It is true that Jesus was not born on December 25th. If you read the account, it mentions that the shepherds were out tending their flock. The climate in Jerusalem is very similar to that of the United States. Thus, it would be too cold and the shepherd would not be out with the flock. The exact date is not known, however, it is believed to be sometime in the fall, around October.

The actual birthday of Jesus was forgotten by the early Christian movement. in those days, various groups celebrated his birth on JAN-6, APR-21 and MAY-1. By the 4th century, the church selected the approximate time of the winter solstice as the date to recognize Jesus' birth. They picked up this date from Pagan sources. As luck would have it, the autumn equinox might have been a more accurate choice. The winter solstice occurs about DEC-21 each year. It is the day of the year when the night is longest and the daytime shortest. Using the crude instruments available, ancient astronomers were able to detect by DEC-25 of each year that the daytime had become noticeably longer. This date was chosen, and remains, the traditional date for followers of many different Pagan religions to celebrate the rebirth of the sun. Following the solstice, each succeeding day has slightly more sunlight than the previous day. It was seen as a promise that warmth would return once more to the earth. Numerous pre-Christian Pagan religions honored their gods' birth or rebirth on or about that day. Their deities were typically called: Son of Man, Light of the World, Sun of Righteousness, Bridegroom, and Savior. Some examples are: Roman Pagan Religion: Attis was a son of the virgin Nana. His birth was celebrated on DEC-25. He was sacrificed as an adult in order to bring salvation to mankind. He died about MAR-25, after being crucified on a tree, and descended for three days into the underworld. On Sunday, he arose, "as the solar deity for the new season." His followers tied an image of Attis to a tree on "Black Friday," and carried him in a procession to the temple. His body was symbolically eaten by his followers in the form of bread. Worship of Attis began in Rome circa 200 BCE. Greek Pagan Religion: Dionysus is another savior-god whose birth was observed on DEC-25. He was worshipped throughout much of the Middle East as well. He had a center of worship in Jerusalem in the 1st century BCE. Some ancient coins have been found in Gaza with Dionysus on one side and JHWH (Jehovah) on the other. In later years, his flesh and blood were symbolically eaten in the form of bread and wine. He was viewed as the son of Zeus, the Father God. Egyptian Pagan Religion: Osiris is a savior-god who had been worshipped as far back as Neolithic times. "He was called Lord of Lords, King of Kings, God of Gods...the Resurrection and the Life, the Good shepherd...the god who 'made men and women be born again'". Three wise men announced his birth. His followers ate cakes of wheat which symbolized his body. Many sayings associated with Osiris were taken over into the Bible. This included: • 23rd Psalm: an appeal to Osiris as the good Shepherd to lead believers through the valley of the shadow of death and to green pastures and still waters • Lord's Prayer: "O amen, who art in heaven..." • Many parables attributed to Jesus. Worship of Osiris, and celebration of his DEC-25 birth, were established throughout the Roman Empire by the end of the 1st century BCE. Persian Pagan Religion: Mithra was a Persian savior. Worship of Mithra became common throughout the Roman Empire, particularly among the Roman civil service and military. Mithraism was a competitor of Christianity until the 4th century. Their god was believed to have been born on DEC-25, circa 500 BCE. His birth was witnessed by shepherds and by gift-carrying Magi. This was celebrated as the "Dies Natalis Solic Invite," The "Birthday of the Unconquered Sun." Some followers believed that he was born of a virgin. During his life, he performed many miracles, cured many illnesses, and cast out devils. He celebrated a Last Supper with his 12 disciples. He ascended to heaven at the time of the spring equinox, about March 21. The Babylonians celebrated their "Victory of the Sun-God" Festival on DEC-25. Saturnalia (the Festival of Saturn) was celebrated from DEC-17 to 23 in the Roman Empire. The Roman Emperor Aurelian blended Saturnalia with a number of birth celebrations of savior Gods from other religions, into a single holy day: DEC-25. After much argument, the developing Christian church adopted this date as the birthday of their savior, Jesus. The people of the Roman Empire were accustomed to celebrating the birth of a God on that day. So, it was easy for the church to divert people's attention to Jesus' birth. For more information, see http://www.religioustolerance.org/xmas_sel.htm

There is no record of the date of Jesus birth. It is very unlikely (but not entirely impossible) that Jesus was born in December because of the reference to shepherds in the field. I have heard that the most likely time of year was spring. The lack of evidence leads to controversy. The church apparently chose that date not because of historical evidence for it, but for a variety of other reasons.

