Christmas Day Misconception: Why Jesus Wasn’t Born on December 25

There is no historical and biblical proof that December 25 is Yeshua’s birthday. The first three centuries Christians never celebrated Yeshua’s birthday. They are more focus on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They do celebrate Easter, but not the death or birthday of Yeshua. 

I often see contemporary Christians cite Tertullian of Carthage, Hippolytus of Rome, and Liber Pontificalis as references on why Jesus birthday was December 25.

However, it seems like they intentionally ignore Clement of Alexandria who never mention the date December 25 as Jesus birth in his writings, and Origen of Alexandria who solemnly rejects the idea of "birthdays" as they viewed it tied to "pagan worship" in their time.

Because some writings were disregarded, vulnerable Christians just blindly accept December 25, failing to recognize that all 1st-3rd century Christians did was "speculate", "calculate", and "debate" Jesus' birthday. They actually never "confirmed" Jesus birth as December 25.

Let me explain on why the most cited references Christians used are insufficient to substantiate the claim that Jesus was born on December 25.

1. Tertullian of Carthage (c.160 - d.225 CE)

In Against the Jews, ch.8, written around 198-208 CE,  Tertullian never said that Jesus was born on December 25. He only said Jesus died on March 25. The text thus runs:

"in the consulate of Rubellius Geminus and Fufius Geminus, in the month of March, at the times of the passover, on the eight day before the calends of April (March 25), on the first day of unleavened bread, on which they slew the lamb at even, just as had been enjoined by Moses."

Here you see that Tertullian only said in this text that Jesus died on the cross on March 25. However, he did not comment on Jesus’ birth, as some Christians claim he did.

Subsequently, this has been used by late Christians such as Hippolytus of Rome and the writer of Liber Pontificalis of choosing December 25 as Jesus birthday. 

2. Clement of Alexandria (c.150 - d.215 CE)

In Stromata 1.21, written around 200-215 CE, Clement of Alexandria explained that some Christians during their time has been calculating Jesus birth as Pachon 25(May 20), Tubi 15(January 10), Tubi 11(January 6), and Pharmuthi 25(April 20), but none of them calculated December 25 as Jesus birthday.

"And there are those who have determined not only the year of our Lord's birth, but also the day; and they say that it took place in the twenty-eighth year of Augustus, and in the twenty-fifth day of Pachon. And the followers of Basilides hold the day of his baptism as a festival, spending the night before in readings.

And they say that it was the fifteenth year of Tiberius Cæsar, the fifteenth day of the month Tubi; and some that it was the eleventh of the same month. And treating of His passion, with very great accuracy, some say that it took place in the sixteenth year of Tiberius, on the twenty-fifth of Phamenoth; and others the twenty-fifth of Pharmuthi and others say that on the nineteenth of Pharmuthi the Saviour suffered. Further, others say that He was born on the twenty-fourth or twenty-fifth of Pharmuthi." 

This strongly suggest that not only Christians from the West Roman Empire does not celebrate Jesus birthday, but also Christians from the East Roman Empire.

3. Hippolytus of Rome (c.170 - d.235 CE)

In Commentary on Daniel 4.23, written around 204–211 CE, Hippolytus has affirm that Jesus birth was December 25.

"For the first advent of our Lord in the flesh, when he was born in Bethlehem, was December 25th, Wednesday, while Augustus was reigning in his forty-second year, but in the five thousand and five hundredth year from Adam. He suffered in the thirty-third year, March 25th, Friday, the eighteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, while Rufus and Roubellion were Consuls [and Gaius Caesar, for the fourth time, and Gaius Cestius Saturninus]. 

In ancient Jewish thought and early Christian tradition, there existed a concept known as the “Integral Age Theory.” This theory held that “perfect men” were destined to die on the same date they were conceived or born.

Applying this to Jesus, who was crucified on March 25, it was reasoned by early Christians that his conception also fell on March 25. Adding nine months from this date yields December 25 as the date of his birth.

So, December 25 was chosen by early Christians based on tradition and the Integral Age Theory, not because it was historically correct.

4. Origen of Alexandria (c.185 - d.254 CE)

Given the fact that Hippolytus of Rome already mention Jesus birthday as December 25, does that mean they already accepted and celebrated this date?

The answer is no.

In Homilies on Leviticus 8.3.2, written around 238 CE, Origen solemnly rejects the idea of birthday celebrations. He wrote:

"And you may know that there is something great in this and such that it has not come from the thought to any of the saints; not one from all the saints is found to have celebrated a festive day or a great feast on the day of his birth. No one is found to have had joy on the day of the birth of his son or daughter. Only sinners rejoice over this kind of birthday. For indeed we find in the Old Testament, Pharaoh king of Egypt, celebrating the day of his birth with a festival, and in the New Testament, Herod. However, both of them stained the festival of his birth by shedding human blood. For the Pharaoh killed “the chief baker”, Herod the only prophet John “in prison”. But the saints not only do not celebrate a festival on their birth days, but filled with the Holy Spirit, curse that day.” 

This suggests that the Eastern Roman Empire still did not celebrate birthdays in the early 3rd century CE as they were still considered a "pagan practice".

5. Liber Pontificalis (530 CE)

According to Louis-Marie-Olivier Duchesne, a French priest and church historian, the first modern editor of the Liber Pontificalis was written in Rome by an anonymous author, probably a member of the lesser clergy, in the 530s. (University of Oxford, accessed December 30, 2025)

Under the section of Telesphorus, here is the wording:

"Telesphorus, by nationality, a Greek, a previously an anchorite, occupied the see 11 years, 3 months and 21 days. He was bishop in the time of Antoninus and Marcus. He ordained that the fast of seven weeks should be kept before Easter.

He appointed that at the season of the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ masses should be celebrated during the night; for in general no one presumed to celebrate mass before tierce, the hour when our Llfd ascended the cross; and that at the opening of the sacrifice the angelic hymn should be repeated, namely, "Gloria in excessis deo" etc., but only upon the night of Lord's nativity."

My contradiction to Liber Pontificalis is this: Telesphorus is the bishop of Rome from 125 - 136 CE, but none of the 1st-3rd century Christians ever mention Telesphorus celebrating Jesus birthday.

In my view, this is only an attempt of a 6th-century Christian writer to push back a late church celebration into the 2nd century CE.

So to repeat with clarity: The 1st-3rd century Christians never celebrated Jesus birthday as December 25.

The celebration of Jesus birthday only started after Emperor Constantine (of the East Roman Empire) and Licinius (of the West Roman Empire) legalized "religious tolerance" in the whole Roman Empire by signing the Edict of Milan in 313 CE. This decree granted the early Christians the freedom for public worship and to celebrate religious feasts without fear of persecution.

The first ever record of Jesus birthday was written in Chronography of 354. But it is not written in the Philocalian calendar. What is written in the Philocalian calendar, on the month of December, day 25, in Part 6, is the celebration of Sol Invictus or the “Unconquered sun.” (look at December 25 below)

The Chronography of 354 AD. Part 6: the calendar of Philocalus.

Yeshua’s birthday was written somewhere in Part 8 of Chronology of 354 where the minor feasts and celebration are listed. Which means to say that the Roman pagan festival Sol Invictus is originally celebrated on December 25 throughout the Roman Empire. Jesus birthday as December 25 is only celebrated after by the 4th century CE Christians.

The Chronography of 354 AD. Part 8: Consular feasts from the fall of the kings to AD 354.