vid

I compiled list of early christian discussions of Jesus birth date, up to middle of 5th century. Everything I could find is here. If you know any other references, or can fill in some missing information about ones I listed, please do so. Sorry for readability, this was originally in a .txt document. Hope this helps somebody else too.


- 171—183 - Theophilus of Antioch (considered forgery)

"The earliest identification of the 25th of December with the birthday of Christ is
in a passage, otherwise unknown and probably spurious, of Theophilus of Antioch (A.D . 171—183),
preserved in Latin by the Magdeburg centuriators (i . 3, 118), to the effect that the Gauls
contended that as they celebrated the birth of the Lord on the 25th of December, whatever
day of the week it might be, so they ought to celebrate the Pascha on the 25th of March
when the resurrection befell."

cited from: http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/CHR_CL...of_Christ.html

<no full text found>



- cca 200 - Clement of Alexandria: Stromata, book 1, chapter 21

"There are then from the birth of Moses till this captivity nine hundred
and seventy-two years; but according to strict chronological accuracy,
one thousand and eighty-five, six months, ten days."

This dates to 6 january using egyptian calendar.

"And they say that it was the fifteenth year of Tiberius Cæsar, the fifteenth
day of the month Tubi; and some that it was the eleventh of the same month.
And treating of His passion, with very great accuracy, some say that it took
place in the sixteenth year of Tiberius, on the twenty-fifth of Phamenoth;
and others the twenty-fifth of Pharmuthi and others say that on the nineteenth
of Pharmuthi the Saviour suffered. Further, others say that He was born on the
twenty-fourth or twenty-fifth of Pharmuthi."

full text: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf02.vi.iv.i.xxi.html



- 202 - Hippolytus, Commentary on Daniel 4:23 (considered forgery)
The next mention of the 25th of December is in Hippolytus' (c . 202) commentary on Daniel iv . 23
Jesus, he says, was born at Bethlehem on the 25th of December, a Wednesday, in the
forty-second year of Augustus . This passage also is almost certainly interpolated .
http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/CHR_CL...of_Christ.html

"For the first appearance of our Lord in the flesh took place in Bethlehem eight days before
the Kalends of January [25 December], on the fourth day [Wednesday], under Emperor Augustus,
in the year 5500"
http://www.themoorings.org/apologeti...gy/Chrmas.html

Single manuscript lists also a 2nd April dating, that may be original.
See discussion in previous link.

<no full text found>



- 221 - Sextus Julius Africanus, Chronography, book 1 fragment

"For the Jews, deriving their origin from them as descendants of Abraham, having
been taught a modest mind, and one such as becomes men, together with
the truth by the spirit of Moses, have handed down to us, by their
extant Hebrew histories, the number of 5500 years as the period up to
the advent of the Word of salvation, that was announced to the world in
the time of the sway of the Caesars."

full text: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf06.v.v.i.html



- 243 - De Pascha Computus

"The end result, and "ingenious piece of mathematical allegorizing", gives a
birthdate of Wednesday 28 March"

Susan K. Roll, Toward the Origins of Christmas, page 81
http://books.google.com/books?id=6MXPEMbpjoAC

<no full text found>



- 245 - Origen, Homily on Leviticus 8

As late as 245 Origen, in his eighth homily on Leviticus, repudiates as sinful the
very idea of keeping the birthday of Christ " as if he were a king Pharaoh."

cited from: http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/CHR_CL...of_Christ.html

<no full text found>



- 3rd century - On computing the date of easter

"The anonymous african author of a book called "On computing the
date of easter" contended, following this symbolism, that the
birthday of christ should most appropriately fall not on march 25
(so, obviously some people were celebrating his birthday on that day),
but instead on march 28, the fourth day of creation."

Joseph F. Kelly, The Origins of Christmas, page 60 and 62
http://books.google.com/books?id=ERahko4FXJgC

<no full text found>



- 326 - Eusebius, Church History, Book 1, Chapter 5

"It was in the forty-second year of the reign of Augustus and the twenty-eighth
after the subjugation of Egypt and the death of Antony and Cleopatra, with whom
the dynasty of the Ptolemies in Egypt came to an end, that our Saviour and Lord
Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea, according to the prophecies which
had been uttered concerning him. His birth took place during the first
census, while Cyrenius was governor of Syria."

full text: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250101.htm



- 354 - Chronography of 354, part 12

"When these were consuls, Jesus Christ was born 8 days before the kalends of
January on the day of Venus[25 december]"
http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/ch...4_08_fasti.htm

"VIII kal. Ian. natus Christus in Betleem Iudeae. mense Ianuario."
http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/ch...ns_martyrs.htm

also mentions sol invictus feast at 25th december:
http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/ch...6_calendar.htm

(according to wikipedia, this is earliest reference to sol invictus:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronography_of_354)



- 363 - Calendar of Nicomedia, extant in 5th century Syriac copy
(maybe this is same 412 syriac calendar mentioned later?)

Susan K. Roll, Toward the Origins of Christmas, page 86
http://books.google.com/books?id=6MXPEMbpjoAC

<no full text found>



- 374-377 - Epiphanus, Panarion

“For Christ was born in the month of January, that is, on the eighth before
the Ides of January -- in the Roman calendar this is the evening of January
fifth, at the beginning of January sixth. In the Egyptian calendar it is the
eleventh of Tybi.”
(Epiphanius, Panarion, Section IV, Chapter 31 (51), 24,1).

