Thursday, December 22, 2005
You can find more information on these and related
topics in The Restoration Website Library. Start with
the Basic Literature Section, but don't forget our
Church and Secular History section, which has loads of
material on these topics included in various books.
destiny-worldwide.net/rcg/library.htm
A LOOK AT THE DATE AND MEANING OF CHRISTMAS
Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D., Retired Professor of
Church
History and Theology, Andrews University
The term "Christmas" is not found in the Bible. It
derives
from "Christ + Mass," that is, from the Mass Catholics
celebrate in honor of Christ's birth on the night of
December 25. Surprisingly, there is no mention in the
New
Testament of any the celebration of the anniversary of
the
birth of Christ. The Gospels' accounts of Jesus'
birth are
very brief, consisting only of few verses. By
contrast, the
accounts of what is known as "The Passion Week," are
lengthier, taking several chapters.
According to some estimates about one third of each
Gospel
is devoted to the Passion Week. It is evident that
from the
perspective of the Gospel writers, Christ's death is
more
important for our salvation than His birth. The reason
is
that through His atoning death Christ secured our
eternal
salvation. Yet, Christians today tend to celebrate
more the
birth of Christ than His death. Perhaps the reason is
that
the birth of a Child Deliverer captures the
imagination more
than the death of a Savior. Society celebrates births,
not
deaths.
The Early Christians commemorated annually Christ's
death
and resurrection at Passover, but we have no clear
indications of an annual celebration of Christ's
birth. A
major controversy erupted in the latter part of the
second
century over the Passover date, but the date of
Christ's
birth did not become an issue until sometimes in the
fourth
century. At that time the dispute centered primarily
over
two dates for Christ's birth: December 25 promoted by
the
Church of Rome and January 6, known as the Epiphany,
observed by the Eastern churches. "Both these days,"
as
Oscar Cullmann points out, " were pagan festivals
whose
meaning provided a starting point for the specifically
Christian conception of Christmas."1
The Date of Christ's Birth
It is a recognized fact that the adoption of the date
of
December 25th by the Western Church to commemorate
Christ's
birth was influenced by the pagan celebration of the
return
of the sun after the winter solstice. More will be
said
later about the factors which influenced the adoption
of
this date. At this juncture it is important to note
that the
date of December 25 is totally devoid of Biblical
meaning
and is grossly inaccurate as far as the actual time of
Christ's birth. If, as it is generally agreed,
Christ's
ministry began when He was about thirty years of age
(Luke
3:23) and lasted three and one-half years until His
death at
Passover (March/April), then by backtracking we arrive
at
the months of September/October, rather than to
December
25.2 Indirect support for a September/October dating
of
Christ's birth is provided also by the fact that from
November to February shepherds did not watch their
flocks at
night in the fields. They brought them into a
protective
corral called a "sheepfold." Hence, December 25 is a
most
unlikely date for the birth of Christ.3
The most likely date of Christ's birth in the latter
part of
September or the beginning of October. This date
corresponds
to the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, known also as
the
Feast of Booths. This feast was the last and most
important
pilgrimage of the year for the Jews. The overcrowded
conditions at the time of Christ's birth ("there was
no
place for them in the inn"-Luke 2:7) could be related
not
only to the census taken by the Romans at that time,
but
also to the many pilgrims that overrun the area
especially
during the Feast of Tabernacles.
Bethlehem is only four miles from Jerusalem. "The
Romans,"
notes Barney Kasdan, "were known to take their
censuses
according to the prevailing custom of the occupied
territories. Hence, in the case of Israel, they would
opt to
have the people report to their provinces at a time
that
would be convenient for them. There is no apparent
logic to
calling the census in the middle of winter. The more
logical
time of taxation would be after the harvest, in the
fall,"4
when people had in their hands the revenue of their
harvest.
Christ's Birth at the Time of the Feast of Tabernacles
Support for the belief that Christ was born at the
time of
the Feast of Tabernacles, which occurs in late
September or
early October, is provided not only by chronological
considerations of Christ's life mentioned above, but
also by
Messianic themes of the Feast of Tabernacles. Being
the
Feast that celebrated in one sense God's past
tabernacling
or dwelling among His people with the cloud by day and
the
flaming fire by night, it served to foreshadow the day
when
the Son of God would become flesh and tabernacle among
us
(John 1:14).
It is important to remember that the seven annual
Feasts of
ancient Israel were designed to illustrate important
events
of salvation history. Those who are interested to
study in
greater depth how the Feasts of Israel reveal the
unfolding
of the Plan of Salvation, are encouraged to read my
two
volumes GOD'S FESTIVALS IN SCRIPTURE AND HISTORY. The
first
volume on THE SPRING FESTIVALS shows how Passover,
Unleavened Bread, and Pentecost, point to the
redemptive
accomplishment of the first Advent, namely, Christ's
Atoning
death, His resurrection, ascension, inauguration of
His
heavenly ministry, and sending of the Holy Spirit.
The second volume on THE FALL FESTIVALS explain how
the
feasts of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles point
to the
consummation of redemption, namely, the judgment, the
final
disposition of sin, and the Second Advent when Christ
will
come to gather his people and dwell with them in a
restored
world. Christ's First Coming to dwell among us in
human
flesh, serves as a prelude and guarantee of His Second
Coming to dwell among the redeemed in divine glory.
