Redemptive Conception

Is pagan background the best we can do in explaining the origins of Christmas? 

Khen Lim



Image source: humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com

Strange as it may be, there could be another way we can consider the origins of Christmas being on December 25. That key could lie in the way we have come to working out the date of Jesus’ death at Passover. This was first mooted by French scholar Louis Dechesne in the early twentieth century but was better articulated later – and hence popularised – by Thomas Talley. Even so, this idea certainly has earlier roots.

Early Church Father Tertullian in 200AD documented a calculation that equated the fourteenth of the Hebrew month of Nisan (the day that John said Jesus was crucified) with March 25 of the Roman solar calendar. Take note that the Hebrew month was already given authority by John who, in his Gospel, said was when Jesus was crucified.

If we take this date, it means we are nine months before the date of Christmas, which we are all familiar with. Because of this, some therefore believe that Jesus was conceived and crucified on the same day of the year. And so exactly nine months later, Christ was then born. Of course, that nine months is also what we know as the normal period of pregnancy.

Apparently, Augustine of Hippo was also familiar with this idea. In his book entitled, ‘On the Trinity’ first published around 399AD-419AD, he actually wrote this:

“For He is believed to have been conceived on March 25, upon which day also He suffered; so the womb of the virgin, in which He was conceived, where no one of mortals was begotten, corresponds to the new grave in which He was buried, wherein was never man laid, neither before Him nor since. But He was born according to tradition, upon December 25.”

It seems people from the East also shared the same thought except that they used the fourteenth of the first spring month, which, in the Greek calendar, was Artemisios. In the calendar that we use today, that would be April 6.

Bishop Epiphanius of Salamis wrote:

“The Lamb was shut up in the spotless womb of the holy virgin, He who took away and takes away in perpetual sacrifices the sins of the world.”

Nine months from then makes it January 6, which is the date of Christmas for the Eastern Orthodox order, which is why the Armenian Church, for example, recognises this date as Christmas Day instead.

So now we have two different yet similar Christian formulations producing closely but not fully identical results in which Christ’s death and conception happened to coincide on the same day (Mar 25/Apr 6), which resulted in Christmas exactly nine months later (Dec 25/Jan 6).

Bringing Jesus’ conception and death together obviously sounds weird to many modern readers but as we can see, the ancients have understood well before us, that the two, when seen as a collective salvation picture, reflects this.

Note: The image of the 'flying baby Jesus' has been an interesting motif but when we look at such depictions of the Annunciation, we usually focus on Mary and/or the Angel or both. Yet it is the tiny baby Jesus flying with a cross that should catch our attention. And indeed, it did, as far back as the fourteenth century, in which was espoused the idea of the Incarnation being that once Mary had agreed to be part of the Christmas miracle, the moment was also the beginning of the history of Salvation in which she would then conceive Jesus. But herein lies the problem: such a motif would suggest that Christ was incorporated as a human child fully fleshed beyond Mary's womb and later then, simply 'placed' in her being. This in vitro idea was of course repugnant and unacceptable. It was also theologically incorrect. Scripture tells us that, following the divine conception, Jesus was formed entirely out of Mary's body and not somewhere outside and beyond. Because of this, the Council of Trent (1545-1563) had in turn banned all such art work that bore marks of a 'flying baby Jesus.' After the ban was imposed, all such existing medieval depictions were simply masked over by paint. Above is the Annunciation by Meister Bertram (ca 1390-1400) bearing the connection between the Incarnation and Redemption. (Image source: en.posztukiwania.pl)

It seems that even Christian art substantiates this. A case in point is Meister Bertram’s 14^th century Annunciation scene illustrated on the front page, showing baby Jesus descending from heaven holding on to a cross and following behind a dove. The artist was describing Jesus’ conception as being carried with the promise of redemption through His sacrificial death and hence, the assurance of salvation to come.

The ancient Talmud records that the venerable Jewish tradition also supports this idea of conception and redemption (redemptive conception?). A case in point is the dispute between two early-second-century rabbis as recorded by the Babylonian Talmud. The argument centres on the mutual embracing of the concept but also a dispute between the two concerning the date.

One of them, Rabbi Eliezer says:

“In Nisan, the world was created; in Nisan the Patriarchs were born; on Passover, Isaac was born… and in Nisan they (our ancestors) will be redeemed in time to come.”

Joshua, the other rabbi, however, disagrees on the date. He believes that the event occurred the following month of Tishri instead. Because of this, there is a likelihood that the dates for Christmas and Epiphany might have been influenced by Christian theologies that work around such chronological disputes.

And so in the end, we come back full circle at the same old perplexing question – how did we come to December 25 as Christmas?

Many theories have of course been espoused. Even Pastor Simon’s sermon last week at Hosanna EFC raised certain very compelling ideas on this as well. Still we are all too aware that the festive essence of Christmas that originated from the fourth century could well have had pagan roots. For years, we have been persistently shown ‘evidences’ of Roman pagan practices that have become an integral element of Christmas itself. Even so, we simply cannot discard the real possibility that Judaism itself has something to do with this.

After all, from Jesus’ death at Passover and from the rabbinic tradition that always maintain that there is constant greatness to be had especially at this time every year, it’s certainly more telling, more purposeful and more poignant than whatever pagan argument some have been throwing at us all these many decades. It’s just that not many of us have actually sat down and think things through about this amazing idea.

Merry Christmas, all.