Molti si interrogano se Gesù sia nato veramente il 25 dicembre. Ma cosa sappiamo in realtà sulla storicità della sua data di nascita? I Vangeli, come è noto, non precisano in che giorno è nato il fondatore del cristianesimo.
E allora, come mai la Chiesa ha fissato proprio al 25 dicembre il suo Natale? È vero, inoltre, che questa festa cristiana - seconda solo alla Pasqua - è been paid to December 25 to replace the pagan worship of the sun god, celebrated all over the Mediterranean, even before the birth of Jesus?
begin by saying that the winter solstice - the date on which the political culture is celebrated Sol Invictus - falls on December 21 and 25.
Secondly, it is worth pointing out that the early Church, especially in the East, had set a date of birth of Jesus at December 25 already in the first few years following his death. Since
was derived from the study of primitive array of Judeo-Christian tradition - proved faithful to the scrutiny of contemporary historians - and that originated from members of the family of Jesus, namely the originaria Chiesa di Gerusalemme e di Palestina.
E allora, se la Chiesa ha subito fissato al 25 dicembre la nascita di Gesù, abbiamo oggi prove documentali e archeologiche che possono confermare la veneranda tradizione ecclesiale? La risposta è si.
Nel 1947 un pastorello palestinese trova casualmente una giara, semisepolta in una grotta del deserto di Qumran, un’arida regione a pochi chilometri da Gerusalemme. La località era stata sede della comunità monastica degli esseni, che oltre all’ascetismo praticava la copiatura dei testi sacri appartenuti ai loro antenati israeliti. I monaci del Mar Morto produssero in pochi decenni una grande quantità di testi, poi nascosti in grandi anfore per salvarli dall’occupazione Roman 70 AD
Following the successful discovery, archaeologists from around the world began a campaign of excavations throughout the desert area, finding some 11 caves, guarded by nearly two centuries, numerous vessels and thousands of manuscripts of the Holy Jewish scriptures, and rolls well preserved.
Among these important documents, a particular interest to us: it is the Book of Jubilees, a text of the second century BC Jewish
The source has allowed us to know, after almost two millennia, the dates on which classes of priests officiated at Temple Israel of Jerusalem, cyclically from Saturday to Saturday, and then in the same year. This text refers
then the class of Abia, the eighth of twenty-four revolving all'officiatura of the Temple - which belonged to the priestly class, the priest Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist - he entered the Temple in the week between 23 and 30 September. The news apparently secondary
proved instead a true bomb to scholars of early Christianity. In fact, if Zechariah entered the Temple on Sept. 23, the day when the gospel of Luke has received the announcement of the Archangel Gabriel, who informed him - despite his old age and sterility of his wife Elizabeth - who had a son, whose name was John, this means that the Precursor of the Lord might have been born around June 24, nine months after the proclamation.
it happens the same day when the Church celebrates the liturgical calendar, since the first century, being the day of the Annunciation to Zacharias the birth of John.
said this, Mary could have had the visit, more and Gabriel, Annunciation Day, just 25 March. In fact, when Mary goes to her cousin Elizabeth, immediately after the words of the Archangel, to communicate the news of the conception of Jesus, the evangelist writes: "Elizabeth was the sixth month of pregnancy."
Gospel passages that highlights the difference in the six months between John Jesus and then, if Jesus was conceived March 25, his birth may reasonably be commemorated on December 25, most days, fewer days.
If that is the facts - and the source documents qumranica them - we can say without fear of contradiction that thanks to the discovery of the precious text, which occurred just sixty years ago, plurimillenatria church tradition is confirmed: the liturgical feasts and days of conception of birth, and especially that of John of Jesus, have proven so compatible with the archaeological discovery in the Judean Desert.
What would happen if, for example, we discovered that the priest had entered Zechariah in the Temple in March or July? All dates liturgical recall the main events of the two figures cited above evangelicals would be different from those indicated by the tradition of the Church. And now the skeptics, tearing their clothes, they shouted to the world that the Church has invented everything, including your date of birth of its founder.
But the investigation is not finished yet! Some critics of the historicity of the date of Christmas to December 25 have, in fact, observed that in that month - that is in the middle of winter - the angels could not meet in open countryside at night and flocks and shepherds to be given the glad tidings of the birth of the Savior humanity.
Yet those who support this hypothesis should Judaism know that everything is subject to the standards of purity. According to many ancient treatises Jewish, the Jews are three types of herds.
The first, consisting of only white wool from the sheep: Consider too, may fall after the pastures, the fold of the village. A second group, however, is made up of sheep whose wool is partly white, partly black: these sheep may come into the fold at night, but the location of the shelter must be out of town.
A third group, finally, is made of sheep whose wool is black: these animals, considered unclean, can not enter either the city or in the fold, even after the sunset, and then forced to remain open with their pastors increasingly, day and night, winter and summer.
not forget, then, that the text reports that evangelical pastors were on-call duty: that is understandable only if the night is long and cold, just like in the winter. I remember that Bethlehem is located at 800 meters above sea level.
In light of these considerations, we believe solved the mystery: the shepherds and their flocks met by the angels on that holy night in Bethlehem belong to the third group, consisting of only black sheep. Foreshadowing, perhaps, of that part of society, composed of marginalized, excluded, much like outcasts and sinners closer to Jesus preacher.
In conclusion, we thus affirm not only that Jesus is born on December 25 but that the Gospels tell the historical truth about the events in the holiest night of all time: the white painted black sheep of our cribs and we will be more faithful not only to history as the heart of the teaching of the Nazarene.
Michele Loconte *
0 comments:
Post a Comment