Is Everything You Know About Christmas Wrong? Dan McClellan Explains

Video Description

Many of the Christmas traditions we take for granted, like December 25th, the Nativity, Christmas trees, the Magi, the star of Bethlehem, and even Herod’s massacre, have complex histories that don’t always match the Bible or what we’ve been taught. This week, biblical scholar Dan McClellan joins us to explain the most common Christmas misconceptions and what the historical and textual evidence actually shows. 👉 Dr. McClellan helps us explore: – When Christians started saying “put Christ back in Christmas” – Whether Christmas has pagan origins – The origins of the Nativity scene – How modern culture reshapes the Bible Referenced video: 📺 The Very Recent Origins of the Christmas Tree by Religion for Breakfast https://youtu.be/m41KXS-LWsY 📖 Further Reading Recommendations: The Star of Bethlehem: A Skeptical View by Aaron Adair https://www.amazon.com/Star-Bethlehem-Skeptical-Aaron-2013-09-09/dp/B01FIYUZ1Q The Oxford Handbook of Christmas https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/34256 ✨Become a Bible & Archaeology patron: http://www.patreon.com/bibleandarch 📚 Check out our 'Cities of the Bible' online class: patreon.com/bibleandarch/shop ✉️ Send us your questions: [email protected] 🌐 Everywhere you can find us: https://linktr.ee/bibleandarchaeology 🎙️ Credits Guest: Dr. Dan McClellan Hosted and Produced by Dr. Jordan Jones Edited by Mary Kathryn Lichty The Bible & Archaeology podcast is made with support from Amanda Stone 🕒 Timestamps 0:00 Intro 3:02 “Putting Christ back into Christmas?” When did this start? 8:52 Do Christmas traditions come from pagan origins? 20:36 When did December 25th become identified with Jesus’ birth? 32:40 Where the Nativity scene comes from 41:32 Do the Magis’ gifts foreshadow Jesus’ death? 45:07 What Christmas originally meant for early Christians