Was Jesus born on December 25? #3: Paganism borrowed December 25 from Christianity!

Continuing from "Was Jesus born on December 25? #2: Pagan origin so shouldn't be celebrated?" with this part #3 of my

[Above (click to enlarge): Sol Invictus silver disc , Roman, 3rd century AD, in British Museum: Wikipedia]

four-part series, "Was Jesus born on December 25?

As we saw in parts #1 & #2, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society's confused claim is that Christianity's celebration of Christmas on December 25 as the date of Jesus' birth is based on either or both the Roman festivals of Saturnalia on 17-23 December and Sol Invictus ("Unconquered Sun") on 25 December.

Saturnalia was celebrated only in Rome, it was not December 25 and has nothing in common with Christ's birth.

But Saturnalia was celebrated only in Rome, it's primary celebration was December 17 and it ended before December 25 (on the 23rd or 24th), and has nothing in common with Christ's birth:

"One of the ... festivals of ancient Rome was the Saturnalia ... celebrated on December 17-24. ... it was a time of wild merrymaking ..." ("Saturnalia," Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2008).

"Saturnalia is the feast with which the Romans commemorated the dedication of the temple of the god Saturn ... Originally celebrated for a day, on December 17th, popularity grew it to week-long ... ending on the 23rd." ("Saturnalia," Wikipedia, 2008).

Sol Invictus ("Unconquered Sun") was instituted between AD 218-220 and reestablished in AD 274 but the earliest reference to it being celebrated on December 25 is AD 354.

And Sol Invictus was instituted by the 14-year-old Syrian-born Roman Emperor Elagabalus in c. AD 220 in a failed attempt and then reestablished by Aurelian in AD 274 but the earliest reference to it being celebrated on December 25 is AD 354

"Sol ... sun god... The Roman emperor Elagabalus (reigned AD 218-222) built a temple to him as Sol Invictus ... and attempted to make his worship the principal religion at Rome. The emperor Aurelian (reigned 270-275) later reestablished the worship and erected a magnificent temple to Sol ..." ("Sol," Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2008).

"Elagabalus ... was a Roman Emperor ...who reigned from 218 to 222. ... replaced Jupiter, head of the Roman pantheon, with a new god, Deus Sol Invictus ... meaning God the Undefeated Sun ... [in 222] the Praetorians attacked [and killed] Elagabalus ... His religious edicts were reversed ..." ("Elagabalus," Wikipedia, 2008).

"Aurelian ... Roman emperor from 270 to 275. By reuniting the empire, which had virtually disintegrated ... He sought to subordinate the divergent religions of the empire to the cult of the Unconquered Sun (Sol Invictus) and so create the kind of religious unity ..." ("Aurelian," Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2008).

"... The Roman ... emperor Aurelian [c. 214-275] introduced an official cult of Sol Invictus ... in 274. ... the festival ...`birthday of the undefeated Sun', which is recorded in 354 ... as celebrated on the 25th December; but no earlier reference to it exists. " ("Sol Invictus: Aurelian," Wikipedia, 2008).

From the above it can be seen that Sol Invictus was "a new god" first instituted in Rome by emperor Elagabalus between 218-222 AD. But upon Elagabalus' death in 222, Sol Invictus was rejected by the Romans until it was reestablished by emperor Aurelius in 274 AD. But even then, the earliest record of Sol Invictus festival being celebrated on December 25 is 354 AD.

And "the earliest record of the celebration of Christ's birthday on December 25 dates to 243 A.D":

" ... Whether the 'Sol Invictus' festival has a `claim on the responsibility' for the date of Christmas ... has been called into question ... a December 25th date was determined simply by calculating nine months beyond March 25th, regarded as the day of Jesus' conception ... the identification of Christ's birthday pre-dates the Sol Invictus festival ... the earliest record of the celebration of Christ's birthday on December 25 dates to 243 A.D." ("Sol Invictus: Sol Invictus and Christianity," Wikipedia, 2008).

and indeed 22 years before that, "December 25 was first identified as the date of Jesus' birth by Sextus Julius Africanus in 221," by assuming that Jesus' conception was on March 25 and therefore His birth would have been nine months later on December 25:

"December 25 was first identified as the date of Jesus' birth by Sextus Julius Africanus in 221 ... by a priori reasoning that identified the spring equinox ... as the day of Jesus' conception ... March 25 ... December 25, nine months later, then became the date of Jesus' birth." ("Christmas," Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2008).

And "While one frequently encounters assertions that Christmas was timed to coincide with the celebration of Sol Invictus, these never seem to be backed up by evidence" e.g. "quotations from the early Christians," therefore it remains "sheer speculation" :

"... Is Christmas a pagan celebration merely because it is celebrated at the same time of the year as ancient pagan feasts .... While one frequently encounters assertions that Christmas was timed to coincide with the celebration of Sol Invictus, these never seem to be backed up by evidence. ... by quotations from the early Christians saying, `We decided to time this celebration to coincide with Sol Invictus, and this is why ... this ought to be reflected in its writings, but it isn't. Witnesses never produce quotes from early Christians saying that Christmas was timed to coincide with a pagan festival. That is sheer speculation." (Evert, 2001, "Answering Jehovah's Witnesses," pp.145-146).

Even "Christian writers frequently made the connection between the rebirth of the sun and the birth of the Son" but "One of the difficulties with this view is that ...the early church was ... intent on distinguishing itself categorically from pagan beliefs and practices":

"Indeed, after December 25 had become widely accepted as the date of Jesus' birth, Christian writers frequently made the connection between the rebirth of the sun and the birth of the Son. One of the difficulties with this view is that it suggests a nonchalant willingness on the part of the Christian church to appropriate a pagan festival when the early church was so intent on distinguishing itself categorically from pagan beliefs and practices." ("Christmas," Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, 27 December 2008).

That both Roman paganism and Christianity held a celebration on the same day, December 25, has three possible explanations:

1. Coincidence - both Roman paganism and Christianity independently chose the same date December 25, the Romans to celebrate the rebirth of a sun-god, and the Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

2. Christianity adopted December 25 from Roman paganism - there was a prior Roman festival on December 25 and Christians started celebrating the birth of Jesus on that same date; or

3. Roman paganism adopted December 25 from Christianity - there was a prior Christian celebration of Christ's birth on December 25 and Roman paganism decided to start celebrating the rebirth of a sun-god on that same date.

Of the above:

1. Coincidence is possible. Mere correlation is not causation. That is, Roman paganism and Christianity could have each independently celebrated on the same day, December 25, for different reasons. The `suspicious' similarity in sound between "sun" and "Son" in English does not apply in Latin, where "sun" is sol and "son" is filius. As December 25 was the winter solstice under the then Julian calendar, it is a logical date for the Romans to celebrate the sun-god's rebirth, as the days become longer from that date. Equally, since Christians assumed that Jesus was conceived at the spring equinox, which was March 25 under the Julian calendar, it follows that He would have been born nine months later on December 25.

2. Christianity adopted December 25 from Roman paganism is the least likely explanation, given Christianity's long struggle to distinguish itself from paganism (see above), for which many thousands of Christians had been persecuted, tortured and martyred. Moreover, there is nothing in Christian or pagan writings about the Church adopting December 25 from paganism to celebrate Christ's birth. Nor is there any evidence of December 25 being celebrated by Roman paganism until AD 354. Indeed, "Prior to 274 there's no record of a major sun cult at the Northern Hemisphere's winter solstice":

"... why the church later chose Dec. 25 for Christmas. Two main theories compete. One notes that in A.D. 274, the Roman Emperor Aurelian inaugurated Dec. 25 as the pagan `Birth of the Unconquered Sun' celebration, at the calendar point when daylight began to lengthen. Supposedly, Christians then borrowed the date and devised Christmas to compete with paganism. Aurelian's empire seemed near collapse, so his festival proclaimed imperial and pagan rejuvenation. Prior to 274 there's no record of a major sun cult at the Northern Hemisphere's winter solstice (the year's shortest day, which actually occurs before Dec. 25) ." (Ostling, 2004, "Why is Dec. 25 the date to celebrate Christmas?" North County Times, December 22).

Yet there is evidence of the birth of Jesus being independently calculated as December 25 in AD 211 by a Christian, Julius Sextus Africanus, and it being celebrated in AD 243.

Even if Christians in Rome, having become aware of Africanus' calculation in AD 221, had then decided to celebrate December 25 as the date of Jesus' birth by 243 AD, in opposition to an existing pagan celebration (of which there is no historical evidence that there was one at that time), it would have been totally different to the Watchtower's claim that Christians just adopted December 25 from paganism.

3. Roman paganism borrowed December 25 from Christianity is the most likely option. Roman paganism was syncretistic (witness the grafting on of the Syrian god El-Gabal to existing Roman sun-gods Sol and Sol Indiges (see "Sol" and "Elagabalus"). It would be far more likely for syncretistic Roman paganism, struggling against the rising tide of Christianity which had long been celebrating the birth of Jesus on December 25, to institute in AD 274-354, a Sol Invictus celebration on December 25, in competition with Christianity.

In fact, historian William Tighe maintains that December 25 owes "nothing whatsoever to pagan influences," that Aurelian created "a pagan alternative to a date that was already of some significance to Roman Christians" and "the pagans-first theory originated only three centuries ago":

"William Tighe ... champions the exact opposite theory. Aurelian almost certainly created `a pagan alternative to a date that was already of some significance to Roman Christians... Dec. 25 `appears to owe nothing whatsoever to pagan influences,' ... the pagans-first theory originated only three centuries ago in the writings of Protestant historian Paul Ernst Jablonski and Catholic monk Jean Hardouin." (Ostling, 2004, Ibid).

"Many Christians think that Christians celebrate Christ's birth on December 25th because the church fathers appropriated the date of a pagan festival. .. But ... the choice of December 25th is the result of attempts among the earliest Christians to figure out the date of Jesus' birth based on calendrical calculations that had nothing to do with pagan festivals. Rather, the pagan festival of the `Birth of the Unconquered Son' instituted by the Roman Emperor Aurelian on 25 December 274, was almost certainly an attempt to create a pagan alternative to a date that was already of some significance to Roman Christians. Thus the `pagan origins of Christmas' is a myth without historical substance." (Tighe, 2003a, "Calculating Christmas," Touchstone, December).

