CHRISTMAS DAY

According to the Gregorian calendar, which is used in this country, today is January 7, 2024. Ac-cording to the Julian calendar, which was used in the Roman Empire in the second century AD, today is December 25, 2023.

Using the Julian calendar, exactly 1,749 years ago, on December 25, 274, the emperor of the Roman Empire, Aurelian, dedicated a new temple to the god Sol Invictus (which was the sun).[1] Aurelian wanted the empire to have a chief deity and the one he promoted was Sol Invictus (which means Unconquered Sun). In the Julian calendar, Sol Invictus’ birthday was the day of the winter solstice,[2] December 25.

Sometime after AD 274 and at least by 336, Christians in the West began celebrating Christ’s birth on December 25. Though there is disagreement, as it appears, Christians in the West Chris-tianized December 25, converting it from the day of celebrating Sol Invictus’ birth to the day of celebrating Christ’s birth.[3] While Christians in the West were celebrating Christ’s birth on December 25, Christians in the East were celebrating Christ’s birth on January 6 (which some professing Christians today are doing). As it appears, by the fifth century, most Christians were celebrating Christ’s birth on December 25. Though, as it appears, Christians Christianized De-cember 25, converting it from the day of celebrating Sol Invictus’ birth to the day of celebrating Christ’s birth, as one Church historian wrote, “It was . . . the prevailing opinion of the church in the fourth and fifth centuries, that Christ was actually born on the twenty-fifth of December[.]”[4]

With all that said, based on what is revealed by the Scriptures, as it appears, Christ was born not in December, but in September or October in connection with the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths).[5]

As revealed by the Old Testament Scriptures, the Feast of Booths was to be an annual festival in Israel to worship Yahweh[6] for blessing the Israelites in all their produce and in all the work of their hands.[7] The festival was to begin on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the Hebrew religious calendar (a day that occurs, depending on the year, in September or October on the Gre-gorian calendar) and was to last for seven days. On the first day of the festival, the Israelites were to take for themselves “fronds of palm trees[,] . . . a branch of a leafy tree[,] and poplars of a wadi” (Lv 23:40, My Translation) and, using those trees, branches, and fronds, make temporary abodes (or booths). The Israelites were to dwell in the booths for seven days in order that their gener-ations might know that Yahweh had the Israelites dwell in booths when He brought them out from the land of Egypt. Lastly, as part of the Feast of Booths, the Israelites were to rejoice before Yahweh their God for seven days.

If Christ was born in September or October in connection with the Feast of Booths, then the One who, according to John 1:14, became flesh and dwelt, tabernacled,[8] or took up His abode[9] among us began His dwelling, tabernacling, or taking up His abode among us in connection with the Feast of Booths—the feast as part of which the Jews were to dwell in booths in order that they might know that Yahweh had their ancestors dwell in booths when He brought them out from the land of Egypt [and when He dwelt among them in the Tabernacle]. In addition, if Christ was born in September or October in connection with the Feast of Booths, then He most likely was conceived in December. “Thus, [as Henry Morris wrote,] it might well be that when we today celebrate Christ’s birth at what we call Christmas . . . , we are actually celebrating His miraculous conception, the time when the Father sent the Son into the world, in the virgin’s womb.”[10]

As I have already mentioned, according to the Julian calendar, today is December 25, 2023. For the professing Christians who use the Julian calendar and celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25, today is Christmas Day. For the professing Christians who use the Gregorian calendar, Christ-mas Day was either almost exactly two weeks ago, December 25, 2023, or yesterday, January 6, 2024. Lastly, if Christ was born in September or October in connection with the Feast of Booths (and presumably on the first day of that festival), then Christmas Day was ninety-nine days ago, September 30, 2023.[11]

Though we do not know for sure the day of Christ’s birth, we do know for sure that Christ was born.

A Scripture that focuses in part on Christ’s birth and that is referenced during the Christmas season is Isaiah 9:6 and 7.

9:6 Because[12] a child was born[13] to us a Son was given to us[14] and the [government or] dominion was[15] upon His shoulder and He called[16] His name [wonderful, counselor, or, as it appears, better translated,] wonderful [counselor or] adviser[17] [mighty God or] God is might-y[18] [eternal or] forever[19] father[20] prince of peace[21]. 9:7 concerning[22] the increase[23] of the [government or] dominion and concerning[24] peace there is no end upon the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to sustain it with[25] justice and righteousness from now and until forever the zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this. (My Translation)

As revealed by the New Testament Scriptures, the child who was born to Yahweh’s people the Son who was given to Yahweh’s people is Jesus the Christ, the Son of God.

If Jesus the Christ was born in September or October in connection with the Feast of Booths and thus was conceived in December or January (as it appears, of 6 or 5 BC), then almost exactly 2,029 years ago, Yahweh, specifically, God the Father, “sent His [only begotten, only, one and only, or, better translated,] unique Son[, that is, the Son of God] into the world” (1 Jn 4:9, My Trans-lation). And when He, the Son of God, Yahweh, specifically, God the Son was sent into the world, He added humanity to His deity. Still being fully God, He became fully man. Then, nine months later, in September or October of 5 BC, that child, the Christ, was born. And that Person, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, is the child who was born to Yahweh’s people the Son who was given to Yahweh’s people.

