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'Tis the time when carolers serenade us, homes are decked out in festive decor, Nativity scenes are carefully arranged, and our mailboxes overflow with Christmas cards, often featuring scenes from “The First Noel.” Yet, you may be surprised to learn that many of the details we’ve come to associate with the very first Christmas are completely wrong. Christmas carols and greeting card companies have missed the mark. To put you in the holiday spirit (and clear up some historical inaccuracies), here are ten things you probably didn’t know about the first Christmas.
10. It Didn’t Take Place in December
Jesus likely wasn’t born on December 25. In fact, He probably wasn’t born in December at all. The Bible speaks of shepherds watching over their flocks in the fields. December in Israel is cold; the fields would have been barren, and the sheep would likely have been kept in pens. Shepherds typically kept their flocks in the fields during the spring, when lambing season occurred.
So how did Christmas become linked to December 25? The earliest recorded estimates of the birth of Christ come from Clement of Alexandria (around AD 200). He noted that different groups believed Jesus was born on March 21, April 15, April 21, or May 20. It wasn’t until the mid-fourth century that December 25 was first listed as Jesus’s birthday in a Roman almanac, under the phrase natus Christus in Betleem Judeae, meaning 'Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea.'
A common theory about Christmas’s origin suggests that early Christians adopted the date from a Roman Sun festival held in late December. This idea proposes that it was a strategic move to promote Christmas and Christianity across the Roman Empire. However, this theory has its flaws, as early Christian writers such as Irenaeus and Tertullian never mention it, and Origen of Alexandria even ridicules Roman birth anniversary celebrations. It’s been suggested that December 25, a time of pagan feasts, wasn’t chosen on purpose until the 12th century. While this theory is popular on social media, scholars today recognize significant issues with it.
The question still stands: Why December 25? Tertullian recorded a calculation placing Jesus’s birth on March 25. This date was later observed as a feast commemorating Jesus’s conception, not His birth. Additionally, it was believed that Jesus died on March 25, leading to the belief that He was both conceived and crucified on the same day of the year. Since December 25 is exactly nine months after March 25, it became accepted as Jesus’s birthday.
The truth is that December 25 was derived from celebrations within the early Church, not from pagan festivities. Many scholars today believe that Jesus wasn’t born in December at all.
9. There Was No Inn
We’ve all heard the tale of there being 'no room at the inn.' This is how it appears in our English Bibles. However, in the original Greek—the language in which the New Testament was written—the word kataluma, translated as 'inn,' doesn’t necessarily refer to a motel. It appears only a few times in the Bible, and in other instances, it means 'upper room' or 'guest room.' The famous Last Supper, for example, took place in a kataluma. Interestingly, there’s another Greek word for 'inn,' which specifically refers to a motel or paid lodging, but it’s not used here, even though the same gospel writer uses it in the story of the Good Samaritan just a few chapters later.
In first-century homes, there was often a main living area on the ground floor, where the family resided, and an 'upper room' or 'guest room' where travelers could stay. It was a deep cultural expectation in the Middle East to offer hospitality to those in need. It’s highly likely that if there was no room in the 'guest room,' it was because it was already occupied.
This shifts the entire narrative we’ve come to celebrate. Rather than arriving in Bethlehem only to find the local motel fully booked, Mary and Joseph arrived and sought lodging at a relative’s home. This was a natural course of action in Middle Eastern culture. Since people were returning to their ancestral homes for the census, other family members had already arrived and were staying in the guest room.
So where did Mary and Joseph stay?
8. There Was No Stable
The Bible doesn’t mention a stable in the accounts of the first Christmas. The idea of a stable comes from the fact that we’re told Jesus was 'laid in a manger' (a feeding trough for animals). If there was a manger, one might assume it must have been in a stable—or maybe even a cave—where animals were kept. But that’s likely not the case.
As mentioned earlier, it’s likely that Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, Joseph’s hometown, and sought shelter at a relative’s house. The guest room was already occupied, but turning away someone in need—especially a relative with a pregnant wife—would have been a great disgrace. Many families had mangers inside their homes, where young animals could be kept safe and warm. Some of these mangers were built into the floor or located in a small room on the main level of peasant homes.
Since the guest room was full, Mary and Joseph were probably offered the manger, and it was there that Jesus was born. Rather than being rejected by a grumpy innkeeper and placed in a filthy barn, Mary and Joseph most likely found refuge in a family member’s home, surrounded by loved ones, when Jesus was born and laid in a manger.
7. Mary Didn’t Give Birth The Night She Arrived
In the common Western interpretation of the Christmas narrative, we often assume that Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem just in time, and that Mary gave birth that very night. However, the reality is likely much more subdued and less dramatic.
The true account of the first Christmas states, 'And it came to pass, that when they were there, her days were accomplished, that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son.' The phrase 'that her days were accomplished' is connected to 'when they were there,' suggesting that they had been in Bethlehem for some time before the birth occurred.
Much like Rome wasn’t built in a day, a Roman census couldn’t have been finished in a single day either. It would have taken time for families to travel to their ancestral homes to be counted. This process likely involved waiting in long lines, similar to modern elections. Therefore, Mary and Joseph were probably in Bethlehem for a significant period before and after the birth.
6. The Wise Men Didn’t Arrive The Night Jesus Was Born
The three wise men are a familiar presence in nearly every Nativity scene, each holding a gift for the newborn king. Alongside the shepherds, Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus, they seem to complete the first Christmas narrative. Or do they?