"The idea that the date was taken from the pagans goes back to two scholars from the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. ... Jablonski ... wished to show that the celebration of Christ's birth on December 25th was one of the many `paganizations' of Christianity ... Hardouin ... tried to show that the Catholic Church adopted pagan festivals ... without paganizing the gospel." (Tighe, 2003b, Ibid).

"In the Julian calendar ... the winter solstice fell on December 25th, and it ... seemed obvious to Jablonski and Hardouin that the day must have had a pagan significance before it had a Christian one. But in fact, the date had no religious significance in the Roman pagan festal calendar before Aurelian's time ... There were two temples of the sun in Rome, one of which ... celebrated its dedication festival on August 9th, the other of which celebrated its dedication festival on August 28th. ... none of these cults ... had festivals associated with solstices or equinoxes." (Tighe, 2003c, Ibid).

"... Aurelian, who ruled from 270 until ... 275, was hostile to Christianity and ... promoted the establishment of the festival of the `Birth of the Unconquered Sun' as a device to unify the various pagan cults of the Roman Empire .... He led an empire that appeared to be collapsing .... In creating the new feast, he intended ... December 25th to be a symbol of the hoped-for `rebirth' ... of the Roman Empire .... If it co-opted the Christian celebration, so much the better." (Tighe, 2003d, Ibid).

Moreover, there is a link between Sextus Julius Africanus, who had calculated December 25 as the birth of Jesus, and the Roman emperor Alexander Severus ( 208-235), who was Elagabalus' heir apparent and succeeded him, and was possibly a Christian:

"Alexander Severus ... (... 208-... 235) ... succeeded, as heir apparent, his despised cousin, the eighteen year old Emperor Elagabalus ... he did much to improve the morals and condition of the people. ... .literature, art and science were encouraged ... ... In religious matters ... he was desirous of erecting a temple to the founder of Christianity [Jesus].." ("Alexander Severus," Wikipedia, 2008).

The link is that the Syrian Christian, Sextus Julius Africanus, was an "ambassador to Rome about 222" and "became a protégé of the" Syrian "emperor Severus Alexander":

"Sextus Julius Africanus ... born c. AD 180 ... died c. 250. ... . He was named regional ambassador to Rome about 222, when he became a protégé of the emperor Severus Alexander. Africanus' greatest work was Chronographiai (221), a five-volume treatise on sacred and profane history ..." ("Sextus Julius Africanus," Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2008).

So it is highly likely (bordering on certainty) that in 222, the Syrian ambassador to Rome, Sextus Julius Africanus, told his fellow Christians in Rome, as well as his fellow Syrian, Emperor Severus Alexander, of his calculation of December 25 as the date of the birth of Jesus. That would explain the known historical facts that by AD 243 Christians in Rome had begun celebrating the birth of Jesus on December 25, followed by Roman paganism instituting between AD 274-354 a competing celebration of Sol Invictus .

But in that case, Roman paganism borrowed December 25 for its celebration of Sol Invictus from Christianity's existing celebration of the birth of Jesus on that date, not the other way round!

And then, for eighty years and counting, from 1928 to the present, the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society has been totally wrong in its claim that the Christian Church's celebration of Jesus' birth on December 25 is of pagan origin.

Note that none of the above precludes the date of Jesus' birth actually being December 25. Julius Sextus Africanus' calculation of Jesus' conception may well have been an attempt to give additional support to a widely-known tradition handed down from the days of the earliest Church, that Jesus was born on December 25. This is part of the theory I will propose, that Jesus was born on December 25, in the concluding part #4, "Was Jesus born on December 25? #4: The case for.

Quotes referenced above are hyperlinked to the full quote in the `tagline' below (emphasis original italics, emphasis bold mine).

Stephen E. Jones.
My other blogs: CreationEvolutionDesign & TheShroudofTurin

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"Aurelian ... born c. 215 died 275, near Byzantium [now Istanbul, Turkey] ... Roman emperor from 270 to 275. By reuniting the empire, which had virtually disintegrated under the pressure of invasions and internal revolts, he earned his self-adopted title restitutor orbis (`restorer of the world'). Aurelian, born near the Danube River, had established himself as an army officer when, about 260, from outside pressure and internal fragmentation of authority, the frontiers of the empire suddenly collapsed. With his compatriot Claudius, Aurelian led the cavalry of the emperor Gallienus (253-268), and, upon Gallienus's assassination in 268, Claudius became emperor. The new ruler quickly suppressed the rebellion of the usurper Aureolus, but, after a reign of 18 months, Claudius died. His brother Quintillus, who ruled about three months, died or was killed, and in September 270 Aurelian succeeded as emperor. ... Aurelian was an outstanding general and a severe and uncompromising administrator. ... He sought to subordinate the divergent religions of the empire to the cult of the Unconquered Sun (Sol Invictus) and so create the kind of religious unity that came only later with Constantine. Early in 275, while marching to open a campaign against Persia, Aurelian was murdered by a group of officers who had allegedly been misled by his secretary into believing themselves marked for execution. ... The empire remained divided and chaotic until Diocletian's ascension (ad 284)." ("Aurelian," Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 27 December, 2008).

"The precise origin of assigning December 25 as the birth date of Jesus is unclear. The New Testament provides no clues in this regard. December 25 was first identified as the date of Jesus' birth by Sextus Julius Africanus in 221 and later became the universally accepted date. One widespread explanation of the origin of this date is that December 25 was the Christianizing of the dies solis invicti nati ('day of the birth of the unconquered sun'), a popular holiday in the Roman Empire that celebrated the winter solstice as a symbol of the resurgence of the sun, the casting away of winter and the heralding of the rebirth of spring and summer. Indeed, after December 25 had become widely accepted as the date of Jesus' birth, Christian writers frequently made the connection between the rebirth of the sun and the birth of the Son. One of the difficulties with this view is that it suggests a nonchalant willingness on the part of the Christian church to appropriate a pagan festival when the early church was so intent on distinguishing itself categorically from pagan beliefs and practices. A second view suggests that December 25 became the date of Jesus' birth by a priori reasoning that identified the spring equinox as the date of the creation of the world and the fourth day of creation, when the light was created, as the day of Jesus' conception (i.e., March 25). December 25, nine months later, then became the date of Jesus' birth. For a long time the celebration of Jesus' birth was observed in conjunction with his baptism, celebrated January 6." ("Christmas," Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, 27 December 2008).

"Saturnalia ... One of the best-known festivals of ancient Rome was the Saturnalia, a winter festival celebrated on December 17-24. Because it was a time of wild merrymaking and domestic celebrations, businesses, schools, and law courts were closed so that the public could feast, dance, gamble, and generally enjoy itself to the fullest." ("Saturnalia," Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 26 December 2008).

"Sextus Julius Africanus Christian historian. born c. AD 180, Jerusalem. died c. 250. ... first Christian historian known to produce a universal chronology. His life is not well documented, but evidence indicates that Africanus traveled considerably in Asia, Egypt, and Italy and later lived chiefly at Emmaus, in Palestine, where he served as prefect. He was named regional ambassador to Rome about 222, when he became a protégé of the emperor Severus Alexander. Africanus' greatest work was Chronographiai (221), a five-volume treatise on sacred and profane history from the Creation (which he placed at 5499 BC) to AD 221. Relying on the Bible as the basis of his calculations, he incorporated and synchronized Egyptian and Chaldaean chronologies, Greek mythology, and Judaic history with Christianity. His work raised the prestige of early Christianity by placing it within a historical context. He also wrote a critical work on genealogies of Christ as found in Matthew and Luke." ("Sextus Julius Africanus," Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, 27 December, 2008).

"Sol ... in Roman religion, name of two distinct sun gods at Rome. The original Sol, or Sol Indiges, had a shrine on the Quirinal, an annual sacrifice on August 9, and another shrine, together with Luna, the moon goddess, in the Circus Maximus. Although the cult appears to have been native, the Roman poets equated him with the Greek sun god Helios. The worship of Sol assumed an entirely different character with the later importation of various sun cults from Syria. The Roman emperor Elagabalus (reigned AD 218-222) built a temple to him as Sol Invictus on the Palatine and attempted to make his worship the principal religion at Rome. The emperor Aurelian (reigned 270-275) later reestablished the worship and erected a magnificent temple to Sol in the Campus Agrippae. The worship of Sol as special protector of the emperors and of the empire remained the chief imperial cult until it was replaced by Christianity." ("Sol," Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 26 December 2008).

"Christmas Is Christmas a pagan celebration merely because it is celebrated at the same time of the year as ancient pagan feasts honoring a sun god? ... the Watchtower seeks to convince the world that to win the favor of pagans, the early `apostate Church' established Christmas at the time of the pagan feast of Sol Invictus. This feast of `the unconquerable sun' celebrated at the time of the winter solstice-was when the sun began to return to the northern skies and the days grew longer. It was essentially a celebration of the return of sunlight. While one frequently encounters assertions that Christmas was timed to coincide with the celebration of Sol Invictus, these never seem to be backed up by evidence. In particular, they are never backed up by quotations from the early Christians saying, `We decided to time this celebration to coincide with Sol Invictus, and this is why ...' If the early Church had deliberately decided to time the celebrations to coincide, this ought to be reflected in its writings, but it isn't. Witnesses never produce quotes from early Christians saying that Christmas was timed to coincide with a pagan festival. That is sheer speculation." (Evert, J., 2001, "Answering Jehovah's Witnesses," Catholic Answers: El Cajon CA, pp.145-146).