Both
events, as we shall see, are typified by the Feast of
Tabernacles. Adventist eschatology is largely based on
the
typology of the Day of Atonement. THE FALL FESTIVALS
is
designed to broaden the typological basis of Adventist
eschatology by showing the contribution of the other
two
Fall Feasts of Trumpets and Tabernacles to the
unfolding of
the consummation of redemption.
It is noteworthy that important events of the plan
of
salvation are consistently fulfilled on the Holy Days
that
prefigured them. Christ died on the Cross at the time
when
the Passover lamb was sacrificed (John 19:14). Christ
arose
at the time of the waving of the sheaf of barley as
the
first fruits of the coming harvest (1 Cor 15:23). The
outpouring of the first fruits of God's Holy Spirit
took
place "when the day of Passover was fully come" (Acts
2:1,
KJV). By the same token, Christ could well have been
born at
the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, since the feast
typifies God's First Coming to dwell among us through
the
incarnation of His Son and His Second Coming to dwell
with
His people (Rev 21:3) throughout eternity.
Growth in Meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles
The Feast of Tabernacles in the Old and New Testament
grows
in its meaning and function during the course of
redemptive
history. It began in the Old Testament as the Fall
Feast of
the Harvest Ingathering to express thanksgiving to God
for
the bounties of the fruit harvest. It became the Feast
of
Booths to commemorate the way God sheltered the
Israelites
with the "booth" of His presence during their
sojourning in
the wilderness. The celebration of the material
blessings of
the harvest and of the spiritual blessings of the
divine
sheltering during the exodus experience, served to
foreshadow the blessings of the Messianic age when
"there
shall be neither cold nor frost . . . continuous day .
. .
living water, and . . . security (Zech 14:6, 7, 11). A
highlight of the Messianic age would be the annual
gathering
of all the surviving nations "to keep the feast of
booths"
(Zech 14:16) in order to celebrate the establishment
of
God's universal Kingdom.
The rich typology of the Feast of Tabernacles finds in
the
New Testament both a Christological and an
eschatological
fulfillment. Christologically, the feast serves to
reveal
the Incarnation and mission of Christ. Jesus is God's
ultimate tabernacle for in Him God tabernacled among
men
(John 1:14). He is the living water (John 7:37-38)
typified
by the water ceremony of the Feast of Tabernacles. He
is
also the Light of the World (John 8:12) typified by
the
night illumination of the Temple during the feast.
Indeed,
through Christ the blessings typified by the Feast of
Tabernacles have become a reality for every believer.
Eschatologically, the Feast of Tabernacles serves to
represent God's protection of His people through the
trials
and tribulation of this present life until they reach
the
heavenly Promised Land. There God will shelter the
redeemed
with the booth of His protective presence (Rev 7:15)
and
dwell with them for all eternity (Rev 21:3). As the
ancient
Israelites "rejoiced before the Lord" (Lev 23:40) at
the
Feast of Tabernacles by waving palm branches, singing,
playing instruments, and feasting, so the countless
multitude of the redeemed will rejoice before the
throne of
God, by waving palm branches (Rev 7:9), singing
anthems of
praise (Rev 7:10; 14:3; 15:2-4; 19:1-3), playing harps
(Rev
14:2), and participating in the great marriage supper
of the
Lamb (Rev 19:9).
Ideal Time for the Birth of Jesus
The Feast of Tabernacles was the ideal time for the
birth of
Jesus because it was called "the season of our joy."
The
emphasis on the joyfulness of the feast is found in
the
instructions given in Deuteronomy 16:13-14: "You shall
keep
the feast of booths seven days, when you make your
ingathering from your threshing floor and your wine
press.
You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and
your
daughter, your manservant and your maidservant, the
Levite,
the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are
within
your towns."
In contrast to the Feasts of Trumpets and Atonement
which
were a time of introspection and repentance, the Feast
of
Booths was a time of rejoicing. The festive atmosphere
reflected the Israelites' thankfulness for both
material and
spiritual blessings. The explicit reason for
rejoicing is
given in Deuteronomy 16:15: "because the Lord your God
will
bless you in all your produce and in all the work of
your
hands, so that you will be altogether joyful." It is
not
surprising that the rabbis called the feast "The
Season of
our Joy" (Zeman Simhatenu).
Ellen White notes that the reason for rejoicing was
more
than just the bounties of the harvest. She writes:
"The
feast was to be preeminently an occasion for
rejoicing. It
occurred just after the great Day of Atonement, when
the
assurance had been given that their iniquity should be
remembered no more. At peace with God, they now came
before
Him to acknowledge His goodness and praise Him for His
mercy. The labor of harvest being ended, and the toils
of
the new year not yet begun, the people were free from
care,
and could give themselves up to the sacred, joyous
influences of the hour."5
The reason for the rejoicing was not only because of
the
material blessings of the harvest gathered in, but
also
because of the spiritual blessing of God's protection
and
abiding presence. The foliage of the booths during
which the
Israelites lived for seven days during the Feast,
reminded
them that God will protect the faithful remnant during
the
time of trouble by sheltering them with the cloud by
day and
the flaming fire by night: "It will be for a shade
[sakkath]
by day from the heat, and for a refuge and shelter
from the
storm and the rain" (Is 4:6). In this context, the
cloud and
fire of God's presence function as a protecting booth
over
His people.
Being the season of rejoicing for the blessings of the
harvest and of God's protective presence, the Feast of
Tabernacles provided the ideal setting for the birth
of
Jesus-the One who came to well among the people in
person.
