They Called Him Jesus
Christmas was first celebrated in Rome in the year 354 A.D. Constantinople would follow 25 years later in 379 A.D. and then Antioch nine years after them in 388 A.D. While we do not know exactly when Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary there in Bethlehem, it is the fact that He was born that makes all the difference. Luke tells us in chapter two of his gospel account that the birth of God’s Son took place in a manger, a place where the animals were kept — and that after wrapping her newborn son in those swaddling cloths, she laid him in a manger. Do you realize that this humble birth is the most widely known event on the face of the earth. When we speak of a specific year in history, we typically refer to it as B.C. (Before Christ) or A.D. (“Anno Domini” — “in the year of the Lord”). No other child who has ever been born or ever will be born throughout all time will be as significant to the human race as Jesus of Nazareth. In the birth of Jesus, you and I have a Savior who is none other than God in human form. God’s Word stands as a witness to the uniqueness of His Son.