" ... why the church later chose Dec. 25 for Christmas. Two main theories compete. One notes that in A.D. 274, the Roman Emperor Aurelian inaugurated Dec. 25 as the pagan `Birth of the Unconquered Sun' celebration, at the calendar point when daylight began to lengthen. Supposedly, Christians then borrowed the date and devised Christmas to compete with paganism. Aurelian's empire seemed near collapse, so his festival proclaimed imperial and pagan rejuvenation. Prior to 274 there's no record of a major sun cult at the Northern Hemisphere's winter solstice (the year's shortest day, which actually occurs before Dec. 25). William Tighe, a church history specialist at Pennsylvania's Muhlenberg College, champions the exact opposite theory. Aurelian almost certainly created `a pagan alternative to a date that was already of some significance to Roman Christians,' Tighe wrote last December in Touchstone, a Chicago-based magazine for Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant traditionalists. True, the Christians later appropriated Aurelian's festival into their Christmas. But Dec. 25 `appears to owe nothing whatsoever to pagan influences,' Tighe asserted. He said the pagans-first theory originated only three centuries ago in the writings of Protestant historian Paul Ernst Jablonski and Catholic monk Jean Hardouin. Tighe acknowledged that the first hard evidence of Christmas occurring on Dec. 25 isn't found until A.D. 336 and the date only became a fixed festival in Constantinople in 379." (Ostling, R., 2004, "Why is Dec. 25 the date to celebrate Christmas? Two explanations compete," North County Times, December 22).

"Many Christians think that Christians celebrate Christ's birth on December 25th because the church fathers appropriated the date of a pagan festival. Almost no one minds, except for a few groups on the fringes of American Evangelicalism, who seem to think that this makes Christmas itself a pagan festival. But it is perhaps interesting to know that the choice of December 25th is the result of attempts among the earliest Christians to figure out the date of Jesus' birth based on calendrical calculations that had nothing to do with pagan festivals. Rather, the pagan festival of the `Birth of the Unconquered Son' instituted by the Roman Emperor Aurelian on 25 December 274, was almost certainly an attempt to create a pagan alternative to a date that was already of some significance to Roman Christians. Thus the `pagan origins of Christmas' is a myth without historical substance." (Tighe, W.J., "Calculating Christmas," Touchstone, December, 2003a).

A Mistake The idea that the date was taken from the pagans goes back to two scholars from the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Paul Ernst Jablonski, a German Protestant, wished to show that the celebration of Christ's birth on December 25th was one of the many `paganizations' of Christianity that the Church of the fourth century embraced, as one of many `degenerations' that transformed pure apostolic Christianity into Catholicism. Dom Jean Hardouin, a Benedictine monk, tried to show that the Catholic Church adopted pagan festivals for Christian purposes without paganizing the gospel." (Tighe, 2003b Ibid).

"In the Julian calendar, created in 45 B.C. under Julius Caesar, the winter solstice fell on December 25th, and it therefore seemed obvious to Jablonski and Hardouin that the day must have had a pagan significance before it had a Christian one. But in fact, the date had no religious significance in the Roman pagan festal calendar before Aurelian's time, nor did the cult of the sun play a prominent role in Rome before him.. There were two temples of the sun in Rome, one of which (maintained by the clan into which Aurelian was born or adopted) celebrated its dedication festival on August 9th, the other of which celebrated its dedication festival on August 28th. But both of these cults fell into neglect in the second century, when eastern cults of the sun, such as Mithraism, began to win a following in Rome. And in any case, none of these cults, old or new, had festivals associated with solstices or equinoxes." (Tighe, 2003c, Ibid).

"As things actually happened, Aurelian, who ruled from 270 until his assassination in 275, was hostile to Christianity and appears to have promoted the establishment of the festival of the `Birth of the Unconquered Sun' as a device to unify the various pagan cults of the Roman Empire around a commemoration of the annual `rebirth' of the sun. He led an empire that appeared to be collapsing in the face of internal unrest, rebellions in the provinces, economic decay, and repeated attacks from German tribes to the north and the Persian Empire to the east. In creating the new feast, he intended the beginning of the lengthening of the daylight, and the arresting of the lengthening of darkness, on December 25th to be a symbol of the hoped-for `rebirth,' or perpetual rejuvenation, of the Roman Empire, resulting from the maintenance of the worship of the gods whose tutelage (the Romans thought) had brought Rome to greatness and world-rule. If it co-opted the Christian celebration, so much the better." (Tighe, 2003d, Ibid).

"Alexander Severus ... Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander, commonly called Alexander Severus, (October 1, 208-March 18, 235) was the last Roman emperor (11 March 222-235) of the Severan dynasty, having succeeded, as heir apparent, his despised cousin, the eighteen year old Emperor Elagabalus who had been murdered along with his mother by his own guards-and as a mark of contempt, had their remains cast into the Tiber river. He became emperor suddenly when a rumor of Alexander's death had circulated, triggering the assassination. He and his cousin were both grandsons of the influential and powerful Julia Maesa, who had arranged for Elagabalus' acclamation by the Legio III Gallica as emperor. ... he did much to improve the morals and condition of the people. ... The luxury and extravagance that had formerly been so prevalent at the court were put down; the standard of the coinage was raised; taxes were lightened; literature, art and science were encouraged ... In religious matters Alexander preserved an open mind. It is said that he was desirous of erecting a temple to the founder of Christianity [Jesus], but was dissuaded by the pagan priests. ("Alexander Severus," Wikipedia, 7 November 2008).

"Saturnalia is the feast with which the Romans commemorated the dedication of the temple of the god Saturn, which was on 17 December. Over the years, it expanded to a whole week, to 23 December. Saturnalia became one of the most popular Roman festivals. It was marked by tomfoolery and reversal of social roles, in which slaves and masters ostensibly switched places. Saturnalia was a public festival in Rome. Originally celebrated for a day, on December 17th, popularity grew it to week-long extravaganza, ending on the 23rd." ("Saturnalia," Wikipedia, 24 December 2008).

"Aurelian ... The Roman gens Aurelia was associated with the cult of Sol. After his victories in the East, the emperor Aurelian [c. 214-275] introduced an official cult of Sol Invictus, making the sun-god the premier divinity of the empire, and wearing his radiated crown himself. He founded a college of pontifices, and dedicated a temple to Sol Invictus in 274. It is possible that he created the festival called dies natalis Solis Invicti, `birthday of the undefeated Sun', which is recorded in 354 ... as celebrated on the 25th December; but no earlier reference to it exists. The cult of Sol Invictus was the leading official cult of the fourth century." ("Sol Invictus: Aurelian," Wikipedia, 19 December 2008).

"Elagabalus (c. 203 - March 11, 222) ... was a Roman Emperor ...who reigned from 218 to 222. ... he was a Syrian by birth ... and in his early youth he served as a priest of the god El-Gabal at his hometown, Emesa.... Elagabalus, barely fourteen years old, ascended to the imperial power and began a reign that was marred by controversies. During his rule, Elagabalus showed a disregard for Roman religious traditions .... Elagabalus replaced Jupiter, head of the Roman pantheon, with a new god, Deus Sol Invictus, and forced leading members of Rome's government to participate in religious rites celebrating this deity, which he personally led. Amidst growing opposition, Elagabalus, only 18 years old, was assassinated and replaced by his cousin Severus Alexander on March 11, 222 ... Since the reign of Septimius Severus, sun worship had increased throughout the Empire. Elagabalus saw this as an opportunity to install El-Gabal as the chief deity of the Roman Pantheon. The god was renamed Deus Sol Invictus, meaning God the Undefeated Sun, and placed over Jupiter. ... A lavish temple called the Elagabalium was built on the east face of the Palatine Hill to house El-Gabal ... By 221 Elagabalus' eccentricities ... increasingly infuriated the soldiers of the Praetorian Guard. ... [in 222] the Praetorians attacked [and killed] Elagabalus ... His religious edicts were reversed and El-Gabal was returned to Emesa." ("Elagabalus," Wikipedia, 26 December 2008).

"Sol Invictus and Christianity ... Whether the 'Sol Invictus' festival has a `claim on the responsibility' for the date of Christmas (Catholic Encyclopedia (1908)) has been called into question by Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, who challenged this theory by arguing that a December 25th date was determined simply by calculating nine months beyond March 25th, regarded as the day of Jesus' conception (the Feast of the Annunciation).[Ratzinger, J., "The Spirit of the Liturgy," Saward, J., trans., Ignatius Press: San Francisco CA, 2000, p.108] The March 25th date coincides with concepts of `new life' and `rebirth' and have been associated by Christianity with Jesus. Other recent Christian commentators [Tighe, W.J., "Calculating Christmas," Touchstone, 2003; Schmidt, A.J., "Under the Influence," HarperCollins, 2001, pp.377-379] also agree that the identification of Christ's birthday pre-dates the Sol Invictus festival, noting the earliest record of the celebration of Christ's birthday on December 25 dates to 243 A.D." ("Sol Invictus: Sol Invictus and Christianity," Wikipedia, 19 December 2008).

Was Jesus born on December 25? #2: Pagan origin so shouldn't be celebrated?

Continuing from "Was Jesus born on December 25? #1: Watchtower arguments against," with this part #2 of a four-part

[Above: The Watchtower Bible & Tract Society's last Christmas celebration in 1926: "Jehovah's Witnesses: Proclaimers of God's Kingdom," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, 1993, pp.198-199. See however below where the Society states that it was from "December 12, 1928 ... that, the brothers at Bethel never celebrated Christmas again". Click to enlarge and note the `pagan' Christmas decorations and gifts on the tables!]

series, "Was Jesus born on December 25?"

Now for the final reason the Watchtower Society gives for its claim that December 25 should not be celebrated as the date of Jesus' birth:

December 25 has pagan roots and therefore Christ's birth should not be celebrated on that (or any) day:

"What, then, of the date December 25, celebrated by many as the birthday of Christ? ... the people of Rome already observed it as the Feast of Saturn ... There is no escaping it: Christmas is of pagan origin. ... How much more important it is for true Christians today to shun a celebration that was never authorized by God, that stems from pagan Babylon, and that falsely bears the name of Christ!" (WB&TS, 1968, "The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life," pp.148-149).

"The mixing of non-Christian and supposed Christian religion extends to other holidays, such as Christmas. ... December 25 was chosen because it was already a Roman holiday. ...After he learns the facts, what person who sincerely loves Jehovah would continue to accept beliefs and practices based on a compromise with pagan worship?" (WB&TS, 1980, "Happiness," pp.171-172).

