November 29 Advent thoughts

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; Isaiah 9:6

So, the question always arises: when WAS Jesus born? Well, reams of dissertations have been written about that very question. Some say spring because of the ‘shepherds in the fields’, some say mid-September because of Yom Kippur. The early church father John Chrysostom actually lists the date AS December 25 (old calendar) in 407 A.D. And there is reference to a ‘Jesus Christ Nativity’ in a church in Rome in 338. Of course the big thing now is to say it was in response to the pagan celebration ‘Saturnella’, an idea that came out of the 18th century Age of Enlightenment. There is actually no evidence of this, instead history shows if anything it was just the opposite. But instead of arguing, can the scriptures actually give us a clue? Well, yes, if we want to dig a bit. Josephus, when writing in 70 about the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem gives us both the date and which tribe was doing the temple duties. These tribes were given specific dates as to when they were to be on that duty. We also know from scripture that Zechariah, of the tribe in Levi, division of Abijah that their time for temple duty would have been in early October. It was here that the angel announces that he and Elizabeth would have a child, John. We know that six months later Mary, newly pregnant would go to her and from this 9 months puts us in what would be (by our calendar) mid-late December. Does it matter? Not really. It only matters that Emmanuel was born. Born just to die so that we might gain eternal life. This is what Christmas points us to.

And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare His way.

-Canticus of Zechariah, adapted for liturgy by St. Caesarius of Arles, mid-6th century