Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1869-12-16
CHRISTMAS.

b The historical correctness Of the Stale
y ment that Christ was born on the twenty
I nth OF December, is shown by the returns
Of the enrolment, made at Bethlehem By
Cyrenius, and deposited at Rome among
the state papers by the authority OF Au
gustua The points which may be ss.
sumed ss familiar TO even the ordinary
reader of the history of the Roman En-
pire are these two:
]. The public works and official reports
of The ministers of the emperors were de.
posted and preserved at Rome down I.
their destruction by the Goths, under Ala,
ric, A. ID. 4f0.
9. These documents were accessible to
the public.
The points, therefore, which require
proof are:
i. They contdi1ed reports of official
acts of governors and procurstes, such as
PSntius PLATE and Cyrenius.
2. Cyrenius, in his enrolment of Judea,
recorded the date of the birth of Christ.
l. That the full documentary records OF
the affairs of the empire during the period
OF Christ's sojourn on earth, were pre-
served by succeeding emperors, is stated
With great precision by Seutonius. He
says that the emperor Domitian A. d. 81.
took great pains TO send to all parts and
copy anew, or mend those docu ments
tina, had been in the least injured" That
these documents'from all parts relating 10
the empire during the reign OF Tiberius
Included the official reports OF Fonifcs
PLATE, we have the direct testimony OF
Tertullian, whose statement on this point
merits unusual consideration on account
OF its peculiarly trustworthy Character.
In a defense of Christianity. addressed es-
pecialy to the rulers of the Roman EN-.
pre-" A. D. i9s, he says: "All these
things concerning Christ, PLATE then an-
nouuced to Tiberius Cesar, and you have
in your archives the relation Of ALL"
2. Cyrenius, in his enrolment of Judca.
81. Luke %, recorded the date of The birth
Christ. That enrolment was deposited
and KEEP: In tie archives, and was fire.
quently examined by the bishops of the
church and ecclesiastical historians Wis
ting Rome or residing in that city.
]. The first witness Is Justin Martyr
who, at Rome wrote his first Apology"
for the Christians, Il. ID. 40. In that he |
refers the emperor Antonius Plus, his sue
cessor, and the whole Romsh senate, TO
that enrolment as then existing There
Is certain village in the land of Judea.
distant tlirty-five stadia from Jerusalem,
in which Christ was born on December
iwenty>hfth, as We can learn from tie en-
rollments completed under CyreniGs, your
first procufstor is Judca."
2. The second witne is Tertullisn. In
a book written on the nature Of Christ, A.
d. $50: lie concludes the proof of the ma
tivity by referring to the "enrollment of
Augustus, which the Roman archieves
preserve, as f.iihful evidence OF the
Lords nativity" In writing against,
those who misspp.ied the prophecy of
Isaiah, concerning the rod out of The stem
Of Jesse, ne makes The the same quotation
AS something well known.
3. St. Ambrose also refers repeatedly
aud eloqtently to the enrullihent under
Augustus. In an argument, A. d. $50
he says that the census itself was evi-
IDENTIFY designed by Infinite wisdom as q
solemn and indispuiable record of that
great event" These witnesses, as well 40
hosts of others, are positive as to the
birth of the Saviour on the twenty fifth OF
December, as recorded in the enrolment
,f Cyrenius.
4. The next witness Ia St. Augustine
He was fifty-six years old when Rome
vas sacked by the Goths, and her archives
destroyed, A. d, 4l0, and had every op-
Of knoving what he test ifies
He speaks OF thirteen sermons that he had
preached on the festival IF the nativity,
December tw enty-6flh, and be always
'peaks of the date as being perfectly well
Known from the nrst by the Western
.hurch. Thus he says at Is evident
lnder what consul, and on what day the I
rgrn Mary brought forth Christ, con.
,eived BY the Holy Ghost" Again, 1.-The
isy Of his nativity is most certainly
InowI by the church"
Tho evidence abofe given Is only Q sam
Die of a long array Of testimony. There
we're regions, however, In those days.
which had so little access to the imperial
d. "a n Il
hat the Eastern church accepted the true
late OF the nativity from me Western
;hurch. St.Chrysosion celebrated this &C
ceptsnce IN sermon preached ia Anti ,
'ch ON December twenty-ffth, A. D. 3S6.
be gives several reasons for believing The
brought from the capitol of
he Roman empire, aed explains the di.
Tersity of views in some remote regions.
lie says: The twenty-ffih day of Decem-
yer is the date, as 10 evident from The en-.
mentioned 10 th gospel of ST.
luke 2:2-whence 1t is manifest that
,brist was born at the time OF this first
and il Ia lawful for anyone
Who wishes to know accurately, to search
he ancient records publicly deposited in
Rome, aud there learn the time of that
nrollment and the precise date of the
firth OF Christ"
II was Sometime later before the church
q the far-of British Isles fully ascertained
he exact date OF the nativity, bu. the
Historic church has gradually formed and
oiled one testimony down the ages with
yer swelling volume. Imaginary diff r
ulties about the time OF the Saviotir's =
irth..are only imaginary. The ancient
ecords Of the Roman empire, which
osephus says cannot be. contest:
d as can the Persian and Mace
oman, because deposited hi the
host public places, and inscribed III the
apItol snd on pillars of brass" remained
ong enough to accomplish their end in
his respect. and row the day Is written
D the imperishabte affections of tie Holy !
hurch throughout all the world. Few
historical facts can be established by an CT
rray Of testimony 90 complete, so con-
ected, and SO universally recognized B