How We Got Christmas
There is no doubt that the birth of Jesus Christ is part of the Gospel story. There are complimentary accounts in two of the Gospels – Matthew and Luke. The story of Christ’s birth is both thrilling and interesting.
The nativity stories are filled with uplifting and important spiritual understanding. So, why not celebrate Christmas?
As important as the story of Christ’s birth is, it is mentioned in only two of the four gospels. Whereas the crucifixion is mentioned in all four Gospels. Furthermore, even in Matthew and Luke where the story of Christ’s birth is detailed, there is no further mention of His birth again in either of these Gospels..
How did the birth of Christ become celebrated? How did Christmas come to be a major holiday in what is called “Christianity”?
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia the word for Christmas was Cristes Maesse, Mass of Christ, in Old English. This phrase was first used in 1038 A.D. Furthermore the Encyclopedia states “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church.” Early church fathers such as Irenaeus, Tertullian and Origen omit Christmas from their lists of church feasts. Origen, disgusted with the birthday celebrations of high Roman officials, commented that “in the Scriptures sinners alone, not saints, celebrate their birthday.”
In the third century (200’s A.D.) some theologians in Egypt began to be curious and tried to find out not only the year but also the day of Christ’s birth. Nearly every month of the year was proposed with several dates.
The Gospels themselves are of almost no help in determining the day or month of Christ’s birth. Some have tied it to the Feast of Tabernacles, as did Professor Lightfoot. Some used Zacharius’ order of temple service -- being the 8th order -- to calculate that Christ’s birth was somewhere between October 2-9.
But it was the “well known solar feast of Natalis Invicti (the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun) that is responsible for the December 25th date. It was the birthday of the Sun God. Many hailed it as the day the Sun was born and thus they merely had to change it to the day the Son of God was born. Tertullian tried to fight against this adoption of a pagan day of sun worship by stating that Sol was not the Christian’s God. Augustine and even Pope Leo I bitterly said it was heretical to identify Christ with Sol (Sun).
But it was Emperor Constantine, a lifelong pagan who was baptized on his deathbed, who did the trick. During his reign Rome’s official religion was sun worship – the cult of Sol Invictus or the Invincible Sun. Unfortunately for him a growing religious turmoil was gripping Rome. Three centuries after His crucifixion, Jesus’ followers multiplied exponentially. Christians and pagans were warring to such proportions that it threatened to tear Rome apart.
Constantine decided something had to be done. In 325 A.D. he decided to unify Rome under a single religion – Christianity. Historians marvel at the brilliance with which Constantine converted the sun-worshipping pagans to Christianity. By blending pagan symbols, dates, and rituals into the expanding Christian tradition, Constantine created a hybrid religion that was acceptable to both pagans and professing Christians alike.
The vestiges of pagan religion in Christian zymology are undeniable. Egyptian sun disks became the halos of Catholic saints. Pictures of Isis nursing her miraculously conceived son, Horus, became the blueprint for modern images of the Virgin Mary nursing baby Jesus. Virtually all elements of the Catholic ritual – the miter, the altar, the doxology, and the communion – the act of God-eating—were taken directly from earlier page mystery religions.
The pre-Christian god, Mirthras – called the Son of God and the Light of the World – was born on December 25. December 25 is also the birthday of Osiris, Adonis, and Dionysus – all pagan deities! A book documenting this is titled, 4000 years of Christmas.
Originally Christianity honored the 7th day Sabbath – Saturday. But Constantine shifted it to coincide with the pagans’ veneration day of the sun. To this day, most churchgoers attend services on Sunday morning with no idea that they are there on account of the pagan sun god’s weekly worship day – Sunday! The average person does not understand or care.
Our Behavior:
In time past, many members of the Churches of God who understood the pagan origins of Christmas became intolerant of relatives and other people who celebrated Christmas. It became a badge of righteousness to condemn others – their homes, their Christmas trees, their presents, and their music.
In fact, many became so disgusted with anything to do with Christmas that they transferred that disgust over to Christ’s birth. Thus, the early chapters in Matthew and Luke were very much omitted from sermons and Bible readings for members of the Churches of God.
There are many fine and sincere people who observe Christmas. Some of them may be your own relatives. Many Church of God members become upset and harsh to someone who so much as wishes them a “merry Christmas.” They feel a duty to rebuke this person or explain the pagan origins of the celebration to people who neither want nor are ready to hear it.
Most Church of God members don’t have a tree or decorate their homes. They do not celebrate Christmas but they can and should appreciate and understand the wonderful meaning of the birth of Jesus Christ. They should not shrink from loving others who do observe Christmas.
It is a personal decision how you handle or deal with people who observe Christmas. Each of us has to decide how to approach mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons or daughters in order to be a light to them and at the same time respect the fact that they just don’t see things as we do.
