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Celebrations That Displease God“Keep Yourselves in God’s Love”
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5. Why can we be certain that Jesus was not born on December 25?
5 The Bible makes no mention of a birthday celebration for Jesus. In fact, his exact birth date is unknown. We can be sure, though, that he was not born on December 25 in the cold of winter in that part of the world.b For one thing, Luke recorded that when Jesus was born, “shepherds [were] living out of doors” minding their flocks. (Luke 2:8-11) If “living out of doors” had been their habit year round, that would not have been noteworthy. However, because Bethlehem is subject to cold rains and snow, flocks were wintered under cover and shepherds would not have been “living out of doors.” Additionally, Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem because Caesar Augustus had ordered a census. (Luke 2:1-7) It is highly unlikely that Caesar would have commanded a people who were resentful of Roman rule to travel to their ancestral cities in the dead of winter.
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Celebrations That Displease God“Keep Yourselves in God’s Love”
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Likewise, according to their reckoning, devotees of the god Mithra celebrated December 25 as the “birthday of the invincible sun,” says the New Catholic Encyclopedia. “Christmas originated at a time when the cult of the sun was particularly strong at Rome,” about three centuries after the death of Christ.
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