Originally posted by JustAChristian
Often there are things that we believe to be in the Bible and they are not. Let's consider some of these that pertain to this time of year. Was Jesus born in a stable in Bethlehem? Matthew 2:1 and Luke: 4,7 tell us that He was born in that manner. The Shepherd’s coming to the stable to see the baby Jesus is a fact found in Luke 2:15-16. Were there three wise men and did they visit Jesus in the stable? The Bible does not tell us how many wise men came to see Jesus , however, it does mention three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matt.2: 11) . This causes many to conclude there were three visitors traditionally called Maji. We find they presented these gifts to Him in a house though and not at the stable (Matt. 2:11).
Jesus Christ’s birth is a historical fact . The Bible, however, does not give a specific date. The Bible tells us that Caesar Augustus was emperor and Herod was king at the time of His birth. By using this historical data we can arrive at an approximate year. By certain events that happened, such as shepherds watching over their flocks in the fields, perhaps even the season of the year . Again, we are not able to ascertain though, a specific date.
Are we made to wonder, by this continual festive season, if early Christians at this time, celebrated His birthday? Nothing in the Bible tells us the early church celebrated His birth. The special day of Christmas does not appear in the Bible and was unknown to the early Christians. The idea to celebrate Christmas on December 25 originated in the 4th century. The Catholic Church wanted to rival the festivities of a the competing pagan religion that threatened Christianity's existence. The Roman pagans celebrated the birthday of their sun god, Mithras during this same time of year. Although it was not popular, or even proper, to celebrate people's birthdays in those times, church leaders decided that in order to compete with the pagan celebration, they would order a festival in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Although the actual season of Jesus' birth is thought to be in the Spring, the date of December 25 was chosen as the official birthday celebration as Christ's Mass so that it would compete directly with the rival pagan celebration. Therefore, the direct reason for our December 25th celebration was, in fact, derived from a battle to establish a religious superiority.
Though it is not inherently wrong to observe the day of Christmas as a national holiday, to exchange gifts, to have lighted trees and ornaments, to enjoy the childhood fantasies that come with the season, we should not impose upon the Word of God by making it a religious holiday. We should be directing ourselves spiritually based on authority and not traditions (Col. 3: 17).
JustAChristian
