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Dec 22nd, 2024, 4:32am
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Topic: The issue of Jesus Christ's Birthday (Read 1847 times) |
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thebeast
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 Frisco TX
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The issue of Jesus Christ's Birthday
« on: Jan 6th, 2006, 6:37pm » |
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I was chatting with a friend of mine and she seem to be bothered by the fact that Jesus was probably not born on the 25th of December. It struck me as an interesting topic involving human behavior. When something they think to be true and then finding out it might not be true, it seems as if they want to block it out or not discuss it. Although most Christians celebrate December 25 as the birthday of Jesus Christ, few in the first two Christian centuries claimed any knowledge of the exact day or year in which he was born. The oldest existing record of a Christmas celebration is found in a Roman almanac that tells of a Christ's Nativity festival led by the church of Rome in 336 A.D. The precise reason why Christmas came to be celebrated on December 25 remains obscure, but most researchers believe that Christmas originated as a Christian substitute for pagan celebrations of the winter solstice.
To early Christians (and to many Christians today), the most important holiday on the Christian calendar was Easter, which commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, as Christianity began to take hold in the Roman world, in the early fourth century, church leaders had to contend with a popular Roman pagan holiday commemorating the "birthday of the unconquered sun" (natalis solis invicti)--the Roman name for the winter solstice.
Every winter, Romans honored the pagan god Saturn, the god of agriculture, with a festival that began on December 17 and usually ended on or around December 25 with a winter-solstice celebration in honor of the beginning of the new solar cycle. This festival was a time of merrymaking, and families and friends would exchange gifts. At the same time, Mithraism--worship of the ancient Persian god of light--was popular in the Roman army, and the cult held some of its most important rituals on the winter solstice.
After the Roman Emperor Constantine I converted to Christianity in 312 and sanctioned Christianity, church leaders made efforts to appropriate the winter-solstice holidays and thereby achieve a more seamless conversion to Christianity for the emperor's subjects. In rationalizing the celebration of Jesus' birthday in late December, church leaders may have argued that since the world was allegedly created on the spring equinox (late March), so too would Jesus have been conceived by God on that date. The Virgin Mary, pregnant with the son of God, would hence have given birth to Jesus nine months later on the winter solstice.
From Rome, the Christ's Nativity celebration spread to other Christian churches to the west and east, and soon most Christians were celebrating Christ's birth on December 25. To the Roman celebration was later added other winter-solstice rituals observed by various pagan groups, such as the lighting of the Yule log and decorations with evergreens by Germanic tribes. The word Christmas entered the English language originally as Christes maesse, meaning "Christ's mass" or "festival of Christ" in Old English. A popular medieval feast was that of St. Nicholas of Myra, a saint said to visit children with gifts and admonitions just before Christmas. This story evolved into the modern practice of leaving gifts for children said to be brought by "Santa Claus," a derivative of the Dutch name for St. Nicholas--Sinterklaas.
Now I am a Christain and I admit when I first learned of this when I was about 17, I admit, I was kinda bothered about it. After thinking about it..I discovered that it's really not important that Jesus Christ's birthday was or wasnt December 25. What is important is the birth of Jesus Christ and what it ment to Christains after. Why is so much emphasis being put on a correct date? Maybe to make Chirst's birth more legitimate? Well to me if you need a date to make something like that legitimate..you would be lacking in faith. I was wondering how others felt about this. 
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| « Last Edit: Jan 6th, 2006, 7:14pm by thebeast » |
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Gracia
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# 28
in Christ --- the hopeless finds hope
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Re: The issue of Jesus Christ's Birthday
« Reply #1 on: Jan 7th, 2006, 3:40am » |
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No one can ever testify in this present generation about the validity of Jesus birth date. If I have a say about it, i doesn't matter if His birthday falls on Dec. 25 or not, as long as I can feel His presence everytime we celebrated it. The act of giving, sharing, loving, reconciliation, unity mean a lot.
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nOrKAy
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 Happy Valley
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Re: The issue of Jesus Christ's Birthday
« Reply #2 on: Jan 7th, 2006, 8:16am » |
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I was also talking to someone who doesn't believe Jesus Christ's existence and questioned me; If you don't exactly know when Jesus Christ was born, how do you know that He really lived? . I answered him; Since I believe Jesus Christ exists, He must have been born.
So why do we celebrate His birth in December?
Modern scholars point out that when Jesus was born, shepherds were watching their sheep in the hills around Bethlehem. Luke tells us that an angel appeared to "some shepherds staying out in the fields [who were] keeping watch over their flock by night" (v 2:8 ). Some scholars feel that the sheep were usually brought under cover from November to March, as well, they were not normally in the field at night. But there is no hard evidence for this. In fact, early Jewish sources suggest that the sheep around Bethlehem were outside year-round. So you can see, December 25th fits both tradition and the biblical narrative well. There is no sound objection to it.