The themes of rejoicing relate perfectly to the
terminology
used by the angel to announce Christ's birth: "Behold,
I
bring you good news of a great joy which will come to
all
the people" (Luke 2:10). As "the season of our joy,"
the
Feast of Tabernacles provided the ideal settings for
breaking "the good news of a great joy" for all the
people,
since the feast was also a celebration for all the
nations
(Zech 14:16).
A final interesting sideline supporting the
possibility that
Christ was born at the very time of the Feast of
Tabernacles, is the reference to the wise men that
came from
the East to visit Christ (Matt 2:1). The land of the
East is
most likely Babylon, where many Jews still lived at
the time
of Christ's birth. Only a remnant of the Jews returned
from
the Babylonian exile to Palestine during the Persian
period.
The wise men, most likely, were rabbis known in Hebrew
as
chakamin, which means wise men.
We are told that the wise men made their journey from
the
East to Bethlehem because they had seen "the star in
the
East" (Matt 2:1). Watching the stars was associated
especially with the Feast of Tabernacles. In fact, the
roof
of the booth was built with leafy branches carefully
spaced
so that they would screen out the sunlight without
blocking
the visibility of the stars. The people watched for
the
stars at night during the feast because of the
prophecy "a
star shall come out of Jacob" (Num 24:17). It is
possible
that it was during the Feast of Tabernacles, the
special
season of star watching, that the wise men saw the
Messianic
star and "rejoiced exceedingly with great joy" (Matt
2:10).
In the light of the foregoing considerations, most
likely
Christ's birth coincided with the Feast of
Tabernacles.
Being the feast of thanksgiving for God's willingness
to
protect His people with the tabernacle of His presence
during the wilderness sojourning, it could serve
fittingly
to celebrate Christ's willingness to become a human
being
and pitch His tent among us in order to become our
Savior.
The implications of this conclusion are self-evident.
The
Feast of Tabernacles in September/October provides
Christians today with much more accurate Biblical
timing and
typology for celebrating Christ's birth, than the
pagan
dating of December 25th. The latter date not only is
removed
from the actual time of Christ's birth, but is also
derived
from the pagan celebration of the return of the sun
after
the winter solstice. Why celebrate the birth of Jesus
at the
wrong time of December 25th,-a date derived from pagan
sun-worship-when the Bible provides us with a more
appropriate timing and typology for commemorating such
an
important event?
Some Historical Support for Christ's Birth at the
Feast of
Tabernacles
The connection between Christ's birth and the Feast of
Tabernacles proposed above, may at first appear
astonishing,
but it has been proposed not only by modern authors6
but
also by early Christian Fathers. In his classic study
The
Bible and Liturgy, Jean Daniélou discusses the
connection
between the Feast of Tabernacles and that of the
Nativity in
the writings of some Church Fathers.7 He notes, for
example,
that in his Sermon on the Nativity, Gregory of
Nazianzus (A.
D. 329-389) connects the Feast of the Nativity of
December
25th with the Feast of Tabernacle: "The subject of
today's
feast (25th December) is the true Feast of
Tabernacles.
Indeed, in this feast, the human tabernacle was built
up by
Him who put on human nature because of us. Our
tabernacles,
which were struck down by death, are raised up again
by Him
Who built our dwelling from the beginning. Therefore,
harmonizing our voices with that of David, let us also
sing
the Psalm: 'Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the
Lord'
[Ps 118:26. This verse was sung during the procession
of the
Feast of Tabernacles]. How does He come? Not in a boat
or in
a chariot. But He comes into human existence by the
immaculate Virgin. It is He, Our Lord, who has
appeared to
make the solemn feast day in thick branches of foliage
up to
the horns of the altar."8
In the last sentence, Gregory alludes to the ancient
Jewish
custom of erecting a canopy over the altar during the
Feast
of Tabernacles by tying branches to the four horns of
the
altar. For Gregory, this ceremony finds its
fulfillment in
the Incarnation. Commenting on this text, Daniélou
writes:
"The coming of Christ, His birth, thus is seen to be
the
inauguration of the true Feast of Tabernacles. Here
appears
a new harmony: the scenai [Greek for 'the tent'], the
human
dwelling at the beginning, have been struck by sin. .
. .
Christ comes to raise them up, to restore human
nature, to
inaugurate the true Feast of Tabernacles prefigured in
Jewish liturgy. And the beginning of this Scenopegia
[Feast
of Tabernacles] is the Incarnation itself in which,
according to St. John, Christ built the tabernacles of
His
own Body (John 1:14). It does indeed seem as if it
were this
term of St. John which makes the connection between
the
feast of the scenai [Tabernacles] and the feast of the
Birth
of Christ."9
What contributed to make the connection between the
birth of
Jesus and the Feast of Tabernacles, was not only
John's
representation of the Incarnation as Christ pitching
His
tent among us, but also the Messianic understanding of
Psalm
118:26-27, a psalm that was sung by the Jews during
the
processions of the Feast of Tabernacles and that was
used by
the Fathers to link the two feasts. The Psalm
announces "He
who comes in the name of the Lord" (Ps 118:26)-a clear
allusion to the coming of the Messiah-in the context
of the
Feast of Tabernacles: "The Lord is God, and he has
given us
light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to
the
horns of the altar!" (Ps 118:27).
