…they’re fairly sure that Jesus was not actually born on December 25th. In all probability, shepherds wouldn’t have had flocks out in the fields at that time of year.
Moe Lane
PS: Apparently, the question of whether or not the ancient Romans had a religious holiday on December 25, and whether it was or was not a Mithraic one, is a matter of some dispute that has not quite reached the level of ‘academics fighting each other with knives.’ You learn something new every day…
Did you read A Mole Of Moles? I couldn’t stop laughing!
From what I remember from hearing discussions about it, the rough consensus was that based on the shepards having their flocks out at night that Jesus was probably born in the spring sometime.