According to BibleInfo. There is no definitive answer. One must seek the opinions of the most trusted scholars in this matter.
Even if the global Christian community could decide with certainty that Christ was born on a different day, changing the date of Christmas worldwide would pose many problems. There is a benefit to fixing a date for Christmas day, even if it seems arbitrary. Moreover, Christmas celebrations provide an opportunity to engage community members who might not otherwise attend church events.
The day is set apart even in the hearts and minds of non-believers. Associating Christmas with light-hearted festivities might seem disrespectful in light of its true meaning, but the joy of singing familiar carols and lighting candles; the sense of belonging and love connected to the holiday encourages many unbelievers to attend Christmas services where they might hear the gospel.
Share this. When Was Jesus Born? Candice Lucey Contributing Writer 26 Aug. Only Luke and Matthew tell stories of Jesus' childhood and birth. The well-known biblical Christmas story about the birth of the Son of God, which is based on these two scriptures, is still the basis of many Christmas customs: it is re-enacted in the nativity scene in church services and schools, read aloud at Christmas, and in many families traditionally re-enacted with the setting up of a Nativity sets.
So there is little valid information about the actual date of Jesus' birth. What emerges from the two biblical traditions of Luke and Matthew is:.
According to the Bible, a birth date in December is unlikely, because there are various indications in the Bible that the date of 25 December cannot be correct. The story of the birth of Jesus begins in Luke's Gospel with the Emperor Augustus asking for a census. For this reason, Joseph set off on the kilometre journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem with the pregnant Mary.
That this census took place in winter is unlikely in reality: would the emperor really have expected his people to make such a long and arduous journey in the middle of winter? When Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem, she gives birth to their son. The newborn baby, inside the Nativity sets is wrapped and placed in a manger with clean straw. Hence the assumption that Jesus was born in a stable. In the Gospel of Luke we read: "And there were shepherds in the same region, standing in the open field and keeping watch over their flock by night" Lk This also suggests a birth in a warmer season , because in the middle of winter there are no flocks of sheep in the fields around Bethlehem.
At this time of year there is no grass in the fields and the animals are kept in a stable. If 25 December was not Jesus' birthday, when was it? Researchers are always making new hypotheses and theses about this.
But none of them is really valid and verifiable. When Jesus of Nazareth was really born will probably remain a secret forever. The Nativity sets under the Christmas tree is a symbol of the Christmas story : Mary and Joseph with the baby Jesus surrounded by shepherds, travellers and animals in the stable.
A scene from around years ago, which is still the reason for celebrating Christmas today. But why do we celebrate the feast every year in December, if it is not really Jesus' birthday? Scientists still disagree , but most of them assume that the feast was introduced in Rome on 25 December in the fourth century under the Emperor Constantine.
A list of pagan holidays in the Roman calendar indicates that this date was very special among the pagans of that time. On this day the Romans celebrated the birthday of the Roman sun god Sol Invictus, the winter solstice and the 'rebirth of the sun'. They lit solstice fires and performed festivals in the circus. The Roman Saturnals also fell at this time in December: a Roman peasant festival in honour of the god Saturn.
Researchers suspect that this date was therefore chosen as the feast of the birth of Christ. The custom probably spread to what is now Western Europe in the 7th and 8th centuries. There are many legends and myths surrounding the life and birth of Jesus. Only some of them are valid and only some have been clarified with certainty. What is clear to researchers is that a Jesus of Nazareth really lived.
John's gospel depicts the event as the first sign of Jesus's glory and his disciples' belief in him. After the wedding, Jesus, his mother Mary and his disciples traveled to Jerusalem for Passover. At the temple, they saw moneychangers and merchants selling wares. The Synoptic Gospels chronicle Jesus as he traveled through Judea and Galilee, using parables and miracles to explain how the prophecies were being fulfilled and that the kingdom of God was near. As word spread of Jesus's teaching and healing the sick and diseased, more people began to follow him.
At one point, Jesus came to a level area and was joined by a great number of people. There, at the Sermon on the Mount, he presented several discourses, known as the Beatitudes, which encapsulate many of the spiritual teachings of love, humility and compassion.
As Jesus continued preaching about the kingdom of God, the crowds grew larger and began to proclaim him as the son of David and as the Messiah. The Pharisees heard of this and publicly challenged Jesus, accusing him of having the power of Satan.
He defended his actions with a parable, then questioned their logic and told them such thinking denied the power of God, which only further hardened their resolve to work against him. Near the city of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus talked with his disciples.
According to the gospels of Matthew , Mark and Luke , he asked, "Who do you say that I am? Jesus then proclaimed Peter to be the leader of the church. Less than a week later, Jesus took three of his disciples to a high mountain where they could pray alone. According to the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus's face began shining like the sun and his entire body glowed with a white light. Then, the prophets Elijah and Moses appeared, and Jesus talked to them.
A bright cloud emerged around them, and a voice said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him. It supports the identity of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, the week before the holiday of Passover, riding on a donkey. Great numbers of people took palm branches and greeted him at the city's entry. They praised him as the Son of David and as the Son of God. The priests and Pharisees, fearful of the growing public adulation, felt he must be stopped.
All four Gospels describe Jesus's final week in Jerusalem. During this time, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, confronted moneychangers and merchants in the temple, and debated with the high priests who questioned Jesus's authority. He told his disciples about the coming days and that Jerusalem's temple would be destroyed.
Meanwhile, the chief priests and elders met with high priest Caiaphas, and set plans in motion to arrest Jesus. One of the disciples, Judas, met with the chief priests and told them how he would deliver Jesus to them.
They agreed to pay him 30 pieces of silver. Jesus and his 12 disciples met for the Passover meal, and he gave them his final words of faith. He also foretold of his betrayal by one of the disciples and privately let Judas know it was he.
Jesus told Peter that before a rooster crowed the next morning, he would have denied knowing Jesus three times. At the end of the meal, Jesus instituted the Eucharist, which in the Christian religion, signifies the covenant between God and humans. Jesus asked God if this cup his suffering and death might pass by him. He implored a group of his disciples to pray with him, but they kept falling asleep.
Then the time had come. Soldiers and officials appeared, and Judas was with them. He gave Jesus a kiss on the cheek to identify him and the soldiers arrested Jesus.
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