*Here’s a link to the questions already answered

A: No. But a lot depends upon what you are celebrating.

If you are celebrating the birth of Saturn then it is. If you are focused upon Santa Claus and his reindeer then it is something else. But if you are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ then it is Christian, no matter what day it is celebrated on.

The Bible doesn’t really tell us what day Jesus was actually born on.  The only scriptural clue is that there were shepherds in the fields tending their sheep that night. That means the first Christmas Eve happened sometime during a span from May to early October. So we can be somewhat certain that it did not happen on the 25th of December.

Nevertheless, anytime is a good time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. One thing for sure, the traditional Christmas season brings the first coming of the Son of God into the cultural mainstream at least once a year regardless of all of the commercialism and the myth of Santa which has also become part of the holiday.

He looks at the facts concerning the resurrection of Jesus–a timely pursuit for the Easter season. This is the best and most concise article that I have found on this issue.            *Top

Here’s links to all of the Christmas related Q & A’s from our archives:

1.  First the Christmas story itself:

The Christmas Story: Where is it in The Bible?

2.  There seems to be a lot of interest in the ‘Wisemen’ (Magi) that visited Jesus:

-Re: The Wisemen and the First Christmas

-Who Were the Wisemen?

-Are the Wisemen Really Buried in Cologne?

-Were There Really Four Wisemen?

A:  Here’s our article on the issue published a couple of years ago:

Sunday or Sabbath Worship?

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1. -Easter Question: Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?

Here’s a great article by William Lane Craig, professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California.

He looks at the facts concerning the resurrection of Jesus–a timely pursuit for the Easter season:

“To answer the question of Jesus’ resurrection from a historical standpoint, we must first determine what facts concerning the fate of Jesus of Nazareth can be credibly established on the basis of the evidence and second consider what the best explanation of those facts is. At least four facts about the fate of the historical Jesus are widely accepted by New Testament historians today.”

<Read the Whole Article>

2. -Who Really Killed Jesus?

3. -The Reactions of the Criminals Crucified with Jesus -Some Discrepancies?

4. -Jesus: “Today You Will Be With Me In Paradise”

5. -Still Celebrating Easter?

6. -Jesus- Who Do You Say He Is?

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(-Shrine of the Three Magi via Wikipedia)

Q:  Is it true that the bones of the Three Wise Men are buried or supposedly buried in the cathedral in Cologne?  Thanks, Don

A:  Yes, a Cathedral in Cologne, Germany does claim to be the final resting place for the Wisemen– Shrine of the Three Kings at Cologne Cathedral. However, the origin and disposition of the relics can only be traced back to 344 AD at Constantinople, therefore the historicity can not be verified. It is an unlikely possibility since the first mention of the relics is in the 4th century and the real Wisemen undoubtedly would have died in the first century.

Bottomline- This tradition is uncertain at best with the lack of earlier documentation.

<Here is our previous article about the Wisemen>

Q:  Who were the three Wisemen who gave the first Christmas presents?

A:  We have written on the Wisemen before. The Story of the Wisemen is found in Matthew 2:1-12. Notice that the Bible really doesn’t tell us how many there really were, only that they brought three different gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It was a later Christian tradition that settled on three.

Who were they?–we really don’t know. The scriptures identify them simply as ‘magi’.

However, hundreds of years later a number of different traditions rose up about the Wisemen, where they came from and even what their names were. The Eastern churches had different names and traditions than the Western churches.  None of the traditions can be traced back before 300 AD.

They were identified as ‘magi’, so all sorts of traditions have risen up about their possible Babylonian, Persian, or Parthenian origins. By the Middle ages in the West they came to be known by the names of:  Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar–and identified as kings from the three known continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa.  A Cathedral in Germany even claims to be the final resting place for the Wisemen– Shrine of the Three Kings at Cologne Cathedral. However, the origin and disposition of the relics can only be traced back to 344 AD.          *Top

  (Nativity Scene via Wikipedia)

Here’s links to some great Christmas Q & A’s from our archives:

1.  -The Christmas Story: Where is it in the Bible?

2.  -Re: The Wisemen and the First Christmas?

3.  -Were There Really Four Wisemen?

A:  Abraham. From the very beginning, Adam and his family gave offerings to God (Gen. 4:3-5). However, the first mention of a tenth or a tithe being given is found in Gen. 14:18-20. Abraham had just won a great battle against some enemies and recovered his nephew Lot and his family.

He gave a tenth of everything on the way back in thanksgiving for the victory–given to Melchizedek the priest of God in Salem (later called Jerusalem). Note also that he refused to keep any of the spoils for himself.  (Revised 12/17/08)          *Top