Records trace the celebration of Jesus' birth in the Roman Empire dating back to 325 or 336. The official recognition of Christmas began after Pope Liberius declared the night connecting Dec. 24 to Dec. 25 as Jesus's birthday during the final years of Byzantine Emperor Constantine's reign.
Dec 26, 2023
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Which pope decided Christmas Day?
Christmas started on December 25, 336 A.D., when the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine, was in charge. After some time had passed, Pope Julius I announced that the birth of Jesus would be commemorated on December 25.
Who declared Christmas as Jesus' birthday?
The church in Rome began formally celebrating Christmas on December 25 in 336, during the reign of the emperor Constantine. As Constantine had made Christianity the effective religion of the empire, some have speculated that choosing this date had the political motive of weakening the established pagan celebrations.
In what year did Bishop Liberius set Christmas?
The Catholic Church reinforced that decision in 354 when Bishop Liberius of Rome also ordered Jesus' birth commemorated on the 25th. These actions fueled the ire of many Christians who refused to obey the decrees because of the date's long association with the pagan festivals.
Dec 20, 2017
What happened to Pope Liberius?
He reigned as pope for 14 years through some tumultuous times, when Arianism was still in full force, and when the emperor (Constantius) was particularly favorable to this unorthodox view. Liberius was exiled for a time but was eventually returned to Rome and given a hero's welcome by the faithful.
Dec 25, 2023 · According to Catholic tradition, Pope Liberius who in 354, would have instituted the feast of the Nativity in Rome on December 25, when the ...
This occurred in 350. Four years would pass until Pope Liberius approved the date as an official celebration. The Christian and the pagan festival blended and ...
Pope Liberius (310 – 24 September 366) was the bishop of Rome from 17 May 352 until his death. According to the Catalogus Liberianus, he was consecrated on ...
The Western Roman church chose December 25 as its primary celebration of the birth of Christ, as documented by the decree of Pope Liberius in 354 A.D. Gradually ...
Usener, indeed, argues (p. 272) that Liberius preached it on that day in 353, instituting the Nativity feast in the December of the same year; but Philocalus ...
For instance, Christmas was celebrated in Rome by Pope Liberius (352-66) on Dec. 25. On Dec. 25, 379, St. Gregory Nazianzus preached a Christmas sermon in ...
Dec 20, 2017 · The Catholic Church reinforced that decision in 354 when Bishop Liberius of Rome also ordered Jesus' birth commemorated on the 25th.
The first records to show that Christmas was celebrated on December 25 th are references to Pope Liberius, from 352 to 366 A.D. In 379 A.D., St. Gregory ...
It is claimed – falsely – that Pope Julius declared December 25th as Christmas after patriarch Cyril of Jerusalem asked for clarification on what date ...