Does the Date of Christmas Have Its Origin in Paganism?
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I don't get too caught up in debates about whether the date of Christmas had its origin in a pagan holiday. But in case you're wondering, it's an urban legend.
Andrew Sullivan peddled the myth today on his blog, chiding Bill O'Reilly for being upset on the "Merry Christmas bans." Sullivan writes:
Those who are interested in the real story may be interested in reading historian William Tighe's Calculating Christmas, or Gene Veith's summary of Tighe's article, entitled Why December 25?
Here's a recap:
Tighe summarizes:
I sent Andrew a note about it. We'll see if he retracts his statement tomorrow.
Andrew Sullivan peddled the myth today on his blog, chiding Bill O'Reilly for being upset on the "Merry Christmas bans." Sullivan writes:
The relationship of what we call Christmas to Christianity is a very mixed one. Jesus obviously wasn't born on December 25. That date was arrived at to coincide with the winter solstice. It was early Christianity's smart cooptation of pagan rituals that helped it succeed as a popular faith....
Those who are interested in the real story may be interested in reading historian William Tighe's Calculating Christmas, or Gene Veith's summary of Tighe's article, entitled Why December 25?
Here's a recap:
- The Christians didn't borrow from a pagan festival. Rather, it was the other way around--the pagans imitated the Christians. Further, the ancient Roman cults didn't even have a winter solstice festival!
- Here’s how it happened: (1) there was an ancient Jewish belief that the great prophets were to have an “integral age” (where you die on the same day as either your birth or your conception); (2) there arose a consensus that Christ was conceived on March 25 (the Feast of the Annunciation, when the angel appeared to Mary); (3) therefore, it was figured that Christ was born 9 months later on December 25.
Tighe summarizes:
Thus, December 25th as the date of the Christ’s birth appears to owe nothing whatsoever to pagan influences upon the practice of the Church during or after Constantine’s time. It is wholly unlikely to have been the actual date of Christ’s birth, but it arose entirely from the efforts of early Latin Christians to determine the historical date of Christ’s death.
And the pagan feast which the Emperor Aurelian instituted on that date in the year 274 was not only an effort to use the winter solstice to make a political statement, but also almost certainly an attempt to give a pagan significance to a date already of importance to Roman Christians.
I sent Andrew a note about it. We'll see if he retracts his statement tomorrow.
posted by JT at Thursday, December 15, 2005
12 Comments:
Don't hold your breath, brother. The myth is too well entrenched, and guys like Sullivan benefit from it staying that way.
Thanks for directing my attention to Veith's article. Great stuff!
I have a series of posts dealing with this issue as well, beginning with What the Bible says about the date (if anything), then What early Christians said about the date (even if they didn't celebrate), then How the date came to be, and ending with My conclusion.
I would also commend Bob Kauflin's thoughts on the subject to you.
Good point. For an interesting take on this from the world of astronmy, which has received rave reviews from astonomer John Mosley. People should get a copy of Ernest L. Martin's book "The Star the Astonished the World". It is historical and astronomical research is why over 600 planetariums in the U.S. use this as a basis for what happend at the time of Jesus' nativity. There was some really interesting things happening in the night sky in the year 3-2 B.C. It is well worth a read.
Merry Christmas!
Just a little edit--in your recap paragraph, I think you mean, "therefore, it was figured that Christ WAS BORN (not "died") 9 months later" :)
I wouldn't be so quick to pronounce the influence of paganism on Christmas as urban legend. Historians work with translating and colating disparate artifacts that are sometimes propaganda and sometimes simply lacking a needed context. For sure, there was a lot of pagan influence on early christianity so its not unreasonable. The article was a good one but there weren't any citations and we basically have to trust the author's interpretation and colation of sources, and given the differing conclusions of historians, we shouldn't just throw our weight behind one article.
And I don't think that Sullivan benefits from his side of the story any more or less than Justin does this side. To me its not a power play by either side.
