The Integral Age Theory: Why Christmas is 25th December

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

There is a reason why the birth of Christ (a.s.) is set on the 25^th December, and the Annunciation on the 25^th March.  This is based on the belief in the Integral doctrine, or the integral age.  Integralism is the belief, common in ancient Judaism, that prophets died on the same day that they were born, or the day they were conceived.  This has been carried over to Islam, in the birth and death of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.).  Thus, the prophets were said to have lived entire years.  “Integral” is derived from the Latin “integer”, meaning “whole”. 

It was the belief of many of the early Christian that Jesus (a.s.) was crucified on 25^th March.  Based on integralism, that would mean he was either conceived or born on the 25^th March.  The consensus then was that it was the conception, because that was what the angel Gabriel announced: 

Luke 1:26-38

²⁶ When the sixth month came, God Sent the angel Gabriel to a city of Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷ where a virgin dwelt, betrothed to a man of David’s lineage; his name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name was Mary.  ²⁸ Into her presence the angel came, and said, “Hail, thou who art full of grace; the Lord is with thee; Blessed art thou among women.”  ²⁹ She was much perplexed at hearing him speak so, and cast about in her mind, what she was to make of such a greeting.  ³⁰ Then the angel said to her, “Mary, do not be afraid; thou hast found Favour in the Sight of God.  ³¹ And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call him ‘Jesus’.  ³² He shall be great, and men will know him for the Son of the Most High; the Lord God will Give him the throne of his father, David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob eternally; ³³ his kingdom shall never have an end.”  ³⁴ But Mary said to the angel, “How can that be, since I have no knowledge of man?”  ³⁵ And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon thee, and the power of the Most High will overshadow thee.  Thus, this holy offspring of thine shall be known for the Son of God.  ³⁶ See, moreover, how it fares with thy cousin Elizabeth; she is old, yet she too has conceived a son; she who was reproached with barrenness is now in her sixth month, ³⁷ to prove that nothing can be impossible with God.”  38 And Mary said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be unto me according to thy word.”  And with that the angel left her. 

²⁶ Ἐν δὲ τῷ μηνὶ τῷ ἕκτῳ ἀπεστάλη ὁ ἄγγελος Γαβριὴλ ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς πόλιν τῆς Γαλιλαίας ᾗ ὄνομα Ναζαρὲθ ²⁷ πρὸς παρθένον ἐμνηστευμένην ἀνδρὶ ᾧ ὄνομα Ἰωσὴφ ἐξ οἴκου Δαυίδ, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς παρθένου Μαριάμ.  ²⁸ καὶ εἰσελθὼν πρὸς αὐτὴν εἶπεν: χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ κύριος μετὰ σοῦ.  ²⁹ ἡ δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ λόγῳ διεταράχθη, καὶ διελογίζετο ποταπὸς εἴη ὁ ἀσπασμὸς οὗτος.  ³⁰ καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ἄγγελος αὐτῇ: μὴ φοβοῦ, Μαριάμ: εὗρες γὰρ χάριν παρὰ τῷ θεῷ: ³¹ καὶ ἰδοὺ συλλήμψῃ ἐν γαστρὶ καὶ τέξῃ υἱόν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν.  ³² οὗτος ἔσται μέγας καὶ υἱὸς ὑψίστου κληθήσεται, καὶ δώσει αὐτῷ κύριος ὁ θεὸς τὸν θρόνον Δαυὶδ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, ³³ καὶ βασιλεύσει ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰακὼβ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔσται τέλος.  ³⁴ εἶπεν δὲ Μαριὰμ πρὸς τὸν ἄγγελον: πῶς ἔσται τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω; ³⁵ καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ ἄγγελος εἶπεν αὐτῇ, πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σέ, καὶ δύναμις ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει σοι: διὸ καὶ τὸ γεννώμενον ἅγιον κληθήσεται, υἱὸς θεοῦ.  ³⁶ καὶ ἰδοὺ Ἐλισάβετ ἡ συγγενίς σου καὶ αὐτὴ συνείληφεν υἱὸν ἐν γήρει αὐτῆς, καὶ οὗτος μὴν ἕκτος ἐστὶν αὐτῇ τῇ καλουμένῃ στείρᾳ: ³⁷ ὅτι οὐκ ἀδυνατήσει παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ πᾶν ῥῆμα.  ³⁸ εἶπεν δὲ Μαριάμ: ἰδοὺ ἡ δούλη κυρίου: γένοιτό μοι κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου. καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ἀπ' αὐτῆς ὁ ἄγγελος. 

²⁶ In mense autem sexto, missus est angelus Gabriel a Deo in civitatem Galilææ, cui nomen Nazareth, ²⁷ ad virginem desponsatam viro, cui nomen erat Joseph, de domo David: et nomen virginis Maria.  ²⁸ Et ingressus angelus ad eam dixit: Ave gratia plena: Dominus tecum: benedicta tu in mulieribus.  ²⁹ Quæ cum audisset, turbata est in sermone ejus, et cogitabat qualis esset ista salutatio.  ³⁰ Et ait angelus ei: Ne timeas, Maria: invenisti enim gratiam apud Deum.  ³¹ Ecce concipies in utero, et paries filium, et vocabis nomen ejus Jesum: ³² hic erit magnus, et Filius Altissimi vocabitur, et dabit illi Dominus Deus sedem David patris ejus: et regnabit in domo Jacob in æternum, ³³ et regni ejus non erit finis.  ³⁴ Dixit autem Maria ad angelum: Quomodo fiet istud, quoniam virum non cognosco?  ³⁵ Et respondens angelus dixit ei: Spiritus Sanctus superveniet in te, et virtus Altissimi obumbrabit tibi. Ideoque et quod nascetur ex te sanctum, vocabitur Filius Dei.  ³⁶ Et ecce Elisabeth cognata tua, et ipsa concepit filium in senectute sua: et hic mensis sextus est illi, quæ vocatur sterilis: ³⁷ quia non erit impossibile apud Deum omne verbum.  ³⁸ Dixit autem Maria: Ecce ancilla Domini: fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.  Et discessit ab illa angelus. 

Going by this, that would make the date of Jesus’ (a.s.) birth the 25^th December. 

This belief that the dates of Advent and Christmas were formerly pagan holidays is absolutely nonsense.  They were picked based on the day Christ (a.s.) was thought to have been crucified.  One of the main proponents of this idea was the Church Father, Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus. 

It was Tertullian who is thought to have forwarded the belief that Jesus (a.s.) was crucified “in the month of March, at the times of the Passover, on the eighth day before the calends of April,” as written in his Adversus Judaeos. 

In the Roman calendar, the calends referred to the first days of the month.  It is from this word that we get our word for calendar.  So, if Jesus (a.s.) was crucified eight days before the calends of April, that would mean he was crucified on the 25^th March. 

That being said, modern Biblical scholars are unanimous that Tertullian was mistaken.  The four canonical Gospels all state that Jesus (a.s.) was crucified on a Friday, at Passover, during the reign of Pontius Pilate as governor.  We know that no Friday, at Passover, fell on the 25^th March during those years; Tertullian was mistaken.  But that being said, that was what was believed for a long time.