Christmas - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
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Where's the Nativity story in the Bible?
The Biblical account of the birth of Jesus Christ can be found in: Matthew 1:18 - 2:23 Luke 1:5 - 2:39 
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What does the word "Christmas" mean?
The word Christmas comes from the words "Cristes maesse" literally "Christ's mass", later shortened to "Christmas". Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus for members of the Christian religion. Most historians peg the first celebration of Christmas to Rome in 336 A.D.
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Why do we celebrate Christmas?
Christmas is the celebration, on December 25, of the birth of Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem, over 2000 years ago. Christians believe that in this event God entered into human form, an event referred to as the Incarnation.
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Is December 25 the day Jesus was born?
The Bible says nothing about the calendar day or year of the Nativity, but does refer to historical personages and events, such as the reign of King Herod. As a result no one knows what day Jesus was born, or even exactly what year. Christmas was not celebrated in the first centuries of the Christian church as the Christian usage in general was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than their birth. What is known is the first mention of the birthday is from the year 354, Christian leaders in 336 A.D. set the date to December 25 in an attempt to eclipse a popular pagan holiday in Rome (Saturnalia) that celebrated the Winter Solstice. By instituting Christmas at this time, the Church hoped to keep people from participating in the pagan rituals of the winter solstice. In the fifth century the western church (Roman Catholic) ordered it to be celebrated forever on the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol." (The Western Church, based in Rome, chose December 25 to celebrate as Christmas. The Eastern Church chose January 6. The day was named Epiphany, meaning "appearance." Eventually the period from December 25 to January 6 became known as the Twelve Days of Christmas.) Note: is it not better that the world think especially about God's unspeakable Gift on a specific day than on no day at all?
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What Year was Jesus Born?
The Gospels indicate neither the month nor the day on which Christ was born. Although Luke places the birth in a historical perspective, even the year cannot be determined with exactitude. Christ's birth almost certainly did not occur between 1BC and 1AD. Our present chronology by which the years are numbered as AD or BC was conceived by the Roman abbot Dionysius Exiguus around 523 AD. Unfortunately, Dionysius made two significant errors in his calculations:
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Christmas
" is it in the Bible?
There are no references to Christmas in the Bible because the first Christmas celebration did not occur until about 250 years after the last book of the Bible was written.
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How was Christmas celebrated originally?
Originally, the celebration of Christmas involved a simple mass, but over time Christmas has replaced a number of other holidays in many other countries, and a large number of traditions have been absorbed into the celebration in the process. During the 1600's some Puritan groups considered Christmas a pagan celebration because it included non-religious elements such as decorating and feasting. As a result Christmas was outlawed for a time, , between 1649 and 1660 through the so-called Blue Laws, in England and parts of the English colonies in America. It is now both a religious and secular holiday, and is traditionally a celebration of family and children
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Does 'Xmas' leave Christ out of Christmas?
Xmas has been used for hundreds of years in religious writing, where the X is understood to represent a Greek chi, the first letter of CrstoV, "Christ"; in this use it is parallel to other forms like Xtian, "Christian." But the letter X, or especially x, is nowadays more frequently interpreted as a mathematical variable than as a Greek letter, as indicated by the common pronunciation of the form Xmas as ( ). Thus, while the word is etymologically innocent of the charge that it omits Christ from Christmas, it is now generally understood only as an informal shortening The Microsoft Bookshelf dictionary
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What is Advent?
It is a period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas. Advent begins on the Sunday closest to November 30th - St. Andrew's Day. Advent marks the beginning of the church calendar, the turning over of the liturgy to the starting point of a new church year. Advent is from the Latin "adventus" meaning "coming," as in the coming of Christ's birthday. Popular traditions are Advent Candles and Advent Calendars (often colourful children's calendars with a door for each day in December).
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What is Epiphany?
Liturgical feast celebrated usually on January 6, commemorating the visitation of the Magi ( kings ) to Jesus after His birth in Bethlehem, also called "The Adoration of the Magi" or "The Manifestation of God." From the Greek [epiphaneia] meaning "to show," and by implication, an appearance or revealing. It is when something becomes clear in a way not known before. It is used to illustrate a sudden manifestation of the essence of divine revelation. A discovery of God in some before unexpected or unknown way. When Jesus Christ was visited by the Magi and His divinity was revealed to the world, this was an epiphany.
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What are Magi?
(The term majoi in Greek refers to a wide variety of people, including fortune tellers, priestly augurs, magicians, and astrologers; Latin: from plural of magnus "wise men") Specifically the wise men from the East who brought gifts to the infant Jesus. We read of the story of the Magi and the events surrounding this time in the book of Luke Chapter 2. Because there was three gifts, tradition states there was 3 Wise Men. The gifts offered:
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Why a Star?
The astronomical/astrological phenomenon that triggered the journey of the Magi to find and give presents to the Christ child, Jesus. Perhaps a supernova, a conjunction of planets, or a miracle which occurred around 7 BC, the most probably birth year of Christ. Often placed at the top of the Christmas tree.
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What is Nativity?
Having to do with birth/being born; more specifically, the birth of Jesus .... God's son in Christianity. Christians believe that Jesus's birth fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. The Nativity of Jesus is celebrated in Christian communities as Christmas.
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Was Jesus born in a stable?
There is actually no reference in the Bible to Jesus being born in a stable. The Biblical story of the birth of Jesus is found primarily in Luke 2. The Biblical account mentions neither barn nor cave - it is assumed because of the manger. (Mangers are animal feeding troughs, and barns are where one would expect to find them.) But in the ancient world, as well as in primitive modern cultures, mangers are also found within the house itself.
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Were there Three Wise Men?
There is actually no reference in the Bible to there being 'three' wisemen. In the well known worldly translations of the story of the three wisemen. It is possible that the number 'three' was chosen because there were three gifts. However, there is no indication as to how many Magi there were in Scripture.
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Was Jesus' birth prophesised?
Prophesies about the birth of Jesus go all the way back to Genesis. Here are some of the prophecies Jesus fulfilled:
Jesus Himself could not have controlled how these prophecies were fulfilled. No one can control the circumstances of His own birth, who his ancestors are and where he is born. Yet the prophets had written these remarkable details in advance over 1,500 years earlier.
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