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I have differing opinions on the celebration of Christmas.
While it is a culturally accepted holiday in the U.S., Europe (and even Japan) among other cultures I have a dispute over the origin of the holiday.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, while celebrating the holiday and has accepted the date as the birth of the Savior, has caused me concern over its historicity and origins.
While Joseph Smith celebrated Christmas he is silent on the origin of and the date on the birth of Christ.
Of course, Christmas is not a Jewish holiday which is part of my concern.
There were two schools of thought among the early Christians concerning the time that Jesus was born.
The Nativists believed Jesus was born in March-April (Passover), the conceptionalists believed that the Savior was conceived in March-April.
The History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saint has alluded to the birth of Jesus as a Passover event.
In the Times and Seasons (Jan. 1, 1844, cf. H.C. 1:337) there is a cryptic reference to the nativity of Jesus in the context of major events in the history of Passover.
The entry is found in the serialized history of Joseph Smith dated April 6, 1933 and lists five events pertaining to the Passover.
1. The death of Jesus Christ (“1800 years since”).
2. The organization of the Church (April 6, 1830)
3. The creation of the world when “The morning stars sang together” (Job 38:4-7). The Palestinian Targum “poem of four nights” assigns the creation of the world to a Passover event.
4, The loss of the first-born of Egypt when Israel ate the passover (Exodus 12:21-30).
5, The angelic choir singing “on earth peace, good will to men” to the shepherds watching their flocks by night (Luke 2:13-14).
What is significant is the inclusion of Luke 2:13-14 among the events of April 6 and the celebration of Passover.
Is there a structuralist motif of the birth/death of the firstborn?
Lights in the heavens is a Passover event.
In the Midrash Rabbah Exodus, R. Samuel said in a reference to the month of Nisan “…in the Messianic age, night will become day… as the light which God had created at first, but stored away in paradise” (18.11) cf. 3 Nephi 1:13-15, 19, 21.
Typology of the Savior’s birth and death
In the Midrash Rabbah, Exodus R. Johanan points out that Isaac was born in the month of Nisan,
In the Targum Neofiti 1: Exodus it was in the month of Nisan that Isaac was offered upon the altar.
One last bit of trivia concerning the birth of Jesus.
In Luke 2:6-7 Jesus lies in a manger. It was during the Passover (Exodus 12:3-6) that on the 10th of Nisan Israel is commanded to take a lamb into their home. Is Jesus the Passover lamb lying in the manger?
Excellent Christmas message!
Merry Christmas!!