"Christmas is a prominent religious holiday today. But ... December 25 is not the date of Jesus' birth ... December 25 was chosen as the date to celebrate Jesus' birth because ... The people of Rome already observed it as the Feast of Saturn, celebrating the birthday of the sun.' ... How much more important it is for true Christians today to keep away from holidays that God never said should be observed and that came from false religion!" (WB&TS, 1989, "You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth," pp.213-214).

"... December 25 was set aside by the Romans as the birthday of their sun god. ... apostate Christians adopted this date for the celebration of Christ's birth. Consequently, true Christians do not celebrate Christmas or any other holiday based on false religious beliefs." (WB&TS, 1995, "Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life," p.126).

"The pagan roots of Christmas have long been recognized. ... Because of the connections that Christmas has with false religion, however, those who want to please God do not celebrate it or any other holiday that has its roots in pagan worship." (WB&TS, 2005, "What Does the Bible Really Teach?," pp.158-159).

As can be seen above, the Watchtower Society insists that "Christmas is of pagan origin," it "was never authorized by God" but "stems from pagan Babylon" and "falsely bears the name of Christ." That "true Christians" should "shun" such "a celebration" and "true Christians do not celebrate Christmas," which is "based on false religious beliefs."

But as ex-Jehovah's Witness elder David Reed points out:

"... The Watchtower did not always express this viewpoint. The organization's founders and early leaders celebrated Christmas and encouraged others to do the same:

`"Christmas Day," in celebration of our dear Redeemer's birth, has for long centuries been celebrated on December 25th; and although it is now well known that this date is in error ... nevertheless, since the Lord has given no instructions whatever upon this subject ... it cannot be improper ... for us to remember in a social way our dear Redeemer's birth at this time.' - Zion's Watch Tower, December 15, 1898, page 370.

`It matters not particularly that December 25 is not the anniversary of our Lord's birth ... One day, as well as another, will serve us to commemorate our Savior's birth ... - Zion's Watch Tower, December 15, 1908, page 379.

The early Watchtower leaders who felt this way were just as familiar as today's leaders with the resemblance between pagan customs and certain Christmas traditions." (Reed, 1996, "Answering Jehovah's Witnesses: Subject by Subject," pp.74-75).

So the Society from 1879-1928, the first 49 years, or over one-third (~38%) of its existence (when it went under the name of International Bible Students Association), by its own admission, did "celebrate the supposed birthday of Jesus ... for many years," including "with a Christmas tree in the Bethel dining room," and therefore for nearly a half-century, Jehovah's Witnesses celebrated "pagan things" that were "a soiled garment":

"Yes, in those earlier days ... why not celebrate the supposed birthday of Jesus? This they also did for many years. In Pastor Russell's day, Christmas was celebrated at the old Bible House in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. ... A custom that certainly would not be carried on today was the celebration of Christmas with a Christmas tree in the Bethel dining room. ... What caused the Bible Students to stop celebrating Christmas? .. an hour talk over a ... radio ... on the subject of Christmas. ... December 12, 1928 ... That talk pointed out the pagan origin of Christmas. After that, the brothers at Bethel never celebrated Christmas again.' `Did we mind putting those pagan things away?' ... Absolutely not. .... It was just like taking a soiled garment off and throwing it away ..." (WB&TS, 1975, "1975 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses," p.146).

Here are some more quotes, from The Watchtower from 1903 up to December 1926, commanding those early Jehovah's Witnesses to not "quibble about the date" December 25, but rather "join in with the world and celebrate Christmas":

"It is quite immaterial the day Christmas is celebrated; we may properly join [in]. WT 12/15/1903, p.3290.

Don't quibble about the date; join in with the world and celebrate Christmas. WT 12/1/1904, p.3468.

The Studies in the Scriptures suggested as Christmas gifts WT 11/15/1907, p.4094.

Christmas is so important, regardless of the date. WT 12/15/1926, p.371."

(Reed, D.A., ed., 1990, "Index of Watchtower Errors, 1879 to 1989," Compiled by Steve Huntoon and John Cornell, Baker: Grand Rapids MI, p.72).

That is, even though "For many years" those Jehovah's Witnesses "had been aware that December 25 was not the correct date," they still held to "religious teachings that had pagan roots,"and by Christmas "gift-giving" were imitating "demon-inspired astrologers," were guilty of "lying" to their "children ... about Santa Claus," who was "the Devil himself," and "that such festivals were ... `the very instruments and appendages of demon-worship'. And that by such participating "in holidays and celebrations that are linked with pagan gods," for nearly half-a century, " Jehovah's Witnesses" were "part of the world":

"When Jehovah's Witnesses cast aside religious teachings that had pagan roots, they also quit sharing in many customs that were similarly tainted. But for a time, certain holidays were not given the careful scrutiny that they needed. One of these was Christmas. This holiday was celebrated yearly even by members of the Watch Tower Society's headquarters staff at the Bethel Home in Brooklyn, New York. For many years they had been aware that December 25 was not the correct date ... after further investigation of the subject, the members of the Society's headquarters staff ... decided to stop sharing in Christmas festivities, so no Christmas celebration was held there after 1926 [sic] ... the magi whose gift-giving was being imitated were actually demon-inspired astrologers; that parents set an example for their children in lying by what they told them about Santa Claus; that `St. Nicholas' (Santa Claus) was admittedly another name for the Devil himself; and that such festivals were ... `the very instruments and appendages of demon-worship' the church had adopted ... Jehovah's Witnesses ... do not participate in holidays and celebrations that are linked with pagan gods ... Why? Because Jehovah's Witnesses are no part of the world." (WB&TS, 1993, "Jehovah's Witnesses: Proclaimers of God's Kingdom," pp.198-199).

However, as mentioned in part #1, the Watchtower Society is wrong in its claim that Christianity borrowed December 25 for the celebration of Jesus' birth from pagan Rome. In fact, as we shall see in the next part #3, pagan Rome in AD 274 borrowed December 25 for the celebration of its Sol Invictus ("Unconquered Sun") festival from Christianity!

That is, as we shall see, for eighty years, from 1928 to the present, the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society has been totally wrong in its claim that the Christian Church's celebration of Jesus' birth on December 25 is of pagan origin and therefore should not be celebrated.

Quotes referenced above are hyperlinked to the full quote in the `tagline' below (emphasis original italics, emphasis bold mine). see part #1 for my refutation of Watchtower claims below that other than those dealt with under this topic, "December 25 has pagan roots and therefore Christ's birth should not be celebrated on that (or any) day."

Continued in part #3: Pagans borrowed December 25 from Christians!

Stephen E. Jones.
My other blogs: CreationEvolutionDesign & TheShroudofTurin

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"Interestingly, however, The Watchtower did not always express this viewpoint. The organization's founders and early leaders celebrated Christmas and encouraged others to do the same:

`"Christmas Day," in celebration of our dear Redeemer's birth, has for long centuries been celebrated on December 25th; and although it is now well known that this date is in error, and that it more properly corresponds with the date of the annunciation to Mary, nine months before our Lord was born, and that he was born about October 1st, nevertheless, since the Lord has given no instructions whatever upon this subject, and since it is proper to do good deeds and think good thoughts upon any day, it cannot be improper, in harmony with general usage, for us to remember in a social way our dear Redeemer's birth at this time.' - Zion's Watch Tower, December 15, 1898, page 370.

`It matters not particularly that December 25 is not the anniversary of our Lord's birth, according to the Scriptural account; that really he was born about September 25, nine months later. One day, as well as another, will serve us to commemorate our Savior's birth in the flesh, as a gift of God's love to a condemned and dying world. - Zion's Watch Tower, December 15, 1908, page 379.

The early Watchtower leaders who felt this way were just as familiar as today's leaders with the resemblance between pagan customs and certain Christmas traditions. They welcomed opportunities to share with others in honoring Christ, while today's leaders seem more eager to keep followers separated from non-JW relatives and neighbors. (Some form of isolation from outsiders is a common thread found in many mind-control cults. With some groups this separation is accomplished by physically withdrawing into a commune, while in other cults members continue living in the outside world but withdraw from social contact with nonmembers.)" (Reed, D.A., 1996, "Answering Jehovah's Witnesses: Subject by Subject," Baker: Grand Rapids MI, Second printing, 1998, pp.74-75).

"What about Christmas? By checking reference works in a public library, you will find that it was unknown among the earliest Christians. Jesus instructed his followers to observe a memorial of his death, not of his birth. (1 Corinthians 11:24-26) Says The Catholic Encyclopedia: `Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church... . The first evidence of the feast is from Egypt.' What, then, of the date December 25, celebrated by many as the birthday of Christ? It could not have been the date of Jesus' birth. The Bible shows that at the time shepherds were still in the fields at night. As the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1907, Vol. V, p. 611) acknowledges, they would not have been there in the cold, rainy season of winter. (Luke 2:8-12) As for the origin of the date, The World Book Encyclopedia says: `In A.D. 354, Bishop Liberius of Rome ordered the people to celebrate on December 25. He probably chose this date because the people of Rome already observed it as the Feast of Saturn, celebrating the birthday of the sun.' [The World Book Encyclopedia, 1966, Vol. 3, p. 416] Since the date of Christmas is of pagan origin, it should not seem strange that the customs of Christmas are also of pagan origin. Thus the Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics tells us: `Most of the Christmas customs now prevailing ... are not genuine Christian customs, but heathen customs which have been absorbed or tolerated by the Church ... The Saturnalia in Rome provided the model for most of the merry customs of the Christmas time.' [Hastings, J., Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, Vol. III, pp. 608-609] ... Also, The Encyclopedia Americana points out that among the customs borrowed from the pagan Roman feast of Saturnalia was `the giving of gifts.' [The Encyclopedia Americana, 1956, Vol. VI, p. 622.] There is no escaping it: Christmas is of pagan origin. Knowing this, we should pay attention to the apostle Paul's warning against mixing the true and the false. He says that even `a little leaven ferments the whole lump.' (Galatians 5:9) He reproved some of the early Christians for observing days that had been kept under the law of Moses but that God had canceled for Christians. (Galatians 4:10, 11) How much more important it is for true Christians today to shun a celebration that was never authorized by God, that stems from pagan Babylon, and that falsely bears the name of Christ!" (WB&TS, 1968, "The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, pp.148-149).

