booths. It is difficult to speculate the specific day because the calendar we use now is gragorian and sun based while the Hebrew calendar is lunisolar, being based on both the moon and the sun.

Answer 6

Nope.

And here's where we possibly got that date from: the Scythian monk Dionysius Exiguus (“Denis the Little”), who lived in the middle of the 6th century

Like many theological scholars at the time, Exiguus was concerned with the correct calculation of the date of Easter. Since Easter commemorates the most important event in the Christian faith. He constructed a table of Easter dates for a nineteen-year period which he designated Anni Domini Jesu Christi 532-550.

In his calculations, Exiguus also explored a determination of the date for the birth of Christ. He had decided, through careful calculation, that Anno Diocletiani 248 ("248 years after Diocletian") was 532 years since the birth of Jesus Christ. He placed this date, probably wrongly, as the eighth day before the Calends (the day of the new moon and the first day of the month) of January in the year 753 ab urbe conditâ, that is, 753 years after the founding of Rome. Hence the Calends of January in 754 ab urbe conditâ became the first day of A.D. 1.

Answer 7

Nope, December 25th was originally the Roman celebration of Saturnalia, the birthday of the invincible sun that was adopted later by the church in an attempt to appeal to the pagans, Jesus was actually born in about October but we don't have an exact date. Shepherds would not have been out in the fields with their sheep at night at that time of year because it would have been too cold and the Romans would not have called a census in midwinter when the Jews were inclined to revolt anyway.

Answer 8

December 25th is not the birth date of Jesus; for starters, there's not even a "December" on the Hebrew calendar.

Secondly, the date was chosen just like many other holiday dates are chosen -- a day to celebrate a significant historical event.

Answer 9

Very valid answers regarding paganism and the Winter Soltice. Always study your Bible. Look at Luke 2: 8. It says "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the filed, keeping watch over thier flocks by night".. Does that happen in the Winter? Afraid not! Also, do a bit of research on paganism... It's truly an eye opener and quite frightening... especially when you find out how most "Holi"days came into existance. (Easter, Christmas, Holloween) Tradition is not always the best thing to. Learn and Grow.

Answer 10

February 17, 1 AD is the date of Jesus' birth.

Answer 11

When Constantine was emperor of the Roman empire, he converted the official religion from Paganism to Christianity. December 25th was a major Pagan holiday.

I believe the bible places Jesus's birthday somewhere in April.