Holidays and Observances | Was Jesus Really Born On December 25?
Was Jesus really born on December 25?
No one knows the actual birth date of Jesus of Nazareth (founder of Christianity; also called the Christ), but modern scholars place the year at about 8 and 6 B.C. As early as A.D. 336 Christians celebrated the anniversary of Jesus' birth, but why they chose December 25 is a mystery. One theory involves the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year (December 21 or 22). According to Christians, Jesus was a "light in the darkness"—that is, he brought the reward of eternal life after death to believers, turning the "darkness" of death into the "light" of everlasting life. The Roman Empire adopted Christianity as its official religion at the end of the fourth century. By 1100 Christmas (from the Old English words Cristes Maesse or "Mass of Christ") was an important religious celebration throughout Europe.
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