"Yes, in those earlier days, dedicated Christians commemorated birthdays. Well, then, why not celebrate the supposed birthday of Jesus? This they also did for many years. In Pastor Russell's day, Christmas was celebrated at the old Bible House in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Ora Sullivan Wakefield recalls that Brother Russell gave members of the Bible House family five- or ten-dollar gold pieces at Christmas. Mabel P. M. Philbrick remarks: `A custom that certainly would not be carried on today was the celebration of Christmas with a Christmas tree in the Bethel dining room. Brother Russell's usual "Good morning, all" was changed to "Merry Christmas, all."' What caused the Bible Students to stop celebrating Christmas? Richard H. Barber gave this answer: `I was asked to give an hour talk over a [radio] hookup on the subject of Christmas. It was given December 12, 1928, and published in The Golden Age #241 and again a year later in #268. That talk pointed out the pagan origin of Christmas. After that, the brothers at Bethel never celebrated Christmas again.' `Did we mind putting those pagan things away?' asks Charles John Brandlein. `Absolutely not. This was just complying with new things learned, and we had never known before they were pagan. It was just like taking a soiled garment off and throwing it away.' Next, birthday celebrations and Mother's Day were discarded - more creature worship. Sister Lilian Kammerud recalls: `How readily the brothers all dropped these holidays and admitted they were glad to be free. New truths always make us happy and ... we felt we were privileged to know things that others were ignorant about.'" (WB&TS, 1975, "1975 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses: Containing Report for the Service Year of 1974," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, p.146).

"The mixing of non-Christian and supposed Christian religion extends to other holidays, such as Christmas. God directed Christians to commemorate Jesus' death, not his birth. (1 Corinthians 11:24-26) And the Bible shows that Jesus was not born in December, which is a cold rainy season in Israel. (Luke 2:8-11) You can check almost any encyclopedia and see that December 25 was chosen because it was already a Roman holiday. Sir James Frazer observes: `Taken altogether, the coincidences of [Christmas and Easter] with the heathen festivals are too close and too numerous to be accidental... . [Clerics] perceived that if Christianity was to conquer the world it could do so only by relaxing the too rigid principles of its Founder, by widening a little the narrow gate which leads to salvation.' - The Golden Bough. After he learns the facts, what person who sincerely loves Jehovah would continue to accept beliefs and practices based on a compromise with pagan worship? To some persons these teachings or practices may seem like little things. But the Bible clearly says: `A little leaven ferments the whole lump.' - Galatians 5:9." (WB&TS, 1980, "Happiness-How to Find It," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York: Brooklyn NY, pp.171-172).

"Christmas is a prominent religious holiday today. But history shows that it was not a celebration observed by the very early Christians. Jesus told his followers to observe a memorial of his death, not of his birth. (1 Corinthians 11:24-26) The fact is, December 25 is not the date of Jesus' birth. It could not have been, since the Bible shows that at the time of his birth shepherds were still in the fields at night. They would not have been there in the cold, rainy season of winter. (Luke 2:8-12) Actually December 25 was chosen as the date to celebrate Jesus' birth because, as The World Book Encyclopedia explains: `The people of Rome already observed it as the Feast of Saturn, celebrating the birthday of the sun.' ... Yet does it really matter that Christmas and Easter are not Christian celebrations but actually had their beginnings with worshipers of false gods? The apostle Paul warned against mixing the true and the false, saying that even `a little leaven ferments the whole lump.' (Galatians 5:9) He told some early Christians that it was wrong for them to observe days that had been kept under the law of Moses but that had been canceled by God for Christians. (Galatians 4:10, 11) How much more important it is for true Christians today to keep away from holidays that God never said should be observed and that came from false religion!" (WB&TS, 1989, "You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth," [1982], Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York: Brooklyn NY, Second edition, pp.213-214).

"When the World Had Its Holidays When Jehovah's Witnesses cast aside religious teachings that had pagan roots, they also quit sharing in many customs that were similarly tainted. But for a time, certain holidays were not given the careful scrutiny that they needed. One of these was Christmas. This holiday was celebrated yearly even by members of the Watch Tower Society's headquarters staff at the Bethel Home in Brooklyn, New York. For many years they had been aware that December 25 was not the correct date, but they reasoned that the date had long been popularly associated with the birth of the Savior and that doing good for others was proper on any day. However, after further investigation of the subject, the members of the Society's headquarters staff, as well as the staffs at the Society's branch offices in England and in Switzerland, decided to stop sharing in Christmas festivities, so no Christmas celebration was held there after 1926 [sic] R. H. Barber, a member of the headquarters staff who made a thorough investigation of the origin of Christmas customs and the fruitage that these were yielding, presented the results in a radio broadcast. That information was also published in The Golden Age of December 12, 1928. It was a thorough expose of the God-dishonoring roots of Christmas. Since then, the pagan roots of Christmas customs have become general public knowledge, but few people make changes in their way of life as a result. On the other hand, Jehovah's Witnesses were willing to make needed changes in order to be more acceptable as servants of Jehovah. When shown that celebrating the birth of Jesus had actually become of greater interest to people than the ransom provided by his death; that the revelry of the holiday and the spirit in which many gifts were given did not honor God; that the magi whose gift-giving was being imitated were actually demon-inspired astrologers; that parents set an example for their children in lying by what they told them about Santa Claus; that `St. Nicholas' (Santa Claus) was admittedly another name for the Devil himself; and that such festivals were, as acknowledged by Cardinal Newman in his Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, `the very instruments and appendages of demon-worship' the church had adopted -when made aware of these things, Jehovah's Witnesses promptly and permanently stopped having any part in Christmas celebrations. Jehovah's Witnesses have good times with their families and friends. But they do not participate in holidays and celebrations that are linked with pagan gods (as is true of such holidays as Easter, New Year's Day, May Day, and Mother's Day). (2 Cor. 6:14-17) Like the early Christians, they do not even celebrate birthdays. They also respectfully refrain from sharing in national holidays that memorialize political or military events and refrain from giving worshipful honor to national heroes. Why? Because Jehovah's Witnesses are no part of the world." (WB&TS, 1993, "Jehovah's Witnesses: Proclaimers of God's Kingdom," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, pp.198-199. Emphasis original).

"A godly life frees us from the often burdensome celebrating of worldly holidays. For instance, the Bible does not reveal the exact day of Jesus' birth. 'I thought Jesus was born on December 25!' some may exclaim. This is not possible because he died in the spring of 33 C.E. at 33 1/2 years of age. Moreover, at the time of his birth, shepherds were "living out of doors and keeping watches in the night over their flocks." (Luke 2:8) In the land of Israel, late December is a cold, rainy season during which sheep would be kept in shelters overnight to protect them from the winter weather. Actually, December 25 was set aside by the Romans as the birthday of their sun god. Centuries after Jesus was on earth, apostate Christians adopted this date for the celebration of Christ's birth. Consequently, true Christians do not celebrate Christmas or any other holiday based on false religious beliefs." (WB&TS, 1995, "Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life," [1984], Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York: Brooklyn NY, Second edition, p.126).

"THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTMAS It was not until several hundred years after Jesus lived on the earth that people began to commemorate his birth on December 25. But that was not the date of Jesus' birth ... So why was December 25 chosen? Some who later claimed to be Christian likely `wished the date to coincide with the pagan Roman festival marking the `birthday of the unconquered sun.' (The New Encyclopædia Britannica) In winter, when the sun seemed weakest, pagans held ceremonies to get this source of warmth and light to come back from its distant travels. December 25 was thought to be the day that the sun began its return. In an effort to convert pagans, religious leaders adopted this festival and tried to make it seem `Christian.' ... The Saturnalia also played a part in the choice of December 25. This festival honoring the Roman god of agriculture took place on December 17-24. Feasting, merrymaking, and gift-giving took place during the Saturnalia. The pagan roots of Christmas have long been recognized. ... Because of the connections that Christmas has with false religion, however, those who want to please God do not celebrate it or any other holiday that has its roots in pagan worship." (WB&TS, 2005, "What Does the Bible Really Teach?," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York: Brooklyn NY, pp.157-159).

Was Jesus born on December 25? #1: Watchtower arguments against

It is commonplace for Christians (as I did for ~40 years) to accept

[Above (click to enlarge): "Report: Palestinian shepherds displaced by Israeli military," IMEMC News, December 24, 2007, Saed Bannoura. The photo shows Palestinian shepherds with their sheep out in the fields in late December (perhaps Christmas Eve) 2007!]

uncritically the oft-repeated claim that Jesus was not born on the traditional date of Christmas, December 25. While it is true that the Bible does not state on what day Jesus was born, and it does not really matter on what particular day of the year we celebrate Jesus' birth, it does not therefore follow that Jesus was not born on December 25.

Moreover, for the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society (Jehovah's Witnesses), it is an article of faith that Jesus was not born on December 25. Indeed, as Bowman pointed out, a Jehovah's Witness might be more shaken by criticisms of one of their distinctive secondary doctrines, like not celebrating Christmas on December 25, than of one of their primary doctrines, like the rejection of the Trinity:

"...secondary doctrinal matters ... for many Jehovah's Witnesses if these secondary doctrines are suspect the whole religion is suspect. ... especially the Jehovah's Witness `don'ts': ... various celebrations (Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, birthdays) ... many people are attracted to the Witnesses because of one or more of these `don'ts,' and thus would feel even more challenged by criticisms of these doctrines than of the Witness rejection of the Trinity ... Because the Jehovah's Witnesses are typically alone in their views on these matters, their distinctive position is regarded by Witnesses as further evidence that they have `the truth.' ... many Jehovah's Witnesses remain confident about their views on God and Christ, even when they are soundly refuted by evangelical apologists, because they know they are right about not celebrating birthdays and Christmas!" (Bowman, 1991, "Understanding Jehovah's Witnesses," pp.93-94).

