Why was December 25th chosen as the birthday of Jesus?

Asked by: Ms. Kara Satterfield I  |  Last update: July 9, 2026
Score: 4.4/5 (37 votes)

The "Calculation hypothesis", suggests that 25 December was chosen based on numerology and because it was nine months after a date chosen as Jesus's conception (the Annunciation): 25 March, the Roman date of the spring equinox. The hypothesis was first proposed by French priest and historian Louis Duchesne in 1889.

What did Mary and Joseph do with the gold frankincense and myrrh?

An alternative tradition holds that Mary and Joseph used the gold to pay for the stable, the frankincense to perfume it and the myrrh as an ointment for the new-born baby.

What did Billy Graham say about Christmas?

“Christmas is the most thrilling season of the year because its message is that Jesus brings joy and love through His sacrificial gift of forgiveness and redemption.” “Christmas is about receiving and giving. Give the gift of the true Christmas story—that God gave His Son so that mankind would receive Him.

How long did Mary live after Jesus died?

Christian canonical scriptures do not record the death or Dormition of Mary. Hippolytus of Thebes, a 7th- or 8th-century author, writes in his partially preserved chronology of the New Testament that Mary lived for 11 years after the death of Jesus, dying in AD 41.

Does the Bible say December 25 is Jesus' birthday?

However, the Church has never definitively taught that Jesus was born on December 25; there is no conclusive documentary evidence and Sacred Scripture mentions no date whatsoever.

Was Jesus Really Born on December 25th?The TRUE History of Christmas Day

16 related questions found

What is the true date of Jesus' birth?

Was Jesus actually born in June? The exact birthday of Jesus is not known and doesn't appear in the Christian Bible, but it is estimated that Jesus was born between 6 and 4 B.C., due to the Biblical story of King Herod the Great's reign, which coincides with the birth of Christ.

Which sin will God never forgive?

In Mark 3:29 Jesus says that “whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” Matthew's account adds that even blasphemy against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but not blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31–32).

Why did Jesus tell Mary not to touch him?

It is then that Jesus tells her not to touch him, giving as the reason for this the fact that he has not yet “ascended” to his Father (20:17). This scene has captured artists' imagination, and the theme of not touching has been prominent in many representations.

Why is 2033 important?

Though the 2025 Jubilee of Hope has come to an end, the Vatican has already announced that the Church will celebrate an extraordinary jubilee in 2033, marking 2,000 years since Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. The jubilee of 2033 will be the Holy Year of Redemption.

How old was Mary when she was impregnated with Jesus?

Scholars believe Mary would have been somewhere between 12-16 years old when she had Jesus (Ibid.). Given the biblical account and the Jewish cultural practices in Mary's day, the most plausible age Mary would have been when she had Jesus was most likely 15 or 16 years old.

What is Donald Trump's religion?

Alongside White, Trump is inclined towards the cultural values of doctrines that are fundamental to Charismatic Christianity, which include prosperity theology, anti-intellectualism, Zionism, and messianism.

Will we still be male and female in heaven?

While some people say that in Heaven we will no longer be male or female, the Bible doesn't say that. When people saw Jesus in His resurrection body, they knew He was still a man. Likewise, in the final Resurrection, women will be women and men will be men.

What does 444 mean to Jesus?

The pattern of the number 444 is manifested as there are 44 months and 4 days between Jesus' baptism and the day God the Father gave his final confirmation that Christ was the One chosen to die on Passover to make our salvation possible!

Why is 3AM God's hour?

God May Be Calling You to Intercession

From 3AM to 6AM is the fourth. It was during this time that Jesus prayed and even walked on the water toward His disciples. Many believers sense that these hours carry heavy spiritual activity. If you are awake at this time, it could be the Lord asking you to pray.

Why did Jesus not forgive Judas?

There were two sides to Judas' deed: 1) trespass against a Friend betrayed, and 2) the sin of blood against a Prophet transgressed. Even if Jesus had said, “I forgive you,” but the offender had not cleared his own end with God, his 'file' would still have been only partly addressed.

What was the age gap between Mary and Joseph?

It is often said that Joseph was 90 and Mary was 11-12 years old when they got married. There is not one verse that says this. Though one can guess Joseph was older than Mary since he died before even Jesus did.

What was China called in biblical times?

Isaiah 49:12 mentions “the land of Sinim.” Gesenius and most nineteenth-century scholars identified this place with China, but virtually all scholars today identify it instead with Aswan (Syene) in southern Egypt.

Did Joseph ever sleep with Mary?

The Gospel of James states that Mary remained a life-long virgin, because Joseph was an old man who married her without physical desire, and the brothers of Jesus mentioned in the canonical gospels are explained as Joseph's sons by an earlier marriage.

Which woman in the Bible never married?

Lydia. When many people think of the Bible, they don't think of independent women; but Lydia was a powerful example. The Bible doesn't tell us a lot about Lydia's personal life, but it never mentions her having a husband. Even if she was married, we can still learn the same lessons from her actions.

Which woman did Jesus love the most?

In these apocryphal texts, Mary Magdalene is portrayed as a visionary and leader of the early movement whom Jesus loved more than he loved the other disciples.

Which sin can God never forgive?

One eternal or unforgivable sin (blasphemy against the Holy Spirit), also known as the sin unto death, is specified in several passages of the Synoptic Gospels, including Mark 3:28–29, Matthew 12:31–32, and Luke 12:10, as well as other New Testament passages including Hebrews 6:4–6, Hebrews 10:26–31, and 1 John 5:16.

Do we sleep after death or go to heaven?

But some readers conclude that those “waiting places” indicate that our souls will wait for heaven in similar places. Actually, this story, told by Jesus himself, teaches that the soul is not sleeping but alive and conscious after death and before bodily resurrection.

Is getting a vasectomy a sin?

While there are a multitude of reasons that lead men to seek out vasectomies, “direct sterilization” is deemed “morally unacceptable” in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2399).

Will we know each other in heaven as husband and wife?

Yes, we can presume that your husband will still know you and love you. Jesus, however, cautions against thinking of heaven too literally. He said, “At the resurrection they [people in heaven] neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven ” (Mt 22:30).

What did Billy Graham say about cremation?

While Christian tradition clearly favors burial, the Bible nowhere explicitly condemns cremation. Evangelist Billy Graham has noted (what Christians have always believed) that cremation cannot prevent a sovereign God from calling forth the dead at the end of time.