WHERE DID CHRISTMAS COME FROM?3 - CHRISTMAS DOWN THROUGH THE CENTURIES
"The
earliest identification of the 25th of December with the birthday of
Christ is in a passage, otherwise unknown and probably spurious, of
Theophilus of Antioch (A.D. 171-183), preserved in Latin by the
Magdeburg centuriators (i. 3, 118), to the effect that the Gauls
contended that as they celebrated the birth of the Lord on the 25th of
December, whatever day of the week it might be, so they ought to
celebrate the Pascha on the 25th of March when the resurrection befell. "The
next mention of the 25th of December is in Hippolytus' (c. 202)
commentary on Daniel 4:23. Jesus, he says, was born at Bethlehem on the
25th of December, a Wednesday, in the forty-second year of Augustus.
This passage also is almost certainly interpolated. In any case he
mentions no feast, nor was such a feast congruous with the orthodox
ideas of that age. As late as 245, Origen, in his eighth homily on
Leviticus, repudiates as sinful the very idea of keeping the birthday of
Christ' as if he were a king Pharaoh. ' The first certain mention of
December 25 is in a Latin chronographer of A.D. 354, first published
entire by Mommsen. It runs thus in English: 'Year 1 after Christ, in the
consulate of Caesar and Paulus, the Lord Jesus Christ was born on the
25th of December, a Friday and 15th day of the new moon.' Here again no
festival celebration of the day is attested. "There
were, however, many speculations in the second century about the date of
Christs birth. Clement of Alexandria, toward its close, mentions
several such, and condemns them as superstitions. Some chronologists, he
says, alleged the birth to have occurred in the twenty-eighth year of
Augustus, on the 25th of Pachon, the Egyptian month, i.e. the 20th of
May. These were probably the Basilidian Gnostics. Others set it on the
24th or 25th of Pharmuthi, i.e. the 19th or 20th of April. Clement
himself sets it on the 17th of November, 3 B.C. The author of a Latin
tract, called the De Pascha computus, written in Mica in 243, sets it
by private revelation, ab ispo deo inspirsti, on the 28th of March. He
argues that the world was created perfect, flowers in bloom, and trees
in leaf, therefore in spring; also at the equinox, and when the moon
just created was full. Now the moon and sun were created on a Wednesday.
The 28th of March suits all these considerations. Christ, therefore, being
the Sun of Righteousness, was born on the 28th of March. The same
symbolic reasoning led Polycarp (before 160) to set his birth on Sunday,
when the world's creation began, but his baptism on Wednesday, for it
was the analogue of the sun's creation. On such grounds certain Latins
as early as 354 may have transferred the human birthday from the 6th of
January to the 25th of December, which was then a Mithraic feast and is
by the chronographer above referred to, but in another part of his
compilation, termed Natalis invicti solis, or birthday of the unconquered
Sun. Cyprian (de orat. dom. 35) calls Christ Sol verous, Ambrose Sol
novus noster (Sermo vii. 13), and such rhetoric was widespread. The
Syrians and Armenians, who clung to the 6th of January, accused the
Romans of sun worship and idolatry, contending with great probability
that the feast of the 25th of December had been invented by disciples
of Cerinthus and its lections by Artemon to commemorate the natural
birth of Jesus. . "In
Britain the 25th of December was a festival long before the conversion
to Christianity, for Bede (De temp. rat., ch. 13) relates that 'the ancient
peoples of the Angli began the year on the 25th of December when we now
celebrate the birthday of the Lord; and the very night which is now so
holy to us, they called in their tongue modranecht (modra niht), that
is, the mothers' night, by reason we suspect of the ceremonies which in
that night-long vigil they performed.' With his usual reticence about
matters pagan or orthodox, Bede abstains from recording who the mothers
were and what the ceremonies. In 1644 the English Puritans forbade any
merriment or religious services by act of Parliament, on the ground that
it was a heathen festival, and ordered it to be kept as a fast. Charles
II revived the feast, but the Scots adhered to the Puritan view.
"-The Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. VI, "Christmas," 293,
294, 11th edition. CHRISTMAS
IN THE MIDDLE AGES AND BEYOND- "MIDDLE AGES.
The great religious pioneers and missionaries who brought Christianity
to the pagan tribes of Europe also introduced the celebration of
Christmas . . "The period from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries was the peak of a general Christian celebration of the Nativity. . It was at this period, too, that most of the delightful Christmas customs of each country were introduced. Some have since died out; others have changed slightly through the ages. Many have survived to our day. A few practices had to be suppressed as being improper and scandalous, such as the customs of dancing and mumming in church, the 'Boy Bishop's Feast: the 'Feast of the Donkey,' New Year's fires, superstitious (pagan) meals, impersonations of the Devil, and irreverent carols. "DECLINE.
