LITTLE NOTES ON CHRISTMAS (1)

We just passed in December and for all human beings just passed the Christmas celebration. Most Christians celebrate Christmas Day on December 25, while others celebrated on January 6/7, for anyone to celebrate on January 13 (Armenia). The question that arises, why is there a difference on the celebration of Christmas?

Must be recognized that the determination of when the date of the birth of Jesus is certainly very difficult to do if not impossible. This is because in the canonical Gospels are not mentioned for sure, even when the apostles were still alive, they also never set a date of birth of Jesus much less to celebrate. That's why can be understood about the rejection of Christmas celebrations conducted by several parties (for example: Jehovah's Witnesses).

There is no clear trace of the Christmas festival before the fourth century; partly because the feast of the Epiphany (In general, this feast was the feast of the appearance of Christ in the flesh, and particularly of the manifestation of Jesus' Messiahship by His baptism in the Jordan River, the festival at once of His birth and His baptism. This feast spread from the East towards the West but when the East adopted from the West the Christmas festival, Epiphany was restricted to the celebration of the baptism of Christ, and made one of the three great reasons for administration of baptism.) in a measure held the place of it; partly because of birth of Christ, the date of which at any rate was uncertain, was less prominent in the Christian mind than His death and resurrection. It was of the Western (Roman) origin, and found its way to the East after the middle of the fourth century for John Chrysostom, in a Homily which was probably preached December 25, 386 AD, speaks of the celebration of the separate day of the Nativity as having been recently introduced in Antioch.

In the Bible, noted that the Angel Gabriel to meet Mary at 6 month after Elizabeth began to contain John the Baptist (Luke 1:26). As mentioned earlier, the historical record of the birth of John the Baptist announced by the angel, we just got in 386 AD from the writings of Church Fathers, John Chrysostom. According to Chrysostom, John the Baptist's birth notification occurs on the Feast of Tabernacle Tabernacle (Yom Kippur), which took place on the 10th of the month Tishri, when the priest Zechariah of the group's Abijah served in the Temple, Jerusalem.

Jewish calendar on the count of certain years have months to 13, so the month after the month of Tishri six may fall in the month Adar Syeni or Nisan. Therefore, the turn of service in the Temple by the priests as defined in the Torah to be shifted each year. This is very difficult and can not be used as a benchmark. But if we look at the Syrian Church traditions originating from the Mar Ephraim the Syrian, stated that the notice of the Angel Gabriel to Mary falls in the month of Nisan.

Church tradition is consistent with the record of John Chrysostom which calculates according to the Syro-Macedonians chronicle, that Mary received good news from the angel Gabriel (Annunciation of Christ) took place on March 25 (Syro-Macedonians: Xanthikos). Based on these calculations and then we get the birth of Jesus is on the 29th of the month Khiahk (this is recorded in the Coptic Didascalia Apostolorum, Khiahk is the fourth month of the Egyptian calendar), which is parallel to the 25th of the month Tebet (Tebet is the ninth month on the calendar Jew), or on December 25 in AD

READING LIST

* Jack Finegan, Handbook of Biblical Chronology (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1964)
* Mar Ignatius Zakka I 'Iwas, At-Taufat ar-Ruhiyyat fii Ash-Shalat al-Fardhiyyat (Allepo: Dar Ar-Raha lin Nasyr, 1990)
* Markus Aziz Khalil, The Coptic Orthodox Church (Montreal, Canada: The Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate)