The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-12-25
Day on Which Christ Was Born
And Even the Year of His
Birth Are Lost in Dim An
tiquity Causing Speculation.
TRADITION WITH NO VERI-
FICATION HOLDS SO A. D.
With More Authenticity the In
stitution of Christmas Is At
tributed to TeIesphorus Dur
ing Reign of Antonius Plus.

The average Richmond child knows
that Christmas is observed at Christ's
birthday and that it is a day of hap
piness. when gifts are given and
received. but beyond that the greatest
festival of the year is a mystery.
1t matters not TO the happy youth
whether December 10Th was really the
birthday of the Savior 1t is enough
if sentiment of the day hnds its way
to his heart. When he is grown up
he can puzzle over the controversy as
to the exact date of the nativity.
Men of science and religious leaders
have declared that December - can
not be the nativity of the Savior, for
they say that date is at the height OF
the rainy season in Judea. and shep-
herds could hardly have been watching
their flocks by night on the plains 1t
is fact that some of the early church
es held the festival in the month of
May or April. and the others in Jan
uary.
The exact date of the first celebra-
ton of Christmas is not known. An
old tradition. for which there is prac-
tically no verification, assigns the first
Christmas observance to the year 9S
A. ID. With more authenticity the in
stitution of Christmas is attributed to
TeleSphorus, who flOurished in the
reign of Antonius Plus GA. ID. 13S-l6D.
The day and month of these early
celebrations is unknown. 1t was not
until about $40 A. D.. that st. Cyril
made a careful investigation to deter
mine the exact day of the birth of
Christ. and he fixed it as December
-. This was accepted as correct by
Pope julius. who ordered that the fes-
tlval be celebrated on that day. This
was not until several years after st.
Cyril's Investigations. however. Be
fore the end OF the fourth century all
Christians were observing December
- as CT 'istmas.
The reason the early church did not
commence the observance of Chrst'S
birthday until sixty or seventy years
after his death is explained by the fact
that the thought to celebrate birthdays
heathenish custom, from which be-
lief they could not depart even for the
Son OF God. Its first observance was
probably done for expediency.
The exact year is unknown that 10
seph and Mary went up from Nazareth
to Bethlehem to be taxed according
TO the decree of Caesar Augustus. and
there in the inn became the parents of
son whose name was called Jesus"
1t is thought however. that it was 3
G. Dionysius Exignus, a Scythian,
fixed the Christian era. but that he
must have been mistaken at least four
years is shown by the death of Herod.
ST. Matthew says. And when they
were departed behold. the angel of the
Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream,
saying. Arise, and take the young child
and his mother and flee into Egypt.
and be thou there until | bring thee
word; for Herod will seek the young
child and destroy him
! Josephs stay in Egypt was not long
| because when Herod was dead. be-
hold an angel of the Lord appeareth
! in dream to Joseph in Egypt. saying,
Arise. and take the young child and
his mother, and go into the land of Is
rael; for they are dead, which sought
the young childs life Herod died
in the year t B. c., so Christ was GER
tainly born at least short while be
fore that time.