Church Fathers saw in these passages a representation
of the
coming of the Messiah through the typology of the
Feast of
Tabernacles. Gregory of Nissa (about A. D. 330-395)
remarks
that "The prophet David tells us that the God of the
universe, the Lord of the world has appeared to us to
constitute the solemn Feast in the thick branches of
foliage."10 "The thick branches of foliage" refer to
the
Feast of Tabernacles which was celebrated in booths
made of
leafy branches. The booths are seen as foreshadowing
the
Incarnation which made it possible for Christ to dwell
among
us.
Daniélou finds that traces of the patristic connection
between the Feast of Tabernacles and that of the
Nativity
still survive in the current use of the Messianic
verses 23,
28, 29 of Psalm 118 during "the Gradual of the Second
Mass
of Christmas" celebrated in Catholic Churches. He
concludes:
"It is indeed at Christmas that the eschatological
tabernacle was built for the first time, when the Word
'established His dwelling amongst us' and the unity of
men
and angels was restored when the angels visited the
shepherds."11
Unfortunately, the connection between Christ's birth
and the
Feast of Tabernacles was gradually lost as the pagan
symbology of the sun displaced the Biblical typology
of the
Feast of Tabernacles. The attempt of the Fathers to
connect
the Feast of Tabernacles with Christmas was not
successful
because the two feasts differ in origin, meaning, and
authority. By adopting the date of December 25th,
which was
the pagan feast of the birthday of the Invincible Sun
(dies
natalis Solis Invicti),12 the Christological meaning
of the
Feast of Tabernacles was gradually lost-as indicated
by the
fact that today nobody thinks of Christmas as being
the
antitypical fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles,
when
Christ became flesh and tabernacled with us, in order
to
accomplish His redemptive plan to tabernacle with us
throughout eternity in the world to come.
The Pagan Origin of Date of Christmas
\The adoption of the 25th of December for the
celebration of
Christmas is perhaps the most ex-plicit example of
Sun-worship's influence on the Christian litur-gical
calendar. It is a known fact that the pagan feast of
the
dies natalis Solis Invicti-the birthday of the
Invincible
Sun, was held on that date.13 Do Christian sources
openly
admit the borrowing of the date of such a pagan
festivity?
Generally not. To admit borrowing a pagan festival,
even
after due reinterpretation of its meaning, would be
tantamount to an open betrayal of the faith. This the
Fathers were anxious to avoid.
An exception is the comment of an unknown Syrian
writer who
wrote in the margin of the Expositio in Evangelia of
Bar-salibaeus as follows: "It was a solemn rite among
the
pagans to celebrate the festival of the rising of the
sun on
this very day, December 25th. Furthermore, to augment
the
solemnity of the day, they were accustomed to kindle
fires,
to which rites they were accustomed to invite and
admit even
Christian people. When there-fore the Teachers
observed that
Christians were inclined to this custom, they
contrived a
council and established on this day the festival of
the true
Rising"15
The commemoration of the birth of the Sun-god was not
easily
forgotten by Christians. Augustine and Leo the Great
strongly re-primanded those Christians who at
Christmas
worshiped the Sun rather than the birth of Christ.15
Therefore, it is well to keep in mind that in the
investigation of the influence of the Sun-cults on the
Christian liturgy, the most we can hope to find are
not
direct but indirect indications. This warning applies
not
only for the date of Christmas but for that of Sunday
as
well.
Astronomical/Allegorical Speculations
Few scholars maintain that the date of the 25th of
Decem-ber
was derived from astronomical-allegorical
observations. It
was the opinion of some Fathers that both the
conception and
passion of Christ occurred at the time of the vernal
equinox
on the 25th of March.16 Reckoning from that date the
nine
months of pregnancy of Mary, the date of the birth of
Christ
was computed to be the 25th of December.
0scar Cullmann rightly observes that these
computations "can
scarcely have given the initiative."17 They seem to
represent rather an a posteriori rationale advanced to
justify an already existing date and practice. To the
majority of scholars, as stated by J. A. Jungmann, "It
has
become progressively clear that the real reason for
the
choice of the 25th of December was the pagan feast of
the
dies natalis Solis Invicti which was celebrated in
those
days with great splendor."18
In his dissertation The Cult of Sol Invictus, Gaston
H.
Halsberghe similarly concludes: "The authors whom we
consulted on this point are un-animous in admitting
the
influence of the pagan celebration held in honor of
Deus Sol
Invictus on the 25th of December, the Natalis Jnvicti,
on
the Christian celebration of Christmas. This influence
is
held to be responsible for the shifting to the 25th of
December of the birth of Christ, which had until then
been
held on the day of the Epiphany, the 6th of January.
The
celebration of the birth of the Sun god, which was
ac-companied by a profusion of light and torches and
the
decora-tion of branches and small trees, had
captivated the
followers of the cult to such a degree that even after
they
had been converted to Christianity they continued to
celebrate the feast of the birth of the Sun god."19
Let us note that the Church of Rome (as in the case of
Easter-Sunday so in the question of the celebration of
Christmas) pioneered and promoted the adoption of the
new
date. In fact the first explicit indication that on
the
25th of December Christians celebrated Christ's
birthday, is
found in a Roman document known as Chronograph of 354
(a
calendar attributed to Fuzious Dionysius Philocalus),
where
it says: "VIII Kal. Jan. natus Christus in Betleem
Judaeae-On the eighth calends of January [i.e.,
December
25th] Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea."20
That the Church of Rome introduced and championed this
new
date, is accepted by most scholars. For instance,
Mario
Righetti, a renowned Catholic liturgist who is the
author of
a four volumes set on STORIA LITURGICA (A HISTORY OF
LITURGY), writes: "After the peace the Church of Rome,
to
facilitate the acceptance of the faith by the pagan
masses,
found it convenient to insti-tute the 25th of December
as
the feast of the temporal birth of Christ, to divert
them
from the pagan feast, celebrated on the same day in
honor of
the "Invincible Sun" Mithras, the conqueror of
darkness."21
In the Orient, however, the birth and the baptism of
Jesus
were celebrated respectively on January 5 and 6. B.