With the Reformation in the sixteenth century there naturally came a
sharp change in the Christmas celebration for countries in Europe. The
Sacrifice of the Mass-the very soul of the feast-was suppressed. The
Holy Eucharist, the liturgy of the Divine Office, the sacramentals and
ceremonies all disappeared. So did the colorful and inspiring
processions, the generation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints.
In many countries all that remained of the once rich and glorious
religious festival was a sermon and a prayer service on Christmas Day.
Although the people kept many of their customs alive, the deep religious
inspiration was missing, and consequently the 'new' Christmas turned
more and more into a feast of good-natured reveling. "On
the other hand, some groups, including the German Lutherans, preserved a
tender devotion to the Christ Child and celebrated Christmas in a
deeply spiritual way within their churches, hearts, and homes. "In
England the Puritans condemned ever the reduced religious celebration
that was held in the Anglican Church after the separation from Rome. "When
the Puritans finally came to political power in England, they
immediately proceeded to outlaw Christmas. "REVIVAL
IN ENGLAND.
When the old Christmas eventually returned with the restoration of the
monarchy in 1660, it was actually a 'new' Christmas. The spiritual
aspect of the feast was left mostly to the care of the ministers in the
church service on Christmas Day. What was observed in the home consisted
of a more shallow celebration in the form of various nonreligious
amusements and of general reveling. . However, a spirit of good will
to all and of generosity to the poor ennobled these more worldly
celebrations of the great religious feast. Two famous descriptions of
this kind of popular celebration are found in Charles Dickens' A
Christmas Carol and in Washington Irving's Sketch Book. . "CHRISTMAS
IN AMERICA.
. The feast was celebrated with all the splendor of liturgical solemnity
and with the traditional customs of the respective nationalities in
Florida, on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, in Canada, and in the
territory of the present State of Michigan. "In the colonies of New England, however, the unfortunate and misdirected zeal of the Puritans against Christmas persisted far into the nineteenth century. . "It
was not until immigrants from Ireland and from continental Europe
arrived in large numbers toward the middle of the last century that
Christmas in America began to flourish. The Germans brought the
Christmas tree. They were soon joined by the Irish, who contributed the
ancient Gaelic custom of lights in the windows "Very
soon their neighbors shared in these unusual but attractive innovations,
followed their example and made many of these customs their own.
"-Francis X. Weiser, Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs
(New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, Inc., 1958), 6267. SANTA
CLAUS-St.
Nicholas is thought to be a fine old saint in the church, but not so. It
is true that there may have been a Nicholas, bishop of Myra, who lived
in the fourth century and was said to have helped the poor. But Santa
Claus was named after another "old Nick" The legend of Santa Claus is quite similar to those of the ancient Egyptian god, Bes. Bes was a short rotund god who was said to give gifts to children. They were told he lived in the far north, where he spent most of the year making toys for them. The
Roman god, Saturn, was similar-and probably copied from Bes. He too was
said to live in the northernmost part of the world, making gifts for
children who were good. The Romans said he was the one who, each
December, brought them the gifts of the new year. The
names, "Santa Claus" and "Kriss Kringle," do not go
as far back into history. "Sant Nikolaas" (Sant-Ni-Klaus) and
"Kriss Kringle" are from the German "Christ Krindl,"
or "Christ Child." So we have here a counterfeit Christ. Parents
punish their children for telling falsehoods, then tell them this big
one in December! Later, when their children are grown, they wonder why
they question the existence of God. Teach
your children about Jesus Christ their best Friend, their only Saviour,
and the only One who can really bring them the gifts they need. Do not
waste time telling them myths; lest, when they grow older, they will not
believe the realities you tell them of. THE
ORIGIN OF SANTA CLAUS-
"When the Dutch came to America and established the colony of New
Amsterdam, their children enjoyed the traditional 'visit of Saint
Nicholas' on December 5; for the Dutch had kept this ancient Catholic
custom even after the Reformation. Later, when England took over the
colony and it became New York, the kindly figure of Sinter Klaas
(pronounced Santa Claus) soon aroused among the English children the
desire of having such a heavenly visitor come to their homes, too. "The
English settlers were glad and willing to comply with the anxious wish
of their children. However, the figure of a Catholic saint and bishop
was not acceptable in their eyes, especially since many of them were
Presbyterians, to whom a bishop was repugnant. In addition, they did not
celebrate the feasts of saints according to the ancient Catholic
calendar. "The
dilemma was solved by transferring the visit of the mysterious man whom
the Dutch called Santa Claus from December 5 to Christmas, and by
introducing a radical change in the figure itself. It was not merely a
'disguise,' but the ancient saint was completely replaced by an entirely
different character. Behind the name Santa Claus actually stands the
figure of the pagan Germanic god Thor (after whom Thursday is named).