But as we shall see in part #4 of this four-part series: "Was Jesus born on December 25? #4: The case for," there actually is evidence, albeit not conclusive, that Jesus was born on December 25.

And even if it cannot be proved that Jesus was born on December 25, as we shall see in part #3, claims by the Watchtower Society (and others) that the Church adopted December 25 as the birth date of Jesus from Roman paganism's Saturnalia and/or Sol Invictus festivals are false.

In fact, as I will show in part #3, the tottering pagan Roman Empire in AD 274 adopted the centuries-old Christian celebration of December 25 as the date of Jesus' birth, and named it Sol Invictus (Unconquered Sun). So Christianity did not borrow December 25 from the pagans-the pagans borrowed December 25 from the Christians!

Reasons the Watchtower Society gives for its claim that December 25 is not the date of Jesus' birth include:

December 25 is not mentioned in the Bible as the date of Jesus birth:

"The popular date of December 25 as the day of Jesus' birth therefore has no basis in Scripture." (WB&TS, 1988, "Insight on the Scriptures" p.2:58).

"... the Bible does not reveal the exact day of Jesus' birth." (WB&TS, 1995, "Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life," p.126).

The Bible gives few (if any) exact dates of events. But that does not mean they did not happen on an exact date. No exact date is mentioned in the Bible as Jesus' date of birth, but nevertheless He had a date of birth (Mt 1:25; Lk 2:7)! It is an Argument from Silence fallacy to claim that because the Bible does not say that Jesus was born on December 25, therefore he was not born on December 25.

December 25 was not the date of Jesus' birth, it being in October:

"The fact is, December 25 is not the date of Jesus' birth.." (WB&TS, 1989, "You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth," pp.212-213).

"Evidently Jesus was born sometime in the early autumn of the year. Luke 2:1-20; Micah 5:2." (WB&TS, 1991, "The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived," Ch. 5).

"But that was not the date of Jesus' birth, for it evidently took place in October." (WB&TS, 2005, Ibid, pp.157-158).

Neither the Watchtower Society, nor anyone else, can know that December 25 was not the date of Jesus' birth. There is no evidence that Jesus' birth was in "October" or "autumn." The verses cited above say nothing about what time of the year it was.

December 25 was not the date of Jesus' birth because He died in the Spring of AD 33 at 33½ years of age

"'I thought Jesus was born on December 25!' some may exclaim. This is not possible because he died in the spring of 33 C.E. at 33 1/2 years of age." (WB&TS, 1995, Ibid, p.126).

Neither does the Bible does not tell us that "Jesus .. died in ... 33 C.E. at 33 1/2 years of age"!

And in fact this claim by the Watchtower is demonstrably false. If Jesus died in AD 33 at 33½ years of age then He would have been born in 2 BC (there being no year zero between 1 BC and AD 1). But the Bible indicates that Jesus was born during the reign of Herod I the Great (Mt 2:1-22) who died in 4 BC ("Herod the Great," Wikipedia, 18 December 2008). So Jesus had to be born in or before 4 BC (see "Chronology of Jesus: Year of birth," Wikipedia). Which means that either Jesus did not die in AD 33 (it was more likely AD 30 - see "Chronology of Jesus: Year of death," Wikipedia) and/or Jesus was not 33 1/2 years old when he died.

But even if Jesus did die in April AD 33 at 33½ years of age (ignoring for the sake of argument the Herod the Great constraint), He could still have been born on December 25, 2 BC and then He would have been 33 1/3 years old on April 3, 33 (one of the only two possible dates in that period, when Passover was also a sabbath, the other more likely one being April 7, 30), which is close enough to 33½ years old.

So the Watchtower is wrong (and probably doubly wrong) on that objection!

December 25 is winter in Israel and so shepherds would not be out in the fields with their flocks:

"... the most obvious evidence of the incorrectness of the December 25 date is the Scriptural fact that shepherds were in the fields tending their flocks on the night of Jesus' birth. (Lu 2:8, 12) ... and flocks were brought into protected shelters at night." (WB&TS, 1988, Ibid, p.2:58).

"Many people today believe that Jesus was born on December 25. But December is a rainy, cold season in Bethlehem. Shepherds would not be out in the fields overnight with their flocks at that time of the year." (WB&TS, 1991, Ibid, Ch. 5).

"Moreover, at the time of his birth, shepherds were "living out of doors and keeping watches in the night over their flocks." (Luke 2:8) In the land of Israel, late December is a cold, rainy season during which sheep would be kept in shelters overnight to protect them from the winter weather." (WB&TS, 1995, Ibid, p.126).

Although this is often claimed, even by Christians, it is factually false. As can be seen in the photo above, Palestinian shepherds even today are out in the fields with their flocks in late December. And here are statements that "the flocks lay out all the year round;" "On Christmas eve in Shepherd Field [Jerusalem]... near us a few flocks of sheep were nestled" and "the shepherds were pasturing flocks destined for the temple sacrifices ... [and] might be thus in the fields in winter":

"... the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem ... He was to be revealed from ... 'the tower of the flock.' ... which ... lay close to the town, on the road to Jerusalem. ... the flocks, which pastured there, were destined for Temple-sacrifices ... these flocks lay out all the year round ... It was, then, on that 'wintry night' of the 25th of December, that shepherds watched the flocks destined for sacrificial services ... There is no adequate reason for questioning the historical accuracy of this date." (Edersheim, 1886, "The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah," p.i.187).

"... late December should not be ruled out in the belief that at that time of the year there could not have been `shepherds ... out in the field, keeping watch at night over their flock' (Luke 2:8) ... Dr. Harry Mulder ... writes `During the brief Christmas vacation my wife and I traveled ... to Jerusalem. ... I can also answer your question regarding the presence of sheep around Bethlehem in the month of December. On Christmas eve in Shepherd Field a crowd had gathered to sing Christmas carols. ... Right near us a few flocks of sheep were nestled. .... It is therefore definitely not impossible that the Lord Jesus was born in December." (Hendriksen, 1974, "The Gospel of Matthew," p.182).

"... [Lk ]2:8-20) 8. It is not unlikely that the shepherds were pasturing flocks destined for the temple sacrifices. ... a rabbinic rule provides that any animal found between Jerusalem and a spot near Bethlehem must be presumed to be a sacrificial victim ...The same rule speaks of finding Passover offerings within thirty days of that feast, i.e. in February. Since flocks might be thus in the fields in winter the traditional date for the birth of Jesus, December 25, is not ruled out." (Morris, 1974, "The Gospel According to Luke," p.84).

Indeed it is not merely false, but the exact opposite of the truth. The fact is that in "Judea ... December" is "an ideal time to graze sheep ... when the perennial grasses began to turn green ... and the annual grasses had sprouted anew" therefore "climatically ... Christ's birth between December 25 and January 6 is possible:"

"... the exact day of Jesus' birth ... Some say that the birth could not have happened in the deep winter, because the Bible says that shepherds spent the night outdoors with their flocks when Jesus was born (Luke 2:8). ... Mediterranean climates such as Judea's have mild winters reaching their coolest in late February. Thus December nights can be quite balmy and warm enough to graze sheep. Moreover, December/January would have been an ideal time to graze sheep to take advantage of the winter rains. ... the end of December was the time when the perennial grasses began to turn green again and the annual grasses had sprouted anew. Thus, climatically ... Christ's birth between December 25 and January 6 is possible." ("Chronology of Jesus," Wikipedia, 14 December 2008).

The Romans would not force Jews to register for a census in winter:

"... weighing against a December date is that it would be most unlikely for the Roman emperor to choose such a wintry, rainy month as the time for his Jewish subjects ... to travel `each one to his own city' to be registered.-Lu 2:1-3 ..." (WB&TS, 1988, Ibid, p.2:58).

"Also, the Roman Caesar would not likely have required a people who were already inclined to revolt against him to make that trip in the dead of winter to register." (WB&TS, 1991, Ibid, Ch. 5).

This is the weakest argument of all! Apart from the fact that the Romans would not care if Jews had to travel in winter, the Bible does not say that everyone in Judea travelled in the same month (which it would an administrative nightmare for the Romans) but only that:

"Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ... And everyone went to his own town to register." (Lk 2:1,3).

It does not say that "everyone" in "the entire Roman world," nor even in Judea, "went to his own town" in the same month "to register." The most administratively logical arrangement is that the registration was staggered over the year, or even several years. In that case, December of that year would have been the appointed time for those who "belonged to the house and line of David" to return to their clan's ancestral town "Bethlehem" (Lk 2:3-4).

Moreover, the Bible does not say that Joseph and Mary travelled to Bethlehem in December, but only that "While they were there," i.e. already in Bethlehem "the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son."

That "there was no room for them in the inn" does not necessarily mean they arrived in Bethlehem immediately before Jesus' birth, too late to find a room. It could simply mean that there was no available accommodation in Bethlehem, even though Joseph and Mary had arrived (say) a month earlier. And/or it could mean that since Mary was only "pledged to be married" to Joseph, yet "expecting a child," there "was no room for them in the inn"!

Jesus told His followers to commemorated his death, not his birth:

"Jesus told his followers to observe a memorial of his death, not of his birth. (1 Corinthians 11:24-26) ." (WB&TS, 1989, Ibid, pp.212-213).

This too is fallacious. First, that Jesus' followers, "when [they] ... come together as a church" all partake of "the Lord's Supper ... in remembrance of " Jesus (1Cor 11:17-18), e.g. weekly as we do in the Church of Christ, does not preclude them from once a year, commemorating Jesus' birth at Christmas.

In fact, Jehovah's Witnesses don't even when they "come together ... eat the Lord's evening meal" (1Cor 11:20 NWT), as "a memorial of" Jesus' death." Instead they have an annual "memorial service at which the vast majority of Witnesses do not and indeed cannot partake, it being only for the 144,000 of which there are only about 9,000 left on earth:

"Jehovah's Witnesses commemorate Christ's death ... once each year ... ' Of those who attend the Memorial, a small minority worldwide will partake of the unleavened bread and wine. This is because Jehovah's Witnesses believe that ... Only... the 144.000, or the `anointed,' are commanded to partake of the bread and wine. ... in 2007, the number of persons who actually partook worldwide was 9,105, whereas, the number who attended was 17,672,443. [i.e. 0.05%!]" ("Beliefs and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses: Memorial of Christ's death," Wikipedia, 16 December 2008)

Second, Christians don't remember Jesus' birth because He told us to. We remember it because we love Him!

