This week in Christian history: First recorded Christmas celebration; ‘Amazing Grace’ hymn writer dies
First recorded Christmas celebration – Dec. 25, 336
This week marks the anniversary of what is believed to be the earliest known celebration of Christmas, taking place over three centuries after Jesus Christ was born.
For the first few centuries of Christianity, there was little emphasis on celebrating the birth of Jesus, with greater focus being put on His baptism and resurrection from the dead.
A document from 354 centered on Roman bishops included the statement "25 Dec.: natus Christus in Betleem Judeae" which translates to “Dec. 25th, Christ born in Bethlehem, Judea.”
“The church in Rome began formally celebrating Christmas on December 25 in 336, during the reign of the emperor Constantine,” explains Britannica. “[S]ome have speculated that choosing this date had the political motive of weakening the established pagan celebrations.”
“The date was not widely accepted in the Eastern Empire, where January 6 had been favored, for another half-century, and Christmas did not become a major Christian festival until the 9th century.”
