2007-11-29 06:53:46 · 20 answers · asked by grrr!! 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
No. Its documented in 4th century Church records that they have no idea when his birthday is. Dec 25 is the day of celebration for an event, not the literal day of the event.
2007-11-29 06:58:09 · answer #1 · answered by Nightwind 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No,and it is a matter of fact that most religious leaders accept that it is not. There were many other festivals in December, lots of revelry, Saturnalia, the various solstice celebrations, the Feast of Mithra, among others The Fathers of the Church, sometime before the middle of the 4th century, (note this is some 300 years after the accepted birth year of the Christ Child) met the situation by proclaiming the Feast of the Nativity on this same date, December 25, even though we all know by now that Jesus was born sometime earlier in the year, maybe spring, depending upon which Biblical scholar you choose to read; because according to the Bible the lambs were in the fields. Christmas was proclaimed by ecclesiastical decree on December 25th at Rome, thence to Antioch about 375 and Alexandria about 430. Not until the 6th century did it win recognition in Jerusalem. It reached the British Isles in 592, Germany in 813, and Norway in the middle of the 10th century. By this time, Dec. 25 was accepted to be the literal date of Jesus birthday--a belief that has had popular acceptance ever since.
2007-11-29 15:04:52 · answer #2 · answered by Isadora 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well - we know it was not the 25th of December. That was, as far as anyone can tell, a pagan holiday that was absorbed by the early Christian church in order to help stomp out many of the polytheistic religions.
The "lambing season' happens around what is now Easter (so March through April) and so there is so logic to think that if Jesus was born while the shepards had their flocks in the fields, it was much closer to early spring, rather than the early part of winter.
Also - December is the time of sandstorms in the middle east and there is no mention of such storms in the biblical accounts of Jesus' birth.
One writer (below) - writing for KHOUSE.ORG - places the date around the 28th - 29th of September. I think he's dead wrong, but it's an interesting article.
The WIKIPEDIA article places his actual birth sometime between 9 BC and 6 AD and, like many of the other articles, sometime in what we call spring.
MY money is on it being sometime in the spring, based on the circumstantial evidence.
Regards,
Edmond
2007-11-29 18:22:04 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nope, because it wasn't.
There's no way a governor or prefect would call for a census during the rainy months. Travel in December in Israel NOW is dangerous. Can you imagine how much more so it was two thousand years ago?
No, Jesus was probably born sometime between April and September.
2007-11-29 14:58:41 · answer #4 · answered by The_Cricket: Thinking Pink! 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a date the Catholic system put in as Christ birthday, Jesus was really born around the last of September to the first of October
2007-11-29 14:58:44 · answer #5 · answered by birdsflies 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A few biblical and historical passages. His birthday was more logically in September, during the time when shepard still let their sheep out to pasture.
2007-11-29 15:42:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No because it was not his birthday. It is just a day that was made up to fit into the story to make it more believable, and to help retailers in what would otherwise be a slow time of year for them.
2007-11-29 15:02:31 · answer #7 · answered by K K 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No it's a myth...the 25th was chosen because it aligned with a Pagan Holiday...Winter Solstice or Equinox forget which. At any rate there's astronomical evidence given the position of the star of Betheleham that he was born in August. PEACE!
2007-11-29 14:57:29 · answer #8 · answered by thebigm57 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Nope.. it was in April. How do we know? Because the shepherds were out watching flocks. The only reason they are out at night to watch flocks is for lambing season, which is, as we know, around April. There is speculation that His birthday is around the same day of the month as His death.
2007-11-29 15:45:19 · answer #9 · answered by odd duck 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No, the date was based on the report, the accounts of the event, the writings and the scripture collected all compared and based with the local calendars at the time of his birth. we can assume that it is a very close date. One probably had to be settled on and it happened to be Dec 25. I would say since the Hebrews had a very sophisticated and accurate calendar i wouldn't be surprised if the date is not actually correct.
2007-11-29 15:00:00 · answer #10 · answered by caliguy_30 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