"For the magi themselves reached Bethlehem, after a two year interval, on this
very day of the Epiphany. . .As I have said before and am obliged to say over
and over, this was the day in the thirteenth consulship of Octavius Augustus
and the consulship of Silanus which fell on the eighth day before the Ides
of January, thirteen days after the increase of the daylight. This lasts from
the winter solstice, the eighth before the Kalends of January, until the actual
day of Christ's birth and Manifestation, because of the type I spoke of --
the Savior himself and his disciples, making thirteen."
(Epiphanius, Panarion, Section IV, Chapter 31 (51), 22, 18).

cited from: http://thriceholy.net/christmas.html
<no full text found>



- 386-388 - John Chrysostom, In diem natalem

"The same line of argumentation was articulated by John Chrysostom late in
fourth century, particulary in his sermon "In diem natalem", and was adduced
by Engberding and others as further evidence for the calculational mentality
which could have determined the 25 December date."

Susan K. Roll, Toward the Origins of Christmas
http://books.google.com/books?id=6MXPEMbpjoAC

(The context for "same line of argumentation" is missing from Google Books
preview)

full text in greek:
http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.e...__MGR.pdf.html

not sure about name translation in english, maybe it is here?
http://www.chrysostom.org/writings.html



- cca 400? - Augustine, On Trinity, book 4, chapter 5

"For He is believed to have been conceived on the 25th of March, upon which day
also He suffered; so the womb of the Virgin, in which He was conceived, where
no one of mortals was begotten, corresponds to the new grave in which He was
buried, wherein was never man laid, neither before nor since. But He was born,
according to tradition, upon December the 25th."

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/130104.htm



- 412 - Syriac calendar begins on 26 december, but doesn't mention christmas.

Susan K. Roll, Toward the Origins of Christmas, page 71
http://books.google.com/books?id=6MXPEMbpjoAC

<no full text found>



- early 5th century - John Cassian, Conferences, Part 1, Conference 10, Chapter 2

"In the country of Egypt this custom is by ancient tradition observed that—when
Epiphany is past, which the priests of that province regard as the time, both of
our Lord’s baptism and also of His birth in the flesh, and so celebrate the
commemoration of either mystery not separately as in the Western provinces but
on the single festival of this day,"

full text: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/350810.htm

vid

Some extra info loosely related to topic:



- January 6th as pagan festival:

"Other early christians recorded that the pagan Egyptians observed
January 6 as a festival of the virgin-goddess Kore, while still
others identified the date as as the birthday of the god Osiris"

Joseph F. Kelly, The Origins of Christmas, page 59
http://books.google.com/books?id=ERahko4FXJgC



- Origen omits Christmas in his list of important christian feasts:

"If it be objected to us on this subject that we ourselves are
accustomed to observe certain days, as for example the Lord’s day,
the Preparation, the Passover, or Pentecost, [...]"

Origen, Against Celsus, Book 8, Chapter 22
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf0...viii.xxii.html



- According to some articles I have read, Tertullian and Irenaeus are
supposed to omit christmas in their list of christian feasts, but
I wasn't able to locate these lists.

DCHindley

For what it is worth, Jack Finegan's Handbook of Biblical Chronology (1964 but since reissued in revised form (or via: amazon.co.uk)) has a section devoted to early Christian Chronographers, the qustions (and problems) with several solutions proposed in ancient times for the dates of Jesus' birth, the beginning of his "ministry" and subsequent death.

DCH (on break)

andrewcriddle

Roger Pearse's excellent website contains material about the birth of Jesus by the Armenian Ananias of Shirak which appears to be using very early sources such as Polycarp
http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/an...as_02_text.htm

Andrew Criddle

mountainman

Robin Lane Fox's (RLF) book, "Pagans and Christians, in the Mediterranean World from the second century AD to the conversion of Constantine (or via: amazon.co.uk)", spends a surprising large number of pages on the Oration of Constantine to the "assembly at Antioch". Constantine tells us the birth of jesus was predicted by a number of pagan Roman poets in the period BCE. Fox comments that this was a fraud twice over.

Best wishes,


Pete

Jeffrey Gibson

Could we have the page number where Lane-Fox makes this comment, please?

Jeffrey

mountainman

Here are my notes containing page numbers, interspersed with my own editorial comments:




Best wishes


Pete

Doug Shaver

Has any Christian apologist ever claimed that Jesus really was born on Dec. 25? Has any apologist ever said that those who question it are questioning the inerrant word of God? Has any Christian sect ever asserted that anyone who denies the Dec. 25 tradition is going to burn in hell? Does anything else that any Christian has ever said about Jesus depend on his having been born on Dec. 25?

The effort expended by some skeptics in debunking Jesus' traditional birthday strikes me as disproportionate to its relevance to any question of substance about Christian dogma.

vid

My point is simply documenting situation about birth date of jesus, and part of that is history of opinions on that matter.

Most "anti-christian apologetic" someone csan get of this is claiming that even early christians had no idea when he was born, and that 25th december is mostly later 4th century idea. But that, as you have yourself pointed out, is widely accepted even by christians, so I don't see this as some argument, just pure data from history.

vid

Thank you, even though this is later (600-650 according to tertullian.org), it has some very interesting discussion of various traditions. Too bad all those dates use some ancient calendard, hard to parse to today dates. Also, where can I find Armenian Canon?

I am especially curious about this: Is it that Ananias, far from Rome, used outdated sources, or was 6th january still "big" in Rome even two centuries after Constantine? I thought 25 december became popular pretty quickly in Rome in 4th century, as the "merger" of various traditions (invictus, christ). Do you have any info on how long did 6th january tradition remain in western parts of empire, and when did 25 december rule over it?