Christianity celebrates Christmas on December 25. It is the day that, according to this religion, was the birth of Jesus. Although, historically, is this data real? Apparently not. For centuries, historians have wondered about the true date of this event. There are many theories and they all seem to be accurate, however, they are just hypotheses.
Uncertain facts about the birth of Jesus
According to one of these hypotheses, created by historians, Christians “chose” December 25 to attract more devotees. This is a key date, four days after the winter solstice.
One of the facts that is uncertain is that, according to history, the year in which Jesus was born would not be year 1. According to the biblical scriptures, King Herod ordered the murder of any child who was born in Bethlehem and who was less than two years old. This event, which became known as “the massacre of the innocents,” could not have occurred in year one of our era. King Herod died in the year 4 BC, so it is impossible for him to issue such an order on the recorded date.
Likewise, another historical hypothesis says that Jesus was born on an autumn day. As the story goes, the flocks were still grazing, so it is impossible for it to have happened in the freezing month of December.
Some information that supports this theory is that the Virgin Mary could not find an inn where Jesus could be born. All sites were full due to the harvest celebration. For historians who support this theory, the birth could have occurred sometime in the last two weeks of September.
The dates do not match
Historians differ on the certain date due to the few data that are certain. The sources for the investigation are few and uncertain as to dates. The biblical writings and the gospels do not add up to data that coincides.
Especially in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, where the “infancy stories” of Jesus are mentioned and which were written approximately between the 80s and 90s of our era.
The gospel of Mark does not mention anything about the birth of Christ. However, the texts of Matthew and Luke differ in terms of dates. According to the gospel of Matthew, Jesus was born during the reign of Herod, who, as already mentioned, died in the year 4 BC.
Luke included Herod in his account, although he places the birth of Our Lord in the year of the Quirinus census. Due to this census, Joseph and Mary had to move to Bethlehem, the site of Joseph’s birth, to be counted. The census was taken by the Roman governor of Syria, Publius Sulpicius Quirinus.
According to the historian Flavius Josephus, the census really existed, although in the year 6 of our era. This makes the birth of Jesus differ by 10 years from what the gospel of Matthew and Luke says.
In any case, Christmas is a day of celebration, which exceeds Catholic worship. All over the world, streets, houses and shops are illuminated for this celebration. If the birth occurred on another day, it is important but anecdotal. Christmas is a festive occasion that involves numerous traditions and the gathering of family around the iconic Christmas table.
