Quinch Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 I was just wondering how Christians can be so certain that Jesus was born on December 25th but we are still vague about the date of his death. Good Friday and Easter Sunday change from year to year. Did nobody keep an accurate calendar in those days? Link to post Share on other sites
Pyro Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 I read that its due to the cycle of the moon and that Easter is the first Sunday after the first fourteenth day of the moon that is on or after March 21, otherwise known as the spring equinox. Link to post Share on other sites
blind_otter Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 I was just wondering how Christians can be so certain that Jesus was born on December 25th but we are still vague about the date of his death. Good Friday and Easter Sunday change from year to year. Did nobody keep an accurate calendar in those days? They aren't certain that Christ was born on Dec. 25. Clement of Alexandria apparently thought christ was born November 17. Some also speculate that since shepherds were in the field when Christ was born, the event must have occurred in spring or summer. Also, the whole reason Joseph was in Bethlehem was for the census, which normally took place right after harvest time. You can google it. Biblical scholars readily admit that Jesus was likely not born in december. Link to post Share on other sites
underpants Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 They used those dates ...12/25 and Easter because they coincided with pagan celebrations of winter and spring equinox, harvest and planting. Easier to incorporate and ...adjust an existing religion if you take over their holidays. Face it...we are all witches. *cackle cackle* Link to post Share on other sites
Pyro Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 They used those dates ...12/25 and Easter because they coincided with pagan celebrations of winter and spring equinox, harvest and planting. Easier to incorporate and ...adjust an existing religion if you take over their holidays. Face it...we are all witches. *cackle cackle* Ever been burned at the stakes? Link to post Share on other sites
andysw Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 2008 years ago, Jesus died on the cross. But to what date no one knows. Link to post Share on other sites
JamesM Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 2008 years ago, Jesus died on the cross. But to what date no one knows. No, with all due respect... this is not true. I am guessing you made a miscalculation. His birth is calculated anywhere from the year 0 to 4 AD. Since He was 33 years old when He died, one can determine that this was around the yeard 33 AD to 37 AD. This would make it anywhere from 1,975 years to 1,971 years (if I did MY math correctly). These dates are days for remembrance. Christians do know that they are not actual dates. A quick search on the internet will give the history behind these dates. Blind Otter gave some of the information pertaining to how they were established. Link to post Share on other sites
andysw Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 No, with all due respect... this is not true. I am guessing you made a miscalculation. His birth is calculated anywhere from the year 0 to 4 AD. Since He was 33 years old when He died, one can determine that this was around the yeard 33 AD to 37 AD. This would make it anywhere from 1,975 years to 1,971 years (if I did MY math correctly). These dates are days for remembrance. Christians do know that they are not actual dates. A quick search on the internet will give the history behind these dates. Blind Otter gave some of the information pertaining to how they were established. Doesn't ad mean after death? Why would it be ad after Jesus' birth? It doesn't make sense. Link to post Share on other sites
Pyro Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 Doesn't ad mean after death? Why would it be ad after Jesus' birth? It doesn't make sense. AD= Anno Domini In Latin it means in the year of our Lord. AD began when Jesus was born. Link to post Share on other sites
Rogue Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 Apparently the confusion re the dates of Easter is because of the calendar. When Jesus died the Gregorian calendar was in use and it changed to the Julian calendar which is what we use today. I don't know if this is actually true or not but it was the reason given on TV the other day. Link to post Share on other sites
disgracian Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 Doesn't ad mean after death? Why would it be ad after Jesus' birth? It doesn't make sense. Because AD stands for Anno Domini, not After Death. Think about it, if the BC measured backwards from Christ's birth and AD measured forwards after his death, then the years 1 BC and 1 AD would be over 30 years apart. This would lead to confusion. Cheers, D. Link to post Share on other sites
andysw Posted March 22, 2008 Share Posted March 22, 2008 Because AD stands for Anno Domini, not After Death. Think about it, if the BC measured backwards from Christ's birth and AD measured forwards after his death, then the years 1 BC and 1 AD would be over 30 years apart. This would lead to confusion. Cheers, D. Oh okay. So you can say that Jesus is 2008 years old? Cheers, A. Link to post Share on other sites
Citizen Erased Posted March 22, 2008 Share Posted March 22, 2008 I am actually quite surprised we do not know the exact date of his death. We know it occurred during the reign of Tiberius, the Romans were so good at keeping records of no use to anyone ever, yet this most particular case there is nothing? Find that hard to believe Link to post Share on other sites
witabix Posted March 22, 2008 Share Posted March 22, 2008 Underpants is correct, all the dates in the western christian calendar are nicked from the pagans, Easter is named after Oestar, a pagan goddess of fertility, start of the crop season and all that bumpf, I recal Oestrogen was named in the same way. Or was that a dream. As for Xmas, that was the pagan festival called Samhain,(I think), pronounced Sa-wayn,(Again, I think), it was supposed to be the year reborn, New Year etc But us christians stole the lot and changed it all around to this current level of Hallmark cards, jolly red suited men who creep into childrens bedrooms, chocolate EGGS (Oestrogen fuelled?), oh and maypoles are the other end of the stick( pun intended). Its all a load of bunkum, twaddle and nonsense. Link to post Share on other sites
disgracian Posted March 22, 2008 Share Posted March 22, 2008 Oh okay. So you can say that Jesus is 2008 years old? Not really. According to the general consensus, he only made it to his early 30s. Cheers, D. Link to post Share on other sites
disgracian Posted March 22, 2008 Share Posted March 22, 2008 I am actually quite surprised we do not know the exact date of his death. We know it occurred during the reign of Tiberius, the Romans were so good at keeping records of no use to anyone ever, yet this most particular case there is nothing? Find that hard to believe His actual existence is immaterial in my opinion. Millions of people worldwide claim to follow his teachings and worship his very name, and that is reality. A slightly sad and at times frightening reality nonetheless, but it can't be ignored. Cheers, D. Link to post Share on other sites
JamesM Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Oh okay. So you can say that Jesus is 2008 years old? Cheers, A. No, disgracian is correct that as a human He lived to be thirty three. But assuming that you mean He WOULD have celebrated His 2008 human birthday, it would still be possibly incorrect. It is not known if His birth is 0 AD or 4 AD. The reality is that since Jesus is God, He is from eternity and will live to eternity. Hence, He is ageless. Cheers. J. Link to post Share on other sites
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