I'm sure we could figure it out better if we knew exactly when caesar held the first enrollment. This would be when Joseph took Mary from Galilee to Bethlehem. So it would be around then that Jesus was born.

All of the answers I have seen to date are very thorough... it's definitely true that the December 25 date was meant to accommodate one or more pagan festivals. For what it's worth, a friend who knows way more about astronomy than I do told me that if the three wise men were really following a star in the east that was bright enough to stand out from all the rest, then we're probably talking early springtime. Unfortunately, I don't have the specifics, but I thought I'd mention it.

I was once told something in a Sunday school class that really stuck in my mind. Unfortunately, I cannot vouch for the validity of these statements. So, take them for what they are worth. [End disclaimer.] First of all note the wording in the account of the enunciation to the shepherds. It says that they were watching their *flock* (singular) by night. So, this was just a single group of shepherds watching a single flock. Not a generalized announcement to all the shepherds around Bethlehem. Second, according to this particular Sunday school teacher, there is a Jewish prophecy that is not in the Christian Bible that states that the birth of the Messiah would be announced from the tower from which the shepherds watch the flock of Passover lambs (the ones to be sacrificed for the Passover). If this is an actual prophecy and it is true, then that would make the flock mentioned above the Passover flock. As this flock was only gathered together for the Passover, that would put the Birth of Jesus at about the time of the Passover. This would be a very appropriate time for the birth of He who was to be the last Divinely sanctioned and ultimate Passover sacrifice. Additionally, the accounts of Jesus' birth also tell us that the reason that Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem in the first place was because Caesar had declared a tax and because of this the Jew were gathering to Jerusalem. (This was being allowed in deference certain Jewish traditions.) That being the case, would it make more sense to do something like this at the Passover, when the Jews traditionally gather to Jerusalem anyway rather than disrupting all of the other activities in Palestine a second time by having the Jews gather at a different time of the year. Again, take this for what it is worth. I can site no historical documents to back any of this up. However, taken as a whole, it makes a very compelling case for Jesus having been born in the spring around the Passover holiday.

i believe everyone is asking/answering the wrong question. any real theologians would have to agree! God is omnipotent and all knowing. if the birth of jesus was to be celebrated then God would have: A. had the day recorded in the bible B. there are three instances of birthdays in the bible, and in all three a faithful servant of god was murdered (i.e. john the baptist by herod) C. at the passover jesus said to 'remember me on my death, not my birth for a man is nothing on the day of his birth, but one that is dead has made a name for himself' D. for jesus to have been born in a manger all the animals would have to be vacated, as in out to pasture. and the shepherds would not want their sheeps wool to be reuined by the winter rain. it was in fact a roman emperor (i forget which one) that wanted to unify rome by having everyone share the same beliefs, so he mixed pagan beliefs with christian beliefs. think about it, God is a god of love... why would he want a holiday such as halloween. halloween makes it acceptable to praise satan by dressing like him, or other pagan mythological creatures. food for thought... know go read your bible and find out for yourself!

There is no date in the Bible for the birth of Jesus Christ. If December 25th is significant it may be for the same reason that Americans celebrate Presidents' day on neither the birthdays of Washington or Lincoln. This doesn't mean that these most respected Presidents were never born. It just seems to be mankind's way of messing things up for some good reason. Jesus Christ is alive and not subject to being celebrated for one day out of the year. To imply that Christianity was simply created out of mythology and paganism is bunk. These assertions within come from a book called "The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects" which contains some ridiculous "scholarship" written by Barbara G. Walker who attacks Christianity with the same ferver as any believer in a feminist pagan deity (we used to call them witches).

