Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are of God, for many false prophets have come into the world.
1 John 4: 1, Concordant New Testament
The ancient Romans had a festival which they celebrated this time of year. The festival of Saturnalia honored the Roman god Saturn, and was held to celebrate the end of the autumn planting season. A few of the activities which the Romans engaged in during this festival included gambling, giving feasts and the exchanging of gifts with others. Does this sound even remotely familiar? If you recognized that the behaviors of the Romans during this festival of Saturnalia were similar to those exhibited by so many over the Christmas season you are not alone. So then the question arises, is the Christmas season the true season of the birth of Christ? This has certainly been a question for scholars for many years. Let's just say, after some brief research of my own, that the December birth of Jesus is in error. Instead, let's place the birth of the Messiah in the month of September. This would coincide with the time of year where shepherds would be out in the fields, a key factor in this story as the shepherds were alerted to the birth of Jesus by the angels as they watched over their flocks {Luke 2: 8-10}. Obviously, being outdoors, these shepherds would have preferred milder weather. Another factor historians use is the birth of John the Baptist in regards to that of Jesus. We're told that Mary was visited by the angel in the sixth month of Elizabeths pregnancy {Luke 1:26-27}. Taking into account the normal pregnancy cycles of Mary and Elizabeth, assuming they were both indeed normal, we arrive at a birth month for baby Jesus in September and not December as millions of Christians have been made to believe. In a way, the birth of the Messiah has been hijacked by a bunch of pagans.
We are of God. He who knows God is hearing us. He who is not of God is not hearing us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.
1 John 4: 6, Concordant New Testament
I don't place the blame for the mistake of the birth season of Jesus squarely on the non believer. If you think about it, it was all done rather discreetly. The Romans were the occupiers of the region of Judea at the time of the birth of Jesus, and had been for some time. Knowing this, one can rightly assume that a good portion of the customs of the Roman occupiers could have taken hold in the societies of the territories they occupied. After all, the Roman Centurian, far from home, would have certainly engaged in those celebrations he knew so well from home. So, we definitely would have seen scenes of the Roman festival of Saturnalia in the streets of the occupied cities of the region of Judea. Granted, not everyone would have partook in these celebrations, but over time, the predominant Roman influence would have overtaken the influence of the Hebrews of that region. Over time, many of these Roman ceremonies would have become seen as being a part of everyday life. Therefore, what many knew as the birth of Jesus in the month of September would now become a part of a Roman festival in December. Of course, there are historians out there who know the truth, but one can assume that over the course of time, the acknowledgement of the true birth month of Jesus has shifted to what we now celebrate as our Christmas season. It is now very much a part of our society. Imagine how difficult it would be to suddenly proclaim that we need to move the birth of Jesus to another date. Suddenly Santa Claus, Christmas trees and candlelight services would never be the same. So, it would seem that the pagans won this one. However, one thing that will never change is the very reason for the birth of Jesus. His very name speaks to our heart of His purpose...God with us.
~Scott~
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