Notes: This page is intended to be easy to understand and not scholarly. Hence, it does not contain references. References may be found throughout this site to support what is said below. Please feel free to look for them. References may be added at some time in the future and a duplicate scholary page created if time is available. Until then, please be satisfied with this page or patiently wait for the link to arrive.
In reading the following, please be aware that many of these objections originated with or were espoused by Alexander Hislop and more recently by Ralph Woodrow. However the latter has recanted many of his views and now publishes books which reflect his current beliefs. Last the author of this site knew, Woodrow neither affirms nor denies the traditional date of Christ's birth although he does consider it possible. This page does not intend to answer objections regarding pagan influences upon Christmas however a few more major points are covered. This is simply because what pagans in foreign countries did on the 25th of Demember when the Lord Jesus Christ was born does not change the fact that He was born on this date in Bethlehem in Jewry (Judæa, Palestine or Israel). The purpose of this site is to spread and defend this most ancient and holy tradition of the Christian Church. For more details on any of the following questions please wait patiently. If you have more information to support an answer to any of the following objections please contact Discussions & Research
O: Christmas was originally a pagan feast during which Christians fasted. A: The fact that Christians originally fasted until Theophany/Epiphany does not effect the date of Christ's birth. There are numerous pagan feasts around this time but there are numerous pagan feasts all year around as well. Christians in the East originally fasted until Theophany (or Epiphany) when all the events in Christ's life (including His birth) up until His baptism were celebrated. The Armenian Apostolic Church alone among the Oriental Orthodox Churches retains this practice even now. In much of the Christian world the two celebrations were seperated but this does not mean that the date of Christ's birth was not known at all. It simply wasn't celebrated separately for a while even after it came to be known in the East as Theophany (ie Epiphany) was less than two weeks later anyway. So it continued to be celebrated as part of that feast for some years in some parts of the Christian world. Many of the pagan festivals occurred during the Advent fast before the feast. Surely if the twenty-fifth of December was chosen for the sake of pandering to pagans then it was a bad choice! The pagans generally celebrated earlier than that (ie the 25th). Even Hislop says that the Arabians celebrated a certain lunar holiday on the twenty-forth of December- when Christians would be fasting. It is just as absurd to link dates close to one another like this as it would be to link Anzac Day (April 25th) with the Turkish actions taken in World War II on the 24th. Who would say that Americans celebrate the 4th of July because of the execution of the slaves on that day in 1712 or that it commenorates the Battle of the Boyne? Simply because certain events happen at the same time of year doesn't mean they have anything to do with one another even if they seem to have surface similarities.
O: The shepherds would not have been in the fields at night in winter. A: This is a common misconception. Only certain shepherds in that part of the world avoid the fields at night in winter. The conditions simply aren't very severe. There are many shepherds which stay out in the fields all night through the entire winter season. The temperature rarely drops below 7°C (45°F) which really isn't all that cold. There are plenty of places where campers endure colder temperatures. The north winds could make the shepherds shiver a little but assumably they know how to dress to avoid this as any sensible person would. Just ask yourself this: When I know I'm going to the snow, what do I wear? If you don't wear your summer pajamas then it's probably safe to say that the shepherds don't either. They know how to survive in the fields all year around including at night in winter.
Q: Doesn't St. Matthew 24:20 say that Judæan winters are severe? A: No. It relates to a completely different matter and simply says to pray that your flight be not in the winter. This shows nothing more than that fleeing is harder in winter than at other times of the year. Is this not also true over most of the earth?
O: The Holy Bible gives us information regarding the father of St. John the Baptist which allows us to calculate when he and the Lord were born. These dates don't allow for Christ's birth to be in December. A: Numerous people have shown independently that the information contained in St Luke ch. 1 does not eliminate the possibility (or even the probability) the Christ was born in December. Some have argued that the course of Abia is the eighth of the year and so it would be about June when St. John the Baptist's father attended the temple. The main problem with this is that it is completely unknown as a teaching in the ancient Christian Church. But for the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles all the men of Israel ("the whole multitude" of St. Luke 1:10) gathered at Jerusalem. St. John Chrysostom stated that the angel appeared to St. Zacharias on the Day of Atonement. However on this day all priestly functions were performed by the High Priest. (Hebrews 9:7 indicates this by use of the word "alone" although it is not clearly stated.) Hence, St. Zacharias must have offered incense on another day which was part of a series of days for St. Luke refers to "the days of his ministration" (1:23). Now we must look close to this day or else the reckoning of St. John Chrysostom (and numerous others) is in error. But the Feast of Tabernacles is only five days later so this must be the time which St. Luke refers to. So why didn't St. Luke just say it was the Feast of Tabernacles? To answer this, consider the environment in which the Gospel was written and also who it was written to. Would it mean anything to a Greek? Would saying this directly lead to greater persecution? St. Luke had neither a need nor a reason to state it in such a way.