Now, of course, we can't be absolutely certain of the day of Christ's birth. At least, not this side of heaven. But an early winter date seems as reasonable a guess as any. And December 25th has been the frontrunner for eighteen centuries. Without more evidence, there seems no good reason to change the celebration date now.
on Jan 6th, 2006, 6:37pm, thebeast wrote: it's really not important that Jesus Christ's birthday was or wasnt December 25. What is important is the birth of Jesus Christ and what it ment to Christains after. Why is so much emphasis being put on a correct date? Maybe to make Chirst's birth more legitimate? Well to me if you need a date to make something like that legitimate..you would be lacking in faith.
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I share with you these statements of yours.
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| « Last Edit: Jan 7th, 2006, 4:01pm by nOrKAy » |
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Wicked_Witch
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Manila
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Re: The issue of Jesus Christ's Birthday
« Reply #3 on: Jan 8th, 2006, 8:28am » |
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I never want to argue about religion because I believe that whatever one's religion is, it doesn't really matter. What matters to me is how he treats his fellow mankind. And too I have to believe in Jesuschrist or there will be nothing to guide my life. No matter what some jokers say that no one has really seen him and that Bibles...like paperback novels are also created by authors with great minds. Who cares? I believe in HIs existence and that's it and no one can tell me otherwise.
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Jimbo
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When one door of happiness closes, another opens
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Re: The issue of Jesus Christ's Birthday
« Reply #4 on: Jan 8th, 2006, 10:51am » |
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on Jan 8th, 2006, 8:28am, Wicked_Witch wrote:| I never want to argue about religion because I believe that whatever one's religion is, it doesn't really matter. What matters to me is how he treats his fellow mankind. And too I have to believe in Jesuschrist or there will be nothing to guide my life. No matter what some jokers say that no one has really seen him and that Bibles...like paperback novels are also created by authors with great minds. Who cares? I believe in HIs existence and that's it and no one can tell me otherwise. |
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I agree with you completely Witchy
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Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
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okasantina
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 Yokohama, Japan
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Re: The issue of Jesus Christ's Birthday
« Reply #5 on: Jan 9th, 2006, 6:36pm » |
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I should ask the Pope 
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thebeast
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Frisco TX
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Re: The issue of Jesus Christ's Birthday
« Reply #6 on: Jan 16th, 2006, 10:43pm » |
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on Jan 9th, 2006, 6:36pm, okasantina wrote:| I should ask the Pope |
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The pope is gonna say December 25. lol
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Kitch
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Re: The issue of Jesus Christ's Birthday
« Reply #7 on: Jan 25th, 2006, 8:59am » |
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Well we know that Christ was a live and exsisted because he is written about by many people not just Christian Authers like Jossephus, Heratus and jullian the Apostate to name some. The problem with knowing the exact day of Jesus birth can be contributed to a few facts. During the Earthly walk of Christ people didn't keep dates as we do today. The other fact that makes it difficult is the fact that When the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD all records of that type of Nature would have been destroyed. Originally the Birth of Christ was a day set aside to worship Jesus and rememberance of the Birth of Christ Hence the Name Christ Mass, The last couple of hundred of years it has become the party that it is now. The actual day of Jesus birth is not truly and issue it is the fact that he was born and payed for our sins upon a cross......For with out this none of us would be worthy to walk in heaven for if you commit one sin you are not worthy to walk in front of the Lord.....With a just God your crimes must be payed for in the Words of the Famous Theologian Sin is Cosmic Treason
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earthlingorgeous
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Re: The issue of Jesus Christ's Birthday
« Reply #8 on: Jan 25th, 2006, 9:25am » |
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I agree with you mother witchy....
We all have different faiths, beliefs and philosphy and religion is something we should not argue about. The most important thing to remember is to not do any harm against others in any way you can and believe that there is a Higher Being above all us.
Jesus Christ's B-day is just a date and a symbol. Life can be celebrated everyday but ofcourse we should always set a special date for one special moment and one special being.
Who ever set the date on December 25 as Jesus Christ birthday is a genius I must say because he knows its the month when we get our 13th,14th and 15th month bonuses 
Its winter in the western countries and its good to just stay inside the house and feel warm with the firewood and make the whole place look warm with the glittering lights and decoration.
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Wicked_Witch
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Manila
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I'm not old, you are just younger. Hehehe!
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Re: The issue of Jesus Christ's Birthday
« Reply #9 on: Jan 26th, 2006, 1:56pm » |
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Lol, Earthy, another reason to be happy about x'mas are the bonuses, eh? Anyway, I think it will always be a happy occassion for christians even if it was declared in the summer.
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She who have not sinned may cast the first stone.
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