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

by Michael Patrick 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, Christmas, Faith, Christian, Religion, Nonfiction, History

190 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 2021

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.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A CATHOLIC THEOLOGIAN LOOKS AT THE BIRTH BIBLICALLY AND HISTORICALLY

Catholic theology professor Michael Barber wrote in the first chapter of this 2021 book, “Although there are some falsehoods about Christmas and its origins that I would like to set straight, my focus in this book is not primarily myth-busting. Instead, I will argue that Christmas can only be disappointing when its true meaning is forgotten. I will show that when we understand what Christmas is REALLY about, we can never be let down by it… Christmas involves an invitation to a homecoming that surpasses our deepest longings. The problem is most people do not know the Christmas story well enough. The purpose of key aspects of the Christmas celebration have often been forgotten… we first need to return to Christmas’ home in the story of the Bible. Only by carefully reflecting on the stories of Jesus’ birth there can we hope to celebrate Christmas in the way it is meant to be celebrated.” (Pg. 4, 6)

He summarizes, ‘What have we seen here? First, God answers prayers. The same angel who announces to Daniel the coming Jubilee restoration of Israel appears again in the Gospel of Luke to reveal that the time of deliverance is at hand… Second, because the Messiah is coming, relationships can be healed… Third, God answers Zechariah’s prayers in ways that transcend his highest hopes… Not only is the Messiah on his way, but the Messiah HIMSELF is the Lord. Jesus is a Messiah greater than that which could have been anticipated.” (Pg. 34)

Perhaps surprisingly, he asserts, “The hymn, ‘Mary, Did You Know?’ communicates all the wrong lessons about the mother of Jesus. Mary does not need US to explain to HER what God has done. It is hard to understand how this song finds its way into churches each year. Is it a classic hymn? No… it was written [in]… 1984. Was it written by a legendary composer? No; it was written by Protestant Christian comedian Mark Lowry.” (Pg. 49)

He comments on Isaiah 7:14, “if the oracle addresses a situation in the 700s B.C., how can Matthew say it is fulfilled in Jesus?... Has Matthew made a mistake? To understand his use of Isaiah’s oracle, we need to recognize that the Gospel writer interprets it in a JEWISH way… At its most fundamental level, Isaiah’s Immanuel prophecy confirms God’s promise to preserve the kingdom of David… Isaiah’s oracle could therefore be used in reference to a FUTURE ruler, a coming son of David par excellence. In that future king, the Immanuel prophecy would find its deepest meaning. Matthew therefore naturally understands Jesus as the true ‘Emmanuel,’ the fulfillment of God’s promises… In Christ… David’s kingdom is preserved.” (Pg. 53, 55)

He states, “why is it so important that Mary is a ‘virgin’ in the first place? … her identity as virgin confirms that Jesus has no human father. He is the true Son of God, not by adoption, like the kings of the Old Testament, but by nature. The Virgin Birth reveals that while Jesus is fully human, he is also truly Emmanuel, ‘God with us.’” (Pg. 56)

He argues, “is it believable that Mary would have expected to remain a virgin after being betrothed to Joseph?... the Mishnah … indicates that married Jews would take vows of sexual abstinence … That Mary would have planned on practicing sexual abstinence after being married is therefore not as farfetched as some have made it out to be…it is not as clear as some people make it out to be that Jesus ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ are children of his mother… the Greek nouns … can also refer to cousins or other relatives… Moreover, none of the ‘brothers’ or ‘sisters’ are ever said to be children of Jesus’ mother… If we closely follow the way Mark’s Gospel unfolds, we find good reason to think that Jesus ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ are the children of a DIFFERENT WOMAN who is alive at Jesus’ death… John confirms what Mark also says: there was ANOTHER Mary at the foot of the Cross besides Mary the mother of Jesus… it seems … likely that Jesus’ ‘mother’s sister’ is ‘Mary the wife of Clopas.’ [Jn 19:25] If this other Mary is both the mother of James and Joses AND Jesus’ ‘mother’s sister,’ we have confirmation that James and Joses are Jesus’ cousins.” (Pg. 60, 62-65)