O: The star could not have appeared then. A: When the star appeared is not of great importance to when Christ was born. The wise men followed the star in order to find Christ. The star may well have appeared before Christ was born. That way the wise men could get a head start on their journey to find Him. However there is no reason to either support or deny this so it is just mentioned for interest's sake. It is also noteworthy that the wise men visited Christ in a house and not in a stable which suggests that they arrived later than the shepherds. The purpose of this site is not to discuss the movements of the wise men nor those of the star. This site exists to spread and defend the most ancient and holy tradition of the Christian Church that Jesus Christ our Lord and King was born on Christmas Day, the 25th of December.
O: Early records do not support the twenty-fifth of December. A: Just because a person is misinformed, disinformed, illinformed or uninformed doesn't mean that they can't state what they do know or what they think might be right as best as they can figure out. But this doesn't mean that speculations regarding various incorrect dates by people who had not received the knowledge of the true date should be counted of greater worth than reports by those who have received knowledge of the true date. Despite communication difficulties, it is clear that several early Christians were aware of the date of the 25th even if they had the month wrong or used the wrong calendar to calculate the date of Christ's birth. In early Christian times the date of the Lord's birth was not considered as terribly important as it came to be once official persecution ended. (Indeed, even the age of the Lord when He was crucified was not considered very important or else St. Irenaeus would not have supposed Him to be over 40.) We must remember that even saints are not right all the time. They too lived as fallible mortals. Everybody uses the best information they have available to themselves and sometimes that means somebody ends up thinking 2+2=5. This doesn't mean the child is silly; it just means the child has not learnt the correct knowledge from those who know the right way. Here's a modern comparison: When was Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom born? In the UK, they celebrate her birthday on a Saturday in June. In New Zealand, they celebrate the Queen's Birthday on the 1st Monday in June. Fiji, Bermuda and Gibraltar all celebrate the Queen's birthday in June. In Australia, they celebrate the Queen's birthday on the 2nd Monday in June except in Western Australia where it is celebrated in either September or October according to the proclamation of the Governor. In Canada, the Monday holiday on or before the 24th of May is supposed to honour the current Queen as well as Queen Victoria after whom it was named. So where in the world does one have to live to officially celebrate the Queen's birthday on the actual day of her birth? Believe it or not, just off the coast of Argentina! The Falkland Islands celebrates the Queen's actual birth date on the 21st of April every year. Of course, millions of people have no idea that this is the correct date but if they wanted to know in 300 years time it would not be too difficult to figure out. Also, today persecution is not like the early Christians experienced. Communication was not simply a matter of dropping a letter in a post box. But when the persecution of Christians ended, the true date of Christ's birth was quickly established and agreed upon. St. John Chrysostom in particular did much to assist in spreading knowledge of the true date once he knew it. For more on this topic please see Early Quotes
O: The year is wrong. A: This site is not intended to discuss the year of Christ's birth but rather it intends to affirm the truth that Christ was born on the 25th of December. However if you are interested in some sites which discuss this matter please see the Links page. It should include at least one link to a heavily referenced and convincing article which argues for the year 1BC and another which argues for 1AD unless these sites are no longer available.
O: Many Christmas customs are pagan. A: This site does not intend to discuss customs. However when considering customs please consider whether or not the customs have Christian origins or whether some people may only think they are pagan because of certain similarities which may be totally unconnected. Woodrow discusses this more in his literature. Please also read the answer to the objection above, "Christmas was originally a pagan feast during which Christians fasted."
O: Santa Clause is not real. A: This has nothing to do with when Christ was born but if you would like to know more about the historical St. Nicholas the Confessor, Bishop of Myra (Mora) please wait for the link to be posted here or run a search.
If you have an objection not listed on this page which you believe should be, please contact: Complaints Feel free to provide an answer to your objection if you wish or else wait for one to be provided as time permits.
Thank you and merry Christmas to all men of goodwill.