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Why December 25? The origin of Christmas had nothing to do with paganism
WORLD Magazine ^
| Dec 10, 2005
| Gene Edward Veith
Posted on 12/07/2005 2:36:38 PM PST by Charles Henrickson
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Gene Edward Veith, Jr. is the Culture Editor of WORLD Magazine and the Executive Director of the Cranach Institute at Concordia Theological Seminary. He is the author of 14 books, including Loving God with All Your Mind and Postmodern Times.
To: Charles Henrickson
He points out that the ancient Roman religions had no winter solstice festival.Saturnalia (from the god Saturn) was the name the Romans gave to their holiday marking the Winter Solstice.
2
posted on
12/07/2005 2:41:08 PM PST
by
steve-b
(A desire not to butt into other people's business is eighty percent of all human wisdom)
To: Charles Henrickson
O.K., trivia question:
The Roman Emperor thought that the shortest day of the year was Dec. 25th. Yet we see it as December 20th or 21st. Why?
Hint: the observations of his astronomers was probably correct, as are ours.
3
posted on
12/07/2005 2:41:34 PM PST
by
RonF
To: Charles Henrickson
Thanks, and Merry Christmas.
To: Charles Henrickson
Sounds a little bit like Calypso Louie trying to explain something.
5
posted on
12/07/2005 2:46:12 PM PST
by
Hoosier-Daddy
(It's a fight to the death with Democrats.)
To: Charles Henrickson
6
posted on
12/07/2005 2:46:16 PM PST
by
sionnsar
(†trad-anglican.faithweb.com† || To Libs: You are failing to celebrate MY diversity! || Iran Azadi)
To: Charles Henrickson
The Jehovah's Witnesses aren't going to like this one bit.
7
posted on
12/07/2005 2:46:52 PM PST
by
TypeZoNegative
(Future Minnesota Refugee)
To: Charles Henrickson
8
posted on
12/07/2005 2:47:50 PM PST
by
TexasGreg
("Democrats Piss Me Off")
To: Charles Henrickson
Luke 1:5 uses the phrase "course of Abia", (IChron. 24:10 and Neh. 12:17) describes a specific time of the year. During our present day of June, and it was after this "course" that John the baptist was conceived.
We are told that while John was 6 months in the womb he leaped when Mary came to tell Elizabeth her cousin about what had happened.
Six months from the end of June would be right about December 25th when the conception took place.
To: RonF
Two possible reasons:
1. Precession of the solstices
2. Innaccuracy of the calendar w/regards to the way they did leap years.
10
posted on
12/07/2005 2:51:44 PM PST
by
RockinRight
(It’s likely for a Conservative to be a Republican, but not always the other way around)
To: Charles Henrickson; All
.......
Note the pro-life point: According to both the ancient Jews and the early Christians, life begins at conception. So if Christ was conceived on March 25, nine months later, he would have been born on Dec. 25.Exactly!
the '25th'.....'25th'......of Kislev.......Kislev is ALWAYS on the 25th!
Merry Christmas and Happy-Joyfull Hanukkah!
.....................................Kislev-December 25th!
Jesus is coming to Rapture the CHURCH.......NOT the kingdom!
'Narnia'......is NOT a christian work but is about an anti-Christ-lion!
.................'Narnia' is therefore......Pro U.N. and Pro Islam!
11
posted on
12/07/2005 2:52:39 PM PST
by
maestro
To: RonF
When Pope Gregory XIII came up with the calendar reform in 1582, his purpose was to get the date of the vernal equinox back to where it was in A.D. 325, when the Council of Nicaea had set the rules for calculating the date of Easter.
To: RonF
Wild guess, but I'd say the additional days added to July, August and a couple others, pushed 12/25 back that many days, but obviously not the actual solstice.
13
posted on
12/07/2005 2:55:24 PM PST
by
HawaiianGecko
(Facts are neither debatable nor open to "I have a right to this opinion" nonsense.)
To: RonF
O.K., trivia question:
The Roman Emperor thought that the shortest day of the year was Dec. 25th. Yet we see it as December 20th or 21st. Why?
Hint: the observations of his astronomers was probably correct, as are ours"""
Karrl Rove changed it?
14
posted on
12/07/2005 2:56:42 PM PST
by
sure_fine
(*not one to over kill the thought process*)
To: RockinRight
Bingo! They didn't have telescopes, computers, and atomic cesium clocks in Boulder, CO.
15
posted on
12/07/2005 2:58:42 PM PST
by
Cobra64
To: Charles Henrickson
Perhaps, but it has nothing to do with God's will, either. Christ established the memorial He wanted-- the Lord's Supper, for his death. Men presumed to create a holiday for His birth. ("My thoughts are not your thoughts; My ways are not your ways...")
16
posted on
12/07/2005 3:00:14 PM PST
by
mikeus_maximus
(Voting for "the lesser of two evils" is still evil.)
To: Charles Henrickson
to ensure that it always fell on Sunday, "the first day of the week," as in the Gospels.I always thought that God rested on the seventh day.
To: RonF
Until the Gregorian Calendar was accepted in the British Empire in 1752, the Winter Solstice occurred on Dec 25.
18
posted on
12/07/2005 3:03:32 PM PST
by
NathanR
(Apri moi, le deluge.)
To: Charles Henrickson
It may be a grammatical mote, but it is critical: we do NOT celebrate Christmas Day. We celebrate the Birth of Christ. Christ was born; of that we are certain. We don't know when. His birth was of so little moment that it was not recorded. He was not of a famous family, or the heir to great wealth. So His actual birth date is lost in obscurity. The fact that we choose to celebrate it December 25 is meaningless. It could just as well be June 42 or the Eleventeenth of Never.
It is not the DATE that is important; it is the EVENT.
Frankly, I'd like to see a True Christian Christmas celebrated ... oh, say, ... Jan. 31, just to set it aside from the bloated, secularized holiday that "Xmas" has become. There would be no fanfare, no slavering merchants hawking their Chinese junk in the Temple. No vacation days, no phony carols being Muzak'd through the malls. Just a quiet celebration with friends and loved ones of the greatest gift ever given Mankind. And a humble request to be worthy of it.
19
posted on
12/07/2005 3:05:38 PM PST
by
IronJack
To: RonF
O.K., trivia question: The Roman Emperor thought that the shortest day of the year was Dec. 25th. Yet we see it as December 20th or 21st. Why?
Hint: the observations of his astronomers was probably correct, as are ours
The 25th is the day the sunset begins to occur later. Between the 20th an 25th the day lengthens by an earlier occuring dawn
20
posted on
12/07/2005 3:08:22 PM PST
by
muir_redwoods
(Free Sirhan Sirhan, after all, the bastard who killed Mary Jo Kopechne is walking around free)
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