Question: I’m writing to ask you if you have an approximate date when Jesus was born?  I was told a few years ago that He was not born on the 24^th or 25^th of December, but actually sometime in the early fall.  Is this true? 

            Thank you in advance for your time.

            Heidi

Answer:  Dear Heidi,

1.      No one knows the exact date of Jesus’ birth.  The date of Christmas was not chosen, not should it be understood, as the precise commemoration of the birth of our Lord.

2.      The date of Christmas was chosen by the early church in the context of their battle with paganism.  They were choosing times and dates to celebrate the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  In doing so they considered the winter solstice – a pagan orgy-like celebration of the return of the sun – longer days, more sun, etc.  The early Christians decided that they would deliberately place their commemoration of the birth of our Lord at the time of this pagan festival and so claim that time for Christ.  The overwhelming irony of victory is testified to by the fact that Christmas is known around the world, even observed (by having a day off and eating a Christmas dinner at the very least) by those who do not even pretend to be Christians.

3.      Speculations about the birth of Jesus vary – with the two most popular times being the fall and the spring (actually favored centuries ago as the exact time), with the third possibility being the winter.  Not too many speculations about the summer.  These speculations include reasoning from the known, such as John the Baptist’s birth date, and the events surrounding it, etc. – and then reasoning to the unknown.  They involve assumptions and cannot be regarded as authentic,  however interesting they may be.

4.      One sure thing – being caught up in the exact date of the birth of our Lord can cause us to miss the reality of Christmas.  Jesus IS the reason for the season,   not the calendar or speculations about chronologies, etc.

It is interesting to note that:

a.       Christianity at large is well aware that no specific date for the birth of

Christ is known

b.      many who engage in trying to “prove” that Jesus was not born at

Christmas do not do so for the purpose of having an alternate ceremony, celebrating his birth at some other time – but apparently for the purpose of “proving” that Christians should not celebrate his birth at all!  What a concept – those who claim to be Christians deciding not to celebrate the coming of God in the flesh to save us from our sins!

            In Christ,

            Greg Albrecht