Why do we celebrate Christmas in December if Jesus was probably born in the spring? We do not know exactly when Jesus was born since the early Christians placed very little value on birthday celebrations. The early Christian theologian Origen argued in AD 245 that Jesus birth should not be celebrated “as if he were a King Pharaoh.” Early Christians viewed birthday celebrations as something that sinners participated in. Perhaps in part because of this low view of birthdays we do not have an accurate record of when Jesus was actually born.
Most scholars believe Jesus was probably born in the early spring. This theory is based on several considerations including the report of shepherds being in the fields with sheep and the tax decree.
The idea of celebrating Jesus’ birth in December did not become popularized until the 3rd century AD. It is arguable that the December celebration has far less to do with Jesus’ birth than with many other secular and pagan factors. I will discuss some of these more in the next post on The Origin of the December Christmas Celebration.
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Chanukah and Christmas are on the same day, but not on the same calendar. Chanukah is on the 25th of the Jewish Month, Kislev, and Christmas is on the 25th of the corresponding Gregorian Month. The days sometimes almost align, but because one calendar is based on the moon and the other the sun, there will always be differences. So, in essence, we are both celebrating the LIGHT coming into the world on the same day. This is the date when Jesus formally declares at the Temple, “the Father and I are one.” (John 10:30)
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