Apologetics / Reflections Catholic Church Catholic Faith Christian

DEC 25 FOR ANTI-HOLIDAY CROWD pt1: WAS CHRISTMAS DAY TOO COLD?

By: Admin Pastor Manny

Photo Image: https://historicbethlehem.org

Today, we are celebrating the beginning of the Church’s new liturgical year. We are celebrating the beginning of the Advent, the season that prepares us for the celebration of Christmas. I’m also happy since some non-Catholic Christians celebrate this together with us in preparation for the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior. Unfortunately, some Christians who are included in this “Anti-Holiday Crowd” believed that celebrating this event is unbiblical. They also believe that it’s improbable that December 25 was the day when Jesus was born for different reasons and today, I will debunk one of their theories.

One example of their theories is that it’s improbable that the birth of Christ took place on December 25 primarily because it’s too cold at that time. Eli Soriano, the “undefeated” preacher, loved to cite Luke 2:8-11 and made some sort of commentary on this one.

Luke 2:8-11
8 And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; 11 for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

This is what Eli Soriano:
“Using simple common sense, no shepherd will bring out his sheep at night when fields were covered with knee-deep snow.”
Unfortunately, he is simply wrong on a number of issues. This is his argument. It’s too cold in Bethlehem at that time. The fields were covered with “knee-deep” snow and as such, shepherds could not bring their sheep at night. Are all his assertions and opinions true?

Genesis 31:38-40
38 These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flocks. 39 That which was torn of beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it myself. You required it of my hand whether stolen by day or stolen by night. 40 Thus I was: by day the [a]heat consumed me and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.

This passage is clear as day. What we have is Jacob taking care of his flock for 20 years. And, let’s look at the setting. He tended the flock through drought and through frost by night. In Soriano’s view, it’s impossible for Jacob to do such thing given that it’s too cold for him to perform that action. And, any honest person can recognize that Soriano was simply against facts. Even assuming that Soriano does not want biblical facts, maybe we can go to weather facts and I will cite from the weather forecast in Bethlehem.

WINTER WEATHER IN BETHLEHEM
“The winter months in Bethlehem are from November to March and although it does get cold the Bethlehem winter weather is still warm compared to European winters. The reason Bethlehem – which is really in a desert – does have cold weather is because it is on a range of hills and at an elevation of 2,400 meters above sea level it.”

WEATHER AT CHRISTMAS TIME IN BETHLEHEM
“If you are lucky you may experience a white Christmas in Bethlehem, although rare some years there is a light snow fall.
It is winter in Bethlehem at Christmas time and although snow does fall in Bethlehem it is not that common, the weather gets cold and there is frost in the early morning but snow, if at all is light.”

Is it cold in Bethlehem during winter? Yes

Is it too cold in Bethlehem during winter? No

On my next article, I will debunk the theory that we got the date from a pagan origin.

Read more about the weather in Bethlehemhttp://bethlehem-israel.info

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