The Biblical account tells us, 'And entering into the house, they found the child with Mary his mother.' Pay attention to two details: First, the wise men found the family in a house, not a stable. It's possible that they were still staying with relatives in Bethlehem or had rented a house by then. Second, they discovered a 'child.' The Greek term used is paidion, meaning 'toddler,' not brephos, which means 'baby,' as used in Luke 2:16.
It's also important to remember that after the wise men tricked King Herod by taking a different route home, he ordered the massacre of all children under the age of two in the area. These details suggest that Jesus was a toddler and that the wise men visited him one to two years after his birth.
5. The Shepherds Didn’t Follow The Star
Many imagine the shepherds as elderly men holding lambs, standing in a stable beneath a shining star, having just heard the angels sing. It’s commonly believed that the shepherds followed the star to find the baby in the manger. However, this is yet another traditional myth associated with the first Christmas.
The misunderstanding arose from merging two separate stories (the shepherds and the wise men) that actually happened at different times. There likely wasn’t a star hovering over Bethlehem the night Jesus was born, since it didn’t guide the wise men there for another two years. According to the Bible, the shepherds were directed by an angel and given two signs: 'You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger.' Following these clues, the shepherds went to find the newborn king.
How did the shepherds find a newborn baby in a large town like Bethlehem? The answer is fairly simple. Just like today, births were major events in the first century. If Mary gave birth at a relative’s home, surrounded by family, the house would have been filled with much rejoicing. The shepherds most likely followed the sounds of the baby’s cries and the joyous celebration within the house.
4. There Weren’t Three Wise Men
We commonly know them as Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, the three wise men who traveled from the East by camel following the star. But were there really just three of them? In reality, these names didn’t appear in the story until the seventh century, in the earliest Latin records.
The Christmas story mentions three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. However, the number of wise men is not specified in the scriptures. It is assumed that each wise man brought a gift, which led to the belief that there were three wise men. In truth, there could have been more who came to honor the newborn king.
Early Christian artwork varies in its depiction of the number of wise men. In one painting in the cemetery of Saints Peter and Marcellinus, two wise men are shown. Another in the cemetery of Domitilla depicts four. A vase at the Kircher Museum shows eight, while some Asian traditions suggest there were twelve. The actual number of wise men who visited Jesus is unknown, and aside from the number of gifts, there is no strong reason to assume there were three.
3. The Christmas Star May Have Been A Planetary Conjunction
The star that guided the wise men has several fascinating attributes. It is described as having risen 'in the east,' 'appeared' at a specific moment, moved 'before them,' and 'stopped' over Bethlehem.
When considered together, these traits clearly don't describe a star, but they do characterize planets, which the ancients referred to as 'wandering stars.' These celestial bodies rise in the east, traverse through the fixed stars, and follow planetary laws of motion, making their appearances predictable. They also seem to pause when they enter retrograde motion.
There is proof that Herod the Great passed away in 1 BC, not in 4 BC as previously assumed. In the fall of 2 BC, an extraordinary planetary alignment between Jupiter and the star Regulus would have created one of the brightest objects seen by people at that time. It’s worth noting that Jupiter, named after the highest god in Roman mythology, and Regulus, which means 'royal' or 'kingly,' held symbolic significance for the magi, who were the astronomers that decided to follow it.
By running detailed computer simulations, we can pinpoint the exact day Jupiter entered retrograde motion and appeared to stop. This occurred on December 25, 2 BC. To the wise men observing Jupiter from Jerusalem, it would have seemed to hover over Bethlehem. Therefore, while December 25 may not have marked the birth of Jesus, it is likely the day the wise men arrived to offer their gifts.
2. Mary and Joseph Were Married Before the Birth of Jesus
A significant part of the controversy surrounding the birth of Jesus was the claim of Mary's immaculate conception. This was so startling that it even prompted Joseph to initially consider divorcing her quietly, rather than allowing her to be stoned for adultery as the law required. Here was a woman, unmarried, expecting a child in a devout first-century society.
However, the situation isn't as simple as it may seem. Joseph and Mary were 'betrothed,' or engaged, when they discovered Mary was pregnant. It’s probable they had entered into a Jewish engagement contract known as a ketubbah, which was much more legally binding than modern engagements and could only be dissolved through a divorce.
In addition, after receiving a vision of an angel in a dream, Joseph arose and 'took unto him his wife.' From the perspective of a typical Jewish person in the first century, they were considered married, although they had not yet consummated their marriage.
1. The Wise Men Weren’t Kings
'We three kings of orient' is a song sung during Christmas to commemorate the wise men's journey. But were they truly kings?
The Greek term used in Matthew 2:1 is magos, a word often referring to a member of a group of priests or wise men from the Medes, Persians, and Babylonians. These individuals were learned men, well-versed in subjects like astronomy, astrology, and magic. The term is sometimes translated as 'wise man' or 'magician.' In the Greek version of the Old Testament, the same term is used in the book of Daniel, where it describes Daniel as being made the 'chief of the magicians.'
This aligns with the Christmas narrative, where the wise men are said to have 'seen his star in the east' and traveled to honor the infant. Magoi studied the stars and interpreted the celestial signs that dominated the night sky at the time. Rather than being kings, it seems more plausible that the wise men were educated astronomers from the East.
