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Christmas Has a Long ReachThe Watchtower—1978 | December 15
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On December 25 both Romans and ancient Greeks celebrated the birth of the unconquered sun. The practice traces back to Babylon. Nimrod was deified as the sun-god. When cut down by his enemies he was represented by a log, and when reborn he was symbolized by an evergreen tree. After documenting this, Dr. Alexander Hislop’s The Two Babylons states:
‘Now the Yule Log is the dead stock of Nimrod, deified as the sun-god, but cut down by his enemies; the Christmas-tree is Nimrod redivivus—the slain god come to life again.”
The log was burned on the eve of December 24; by the next morning it had been replaced by an evergreen tree. Dr. Hislop shows the pagan origins of the other customs surrounding Christmas—the candles, the feasting, the wassail bowl, the mistletoe, the giving of gifts and others.—Pp. 91-103.
Jesus was not born on December 25, but in the fall when shepherds were with their flocks out in the open fields.
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“Peace Among Men Whom He Approves”The Watchtower—1978 | December 15
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The Jews were on the watch for Messiah’s coming. Could these shepherds really believe that this newborn babe was he? The angel continued: “This is a sign for you: you will find an infant bound in cloth bands and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a host of angels appeared, praising God and declaring: “Glory in the heights above to God, and upon earth peace among men whom he approves.” The shepherds hastened to Bethlehem—they knew that this was David’s city, where the Messiah was to be born. They found the babe in the manger—the sign given them by the angel. They thus became eyewitnesses to the fulfillment of prophecy concerning the human birth of the Messiah. Overjoyed, the shepherds returned to their flocks, glorifying and praising God.—Luke 2:12-20, footnote; Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:4-6.
It is this birth that many nations today celebrate on December 25. That this could not be the correct date is shown by these words from Clarke’s Commentary concerning Luke 2:8:
“It was a custom among the Jews to send out their sheep to the deserts, about the passover, and bring them home at the commencement of the first rain: during the time they were out, the shepherds watched them night and day. As the passover occurred in the spring, and the first rain began early in the month of Marchesvan, which answers to part of our October and November, we find that the sheep were kept out in the open country the whole of the summer.”
No flocks would be in open country at night in December, so the Commentary concludes:
“On this very ground the nativity in December should be given up.”
The date for Jesus’ birth can be narrowed down more than just to the time that shepherds were in open country with their flocks at night. Jesus began his ministry when he became 30; it continued for three and a half years, when he was put to death on the torture stake at the age of 33 1⁄2 years.a The half year means that his birth would have to be six months before a passover, or in the fall, around October 1. However, the fact that the exact date of Jesus’ birth is not given indicates that Christians are not expected to celebrate it. His birth was only the beginning.
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