Calculating Christmas William J. Tighe on the Story Behind December 25
Many Christians think that Christians celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25th because the church fathers appropriated the date of a pagan festival. Almost no one minds, except for a few groups on the fringes of American Evangelicalism, who seem to think that this makes Christmas itself a pagan festival. But it is perhaps interesting to know that the choice of December 25th is the result of attempts among the earliest Christians to figure out the date of Jesus’ birth based on calendrical calculations that had nothing to do with pagan festivals.
Rather, the pagan festival of the “Birth of the Unconquered Son” instituted by the Roman Emperor Aurelian on 25 December 274, was almost certainly an attempt to create a pagan alternative to a date that was already of some significance to Roman Christians. Thus the “pagan origins of Christmas” is a myth without historical substance.
The idea that the date was taken from the pagans goes back to two scholars from the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Paul Ernst Jablonski, a German Protestant, wished to show that the celebration of Christ’s birth on December 25th was one of the many “pagan-izations” of Christianity that the Church of the fourth century embraced, as one of many “degenerations” that transformed pure apostolic Christianity into Catholicism. Dom Jean Hardouin, a Benedictine monk, tried to show that the Catholic Church adopted pagan festivals for Christian purposes without paganizing the gospel.
William J. Tighe, a Touchstone correspondent, is Associate Professor of History at Muhlenberg College. He refers interested readers to Thomas J. Talley’s The Origins of the Liturgical Year (The Liturgical Press). A draft of this article appeared on the listserve Virtuosity.
The particular adoption of December 25th may or may not have been influenced by a particular pagan practice, but there have long been festivals to mark the shortest day of the year (currently December 21st) and the beginning of spring (close enough to Easter). The concept that the early Christians used these dates for their own purposes is still a reasonable presumption. These dates have been marked by men for tens of thousands of years, at least.
The Christian celebration of the Resurrection during the springtime is due to the association with Passover and not because of an association with prior celebrations.
Of course, the use of the term "Easter" in the West does have its roots with traditional celebrations of spring.
Oops, I may have to surrender my Scholarship merit badge.
After having read the whole article I see that the professor tells us that the solstice in the Julian calendar was on the 25th.
However, he also says it had no particular significance in the festal calendar before Aurelian.
I still stand by my assertion that Christmas on the Julian solstice is a coincidence.
1. THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS
Christ.mas n.
-A Christian feast commemorating the birth of
Jesus.
-An annual church festival (December 25) and in some States
a legal holiday, in memory of the birth of Christ, often celebrated
by a particular church service, and also by special gifts,
greetings, and hospitality. [www.Dictionary.com]
The celebration of Christmas has caused some controversy in recent
years, for a variety of reasons. Many have been concerned that
Christ is too often left out of Christmas; replaced by trimmings
and presents and fudge. Others have battled over whether we should
allow manger scenes on public property or allow the school choir to
sing Christmas carols that actually contain a message about Jesus
Christ. On the other hand, a growing number of Christians have been
arguing that we should not celebrate Christmas at all because there
is no command to do so in the Bible and because the celebration is
based in pagan roots.
What stand should we take? How should we approach this
all-encompassing holiday in the light of history and in the light
of the Bible?
The Pagan History:
Many pagan religions through the millennia have worshipped the sun
as the source of light and warmth and life. As darkness deepened in
the winter and the shortest day of the year approached, many pagans
of yesteryear feared that the light might die altogether. Once the
winter solstice hit, however, and the hours of sunlight began to
increase once again, there would be great celebrations over the
return of the sun and the accompanying hope for a future spring. In
the northern hemisphere, these celebrations would occur toward the
end of December.
Tammuz, the son of Nimrod and his queen, Semiramis, was identified
with the Babylonian Sun God and worshipped following the winter
solstice, on about December 22-23. Tammuz was thought to have died
during the winter solstice, and was memorialized by burning a log
in the fireplace. (The Chaldean word for infant is yule. This is
the origin of the yule log.) His rebirth was celebrated by
replacing the log with a trimmed tree the next morning.
The Roman god Saturn's celebration fell on December 17 and lasted
for seven days. Romans would gaily decorate their homes in
evergreen boughs and candles, and would give gifts to one another.
It was a time of visiting with family and friends, and of
often-rowdy merry-making.
December 25 was also considered to be the birth date of the
Iranian mystery god Mithra, the god of light and contracts. A
once-minor god of the Persian pantheon, Roman soldiers adopted
Mithra as the manly man's hero, a divinity of fidelity, manliness,
and bravery. Women were excluded from the caves where men
worshipped Mithra through secret rituals.
While quite different in person and mission, there are a few
similarities between the legends of Mithra and the story of Christ.
Mithra was said to have been born in a cave, with shepherds
attending, (although there were no men on earth at the time (?)).
Other legends have him being born from a rock by a river under a
tree. According to Persian mythology, Mithra was born of a virgin
given the title 'Mother of God'. Mithra was a moral god, upholding
the sanctity of the contract even when the contract was made with
one who was sure to break it. Initiates into Mithraism would be
'baptized' with the trickle of the sacrificial bull's blood that
would flow into a pit. This blood was said to cleanse the initiates
from any impurities.
Tertullian (160-220 A.D.), the early Church writer, noticed that
the pagan religion utilized baptism as well as bread and wine
consecrated by priests. He considered Mithraism to have been
inspired by the devil, who wanted to mock Christians and lead
others to hell.
