The First ChristmasFR. WILLIAM SAUNDERS
Was Christ really born on December 25th?
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One would think that if anyone's date of birth were
remembered exactly, it would be that of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, the gospels do not pinpoint the date of Christ's birth. The
reason is probably that the focus of the gospels is on the kerygma or mystery
of redemption — the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. This focus is
also probably why St. Mark's Gospel does not even include the Christmas story,
but begins with the Baptism of the Lord at the River Jordan. Easter, on the
other hand, can be better dated because of its concurrence with Passover.
Prior to the legalization of Christianity by the Emperor
Constantine in the year 313, no universal date or even formal celebration of
Christmas is found. For instance, Origen (d.255), St. Irenaeus (d. 202), and
Tertullian (d. 220) do not include Christmas or its date on their lists of
feasts and celebrations.
After legalization, the Church was better able to establish universal
dates of feasts and to organize the public celebration. Moreover, we now see
the Church addressing controversies concerning Jesus as true God and true man
and how He entered this world. Such concern would focus more attention on the
importance of celebrating Christmas, the birth of our Lord.
On the more practical side of this issue, Roman pagans used
to gather at the hill where the Vatican is presently located to commemorate the
"Birth of the Unconquered Sun" This pagan feast was celebrated
throughout the Empire either on Dec. 25 (according to the Julian Calendar) or on
Jan. 6 (according to the Egyptian calendar). Although not proven with
certainty, some historians credit Constantine, who declared Sunday as a day of
rest in the Empire, with replacing the pagan festival with that of Christmas.
Interestingly, since the 200s, Jesus was honored with the title, "Sun of
Justice."
Somehow all of these elements converged to the formal
celebration of Christmas on Dec. 25. For instance, Christmas was celebrated in
Rome by Pope Liberius (352-66) on Dec. 25. On Dec. 25, 379, St. Gregory
Nazianzus preached a Christmas sermon in Constantinople. In the Cathedral of
Milan, St. Ambrose (d. 397) celebrated Christmas. Therefore, by; the year 400,
generally, the birth of Christ was set on Dec. 25 with the exception of
Palestine, where it was celebrated on Jan. 6 until the mid-600s, when it was
then transferred to Dec. 25.
As an aside, the Feast of the Epiphany also emerged in Gaul
(the Roman province of present-day France) about the year 361. This feast was
moved to Jan. 6, which remains the official date.
While the concern for exact dating may preoccupy us at
times, I believe the most important point is celebrating the birth of our Lord.
Remember that the title "Christmas" is derived from the Old English
title "Cristes Maesse" which means "The Mass of Christ."
This Christmas, may we lift up our hearts at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and
receive our Lord, born into our souls through the grace of the Holy Eucharist.
God BlessNathan
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Prepared by a St.Denis parishioner
Prepared by a St.Denis parishioner
Those that want to tear down the majesty of God might say that what I'm relating is an example of the pagan roots of Christianity, but it is not. What I find inspiring about when we celebrate Christmas is the additional symbolism of the season. Around summer solstice we celebrate the Feast of St. John, the cousin of Jesus born 6 months prior.
ReplyDeleteThe longest day of the year, followed by the days growing shorter. Light in the world becomes less and less. Yet St John preaches from the prophet Isaiah and proclaims the coming of the Christ. Though the world grows darker, Jesus appears and literally is the Light. In the natural world, the daylight grows longer and longer, but the Light that burns bright in every believer illuminates for all eternity even outside of time and seasons! Praise God!