Besides, the angels announcing Jesus' birth to the shepherds said it was "good news of great joy that will be for all the people":

Lk 2:8-12 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

So if ordinary birthdays can be remembered (and I have heard many ex-Jehovah's Witnesses testimonies that Jehovah's Witnesses do, hypocritically, remember theirs, and members of their family's, birthdays), why should not the greatest birthday of them all?

"....December 25 is not the date of Jesus' birth.. It could not have been, since the Bible shows that at the time of his birth shepherds were still in the fields at night. They would not have been there in the cold, rainy season of winter. (Luke 2:8-12) ." (WB&TS, 1989, Ibid, pp.212-213).

December 25 was not commemorated as the date of Jesus' birth until hundreds of years later:

"Christmas is a prominent religious holiday today. But history shows that it was not a celebration observed by the very early Christians." (WB&TS, 1989, Ibid, pp.212-213).

"It was not until several hundred years after Jesus lived on the earth that people began to commemorate his birth on December 25." (WB&TS, 2005, "What Does the Bible Really Teach?," p.157).

History does not show that Jesus' birthday was not observed by the earliest Christians. History can show when something was observed, but it cannot show us what was not observed. However, as we shall see in part #4, there is evidence, albeit not conclusive, that Jesus birthday was commemorated on 25 December, from the earliest times.

December 25 was the birthday of the Unconquered Sun (Sol Invictus), so the Church adopted it as Jesus' birth day:

"The popular date of December 25 as the day of Jesus' birth ... stems from a pagan holiday." (WB&TS, 1988, Ibid, p.2:58).

"... the occasion for the celebration of the day December 25 was the festival that the pagans were celebrating on this day. ... `the birthday of the unconquered sun.' " (WB&TS, 1988, Ibid, p.2:58).

"Actually, December 25 was set aside by the Romans as the birthday of their sun god. Centuries after Jesus was on earth, apostate Christians adopted this date for the celebration of Christ's birth. ." (WB&TS, 1995, Ibid, p.126).

"So why was December 25 chosen? Some who later claimed to be Christian likely `wished the date to coincide with the pagan Roman festival marking the `birthday of the unconquered sun.' ... In winter, when the sun seemed weakest, pagans held ceremonies to get this source of warmth and light to come back from its distant travels. December 25 was thought to be the day that the sun began its return. In an effort to convert pagans, religious leaders adopted this festival and tried to make it seem `Christian.'." (WB&TS, 2005, Ibid, p.158).

See next for my comment.

December 25 was the Roman festival of Saturnalia so the Church adopted it as Jesus' birth day:

"Actually December 25 was chosen as the date to celebrate Jesus' birth because, as The World Book Encyclopedia explains: `The people of Rome already observed it as the Feast of Saturn, celebrating the birthday of the sun.'" (WB&TS, 1989, Ibid, pp.212-213).

"The Saturnalia also played a part in the choice of December 25. This festival honoring the Roman god of agriculture took place on December 17-24. Feasting, merrymaking, and gift-giving took place during the Saturnalia ." (WB&TS, 2005, Ibid, p.158).

The World Book Encyclopedia, if it is quoted correctly, is simply confused. Last time I looked, "Saturn" was not "the sun"!

The Watchtower also cannot make up its mind, whether it was Sol Invictus on "December 25" or Saturnalia on "December 17-24."

All this may sound plausible (indeed many Christian sources uncritically say something similar) but the fact is that there is no evidence that the early Christians adopted December 25 as the date of Jesus' birth because it was the date of a pagan festival, whether Sol Invictus or Saturnalia. You can be sure that if there was such evidence, e.g. an early church father stating that December 25 was not the date of Jesus' birth but the Church just adopted it to replace an existing pagan festival, the Watchtower Society would quote it ad nauseam! But it does not so there is not:

"While one frequently encounters assertions that Christmas was timed to coincide with the celebration of Sol Invictus, these never seem to be backed up by evidence. ... they are never backed up by quotations from the early Christians saying, `We decided to time this celebration to coincide with Sol Invictus, and this is why ...' If the early Church had deliberately decided to time the celebrations to coincide, this ought to be reflected in its writings, but it isn't. Witnesses never produce quotes from early Christians saying that Christmas was timed to coincide with a pagan festival." (Evert, 2001, "Answering Jehovah's Witnesses," pp.145-146).

And if Jesus was born on December 25 and there was also an existing Roman celebration on that day, then it would be just a coincidence (or Divine planning - see part #4). But then correlation does not imply causation, that being the fallacy of cum hoc ergo propter hoc ("with this, therefore because of this") or false cause.

But in fact, as previously stated, as we shall see in part #3, there is strong (if not conclusive) evidence that the collapsing Roman Empire in AD 274 adopted December 25 as the date of a new Sol invictus ("Unconquered Sun") celebration, to provide a pagan alternative to long-existing Christian celebrations of Jesus' birth on that date.

Continued in "Was Jesus born on December 25? #2: Pagan origin so shouldn't be celebrated?."

Stephen E. Jones.
My other blogs: CreationEvolutionDesign & TheShroudofTurin

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1Cor 11:17-26 17In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval. 20When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, 21for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. 22Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not! 23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

"The second level of doctrinal reinforcement is what I call the secondary doctrinal matters. These are doctrines of the Jehovah's Witnesses that do not tie into the primary doctrinal system and could be altered or dropped without any logical impact on the primary system. Yet; their importance is such that for many Jehovah's Witnesses if these secondary doctrines are suspect the whole religion is suspect. The kinds of doctrines I have in mind here are especially the Jehovah's Witness `don'ts': blood transfusions, war, participation in political affairs, various celebrations (Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, birthdays), the use of the cross as a religious symbol, and the like. On most or all of these issues Jehovah's Witnesses have changed or reversed their earlier positions, with no appreciable impact on their belief system generally. Yet many people are attracted to the Witnesses because of one or more of these `don'ts,' and thus would feel even more challenged by criticisms of these doctrines than of the Witness rejection of the Trinity, for instance. Because the Jehovah's Witnesses are typically alone in their views on these matters, their distinctive position is regarded by Witnesses as further evidence that they have `the truth.' If the Bible forbids blood transfusions, they reason, and if we Jehovah's Witnesses are the only ones who recognize this, then obviously we must be blessed by God with the truth. Thus many Jehovah's Witnesses remain confident about their views on God and Christ, even when they are soundly refuted by evangelical apologists, because they know they are right about not celebrating birthdays and Christmas!" (Bowman, R.M., Jr. , 1991, "Understanding Jehovah's Witnesses: Why They Read the Bible the Way They Do," Baker: Grand Rapids MI, pp.93-94).

"That the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, was a settled conviction. Equally so was the belief, that He was to be revealed from Migdal Eder, 'the tower of the flock.' [Targum Pseudo. Jon. on Gen. xxxv 21] This Migdal Eder was not the watchtower for the ordinary flocks which pastured on the barren sheep ground beyond Bethlehem, but lay close to the town, on the road to Jerusalem. A passage in the Mishnah [Shek. vii. 4] leads to the conclusion, that the flocks, which pastured there, were destined for Temple-sacrifices ... The same Mishnic passage also leads us to infer, that these flocks lay out all the year round, since they are spoken of as in the fields thirty days before the Passover--that is, in the month of February, when in Palestine the average rainfall is nearly greatest. ... It was, then, on that 'wintry night' of the 25th of December, that shepherds watched the flocks destined for sacrificial services ... There is no adequate reason for questioning the historical accuracy of this date. The objections generally made rest on grounds, which seem to me historically untenable." (Edersheim, A., 1886, "The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah," [1883], Hendrickson Publishers: Peabody MA, Third Edition, Reprinted, 1988, p.i.187).

"Christmas Is Christmas a pagan celebration merely because it is celebrated at the same time of the year as ancient pagan feasts honoring a sun god? ... the Watchtower seeks to convince the world that to win the favor of pagans, the early `apostate Church' established Christmas at the time of the pagan feast of Sol Invictus. This feast of `the unconquerable sun' celebrated at the time of the winter solstice-was when the sun began to return to the northern skies and the days grew longer. It was essentially a celebration of the return of sunlight. While one frequently encounters assertions that Christmas was timed to coincide with the celebration of Sol Invictus, these never seem to be backed up by evidence. In particular, they are never backed up by quotations from the early Christians saying, `We decided to time this celebration to coincide with Sol Invictus, and this is why ...' If the early Church had deliberately decided to time the celebrations to coincide, this ought to be reflected in its writings, but it isn't. Witnesses never produce quotes from early Christians saying that Christmas was timed to coincide with a pagan festival. That is sheer speculation." (Evert, J., 2001, "Answering Jehovah's Witnesses," Catholic Answers: El Cajon CA, pp.145-146).

"On the other hand, late December should not be ruled out in the belief that at that time of the year there could not have been `shepherds in that same region, out in the field, keeping watch at night over their flock' (Luke 2:8). In a letter dated January 16, 1967 the New Testament scholar Dr. Harry Mulder of The Netherlands writes (my translation from the Dutch): `During the brief Christmas vacation my wife and I traveled from Beirut [where he was teaching at the time] to Jerusalem. In this connection I can also answer your question regarding the presence of sheep around Bethlehem in the month of December. On Christmas eve in Shepherd Field a crowd had gathered to sing Christmas carols. We joined this crowd and took part in the singing. Right near us a few flocks of sheep were nestled. Even the lambs were not lacking. It was a moving sight. It is therefore definitely not impossible that the Lord Jesus was born in December.'" (Hendriksen, W., 1974, "The Gospel of Matthew: New Testament Commentary," Banner of Truth: Edinburgh UK, 1974, Reprinted, 1982, p.182).

