A news story last night got a discussion going in our household over dinner: A local church has posted "Santa Is Satan" as their sign for the holidays. Their preacher stands by it, saying that Santa takes away from the glory of Jesus's birth on Christmas.
Now, I do celebrate Christmas as the day of Jesus's birth, but as a good Christian man, he should know that Jesus was not, in fact, born on December 25th, or in the month of December at all. We have no idea what actual day Christ was born, and the Bible does not tell us.
History convincingly shows us that December 25th was popularized as the date for Christmas, not because Christ was born on that day but because it was already popular in pagan religious celebrations as the birthday of the sun.
"Lacking any scriptural pointers to Jesus's birthday, early Christian teachers suggested dates all over the calendar. Clement picked November 18th. Hippolytus figured Christ must have been born on a Wednesday. An anonymous document, believed to have been written in North Africa around A.D. 243, placed Jesus's birth on March 28th." (Jeffery Sheler, U.S. News & World Report, "In Search of Christmas," December 23, 1996, p. 58)
Furthermore, a careful analysis of the Scripture indicates that December 25th is an unlikely date for Christ's birth.
3 Facts Jesus Was NOT Born on December 25th, AKA Christmas:
- First, we know that shepherds were in the fields watching their flocks at the time of Jesus's birth (Luke:2:7-8). Shepherds were not in the fields during December. According to Celebrations: The Complete Book of American Holidays, Luke's account "suggests that Jesus may have been born in summer or early fall. Since December is cold and raining in Judea, it is likely the shepherds would have sought shelter for their flocks at night" (p. 309).
- Similarly, The Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary says this passage argues "against the birth [of Christ] occurring on December 25th since the weather would not have permitted" shepherds watching over their flocks in the field at night.
- Shepherds were/are in the fields early in March until early October, so this would place Jesus's birth in the spring or early fall.
- Second, Jesus's parents came to Bethlehem to register in a Roman census (Luke:2:1-4). Such censuses were not taken in the winter, when temperatures often dropped below freezing and roads were in poor condition. Taking a census under such conditions would have been self-defeating. Furthermore, it would have been extremely difficult and futile for a pregnant woman to make such a hard 70 mile trip from Nazareth in such conditions.
- Thirdly, it is know that Jesus lived for 33.5 years and died at the feast of Passover, which is at Easter time. He must therefore have been born six months the other side of Easter - making the date around the September/October timeframe.
Given the difficulties and the desire to bring pagans into Christianity, "the important fact then to get clearly into your head is that the fixing of the date as December 25th was a compromise with paganism" (William Walsh, The Story of Santa Claus, 1970, p. 62).
If Jesus Christ wasn't born on December 25th, does the Bible indicate when He WAS born?
- The biblical accounts point to the fall of the year as the most likely time of Jesus' birth, based on the conception and birth of John the Baptist.
- Since Elizabeth (John's mother) was in her sixth month of pregnancy when Jesus was conceived (Luke:1:24-36), we can determine the approximate time of year Jesus was born if we know when John was born. John's father, Zacharias, was a priest serving in the Jerusalem temple during the course of Abijah (Luke:1:5). Historical calculations indicate this course of service corresponded to June 13-19 in that year (The Companion Bible, 1974, Appendix 179, p. 200).
- It was during this time of temple service that Zacharias learned that he and his wife would have a child (Luke:1:8-13). After he completed his service and traveled home, Elizabeth conceived (Luke:1:23-24). Assuring John's conception took place near the end of June, adding nine months brings us to the end of March as the most likely time of John's birth. Adding another six months (the difference in ages between John and Jesus) brings us to end of September as the likely time of Jesus's birth.
- It is also believed that Jesus's conception may have been in December of the previous year, and that his "birth" was "the word made flesh" (John:1:14), when the Father sent His only Son into the world. Which means we may actually be celebrating Christmas as the date of his immaculate conception. [Henry M. Morris, The Defenders Study Bible (notes for Luke:2:8,13)]
- Again, we do not know for sure the exact month or date of Jesus's birth, but these are some commonly accepted theories.
Now, again, we do celebrate Christmas as Jesus's birthday in our household, and my children will always know the true meaning of Christmas, to give and not receive because Christ gave the biggest gift of all for us, his life. But I also don't want them to think of Santa Claus as a act or actor of Satan because Santa is a world of magic for children that they should stay in for as long as they can, and it is a huge joy to parents to act in that joy of giving. He is a great actor of giving and not receiving, and as long as he is not lost in the commercialism of it all, he is a great promotion of what the reason for the season truly is. Merry Christmas!
