was baby Jesus actually born on the twenty fifth of December ?

Answer 1

If God wanted us to know when Jesus was born, there would have been distinct information available to arrive at the right date. As it is, there are only a few clues (like the shepherds being out in their fields at night, and the census) which indicate any season EXCEPT the depths of winter! Oh, and previous comments about pagan festivals seem to overlook the fact that Saturnalia festivities went on for a long time around then. The 25th of December was not a special day for that.

However, I wonder if you would do better to ask, "Why did the grown-up Jesus die in the spring?" Wonderful though his miraculous birth was, the reason for him coming to earth to die for us is the real miracle of his life on earth. Understand that and you will realise the date of his birth is comparatively unimportant.

Answer 2

No. There were shepherds out tending their flocks on the night of Jesus' birth. In december, even in Israel, this would have been very difficult, so shepherds would ordinarily take their sheep indoors or to more sheltered locations.

Also, there is some suggestion that Jesus was 33 1/2 years old when he was sacrificed on Nisan 14. This lunar month roughly corresponds with the end of March or the beginning of April. This would mean that he became 33 around about October. Many reckon that he was born on October the first.

Answer 3

Dear nog,

There is much data to suggest that the Lord Jesus was born on October 1st of 7 B.C. That particular year was a Jubilee year, which occurred every 49 years-the 50th being the Jubilee Year. Now you can understand why the heavenly host rejoiced at the birth of Christ; the shepherds witnessed this also.
The Lord gives no law about celebrating the birth of Christ in the Bible. There were 3 festivals where all Jewish males were required to go to Jerusalem to the Temple. They include Passover, Pentecost, and the feast of Tabernacles. Christmas is not one of those days.
There is no law against celebrating the birth of the Lord either. And so December 25th is acceptable.

Answer 4

No, Jesus was born in the spring. Thus-the Spring Lamb. The 25th of December was chosen by the church because it was during the winter solstice, and the pagans were more receptive to being "reformed" to the christian religion during that time. Besides all that, there is no discussion in the Bible of celebration of birthdays, nobody gave Jesus a birthday gift while He was alive, he only discussed the celebration of passover and of weddings. Look it up on Google, along with the origins of the christmas tree, the candy cane and the ribbon on those presents you so happily rip open. Not a DAMN thing has ANYTHING to do with Jesus. Nothing. And any 6 month births usually ended in dead babies "back then".

Answer 5

If the gospels are correct, then Jesus was probably born in the spring. The gospels say that shepherds were watching their sheep by night. They only watch the sheep at night during mating season, which is in the Spring.
The date of December 25th was taken from the cult of Mithras. Mithras was another Messiah figure in Rome that competed with the Christian church. At the time there were many mystery cults that had formed to offer the people a more intimate religion than the traditional Roman religion. Of course, Christianity eventually won, but in the process they absorbed some of the practices of the cult of Mithras including December 25th as the date of his birth.

Answer 6

Actually the 25th of December was nothing to do with God or Jesus Christ. It was a pagan worship of saturn. However, when the roman catholic church decided to increase their numbers they adopted december 25th and several other pagan rituals (Easter among them) and 'Christianinsed' them. Jesus was actually born on Tishri 1 in the old Jewish calender. This actually equates to our 11th September. The year was 3BC (due to a corruption of the modern calenders the BC dates were actually miscalculated somehow). The time was about 6-7pm. And the 'star' the wise men saw was actually a unique conjunction of several planets. among them Jupiter (the kings planet), Venus (the bright and morning star) and others. These lined up in a spectacular display that has (afaik) never been repeated.
Their were other signs in the sky during the days leading up to the vent which were fortold in the bible and the magi (wise men) were watching for these.
But many of the religious rituals that people celebrate now are actually converted pagan rituals of sun and moon worship.

As an aside, if you ever watch the important religious events sometimes, you will see the archbishop in full costume, including hat shaped like the head of a fish (Dagon, Fish god from pagan rituals of scarifice). Sun on front of tunic (Sun worship) and moon on his back (Moon worship).

And also, the christmas we celebrate in the UK with all the decorations, etc. Was actually instituted by Queen Victoria after she read Charles Dickens Christmas Tale.

Answer 7

no, my preacher was talking about this a while back, it is said that he was born on/around january 4th, 3 BC, I know that sounds weird being born 3 years before he should, but i think it also has to do with how the calendar was structured at the time. Also the Council of Trent in 1546 are the ones who pieced the modern bible together (what books go where), and set the dates for Christian Holidays, by then the modern calendar was established, and Christmas was chosen for December 25

Easter is the second sunday after the first full moon in march

Answer 8

nope...
By the third century CE, there were many religions and spiritual mysteries being followed within the Roman Empire. Many, if not most, celebrated the birth of their god-man near the time of the solstice. Emperor Aurelian (270 to 275 CE) blended a number of Pagan solstice celebrations of the nativity of such god-men/saviors as Appolo, Attis, Baal, Dionysus, Helios, Hercules, Horus, Mithra, Osiris, Perseus, and Theseus into a single festival called the "Birthday of the Unconquered Sun" on DEC-25. At the time, Mithraism and Christianity were fierce competitors. Aurelian had even declared Mithraism the official religion of the Roman Empire in 274 CE. Christianity won out by becoming the new official religion in the 4th century CE.

Any record of the date of birth of Yeshua of Nazareth (later known as Jesus Christ) has been lost. There is sufficient evidence in the Gospels to indicate that Yeshua was born in the fall, but this seems to have been unknown to early Christians. By the beginning of the 4th century CE, there was intense interest in choosing a day to celebrate Yeshua's birthday. The western church leaders selected DEC-25 because this was already the date recognized throughout the Roman Empire as the birthday of various Pagan gods.

Many symbols and practices associated with Christmas are of Pagan origin: holly, ivy, mistletoe, yule log, the giving of gifts, decorated evergreen tree, magical reindeer, etc. Polydor Virgil, an early British Christian, said "Dancing, masques, mummeries, stageplays, and other such Christmas disorders now in use with Christians, were derived from these Roman Saturnalian and Bacchanalian festivals; which should cause all pious Christians eternally to abominate them." In Massachusetts, Puritans unsuccessfully tried to ban Christmas entirely during the 17th century, because of its heathenism. The English Parliament abolished Christmas in 1647. Some contemporary Christian faith groups do not celebrate Christmas.

Answer 9

There exist a theory by some scholars which state that Jesus was born in the month of Pisces due to original symbol of Christianity being the two fishes.

Answer 10

No, experts say he was actually born in the summer. The Church made the 25th of December his birthday because it coinceded with the celebration of Yule, a popular pagan holiday that falls on the winter solstice. Pagans celebrate Yule by decorating evergreen trees, hanging up wreaths, singing carols, and having a hearty feast. When the Pagans converted to Christianity in the middle ages, they didn't want to give up Yule, so the Church decided to make it a holiday celebrating Jesus's birth.