Posted on 12/19/2004 7:03:43 PM PST by Mr. Mulliner
Each year at Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. After the New Year, we struggle to remember to add a year as we date our checks, which should remind us that the entire Western World reckons its calendar from the birth of the One who changed the world more than any other before or since.
Yet, it is disturbing to discover that much of what we have been taught about the Christmas season seems to be more tradition than truth.
When Was Jesus Born?
Most serious Bible students realize that Jesus was probably not born on December 25th. The shepherds had their flocks in open fields,1 which implies a date prior to October. Furthermore, no competent Roman administrator would require registration involving travel during the season when Judea was generally impassable.2
If Jesus wasn't born on December 25, just when was he born? Although the Bible doesn't explicitly identify the birthday of our Lord, many scholars have developed diverse opinions as to the likely birthday of Jesus. (It reminds one of the rabbinical observation: with two Jews, you have three opinions!) See our briefing, The Christmas Story: What Really Happened for more information.
Then Why December 25th?
The early Christian church did not celebrate Jesus' birth, and therefore the exact date was not preserved in festivals. The first recorded mention of December 25th is in the Calendar of Philocalus (A.D. 354), which assumed Jesus' birth to be Friday, December 25th, A.D. 1. This was subsequent to Constantine's Edict of Toleration in A.D. 313, which enabled the persecuted Christians to exchange the rags of hiding for the silks of the court. But the predictable expediency to adopt the inevitable cultural changes caused many of the former pagan rituals to be adapted to their new "Christian" trappings.
The date of December 25th, which was officially proclaimed by the church fathers in A.D. 440, was actually a vestige of the Roman holiday of Saturnalia, observed near the winter solstice, which itself was among the many pagan traditions inherited from the earlier Babylonian priesthood.3
Babylonian Traditions
All forms of occultic practices have their origins in the original city of Babylon. Isaiah Chapter 47 clearly brings this out. Most of what we associate with pagan Rome had its origins in ancient Babylon. Babylon is mentioned in over 300 references in the Bible; it is even alluded to three times in Christ's own genealogy.
The Tammuz Legend
Tammuz, the son of Nimrod and his queen, Semiramis, was identified with the Babylonian Sun God and worshipped following the winter solstice. As the days became shorter and shorter through the winter, they become the shortest at the winter solstice, 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. Sound familiar? (Jeremiah 10 contains an interesting verse which talks about trimming trees, etc.)
There are numerous other examples. The wassail bowl, the mistletoe (a fertility rite), and others are documented in such works as Alexander Hislop's, The Two Babylons. When Babylon was conquered by subsequent empires, this entire religious system was transplanted, first to Pergamos under the Persians, and then to Rome. As the pagan Roman (Babylonian) religious system was integrated with Christian ceremonial observances, many of our current traditions surrounding Christmas emerged. And it appears that an "ecumenical" integration of all the world's religions, including the ancient Babylonian occult forms that presently masquerade as the "New Age," is destined to be the final religious climax.
The Throne of David
There is another aspect to keep in mind this Christmas season. As we recall the prophecy in Micah that prescribes that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, notice the entire verse:
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
Also, as we recall that other familiar prophecy in Isaiah, note again the whole verse:
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.
Isaiah 9:6-7
The "Throne of David" is not just an Old Testament concept. Remember the Angel Gabriel's promise to Mary:
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.
Luke 1:31-33
But did Jesus ever actually sit on David's throne? He couldn't have. It didn't exist at that time. Jeconaiah was the last of David's line to sit on the throne. (Remember, the blood curse on his line.4) Herod, appointed by the Romans, was an Edomite ("Idumean"). He wasn't even Jewish.
At the moment, Jesus is sitting on His Father's Throne. The question is, will He ever sit on David's throne? Will the promise that Gabriel announced to Mary also be fulfilled? Of course. (And it may be sooner than we think.)
Keeping Christ in Christmas
Christians today tend to fight the ongoing secularization of their holidays. Some have rejected anything to do with them, saying they are not Biblically ordained. Others have tried to go back to keeping the Jewish feasts instead. It should be pointed out that the New Testament doesn't really ordain anything other than the Lord's Supper. But it does not prohibit it either, and under grace Christians are free to honor different days if they wish.
Those families who want to keep Christ as the center of Christmas may find it easier to do by understanding the various symbols that have been used to celebrate Christ's birth through the ages and using them to retain the uniqueness inherent in the mystery of the incarnation: the birth of the Son of God. For instance, at Christmas we remember the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh presented by the Magi.5 These prophetic gifts celebrated his deity, priesthood, and death. When He returns to establish His kingdom, He will be presented only with gold and frankincense.6 There will be no myrrh: His death is now behind Him.
Let's make this season a real celebration. What are you giving Him this Christmas? Is there something in your life He would like to see you part with?
Notes:
- Luke 2:8.
- Matthew 24:20.
- Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, Loizeaux Brothers, Neptune NJ, 1916.
- Jeremiah 22:30.
- Matthew 2:11.
- Isaiah 60:6.
Pure, utter bilge. Cr@p. Nonsense.
The feast of the dedication of the Temple of Jerusalem, which celebrated the dwelling of the Spirit of God on Earth in the Temple of The Living God took place on the 25th of the month of Chiselv (approximately December.) [1 Maccabees 4:49] Since Jesus was the indwelling of God on Earth, that date is a prophetic foretelling that is centuries older than Saturnalia. By the way, Saturnalia is Dec. 17-23rd, not Dec. 25th.
The reason Constantine gave was this: Jews, even before Christ, believed that Prophets died on the day they were conceived. Jesus is known to have died on March 25th, which is celebrated as the Feast of the Annunciation, the day the Blessed Virgin Mary conceived. Christians shared this belief. Today, Saints' feast days are held on the date of their death, which is also their "Heavenly feast day," since it is on that day that they are brought into the World of Heaven.
Eastern Orthodox calculated their Calendars differently, so they calculated the date of Good Friday differently. As such, Jesus was held to be born on January 6th.
If Saturnalia isn't a complete coincidence, it's relative approximation to the date of Christmas is simply divine providence, allowing Christians to prepare for Christmas without being conspicuous.
Why do people who call themselves Christians seem so fixated on negating Christian pieties? What is the motivation for spreading such ridiculous lies, Mr. Mulliner? Are you a fool, a patsy, or do you harbor resentment of Christian holidays?
By the way, The problem is there is nothing in Jeremiah 10 about decorating a tree. The passage does talk about cutting a tree, but then makes plain its purpose: It is to carved into an idol: "For the cult idols of the nation are nothing, wood cut from the forest, wrought by craftsman with the adze [an axlike tool with a curved blade at right angles to the handle, used for shaping wood]." (Jer 10:3)
Yes, the wooden statues are decorated, but with "silver an d gold, fastened with nails and hammers." (Jer 10:4a)
Still think they resemble a Christmas tree? "Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they." (Jer 10:5)
An idol, by the way, is a statue crafted in the likeness of a God, for the purpose of worshipping that God. Christmas trees, of course, are not in the likeness of a God, and are not worshipped. So how in anyone's right mind does that person make the leap "idol"="Christmas tree"?
Christmas trees' origin is Protestant, coming from Germany and Martin Luther.
I knew I should have stayed out of the religion section of Free Republic. I guess I am a fool.
Have a nice day anyway.
I wouldn't say, "stay out of the religion section." I would say, "don't go attacking people's beliefs and cherished customs, unless you know what you are talking about." YOu do realize what you posted implies that Christmas is pagan idolatry, don't you? I'm sorry if you didn't exactly get a warm welcome, implying people are idolators is not the best introduction you could make. (And I'll admit, some of we FReeper Catholics get a little touchy about people implying we're idolators.)
Wow, what a mess!
Tammuz (Dumuzi) was not a Babylonian prince, he was a Sumerian shepherd. He got deified after his death because Inanna (Ishtar) fell in love with him and retrieved him from the Underworld.
His death occurred in June, not December - which of course is why that month was renamed "Tammuz". It was his birth that supposedly happened in December.
In Sumer, his death continued to be commemorated in June, but in Babylonia the Tammuz log was burned on the winter solstice itself, 21 December, and is called yala, which is Babylonian, not Chaldean, and which means "son", not "infant".
The Yule log comes from Old English geola, which is derived from Old Norse jol, and means "festive season". Originally the entire winter season, from 1 December to 1 February; later just the Twelve Days. The "yule log" has been a part of Christian celebration since the 4th century; the practice was brought to England by the Normans in the 12th century.
Because for some the notion of Christian "holidays" constituties a form of will worship.
"I know how difficult it is to persuade the world that God disapproves of all modes of worship not expressly sanctioned by his word. The opposite persuasion which cleaves to them, being seated, as it were, in their very bones and marrow, is, that whatever they do has in itself a sufficient sanction, provided it exhibits some kind of zeal for the honor of God. But since God not only regards as fruitless, but also plainly abominates, whatever we undertake from zeal to his worship, if at variance with his command, what do we gain by a contrary course? The words of God are clear and distinct, "Obedience is better than sacrifice." "In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men," (1 Sam. 15:22; Matt. 15:9). Every addition to his word, especially in this matter, is a lie. Mere "will worship" (ethelothreeskeia) is vanity. This is the decision, and when once the judge has decided, it is no longer time to debate." (John Calvin, The Necessity of Reforming the Church)
Well that's the point; asserting that Christmas is not Christian in origin is to assert that Christians should not participate in Christmas. An inoccuous-seeming message about curiosities becomes a challenge to the piety of Christmas, if it argues that Christmas is not a Godly celebration.