By the way, I second the link to Bob Kauflin's blog on Christmas, he has the best treatment of the subject I've seen or heard anywhere.
Honestly, I don't really see how this would change much of anything. Those who have objections to Christmas still have plenty of objections and those who didn't care before will hardly need this to vindicate them.
For more useful research on the chronology of Jesus's birth and crucifixion, take a look at Doig's Biblical Chronology site http://www.doig.net/NTC09.htm
The pagan influence on the chosen date of December 25 is most definitely a factor , and by no means a myth.
It was not in use prior to the time of Constantine's council of Nicaea. The fact too, that a Pagan emperor established such a great deal of "Christian" doctrine should make any thinking person question the authenticity and the authority of such declarations. When searching for facts and information, it is of utmost importance that one puts aside one's emotional ties and experiences. Information isn't the truth, just because one is passionate about it or has had some strong experience with it. Historical information should help one make a clear and truthful decision.
Furthermore, it was a Pagan Sun Festival, and it was replaced with the birth of Jesus as a way to influence the Pagan's to follow the new rulers. The same is true of Easter, which is in itself, the name of a Pagan Goddess. It is not the date of Jesus's resurrection, but the date of a Pagan ritual, and it is even still surrounded by that imagery (symbols of birth or procreation, such as rabbits, eggs, etc..) .The name "Easter" originated with the names of an ancient Goddess and God. The Venerable Bede, (672-735 CE.) a Christian scholar, first asserted in his book De Ratione Temporum that Easter was named after Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). She was the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe. Similarly, the "Teutonic dawn goddess of fertility [was] known variously as Ostare, Ostara, Ostern, Eostra, Eostre, Eostur, Eastra, Eastur, Austron and Ausos." (Larry Boemler "Asherah and Easter," Biblical Archaeology Review, Vol. 18, Number 3, 1992-May/June reprinted at: http://www.worldmissions.org/Clipper/Holidays/EasterAndAsherah.htm).
Furthermore, the traditional calendar of the prophets before Jesus, was lunar, and it wasn't until the 4th century that it was recalculated to correspond with the solar calendar. So the birth date of Jesus would more accurately correspond to a lunar cycle, not a seasonal/solar calendar.
From an encyclopedia entry, we see that based on an estimate of John the baptist's birth, the date for Jesus was selected: "If John's birth was on the date ascribed by tradition, June 24, then the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, said by the Gospel account to have occurred three month's before John's birth, would have been in late March. (Tradition fixed it on March 25.) The birth of Jesus would then have been on December 25, nine months after his conception. As with the previous theory, proponents of this theory hold that Christmas was a date of significance to Christians before it was a date of significance to pagans."
The point that is significant is that the date is estimated based on the belief that Zechariah would have heard about the announcement of John on Yom Kippur which is not established in the Gospel account.
I believe you can find factual information without jeopardizing your desire to be close to God and without practicing traditions that were altered or entirely invented as the case may be. I hope you will find a way.
Just to add another note about the source of the Pagan ritual:
"December 25 which has been selected as the Prophet Jesus's birth date is clearly connected to the Roman and Greek pagan concept of Mithras.
Mithras was believed by the Romans and Greeks to be the son of the main sun god, who was born on December 25. In addition, very similar to Christian concepts about Jesus, Mithras sacrificed himself for the sins of the people. He also had a sacrament of blood and wine."
http://www.mlife.org/Jesus/christmas.html
Please note:
The cult of Mithras came to Rome in the first century BCE, and quickly gained a steady following, mostly among soldiers, public servants and merchants. It was widespread throughout the Roman Empire in the first century CE, and peaked in the third century CE, before being suppressed along with all other non-Christian cults at the end of 4th century. (http://sights.seindal.dk/sight/833_Mithras.html)
Read the traditions of Mithras, and one can see how the early Romans beliefs infiltrated into the stories of Jesus. It is important to remember that none of the writings of Jesus were produced during his lifetime, but 50-90 years later:
"Ahura-Mazda was said to have created Mithras to be as great and worthy as himself. He would fight the spirits of evil to protect the creations of Ahura-Mazda and cause even Ahriman to tremble. Mithras was seen as the protector of just souls from demons seeking to drag them down to Hell, and the guide of these souls to Paradise. As Lord of the Sky, he took the role of psychopomp, conducting the souls of the righteous dead to paradise.
