Dear Delbert, of course you and Christine are probably right, it's well-accepted by Bible scholars that Christ was not born near the Winter Solstice. There is disagreement as to exactly when He was born, but using the narrative of the events preceding His birth, some say in the spring, others say in September, possibly during Rosh Hashanah. Christ was, after all, Jewish, and many, if not most of the earliest followers were also Jewish.
It is also true that later the Church decided to celebrate Christ's birthday near the Solstice, in order to co-opt the pagan celebrations at that time. This is not unusual, the early Jewish church co-opted many pagan rituals, but that proved not to be such a good idea, after all, and I believe they have all been purged.
I like to think that the explanation for adopting a December birthday for Christ isn't "stealing." Think about it, the Church was spreading into Northern Europe from the Mediterranean, and the dark and cold of winter is very oppressive in Northern Europe. Christmas gives Christians something cheerful to think about during the cold, dark days:
Christmas presents
Christmas cards
Christmas trees
Christmas wreaths
Christmas lights
Christmas parties
Christmas cookies
Christmas eggnog
Christmas dinner
Christmas visits
Christmas outfits for
Christmas services
On, and on, and on - and by the time it's all done, the days are getting longer!
I think this is a wonderful time to talk about religion, myself, and am always interested in what you have to say.
Happy Solstice! and Merry Christmas! |