Botte,
a Belgian Benedictine scholar, in a significant study
concludes that this date also evolved from an
originally
pagan feast, namely Epiphany, which commemorated the
birth
and growth of light.22 It was not an easy task for the
Church of Rome to get the Eastern churches to accept
the new
date of Decem-ber 25th, since many of them "firmly
adhered
to the practice of observing the festival of Christ's
birth
in its old form as an Epiphany festival on January
5th-6th."81
It would take us beyond our immediate scope to trace
the
process of adoption by the various Christian
communities of
the Roman Christmas date of December 25. It will be
sufficient to notice that the adoption of the date of
December 25th for the celebration of Christ's birth
shows
not only of the influence of the Sun-cult, but also of
the
primacy exerted by the Church of Rome in promoting the
adoption of the pagan holidays of Dies Solis (the Day
of the
Sun) and Natalis Solis Invicti (the birthday of the
Invincible Sun) held on December 25.
Conclusion
The birth of Jesus is of incomparable importance to
the
Christian faith. Without the birth of Christ there
would be
no baptism, death, resurrection, ascension,
outpouring of
the Holy Spirit, Christ's intercession in the heavenly
sanctuary, and Second Advent.
The date of Christ's birth most likely concided with
the
Feast of Tabernacles that falls late in September or
early
in October. Being the feast of thanksgiving for God's
willingness to protect His people with the tabernacle
of His
presence during the wilderness sojourning, it could
serve
fittingly to celebrate Christ's willingness to become
a
human being and pitch His tent among us in order to
become
our Savior.
The time of the Feast of Tabernacles provides
Christians
today with a more accurate Biblical timing and
typology for
celebrating Christ's birth, than the pagan dating of
December 25th. The latter date not only is removed
from the
actual time of Christ's birth, but is also derived
from the
pagan celebration of the birth of the Sun-god. Why
celebrate Christ's birth at the wrong time of the year
because of a pagan tradition, when we can observe it
at the
right season on the basis of sound biblical reasons?
>From a biblical perspective the birth of Jesus is
connected
with three major themes: (1) adoration and worship
(Luke
2:8-12); (2) the giving of gifts to God (Matt 2:1-11);
and
proclamation of peace and goodwill (Luke 2:13-14). May
our
clebration of Christ's birth, at any time of the
year,
incorporate these essential elements: worship, giving,
and
praise.
ENDNOTES
1. Oscar Cullmann, The Early Church (1956), p. 35.
2.. See A. T. Robertson, A Harmony of the Gospels (New
York,
1992), p. 267. 3. See, Adam Clark, Commentary on the
Gospel
of Luke (New York, 1956), vol. 5, p. 370. 4. Barney
Kasdan,
God's Appointed Times (Baltimore, MD, 1993), p. 97. 5.
Ellen
White, Patriarchs and Prophets, P. 540. 6. See, for
example,
Edward Chumney, The Seven Festivals of the Messiah
(Shippensburg, PA, 1994), pp. 178-184; Barney Kasdan,
God's
Appointed Times (Baltimore, MD, 1993), pp. 95-99. 7.
Jean
Daniélou, The Bible and Liturgy (South Bend, IN,
1956), pp.
343-347. 8. Gregory of Nazianzus, Sermon on the
Nativity,
Patrologia Graeca 46, 1129 B-C, translated by Jean
Daniélou
(note 7), p. 345. 9. Jean Daniélou (note 7), p. 345.
10.
Gregory of Nissa, Pychnazomena, Psalm 118:27,
translated by
Jean Daniélou (note 7), p. 344. 11. Jean Daniélou
(note 7),
p. 347. 12. For a study of the influence of
sun-worship on
the Christian adoption of December 25 for the
celebration of
Christ's birth, see my dissertation, From Sabbath to
Sunday.
A Historical Investigation of the Rise of Sunday
Observance
in Early Christianity (Rome, Italy, 1977), pp.
256-261. 13.
In the Philocalian calendar (A.D. 354) the 25th of
December
is designated as "N[atalis] Invicti-The birthday of
the
invincible one" (CIL I, part 2, p. 236); Julian the
Apostate, a nephew of Constantine and a devotee of
Mithra,
says regarding this pagan festival: "Before the
beginning of
the year, at the end of the month which is called
after
Saturn [December], we celebrate in honor of Helios
[the Sun]
the most splendid games, and we dedicate the festival
to the
Invincible Sun. That festival may the ruling gods
grant me
to praise and to celebrate with sacrifice! And above
all the
others may Helios [the Sun] himself, the king of all,
grant
me this" (Julian, The Orations of Julian, Hymn to King
Helios 155, LCL p. 429); Franz Cumont, Astrology and
Religion Among Greeks and Romans, 1960, p. 89: "A very
general observance re-quired that on the 25th of
December
the birth of the 'new Sun' should be celebrated, when
after
the winter solstice the days began to lengthen and the
'invincible' star triumphed again over darkness"; for
texts
on the Mithraic celebration of Dec. 25th see CIL I, p.
