Featured Christmas Date: Not what you thought

This supposed bit of Jewish folklore than a prophet is expected to die on the anniversary of his conception is news to me. I have not heard it before. The folklore about various OT prophets does not make reference to this phenomenon. Indeed, if it had even occurred repeatedly every prophet would have been enormously careful some three months after celebrating his birthday - but there is no such practice.

On the other hand, in the Holy Land, shepherds do not keep flocks outdoors at night in late December.

Among the ancient Jews, although there is mention (in the Talmud) of the dates of death there is very seldom mention of a date of birth. Birthdays do not seem so important to the ancient Jews. So it may have been the same with Jesus, and efforts to provide a calendar date for his birth were a matter of guesswork decades or even centuries later, with no real evidence to work with.

 

Interesting to look back at the first page of this thread. This issue still boils to: What are we doing giving credence to traditions promulgated by the oldest cult in the world--still over a billion strong?

Fact: Constantine the Great one, a pagan Roman Emperor, in the 4th century melded an apostasized group of so-called Christians with a group of existing pagans in an unholy marriage of Church and State--over a billion of which still survive.

Anything which has come out of this unholy matrimony is seriously corrupted including the reformations thereof.

Reformed apostasy is still apostasy reformed.

"come out from among them saith The Lord, touch not the unclean thing" is still in effect.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Bro. James

 

It is true that the secular aspect of Christmas is pagan. But the religious aspect of Christmas which is the Birth of Jesus is not pagan. And therefore even though Jesus was most likely not born on 25 December it is not wrong to celebrate His Birth on 25 December.

 

The fact that the Bible does not specifically give a date for Jesus birth.

 

The fact that the wisemen(more than 3) came and gave homage and worship to the newborn Jesus means that celebrating the Birth of Jesus is scriptural regardless if it is celebrated on 25 December.

 

Because December was not a month in 4 BCE.

 

What is sad is that we, Christians, do not celebrated Yeshua's death, burial and resurrection on Passover, which is the more accurate time, rather than a pagan fertility date.

 

December 25, 165 BC Judus Maccabaeus re-dedicates the Temple after the Abomination of Desecration that occurred three years earlier, begining the tradition of the Festival of Lights.

Jesus the Light of the world
Jesus redemeemer of all who believe

Rob

 

From a website:

Much evidence exists. If God intended for us to celebrate Christ’s birthday, He would have had the scriptures record the time of His birth, as well as the location. The exact date is not known, yet evidence points to an autumn birth.

Luke 2:8 provides the first indication, as flocks were still in the fields at night. The flocks were brought in for the winter season of mid-October to mid-March.

Another indication is the fact that Jesus was born six months after John the Baptist (Luke 1:24-26, 36). The question then becomes, when was John the Baptist conceived? Because Zacharias’ priestly functions were carried out during the course of Abijah, at the time of the angel’s appearance (Luke 1:5-20), John’s conception occurred in mid-June, as verses 23-24 indicate. Thus, he would have been born in about mid-March. Therefore, Christ’s birth had to be in early autumn.

There is one additional clue. At the time of Christ’s birth, the area of Jerusalem was very crowded with visitors, because of the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. People took advantage of this journey to Jerusalem to pay their taxes (see Luke 2:1-5), as they were collected at this time of the year. Leviticus 23:24-40 proves that the seventh month was the time in question. When we combine Luke 2:1-5 and John 7:2-10 we see evidence of Jesus’ parents traveling to Jerusalem for the spring and fall Holy Days.

While there is virtually no evidence of Christ being born on December 25, there is abundant evidence of an early autumn birth. The world celebrates Christ’s birth in a winter pagan “season,” when, in fact, our Savior was born during a fall festival season that actually pictures the salvation of mankind.

 

I think you got your abiyah timing wrong:

The Course of Abija