Birth and Taxes

Or: The Roman IRS Made It Possible

Like many stories, this one starts because someone wanted money. In this case, the Roman Emperor Augustus needed money. Like all grand rulers before and since, he decided the best way to get this was not to go out and find a real job, but to tax people. His actions may have changed the course of history as we know it. Then again, he may have been simply a pawn of the Heavens.

Mary and Joseph had no expectation of being in Bethlehem, and, in fact, they were in Nazareth at the time the tax order was issued. Mary was in the last stage of her pregnancy, yet the tax decree forced them to go to their home of birth. (Apparently, even in those days, one did not take taxes lightly, and so they went on a southward journey to Bethlehem.) Everyone from far and wide was in town to pay up, and there were no available accommodations by the time Mary and Joseph arrived. You know the rest of the story (or at least you think you do), but there are some twists and turns that may not be in your memories of the Christmas tale.

Everyone, of course, recalls the strange case of the Three Wise Men and the Star. These wise men were, in fact, pagan priests from Persia. They were experts in the arts of divination and supernatural practices. According to the Bible, these wise men saw the star in their homeland around 6 or 7 BC, and again two years later on their way to Bethlehem. Much has been conjectured about the origin of the "Christmas Star." Halley's Comet appeared in 12 BC; hence it was too early to be seriously considered a candidate for the star in question. There was a planetary conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus in 7 BC. Though closer in date, the planetary conjunction would not have lasted long enough for "star" status. Biblical sources also indicate that the star appeared to change position during the Wise Men's road trip from Persia to Bethlehem. The mystery remains a source of scholarly disagreement everywhere.

What of the exact date of the Nativity? Here again there is scholarly conflict. The Bible alleges no month or day. Bethlehem is some 2,500 feet above sea level, and snowfall was common in winter. Common sense would dictate that tax-time would not be declared when the weather wouldn't be conducive to collection of revenue. Mary and Joseph traveled by foot and on donkey-back. Shepherds were out in the open fields with their flocks, where they were reportedly visited by an angel who spoke to them of the nativity.

If Jesus were born in a manger in a stable, had it not been temperate weather, they would have sought warmer shelter for the birth. Also, for taxes to be collected with any hope of gaining revenue, budget administrators would have likely set a time most likely to succeed -- such as when the livestock was mature, and the harvest complete. Most historical sources agree that the likely time would have been in the autumn, perhaps October, but not December.

Why then do we celebrate Christmas on December 25th? This custom was not initiated until circa 375 AD in Rome, under the instruction of Pope Liberius. Prior to that time, the nativity was celebrated only by Egyptian Christians, on January 6th. January 6th was the traditional time of the Magi's visit. It also coincided with the Egyptian celebration of the new Aion, a personification of Osiris. Aion was birthed by Kore, a "maiden." The birth was presaged by the rising of a star (Sirius), and signaled the flooding of the Nile. This flood was thought to renew the land via the spirit of Osiris. A ceremony occurred the night before that involved descending into a crypt and bringing up a wooden idol adorned with a cross and star of gold. This represented the birth process of "the Aion."

Virgin births were popular myth motifs. The Greeks, Persians, and Zoroastrians were among those antecedents of Christianity who claimed virgin births for their gods. The Etruscans worshipped Virgin and child. The Gauls, prior to the Christian aham and King Nimrod's jealous slaughter of male infants sets a precedent for the story of Christ. Krishna and Buddha also shared many similar elements to the story of the birth of the Christian Messiah. But in fact, Mithra, a popular Persian deity, had the story most remarkably similar to Jesus Christ.

Mithra emerged from the virgin mother rock into the world of men. Shepherds witnessed it while tending their flocks. A Mithraic monument found in Oxford, England, shows the Goddess of the Year nursing the God Day, or a memorial to the birth of Mithra "in the night of light." But for telltale signs, it might have been Madonna and child.

Mithraism, with its rituals and quest for moral purity and immortality, was the biggest competitor for Christianity in Asia and Europe. It reached into England, and on into Scotland. Mithra's birth was purported to be December 25th. This then, was potential motivation for the decision made by Pope Liberius to officially make the Christmas celebration date December 25th per the Julian calendar.

But December 25th was also the date of the winter solstice. By celebrating on this day, Christ became the risen sun as well as the risen son. The winter solstice is considered the lowest point of the sun's degradation below our hemisphere. The increase and ascension of the sun begins at that moment. Through the generations, Christian leaders implored their followers to celebrate the nativity rather than "worship" the sun.

Winter solstice celebrations were not confined to any one pagan religion. One of the most noted of them, however, was the Druids. Their antiquity is validated at least as far back as Pliny, the Roman philosopher, at some point between 24 and 67 AD. In the British territories, much of the rest of Europe, and Ireland, the winter solstice was celebrated by burning large fires upon hilltops on December 25th, and repeated on January 6th. In these countries and others, the Christmas season custom of decorating with evergreens and mistletoe remains -- a practice purely Druidic in origin.

The Christmas stories, whether Christian or pagan, are rich in traditions of multiple cultures and thousands of years. Just as important, each tradition and legend espouses this as a time of great joy, peace, and celebration. Rather than divide ourselves with arguments about birthdates and historical validation, perhaps we should take the lessons in common that all sides had to offer. As to the question of whether December 25th could rightly be considered the birthday of Jesus Christ, recall that we think no less of others whose birthdays we celebrate on seemingly arbitrary dates.

As to the ownership of the date belonging to one side or the other, consider the words of Godfrey Higgins, who, in his 1829 book about the Celtic Druids said, "If it be thought right to keep a day, the church has the right to fix what day it pleases." Besides, after this, our own tax season starts...and questions will have to be put away for another year in favor of mountains of paperwork and justification to our own Emperors.

Merry Christmas!

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