Some details about Thor from ancient German mythology will show the
origin of the modern Santa Claus tale: "Thor was the god of the peasants and the common people. He was represented as an elderly man, jovial and friendly, of heavy build, with a long white beard. His element was the fire, his color red. The rumble and roar of thunder were said to be caused by the rolling of his chariot, for he alone among the gods never rode on horseback but drove in a chariot drawn by two white goats (called Cracker and Gnasher). He was fighting the giants of ice and snow, and thus became the Yule-god. He was said to live in the 'Northland' where he had his palace among icebergs. By our pagan forefathers he was considered as the cheerful and friendly god, never harming the humans but rather helping and protecting them. The fireplace in every home was especially sacred to him, and he was said to come down through the chimney into his element, the fire. 70 [Note 70: H.A. Grueber, Myths of Northern Lands, Vol. I, New York, 1895, 61.ff.]. Here, then, is the true origin of our "Santa Claus." It certainly was a stroke of genius that produced such a charming and attractive figure for pagan mythology. With the Christian saint whose name he still bears, however, this Santa Claus has really nothing to do." -Francis X. Weiser, Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs (New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, Inc., 1958), 113114. MISTLETOE-Where
did the mistletoe custom originate? Among the ancients, because
mistletoe was considered sacred to the sun, it was used at the December
festival of the winter solstice, when the sun was lowest in the noon
sky. Kissing
under the mistletoe was thought to be an act of solar worship,
empowering the worshipers for still further worship. As this
indicates, pagan sun-worship services were very licentious. Temple
prostitution was performed during the eight-day Roman Saturnalia which
immediately preceded the December 25 sun-birth celebration. MISTLETOE
WAS THE SACRED PLANT OF THE HEATHEN DRUIDS-
"The mistletoe was a sacred plant in the pagan religion of the
Druids in Britain. It was believed to have all sorts of miraculous
qualities: the power of healing diseases, making poisons harmless,
giving fertility to humans and animals, protecting from witchcraft,
banning evil spirits, bringing good luck and great blessings. In fact,
it was considered so sacred that even enemies who happened to meet
beneath a mistletoe in the forest would lay down their arms, exchange a
friendly greeting, and keep a truce until the following day. From this
old custom grew [p. 104] the practice of suspending mistletoe over a
doorway or in a room as a token of good will and peace to all comers. . After
Britain was converted from paganism to Christianity, the bishops did not
allow the mistletoe to be used in churches because it had been the main
symbol of a pagan religion. Even to this day mistletoe is rarely used as
a decoration for altars. There was, however, one exception. At the
Cathedral of York at one period before the Reformation a large bundle
of mistletoe was brought into the sanctuary each year at Christmas and
solemnly placed on the altar by a priest. In this rite the plant that
the Druids had called 'All-heal' was used as a symbol of Christ, the
Divine Healer of nations. "The
people of England then adopted the mistletoe as a decoration for their
homes at Christmas. Its old, pagan religious meaning was soon forgotten,
but some of the other meanings and customs have survived: the kiss under
the mistletoe; the token of good will and friendship; the omen of
happiness and good luck and the new religious significance."
-Francis X. Weiser, Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs (New York:
Harcourt, Brace and World, Inc., 1958), 103-104. WREATHS
AND HOLLY-"Circular
wreaths of evergreen branches (especially holly) were a featured part of
the festival. These were formed in the shape of the sun, and represented
life which could not exist without sunlight. These wreaths were placed
on inside and outside walls during the celebrations. At the time of
initiation into the Dionysian mysteries, these were worn by the
initiates as fertility symbols. They represented the perpetuity of
existence through ongoing cycles of life, death, and rebirth. "Holly
berries were also considered sacred to the sun-god. "The use of
Christmas wreaths is believed by authorities to be traceable to the
pagan customs of decorating buildings and places of worship at the
feast which took place at the same time as Christmas. "-Frederick
J. Haskins, Answers to Questions. CHRISTMAS
TREES-Green
trees were cut down, mounted, and then decked with offerings of food and
precious gifts to Mithra. "The
Christmas tree is from Egypt, and it originally dates from a period long
anterior to the Christian Era." -Frederick J. Haskins, Answers to
Questions. Evergreens,
because of their ability to remain fresh and green all year, symbolized
immortality and fertility. Egyptian priests taught that the evergreen
tree sprang from the grave of their god Osiris, who, after being
murdered by another god, was resurrected through the energy in an
evergreen tree. Even
the Bible speaks about the pagan custom: "Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen. . For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not."-Jeremiah 10:2-4. YULE
LOG The
Yule log did not come from the Bible, nor from Near Eastern paganism. It
came from heathen Celtic worship practices in Britain. The Celts also
worshiped the sun, and they too had a celebration at the time of the winter
solstice. Their December sun festival, called Julmond, was taken into
Christianity when it came to Britain. During the Yule festival, evergreen
branches were used for decoration; and, after the branches were stripped
off, the log was considered sacred to the sun. It was round like the sun
and its length symbolized the movement, just as the sun was round and
moved through the sky. (All this may sound ridiculous, but paganism
always is.) The
family would, each year, go out and specially select a nice round tree
from which to cut the yule log. When burned it sent out heat, just as
the sun god burned and sent out heat. CHRIST'S
MASS- "Christmas" means "Christ's Mass." This
is a special Roman Catholic mass performed on December 25. It must be
attended by the faithful, under penalty of mortal sin for not doing so.
