A Brief History of Jesus's Winter Solstice Birthday

[Mimi]

I'd like to see this address:

A Brief History of Jesus's Winter Solstice Birthday

http://dec25th.info

[Labarum]

There were a lot of dates suggested by various people for Jesus' birthday but the Dec 25 date first appears in the third century and does not become widespread until the fourth.  It's final selection was likely a political rather than a religious one as it allowed a festival associated with the prosperity of Rome (feast of Sol Invictus) to be baptized and made Christian.  Constantine was once a follower of Sol Invictus so it probably made him happy too.  Politics makes strange bedfellows ... politics and religion even stranger ones.

[John M]

I never found why people think this is such an important issue. Jesus' birthday, from what I understand, is unknown. I think centuries later it was celebrated on Dec 25 as an effort by the church to try to usurp pagan ceremonies happening at the same time.

What's the big deal? We don't know when Jesus was born - the New Testament never says it - certainly doesn't say anything about "December 25". What's the problem?