"The angels and the shepherds ([Lk ]2:8-20) 8. It is not unlikely that the shepherds were pasturing flocks destined for the temple sacrifices. Flocks were supposed to be kept only in the wilderness (Mishnah, Baba Kamma 7:7; Talmud, Baba Kamma 79b-80a), and a rabbinic rule provides that any animal found between Jerusalem and a spot near Bethlehem must be presumed to be a sacrificial victim (Mishnah, Shekalim 7:4.). The same rule speaks of finding Passover offerings within thirty days of that feast, i.e. in February. Since flocks might be thus in the fields in winter the traditional date for the birth of Jesus, December 25, is not ruled out." (Morris, L.L., 1974, "The Gospel According to Luke: An Introduction and Commentary," Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, Inter-Varsity Press Leicester UK, Reprinted, 1986, p.84).

"JESUS CHRIST No basis for winter date of birth. The popular date of December 25 as the day of Jesus' birth therefore has no basis in Scripture. As many reference works show, it stems from a pagan holiday. Regarding the origin for the celebration of the day December 25, the Jesuit scholar Urbanus Holzmeister wrote: `Today it is commonly admitted that the occasion for the celebration of the day December 25 was the festival that the pagans were celebrating on this day. Petavius [French Jesuit scholar, 1583-1652] already has rightly observed that on December 25 was celebrated `the birthday of the unconquered sun.' `Witnesses for this festival are: (a) The Calendar of Furius Dionysius Filocalus, composed in the year 354 [C.E.], in which it is noted: `December 25, the B(irthday) of the unconquered (Sun).' (b) The calendar of astrologer Antiochus (composed about 200 [C.E.]): `Month of December ... 25 ... The birthday of the Sun; daylight increases.' (c) Caesar Julian [Julian the Apostate, emperor 361-363 C.E.] recommended the games that were celebrated at the end of the year in honor of the sun, which was called `the unconquered sun.'-Chronologia vitae Christi (Chronology of the Life of Christ), Pontificium Institutum Biblicum, Rome, 1933, p. 46. Perhaps the most obvious evidence of the incorrectness of the December 25 date is the Scriptural fact that shepherds were in the fields tending their flocks on the night of Jesus' birth. (Lu 2:8, 12) Already by the autumn month of Bul (October-November) the rainy season was starting (De 11:14), and flocks were brought into protected shelters at night. The next month, Chislev (the ninth month of the Jewish calendar, November-December), was a month of cold and rain (Jer 36:22; Ezr 10:9, 13), and Tebeth (December-January) saw the lowest temperatures of the year, with occasional snows in the highlands area. The presence of shepherds in the fields at night therefore harmonizes with the evidence pointing to the early autumn month of Ethanim as the time of Jesus' birth.-See BUL; CHISLEV. Also weighing against a December date is that it would be most unlikely for the Roman emperor to choose such a wintry, rainy month as the time for his Jewish subjects (often rebellious) to travel `each one to his own city' to be registered.-Lu 2:1-3; compare Mt 24:20..." (WB&TS, 1988, "Insight on the Scriptures: Volume 2: Jehovah - ZuZim," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, p.58. Emphasis original).

"Christmas is a prominent religious holiday today. But history shows that it was not a celebration observed by the very early Christians. Jesus told his followers to observe a memorial of his death, not of his birth. (1 Corinthians 11:24-26) The fact is, December 25 is not the date of Jesus' birth. It could not have been, since the Bible shows that at the time of his birth shepherds were still in the fields at night. They would not have been there in the cold, rainy season of winter. (Luke 2:8-12) Actually December 25 was chosen as the date to celebrate Jesus' birth because, as The World Book Encyclopedia explains: `The people of Rome already observed it as the Feast of Saturn, celebrating the birthday of the sun.'" (WB&TS, 1989, "You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth," [1982], Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York: Brooklyn NY, Second edition, pp.212-213).

"Many people today believe that Jesus was born on December 25. But December is a rainy, cold season in Bethlehem. Shepherds would not be out in the fields overnight with their flocks at that time of the year. Also, the Roman Caesar would not likely have required a people who were already inclined to revolt against him to make that trip in the dead of winter to register. Evidently Jesus was born sometime in the early autumn of the year. Luke 2:1-20; Micah 5:2." (WB&TS, 1991, "The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York: Brooklyn NY, Ch.5).

"A godly life frees us from the often burdensome celebrating of worldly holidays. For instance, the Bible does not reveal the exact day of Jesus' birth. 'I thought Jesus was born on December 25!' some may exclaim. This is not possible because he died in the spring of 33 C.E. at 33 1/2 years of age. Moreover, at the time of his birth, shepherds were "living out of doors and keeping watches in the night over their flocks." (Luke 2:8) In the land of Israel, late December is a cold, rainy season during which sheep would be kept in shelters overnight to protect them from the winter weather. Actually, December 25 was set aside by the Romans as the birthday of their sun god. Centuries after Jesus was on earth, apostate Christians adopted this date for the celebration of Christ's birth.) (WB&TS, 1995, "Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life ," [1984], Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York: Brooklyn NY, Second edition, p.126).

"THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTMAS It was not until several hundred years after Jesus lived on the earth that people began to commemorate his birth on December 25. But that was not the date of Jesus' birth, for it evidently took place in October. So why was December 25 chosen? Some who later claimed to be Christian likely `wished the date to coincide with the pagan Roman festival marking the `birthday of the unconquered sun.' (The New Encyclopædia Britannica) In winter, when the sun seemed weakest, pagans held ceremonies to get this source of warmth and light to come back from its distant travels. December 25 was thought to be the day that the sun began its return. In an effort to convert pagans, religious leaders adopted this festival and tried to make it seem `Christian.' ... The Saturnalia also played a part in the choice of December 25. This festival honoring the Roman god of agriculture took place on December 17-24. Feasting, merrymaking, and gift-giving took place during the Saturnalia. The pagan roots of Christmas have long been recognized. ... Because of the connections that Christmas has with false religion, however, those who want to please God do not celebrate it or any other holiday that has its roots in pagan worship." (WB&TS, 2005, "What Does the Bible Really Teach?," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York: Brooklyn NY, pp.157-159).

"Memorial of Christ's death Jehovah's Witnesses commemorate Christ's death as a ransom or propitiatory sacrifice by observing The Lord's Evening Meal, or Memorial. They celebrate it once each year, noting that it was instituted on the Passover, which is annual. They observe it on Nisan 14 according to the ancient Jewish lunisolar calendar. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that this is the only celebration commanded for Christians in the Bible. In support, they often cite Jesus' words found at 1 Corinthians 11:24, 25, NWT, `'Keep doing this in remembrance of me.' Of those who attend the Memorial, a small minority worldwide will partake of the unleavened bread and wine. This is because Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the majority of the faithful have an earthly hope. Only those with a heavenly hope, the 144.000, or the `anointed,' are commanded to partake of the bread and wine. Thus, for instance, in 2007, the number of persons who actually partook worldwide was 9,105, whereas, the number who attended was 17,672,443, though Jehovah's Witnesses believe that some of the 9,105 may be in error about their claim, such as those ignorant of Jehovah's Witness belief. In the last few years, the number of partakers has been rising." ("Beliefs and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses," Wikipedia, 16 December 2008).

"Chronology of Jesus ... Day of birth Determining the exact day of Jesus' birth is even more problematic than the year. Some say that the birth could not have happened in the deep winter, because the Bible says that shepherds spent the night outdoors with their flocks when Jesus was born (Luke 2:8). November/January Mediterranean climates such as Judea's have mild winters reaching their coolest in late February. Thus December nights can be quite balmy and warm enough to graze sheep. Moreover, December/January would have been an ideal time to graze sheep to take advantage of the winter rains. During the hot months, conditions can be quite barren and the grasses dry. But the end of December was the time when the perennial grasses began to turn green again and the annual grasses had sprouted anew. Thus, climatically the ecclesiastical practice of placing Christ's birth between December 25 and January 6 is possible." ("Chronology of Jesus," Wikipedia, 14 December 2008).

"Herod the Great Herod ... also known as Herod I or Herod the Great (73 BC - 4 BC in Jericho), was a Roman client king of Judaea.... New Testament references ... Herod the Great appears in The Gospel according to Matthew (Ch. 2), which describes an event known as the Massacre of the Innocents. According to Matthew's gospel, shortly after the birth of Jesus, Magi from the East visited Herod to inquire the whereabouts of "the one having been born king of the Jews", because they had seen his star in the east and therefore wanted to pay him homage. Herod, who was himself King of Judea, was alarmed at the prospect of the newborn king usurping his rule. In the story, Herod was advised by the assembled chief priests and scribes of the people that the Prophet had written that the "Anointed One" (Greek: ho christos) was to be born in Bethlehem of Judea. Herod therefore sent the Magi to Bethlehem, instructing them to search for the child and, after they had found him, to "report to me, so that I too may go and worship him". However, after they had found Jesus, the Magi were warned in a dream not to report back to Herod. Similarly, Joseph was warned in a dream that Herod intended to kill Jesus, so he and his family fled to Egypt. When Herod realized he had been outwitted by the Magi, he gave orders to kill all boys of the age of two and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity. Joseph and his family stayed in Egypt until Herod's death, then moved to Nazareth in Galilee in order to avoid living under Herod's son Archelaus. ... The scholarly consensus, based on Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews is that Herod died at the end of March or early April in 4 BC. Josephus wrote that Herod died 37 years after being named as King by the Romans, and 34 years after the death of Antigonus. This would imply that he died in 4 BC. This is confirmed by the fact that his three sons, between whom his kingdom was divided, dated their rule from 4 BC. For instance, he states that Herod Philip II's death took place after a 37-year reign in the 20th year of Tiberius, which would imply that he took over on Herod's death in 4 BC. In addition, Josephus wrote that Herod died after a lunar eclipse, and a partial eclipse took place in 4 BC. It has been suggested that 5 BC might be a more likely date - there were two total eclipses in that year. However, the 4 B.C. date is almost universally accepted." ("Herod the Great," Wikipedia, 18 December 2008).