Title: Exactly When Was Jesus Born? Not on December 25. Source:
Foodforthethinkers.com URL Source:http://wp.me/p13mHb-i1 Published:Dec 24, 2013 Author:Douglas F. Newman Post Date:2013-12-24 22:24:43 by snoopdougg Keywords:None Views:10566 Comments:31
Orthodox Christians in central and eastern Europe and other parts of the world celebrate Christmas on January 7. The Christmas dates around January 7 may vary among some churches.
Some Orthodox Christians observe the Nativity and Adoration of the Shepherds (those who visited baby Jesus) on January 6, followed by the Adoration of the Magi (three wise men or kings) on January 7.
Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, who many Christians believe is the son of God. His birth date is unknown because there is little information about his early life. The Gospel of St Matthew in the Bible claims he was born during Herod the Great’s reign. Herod, who was a king of Judaea, died in 4 BC. Many Christians celebrate Jesus’ birthday on December 25 but there are some who hold tradition by observing the date on January 7.
Christmas on January 7 is also known as Old Christmas Day. Eleven days were dropped to make up for the calendar discrepancy that accumulated with Julian calendar when England and Scotland switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar in 1752. Many people, especially in rural areas, did not accept the loss of these 11 days and preferred to use the Julian calendar.
Many Orthodox churches recognize the holiday dates according to the Julian calendar. Christmas is still on December 25 in the Julian calendar so the January 7 date is only valid between 1901 and 2100 The Gregorian date for Orthodox Christmas will be January 8 in 2101 if the Julian calendar is still used.
The Julian calendar was revised in 1923 and this version is more in line with the Gregorian calendar. A few Orthodox churches follow the revised Julian calendar but most Orthodox churches follow the more traditional Julian calendar, which has the original dates for Christian observances prior to the Gregorian calendar’s introduction.