140;
Gordon J. Laing, Survivals of Roman Religion, 1931,
pp.
58-65, argues persuasively that many of the customs of
the
ancient Roman Saturnalia (Dec. 17-23) were transferred
to
the Christmas season. 14. J. S. Assemanus, Bibliotheca
orientalis 2, 164, trans. by P. Cotton, From Sabbath
to
Sunday, 1933, pp. 144-145. 15. Augustine, Sermo in
Nativit
ate Domini 7, PL 38, 1007 and 1032, enjoins Christians
to
worship at Christmas not the sun but its Creator; Leo
the
Great rebukes those Christians who at Christmas
cel-ebrated
the birth of the sun rather than that of Christ
(Sermon 27,
In Nativitate Domini, PL 54, 218). 16.L. Duchesne,
Christian
Worship: Its Origin and Evolution, 1919, pp. 260f.,
presents
this hypothesis as a possibility. M. Righetti, Manuale
di
Storia Liturgica, 1955, II, pp. 68-69, explains that
the
date of March 25th "though historically unfounded, was
based
on astronomical-alle-gorical considerations, namely
that on
the day of the vernal equinox the world was created."
According to this theory, on the same date of March 25
creation began and Christ, as Augustine says, was
"con-ceived and crucified" (De trinitate 4, 5, PL 42,
894);
cf. Hippolytus, In Danielem commentarius 4, 23, for a
similar view. 17. 0scar Cullmann, The Early Church,
1956, p.
29. 18. Joseph A. Jungmann, The Early Liturgy to the
Time of
Gregory the Great, 1962, p. 147; L. Duchesne (fn. 74),
p.
26, also recognizes this as a more plausible
explanation: "A
better explanation is that based on the festival of
Natalis
Invicti, which appears in the pagan calendar of the
Philocalian collection under the 25th of December. . .
.One
is inclined to believe that the Roman Catholic Church
made
the choice of the 25th of December in order to enter
into
rivalry with Mithraism"; John Fer-guson, The Religions
of
the Roman Empire, 1970, p. 239, defends the same view;
cf.
Franz Cumont (Franz Cumont, Astrology and Religion
Among
Greeks and Romans, 1960), p. 89: "It appears certain
that
the commemoration of the nativity was placed on
December 25,
because on the winter solstice was celebrated the
rebirth of
the invincible god. By adopting this date ... the
ecclesiastical authorities purified somehow some pagan
customs which they could not suppress." 19. Gaston H.
Halsberghe, The Cult of Sol Invictus, 1972, p. 174.
20. T.
Mommsen, Chronography of Philocalus of the Year 354,
1850,
p. 631; L. Duchesne, Bulletin critique, 1890, p. 41,
has
established that the calendar goes back to 336,
because the
Depositio ma rtyrum is pre-ceded in the Philocalian by
the
Depositium episcoporum of Rome, which lists Sylvester
(d.
A.D. 335) as the last pope. 21, Mario Righetti,
Manuale di
Storia Liturgica, 1955, II, p. 67. 22. B. Botte, "Les
Denominations du dimanche dans la tradition
chrétienne," Le
Dimanche, Lex Orandi 39, 1965, pp. 14ff. 23. 0scar
Cullmann,
The Early Church, 1956, p.32.
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A LOOK AT THE DATE AND MEANING OF CHRISTMAS
Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D., Retired Professor of
Church
History and Theology, Andrews University
The term "Christmas" is not found in the Bible. It
derives
from "Christ + Mass," that is, from the Mass Catholics
celebrate in honor of Christ's birth on the night of
December 25. Surprisingly, there is no mention in the
New
Testament of any the celebration of the anniversary of
the
birth of Christ. The Gospels' accounts of Jesus'
birth are
very brief, consisting only of few verses. By
contrast, the
accounts of what is known as "The Passion Week," are
lengthier, taking several chapters.
According to some estimates about one third of each
Gospel
is devoted to the Passion Week. It is evident that
from the
perspective of the Gospel writers, Christ's death is
more
important for our salvation than His birth. The reason
is
that through His atoning death Christ secured our
eternal
salvation. Yet, Christians today tend to celebrate
more the
birth of Christ than His death. Perhaps the reason is
that
the birth of a Child Deliverer captures the
imagination more
than the death of a Savior. Society celebrates births,
not
deaths.
