No shepherds in the field in December

The day before yesterday, yesterday and today, lots of people celebrate(d) the birthday of someone who was not born on December the 25th. You might wonder why they celebrate his birthday on that day which was in ancient times the day to celebrate the birth of the goddess of light. Though today there are also many who are saying they celebrate the birthday of the light has come into the world, by which they mean that God would have come in the presence of a human body into the world. Though God can not be seen by man, that child born in Bethlehem was seen by many people who did not fall dead.

Concerning birthdays mentioned in the Bible, God’s infallible Word, there are only two birthday celebrations recorded; and each of them is connected with murder. The Bible tells us in Genesis 40:22 that on one of Pharaoh’s birthdays he murdered his chief baker while a big celebration was going on. The other birthday celebration recorded was that of Herod, when he had John the Baptist murdered. so not really very happy occasions, is it not?

We may expect that God has given His Word to mankind to help them construct their life properly. The Book of books tells us everything we need to know for our spiritual lives.

“Every scripture inspired of God [is] also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness.” (2Ti 3:16 ASV)

By human beings, there are lots of books written to help people make the best of their life, but only the Bible is the most accurate or best book to guide us; there is no need really for another book.

God’s Word tells us the Truth and tells us how we’re to worship, how we’re to behave, how to speak and how to bring good news or how to evangelize the lost. But not once in the Bible does God tell us to celebrate Christmas! We’re told to remember the last gathering of Jesus and his apostles and to remember Jesus’ death. Nowhere are we told to celebrate his birth.

God’s people are supposed to be Bible people. By the New Covenant followers of Christ, or Christians, also do belong to the People of God, and as such should also live by the teaching of God’s holy Word. So the very fact that Christmas is never mentioned in the Bible is sufficient reason for us not to have anything to do with it.

From the Bible stories we know that the worldly parents of Jesus had to go to the city of David, Bethlehem, because there they had to present themselves for the census that took place in October. The Bible also tells us that at the time of the birth of Jesus it was decreed that all the world should be taxed, and all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

“1 Now it came to pass in those days, there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be enrolled. 2 This was the first enrolment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to enrol themselves, every one to his own city.” (Lu 2:1-3 ASV)

Never would have been ordered to travel in the winter, that being a too difficult time to travel, most people having to walk to go to other places. In later life Jesus also expressed it would be not nice to have a particular event in wintertime, and certainly not to travel.

“And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on a sabbath:” (Mt 24:20 ASV)

Because of this census it was also very busy in the many cities where the people had to present themselves. Because of this the inns were full. But at that time of the year when the census took place, the stables were still clean for the later placement of the animals when it would get colder. We also read in the Bible that the shepherds were still out in the fields because winter had not yet come and the animals had to be herded there. As long as the stables were still clean, people could be accommodated in them to sleep.

Notice how is written in the Bible that the young woman brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped her baby in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

“7 And she brought forth her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock.” (Lu 2:7-8 ASV)

“And it came to pass, when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing that is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.” (Lu 2:15 ASV)

From historical secular notes we have the information on censuses taken and from the historical information from the historian Josephus we also could compare it to the Biblical information.

Concerning Jesus birth and him be taken away from Bethlehem to avoid him being killed by the decree for murdering all the newborns up to two years, we also know that awful historical to have taken place in October-November.

We also know that Jesus his earthly ministry lasted three and a half years, and that he was impaled on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan, which corresponds to our April (see John 19:31; Leviticus 23:5). If we go back three and a half years to the time when Jesus was 30 years old-when he began his public ministry we come to the month of October.

Putting all those dates together we may be sure that the Nazarene Jewish master teacher, Jeshua ben Josef, whom we know today as Jesus Christ, was born not in the month a lot of Christians celebrate his birthday.

We do know with certainty that 25 December was and still is a special day for sun worshippers. During the time of Nimrod, the man who supervised the building of the tower of Babel, it was a major celebration. there have been many sun gods in several peoples traditions, but mostly the birth of those gods was on our present 25th of December. So why would we take that day of those heathen people to celebrate such a holy man as Jesus?

emiramis (a legendary figure based on the life of Shammuramat) depicted as an armed Amazon in an eighteenth-century Italian illustration

We also know about the mythological Lydian–Babylonian wife of Onnes and Ninus, who was the founder of Nineveh and succeeded the latter to the throne of Assyria.
She was also worshipped as a sun god. She was associated with Ishtar and Astarte since the time before Diodorus, and we find her symbol (the fish) in many evangelical groups (as a sign for their belief in Christus > Ixtus = fish). The association of the fish and dove is found at Hierapolis Bambyce (Mabbog, now Manbij), the great temple that according to one legend, was founded by Semiramis, where her statue was shown with a golden dove on her head.^{[Lucian, De dea Syria, 14, 33, 39]}

In several mythological stories, we also find that Semiramis, who claimed to be the queen of heaven, had a son who was supposed to have been born on December 25; his name was Tammuz, and was also known as the god of evil.

According to the legends, Tammuz had a miraculous birth; and for centuries his birthday was celebrated with feasts, revelry, and drunken orgies. The heathen celebrated Tammuz’s birthday according to the very example he set for them. As a great lover of women and a strong drinking person, often presenting dirty jokes, and other sensual fun, he wanted or loved much attraction and love from others. We should remember that it was December 25 that all the pagan religions celebrated the birthday of Tammuz, the sun god and god of evil. This is another reason why not to celebrate Jesus his birth on the same birthday as this god of evil. Though in many Christian communities the sign of this god of evil, the cross, is also used to remember Jesus, though Jesus was crucified on a straight piece of wood and not on a cross.

Real Christians should abstain from partaking in heathen traditions, so think about it how you want to pass those Christmas days.

Preceding