Pope allegedly said Christmas calendar is wrong

[Redeye]

Anyone else troubled or baffled as to why after all these years the Pope corrects traditions on the date of Christ being born, angels singing during birth of Christ, and claims there were no animals that existed in the manger.

Below is a short summary from CNN website:

(CNN) – It’s Christmas, but not as you know it: a new book released this week by Pope Benedict XVI looks at the early life of Jesus – and debunks several myths about how the Nativity unfolded.

In “Jesus of Nazareth – The Infancy Narratives,” the pope says the Christian calendar is actually based on a blunder by a sixth century monk, who Benedict says was several years off in his calculation of Jesus’ birth date.

Read more: Egypt’s Coptic Christians pick new pope

According to the pope’s research, there is also no evidence in the Gospels that the cattle and other animals traditionally pictured gathered around the manger were actually present.

Pope debunks Christmas myths He also debunks the claim that angels sang at the birth, a staple theme of Christmas carols…

 

[Mrs_Sally]

It doesn’t sound like he’s forbidding anyone from continuing current traditions. Much of what he says has been discussed by historians and scripture scholars for awhile and it hasn’t affected us at all. I don’t expect any nativity plays or hymns to be scrapped any time soon.

 

[agnes_therese]

Anyone else troubled or baffled as to why after all these years the Pope corrects traditions on the date of Christ being born, angels singing during birth of Christ, and claims there were no animals that existed in the manger.

Below is a short summary from CNN website:

(CNN) – It’s Christmas, but not as you know it: a new book released this week by Pope Benedict XVI looks at the early life of Jesus – and debunks several myths about how the Nativity unfolded.

In “Jesus of Nazareth – The Infancy Narratives,” the pope says the Christian calendar is actually based on a blunder by a sixth century monk, who Benedict says was several years off in his calculation of Jesus’ birth date.

Read more: Egypt’s Coptic Christians pick new pope

According to the pope’s research, there is also no evidence in the Gospels that the cattle and other animals traditionally pictured gathered around the manger were actually present.

Pope debunks Christmas myths He also debunks the claim that angels sang at the birth, a staple theme of Christmas carols…

We’ve known for a long time that the year was probably off by a few. The animals are just a tradition. What’s wrong with the Pope pointing out what’s actually in the gospels?

 

[subject97]

Do note that the book wasn’t written by “pope Benedict xvi”, but by “Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger”. This meaning that he didn’t write it with the authority of the pope, but just as himself.

 

[The_Scott]

Anyone else troubled or baffled as to why after all these years the Pope corrects traditions on the date of Christ being born,

It has been known for a long time that we are off 4-6 (roughly) years. That is a historical fact.

angels singing during birth of Christ,

True, he does say that the Bible uses the verb “to say” not “to sing.” However, as he points out not more than a page later: “Christianity has always understood the speech of angels is actually song.” So the Bible uses “to say” for the speech of the angels, yes; but the speech of the angels are actually perpetual songs.

and claims there were no animals that existed in the manger.

There is no Bible quote that says there are animals present. That as well is a fact. However, as the Pope says, “no representation of the crib is complete” without animals.

It really isn’t that big of a deal, except the media is making amazingly sensational claims that he has cancelled Christmas or has debunked Christmas! And I thought I actually trusted some of the media.

Read this:
foxnews.com/world/2012/11/30/bah-humbug-social-media-reports-pope-has-not-canceled-christmas/

 

[thistle]

Anyone else troubled or baffled as to why after all these years the Pope corrects traditions on the date of Christ being born, angels singing during birth of Christ, and claims there were no animals that existed in the manger.

Below is a short summary from CNN website:

(CNN) – It’s Christmas, but not as you know it: a new book released this week by Pope Benedict XVI looks at the early life of Jesus – and debunks several myths about how the Nativity unfolded.

In “Jesus of Nazareth – The Infancy Narratives,” the pope says the Christian calendar is actually based on a blunder by a sixth century monk, who Benedict says was several years off in his calculation of Jesus’ birth date.

Read more: Egypt’s Coptic Christians pick new pope

According to the pope’s research, there is also no evidence in the Gospels that the cattle and other animals traditionally pictured gathered around the manger were actually present.

Pope debunks Christmas myths He also debunks the claim that angels sang at the birth, a staple theme of Christmas carols…

The actual date of Christ’s birth is not known and anyway does not matter. Knowing or not knowing has no impact on our faith or salvation.

