THE real Christmas Day and the 2000th anniversary of Christ's birth
probably fell yesterday, according to an astronomer. Historical evidence
all pointed to Christ having been born seven years earlier than thought,
in the year now calculated as 7BC, said Dr David Hughes of Sheffield
University. Christians did not start celebrating Christmas until 336 AD,
and chose the date as December 25, which was close to the Roman feast of
Saturnalia. ''There is no specific indication in the Bible of when
Christ was born,'' said Dr Hughes. ''Historically, it is accepted it was
between 8BC and 1BC, and the astronomical evidence points to September
15 in 7BC.''
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