Correct. If it is not sanctioned by the Word of God one cannot legitimately claim any "Christian piety" associated with its observance.
Well, I think Calvin overstates his case. The bible tells us very little about how or when to pray. Plainly, public prayer meetings were sanctionned (cf. I Cor 9-12), but other than Paul's guidance about what NOT to do, there's very little material provided for how they should be conducted. The crucial thing is that we not let the trappings of the holiday numb us to the wonders of the holyday.
I believe the only way this can be ensured is to recognize that there is no legitimate "holyday" called Christmas. The only holy day prescribed for God's people under the terms of the new covenant is the weekly Christian Sabbath. It is during the weekly observance that we come into the divine presence and find true wonder in His Being.
Other sorts of "piety" revolving around annual days of festivity and external forms have no place among the people of God. They are ripe for abuse.
Oh, get real. And how did "Keep the Sabbath holy" ever turn into our Sunday observance? Tradition, that's how! Like I said, it tells us almost nothing HOW to do prayer services, observe the Sabbath, represent Good Friday, etc.
The actual idolators might not mind ... I seem to recall we have (had?) a fellow here who claimed to worship the Norse pantheon ... and there are one or two others who claim to be pagans, or wiccans, or some such ...
While I agree with your postings about Christmas, this is not correct information either. If you want to go strictly on biblical terms there are no days made holy by God except for the days that are specified and spelled out in Leviticus chapter 23. There are no other days that were ever made holy by God and these days were never made unholy by God. They are God's days:
Lev 23:4 These [are] the feasts of the LORD, [even] holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
These are the same days Christ observed and that Paul observed.
1 Cor 11:1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
1 Cor 11:2 Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you.
No, the real idolators probably love watching simple joy be stripped from Christianity.
No, that statement doesn't make that assertion in the least. You might personally, and mistakenly, read that into it, but they are two completely different issues.
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ... In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away." (Heb. 8:10,13)
They were feast days that were observed only by the Jewish nation, but not by the universal Christian church, since they were tied to the temple which was destroyed.
"After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem."
"Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near."
"Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand."
Paul never encouraged anyone to observe these days as part of an ongoing new covenant tradition.
What passed away under the new covenant is specified in the new testament. Among these things are the Levitical priesthood. However, scripture does not say that God's Holy Days are passed away. On the contrary, God's feast days were actually instituted before the old covenant was ratified (Passover and Unleavened bread were revealed before Israel left Egypt) which means they fall outside of any covenant. This is evident because end time prophecies specifically say they will be observed in the future:
Zec 14:16 And it shall come to pass, [that] every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
Zec 14:17 And it shall be, [that] whoso will not come up of [all] the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
And indeed since God takes great pains to call them "HIS" feast days it's clear that they don't belong to any covenant or even any one nation.
They were feast days that were observed only by the Jewish nation, but not by the universal Christian church,
They were cetainly observed by the early church...i.e. the church of scripture and by many Christians throughout history. You're argument is correct in that the traditional Christian church has by tradition not observed them but that is due mainly to the anti-semitism that became prevelent early in, and throughout, church history.
since they were tied to the temple which was destroyed.
The holy days were not specfically tied to a temple in Jerusalam. In fact, Israel was a nation and observed the holy days forr 500 years before there was a temple. In addition, scripture never specfies that the holy days can only be kept in Jerusalem in a temple.
"After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem." "Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near." "Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand."
Paul never encouraged anyone to observe these days as part of an ongoing new covenant tradition.
It was the normative practice of the new testament church to observe the holy days. The new testament church was began on a holy day (Pentecost). Christ was crucified on Passover.
In addition, Paul specifically instructed the Christian churches to keep the feast of unleavened bread, albeit with a new understanding due to the new covenant:
1Co 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1Co 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened [bread] of sincerity and truth.
Paul also kept them:
Act 20:16 For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.
And of course Christ kept the holy days..no surprise since he is God and they are God's holy days.
topcat54; DouglasKC
The old covenant feast days were part of the levitical system that passed away at the coming of Jesus Christ.
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ... In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away." (Heb. 8:10,13)
They were feast days that were observed only by the Jewish nation, but not by the universal Christian church, since they were tied to the temple which was destroyed.
"After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem."
"Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near."
"Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand."
Paul never encouraged anyone to observe these days as part of an ongoing new covenant tradition.
17 posted on 12/20/2004 5:04:34 PM MST by topcat54
The New Covenant began earlier with
NAsbU Jeremiah 31:31 "Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. 33 "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
Why did Y’shua choose to enter Jerusalem on a an ass
on the exact day predicted by Daniel?
Why did He celebrate the Passover Seder as the unblemished Lamb ?
Why did He die for our sins on the day that all sin(pride) is removed ?
Why did He rise from the dead on the Feast of First Fruits ?
And why did the Ruach haKodesh come to the Jews on the feast of Shavuot?
In His Forever Grip
chuck
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