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Within Reason
#49 Christmas Special with Bart Ehrman - Did Christmas Really Happen?
Dec 23, 2023
New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman explores the history and contradictions surrounding Jesus' birth in the New Testament. They discuss the pagan roots of Christmas and its connection to Saturnalia. The chapter explores the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke, highlighting differences and shared themes. The prophetic perfect tense and prophecy fulfillment are explored, as well as contradictions in the birth narratives and a historical contradiction in the gospel. The concept and significance of the virgin birth are discussed, including the possibility of Joseph being Jesus' father.
01:03:44
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Quick takeaways
- Christmas began to be celebrated in the fourth century with the conversion of Gentiles to Christianity.
- The two accounts of Jesus' birth in the New Testament differ in their details, but were written as biographical works.
Deep dives
Christmas as a Historical Event
The podcast episode discusses the historical origins of Christmas. While some argue that Christmas was influenced by the Roman holiday of Saturnalia, the episode explains that early Christians did not initially celebrate Jesus' birth, but rather focused on the death and resurrection during Easter. It was in the fourth century, with the conversion of Gentiles to Christianity, that Christmas began to be celebrated. The specific date of December 25th is not written in the Bible, but it is close to the Roman festival of Saturnalia, which involved gift-giving and role reversals. The podcast highlights that the celebration of Christmas as we know it today is largely influenced by 19th century England.
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