What is Jesus actual birthday?
The common Christian traditional dating of the birthdate of Jesus was 25 December, a date first asserted officially by Pope Julius I in 350 AD, although this claim is dubious or otherwise unfounded.
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.
“The real reason for the selection of Dec. 25 seems to have been that it is exactly nine months after March 25, the traditional date of Jesus' crucifixion. … As Christians developed the theological idea that Jesus was conceived and crucified on the same date, they set the date of his birth nine months later.”
Jesus Christ stated in John 3:11 that we should speak what we know and what we can testify. By God's grace, we have been able to prove both from the Bible and history that Jesus Christ was born in the month of October and not December, as is being claimed by many Christians.
The church in Rome began formally celebrating Christmas on December 25 in 336, during the reign of the emperor Constantine. As Constantine had made Christianity the effective religion of the empire, some have speculated that choosing this date had the political motive of weakening the established pagan celebrations.
Matthew tells us this directly: “Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king” (2:1). Since Herod died in 4 B.C.E., it seems that we can assume that Jesus was born that year or before.
The first date listed, December 25, is marked: natus Christus in Betleem Judeae: “Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea … ” So, almost 300 years after Jesus was born, we finally find people observing his birth in mid-winter.”
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| Related to | Christmas Day, Christmastide, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day |
Although some evidence suggests that his birth may have occurred in the spring (why would shepherds be herding in the middle of winter?), Pope Julius I chose December 25. It is commonly believed that the church chose this date in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival.
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
How old was Mary when Jesus was born?
Birth of Jesus
From the age at which Jewish maidens became marriageable, it is possible that Mary gave birth to her son when she was about thirteen or fourteen years of age. No historical document tells us how old she actually was at the time of the Nativity.
Bethlehem lies 10 kilometres south of the city of Jerusalem, in the fertile limestone hill country of the Holy Land. Since at least the 2nd century AD people have believed that the place where the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, now stands is where Jesus was born.
Some scholars believe that he was born between 6 B.C. and 4 B.C., based partly on the biblical story of King Herod the Great.
Orthodox Christmas day occurs every January 7 because the Orthodox Church still chooses to celebrate the birth of Jesus as per the Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar that is currently in use today led to a new Christmas Day on December 25 due to the addition of new elements that changed the calendar year.
However, historically, all Christian churches celebrated Christ's birth on January 6th until the fourth century. According to Roman Catholic sources, the date was changed from January 6th to December 25th in order to override a pagan feast dedicated to the birth of the Sun which was celebrated on December 25th.
The church in Rome began celebrating Christmas on December 25 in the 4th century during the reign of Constantine, the first Christian emperor, possibly to weaken pagan traditions.
He was born of a Jewish mother, in Galilee, a Jewish part of the world. All of his friends, associates, colleagues, disciples, all of them were Jews. He regularly worshipped in Jewish communal worship, what we call synagogues. He preached from Jewish text, from the Bible.
development of the Christian Era
… before being denoted bc (before Christ) and those after by ad (anno Domini, “in the year of the Lord”). Chronologers admit no year zero between 1 bc and ad 1.
So 69 weeks amount to 483 years; for, from the said year of Darius, unto the 42nd year of Augustus, in which year our Saviour Christ was born, are just and complete so many years, whereupon we reckon, that from Adam unto Christ, are 3974 years, six months, and ten days; and from the birth of Christ, unto this present ...
BETHLEHEM, Occupied West Bank (AP) _ New archaeological evidence indicates Jesus may have been born in late summer or early fall of the year 12 B.C., and the star that led the three wise men to Bethlehem was Halley's comet.
Which Christians do not celebrate Christmas on 25th December?
Among them are Quakers, Jehovah's Witnesses, and members of the Churches of Christ. Some of the half-dozen Christian faiths that do no celebrate Dec. 25 contend there is nothing in the Bible that says Christ was born on that day.
Barabbas, in the New Testament, a prisoner mentioned in all four Gospels who was chosen by the crowd, over Jesus Christ, to be released by Pontius Pilate in a customary pardon before the feast of Passover.
Jesus' name in Hebrew was “Yeshua” which translates to English as Joshua.
The first recorded Christmas celebration was December 25, 336 AD. The date was chosen because it is nine months after the Annunciation, which celebrates Christ's conception in the womb of the Virgin Mary, on March 25 (also the date of the spring equinox).
Holy Night, or Heilige Nacht in German, the night before Christmas, Christmas Eve. There are many traditions, some old, some new. Perhaps the most famous is that of the midnight mass, celebrating the birth of Christ on Christmas Day.
In the New Testament there is no mention of Jesus' date of birth. Even the Encyclopaedia of Theology and the Church says: "The true birthday of Jesus is unknown". This is not surprising, because people at that time were completely unaware of the year and the day. To this day the true birthday of Jesus is still unclear.
The first official mention of December 25 as a holiday honoring Jesus' birthday appears in an early Roman calendar from AD 336.
At Christmas, God brought his Son to earth in the form of Jesus. On Christmas Eve, Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, who came into the world as the Son of God and Saviour to redeem humanity from its sins.
"Reasons range from the belief that 'every day is a holy day,' as promoted by some Quakers, to a desire to observe those days the Bible emphasizes, such as the Old Testament holy days, while others, such as Jehovah's Witnesses, suggest any birthday, even that of Jesus, shouldn't be celebrated," writes Mark A Kellner ...
