The historical origins of Christmas

Christmas

The Origins of Christmas: A Historical Perspective

Many people, including Christians, believe that Christmas originated from pagan festivals such as the worship of the solar god Sol Invictus, Saturn’s god Saturnalia, or the Persian solar deity Mithras, later adopted by the Romans.

This interpretation is often referred to as the historical religions theory. According to this theory, the Catholic Church in Rome began celebrating Christmas on December 25 in 336 CE to replace these pagan festivals.

However, ancient manuscripts and alternate theories suggest that Christmas celebrations predate 336 CE.

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Determining the Date of Jesus’ Birth

Some sources from as early as 200 CE provide evidence, both implicit and explicit, for December 25 being identified as the birthdate of Jesus.

Hyppolitus (170–235 CE), a Catholic theologian in Rome, mentioned this date in his 204 CE work, Commentary on Daniel. He wrote that Jesus was born “in Bethlehem, eight days before the calendar of January [December 25], on the 4th day of the week [Wednesday].”

Hyppolitus used the Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BCE, to calculate this date. In Jewish tradition, the date of a holy person’s conception often coincided with their death. Early Christians believed March 25 marked Jesus’ crucifixion, and based on this assumption, they calculated his conception to also fall on March 25. Adding nine months leads to a birthdate of December 25. This method is known as the Calculation Theory.

This theory refutes the idea that Jesus’ birthdate was influenced by pagan rituals. The celebrations of Sol Invictus, Saturnalia, and Mithras do not align with December 25. Sol Invictus was likely observed on various dates, such as August 8, October 19, or December 11. Saturnalia was celebrated from December 17 to 23, while there is no strong evidence for Mithras being associated with December 25.

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Evidence of Earlier Christmas Celebrations

Three ancient texts suggest that Christmas was celebrated before 336 CE: Didascalia Apostolorum, Liber Pontificalis, and the Epistle of Theophilus.

  1. Didascalia Apostolorum (250 CE)
    This text mentions the celebration of the Epiphany, commemorating Christ’s manifestation. In the Catholic tradition, Epiphany marks the visit of the three wise men, while in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, it celebrates Jesus’ baptism. According to Didascalia, the Epiphany was celebrated on January 6 in the Julian calendar, which corresponds to December 25 in the modern Gregorian calendar.
  2. Liber Pontificalis
    This document, containing biographies of popes, indicates that Pope Telesphorus (125–136 CE) instructed the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Although the exact date is not specified, this text suggests that Christmas celebrations date back to the 2nd century CE.
  3. Epistle of Theophilus
    This text explicitly names December 25 as the date of Jesus’ birth and suggests that the celebration occurred before 196 CE.

These documents collectively demonstrate that Christmas was celebrated as early as the 2nd century CE and was not derived from pagan festivals like Sol Invictus, Saturnalia, or Mithras. Instead, the holiday has deep-rooted traditions within early Christian practices.

 

The origins of Christmas celebrations

 

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