Serious objections existed to celebrating Christ’s birth. The leading biblical scholar of the period, the Alexandrian Origen (ca. 185–ca. 254), pointed out that in the Bible only pagans like Pharaoh or sinful Jews like the Roman puppet king Herod Antipas celebrated their birthdays, and that Herod’s celebration had cost John the Baptist his head. Thus Christians should not celebrate the birthday of Christ or of any other biblical figure.