Spring or fall seems to be the most likely. I don't believe one of the posters was implying that Christianity was derived out of mythology or paganism, just the Catholic incorporated traditions surrounding Christmas. Rome was especially known to be heavy handed and deemed true Christianity a threat to their power, so the state run church(Roman Catholic) came into existance incorporating /accomodating pagan practices so to be accepted by the Roman empire. Those in the church that didn't compromise were the martyrs you may have heard about in the catacombs and some were used as sport to fight hungry lions, etc.

It's very possible that Jesus was not born on December 25th. It seems from history and scientific records Jesus was born about 6 years before the accepted date and born in the month of May. It took the wise men many months to travel from Persia (Iran) to see him.It appears likely that they first saw Jesus when he was about 8 months old which could have been in the month of December. It's interesting to note that the Mithraic Cult celebrated the birthday of their god annually on December 25th. Mirtha later came into increased prominence as a major deity of Zoroastrianism. This has Persian origins. It is Indo-Iranian.

It seems to me that the only conclusion that can be drawn from this, is that nobody knows when he was born and that Jesus himself thought that celebrating the date of his birth was unnecessary. So why do christians get so uptight about everyone elses over indulgence during the holiday period? Perhaps we should go back to the old Pagan celebrations and all stop feeling so guilty about enjoying ourselves (not that we do anyway, eh).

No, the Bible does not say. Even encyclopedias know that December 25 is not the date of Jesus' birth. By examining the scriptures carefully you can get an idea of what time of year he may have been born and it isn't in December.

This question has been dealt with else where (http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/7515).

No, but... CELEBRATE! Time is relative and one day suits me as fine as any other. Personally, I celebrate my birth everyday!

It is still unknown which year Jesus was born. Some have used various historical events in the Bible in an attempt to find out when Jesus was born. For example, one suggested date can be gained from the book of Luke where it is written that Jesus was born during a census conducted under the governorship of Quirinius, who, according to Josephus, conducted the census in 6 AD. For a full timeline of suggested years of birth see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronology_of_Jesus The birth date 25th of December is also disputed. Some scholars say that the birth date of the 25th of December was taken from the pagan celebration of the winter Solstice. Some say that the birth could not have happened in the deep winter, because the Bible says that shepherds spent the night outdoors with their flocks when Jesus was born. There is no direct evidence in the bible as to confirm the exact day of birth.

AD actually stand for "Anno Domini" which translated from the Latin means "In the Year of (our) Lord and is the traditionally recognized year of the birth of Jesus. BC - Before Christ is abbreviated from the ancient Greek meaning "christos" or "anointed one".

No, he wasn't born a year after his death. Actually, no one knows when he was born. You see, Christmas was origanlly a pagan hoilday, but some emperor(A christan one of course) and wanted to try to convert the population, or if not, at least make them inadverently worship christ. Something like that anyway, here's a link. http://www.holidays.net/christmas/story.htm

No he was not born in December. Most sources say he was born in March. The truth about where are holidays came from actually makes for some good reading if your interested in that sort of thing. Up until about a yr ago i was under the assumption that was when he was born as well. They say it was closer to easter than christmas.

Nothing is absolutely certain, but a good guess from the Scriptures and history is that Jesus was born on September 29, 5 B.C.

Well i was gonna say december 24 , coz this norwegian song. roughly transelated: I'm so happy every christmas eve, coz the jesus was born. (Jeg er så gla hver julekvel, for da ble jesus født). But after reading the other answers for this question, i'm not really sure anymore.

Most defenitely not....Historians, archeologists and anthropologist conclude it was sometime around April.

I've heard that he was born sometime in the year 3 B.C., but I dont think anyone is ever going to be able to accurately tell you the day that he was born.

im not sure but i think scientologists say it was actually sometime in june or july

The short answer is, we don't know.

No Christ was probably born in the spring sometime. We celibrate on Dec. 25th because Christians reverse engineered a pagan holiday and some of its traditions and mixed it with Christian traditions and called it Jesus's birthday.

This is a question that has been asked multiple times. http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/106059 http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/7515 There are other variations on this question as well.

No, Christmas started so Christians wouldn't have time to participate in the pagan holidays... It really had nothing to do with Christ.

