"Early followers of Jesus did not annually commemorate his birth but instead focused on commemorating their belief in his resurrection at Easter. The story of the birth of Jesus appears only in two of the four Gospels of the New Testament: Matthew and Luke. They provide different details, though both say Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The exact day, month and even year of Jesus's birth are unknown, said Christine Shepardson, a professor at the University of Tennessee who studies early Christianity."
"The tradition of celebrating Jesus' birth on Dec. 25, she said, only emerged in the fourth century. "It's hard to overemphasize how important the fourth century is for constructing Christianity as we experience it in our world today," Shepardson said. It was then, under Emperor Constantine, that Christians began the practice of gathering at churches instead of meeting at homes. Some theories say the date coincides with existing pagan winter solstice festivals, including the Roman celebration of Sol Invictus, or the "Unconquered Sun," on Dec 25."
Early Christians did not annually celebrate Jesus's birth and instead emphasized his resurrection at Easter. The nativity appears only in Matthew and Luke, which offer differing details but place Jesus's birth in Bethlehem. The exact day and year of the birth remain unknown. Observing Jesus' birth on Dec. 25 emerged in the fourth century, and under Emperor Constantine Christians began gathering in churches rather than homes. Some theories link Dec. 25 to pagan winter-solstice festivals such as Sol Invictus. Since the early 20th century Christmas has grown from a religious observance into a widespread cultural holiday with diverse customs worldwide.
Read at ABC7 New York
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