He asserts, “according to Matthew, Jesus has a royal genealogy because he is the legal son of Joseph… it is Joseph’s line that makes Jesus the ‘son of David.’ … Matthew will later make the point that Joseph is not Jesus’ biological father. This, however, does not threaten Jesus’ royal identity. for ancient peoples, biological descent was not necessary for royal succession.” (Pg. 72)

He notes, “Many have the impression that Jesus is born in some sort of stable… an outside structure designed solely for animals… Luke, however, never says this. It is important to read the Gospel story carefully… Luke reports that Mary places the baby ‘in the MANGER because there was no space for them in the ROOM.’ [Lk 2:7] The word translated ‘manger’ … likely refers to something like a feeding box or a trough… The manger is also probably not located outside… first-century Jewish homes would ordinarily involve a dirt floor with two rooms: (1) a main room where the entire family ate meals… and slept together; and (2) a private chamber for guests… The place near the door in the main room would be used to house the family’s domestic animals at night. Mangers could be placed there.” (Pg. 91)

He states, “many suppose that the reason the magi came to be viewed as a group of three is because Matthew describes them as bringing three gifts to Jesus… The earliest writer to portray the magi as a triad… was the early Christian scholar Origen, who never mentions the three gifts. Origen believes Jesus’ Gentile visitors are foreshadowed in [Gen 14]… [where] three pagans visit Isaac, the son of Abraham, seeking to establish a covenant with him… From Origen on, Christian tradition would portray the magi as a group of three. Later writers would identify them as a group of three because of their three gifts.” (Pg. 116-117)

He points out, “contrary to what we see in most nativity scenes, the shepherds of Luke and the magi of Matthew show up at Jesus’ birthplace at DIFFERENT TIMES. Herod seeks to kill the children from two years of age or younger, which might suggest he knows that the child Jesus is not a newborn. While Luke’s shepherds are said to arrive the manger on the night of Jesus’ birth, Matthew’s magi come after seeing the star heralding Jesus’ birth and traveling from some distance. It is perhaps significant that Jesus is called an ‘infant’ [Lk 2:12] … when the shepherds visit him… but … in Matthew … he is instead repeatedly called a ‘child’… The latter term in Greek can refer to a child from eight days old to seven years of age.” (Pg. 128)

He explains, “The view that Jesus was not a real person and that the Gospels’ accounts of him are … adaptations of pagan mythical stories is sometimes called Jesus mythicism.’ … we can speak of three major problems in the work of mythicists such as [D.M.] Murdoch. First… Contrary to what Murdoch says, there are no ancient accounts of Dionysus’ birth that indicate he was laid in a manger as a child. Her claim that the word ‘Gospel’ originally had a connection to magic is preposterous… it comes from the Greek word that means ‘good news’… Second, mythicists ignore the fact that certain pagan stories about ancient gods POST-DATE the New Testament… So, rather than thinking that the Gospel writers copied everything they reported from pagan mythologies, there are reasons to think the opposite was often the case… Third, while there are similarities between the Gospel accounts and stories about other gods, stark differences remain… For example, while characters like Dionysus were identified as the offspring of the gods, the accounts of how they were conceived are strikingly UNLIKE what is found in the New Testament… The parallels fail PRECISELY at the most crucial point: … Mary’s conception of Jesus is virginal, involving no physical act causing pregnancy.” (Pg. 134-136)

He contends, “the gospel writers did not think they were writing about a nonhistorical figure… ancient biographers did not have the same standards as modern historians… Writers were therefore not expected to give verbatim accounts of what was said by them… A certain ‘narrative elasticity’ was permitted… The variations we find in the accounts of Jesus’ life and death in the Gospels fit broadly within the expected parameters of ancient biographies… How the details of the different Gospel narratives fit together is not always clear. Still, to conclude from such difficulties that the entire Jesus story is fictional goes too far.” (Pg. 142-143)

He notes, “Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7… because [they]… follow the old Julian calendar… [which] was in use from 46 B.C. until the 1500s, when Pope Gregory XVI introduced… the ‘Gregorian calendar’---that uses a more precise system of leap years… Eastern Orthodox Christians, therefore, still celebrate Christmas on ‘December 25,’ but it is the December 25… which corresponds to our January 7.” (Pg. 148)

