20
votes
Accepted
Biblical significance of the gifts given to Jesus
Biblical References to Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh:
Gold is a highly valued commodity – not just for its beauty and use in jewellery and decorations, but also for its status. The Bible describes the ...
- 26.8k
17
votes
Accepted
What is the earliest historical testimony of the celebration of the nativity of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Attitudes on birthdays
In the early church, birthdays (in general) were not seen as something to celebrate. For example, in Origen's 8th homily on Leviticus he writes:
But the saints not only do not ...
- 7,743
9
votes
By what process did the miraculous conception of Jesus occur?
The official Catholic doctrine on the matter is in accord with a commonly held belief among nearly all Christians that Jesus was conceived within a virgin, and that the process by which this occurred ...
- 8,051
9
votes
Accepted
What is the origin of the word "Nativity" as a title for Christ's Advent?
In Catholic culture it comes from the Latin.
"Festum Nativitatis Domini Nostri Jesu Christi" (the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ) and the shorter form, "Dies Natalis Domini" (the ...
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7
votes
Where does the Catholic tradition that Mary did not have pain giving birth to Jesus come from?
Extensive biblical and traditional material advocating for Mary's painless childbirth can be found from "The Virginity of Our Lady in Partu". Many Protestants reject this teaching, but most are ...
- 638
7
votes
According to Catholicism, what does 'come upon thee' and 'overshadow thee' mean?
The phrases you point out indicate to the Catholic Church that the Holy Spirit was responsible for Jesus' conception:
The Annunciation to Mary inaugurates "the fullness of time," the time of the ...
- 18.5k
6
votes
According to the Eastern Orthodox, in what sense did the Theotokos (Virgin Mary) give birth to Christ's divinity?
You answered your question that Mary gave birth to Christ, full stop. This same Christ who walked the earth and was the child of Mary is the God-man. Mary gave birth to the one cohesive person who is ...
- 211
6
votes
Where does the Catholic tradition that Mary did not have pain giving birth to Jesus come from?
Her painless childbirth follows from these truths of divine revelation:
Painful childbirth is one of the punishments of Original Sin (Gen. 3:16: "in travail shalt thou bring forth children")...
- 38.4k
6
votes
Accepted
Do Mormons believe in the Virgin birth taught in the Bible? (LDS)
Yes. Latter-Day Saints believe in the Virgin birth.
Perhaps one random sample from an official LDS Church manual called The Life and Teaching of Jesus and His Apostles Instructors Manual (Which can ...
- 194
6
votes
Accepted
According to Catholicism, why did the Blessed Mother stay a virgin during her pregnancy with Jesus?
An answer from catholic church teaching to satisfy your curiosity regarding
Why was Jesus born of a Virgin instead of just being conceived of a Virgin?
Short answer: she was conforming her will ...
- 6,707
5
votes
What was silent about the night in 'Silent Night'?
If you've ever witnessed a birth, it's not exactly a silent affair. Add to this that it was a birth in a stable where there were animals presumably making all kinds of noises, you have quite the noisy ...
- 7,007
5
votes
Biblical significance of the gifts given to Jesus
I think there is more to the gifts than the symbolism of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Particularly within the Bible. Recently I was preaching on Isaiah 60, and verse 6 struck me:
Herds of camels ...
- 1,579
5
votes
What is the basis for saying Mary is not the mother of God from a trinitarian perspective?
While it is important to maintain that Christ's divinity is not separate from his humanity in the incarnation, and while that unity may be understood to extend back to conception, it is also important ...
- 14.6k
4
votes
Is there any tradition that informs us of how old Mary was when she gave birth to Jesus?
In Mark 5:41-42, a 12 year old is referred to as a little girl. Mary was always called a woman in the Bible. So there is a strong possibility that she was much older than 12. Likewise, in Luke 1:42, ...
- 282
4
votes
What is the biblical basis for commemorating the birth of Jesus?
John's Gospel Chapter 1 tells us that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (v1) and that this Word became flesh and dwelt among us (v14). So Christians ...
- 7,852
4
votes
By what process did the miraculous conception of Jesus occur?
In essence, the Church’s answer is, “We do not know,” and there is no way of finding out. There is no official Church teaching regarding this question.
(For a summary of the Church’s teaching on the ...
- 13.2k
4
votes
According to Catholicism, why did the Blessed Mother stay a virgin during her pregnancy with Jesus?
Virgin during her pregnancy
She was a virgin during her pregnancy because prior to the Annunciation she took a vow of virginity:
Augustine says (De Sanct. Virg. iv):Mary answered the announcing ...
- 38.4k
4
votes
Question about nativity and timelines
This answer is from the perspective of history and the Bible (whether divinely inspired or merely a message that humans wanted us to hear).
There are four specific ages that are significant in ...
- 8,292
4
votes
Accepted
Where did St. Jerome say this quote about the manger of the nativity?
I was a bit skeptical, but the quote appears to be legitimate. It's from one of Jerome's homilies. Merely searching for jerome manger silver, I found this page in The Homilies of Saint Jerome, ...
- 900
3
votes
Accepted
Why was St. Joseph given instructions in dreams? (Roman Catholic perspective)
I am the Eastern Orthodox. But as both we and Catholics honor John Chrysostom as Saint and Doctor of the Church, I think his answer to the original question could be considered as the both Eastern ...
- 76
3
votes
Caesar Augustus' census in Luke 2 - is it a-historical? Fabricated story?
This question is addressed here: http://www.comereason.org/roman-census.asp
The article cites references that corroborate that Rome periodically conducted censuses, and that Caesar Augustus made ...
- 11.4k
3
votes
According to Catholicism, what does 'come upon thee' and 'overshadow thee' mean?
To supplement the answer above, I will provide more Catholic insight to the overshadowing and its significance to Catholic theology and especially the Annunciation.
From the very beginning, the Lord ...
- 2,718
3
votes
What was the Star of Bethlehem?
Whilst answering a recent (2018) question about the Star of Bethlehem, I came across an article that suggests this strange heavenly body might have a supernatural cause:
"What exactly was the ...
- 29.7k
3
votes
According to the LDS church, why was Jesus Christ born when he was born?
To my knowledge there is not a clear answer to this question in standard LDS church doctrine. It is likely that many church leaders over the years have given their opinion on the matter but whether ...
- 472
3
votes
In which year was Christ born?
The estimation of the year of Jesus' birth depends on the estimation of the year of Herod's death. The information to date the latter event is provided by Flavius Josephus in his Antiquities of the ...
- 1,713
3
votes
Why is Christmas on December 25th?
There's a number of reasons to understand that Christ was conceived about 12/25 and was born at Tabernacles in the Fall.
Some believe that Nisan was the first month of the year. True enough at the ...
- 13k
3
votes
How could Jesus be born during the reign of Herod, and when Quirinius was governor of Syria, if those periods were not contemporary?
This is going to be very brief. For those who really want to get to the bottom of this I give two free online articles at the end.
The argument of Andrew Steinmann, John Rhoads and others is that ...
- 6,674
3
votes
What is the biblical basis for commemorating the birth of Jesus?
The biblical basis is that the angel told the shepherds to celebrate the first Christmas, and the angels themselves were celebrating it:
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I ...
- 1,713
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