Nope, not even close. Jesus of Nazareth was born sometime around the year 4 B.C. (or B.C.E.) and he was definitely born in the spring -- because of the timing & location of shepherds and their flocks in the Biblical stories about his birth. As somebody else noted, the Christian church picked out late December to help convert pagans who were accustomed to celebrating Yule or Winter Solstice or, in Roman regions in particular, the Saturnalia or Janus' feastday (where January comes from, the two-faced god who looks forward and back at the end/start of the year). Protestants reacting against Catholic celebrations by downgrading Christmas until late in the 1800's and some Protestant sects continue to look down on it. The Puritans actually FORBADE celebrating Christmas. There's lots more here if you want it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas

why be concern with when he was born? souldn't we be concern for what he did in his life and why he died?

No. He likely was not.

Another lie!

Actually Biblical scholars believe he was born in September. Some believe it to be April... "the time of the lambs." The December 25th date to celebrate was to coincide with the winter solstice... which is celebrated by pagans and wiccans and some other groups. Since nobody knew the real date, an 'honorary' date was chosen for political reasons.

there is no documentary evidence for the exact date of when Jesus was born. The date was fixed much later, basically because the traditional Annunciation Day (the visit of the Angel Gabriel to mary) was celebrated on March 25th. So, count 9 months and you get December 25th. However, that was only the Western church. The Eastern Church celebrated it in January. There is no conspiracy. No one knew exactly when Jesus was born, although some deductions on when it could have taken place can be made from the fact that there were shepherds in the fields ( almost certainly NOT December- too cold!). So a date was chosen by the reasoning above. It really doesn't matter WHEN He was born, but that He WAS born. That is the really important thing, so choose a day and celebrate it. I always think of my father in law when I answer this question. For much of his life he celebrated his birthday on 13th June. It was even in his passport. But, when he was in his 50s, he visited his mother in Italy for the last time and she told him that he was actually BORN on 6th of June (he was REGISTERED on 13th), so he rang us and told us that he would be celebrating on 6th from now on....then his aunt threw a spanner in the works. She helped deliver him and she swore that it was the 5th, not the 6th. The two women argued and in the end my father in law settled for the 6th and so it has been since then. Well, in short, we don't know when papa' was born, but we know he was.....

Just the opposite, the evidence supports that Jesus was not born in December at all. Catholics chose the date in December to co-inside with the Pagan holiday of Yule (day of rebirth of the sun god), to help convert the Pagans to early Christianity.

No, there is no documentary evidence that Yahshua ("Jesus") was born on the 25th of December. Satan Claws http://www.angelfire.com/hi2/YAHWEHFrank/SatanClaws.html Pagan Holidays http://www.angelfire.com/hi2/YAHWEHFrank/PaganHolidays.html

Actually he was born in the summer sometimes. I don't know for sure but I think that is why JW's don't celebrate Christmas because Dec 25th isn't in the Bible

It is the celebration of the Winter Solstice. It is just a convenient time for all. Plus, it leads nicely into the Happy New Year celebrations, so I kind of like it that way.

Originally Christmas was the solstice celebration done by pagans. It was once known as Saturnalia / Yuletide. What then happened was that Christianity wanted to suppress alternative beliefs and so imposed the Birth of Christ on top of the existing Pagan Festival. Many other pagan festivals have also been taken in this way by Christianity. Christ was not born in December at all, and their is no connection between the birth of Christ and the pagan solstice celebration.

No, Jesus was not born on December 25th. While its unknown when he was really born, its more likely that he was actually born in a different season altogether, perhaps summer or fall. Most of the holidays that we celebrate as Christian now were actually pagan in origin. They were adopted and turned into Christian holidays. The only true pagen holiday we have left on the calander is Holoween, which is All Hollows Eve, or the day of the dead. Widely celebrated by witches, which is why I do not celebrate it.

Since Jesus was born while traveling to Bethlehem due to the need for a census, one would think that it would be possible to identify the date of that census and get to within a week of Jesus's actual birthday.

I do not know. It is possible that He was born around that time, but also possible that it was another time. We do not really know for sure. I am pretty sure that the Catholic Church came up with the date for December 25th being His birth, but then again I do not know if that is factual or not. I hope that this is helpful though. :) -In the Master's service. Thank you and God bless you!

