What are the Christian Roots of Christmas? Part II: The Origins of December 25th: A Prophet’s Integral Age and Early Christian Theology

By: Bryan Ricardo Marini Quintana

Although neither of the Gospels provided a date for Christ’s Birth, in Ancient Judaism, there was a belief in a Prophet’s ‘Integral Age,’ where Holy Men who served God died on the day they were born, proposing an estimation for Jesus’ Conception. On the one hand, The Tanakh contains the Old Testament Books about the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Writings from the 12^th to the 1^st century BC with detailed family lineages but no concrete dating. However, The Talmud, an Ancient Text compiling the Oral Torah, where Jewish Scholars and Rabbis recorded their law and theology from the 3^rd to the 6^th century AD, cited that the Prophet Moses, who led them in Exodus out of Egypt, was born and died on the 7^th of Adar as per their calendar. This belief in a Prophet’s ‘Integral Age’ persisted until Christ’s Birth, with the Early Christians deeming him the Son of God. Likewise, they considered him a Messianic Figure akin to Moses, and according to their customs, the Messiah died on the day he was born. This begs the question, when was Jesus Conceived and Crucified?

When consulting Early Christian Theologians from the 2^nd to the 5^th century AD, numerous historians, authors, bishops, and philosophers who lived during the Decline of the Roman Empire agreed that Christ’s Birth was on December 25^th. Firstly, the Historian Sextus Julius Africanus (160-240 AD) wrote Chronographai, a five-volume treatise outlining the Chronology of World History where he calculated, from reading the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, that Jesus must’ve been conceived on March 25^th, adding 9 months to conclude that the Messiah was born on December 25^th. Furthermore, the Author Tertullian (160-240 AD) composed a foundational work for the Early Church Doctrine with Adversus Judaeos, stating that Christ must’ve died on the Cross during Passover, precisely 8 days before the Calends of April, subtracting that number to arrive at March 25^th. Thereafter, the Bishop Hippolytus (170-235 AD) penned a Commentary on Daniel where he interpreted his deeds and visions, commenting that Jesus must’ve been born around 8 days before the Calends of January, landing between either December 24^th or 25^th. Additionally, the Philosopher Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) echoed the profound belief and academic research of his predecessors with De Trinitate by affirming the Christian Tradition of Christ’s Conception on March 25^th, the same day he was Crucified, settling on his Birth as December 25^th. Therefore, these Early Christian Theologians concluded that Jesus died on March 25^th and was born on December 25^th, with Sextus Julius Africanus, Tertullian, and Hippolytus writing in the centuries when the Roman Empire outlawed their faith until the Edict of Milan by Emperor Constantine (272-337 AD), who converted and legalized their religion in 313 AD, while Saint Augustine of Hippo lived through a time of transition in which paganism prevailed.

When combining the Hebrews’ Ancient Beliefs of the ‘Integral Age’ of their Prophets alongside the Early Christian Theologians who meticulously calculated through scripture that the Crucifixion occurred around Passover on March 25^th, then their estimations would suitably place Jesus’ Conception on the same date, only adding 9 months to land on December 25^th. Nevertheless, how can one be certain about the accurate dating of Christ’s Death, and are there any External Historical Sources that support the Gospels? We’ll explore this in the final post!