According to Persian traditions, the god Mithras was actually incarnated into the human form of the Saviour expected by Zarathustra. Mithras was born of Anahita, an immaculate virgin mother once worshipped as a fertility goddess before the hierarchical reformation. Anahita was said to have conceived the Saviour from the seed of Zarathustra preserved in the waters of Lake Hamun in the Persian province of Sistan. Mithra's ascension to heaven was said to have occurred in 208 B.C., 64 years after his birth."
"In Armenian tradition, Mithras was believed to shut himself up in a cave from which he emerged once a year, born anew."
"At Rome, the third century emperors encouraged Mithraism, because of the support which it afforded to the divine nature of monarchs."
(http://www.crystalinks.com/mithra.html)
Also, please see the following bits of information:
"When in the beginning of the 4 th century Emperor Constantine has declared the catholic Christianity as the state religion, he had no alternative but to take over the liturgy of the popular Mithraic Church. Let's remember: For those who believed in Mithras, he was the 'coming one' whose arrival was celebrated every year on the night of 24-25 December when the community had its important festivity (This is the day of the winter solstice; adopted by the early Christians as the birthday of Jesus). Another big annual festival was held at the start of the spring (Easter?). The weekly divine service was held on Sunday - the day of the supreme being. According to C.F. von Volney, "the mass is nothing other than the celebration of these [Mithraic] mysteries...The Dominus vobiscum is literally the utterance of the acceptance: chron-k-am, p-ak." The most important cult activity was a meal of wine and bread - offered as consecrated wafers bearing the sign of a cross. We have here more similarities. Let's list them:
Mithra's birthday is taken over as Jesus' birthday.
Divine Sunday service is taken over.
Sunday became the day of the supreme being.
Cult activity of eating bread and drinking wine is grafted on to Christianity."
http://www.geocities.com/spenta_mainyu_2/mithras.htm
The last site mentioned covers a lot of important points. Remember the Roman empire is what evolved into the first church, and to maintain their power and connection with the people they maintained the same traditions.
Again, it is important to understand this historical information, and still seek your connection with God. It is possible the traditions that have passed down are not correct nor what Jesus taught.
Please continue to seek accuracy with sound judgment.
does anyone know the name of the roman wafers (farreum) made out of ewe's?
i expect you already know a lot of Jesus.
guess who's here:
Dionysus or Bacchus is thought of as being Greek, but he is a remake of the Egyptian god
Osiris, whose cult extended throughout a large part of the ancient world for thousands of
years. Dionysuss religion was well-developed in Thrace, northeast of Greece, and Phrygia,
which became Galatia, where Attis also later reigned. Although a Dionysus is best
remembered for the rowdy celebrations in his name, which was Latinized as Bacchus, he had
many other functions and contributed several aspects to the Jesus character:
--Dionysus was born of a virgin on December 25 and, as the Holy Child, was placed in a
manger.
--He was a traveling teacher who performed miracles.
--He rode in a triumphal procession on an ***.
--He was a sacred king killed and eaten in an eucharistic ritual for fecundity and
purification.
--Dionysus rose from the dead on March 25.
--He was the God of the Vine, and turned water into wine.
--He was called King of Kings and God of Gods.
--He was considered the Only Begotten Son, Savior, Redeemer, Sin Bearer, Anointed One, and
the Alpha and Omega.
--He was identified with the Ram or Lamb.
--His sacrificial title of Dendrites or Young Man of the Tree intimates he was hung on a
tree or crucified.