Christmas just isn't Christmas without the twinkling tree, the bright star, the donkey and jolly old Santa Claus. Or is it? Not only do the above have little or no mention in gospel accounts but a book on the history of Christmas reveals that early Christians did not start celebrating the birth of Jesus for 300 years. And, by the way, that birthday wasn't on December 25. Historians have been unable to establish when Jesus was born. College professor Bruce David Forbes says he wrote 'Christmas: A Candid History' for everyone who loves Christmas but is also driven crazy by the way it is today. Christmas may not be Christmas these days without Santa but in fact, a new history points out, his image as a plump man in a red suit and white beard was cemented only in the 1940s and 1950s - by Coca-Cola advertisements. Gathered from the internet.

He was actually born on Sept. 9th i learned this by a friend studying history, also everything else which was already said about pleaseing the pagans and stuff is true

I just thought it was a couple of days off. Now I find out it was months off. Intresting. Its funny how dece 21st is also important.... JACK FROST! hehe

most cultures have a mid winter festival..Christ's birth seems to have been moved to coincide with this.

God did not tell the date for a reason:Herod wanted him dead.... We are only asked to remember HIS death. The sheperds were in the fields , so that would not have been in Dec. Christmass is a man made day. Romans Catholic. coming up on history channel : Where Christmas came from. don't get me wrong, i don't have anything against it , it just does not seem to be a time to remember Jesus anymore, and lots of kids don't even know HIM and this is sad. They know it as a day when they get , get ,get. I just think that remembering, giving , spreading joy, should be EVERY DAY, same as giving thanks.

I do not know the exact date of his birth but whatever is common factual knowledge as to how long he lived and his character, his beliefs and his practise of faith- I think is what should be lifted up above the actual holiday importance unless of course he had established that his birth day should be celebrated then in that case someone somewhere (most likely in the eastern world) should still have that tradition and thus solve the mystery of his birth.

I know that even if it was his birthday, he doesn't get any gifts.

we know that John and Jesus were 6 months apart. We know that John's Father was serving in the temple during the time of John's conception. I personally believe that Jesus was conceived during the feast of dedications and was born on the first night of the feast of Sukkot. This would inform the words of John in the new testament who said that the word became flesh and 'tabernacled' (the greek word used in that passage in John's gospel also is used in the Greek version of the Tanach [old testament] for the word tabernacle) among us. Being that the feast of Sukkot is also known as the feast of tabernacles. This makes sense. for more evidence on this go to http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Articles/Christmas/christmas.html

I agree with almost all the answers. We don't know the exact date. I like the one where herod wanted him dead so the date was a secret. If you gather all the evidences from the multitude of answers you will conclude that there is a master mind always working one step behind God plan to mask the truth and to deceive people. The convenience of such celebration is perfect for everybody even those who don't even know him. If you conduct a survey, you will find different answer according to different beliefs. Picture yourself elevated above the Earth looking down at Christmas time to see what kind of activities are being conducted in the name of Jesus. Can you see them? Are all of them praying in the same name? Areall of them in harmony with each other?, aren't the wicked, the whiches, the drunken, the criminals, the drug dealers, the prostitutes, the sinners of the dark, the sex offenders, the pastors, the priests, the voodou, the thieves, the idolaters, the atheists, the sun worshipers,the adulterers, the party goers, and so on.... celebrating the same thing in their own way. The bible calls those who are sincere with the commands of God and God only to come out of Babylon. Christmas can not be sanctified because the Catholic Churc said so, or because the accepted the Pagan with their tradition expecting to change them. An offering that was dedicated to baal can not be transferred to Christ. God does not need any help from any body or any surprise birthday party. He wants your heart to focus on him as The Lord and Saviour. I love Jesus with all my heart. Do you? Don't be fooled, grow up and open your eyes, tell the truth to your children. They will accept the truth if you tell them.