 

[1_with_God]

Great PR for the book, should up the sales by the $$$$thousands!!!

Have known since childhood that 12/25 may not be the exact date when Jesus was born. but we are celebrating the birth of our beloved Jesus because we LOVE HIM.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.

 

[Jessup]

I always thought that christmas was just a pick up of the old pagan holidays from the old roman empire. I had read once that the estimation of Jesus’s birth was in September not December.
The star also possibly being a comment that had a long orbit

 

[George_Stegmeir]

According to the Gospel of Luke, the original date of the Immaculate Conception would have been sometime between late August or September by the Gregorian Calender, which would put Christ’s actual birth sometimein June! In addition, Modern historical astronomers have determined that the Star of Bethleham was actually a confluence of astronomical bodies that actually occured ca. 3 B.C. Which puts Christ’s death in the year 30 A.D.

 

[Redeye]

It doesn’t sound like he’s forbidding anyone from continuing current traditions. Much of what he says has been discussed by historians and scripture scholars for awhile and it hasn’t affected us at all. I don’t expect any nativity plays or hymns to be scrapped any time soon.

agree no one is forbiden, what is troubling is the Pope blames these errors on a delusional Monk back in 6th century., it begs the question what else is errant?

 

[PaulfromIowa]

Anyone else troubled or baffled as to why after all these years the Pope corrects traditions on the date of Christ being born

You are mistaken. The Church has never claimed that Christ was born on December 25. That is just the feast day of the Nativity, the day we celebrate his birth.

 

[The_Scott]

agree no one is forbiden, what is troubling is the Pope blames these errors on a delusional Monk back in 6th century., it begs the question what else is errant?

He hardly called the monk delusional. Also, what difference does it make if christ was born 1 AD or 3 BC? As long as he was born!

Conisidering there were no calculators, Internet, or annals at that time, the fact that this monk was ONLY 3 or so years off is amazing by itself.

 

[centurionguard]

It doesn’t bother me that the date is off a few years. It doesn’t change the occurance of the biblical Birth narrative happening near or round-about the season of the Festival of Lights Chanukah, the Winter Solstice and the pagan celebration of Saturnus according to the account decree of the Roman Census. Perhaps the blunder of the 6th century monk was partially the reason for mixing the date of the Church using December 25th instead of old Christmas Day, January 6th. Again what does it really matter. Its all semantics.

 

[Redeye]

You are mistaken. The Church has never claimed that Christ was born on December 25. That is just the feast day of the Nativity, the day we celebrate his birth.

The Pope just corrected the record from an errant Monk in the 6th century

 

[amsjj]

Found this link via the Curt Jester’s blog:
“Read all about it: Pope has not cancelled Christmas” –
reuters.com/article/2012/11/28/pope-book-christmas-idUSL5E8MS3WO20121128

 

[patrick457]

Two words: old news. The Holy Father hasn’t debunked or forbidden anything. Heck, there might not even have been a stable as we imagine it or an inn for that matter.

 

[superamazingman]

Do note that the book wasn’t written by “pope Benedict xvi”, but by “Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger”. This meaning that he didn’t write it with the authority of the pope, but just as himself.

Ratzinger = B16.

Author = Ratzinger.

Therefore, Author = B16.

Seems pretty easy to me.

 

[The_Scott]

Ratzinger = B16.

Author = Ratzinger.

Therefore, Author = B16.

Seems pretty easy to me.

While the two names refer to the same person, Benedict purposely put “Joseph Ratzinger” to indicate that he was not speaking as the head of the Catholic Church, but through his personal opinions as a theologian.

 

[patrick457]

agree no one is forbiden, what is troubling is the Pope blames these errors on a delusional Monk back in 6th century., it begs the question what else is errant?

You’re calling Dionysus Exiguus, author of a treatise on elementary mathematics and translator and compiler of the canons of different Church councils, the “most learned abbot of the city of Rome” ‘delusional’?

 

[Redeye]

Two words: old news. The Holy Father hasn’t debunked or forbidden anything. Heck, there might not even have been a stable as we imagine it or an inn for that matter.

has anyone claimed “forbidden”?

the point is that errors were made based on a blunder by a 6th century Monk. What else is errant for the past 1400 years?

It’s like the new missal that basically corrected the old missal.