Why Is Christmas On December 25th? | QI

This clip is from QI Series D, Episode 13, 'December' with Stephen Fry, Alan Davies, Jo Brand, Rich Hall and Dara Ó Briain.

[deaddoll]

From my experience with European Winters, surviving the solstice on the 21st of December and then celebrating seems like going a bit early.

[theprodigalstranger]

Let's all donate all our wrapping paper and actually gift wrap Guernsey!

[krank]

I think you mean "this is an interesting direction to start your Mithras-mass special with", Dara.

[paperspeaksco]

When Stephen Fry begins a sentence with "Frankly"...you know it's not going well for you

[mycroftsanchez]

The born in a manger thing was just mistake, when told there were no rooms Joseph asked to see the manager!

[nzd]

You can visit the Temple of Mythras in London underneath the Bloomberg building at Walbrook Square. It's free but you have to book.

[Cchogan]

Mithras was, famously, born from a rock. The dear little elves seem to have fallen for some modern retelling of Mithras. Naughty elves!

[MisterAndrewBuckley]

2:24 that's my New Years resolution sorted

[kosefix]

I want a "too much information" compilation featuring at least Lou Sanders and Bridget Christie.

[brianm]

So- The debunkers of Mythras- Are they the MythrasBusters?

[Noukz]

Well then, merry Mithras everyone! :-D

[filmfan]

Mithras is always described as born from solid rock.
No ancient source depicts the Magi attending the birth of Mithras but sometimes this depicted attended by Cautes and Cautopates.
No ancient source records that Mithras died, still less that he did so on a cross.
Mithras is depicted surrounded by the zodiac on a couple of reliefs, not 12 disciplines.
No source indicates that the cult of Mithras held any views as to being born again by eating Mithras' (depicted as a bull) flesh and drinking its blood.
....the list goes on and on!

[gifgoldblum]

I spend the 25th of December celebrating Jo Brand

[boredoftheworld]

December 25 is exactly nine months after the Feast of the Annunciation on March 25. It wrecks the whole narrative but Christmas wasn't as big a deal in the early days, but the Annunciation was.

[farmercraig]

The year of Jesus’ birth is broadly accepted as 4 BC, primarily from erroneous conclusions derived from Josephus’ recording of an
eclipse, assumed to be on March 13, 4 BC, “shortly before Herod died.” There are a number of problems with this in addition to the fact
that it was more likely the eclipse occurred on December 29, 1 B.C. Considerable time elapsed between Jesus’ birth and Herod’s death
since the family fled to Egypt to escape Herod’s edict and they didn’t return until after Herod’s death. Furthermore, Herod died on January 14, 1 BC. Tertullian (born about 160 AD) stated that Augustus began to rule 41 years before the birth of Jesus and died 15
years after that event. Augustus died on August 19, 14 AD, placing Jesus’ birth at 2 BC. Tertullian also notes that Jesus was born 28 years after the death of Cleopatra in 30 BC, which is consistent with a date of 2 BC. Irenaeus, born about a century after Jesus, also notes that the Lord was born in the 41st year of the reign of Augustus. Since Augustus began his reign in the autumn of 43 BC, this also appears to substantiate the birth in 2 BC. Eusebius (264-340 AD), the “Father of Church History, ” ascribes it to the 42nd year of
the reign of Augustus and the 28th from the subjection of Egypt on the death of Anthony and Cleopatra. The 42nd year of Augustus ran from the autumn of 2 BC to the autumn of 1 BC. The subjugation of Egypt into the Roman Empire occurred in the autumn of 30 BC.
The 28th year extended from the autumn of 3 BC to the autumn of 2 BC. The only date that would meet both of these constraints would be the autumn of 2 BC.
Another approach in determining the date of Jesus’ birth is from information about John the Baptist. Elisabeth, John’s mother, was a cousin of Mary and the wife of a priest named Zacharias who was of the “course” of Abijah (Priests were divided into 24 courses and each course officiated in the Temple for one week, from Sabbath to Sabbath). When the Temple was destroyed by Titus on August 5,
70 AD, the first course of priests had just taken office. Since the course of Abijah was the eighth course, we can track backwards and determine that Zacharias would have ended his duties on July 13, 3 BC. If the birth of John took place 280 days later, it would have been on April 19-20, 2 BC (precisely on Passover of that year). John began his ministry in the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar. The minimum age for the ministry was 30. As Augustus died on August 19, 14 AD, that was the accession year for Tiberius. If John was born on April 19-20, 2 BC, his 30th birthday would have been April 19-20, 29 AD, or the 15th year of Tiberius. This seems to confirm
the 2 BC date and, since John was five months older, this also confirms the autumn birth date for Jesus.
Elisabeth hid herself for five months and then the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary both Elisabeth’s condition and that Mary also
would bear a son who would be called Jesus. Mary went “with haste” to visit Elisabeth, who was then in the first week of her sixth month, or the fourth week of December, 3 BC. If Jesus was born 280 days later it would place the date of his birth on September 29, 2
BC. If Jesus was born on September 29, 2 BC, it is interesting to note that it was also the First of Tishri, the day of the Feast of Trumpets.

[NewMessage]

Great! Now all we need to do is figure out how to give Guernsey away.

[tl]

OMG! Rich Hall. I can take him off my "I thought he was dead" list.

[thegray]

We have our answer, 4th quarter accounting boost for annual fiscal solvency.

[CycolacFan]

Almost a little smile from Rich Hall there… almost…

[cptblood]

Actually it stems from a Christian monk who calculated it based on an ancient Jewish tradition that said that any truly holy or pure man would die exactly so many days from his date of birth.