The True Meaning of Christmas: The Birth of Jesus and the Origins of the Season

by Michael Barber

What does the Bible really say about the birth of Jesus? How did the celebration of Christmas become associated with things like Santa Claus and decorated trees? In The True Meaning of The Birth of Jesus and the Origins of the Season , biblical scholar Michael Patrick Barber offers an inspiring look at the Bible''s accounts of Jesus'' birth and the development of the Christmas season. Along the way, he answers numerous questions,

• How is the Christmas story related to ancient Jewish expectations?
• Why is Jesus said to be laid in a "manger"?
• Who are the Magi?
• What is the mysterious Christmas star?
• How did December 25th become the date of Christmas?
• How did Saint Nicholas become "Santa Claus"?

As Barber explains, though some of the answers to these questions may be surprising, only by understanding the message at the heart of Christmas can we fully enter into the joy it promises.

Genres: Catholic, Faith, Christmas, Christian, Religion, Nonfiction

190 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 2021

About the author

Michael has his Ph.D. in Theology from Fuller in Pasadena, CA. His dissertation was on the Historical Jesus and Sacramental Eschatology under the world famous scholar, Colin Brown. He has an MA in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville and received his B. A. in Theology and Philosophy from Azusa Pacific University. He is the author of several books, including, 'Coming Soon: Unlocking the Book of Revelation and Applying Its Lessons Today' (Emmaus Road, 2006) and most recently, 'Genesis to Jesus: Studying Scripture from the Heart of the Church' (Servant, 2007), a Bible study co-authored with Kimberly Hahn. He is a Senior Fellow for the Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology, founded by Dr. Scott Hahn.

Dr. Barber has been granted the mandatum by Robert Brom, bishop of San Diego, as an ecclesial recognition of Michael's posture and commitment to teach always in communion with the Church.

Reviews

[Jeff Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update: This year I bought the Audible version narrated by the author.

This is very good on multiple levels exploring both the theology of Christmas and its historical associations written for a popular audience. There were times when I wish some chapters could have gone in deeper, but I understood why they didn't.

[Nelson Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect book as an overview of the origins of Christmas. Dr. Barber details the beginnings of many of our most popular Christmas songs and traditions from scripture and history. I appreciated the use of early church quotations to get a glimpse of exactly how early some of the traditions go. The book was an easy read and packed a lot of information for a small book. Dr. Barber dispels some of the more popular myths surrounding Christmas, but at the same time does not try to prove anything beyond the evidence.

Overall, I would recommend to anyone interested in the topic. There were areas in which I wish it would have went into more depth, that would be my only critique.

[Jill Vaughn]

Great book for getting into the meaning of many of the symbols of Christmas, gifts, songs, traditions and how they relate to the bible and church. Enjoyed reading it before Christmas.

[Grace Crandall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a wonderful book that truly helped me enjoy the Christmas season to the fullest! Our Catholic history is so rich. What a blessing to be able to learn more about it in this book.

[Lynnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A scholarly yet easy to read trip through Scripture and historical events, explaining how the season of Christmas was established and how it evolved into what we see today.

[Joe Schilp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insights into the story of Jesus' birth and the traditions of Christmas celebrations.

[Alan A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to give Barber here a personal thanks for this academic but also religiously profound work. Here he writes about the ''meaning'' of what such a particular Holy Day like this means for Christmas in general before he goes-on about the origin and the history belonging to said date. There are sure, other books that may better explain something like a 'How Christmas isn't pagan' or 'Why Christmas Matters' type book. But I think Michael Barber makes the best of both worlds by introducing us to the first and foremost importance of the holiday before getting down to the crust and the core about how it came out.

It's an easy to read work and I think relatively enjoyable. If someone might like the spiritual works of Brant Pitre or the introductory material of Scott Hahn, then this is right up your block. The section that interested me the most is concerning the dating of Christmas itself, as a sum of early Christians observed it differently such as those in late December and early January, the changing of the Lunar to a Solar based calendar, and how the Church ultimately had observed this matter. Citing St. Jerome in the end about how even natural seasonal changes (Summer and Winter Solstice & Spring and Fall Equinox) reflected the life of the Church in her celebrations and agree with the correlations about the life of Christ against those who directly charge her with some sort of implicit paganism is pretty poetic I'd say. ''He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.'' (Ps. 104:19)

