Posted on 12/15/2014 9:22:24 AM PST by Laissez-faire capitalist
On December 25, Christians around the world will gather to celebrate Jesus' birth. Joyful carols, special liturgies, brightly wrapped gifts, festive foods - these all characterize the feast today, at least in the northern hemisphere. But just how did the Christmas festival originate? How did December 25 become associated with Jesus' birthday?
The Bible offers few clues: Celebrations of Jesus' nativity are not mentioned in the Gospels or Acts; the date is not given, not even the time of year. The biblical reference to shepherds tending their flocks at night when the hear the news of Jesus' birth (Luke 2:8) night suggest the spring lambing season; in the cold month of December, on the other hand, sheep might well have been corralled. Yet most scholars would urge caution about extracting such a precise but incidental detail from a narrative whose focus is theological rather than calendrical.
The extrabiblical evidence from the first and second century is equally spare: There is no mention of birth celebrations in the writings of early Christian writers such as Irenaeus (c. 130-200) or Tertullian (c. 160-225). Origen of Alexandria (c.165-264) goes so far as to mock Roman celebrations of birth anniversaries, dismissing them as "pagan" practices - a strong indication that Jesus' birth was not marked with similar festivities at that place and time.1 As far as we can tell, Christmas was not celebrated at all at this point.
This stands in sharp contrast to the very early traditions surrounding Jesus' last days. Each of the Four Gospels provides detailed information about the time of Jesus' death. According to John, Jesus is crucified just as the Passover lambs are being sacrificed. This would have occurred on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Nisan, just before the Jewish holiday began at sundown (considered the beginning of the 15th day because in the Hebrew calendar, days began at sundown). In Matthew, Mark and Luke, however, the Last supper is held after sundown, on the beginning of the 15th. Jesus is crucified the next morning - still, the 15th. ...
Finally, in about 200 C.E., a Christian teacher in Egypt makes reference to the date Jesus was born. According to Clement of Alexandria, several different days had been proposed by various Christian groups. Surprising as it may seem, Clement doesn't mention December 25 at all. Clement writes: "There are those who have determined not only the year of our Lord's birth, but also the day; and they say that it took place in the 28th year of Augustus, and in the 25th day of [the Egyptian month] Pachon [May 20 in our calendar] ... And treating of His passion, with very great accuracy, some say that it took place in the 16th year of Tiberius, on the 25th of Phamenoth [March 21]; and others on the 25th of Pharmuthi [April 21] and others say that on the 19th of Pharmuthi [April 15] the savior suffered. Further, others say that He was born on the 24th or 25th of Pharmuthi [April 20 or 21]."2
Clearly there was great uncertainty, but also a considerable amount of interest, in dating Jesus' birth in the late second century. By the fourth century, however, we find references two dates that were widely recognized - and now also celebrated - as Jesus' birthday: December 25 in the western Roman Empire and January 6 in the East (especially in Egypt and Asia Minor). The modern Armenian church continues to celebrate Christmas on January 6; for most Christians, however, December 25 would prevail, while January 6 eventually came to be known as the Feast of the Epiphany, commemorating the arrival of the magi in Bethlehem. The period between became the holiday season later known as the 12 days of Christmas.
The earliest mention of December 25 as Jesus' birthday comes from a mid-fourth-century Roman almanac that lists the death dates of various Christian bishops and martyrs. The first date listed, December 25, is marked: natus Christus in Betleem Judae: "Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judae."3 ...
[Actually, for a full reading of the article, click on the URL above as the article is actually quite long. References are cited below the article].
" ... and thus we would not have Christmas being torn up because of their actions in choosing a celebration of Christ’s birth that was too close to comfort to certain pagan holidays. "
You have no proof that this is true.
Actually, fallacious is the wrong word. It is an unprovable statement.
No, the true meaning of christmas, and it's purpose, is to alter the image that YHWH had already provided. Anti(christ) means 'alternate... vicarious'. It distracts from the truth, and it elevates paganism through syncronism.
regardless of whether you use historical precedent (the earliest Christians believed that it was March, April or May (and that the actual day was the 20th or the 21st
He was conceived during Hanukkah (when the Light entered the Temple), and born upon Sukkot (when he Tabernacled with us in a temporary dwelling).
That distraction... the altered image, is why Christendom is blinded to the fact that YHWH moves on the moedim - I would venture to say that you will not be able to find even one major action by YHWH that does not coincide with HIS Holy Days. Why else would one even consider that His ultimate move, the 'checkmate' action, would not do likewise? What else would these powerful days of commemoration be *FOR*?
And once one discovers that, it is SIMPLE to determine, regardless of unreliable Roman histories, or other ideas that men may advance, because as one becomes aware of the moedim, and practices them, one will understand that each one has tremendous purpose - a particular signature that is unmistakeable. And each one DEEPLY and intimately tells the story of Messiah.
If you wish to find true meaning by the bucket-load, turn from Greece and Rome, from pagan holidays, and find rest in that which YHWH has ordained.
It is interesting to note that the sun, on the winter solstice, reaches it's lowest point on the horizon, and remains in that state (at sunset) for three days (signifying death).
21+3=24. The day the sun is reborn is, and always has been the 25th. It is that day wherein it begins to rise... That direct observance is the point, regardless of whichever calendar. Likewise Ishtar's day (Easter), which has always been the first 'day of the sun' past the vernal equinox.
Hmmmm...you might be onto something here.
May have to be re-thunk with more days added, what with Black Friday, Cyber Monday, the two day Green Monday, Trample the Wounded Hurdle the Dead Store Buster Days, etc.
Can't have too much oddly shaped, multicolored, made in China plastic crap, you know?
How Did Christmas Come to Be Celebrated on December 25?
A. Roman pagans first introduced the holiday of Saturnalia, a week long period of lawlessness celebrated between December 17-25. During this period, Roman courts were closed, and Roman law dictated that no one could be punished for damaging property or injuring people during the weeklong celebration. The festival began when Roman authorities chose “an enemy of the Roman people” to represent the “Lord of Misrule.”
Each Roman community selected a victim whom they forced to indulge in food and other physical pleasures throughout the week. At the festival’s conclusion, December 25th, Roman authorities believed they were destroying the forces of darkness by brutally murdering this innocent man or woman.
B. The ancient Greek writer poet and historian Lucian (in his dialogue entitled Saturnalia) describes the festival’s observance in his time. In addition to human sacrifice, he mentions these customs: widespread intoxication; going from house to house while singing naked; rape and other sexual license; and consuming human-shaped biscuits (still produced in some English and most German bakeries during the Christmas season).
C. In the 4th century CE, Christianity imported the Saturnalia festival hoping to take the pagan masses in with it. Christian leaders succeeded in converting to Christianity large numbers of pagans by promising them that they could continue to celebrate the Saturnalia as Christians.
D. The problem was that there was nothing intrinsically Christian about Saturnalia. To remedy this, these Christian leaders named Saturnalia’s concluding day, December 25th, to be Jesus’ birthday
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