was Jesus really born on December 25?

[Laughing Gull]

I have heard that it is not very likely because there were lambs present in the account in the scripture, and sheep are born in the spring time. I would think that by winter, a sheep would not be a cuddly little lamb anymore.
ohwell I know very little about livestock and I am by no means a bible expert.

some insight and/or data would be appreaciated so I can possibly shock my hardcore christian extended family this holiday season by turning a minor tradional belief they all hold on its end.

(please no flaming or creation vs evolution debates here)


ooops edit: forgot to mention, I do believe He was born, it is
just a question of when. thank you.

 

[ArbitraryGuy]

Nope. If I recall, December 25th is the Roman holiday or festival or something for the goddess Minerva. The early Christian church placed Christmas there in order to appeal to the non-Christian Roman masses and/or to avoid persecution. I think a more accurate time-frame for Christ's birth would be in the spring (maybe Aprilish?). I'm pretty sure you could find it all online.

 

[Al Zan]

i think he was born in something in spring

 

[cgannon64]

No, IIRC they only made it that day because there was a pagan festival on the same day and they wanted to blend in with their celebrations.

Who cares the exact day he was born. But I say we stick with Dec. 25, it at least has an interesting colleration - the witner solstice (IIRC) and from then on the days get longer and longer, as more and more light gets into the world. The early Christians were good at choosing symbolic dates.

 

[anarchywrksbest]

He probably existed so he might have been born anytime.

 

[andrewgprv]

No he wasn't, he was most likely born in spring. The December date has more to do with the Pagan Holiday celebrating the winter solstice I think.

 

[Azadre]

Romans corrupted the christian religion...

 

[bobgote]

unlikely he was born on that date. what everyone else has said, pretty much.

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

No

 

[cgannon64]

Originally posted by Azadre
Romans corrupted the christian religion...

How?

 

[anarchywrksbest]

By creating the Roman Catholic church.

 

[Tsargrad]

Cos notice he dies on a different day each year...

But yeah definitely not Dec 25.. Which Calendar changes, and placment of months changing, this may have been BC and not relevant, but I doubt there is a set date

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Moved to History, for the experts...

 

[Godwynn]

LETS NOT CHANGE IT NOW! I'm getting Conquests for Christmas (25th). On the 26th we can move it. Maybe too... January 1st?

 

[Archer 007]

Spring most likely. I also heard a late summer theory.

 

[Kryten]

Mithraism: After the conquest of Assyria in the 7th century BC and of Babylonia in the 6th century BC, Mithra became the god of the sun.
It eventually became one of the major religions of the Roman Empire, the cult of Mithra, the ancient Persian god of light and wisdom. Mithraism was similar to Christianity in many respects, for example, in the ideals of humility and brotherly love, baptism, the rite of communion, the use of holy water, the adoration of the shepherds at Mithra's birth, the adoption of Sundays and of December 25 (Mithra's birthday) as holy days, and the belief in the immortality of the soul, the last judgement, and the resurrection. Mithraism differed from Christianity in the exclusion of women from its ceremonies and in its willingness to compromise with polytheism. The similarities, however, made possible the easy conversion of its followers to Christian doctrine.

Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2002.

Makes you think about where the early ancient Christians got their ideas from doesn't it.

Happy Mithras everybody.

 

[Enemy Ace]

Not likely, for so many reasons. I applaud those who posted some of the less obvious ones mentioned, particularly the observation concerning the lambs and the Mithra cult.

What is more, is that it was Emperor Constantine who made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. He testified that he had a dream. In that dream he claims God told him to paint the cross on the shields of his soldiers. The battle he was to engage in, the next day, would be won if he complied. Constantine did so, his army won the day, and Christianity became the official religion. Now, since Roman culture influenced the farthest reaches of the known world, at the time, it is no wonder Christianity is so popular.

 

[Mescalhead]

He sure as sh!te didn't come in or out of the world in the year 0. I believe the possible years he was born in were either 6 CE or 14 CE, though that is off the top of my head. I also remember there being a 1 in 365 chance that he was born on Dec. 25.

 

[jroa99]

Certainly not. Just as he probably didn't look even 50% like the popular image/icon of him that's been spread all over the world by now (you know, white, long haired with beard, blue/clear eyes, brown-light brown hair, etc. and variations of the above)

 

[Lefty Scaevola]

Originally posted by Azadre
Romans corrupted the christian religion...

The christians adopted the Saturnalia dates in order to blend in. Satunalia celbrates a mythical golden age when Saturn (indetified with the Greek Kronos) was overthrown by his son Jupiter (Zeus) and fled to Italy and dwelt there for time and (also being a harvest deity) taught the Italians agriculture. It ran Dec 17 to Dec 25. Mnay of its cerimonies (gift giving, visitations, etc) coincide with christmas practices.