At this mass, as at every other, Christ is offered by the priest in
a wafer. The people are to worship this wafer as the true body, blood,
mind, and soul of Jesus Christ! One
of the most recent Vatican statements on this reveals that this worship
of a piece of bread remains unchanged: "There
should be no doubt in anyone's mind that all the faithful ought to show
to this most holy sacrament [the communion wafer] the worship which is
due to the true God, as has always been the custom of the Catholic
Church. Nor is it to be adored any the less because it was instituted
by Christ to be eaten."-Vatican II: The Conciliar and Post
Conciliar Documents. This
Vatican II statement reaffirms the doctrinal statement made in 1648 at
the Council of Trent (Session 13: Decree on the Eucharist, chap. 5, Denz.
878, 1648). SHOULD WE THEN GIVE PRESENTS?The
pagan Romans exchanged food, small statues of gods, and trinkets to
one another during the winter festival. The church, in adopting the
custom, declared that this is to be done on December 25. "The
interchange of presents between friends is alike characteristic of
Christmas and the Saturnalia, and must have been adopted by Christians
from the pagans, as the admonition of Tertullian plainly shows."-Bibliothica
Sacra, Vol. 12, 153-155. Should
we today give gifts to our friends and to those who need them? Yes, it
is well to do this all through the year, -especially to the needy. But
our choicest gifts should be brought to Christ. For that we have a
Biblical example: "Now
when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea. . And when they [the wise
men] were come into the house, they. . fell down, and worshipped Him:
and when they had opened their treasures they presented unto Him gifts;
gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."-Matthew 2:1, 11. Give
Him the best you have; give Him your life. Dedicate all you have to Him,
to be used in His service. Read the Bible daily and obey its commands
through the enabling grace of Christ. Only then can you have genuine
happiness. But
let not ancient paganism select the day on which you will worship God.
The weekly Bible Sabbath was given as the day appointed us on which to
worship Him. If we want to have happy gatherings with our loved ones,
that is good. But let us not copy the heathen in doing it. "Take
heed to thyself, that thou be not snared by following them. . That thou
inquire not after their gods. saying, How did these nations serve their
gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy
God: for every abomination to the Lord, which He hateth, have they done
unto their gods." -Deuteronomy 12:30-31. "In
vain, they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of
men." -Matthew 15:9. It
is obeying the Inspired Word of God-the Bible, the Sabbath He gave us
(Genesis 2:13; Exodus 20,8-11) and giving our lives in His service
that we become worshipers of the Living God. That is what pleases Him,
and we would rather please Him than do anything else. He has been so
good to us all our lives. In Him we live and move and have our being,
and only through Him can we be saved. "Once
a year, special ceremonies were held at Ephesus in honor of the goddess
Diana. These attracted great numbers of people from all parts of the
province. Throughout this period, festivities were conducted with the
utmost pomp and splendor."-Acts of the Apostles, 291-292 CHRISTMAS
COUNTERFEITS OF CHRIST
Old Saint Nick, one of Santa's names, is a name for Satan. See "Old Nick" in the dictionary. "Santa," unscrambled, is Satan.
Outstanding
missionary book
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SANTA 1. Comes as a thief in the night 2. Comes at midnight 3. Dressed in white and red 4. Bringing gifts and rewards 5. Knows if you've been good or not 6. White, curly hair
8. Portrayed as coming with reindeer 9. Comes with a sleigh 10. Lives at the North Pole 11. Children tell him what they want 12. Santa Claus is not real, only make-believe
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CHRIST Comes in the night - 2 Peter 3:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:2 "It was at midnight that God chose to deliver His people." EW 285 White and red - Revelation 19: 13-14; Isaiah 63: 1-3 Brings rewards - Revelation 22: 12 Revelation 2:23 "His [Jesus'] hair was white and curly." LS 65; Revelation 1: 14 Talks with children - Matthew 19: 14 With horses - Revelation 19: 11. 14 With chariots - Isaiah 66: 15 Lives on the sides of the north - Psalm 48:2 Prayers - Matthew 7:7 We should not partake in lies. Rev 22: 14-15 |