Bible Seminar | Rev Anwar Tjen, Ph.D.

 

Christmas is one of the most important celebrations of faith for Christians, commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ into the world. The term Christmas comes from the Latin natalis meaning "birth". However, in the history and practice of Christianity, Christmas has not escaped polemics. Some have accused Christmas of being a pagan celebration adopted from the celebration of the birth of the sun god on 25 December. This accusation comes not only from outside Christianity, but also from some Christians themselves. Therefore, the question “Christmas: Christian or pagan celebration? ” is a classic topic that keeps coming up and demands an adequate theological explanation.

 

Biblical Testimony to the Birth of Jesus

When it comes to the birth of Jesus, it is important to note that this account is only found in two Gospels, namely the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel of Mark, which the majority of New Testament scholars consider to be the oldest Gospel, does not contain the story of Jesus' birth. Mark begins his gospel with the appearance of John the Baptist as the fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecy, and then proceeds directly to the baptism of Jesus. This fact raises an important theological discussion: was Jesus recognised as the Son of God from the beginning, or only after his baptism?

 

The discussion gave birth to a view known as adoptionism, which is the understanding that Jesus was "adopted" as the Son of God at a certain point in His life. It is in this context that the Gospels of Matthew and Luke present the story of Jesus' birth, to emphasise that Jesus' status as the Son of God predates his baptism. As such, the birth story is not simply a historical narrative, but an important Christological statement.

 

The Gospels as Ancient Biography and the Flexibility of Tradition

Contemporary biblical studies understand the Gospels as a form of ancient biography. As biographies, the Gospels contain the same core facts, but also show flexibility in the details, emphases, and traditions included. Matthew and Luke both affirm that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, born in Bethlehem, and raised in Nazareth. However, they present different details: Matthew describes Jesus' family initially living in Bethlehem and then fleeing to Egypt before settling in Nazareth, whereas Luke states that Jesus' family came from Nazareth and travelled to Bethlehem because of the census.

 

These differences need not be understood as contradictions, but rather as legitimate variations in ancient biographical writing. The primary goal of the Gospel writers was not to present a detailed modern historical account, but rather to convey the theological meaning of who Jesus was for their faith community.

 

Historical Issues: Census and Year of Jesus' Birth

Luke's Gospel links the birth of Jesus to a census during the time of Augustus Caesar, when Cyrus was governor of Syria. Historically, Cyrus' census is known to have taken place around 6-7 AD, which seems to contradict the Gospel of Matthew's testimony that Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the Great, who died around 4 BC. Scholars recognise this tension and propose various hypotheses, although the available historical data is not entirely adequate.

 

However, what the Gospels emphasise is not modern chronological precision, but the general historical context: Jesus was born during Roman rule, under Augustus Caesar. From this, scholars have concluded that Jesus' birth most likely occurred around 6-4 BCE, not 1 CE as assumed by the Gregorian calendar.

 

Church Development and Contextualisation Dynamics

As time went on, Christianity expanded rapidly beyond Palestine through the missionary work of the apostles, especially Paul. By the end of the second century, the church had spread from Asia Minor to Greece, Italy, North Africa, Persia and even Britain. This development occurred in the context of persecution, both in Jerusalem and in Rome and other regions, such as during the time of Emperors Nero and Diocletianus.

 

In this process of transmission, the gospel was not simply "transferred" raw from Palestine to various new cultural contexts. Instead, there was a dialogue between the Gospel and the local culture, which led to the reinterpretation and transformation of traditions. It is this process that also influences the understanding and celebration of Christ's birth.

 

Tradition, Symbolism, and Biblical Interpretation

The Bible itself shows that interpretation and reinterpretation are part of the faith tradition. Matthew's Gospel, for example, links the story of the wise men to the prophecy of Isaiah 60:6. The image of the magi riding camels, though not explicitly mentioned in the gospel text, evolved from Old Testament readings and became a widely accepted visual tradition.

 

 

The Star of Bethlehem and the Reading of Faith

The Star of Bethlehem is also an example of how the biblical text is interpreted symbolically. Various astronomical theories are put forward, ranging from supernovae to planetary conjunctions. However, theological studies such as that of Raymond E. Brown see the star of Bethlehem in the light of Balaam's prophecy (Numbers 24:17), which speaks of a star rising from Jacob. Thus, the text interprets the text, and the early church saw a common thread between the Old and New Testaments.

 

Birth, Baptism, and Epiphany

Not all Church Fathers accepted the celebration of the day of birth. Origenes, for example, rejected the celebration of the birthdays of biblical figures as a pagan practice. For some early theologians, the more important event was death, which was understood as a birth into eternal life. However, traditions about the birth of Jesus continued to flourish.

 

In gnostic and Eastern church circles, 6 January is celebrated as Epiphany, which is associated with Jesus' baptism and understood to be his spiritual birth. To this day, some Orthodox churches still celebrate this date as the anniversary of Christ's birth in the epiphanic sense.

 

Symbolisation of Light and Dating

The dating of Jesus' birth was heavily influenced by the symbolisation of light. Some Church Fathers attributed 25 March, which in the Roman calendar coincided with the vernal equinox, as the date of Christ's incarnation or even death. Sextus Julius Africanus interpreted that if the incarnation occurred on 25 March, then the birth of Jesus would fall nine months later on 25 December. This symbolic interpretation slowly shaped the tradition of Christmas dating.

 

Christ as the Sun of Righteousness

The image of Christ as the light and sun of righteousness is deeply rooted in the Bible and the traditions of the early church. The Gospel of Luke describes Christ as "the morning sun from on high" (Luke 1:78 TB2), while the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and the Book of Revelation contain images of Jesus shining like the sun. Church Fathers such as Clement of Alexandria, Origenes, Athanasius, Ambrose, and Augustine developed this symbolisation extensively.

 

The symbol of Christ as the sun of righteousness was then confronted with the sun cults of the Roman Empire, such as the cult of Sol Invictus and the celebration of Saturnalia. Here was a battle of beliefs: the church asserted that the true light was not the sun of creation, but Christ the Creator.

 

Dies Natalis Christi: Transformation and Contextualisation

In 336 AD, the Roman church officially designated 25 December as Dies Natalis Christi, the day of Christ's birth. This designation was a deliberate statement of faith, to contrast the Christmas of Christ with the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti. Augustine emphatically reminded believers to celebrate the day not because of the visible sun, but because of the One who created the sun.

 

The oldest codex from 354 records that Christ was born on 25 December in Bethlehem, signalling that the celebration of Christmas had taken firm root in the Western churches. Meanwhile, Eastern churches gradually adopted the 25 December date, though retaining 6 January as Epiphany.

 

Closing: Christmas as a Statement of Faith

The establishment of Christmas on December 25 is the result of a long process of biblical interpretation, dialogue with culture, and a battle of faith in the context of Roman history. Christmas is not simply an adaptation of a pagan celebration, but a declaration of faith that Jesus Christ is the Sun of Righteousness, the True Light that overcomes darkness. As such, Christmas is a Christian celebration born out of deep theological reflection, not a compromise of faith, but rather a contextualised witness of the Gospel to the world.