For those of us who are part of Yahweh’s people, fellow Christians, let us be ever increasing in worshiping and serving the child who was born to us the Son who was given to us, the God-man, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God!

[1] Among other sources, see Diana Darke, The Merchant of Syria: A History of Survival (New York: Oxford University Press, 2018), 58.

[2] “Winter Solstice” in Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, second edition, eds. J. Gordon Melton and Martin Baumann, vol. 6 (Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio, 2010), 3110.

[3] This theory regarding why the Church chose December 25 as the day of Christ’s birth is known as the “History-of-Religions Theory.” For support of this theory, see Nick Needham, 2000 Years of Christ’s Power, vol. 1 (Geanies House, Fearn, Ross-shire, Scotland and London, England: Christian Focus Publications Ltd and Grace Publications Trust, 2016), 158 and 196 and Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, vol. 3 (1910; reis., Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1981), 396.

[4] Schaff, 397.

[5] For support, see Clint Spicer, Ex Deus Vita (Morrisville, NC?: Lulu.com, 2014), 54-58, Anthony Lyle, Ancient History: A Revised Chronology: An Updated Revision of Ancient History Based on New Archaeology, vol. 2 (Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2012), entries 542-545, Don Leichel, Ipso Facto: A Scientific Exploration of the Old and the New Testament (New Zealand: Interactive Publications, 2012), 365, E. W. Bullinger, Companion Bible Appendixes: The Full Appendices from the Companion Bible, Printed Separately, 633-637, Henry M. Morris, The New Defender’s Study Bible (Nashville: World Publishing, 2006), notes for Luke 2:8 and 13, Good News, “Biblical Evidence Shows Jesus Christ Wasn’t Born on Dec. 25,” Dec 3, 2004 (https://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/biblical-evidence-shows-jesus-christ-wasnt-born-on-dec-25), and Joseph Lenard, “Jesus’ Birth – Birth of John the Baptist,” December 27, 2016 (https://truthinscripture.net/2016/12/27/jesus-birth-birth-of-john-the-baptist/).

[6] Lv 23:33-38 (especially, v.37).

[7] Ex 23:16, Lv 23:33-43, and Dt 16:13-17 (especially, v.15).

[8] Jn 1:14. Gk. ἐσκήνωσεν (“to tabernacle”). See W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White, Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985), 188 and 614-15 and Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament, electronic ed. (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000), 4637. σκηνόω.

[9] Jn 1:14. Gk. ἐσκήνωσεν (“to take up one’s abode[ or residence]”). See Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short, Lewis and Short’s Latin-English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1879), https://logeion.uchicago.edu/σκηνόω, Henry George Liddell and Robert Scott, An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon: Founded Upon the Seventh Edition of Liddell and Scott’s Greek-English Lexicon (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1889), https://logeion.uchicago.edu/σκηνόω, James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament), second edition, electronic edition (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, 2001), 5012 σκηνόω, and T. Friberg, B. Friberg, and N. F. Miller, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, vol. 4 (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2000), 350.

[10] Morris, notes for Luke 2:13, quoted on https://www.icr.org/bible/Luke/2/8-14/.

[11] Which, according to the Hebrew calendar, was Tishrei 15, 5784.

[12] Hb. כִּי (causal, “because”).

[13] Hb. יֻלַּד־לָנוּ (יֻלַּד־, Qal Passive Perfect, “He was born[ to us]”).

[14] Hb. נִתַּן־לָנוּ (נִתַּן־, Niphal Perfect, “He was given[ to us]”).

[15] Hb. וַתְּהִי (Qal Imperfect with Wow Consecutive, “and she was”).

[16] Hb. וַיִּקְרָא (Qal Imperfect with Wow Consecutive, “and He called”).

[17] Hb. פֶּלֶא יוֹעֵץ (“a wonder of an adviser,” יוֹעֵץ, subjective genitive, genitive of quality, “an adviser has the quality of a wonder”).

[18] Hb. אֵל גִּבּוֹר (גִּבּוֹר, adjective, predicative use, “[the ]God is mighty”). For support of this translation, see Is 10:21 (אֵל גִּבּוֹר) and Is 9:6, NET Bible, footnote 18.

[19] Hb. עַד (“forever”).

[20] Hb. אֲבִי עַד (“a father of forever,” עַד, adjectival genitive, attributive genitive, “a father is characterized by forever” or “a forever father”).

[21] Hb. שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם (“a prince of peace,” שָׁלוֹם, adverbial genitive, genitive of effect, “a prince causes peace”).

[22] Hb. לְםַרְבֵּה (לְ, specification, “concerning[ the increase]”).

[23] Hb. לְםַרְבֵּה (textual variant, מַרְבֶּה, from רָבָה, a substantive[, not a participle], “[concerning ]the increase”).

[24] Hb. וּלְשָׁלוֹם (לְ, specification, “concerning[ peace]”).

[25] Hb. בְּמִשְׁפָּט וּבִצְדָקָה (בְּ, manner, “with[ justice and righteousness]”).