Two centuries after it happened, Clement of Alexandria discussed the dating of the Master’s birth, but he did not mention December 25 or January 6 at all. When was Yeshua born? The Gospel writers either did not know when the event happened or they did not feel the information was important enough to pass along. Sukkot is the season of our joy, an appropriate time to declare “joy to the world.” But is there any evidence of a historical tradition behind celebrating Yeshua’s birth at Sukkot? An early, Jewish, anti-Christian legend contains evidence that disciples of Yeshua used to celebrate his birth at Sukkot. The festival of “Tabernacles” provides an attractive option for theological reasons, such as: “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us” (John 1:14). That aversion has inspired some Messianic communities to celebrate the birth of the Master on an alternate date in conjunction with the festival of Sukkot. For a variety of reasons, some less valid than others, many people in Messianic Judaism have an aversion to celebrating the birth of our Master on the traditional Christian dates of December 25 or January 6.
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