Christ’ s birth can be found on the Bible Timeline around 4 BC click here to read why.
The most common story told about Christmas starts around 2000 years in the past on December 25th. Mary, on a donkey, travels to Bethlehem with Joseph and upon arriving desperately needs to find a place to have her baby. Unfortunately, all of the inns are full and send them away; eventually they are offered a lowly stable as shelter. Angels then sing to the shepherds and 3 kings on camels come to worship the new baby.
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Believe it or not, this version is very different from the real story recorded in the Bible. Time and re-telling of the story so frequently in various forms like: plays, poetry, books or movies has changed many things.
-Did a donkey carry Mary to Bethlehem? It is possible, but that is not the only way to travel, and the Bible doesn’t specify how she got there. It simply states that she traveled with Joseph.
-Was Mary in labor upon first arriving in Bethlehem? Again the Bible does not say. It is possible that they were there weeks before. “While they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered” (Luke 2:6). It is more plausible that they were there in plenty of time for her to deliver and avoid more difficulty. – Were Joseph and Mary asking innkeepers for shelter? It is possible, but there is also no suggestion or plausible explanation to imply that they did. There is no innkeeper specifically recorded in the Bible during the Birth of Christ. It is more probable that they roomed inside a house with family or friends rather than a stable; which leads to the next question: -Did Mary have Jesus in a stable, barn, or cave? The Bible doesn’t state anything about those either. Only mentioning a manger, ‘They laid Jesus in a manger because there was no room for him in the guest room’. ‘Kataluma’ in the scriptures is Greek and can translate into ‘guest chamber or lodging place’. Or it could mean ‘a furnished, large, upper story room within a private house.’ (Mark 14:14-15). From biblical archeological studies, experts believe that Jesus was most likely delivered in the home of a family but ‘under’ the main living and guest rooms. -The accuracy of the song: “Away in a Manger” – ‘the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes’. The Bible does not say wether or not Jesus cried – there is no way to tell if that is true.
-Were angels there when Christ was born? This makes sense to think that there were, but the Bible does not say, and there is no recording that they were seen by Mary or Joseph during that period.
–Three Kings on Camels giving gifts at the birth of Christ. The scriptures do not mention kings or camels visiting Jesus. There is nothing to imply that they were kings. It does mention ‘wise men (magi)’ visiting but does not say how many. The word ‘magi’ in the scriptures does mean more than one so there could have been anything from 2 or many more. The number three comes from the three gifts that they presented to Christ which were: gold, frankincense and myrrh. There is also no record of where the wise man came from or what country.
Another thing to think about is that these ‘magi’ did not visit when Christ was in the manger. They came much later, after Christ’s visit to the Temple in Jerusalem. (Luke 2:21-22) It is during this moment that Jesus is referred to as a ‘child’ instead of a ‘baby’. It is likely that Jesus was over 2 years old at that time. (Mathew 2:16).
-Christ’s Birthday is December 25th. Even though this is possible, it is not probable. The scriptures do not say a time of year but the issue with winter is that it would be strange for shepherds to be ‘abiding in the field’ during December when taking the sheep out would be pointless. This would also be a very hard time for Mary to go the many miles it took to get from Nazareth to Bethlehem (70).
It is more likely that it was the end of September during the yearly ‘Feast of Tabernacles’ during which journeying was more common. It is possible that Christmas was set as an ‘honored observation of the incarnation of the ‘Word made flesh’’(John 1:14).
It is likely that the angel foremost in the ‘heavenly host singing praises’ was Michael the archangel. The early churches recognized this as Michaelmas (‘Michale sent’) – September 29 which would be on the same day as the Feast of Tabernacles. Then it makes sense that Christ was born around that time or even in late December. So it is possible that Christmas (‘Christ sent’) is the actual day of his birth. This is also the darkest period of the year – the pagan ‘Satumalia’ and when the sun (the literal ‘light of the world’) is at its farthest point from the ‘Holy Land’. This would be an opportune time for Heavenly Father to bring forth the ‘spiritual light of the world’ as the ‘Savior, which is Christ the Lord’ (Luke 2:11).
-What causes Christians to have Christmas on December 25th if that is not Christ’s Birth? This date was picked by the Roman Catholic Church. Rome ruled the majority of the Christian community for years causing that particular date to be a custom for the majority of Christians.
The frequent inaccuracies about the celebration of Christ’s birthday show a constant need for individuals to compare every spoken word with the Bible in keeping beliefs centered on truth.
More articles related to Christmas:
Was There a Census During The Bible Timeline When Christ Was Born?
How Many Wise Men?
Saint Nicholas – the Saint Behind Santa Claus
King Herod the Great – How He Died, Where He’s Buried
Why Talk About Good Friday At Christmas?
Was Christmas a Pagan Holiday? No. Here’s the proof.
Genealogy of Jesus Christ
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some accuracies and many inaccuracies. What is your purpose? Is it to cause people to doubt the infallibility of the Bible? If so, may God deal with you accordingly. If not then please check your facts.
Our purpose is to confirm the truth of the actual words in the Bible rather than the fictional stories that have grown up around the Bible that are not based on fact. It is best if people know what the Bible says rather than continue believing it says things it does not.
No interruption to Scripture but to teach the 25th of December as the day of incarnation is definitely wrong. You as I were not alive then; we cannot change the months when John father served in the temple to make gross error being taught and to observe 25th December as the incarnation – it is wrong – it is wrong – it is wrong!
Did you mean to say the word “conceived?” Or did you mean born? Jesus was conceived when the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary Luke 1:35
“Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes” by Kenneth E. Bailey indicates that the “manger” in which Jesus lay was actually a family room with a manger cut into the floor at one end. During the day floor sweepings were swept thru this cut out to the lower level where the animals spent the night. During the night, the opening would have been filled with hay for the animals to eat from below. In those days, everyone had a manger or two in their house. Similarly, Mary & Joseph, being if the house of David, undoubtely had a large extended family in Bethlehem, and would not have been staying in an inn anyway (even if it existed). Thank you for pointing out the discrepancies in our sentimental & romanticized recreations of the actual event.
What about the census?