The Early Christians commemorated annually Christ's
death
and resurrection at Passover, but we have no clear
indications of an annual celebration of Christ's
birth. A
major controversy erupted in the latter part of the
second
century over the Passover date, but the date of
Christ's
birth did not become an issue until sometimes in the
fourth
century. At that time the dispute centered primarily
over
two dates for Christ's birth: December 25 promoted by
the
Church of Rome and January 6, known as the Epiphany,
observed by the Eastern churches. "Both these days,"
as
Oscar Cullmann points out, " were pagan festivals
whose
meaning provided a starting point for the specifically
Christian conception of Christmas."1
The Date of Christ's Birth
It is a recognized fact that the adoption of the date
of
December 25th by the Western Church to commemorate
Christ's
birth was influenced by the pagan celebration of the
return
of the sun after the winter solstice. More will be
said
later about the factors which influenced the adoption
of
this date. At this juncture it is important to note
that the
date of December 25 is totally devoid of Biblical
meaning
and is grossly inaccurate as far as the actual time of
Christ's birth. If, as it is generally agreed,
Christ's
ministry began when He was about thirty years of age
(Luke
3:23) and lasted three and one-half years until His
death at
Passover (March/April), then by backtracking we arrive
at
the months of September/October, rather than to
December
25.2 Indirect support for a September/October dating
of
Christ's birth is provided also by the fact that from
November to February shepherds did not watch their
flocks at
night in the fields. They brought them into a
protective
corral called a "sheepfold." Hence, December 25 is a
most
unlikely date for the birth of Christ.3
The most likely date of Christ's birth in the latter
part of
September or the beginning of October. This date
corresponds
to the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, known also as
the
Feast of Booths. This feast was the last and most
important
pilgrimage of the year for the Jews. The overcrowded
conditions at the time of Christ's birth ("there was
no
place for them in the inn"-Luke 2:7) could be related
not
only to the census taken by the Romans at that time,
but
also to the many pilgrims that overrun the area
especially
during the Feast of Tabernacles.
Bethlehem is only four miles from Jerusalem. "The
Romans,"
notes Barney Kasdan, "were known to take their
censuses
according to the prevailing custom of the occupied
territories. Hence, in the case of Israel, they would
opt to
have the people report to their provinces at a time
that
would be convenient for them. There is no apparent
logic to
calling the census in the middle of winter. The more
logical
time of taxation would be after the harvest, in the
fall,"4
when people had in their hands the revenue of their
harvest.
Christ's Birth at the Time of the Feast of Tabernacles
Support for the belief that Christ was born at the
time of
the Feast of Tabernacles, which occurs in late
September or
early October, is provided not only by chronological
considerations of Christ's life mentioned above, but
also by
Messianic themes of the Feast of Tabernacles. Being
the
Feast that celebrated in one sense God's past
tabernacling
or dwelling among His people with the cloud by day and
the
flaming fire by night, it served to foreshadow the day
when
the Son of God would become flesh and tabernacle among
us
(John 1:14).
It is important to remember that the seven annual
Feasts of
ancient Israel were designed to illustrate important
events
of salvation history. Those who are interested to
study in
greater depth how the Feasts of Israel reveal the
unfolding
of the Plan of Salvation, are encouraged to read my
two
volumes GOD'S FESTIVALS IN SCRIPTURE AND HISTORY. The
first
volume on THE SPRING FESTIVALS shows how Passover,
Unleavened Bread, and Pentecost, point to the
redemptive
accomplishment of the first Advent, namely, Christ's
Atoning
death, His resurrection, ascension, inauguration of
His
heavenly ministry, and sending of the Holy Spirit.
The second volume on THE FALL FESTIVALS explain how
the
feasts of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles point
to the
consummation of redemption, namely, the judgment, the
final
disposition of sin, and the Second Advent when Christ
will
come to gather his people and dwell with them in a
restored
world. Christ's First Coming to dwell among us in
human
flesh, serves as a prelude and guarantee of His Second
Coming to dwell among the redeemed in divine glory.
Both
events, as we shall see, are typified by the Feast of
Tabernacles. Adventist eschatology is largely based on
the
typology of the Day of Atonement. THE FALL FESTIVALS
is
designed to broaden the typological basis of Adventist
eschatology by showing the contribution of the other
two
Fall Feasts of Trumpets and Tabernacles to the
unfolding of
the consummation of redemption.
It is noteworthy that important events of the plan
of
salvation are consistently fulfilled on the Holy Days
that
prefigured them. Christ died on the Cross at the time
when
the Passover lamb was sacrificed (John 19:14). Christ
arose
at the time of the waving of the sheaf of barley as
the
first fruits of the coming harvest (1 Cor 15:23). The
outpouring of the first fruits of God's Holy Spirit
took
place "when the day of Passover was fully come" (Acts
2:1,
KJV). By the same token, Christ could well have been
born at
the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, since the feast
typifies God's First Coming to dwell among us through
the
incarnation of His Son and His Second Coming to dwell
with
His people (Rev 21:3) throughout eternity.
Growth in Meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles
The Feast of Tabernacles in the Old and New Testament
grows
in its meaning and function during the course of
redemptive
history. It began in the Old Testament as the Fall
Feast of
the Harvest Ingathering to express thanksgiving to God
for
the bounties of the fruit harvest. It became the Feast
of
Booths to commemorate the way God sheltered the
Israelites
with the "booth" of His presence during their
sojourning in
the wilderness. The celebration of the material
blessings of
the harvest and of the spiritual blessings of the
divine
sheltering during the exodus experience, served to
foreshadow the blessings of the Messianic age when
"there
shall be neither cold nor frost . . . continuous day .
. .
living water, and . . . security (Zech 14:6, 7, 11). A
highlight of the Messianic age would be the annual
gathering
of all the surviving nations "to keep the feast of
booths"
(Zech 14:16) in order to celebrate the establishment
of
God's universal Kingdom.
The rich typology of the Feast of Tabernacles finds in
the
New Testament both a Christological and an
eschatological
fulfillment. Christologically, the feast serves to
reveal
the Incarnation and mission of Christ. Jesus is God's
ultimate tabernacle for in Him God tabernacled among
men
(John 1:14). He is the living water (John 7:37-38)
typified
by the water ceremony of the Feast of Tabernacles. He
is
also the Light of the World (John 8:12) typified by
the
night illumination of the Temple during the feast.
