Does Rome Have Christ's Birth Certificate?

In fulfillment of prophecy, the Messiah was born in Bethlehem (see Bethlehem In History And Prophecy). It came about by means of a census, called by Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire (see The Politics Of Rome and Pax Romana: The Birth Of The Roman Empire; also The Cleopatra Connection).

"^2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world [see also Legions Of Men And Angels] should be taxed. ^2:2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) ^2:3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city." (Luke 2:1-3 KJV)

So it was that Joseph and Mary journeyed to their ancestral town, Bethlehem (see also The Messianic Role Of Naomi, Ruth And Boaz).

"^2:4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth [see Why Bethlehem, Egypt, Nazareth And Capernaum?], into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) ^2:5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. ^2:6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. ^2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." (Luke 2:4-7 KJV)

If those Roman census records were to be found today, they would, in effect, provide an official birth certificate for Jesus Christ - if the birth occurred between the time that Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem and registered in the census (as would seem to be the case, since they found "no room for them in the inn" upon their arrival, and the birth). Even if the birth occurred after Joseph and Mary had themselves registered, their census recording would still provide a date for Christ's birth, within a few days. The finding of those census records would provide the Church of Rome with documented proof of the date of the birth of Jesus Christ.

If the records were found (if they haven't been already, over the centuries - assuming that they were ever "lost"), would "Rome" make them public? No, not likely at all, because such records would almost certainly prove that the Messiah was not born on December 25 - or in winter at all. The Truth about the date would deeply undermine Rome's man-made doctrines.

There is no Biblical record (or anywhere else, except in those census records) of the specific date of Christ's birth. If it were to be an important day to observe as Christians, why isn't the date recorded in the Holy Bible - as are every other of the Holy Days (on the Biblical calendar - see the Holy Day Calendar link above) that the LORD did command His people to observe?

Although the Holy Bible doesn't tell us when the Messiah was born, it does tell us when He wasn't born. Shepherds did not leave their flocks fully out ("abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night") in the open during the cold, wet winter season that is experienced in the Judean hills of Bethlehem. Shepherds customarily pastured their flocks in that way only between spring (i.e. late March on the Roman calendar) to mid-autumn (mid-November on the Roman calendar). According to the Holy Scriptures, the birth of Christ occurred during that unsheltered pasture season, not in winter, or "December" (ironically, the verses that prove that the birth of Christ was not in December are some of the most-quoted verses by those who observe "Christmas").

"^2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ^2:9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. ^2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ^2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. ^2:12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

^2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

^2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

^2:15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

^2:16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. ^2:17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. ^2:18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. ^2:19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. ^2:20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them." (Luke 2:8-20 KJV)

"There were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night"

How and why then did the Church of Rome happen to select December 25 for "Christmas"? The answer may be found in the ancient Roman observance of "Sol Invictus," which was celebrated at the time of the winter solstice, when pagans noticed that the sunlight hours of the day begin to grow longer again. The choice of December 25 for "Christmas" was based on the same sun god for which they created their "sun day" (see Why Observe The True Sabbath?).

"Sol Invictus ("Invincible Sun") was the official sun god of the later Roman empire. In 274 Aurelian made it an official cult alongside the traditional Roman cults. Scholars disagree whether the new deity was a refoundation of the ancient Latin cult of Sol, a revival of the cult of Elagabalus or completely new. The god was favored by emperors after Aurelian and appeared on their coins until Constantine [see Constantine's Crusades In History And Prophecy]. The last inscription referring to Sol Invictus dates to 387 AD and there were enough devotees in the 5th century that Augustine found it necessary to preach against them. Modern scholars debate whether the December 25 date of Christmas was selected to correspond with the Roman festival of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti or "Birthday of Sol Invictus."

Emperors portrayed Sol Invictus on their official coinage, with a wide range of legends, only a few of which incorporated the epithet invictus, such as the legend Soli Invicyo Comiti, claiming the Unconquered Sun as a companion to the Emperor, used with particular frequency by Constantine. Statuettes of Sol Invictus, carried by the standard-bearers, appear in three places in reliefs on the Arch of Constantine. Constantine's official coinage continues to bear images of Sol until 325/6. A solidus of Constantine as well as a gold medallion from his reign depict the Emperor's bust in profile twinned ("jugate") with Sol Invictus, with the legend Invictus Constantinus.

