We don't even know for sure what year Jesus was born, but references in the Gospels suggest Jesus was born in the spring. Franz Cumont and Theodor Mommsen are partly responsible for popular beliefs that the god Mithras or Sol [perhaps Sol Invictus Mithras] was born on the winter solstice, said to be the rationale behind the date of Christmas. David Ulansey, Absolute Astronomy, and others say it was Sol Invictus, not Mithras, or at least not the Iranian Mithras. An ancient Armenian story of Mithras' virgin birth did not gain currency, but is interesting in comparison with Jesus.