Whatever you do should be done according to your own conscience. But don’t judge others in how they decide in their consciences to handle their relatives.
The nativity stories are filled with uplifting and important spiritual understanding. So, why not celebrate Christmas?
As important as the story of Christ’s birth is, it is mentioned in only two of the four gospels. Whereas the crucifixion is mentioned in all four Gospels. Furthermore, even in Matthew and Luke where the story of Christ’s birth is detailed, there is no further mention of His birth again in either of these Gospels..
How did the birth of Christ become celebrated? How did Christmas come to be a major holiday in what is called “Christianity”?
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia the word for Christmas was Cristes Maesse, Mass of Christ, in Old English. This phrase was first used in 1038 A.D. Furthermore the Encyclopedia states “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church.” Early church fathers such as Irenaeus, Tertullian and Origen omit Christmas from their lists of church feasts. Origen, disgusted with the birthday celebrations of high Roman officials, commented that “in the Scriptures sinners alone, not saints, celebrate their birthday.”
In the third century (200’s A.D.) some theologians in Egypt began to be curious and tried to find out not only the year but also the day of Christ’s birth. Nearly every month of the year was proposed with several dates.
The Gospels themselves are of almost no help in determining the day or month of Christ’s birth. Some have tied it to the Feast of Tabernacles, as did Professor Lightfoot. Some used Zacharius’ order of temple service -- being the 8th order -- to calculate that Christ’s birth was somewhere between October 2-9.
But it was the “well known solar feast of Natalis Invicti (the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun) that is responsible for the December 25th date. It was the birthday of the Sun God. Many hailed it as the day the Sun was born and thus they merely had to change it to the day the Son of God was born. Tertullian tried to fight against this adoption of a pagan day of sun worship by stating that Sol was not the Christian’s God. Augustine and even Pope Leo I bitterly said it was heretical to identify Christ with Sol (Sun).
But it was Emperor Constantine, a lifelong pagan who was baptized on his deathbed, who did the trick. During his reign Rome’s official religion was sun worship – the cult of Sol Invictus or the Invincible Sun. Unfortunately for him a growing religious turmoil was gripping Rome. Three centuries after His crucifixion, Jesus’ followers multiplied exponentially. Christians and pagans were warring to such proportions that it threatened to tear Rome apart.
Constantine decided something had to be done. In 325 A.D. he decided to unify Rome under a single religion – Christianity. Historians marvel at the brilliance with which Constantine converted the sun-worshipping pagans to Christianity. By blending pagan symbols, dates, and rituals into the expanding Christian tradition, Constantine created a hybrid religion that was acceptable to both pagans and professing Christians alike.
The vestiges of pagan religion in Christian zymology are undeniable. Egyptian sun disks became the halos of Catholic saints. Pictures of Isis nursing her miraculously conceived son, Horus, became the blueprint for modern images of the Virgin Mary nursing baby Jesus. Virtually all elements of the Catholic ritual – the miter, the altar, the doxology, and the communion – the act of God-eating—were taken directly from earlier page mystery religions.
The pre-Christian god, Mirthras – called the Son of God and the Light of the World – was born on December 25. December 25 is also the birthday of Osiris, Adonis, and Dionysus – all pagan deities! A book documenting this is titled, 4000 years of Christmas.
Originally Christianity honored the 7th day Sabbath – Saturday. But Constantine shifted it to coincide with the pagans’ veneration day of the sun. To this day, most churchgoers attend services on Sunday morning with no idea that they are there on account of the pagan sun god’s weekly worship day – Sunday! The average person does not understand or care.
Our Behavior:
In time past, many members of the Churches of God who understood the pagan origins of Christmas became intolerant of relatives and other people who celebrated Christmas. It became a badge of righteousness to condemn others – their homes, their Christmas trees, their presents, and their music.
In fact, many became so disgusted with anything to do with Christmas that they transferred that disgust over to Christ’s birth. Thus, the early chapters in Matthew and Luke were very much omitted from sermons and Bible readings for members of the Churches of God.
There are many fine and sincere people who observe Christmas. Some of them may be your own relatives. Many Church of God members become upset and harsh to someone who so much as wishes them a “merry Christmas.” They feel a duty to rebuke this person or explain the pagan origins of the celebration to people who neither want nor are ready to hear it.
Most Church of God members don’t have a tree or decorate their homes. They do not celebrate Christmas but they can and should appreciate and understand the wonderful meaning of the birth of Jesus Christ. They should not shrink from loving others who do observe Christmas.
It is a personal decision how you handle or deal with people who observe Christmas. Each of us has to decide how to approach mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons or daughters in order to be a light to them and at the same time respect the fact that they just don’t see things as we do.
Whatever you do should be done according to your own conscience. But don’t judge others in how they decide in their consciences to handle their relatives.
posted by guardianministries at
11:59 AM
<< Home