1. The birthdays of rulers were celebrated in the Roman Empire, even after their deaths. Christians ¶ naturally felt inclined to honor the birth of their Kyrios (Christological Titles). In the East the commemoration of Christ’s nativity was January 6, the beginning of the solar year. This Feast of Epiphany celebrated especially Jesus’ baptism. When Epiphany spread to the West, it celebrated the visit of the Magi to the Christ child (Matthew 2). About 330 the Roman church assigned December 25 as the birth of Christ. By the turn of the fifth century, the Roman practic…