kilroy@gboro.glassboro.edu (Dr Nancy's Sweetie) (05/27/91)
Discussing Christmas, ipoulin@uavax0.ccit.arizona.edu (Ian somebody) wrote that the "_real_" time can be determined the shepherds in the field: >The only time, then and now, that sheapherds bring their flocks into the >fields at night is during the lambing season in April and May, so as to >use the dark of night to protect the young lambs from predatory animals. I have heard numerous versions of this: December is too cold, what about all the snow, shepherds are only in the fields in the Fall, they are only the fields in the Spring, and a veritable raft of other such "arguments". The essential point is always the same: no shepherds would be in the field in December, so Christmas must be the wrong day. I respectfully submit an empirical monkey wrench: Rev Lawrence L Baylot (pastor of Severna Park Baptist Church, which I attended when living in Severna Park) often leads tours of Bethlehem/Jerusalem during Christmas season. The last time he returned, he reported seeing flocks of sheep (with shepherds) in fields, well after dark, in December. It may be that practices now are different; it may be that having visitors for Christmas causes the shepherds to go out and add color; it may be that the pictures were taken on an exceptionally warm day. But for whatever reason, it is *NOT* the case that "the only time, then and now [blah blah blah]" is spring/summer/fall. kilroy@gboro.glassboro.edu Darren F. Provine ...njin!gboro!kilroy "Guns don't kill people! It's these little hard things!" -- the Flash