The Christmas Proclamation

Comparative analysis by Fr. Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.

A formal "Proclamation of the Birth of Christ" or "The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ" is traditionally chanted or recited just before the beginning of the Christmas Midnight Mass and/or during the Liturgy of the Hours on Christmas Eve. The text, which comes from the "Roman Martyrology" for December 24, situates the birth of Jesus Christ within the context of salvation history. It begins with the creation of the world, mentions certain key events in the history of the people of Israel, and concludes with the birth of Jesus during the Roman Era.

A new translation "Approved for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Confirmed by the Apostolic See" was published in 1994 (repr. in Sacramentary Supplement, 2004). An even newer translation was published in Appendix I of the third edition of the Roman Missal (2011). In several respects, the newer translations are better than the various older translations still in widespread circulation around the world (and on the internet).

The main reason they are better might seem paradoxical; namely, they are less "precise" than most older translations in referring to specific years for certain events in early biblical history. For example, while the birth of Jesus is situated "in the year two-thousand nine-hundred and fifty-seven after the flood" (of Noah) in the older translations, it is "several thousand years after the flood" or "when century upon century had passed since... the Great Flood" in the new translations.
In this and similar cases, less precision is actually better, since it more closely reflects contemporary church teaching and biblical scholarship. Proclaiming exact numbers of years inevitably gives most people the impression that we know exactly when these biblical events took place, thereby unwittingly reinforcing a type of biblical fundamentalism or pseudo-historical literalism that does not conform to the principles of Catholic biblical interpretation. Considering how long ago these events are said to have taken place and how few historically reliable sources we have for events of the distant past (especially anything before the time of King David), it is better not to give the impression that dates are or can be known with great precision.
Another aspect in which the 1994 translation is significantly better than the other versions is in terms of gender-inclusivity. This translation explicitly mentions the creation of "man and woman," lists Sarah along with Abraham, and includes "Ruth and the Judges"; in contrast, the other versions have no mention of any woman aside from the Virgin Mary! Unfortunately, the 2011 translation is again not gender-inclusive.

For ease of comparison, the following table shows several translations in parallel columns next to each other. After comparing the texts carefully, I trust most readers will agree that although the older translations might seem more attractive in some ways, the new translations are actually much better in many respects, situating the birth of Jesus in historical context as accurately as the best of today's biblical scholarship can reasonably support, but without making claims that are more precise than most contemporary historians would responsibly support. Thus, one can only hope that the newer translations will be used more and more in the future.

Traditional Translation	Another Old Translation	New Translation (USCCB, 1994)	Newest Translation (Roman Missal, 2011)
The twenty-fifth day of December.	In the twenty-fourth day of the month of December;	Today, the twenty-fifth day of December,	The Twenty-fifth Day of December,
In the five thousand one hundred and ninety-ninth year of the creation of the world from the time when God in the beginning created the heavens and the earth;	In the year five-thousand one-hundred and ninety-nine from the creation of the world, when in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth;	unknown ages from the time when God created the heavens and the earth and then formed man and woman in his own image.	when ages beyond number had run their course from the creation of the world, when God in the beginning created heaven and earth, and formed man in his own likeness;
the two thousand nine hundred and fifty-seventh year after the flood;	In the year two-thousand nine-hundred and fifty-seven from the flood;	Several thousand years after the flood, when God made the rainbow shine forth as a sign of the covenant.	when century upon century had passed since the Almighty set his bow in the clouds after the Great Flood, as a sign of covenant and peace;
the two thousand and fifteenth year from the birth of Abraham;	In the year two-thousand and fifty-one from the birth of Abraham;	Twenty-one centuries from the time of Abraham and Sarah;	in the twenty-first century since Abraham, our father in faith, came out of Ur of the Chaldees;
the one thousand five hundred and tenth year from Moses and the going forth of the people of Israel from Egypt;	In the year one-thousand five-hundred and ten from the going forth of the people of Israel out of Egypt under Moses;	thirteen centuries after Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt.	in the thirteenth century since the People of Israel were led by Moses in the Exodus from Egypt;
[x]	[x]	Eleven hundred years from the time of Ruth and the Judges;	[x]
the one thousand and thirty-second year from David's being anointed king;	In the year one-thousand and thirty-two from the anointing of David as king;	one thousand years from the anointing of David as king;	around the thousandth year since David was anointed King;
in the sixty-fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel;	In the sixty-fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel;	in the sixty-fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel.	in the sixty-fifth week of the prophecy of Daniel;
in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad;	In the one-hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad;	In the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad;	in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad;
the seven hundred and fifty-second year from the foundation of the city of Rome;	In the year seven-hundred and fifty-two from the foundation of the city of Rome;	the seven hundred and fifty-second year from the foundation of the city of Rome.	in the year seven hundred and fifty-two since the foundation of the City of Rome;
the forty-second year of the reign of Octavian Augustus; the whole world being at peace, in the sixth age of the world,	In the forty-second year of the reign of the Emperor Octavian Augustus; In the sixth age of the world, while the whole earth was at peace—	The forty-second year of the reign of Octavian Augustus; the whole world being at peace,	in the forty-second year of the reign of Caesar Octavian Augustus, the whole world being at peace,
Jesus Christ the eternal God and Son of the eternal Father, desiring to sanctify the world by his most merciful coming, being conceived by the Holy Spirit, and nine months having passed since his conception, was born in Bethlehem of Judea of the Virgin Mary, being made flesh.	JESUS CHRIST eternal God and the Son of the eternal Father, willing to consecrate the world by His gracious coming, having been conceived of the Holy Ghost, and the nine months of His conception being now accomplished, was born in Bethlehem of Judah of the Virgin Mary, made man.	Jesus Christ, eternal God and Son of the eternal Father, desiring to sanctify the world by his most merciful coming, being conceived by the Holy Spirit, and nine months having passed since his conception, was born in Bethlehem of Judea of the Virgin Mary.	JESUS CHRIST, eternal God and Son of the eternal Father, desiring to consecrate the world by his most loving presence, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and when nine months had passed since his conception, was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem of Judah, and was made man:
The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.	The birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to the flesh.	Today is the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.	The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.

The text of the newest translation is available on the USCCB website, while various older versions of the text and/or musical settings can be found on several other websites:

Translation from the Roman Missal, third edition (Appendix 1; 2011) - tambien en español
Christmas Proclamation (Musical Setting by Tom Conry, OCP)
A Traditional Version (from a Dominican website)

Some Trivia: Searching on Google for a phrase common to all translations (such as "in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad") returned about 1860 webpages (as of 12/21). In contrast, searching for a phrase found only in the traditional translation (like "the two thousand nine hundred and fifty-seventh year after the flood") returned 993 results; searching for a phrase found only in the 1994 translation (such as "Eleven hundred years from the time of Ruth and the Judges") returned 643 results; and searching for a phrase unique to the 2011 translation (such as"when ages beyond number had run their course from the creation of the world") returned 837 results.

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This page was last updated on December 12, 2021