6
edits
Changes
m
no edit summary
In the fullness of time, our Lord [[Jesus Christ]] was born to the Holy [[Theotokos]] and Virgin Mary, thus entering into the world as a man and revealing Himself to mankind.
According to the [[Bible]] and to [[Holy Tradition]], Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem in a cave, surrounded by farm animals and shepherds. The baby Jesus was born into a manger from the [[Theotokos|Virgin Mary]], assisted by her husband St. [[Joseph the Betrothed|Joseph]]. St. Joseph and the Theotokos were forced to travel due to a Roman census; the odd location of the birth was the result of the refusal of a nearby inn to accommodate the expecting couple ([[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 2:1-20).Since it is known historically that dwellings were built directly over such caves housing livestock--in order to make use of the heat
Though three [[magi]] from the East are commonly depicted as visiting during the event itself (or, in [[Roman Catholic]] tradition, twelve days thereafter), the Bible records the coming of an unspecified number of wise men as being a few years after Jesus' birth (see [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 2). In either case, these magi came bearing gifts of gold, [[frankincense]], and [[myrrh]] (Matt 2:11). In the hymnography for the feast, these gifts are interpreted to signify Christ's royalty, divinity, and suffering.
Though Jesus' birth is celebrated on December 25, most scholars agree that it is unlikely he was actually born on this date. The choice of December 25 for the Church's celebration of the Nativity is most likely to have been in order to squelch attendance at pagan solstice festivals falling on the same day.
At least, this is the urban myth promligated by both heterodox Christians and unbelivers for centuries.
However, the solstice festival fell on the 21st of December. To suggest that The Church chose a day of sacred observance defensivly instead of pro-actively is to devalue and disregard the sacred and authoritative action of The Church in establishing a proper date for the observance of The Nativity of Christ The Lord.
Others within The Orthodox Church have observed that, under Hebrew law, male infant's were both circumcised and received their name eight days after their birth.
(See [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%201:59-66;&version=50; The Account of The Circumcision and Naming of John--The Forerunner and Baptist--in The Gospel according to The Apostle Saint Luke 1:59-66], and [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%202:21;&version=50; The Account of The Circumcision and Naming of Christ The Lord as Jesus in Luke 2:21] )
Also, within The Orthodox Church, January 1st is celebrated as the "name day" of The Lord Christ Jesus. Thus, the selection of December 25th to celebrate the nativity of The Christ (who would not be named for eight more days) would appear to have been a conscious counting backward from the first day of the calendar year--the day of his being proclaimed Son of Man--to the date of His birth, the day of his being proclaimed Son of God.
==Celebration of the feast==