He observes, “many have insisted that since Luke has shepherds out in the field on the night of Jesus’ birth (Lk 2:8), Christ could not have been born in winter. This assertion rests on … later Jewish sources that place the grazing period for sheep between April and November. Yet since these sources are dated centuries after the time of Jesus, their historical reliability on such matters is questionable. Furthermore, an earlier report from the Mishnah, a second-century source… implies that Passover lambs grazed in February, one of the coldest months of the year. If that is the case, there is no reason to think shepherds could not have been in the field in the winter… Furthermore, we cannot rule out the possibility of an unusually warm winter. All things being equal, the account of the shepherds’ location does seem to make a winter date less likely. Still, we should not hang too much on this detail.” (Pg. 149-150)

He states, “recent writers have argued that we can determine the time of year Zechariah had his encounter with Gabriel by … the fact that Zechariah is said to be from the priestly line of Abijah [Lk 1:5]… [But the] case that Zechariah’s priestly division served in the temple in September is chock-full of problems… First… of the later Jewish works such as the Babylonian Talmud… [and] the Dead Sea Scrolls… the data they provide is insufficient to reconstruct what was happening year by year in the Jerusalem temple. Second… we cannot assume that [priestly courses] ran without interruption or variations. Ancient Jews… did not have or regular system of ‘leap years’… In sum, we cannot determine when Zechariah was serving in the temple based on Luke’s narrative.” (Pg. 151-152)

He argues, “Many have placed the origins of Christmas in the Roman festival of Saturnalia… Yet the problem … is that their dates do not line up. Saturnalia ran from December 17 to December 23---NOT December 25!... A second … approach [suggests]… the day was chosen … because Romans worshipped a sun god [‘Sol Invictus’] on this date… Yet [this] notion is increasingly questioned by scholars… the first historical source that confirms that a pagan god was worshipped on December 25 is called the ‘Chronograph,’ which was compiled in A.D. 336… We therefore have no hard evidence that December 25 was connected to a sun god until the Chronograph… Remarkably, the Chronograph also contains the earliest contestable reference to the fact that Christians celebrated Christmas on December 25…” (Pg. 155-156)

He continues, “Many ancient Christian writers such as Julius Africanus believed that God created the sun on March 25… Africanus and others therefore placed the conception on this day… But why connect Christ and the sun?... various New Testament passages apply sun and light imagery to Jesus… Jesus’ conception marked the beginning of a new creation… It is no surprise, then, that December 25 became a popular date for Jesus’ birth. The date worked well with the winter solstice.” (Pg. 162-163) Later, he adds, “by choosing December 25, the Church chose to commemorate the birth of Jesus during a time of year that was already associated with feasting and celebration.” (Pg. 172)

He also notes, “there is good reason to believe Saint Nicholas was a real person… In around 260 A.D., Nicholas was born in… what is now the nation of Turkey. He went on to be ordained a priest. Eventually, he was named bishop of Myra… Many believe he attended the Council of Nicaea in the year 325, though the evidence for this is uncertain.” (Pg. 180-181)

This book will be of great interest to Christians (particularly Catholics) who want to know more about the birth of Jesus, and the Christmas feast.

[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.

[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.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each chapter is titled using a Christmas song, and the author uses the songs as a springing off point to discuss the truths of Christmas in each chapter. I enjoyed this structure as it can make these songs more meaningful when one hears them throughout the Christmas season.

This is more of a Theological rather than Spiritual read, as there’s a fairly academic flavor to the book. Lots of time is spent interpreting scripture, new and Old Testament, to aid in understanding of the Nativity. The author provides footnotes throughout the book to show from where he got much of his information and ideas. And in general summarizes other information. A reader could use this book as an introductory work toward deeper study of some of the topics mentioned.

The last two chapters on the date of Christmas and the evolution of the celebration of the feast were particularly interesting to me.

[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 ❤️

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Public scholarship at its best. A great book dispelling myths and legends about the history of Christmas and offering a well-grounded study of the biblical texts and historical context for the holy day. Highly recommend.

[Alan · 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.

[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.

[Kristen Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as a Christmas gift for being a Faith Formation Catechist. I would read it a while, put it down, and then come back to it.

It is a nice study and summary into the history of religious traditions surrounding Christmas, Biblical context, historical context, and trying to sort truth, myth, legend and pure fiction.

[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.