The New Testament contains two Christmas stories, not one. They appear in Matthew 1–2 and Luke 1–2. They have some points in common.
What does the Bible say about cremation?
According to most Biblical study websites, there is no explicit scriptural command for or against cremation. There are no passages that forbid cremation, according to most Biblical scholars.
According to Mark 6:3 Jesus had four brothers (and two sisters): "Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon?
Aramaic is best known as the language Jesus spoke. It is a Semitic language originating in the middle Euphrates. In 800-600 BC it spread from there to Syria and Mesopotamia. The oldest preserved inscriptions are from this period and written in Old Aramaic.
Church of the Nativity
This church in Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem (in the West Bank), was built over a cave known as the birthplace of Jesus Christ. You can go down the steps into the cave, where you will see an altar and a silver star, marking the exact place of the nativity.
Summary. Jesus came to John the Baptist while he was baptising people in the River Jordan. John tried to make him change his mind, but Jesus answered, “In this way we will do all that God requires.” So John agreed. As soon as Jesus was baptised, he came up out of the water.
The Christian Bible has two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is the original Hebrew Bible, the sacred scriptures of the Jewish faith, written at different times between about 1200 and 165 BC. The New Testament books were written by Christians in the first century AD.
AD stands for Anno Domini, Latin for “in the year of the Lord”, while BC stands for “before Christ”.
Armenian Christmas is celebrated annually on January 6. This holiday has been a part of Armenian traditions for more than 1700 years and has been celebrated in the same way since its inception.
Seventh-day Adventists do not find instruction in the Bible to celebrate either Christmas or Easter as distinct holy days. Believers are free to celebrate Christmas and Easter if they choose, and many do. But the church does not feel obliged to recognize those days.
Why is the 27th Christmas Day?
This means, that because the day itself is on a weekend, you're entitled to a substitute holiday in its place, normally taking the place the following Monday. However, this year, Boxing Day (another bank holiday) falls on Monday 26 December, so the Christmas Day bank holiday will be observed on Tuesday 27 instead.
According to Catholic religion, you should hold off taking down your Christmas tree until January 7.
Roman Catholic families may choose to keep their tree up until 2 February, according to the traditions of Candlemas - a Christian Holy Day commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the Temple. According to superstitions, it is a bad omen if Christmas greenery is not removed by Candlemas Eve.
January 6 is the day traditionally known as Old Christmas. It's a relic of the Julian Calendar, developed 2,000 years ago. In the late 1500s, Pope Gregory XIII changed the calendar to match the solar cycle more closely. To do so, the Julian Calendar had to be reduced from 376 to 365 days, eliminating 11 full days.
In fact, when Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast drew Santa Claus for Harper's Weekly in 1862, Santa was a small elflike figure who supported the Union. Nast continued to draw Santa for 30 years, changing the color of his coat from tan to the red he's known for today.
According to History.com, the monk who over time would evolve into Santa Claus was born in what is now modern-day Turkey in 280 A.D., making him a whopping 1,741 years old!
Gift-giving and Saturnalia
This was a pagan holiday in honour of the agricultural god, Saturn. Romans would spend the week of Saturnalia much like how we spend Christmas holidays today – feasting, drinking, giving gifts, and being joyful.
Now, as Christmas applies to the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, Christmas is decidedly not pagan. However, there are some differences of opinion when it comes to the selection of day of celebration. On the Roman calendar, December 25 was the date of the winter solstice (December 21 on the modern calendar).
Luke 2:8-12 (NIV)
I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Dec. 25 is not the date mentioned in the Bible as the day of Jesus's birth; the Bible is actually silent on the day or the time of year when Mary was said to have given birth to him in Bethlehem. The earliest Christians did not celebrate his birth.
What is a pagan in the Bible?
The original pagans were followers of an ancient religion that worshiped several gods (polytheistic). Today, pagan is used to describe someone who doesn't go to synagogue, church, or mosque. It could be that they worship several gods at once, or they have no interest in a god at all.
Eastern churches celebrate Epiphany (Theophany) on January 6.
Though December 25 is the day Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the date itself and several of the customs we've come to associate with Christmas actually evolved from pagan traditions celebrating the winter solstice. "Christmas is really about bringing out your inner pagan," historian Kenneth C.
This calendar era is based on the traditionally reckoned year of the conception or birth of Jesus, AD counting years from the start of this epoch and BC denoting years before the start of the era. There is no year zero in this scheme; thus the year AD 1 immediately follows the year 1 BC.
Year of Jesus' birth. The date of birth of Jesus of Nazareth is not stated in the gospels or in any secular text, but most scholars assume a date of birth between 6 BC and 4 BC.
We conclude that Jesus was most likely crucified on April 3, AD 33. While other dates are possible, believers can take great assurance from the fact that the most important historical events in Jesus's life, such as the crucifixion, are firmly anchored in human history.
Bethlehem lies 10 kilometres south of the city of Jerusalem, in the fertile limestone hill country of the Holy Land. Since at least the 2nd century AD people have believed that the place where the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, now stands is where Jesus was born.
Jesus died, therefore, on Friday, April 3, AD 33 at about 3 p.m., a few hours before the beginning of Passover day and the Sabbath. This is the date in the Julian calendar, which had been introduced in 45 BC, and follows the convention that historical dates adhere to the calendar in use at the time.