Christmas (DEC 25th) Cheer

Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
1

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_034b.html

FALSE:

I’ll forgive Cecil for not keeping up–or having the time on his hands–with the finer points of how the eartly Church fathers made such dates happen.

Feast of Saturnalia—Sol Invictus? The unconquered Sun?

The Pagans copied the Christians, it seems. Not the other way around commonly assumed as one of the more common goads against Christianity being a copycat faith.
http://theroadtoemmaus.org/RdLb/31JdXn/Christnty/SpLf/ChYr/ChristmDat.htm

Struck him out!

Cecil gets caught looking as the ball passes the plate down the middle!

2

You do realize that Cecil’s article covers 3 theories, the second of which (working backwards from crucifixion date to conception date) is the one in your cited article, don’t you? Hardly a strike-out.

3

Not quite:

It seems more the probability of what he mocked as mere cocktail chatter giggles, while not having a Scriptural reference, is likely the real McCoy based on how the early Church did its figuring. This was based on so-called “integral” ages of great prophets and was tradition. It is far from likely (his third claim) that Christian church fathers merely appropriated an existing pagan event. Which is the common claim that appears to be the incorrect one.

Thanks