The Feat of Chritma
It i not eay to pin-point the origin of the Chritma feat, today the more important feat of the Chritma eaon in mot wetern Chritian churche. One can only ay for certain that the birth of Jeu Chrit wa being celebrated in Rome by the year 336 A.D.; afterward the feat wa celebrated in other Chritian churche throughout the world.
Why it wa celebrated on December 25th i another quetion. No date for the birth of Jeu can be found in the New Tetament, which i concerned more with the quetion "Who i Jeu?" than the date of hi birth. Early Chritian peculation about hi birth date wa influenced by the ymbolim of the changing eaon, then popular in religiou thought, which paid careful attention to the equinoxe and oltice of the un. Chritian cholar peculated that Jeu wa conceived at the pring equinox (March 25th) and therefore wa born on December 25th, the date of the winter oltice.
In many of the Chritian churche, March 25th i till the Feat of the Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that he wa to be the mother of Jeu.
Poible implue for the feat of Chritma may have came too from the etablihment of the pagan feat of the "Unconquered Sun-God" by the Emperor Aurelian in 274 A.D. to be celebrated on December 25, the day of the winter oltice in Rome and throughout the empire. In repone, Chritian could celebrate the feat of the "Sun of righteoune" (Malachi 4,2), Jeu Chrit, who called himelf " the light of the world."由好作网www.hAOzuowEn.com整理