Here is a lovely sentiment for the holiday season! #CityImages is sharing the origins of the term "Christmas" and highlighting the etymology, tracing it back to its earlier forms, 'Christ's Mass' in Old English. It's fascinating to note how language evolves, especially in the context of religious and cultural celebrations.
Regarding the Bible's narrative, you're right that it doesn't specify the exact date or time of year for the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. The celebration of Christmas on December 25th was established later, historically chosen to coincide with various pagan festivals, and eventually adopted by Christian traditions to honor the birth of Jesus.
It's a time when people around the world come together to celebrate, share goodwill, and reflect on the spirit of love and generosity symbolized by the birth of Jesus Christ. Wishing you and City Images a joyous and peaceful Christmas!
City Images wishes all a blessed and happy Christmas as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ the Prince of Peace.
We pray and thank God for his sacrificial gift of love for all humankind and a good night 💤 . #MerryChristmas2023
According to published reports, the precise origin of assigning December 25 as the birth date of Jesus is unclear. The New Testament provides no clues in this regard. December 25 was first identified as the date of Jesus’ birth by Sextus Julius Africanus in 221 and later became the universally accepted date.
One widespread explanation of the origin of this date is that December 25 was the Christianizing of the dies solis invicti nati(“day of the birth of the unconquered sun”), a popular holiday in the Roman Empire that celebrated the winter solstice as a symbol of the resurgence of the sun, the casting away of winter and the heralding of the rebirth of spring and summer. Indeed, after December 25 had become widely accepted as the date of Jesus’ birth,
Christian writers frequently made the connection between the rebirth of the sun and the birth of the Son. One of the difficulties with this view is that it suggests a nonchalant willingness on the part of the Christian church to appropriate a pagan festival when the early church was so intent on distinguishing itself categorically from pagan beliefs and practices.
Silent Bethlehem https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67815370