Actually, There is a very easy way to determine when Christ was born. If you read in the bible, the four gospels together collaborate that the angel came to Mary in the 6th month to tell her she was with child. It should be noted that any mention of time is usually in reference to the Jewish calendar which has remained the same ever since that time, even in reference to leap year. Every few years they add an extra month to the end of the year, known as II Adar. The first month of the jewish year is Abib, or April. Add 6 months to that and you get October. 9 months from October would be around June. If he was born after a leap year in which the extra month was added, it would put Christ as having been born in may. What we don't know is what time of the month the angel came to Mary. Was Christ concieved at the beginning or end of the month. If it was the end it could very well put the Birth of Christ a little later, either early June or even early July, as Pregnancy is actually equal in length to 10 lunar months, and as we all know or should know, biblical dates were depicted based on a lunar, not solar cycle.

No, He was born sometime in September/October But how would we even know? That was over 1500 years ago. Maybe he wasn't even born...

yes!!the exact date of Jesus birth is not known though :(

What difference does it make? ;-)

yes, most agree that December 25th is not his birthday.

The Bible does not tell us when Jesus was born, however,it does give sound reason to conclude that his birth did not take place in december . Consider the weather conditions at the time of the year in Bethlehem,where Jesus was born .The Jewish month of chislev [ November /December ] was a month with cold and rainy weather. The month after was Tebeth [December /January ] It saw the lowest temperatures of the year , with occasional snows in the highlands. Let us see what the Bible tells us about the climate of that region. The Bible writer shows that Chislev was indeed a month for cold and rainy weather .After stating that a crowd had gathered in Jerusalem in the ninth month [Chislev] on the twentieth day of the month ,,Ezra reports that people were shivering ..on account of the showers of rain . Concerning weather conditions at the time of the year , the congregated people themselves said:.It is the season of showers of rain , and it is not possible to stand outside ,Ezra 10;9; Jeremiah 36:22. No wonder shepherds living in that part of the world made sure that they and their flocks were no longer out of doors at night when December came aound. The Bible reports , however, that shepherds were in the fields tending their flocks on the night of Jesus birth . In fact, the Bible writer Luke shows that at that time , sheperds were living out of doors and keeping watches in the night over the flocks near Bethlehem .[Luke 2:8-12]. Notice that the sheperds were actually living out of doors, not just strolling outside during the day . They had their flocks in the fields at night . Does that description of outdoor living fit the chilly and rainy weather conditions of Bethlehem in December ? God's word tells us precisely when Jesus died , but it gives little direct indication as to when he was born. This brings to mind King Solomon's words :A name is better than good oil,and the day of ones death than the day of one's being born.[Ecclesiates 7:1] It is not surprising , then that the Bible provides many details about Jesus' ministry and death but few details about the time of his birth .

The birth of Jesus was a monumental and world changing event but I gather from the omission of the "date" of His birth, Yahweh God felt that it wasn't important.

No! No evidence. It was just picked because of the secular warld and the new year. It seemed like a good time.

Jesus never told us to celebrate his birth. The only 2 birthdays in the bible are spoken of in a bad way. It was picked because it was already a Pagan Holiday and the religious leaders of that time wanted people to get into the celebration so they picked that date. Look at it today, people don't think of Jesus as a grown man who taught many to love his lord, but as a baby in a manger. Today it is about money and presents. Every aspect of Christmas started with Pagan roots. Now, lets see the DR's role in.

No , it has been said Christ was born in September and on other occasions in March. The December date was an old pagan celebration

The date was taken from the pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice. And "Christmas trees" come from a German tree-worshiping cult; no there weren't any pine trees and tinsel in the manger.

I guess that it is possible that some think that God just forgot to inspire anyone to give the date of his birth, even though we do know the date of his death. Kind of like those that are looking out for God by removing his name that he did inspire, over 6000 times. I guess they presume that God made a mistake inspiring his name that many times. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exo3:15;Psa110:1;%20Psa83:18;%20Deu6:4;%20Isa42:8;&version=8;15;16;77;9;

No. Because His birth is not on Dec. 25th. However, it was the day of conception. Birth was Sept 29th. or the 15th Tisri (Jewish month) So Christmas is not the day of Jesus' birth but the celebration of the day Jesus began to dwell on Earth. http://www.biblestudygames.com/biblestudies/christmas.htm