Of course, to usurp pagan rituals in their ubiquitous drive to gain dominion over the whole earth (after all, that's God's plan for them), Christians had to include the pagans' festivals of lights celebrations in late December.
How December 25th was settled upon:
The date was chosen because the emperor seems to have believed that the Roman sun god and Christ were virtually one and the same, and the sun's birthday had been decreed as 25 December some 50 years earlier by one of Constantine's predecessors, the Emperor Aurelian. He, in turn, seems to have chosen 25 December because, ever since Julius Caesar's calendar reforms of 46 BC, that date had been fixed as the official winter solstice, even though the real date for the solstice in Caesar's time was 23 December.
Jesus's real date of birth is not known, although various different pre-4th century traditions and computations put it either in the January to March period or in November.
Well, I say November, because that's when my birthday is, and surely all great souls are born in November.
Though the Bible does seem to give a general time frame in Luke 2:8, where it is written that an angel of the Lord brought word of the savior's birth to the shepherds living in the fields and watching over their flocks by night. This would seem to indicate it was spring when shepherds watch their flocks by night because it is lambing season. In winter months, sheep are usually corralled at night and left otherwise unattended.
Oh. Well, then, maybe not. I think I read somewhere recently that they determined the month of April.
Okay, never mind. It's December 25. Happy Birthday, Jesus!
Or Yeshua.
Yeshua is the original Hebrew proper name for Jesus of Nazareth, a Jewish Rabbi (and more) who lived from about 6 B.C.E. to 27 C.E. (A.D.) In other words, Yeshua was the name His mother called Him when shall called Him for supper.
(And here. If you want to combine commercialism with Christmas a little better.)
Check this out: JESUS - ESSENES - THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS. Or, if you're not afraid to venture into heretic territory, have a look at this site - there's lots there - haven't read it, but here's the intro:
The Essene Nazorean Christ is not quite the same as the Romanized Jesus propogated by the New Testament and modern Christianity. Original Gnostic Christianity had a deeper and better understanding of the real historical Jesus before the coverup and falsification of the record by the Pauline school. In addition, the Nazorean office of Christ is filled by both Yeshu (Jesus) and his female counterpart Miryai. On this page we will concentrate on the male aspect of Christ. Correctly identifying the Essene culture and backdrop of Christ's life and teachings is an important component of identifying the true tradition, as is identification of the correct historical record. Jesus WAS NOT a Jew or a believer in the Law of Moses! The New Testament IS NOT an accurate portrayal of His life. Yeshu was vegetarian and taught a unique form of Nazorean Gnosis called Nazirutha. The Order of O:N:E: is committed to restoring the original Jesus and the form of Buddhist Christianity expounded by His true sucessors such as the prophet Mani.
John Prine
It was raining. It was cold
West Bethlehem was no place for a twelve year old
So he packed his bags and he headed out
To find out what the world's about
He went to France. He went to Spain
He found love. He found pain.
He found stores so he started to shop
But he had no money so he got in trouble with a cop
Kids in trouble with the cops
From Israel didn't have no home
So he cut his hair and moved to Rome
It was there he met his Irish bride
And they rented a flat on the lower east side of Rome...
Italy that is
Music publishers, book binders, Bible belters, Money Changers,
Spoon Benders and lots of pretty Italian chicks.
No, John Prine's song is not part of the intro to that website.
(And don't forget that scholars say he was actually born somewhere between 8 and 4 BC. Now that's funny. When BC denotes his birth, it's a little hard to be born before that. But you know what they mean.)
....and hey, do what you want....you will anyway
P.S. December 25 may not actually be the birthday of Jesus Yeshua ben Joseph, but it is a special day for me in a remotely related way. It is the day William the Conqueror was crowned King of England in 1066, and my ancestors were amongst William's conquerors. Yes, I admit it - I come from an imperialist heritage. Many of you do. We're just carrying on a grand tradition from our roots in England. Poor Tony Poodle. He now has to take direction from King George the Dumber.
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