In the Egyptian myth, Horus and his once-and-future Father, Osiris, are frequently
interchangeable, as in I and my Father are one. Concerning Osiris, Walker says:
Of all savior-gods worshiped at the beginning of the Christian era, Osiris may have
contributed more details to the evolving Christ figure than any other. Already very old in
Egypt, Osiris was identified with nearly every other Egyptian god and was on the way to
absorbing them all. He had well over 200 divine names. He was called the Lord of Lords,
King of Kings, God of Gods.
He was the Resurrection and the Life, the Good Shepherd, Eternity and Everlastingness, the
god who made men and women to be born again. Budge says, From first to last, Osiris was to
the Egyptians the god-man who suffered, an died, and rose again, and reigned eternally in
heaven.
They believed that they would inherit eternal life, just as he had done . . .
Osiriss coming was announced by Three Wise Men: the three stars Mintaka, Anilam, and
Alnitak in the belt of Orion, which point directly to Osiriss star in the east, Sirius
(Sothis), significator of his birth . . .
Certainly Osiris was a prototypical Messiah, as well as a devoured Host. His flesh was
eaten in the form of communion cakes of wheat, the plant of Truth. . . . The cult of
Osiris contributed a number of ideas and phrases to the Bible. The 23rd Psalm copied an
Egyptian text appealing to Osiris the Good Shepherd to lead the deceased to the green
pastures and still waters of the nefer-nefer land, to restore the soul to the body, and to
give protection in the valley of the shadow of death (the Tuat). The Lords Prayer was
prefigured by an Egyptian hymn to Osiris-Amen beginning, O Amen, O Amen, who are in
heaven. Amen was also invoked at the end of every prayer.
As Col. James Chruchward naively exclaims, The teachings of Osiris and Jesus are
wonderfully alike. Many passages are identically the same, word for word.
Osiris was also the god of the vine and a great travelling teacher who civilized the
world. He was the ruler and judge of the dead. In his passion, Osiris was plotted against
and killed by Set and the 72. Like that of Jesus, Osiriss resurrection served to provide
hope to all that they may do likewise and become eternal.
Osiriss son or renewed incarnation, Horus, shares the following in common with Jesus:
--Horus was born of the virgin Isis-Merion December 25 in a cave/manger with his birth
being announced by a star in the East and attended by three wise men.
--His earthly father was named Seb (Joseph).
--He was of royal descent.
--At at 12, he was a child teacher in the Temple, and at 30, he was baptized having
disappeared for 18 years.
--Horus was baptized in the river Eridanus or Iarutana (Jordan) by Anup the Baptizer (John
the Baptist), who was decapitated.
--He had 12 desciples, two of who were his witnesses and were named Anup and Aan (the two
Johns).
--He performed miracles, exorcised demons and raised El-Azarus (El-Osiris), from the dead.
--Horus walked on water.
--His personal epithet was Iusa, the ever-becoming son of Ptah, the Father. He was thus
called Holy Child.
--He delivered a Sermon on the Mount and his followers recounted the Sayings of Iusa.
--Horus was transfigured on the Mount.
--He was crucified between two thieves, buried for three days in a tomb, and resurrected.
--He was also the Way, the Truth, the Light, Messiah, Gods Anointed Son, the Son of Man,
the Good Shepherd, the Lamb of God, the Word made flesh, the Word of Truth, etc.
--He was the Fisher and was associated with the Fish (Ichthys), Lamb and Lion.
--He came to fulfill the Law.
--Horus was called the KRST, or Anointed One.
--Like Jesus, Horus was supposed to reign one thousand years.
Furthermore, inscribed about 3,500 years ago [1500 years before Jesus alleged advent] on
the walls of the Temple at Luxor were images of the Annunciation, Immaculate Conception,
Birth and Adoration of Horus, with Thoth announcing to the Virgin Isis that she will
conceive Horus; with Kneph the Holy Ghost, impregnating the virgin; and with the infant
being attended bh three kings, or magi, bearing gifts. In addition, in the catacombs at
Rome are pictures of the baby Horus being held by the virgin mother Isisthe original
Madonna and Child.
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