This courtesy of Daniel Holtrop:

Daniel Allgood

When I taught medieval history at the Catholic university in Hawaii (which satisfied the school's requirement of taking one of two religious courses to graduate), I enjoyed reading student papers summarizing research that said Christians stole the timing of Christmas to purposely place it on top of pagan festivals. Here's a more recent Christian response that in many ways it was pagans fighting a last ditch dying cultural defense who began to copy the Christian date of Dec 25 that they set for biblical interpretations l reasons (that IMHO may be wrong but I don't care what the real date was -- I tend to think spring for lambing time in the Judean foothills, a simple explanation). The only pagan festival also on Dec 25 was set on that date well after Christians began using it for Christmas, while most other pagan Dec festivals were 8 or more days removed on the calendar earlier in the month.

Original post, or someone two steps back, name at bottom:

The establishment of December 25th as the date for Christmas traces its roots back to the late second and early third century, a period marked by the contributions of the historian Sextus Julius Africanus. In his work, "Chronographiai ," an early Christian treatise encompassing world history from creation to his contemporary era, Africanus endeavored to chronologically order events based on his interpretation of Luke and Matthew’s Gospels. Concluding that Jesus was conceived on March 25th, Africanus then calculated nine months forward, pinpointing December 25th as the date of Christ's birth (Sextus Julius Africanus, On the solstices and equinoxes of the conception and birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and John the Baptist).
It is noteworthy that Africanus was not the sole proponent of December 25th as Jesus' birthdate. Hippolytus of Rome, a contemporary of Africanus, echoed this sentiment in his commentary on the book of Daniel during the early third century (Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 4.23.3.).

While acknowledging the concurrent celebration of Sol Invictus, the festival venerating the Roman sun God on December 25th, historical evidence suggests that its original date was earlier in December. Historian Thomas Talley, in "The Origins of the Liturgical Year," proposes that the Roman Emperor Aurelian likely moved Sol Invictus to December 25th in competition with the rising influence of Christianity (The Origins of the Liturgical Year, 88-91).

The shift in religious practices during the third and fourth centuries becomes apparent as Christianity gained momentum, while traditional Roman paganism dwindled. The observations of figures such as Pliny the Younger and Julian, the Roman Emperor, highlight this transition, with the latter attributing the decline in Roman religious devotion to the influence of Christians (P.T.Y. Epistle to Trajan, Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae).

The question arises: Did Christians imitate pagan practices as a last-ditch effort to convert holdouts, or did desperate pagans emulate the growing popularity of Christianity? Existing evidence increasingly points to the latter conclusion. Despite Sol Invictus being placed on December 25th after Christians recognized it as Jesus' birthdate, none of the other ancient pagan feasts and festivals align precisely with this date. Saturnalia, for instance, occurred on December 17th by the Roman calendar of the time, preceding Christmas (which fell on December 25th) by a notable interval.

Moreover, the Brumalia and Bacchus feasts were celebrated earlier in the season, in late November. If these were attempts to replace pagan festivals, they would have been poorly executed, as they preceded December 25th. The evidence suggests that Christians had been acknowledging and celebrating the incarnation and Jesus’ birth for decades before firm designations for other pagan celebrations on December 25th emerged.

In AD 386, John Chrysostom attested to the long-standing tradition of celebrating Christmas on December 25th (John Chrysostom, Homily on the Date of Christmas). The Philocalian Calendar, created in AD 354 for a Roman Christian named Valentinus, also confirms Christmas as a holiday on December 25th. This historical context challenges the notion that December 25th was a mere appropriation of pagan festivities, indicating a distinct and early Christian observance of this date in connection with the birth of Jesus Christ.

The Christian acknowledgment of December 25th as the birth of Jesus predates the solidification of pagan festivals on the same date. As we delve further into the historical record, it becomes apparent that the Christians were not reactive imitators but rather bearers of a unique tradition. The AD 354 Philocalian Calendar, crafted for Valentinus, is a particularly illuminating artifact, categorizing Christmas as a significant holiday on December 25th. This explicit designation indicates not only the early Christian recognition of the date but also its institutionaliz ation within the Christian liturgical calendar.

Additionally, the testimonies of influential figures like John Chrysostom in AD 386, referring to Christmas as a "long time tradition," further solidify the notion that December 25th held a distinct and established significance within Christian communities (John Chrysostom, Homily on the Date of Christmas). Chrysostom's commentary provides valuable insight into the continuity and endurance of Christmas celebrations, suggesting that by the late fourth century, the observance had already become deeply ingrained in Christian tradition.

The contention surrounding the origin of December 25th as the date for Christmas often revolves around the potential influence of pagan festivals, especially Sol Invictus. However, the meticulous examination of historical timelines and cultural dynamics reveals a nuanced picture. The Christians' celebration of Christmas on December 25th appears to have developed independently, and any perceived overlap with pagan festivities may be attributed to subsequent adaptations or coincidences rather than direct imitation.

More importantly, the Christian celebration of Christmas served a distinct theological purpose, emphasizing the incarnation of Jesus Christ. This focus on the theological significance of Christ's birth distinguishes Christmas from pagan celebrations, establishing it as a unique and purposeful observance within the Christian faith.
In the final analysis, evidence from historical records, early Christian writings, and calendars reinforces the idea that December 25th emerged as a significant date for Christmas independently within Christian communities. Rather than a borrowed or adapted tradition, the celebration of Christ's birth on this date reflects a genuine and early Christian observance that was born out of Christian devotion to Christ.
~ Daniel Allgood

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And then there is the fact that because of the weather -- the rain, and all that stuff, which made the grass (that the sheep had been cropping) grow again, the sheep were kept out of the fields during the winter months, and therefore could not have been "abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night" as detailed in the Gospels, to receive the glad tidings from the angels. This had to be at a time other than Dec. 25 or any time near then.

~ Dana Mathewson

Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at 01:10 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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