Hi friends,
Recently, a reader of the Uncommon Pursuit newsletter told me they felt it was wrong to celebrate Christmas on December 25th, given the pagan origins of that day.
Their argument went like this:
I don’t believe December 25 is the true date of Christ’s birth. That date was originally a Roman pagan festival honoring false gods. Celebrating Christmas on this day joins in with pagan practices, and true Christians should avoid mixing with such traditions.
As I thought about what they wrote, I wanted to start by finding the points of agreement.
First, they’re right that we don’t know the actual date of Jesus’ birth, and it probably wasn’t in December.
In Luke 2:8, discussing the birth of Christ, we’re told, “shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock”
In the IVP NT Background Commentary, Dr. Craig Keener observes, “Pasturing of flocks at night indicates that this was a warmer season, not winter (when they would graze more in the day).”
So, whatever day we pick to remember the birth of Christ will be a memorial date, not the exact anniversary. (Unless we get it right by accident).
Second, they’re right that December 25th was the day of a pagan Roman festival.
However, this is not how the early Christians explained the date. Here’s how Andrew McGowan recounts the history in an article for the Biblical Archaeology Society:
Around 200 C.E. Tertullian of Carthage reported the calculation that the 14th of Nisan (the day of the crucifixion according to the Gospel of John) in the year Jesus died was equivalent to March 25 in the Roman (solar) calendar. March 25 is, of course, nine months before December 25; it was later recognized as the Feast of the Annunciation—the commemoration of Jesus’ conception. Thus, Jesus was believed to have been conceived and crucified on the same day of the year. Exactly nine months later, Jesus was born, on December 25.
This idea appears in an anonymous Christian treatise titled On Solstices and Equinoxes, which appears to come from fourth-century North Africa. The treatise states: “Therefore our Lord was conceived on the eighth of the kalends of April in the month of March [March 25], which is the day of the passion of the Lord and of his conception. For on that day he was conceived on the same he suffered." Based on this, the treatise dates Jesus’ birth to the winter solstice.
Augustine, too, was familiar with this association. In On the Trinity (c. 399–419) he writes: “For he [Jesus] is believed to have been conceived on the 25th of March, upon which day also he suffered; so the womb of the Virgin, in which he was conceived, where no one of mortals was begotten, corresponds to the new grave in which he was buried, wherein was never man laid, neither before him nor since. But he was born, according to tradition, upon December the 25th.”
McGowan also shows that in the Eastern church tradition, they used the same calculation method to discern the date of Jesus’ birth but decided on January 6 instead of December 25th.
Even though the dates are different, it shows that both the Western and Eastern branches of the church were trying to find the date of Jesus’ birth by reflecting on the Bible rather than attempting to co-opt pagan practices.
McGowan also notes that the early Christians were strongly opposed to pagan worship:
Most significantly, the first mention of a date for Christmas (c. 200) and the earliest [pagan] celebrations that we know about (c. 250–300) come in a period when Christians were not borrowing heavily from pagan traditions of such an obvious character.
Based on the historical evidence we have, I think it’s reasonable to draw two conclusions:
First, Jesus was likely not born on December 25th. The direct Biblical evidence from Luke 2:8 points to some time of year besides the winter.
Second, the early Christians decided on this date (or January 6th) by prayerfully reflecting on the Scriptures. They intended to honor God.
But we still face the question: Should we celebrate Jesus’ birth on December 25th?
After all, at this point, there are many ways in which this date has been co-opted by other agendas, whether pagan worship or the commercialization of a sacred holiday.
In the United States, I’ve never seen anyone suggest that Christmas is about honoring the winter solstice, worshiping the agricultural god Saturn, or going to a temple to sacrifice young pigs.
However, according to Britannica, the overlap nevertheless had an effect:
The influence of the Saturnalia upon the celebrations of Christmas and the New Year has been direct. The fact that Christmas was celebrated on the birthday of the unconquered sun (dies solis invicti nati) gave the season a solar background, connected with the kalends of January (January 1, the Roman New Year) when houses were decorated with greenery and lights, and presents were given to children and the poor.
So, perhaps the pressure to shop until I drop, or at least get gifts for myself and others, is a long-lasting, indirect influence from the celebration of Roman holidays.
With all of this in mind, as with many of these disputed issues that attract so much attention, I think the best guide is Romans 14:5-6,
One person judges one day to be more important than another day. Someone else judges every day to be the same. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind. Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord. Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, and he gives thanks to God.
So, if you feel that not celebrating Christmas on December 25th helps you avoid any association with paganism, as my friend who wrote to me feels, you have my support! It honors the Lord to avoid paganism and make your celebration of the birth of Jesus wholly set apart as a time of worship of the one true God.
However, if you feel that celebrating the birth of Jesus on December 25th is your way of demonstrating that Jesus is superior to all other gods and connects you in the worship of Jesus with the ancient and global church, then you also have my support. It honors the Lord to give him glory, especially when we do it together as the Body of Christ, and in recognition that the pagan gods have no power whatsoever.
Either way, in the United States, there will be unrelenting pressure to participate in the commercialization of Christmas between the middle of November and the end of the year.
To resist this pressure and be formed as a disciple of Jesus, the most counter-cultural habit I can find is participating not just in Christmas but in Advent.
Because Advent sets aside an entire season to prepare for Christmas. By regularly studying the Scriptures, praying together, and inviting God to form us into Christlikeness, we are opening our lives to God’s work.
To help with this, I’ve written The Gift of Advent and I’m hosting group discussions around the Biblical themes of hope, peace, joy, and love.
If we want every part of the year to point us to Christ, then we need a way to consecrate every day to the Lord. There are many ways to do this, but I have found the church calendar to be a helpful rhythm that connects me to God and the global body of Christ.
I think that open discussions about when we celebrate the birth of Christmas can be helpful. Perhaps our conversations will help us better understand the Bible and church history by doing so. We don’t have to call each other names, disparage one another’s faith, or insist that everyone agree. Instead, we each need to honor our conscience, and find our own way to honor Jesus as the Incarnate Lord.
Because Jesus becoming human is an astounding miracle, no matter what date of the year you remember it.
Let me know… How do you honor Jesus and remember his incarnation?