Constantine decreed (March 7, 321) dies Solis-day of the sun, "Sunday"-as the Roman day of rest:

On the venerable day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country however persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits because it often happens that another day is not suitable for grain-sowing or vine planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost."
(Wikipedia article "Sol Invictus" December 23 2011)

The actual year of Christ's birth has also been befuddled by Rome. The Roman "BC" ("Before Christ") and "AD" (Latin Anno Domini i.e. "Year of Our Lord") system did not exist at the time of Christ's birth. It was invented by a Church of Rome monk, Dionysius Exiguus, centuries later. The monk made errors while trying to create his Easter calendar system (the Church of Rome replaced Passover with the Roman/Babylonian "Easter"), which further resulted in their estimate of Christ's birth being moved into "BC." Many have wrongly blamed the Holy Bible for Jesus Christ now being popularly believed to have been born in BC, or "Before Christ," but it was the monk's arrogant bungling (he time-warped history to "fit" his calendar, rather than basing his calendar on facts) that produced the errors in the Roman calendar; the unerring Word of God is not to blame for a BC-AD system that didn't even exist at the time of Christ's birth.

"Dionysius Exiguus (Dennis the Small, Dennis the Little or Dennis the Short, meaning humble) (c.?470 - c.?544) was a 6th-century monk born in Scythia Minor, modern Dobruja shared by Romania and Bulgaria. He was a member of the Scythian monks community concentrated in Tomis, the major city of Scythia Minor. Dionysius is best known as the inventor of the Anno Domini era, which is used to number the years of both the Gregorian calendar and the (Christianized) Julian calendar."
(Wikipedia article "Dionysius Exiguus" December 23 2011)

"Anno Domini (abbreviated as AD or A.D.) and Before Christ (abbreviated as BC or B.C.) are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars. This calendar era is based on the traditionally reckoned year of the conception or birth of Jesus of Nazareth, with AD counting years after the start of this epoch, and BC denoting years before the start of the epoch. Alternatively, the secular abbreviations CE and BCE are used, respectively. There is no year zero in this scheme, so the year AD 1 immediately follows the year 1 BC. This dating system was devised in 525, but was not widely used until after 800."
(Wikipedia article "Anno Domini" December 23 2011)

The Anno Domini dating system was devised in 525 by Dionysius Exiguus to enumerate the years in his Easter table. His system was to replace the Diocletian era that had been used in an old Easter table because he did not wish to continue the memory of a tyrant who persecuted Christians. The last year of the old table, Diocletian 247, was immediately followed by the first year of his table, AD 532. When he devised his table, Julian calendar years were identified by naming the consuls who held office that year-he himself stated that the "present year" was "the consulship of Probus Junior", which was 525 years "since the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ".Thus Dionysius implied that Jesus' Incarnation occurred 525 years earlier, without stating the specific year during which his birth or conception occurred."
(Wikipedia article "Anno Domini" December 23 2011)

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This Day In History, December 24

1524: Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama died at age 55. He was the first recorded European to reach India by sea.

1524: Poland agreed to truces in its conflicts with both Sweden and Turkey.

1638: The Ottomans under Murad IV recaptured Baghdad from Safavid Persia (listen to our Sermon The Ottoman Empire).

1781: German immigrant Baron Friederike von Riedesel erected what is believed to be the first Christmas tree in North America, at Sorel, Quebec (listen to our Sermon The Ho-Ho Hoax).

1814: A peace treaty between Great Britain and the former New England colonies was signed at Ghent, Belgium to end the War of 1812 (1812-1814). The combatants kept fighting and dying however because the news of the war's end did not arrive from Europe for another 2 weeks (longer in some more remote areas e.g. the Battle of New Orleans).

1865: The Klu Klux Klan was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee by a group of Confederate veterans.

1914: The first air raid on Britain took place when a German monoplane dropped a single bomb on Dover.

1942: The German research station at Peenemunde successfully tested a new surface-to-surface weapon system. Called the FZG76, it later became better known as the V1 Flying Bomb (listen to our Sermon The European World Wars).

1946: The French Fourth Republic was established.

1951: Libya became an independent nation. It had been a colony of Italy from 1911, and before that was under Ottoman rule from 1551 (see also Libya In History And Prophecy).

1974: Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin, Australia.

1991: Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as leader of the Soviet Union.