I finished reading an article in Biblical Archaeology Review. A brother in Christ gave it to me when I mentioned the fact that I was interested on how we determine that Jesus’ birthday is December 25. It all stems from those who claim that the date is made up. We really don’t know the actual day since it isn’t mentioned in the Bible. Then I remembered my pastor saying something about the birth of Jesus being in the month of December and the 25th day is helped in how we celebrate it. It was in his Christmas teaching of 2021.

I am sure you have heard people say that we adopted the day from a Pegan holiday. Two of the most common are the Roman festival of Saturnalia or the feast of the sun god Sol. It is an often said that Christmas was added to bring light to the Pegan people who celebrated these holidays. But is that true?

Me, I am willing to believe as I did when a child. That Jesus was born on December 25th. This goes along with a translation of a treatise of Hippolytus of Roman. Hippolytus was a Christian author in the 3rd Century AD. Saturnalia was never celebrated on December 25th. The feast of Sol came later. Therefore, Hippolytus was not influenced by the Pegan holidays.

Many of the early Christians believe the Jesus was born in either early December or January. Some even agreed with Hippolytus that the date could be December 25th. This will be discussed a bit later.

According to the article, this calculation comes from the time of gestation of 9 months from conception. So, when did this conception take place. Well, the author of the article mentions that the Greek of genesis is often translated as birth. T. C. Schmidt mentions doing some research and found that in this case, genesis believe it means conception. This is from Matthew 1:18, Not the birth of Jesus was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.

But when did the conception of Mary take place. Our God is a God of order. He also counts time by various cycles of the sun and moon. We do have a clue as to how Hippolytus came to his decision of December 25th.

Given that birth in this case is talking about the conception of Mary, it is speculated that it happened in a time that was already ordained by God. Hippolytus and other early Christians believed it this time of the conception of Jesus was the same as his death, Passover. Other speculated that it may have occurred on the day three days after the crucifixion to the resurrection. It was also during the time of the solar vernal equinox.

It is the oldest traditions place the conception of Jesus on Passover. Passover can occur in late March or early April. Therefore, that actual date of the birth of Jesus is anywhere from mid to late December too early January according to the early Christians. Hippolytus uses the Passover conception (unknow at the time of Christ’s conception) to come to his conclusion that Jesus was born on December 25.

My pastor believes the birth can be between the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth. The reason is when the angels visit the shepherds in the field outside of Bethlehem. It was during the night. But was it the night of the December 24? Or was it the early morning (before sunrise) on December 25? Yes.

My pastor has mentioned those he gets his information for this belief. However, I have not come to the correct Christmas Eve service to get those names. I thought it was the 2021 service. However, I have looked at each time the pastor spoke, and it wasn’t there. When I find it, I will give an update.

But it isn’t the fact that Jesus was born on December 25 that is important, it is the fact of why he was born in the first place. He came to die on the cross for the world’s (you and me) sins. He is to pour out his blood to give us life everlasting by forgiving us our sins and reconciled to the Father in heaven.

So, the discussion of when Jesus was born, please speak to Hippolytus. He came to his conclusion before the Pegan holidays were even a consideration.

Calculating Christmas: Hippolytus and December 25th, T.C. Schmidt, Biblical Archaeology Review, Winter 2022, Vol 48 No 4, pgs. 50-54