When Was the First Christmas?

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1629, 21 December 1912, Page 13

When Was the First Christmas?

The interesting question as to the prec'se day when Christ was born is raised (say's "Public Opinion") in a'curious book iust published, entitjed "The Magi: How They Recognised Christ's Star," by Xifnt.Ooloncl G. Mac!cm!ay, for which Sir William Ramsay has written a preface. The conclusion' came to is that Christ was born in the autumn of B.C. 8, during the.feast.of the Tabernacles, "and most probably the first day, or September 20, according to our calendar,?."

Sir W'lliam Ramsay admits thatthough the evidence is still not conclusive, it seems more probable that the date S B.C. is right as against the year G 8.C., which he had defended before. "Histor'ans," snys the writer of the book, "appear to airrce that our present, Christmas. Day, December. 23, was not adopted as the birthday of Christ until after A'.D. 300; that f'ay had probably been previously, devoted, as Sir Isaac Newton suggests, to some form of sun worship connected with the winter rolst'ep. Whi>n_ Christianity was made tho State religion of the Roman-world, the old' winter festival received a Christian name." The conclusive argument aga : nst December 25 is that of Lewin's about the sheep in the open. lewin has shown th.it the Nativity must have been in hot weather, which ends in Palestine during October. Sheep nro securely folded in winter at night for protection. Lietit.-Colonel Mackiiilay argue?; therefore,' that: tho .Nativity took place in hot weather; the Magi most probably made their journey , in cool weather, and it. is not likely, that -the Nativity and the arrival of the Mngi were more ttinn a very few months. apart." Another point discussed is, , What wero the character'-stics of the star seen by the. r Magi? "It was twice specially; menljAnAl seen 'in the 17sct.' It hod been visible for some considerable period. The Wise Men had doubtless seen it [in their: own ' Eastern country, from which the journey would involve weeks, possibly months, of travel. That it had npneared for some cons ; derab'e time is.also to be inferred from Hero'.d's question, 'wliat time the Star appeared."' Lieut.-. Colqnel. Mhckin'ay.contends that it is the' Morning Star which meets the required conditions. It '"is only seen in the East, and shines continuously at the end [of each night for a period of about nine lunar months in tho latitude of Palestine, an object wlach the Magi must have observed over anu over aga'n' in the course of their watching the- heavens. Modern writers have failed to make this identification most probably because of the very small importance attached to the Morning Star by us Westerns." At the feast of Tabernacles, B.C. 10, the Morning Star, was only just beginning its period; at the feast in B.C. 9 there was no Morning Star at all, nor in B.C. 7 or B.C. (i. ' It is B.C. 8 which satisfies theoonditions.