I am personally a fan of the book and I recommend it to Christians in general who want to rekindle their Christmas spirit by pious reading and further considerations about what the holiday means.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read and enjoyed Brant Pitre's Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, this book looked like a simliar style I would enjoy. Although I liked it, it lacked the depth, enlightenment, and fascination I was hoping for. The chapter on Mary, while important, was a recap of Pitre's book; I enjoyed the quotations taken from it, but if you are looking for a book on Mary, Pitre's book is much more thorough. I found this book to be more reliant on the author's opinions than undisputable church doctrines. Still, it was a good read and I would recommend it as Advent or Christmas season reading. I got the most enjoyment out of the last chapter dealing with historical Christmas celebrations among Protestant groups and Catholics and their evolution into today's celebrations; I would love for this portion to have been covered more in depth.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like the book. It really did not bring as much new ideas and I thought it should have. Most of what it stated as if it was new thought, I have heard before many times. The one part I did find new was about the wise men. Some of what the author suggest that I had not heard before he really did not reference as much. He stated there was not much in the Bible about them, but then went on about what we know and why they were Magi, or magicians. How they followed the star and how it stopped over Bethlehem. Stars do not move that way and how angles often take the shape of stars. So they were following an angle.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found a copy of "The True Meaning of Christmas" in a little free library. This was a great mix of things I've heard and things I haven't about the origins of Christmas. I appreciated the evidence presented in each chapter about each of the topics presented.

Our parish priest had shared some of the information about the "inn" in Bethlehem in a Christmas homily two years ago and it shocked me. I felt like a kid being told that Santa wasn't real! I was glad to (finally) revisit it in this format, which left me with a better understanding and appreciation of information that challenged what I've always "known".

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent examination of many Christmas traditions from the perspective of Scripture. I also liked how Barber examined the Birth of Christ in relation to the Old Testament and Christ's Death.

One quibble, Barber said that no film version of Dickens' A Christmas Carrol depicted Scrooge going to Church before he went to his nephew's house for Christmas Dinner. Actually A Christmas Carrol made for TV movie starring Patrick Stewart does show him going to Church on Christmas Day.

[Kassi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this on Audible! This is another great book for getting into the Christmas spirit and season! It's from a Catholic writer, but it is all biblical and scholarly based explaining much of the history behind the Christmas traditions Christians have celebrated since the beginning, so it is 100% pertinent to any Christian listener!

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very surprised by how much I learned from this. I've done many Augustine Institute studies as well as the St. Joseph consecration so there was nothing new for me for the first 6 chapters. But then chapter 7 came out of no where and blew my mind! I was fascinated with all the rest of the chapters. So this book has something for everyone.

[James Watters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well. This book gives you all the true insight & reason for The holiday season. The book entails background history from Jesus’s birth & beforehand to the time of King Herod , tells of the beginning to how it is , explains the historical info , everything. You want to know of Christmas how it was & why& more this is a wonderful read … I loved this

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting information regarding different aspects of Christmas! I learned some things I didn’t know before, but also some of his conclusions are different than what I’ve read from other apologists and theologians. I’ll need to investigate these more.

[Susan Lorenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect book to read at this time of year. Barber is a biblical scholar and includes many passages to explain various Christmas beliefs, customs and traditions. But he also makes the story fun as he includes pop culture references too. Very satisfying. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Diogo Barros de Moura Lima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente

Coloca Jesus onde sempre deve estar: no Centro. Isso com fundamentação histórica e bíblica de fácil leitura. O escritores católicos americanos tem me surpreendido. Recomendo Brant Pitre, John Bergsma e Michael Barber

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful scriptural and cultural exploration into the traditions and significance behind this holy season. Greatly appreciated all the Old Testament connections. Thanks to Evan for providing the book and Christ for the impetus.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It felt like I was rediscovering many of the elements of Christmas that I did not know were deeply rooted in the tradition of the Church. I also liked learning how St. Nicholas became Santa Claus and other historical traditions around Christmas.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very scholarly and well researched book that explores the nativity story and other Christmas traditions

[Edward · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worthy read for the season, bringing nuance and historical perspective to a time of year many may take for granted.

[Judyspadoni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

[Theresa Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

It answers questions and shows Old and New Testament parallels. I feel like I have gotten to know Jesus more in an intellectual way. However, I feel Him deeply in my heart with more information ❤️

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful exploration of many of the traditions of Christmas through a Christian lens, The True Meaning of Christmas is an easy and essential read for the Advent season. Dr. Barber's engaging writing shares new perspectives on familiar traditions – why do we have Christmas trees? Where do some of the popular Christmas hymns come from, and are they inspired by Scripture?
Fun, fresh, and light, this is a great addition to the bookshelf of any Christmas(and Christ!)-lover.

[Mary Knuckles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true gem when it comes to finding out the facts behind the various Christmas traditions both religious and secular. Everyone should read this to help have a better understanding of where our modern day Christmas comes from, and to help remember why we celebrate it: Jesus.

[Torrie Blasko · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got so bored, I had to force myself to read it. I then lost the book, and just found it again. I have like 20 pages left but cannot read. I’m going to try to read it again next year, and hope it’ll be better.