Mithra came to be identified with the sun-god Helios and became
known as 'The Great God Helios-Mithras.' Several Roman emperors
formally announced their alliance with the sun, including Commodus
who was initiated in public. Emperor Aurelian (270 to 275 CE)
blended a number of Pagan solstice celebrations of such
god-men/saviors as Appolo, Attis, Baal, Dionysus, Helios, Hercules,
Horus, Mithra, Osiris, Perseus, and Theseus into a single festival
called the 'Birthday of the Unconquered Sun,' celebrated on
December 25th.
Because of these pagan beliefs and these historical pagan
celebrations, many Christians believe we should avoid Christmas as
ultimately a pagan holiday. However, does the celebration of the
birth of Jesus Christ itself have anything to do with pagans? It
was, after all, foretold centuries prior in the Hebrew Scriptures.
In the fullness of time, God sent His Son to redeem mankind. He
sent Jesus as a little baby to become God With Us.
The Hebrew Roots:
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the
thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me
that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of
old, from everlasting . -Micah 5:2
And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of
Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that
thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth . -Isaiah
49:6
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin
shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel .
-Isaiah 7:14
...When at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and
the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her
by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they
that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the
light shined. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall
be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and
peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his
kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with
justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of
hosts will perform this . -Isaiah 9:1-2,6-7
The Christian Roots:
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found
favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and
bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be
great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God
shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall
reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there
shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be,
seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her,
The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest
shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall
be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. - Luke 1:30-35
About 1950 years ago, the well-educated and faithful physician
Luke wrote to one Theophilus, detailing the life of Jesus Christ.
Luke explained that he had done research on the subject so that
Theophilus could know with certainty that the things he had been
told about Jesus were true (Luke 1:4). Luke must have spoken with
Mary herself, for he tells of things that only she would know. 'But
Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart,' (Luke
2:19). He tells Theophilus of the birth of Jesus; how he was born
in Bethlehem during a time when the entire Roman world was being
taxed. Shepherds out in the field were surprised by a host of
angels that filled the sky, singing, 'Glory to God in the highest!'
and as they were told, went down to find the baby wrapped in
swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Then, those shepherds told
everybody they could find about the incredible things they had
seen.
The child grew up and went on to have a short, three-year ministry
that ended in his death on a Roman Cross. Yet, the man that was
born in Bethlehem rose again from the dead, as witnessed by over
500 men (1 Cor 15:6). And he is still changing the hearts and lives
of people living today.
The early Christians are not known to have celebrated Christ's
birth, and the actual date of his nativity has been lost in
history. The first recorded mention of the December 25 date is in
the Calendar of Philocalus (354 A.D.), which assumed Jesus' birth
date to be Friday, December 25, 1 A.D. Pope Julius I officially
proclaimed December 25 to be the anniversary of Christ's birth in
440 A.D. Giving December 25th Christian significance has been
understood to have been an effort to help the pagan world embrace
Christianity and trade in their worship of pagan gods for the One
True God. Originally called the Feast of the Nativity, the custom
spread to Egypt by 432 and to England by the end of the 6th
century. By the end of the 8th century, the celebration of
Christmas had spread all the way to the Scandinavian countries.
Christmas is celebrated on January 6 in the Orthodox Church, on
what is also called Epiphany or Three Kings Day, the day that
celebrates the arrival of the wise men who gave the Christ child
their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Today
Christmas did largely win out over the pagan holidays, but was
still celebrated with rowdy festivities and practical jokes - more
like Mardi Gras than anything resembling the character of Christ.
Puritans in England outlawed Christmas for years, and the holiday
was not popular in early America. In fact, Christmas wasn't
declared a federal holiday in the United States until June 26,
1870.
Then, the holiday underwent a conversion. Christmas was
'reinvented' into the more moderate holiday we know today. Writers
Washington Irving and Charles Dickens both wrote tales that
presented Christmas as a holiday of caring for the poor and
bringing families together. As the angels sang above the shepherds
that first night, Christmas was about 'peace on earth, good will
toward men.'
Conclusion:
The Season is still a mixture of traditions pulled from a
multitude of sources. While many of them have little to do with
Jesus, most are morally neutral activities. However, even while
Santa Claus ho ho ho's down Main street on a fire truck, and
Hershey makes a killing on aluminum-wrapped chocolate bells, the
reality of Christ's birth does break through. Nativity scenes in
downtown squares and in front of churches bring to mind the great
gift of God - the King of kings lying in a manger, attended by
shepherds. Children who see them have the chance to ask, 'What is
that?' Christmas carols that cry 'The Lord is come' and 'Come let
us adore him' are sung from door to door, reminding us all of what
God has done. It is a time of year when people can speak more
freely of Jesus the Savior, and when even the faithless are willing
to go to a Christmas Eve church service. It is truly a precious
slot of time God has given us during which to spread the Good News
of His Son. Glory to God in the highest!
May your celebration of the birth of Christ honor Him who gave
Himself to us as the ultimate sacrifice of love. May everything we
do reflect the love and compassion of our Savior, and bring glory
to His name.
from
<http://www.khouse.org/enews/2003-12-23.html>
a bondslave to the Christ
chuck
The miracle continues.
Now, have something to eat!