Indeed,
through Christ the blessings typified by the Feast of
Tabernacles have become a reality for every believer.
Eschatologically, the Feast of Tabernacles serves to
represent God's protection of His people through the
trials
and tribulation of this present life until they reach
the
heavenly Promised Land. There God will shelter the
redeemed
with the booth of His protective presence (Rev 7:15)
and
dwell with them for all eternity (Rev 21:3). As the
ancient
Israelites "rejoiced before the Lord" (Lev 23:40) at
the
Feast of Tabernacles by waving palm branches, singing,
playing instruments, and feasting, so the countless
multitude of the redeemed will rejoice before the
throne of
God, by waving palm branches (Rev 7:9), singing
anthems of
praise (Rev 7:10; 14:3; 15:2-4; 19:1-3), playing harps
(Rev
14:2), and participating in the great marriage supper
of the
Lamb (Rev 19:9).
Ideal Time for the Birth of Jesus
The Feast of Tabernacles was the ideal time for the
birth of
Jesus because it was called "the season of our joy."
The
emphasis on the joyfulness of the feast is found in
the
instructions given in Deuteronomy 16:13-14: "You shall
keep
the feast of booths seven days, when you make your
ingathering from your threshing floor and your wine
press.
You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and
your
daughter, your manservant and your maidservant, the
Levite,
the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are
within
your towns."
In contrast to the Feasts of Trumpets and Atonement
which
were a time of introspection and repentance, the Feast
of
Booths was a time of rejoicing. The festive atmosphere
reflected the Israelites' thankfulness for both
material and
spiritual blessings. The explicit reason for
rejoicing is
given in Deuteronomy 16:15: "because the Lord your God
will
bless you in all your produce and in all the work of
your
hands, so that you will be altogether joyful." It is
not
surprising that the rabbis called the feast "The
Season of
our Joy" (Zeman Simhatenu).
Ellen White notes that the reason for rejoicing was
more
than just the bounties of the harvest. She writes:
"The
feast was to be preeminently an occasion for
rejoicing. It
occurred just after the great Day of Atonement, when
the
assurance had been given that their iniquity should be
remembered no more. At peace with God, they now came
before
Him to acknowledge His goodness and praise Him for His
mercy. The labor of harvest being ended, and the toils
of
the new year not yet begun, the people were free from
care,
and could give themselves up to the sacred, joyous
influences of the hour."5
The reason for the rejoicing was not only because of
the
material blessings of the harvest gathered in, but
also
because of the spiritual blessing of God's protection
and
abiding presence. The foliage of the booths during
which the
Israelites lived for seven days during the Feast,
reminded
them that God will protect the faithful remnant during
the
time of trouble by sheltering them with the cloud by
day and
the flaming fire by night: "It will be for a shade
[sakkath]
by day from the heat, and for a refuge and shelter
from the
storm and the rain" (Is 4:6). In this context, the
cloud and
fire of God's presence function as a protecting booth
over
His people.
Being the season of rejoicing for the blessings of the
harvest and of God's protective presence, the Feast of
Tabernacles provided the ideal setting for the birth
of
Jesus-the One who came to well among the people in
person.
The themes of rejoicing relate perfectly to the
terminology
used by the angel to announce Christ's birth: "Behold,
I
bring you good news of a great joy which will come to
all
the people" (Luke 2:10). As "the season of our joy,"
the
Feast of Tabernacles provided the ideal settings for
breaking "the good news of a great joy" for all the
people,
since the feast was also a celebration for all the
nations
(Zech 14:16).
A final interesting sideline supporting the
possibility that
Christ was born at the very time of the Feast of
Tabernacles, is the reference to the wise men that
came from
the East to visit Christ (Matt 2:1). The land of the
East is
most likely Babylon, where many Jews still lived at
the time
of Christ's birth. Only a remnant of the Jews returned
from
the Babylonian exile to Palestine during the Persian
period.
The wise men, most likely, were rabbis known in Hebrew
as
chakamin, which means wise men.
We are told that the wise men made their journey from
the
East to Bethlehem because they had seen "the star in
the
East" (Matt 2:1). Watching the stars was associated
especially with the Feast of Tabernacles. In fact, the
roof
of the booth was built with leafy branches carefully
spaced
so that they would screen out the sunlight without
blocking
the visibility of the stars. The people watched for
the
stars at night during the feast because of the
prophecy "a
star shall come out of Jacob" (Num 24:17). It is
possible
that it was during the Feast of Tabernacles, the
special
season of star watching, that the wise men saw the
Messianic
star and "rejoiced exceedingly with great joy" (Matt
2:10).
In the light of the foregoing considerations, most
likely
Christ's birth coincided with the Feast of
Tabernacles.
Being the feast of thanksgiving for God's willingness
to
protect His people with the tabernacle of His presence
during the wilderness sojourning, it could serve
fittingly
to celebrate Christ's willingness to become a human
being
and pitch His tent among us in order to become our
Savior.
The implications of this conclusion are self-evident.
The
Feast of Tabernacles in September/October provides
Christians today with much more accurate Biblical
timing and
typology for celebrating Christ's birth, than the
pagan
dating of December 25th. The latter date not only is
removed
from the actual time of Christ's birth, but is also
derived
from the pagan celebration of the return of the sun
after
the winter solstice. Why celebrate the birth of Jesus
at the
wrong time of December 25th,-a date derived from pagan
sun-worship-when the Bible provides us with a more
appropriate timing and typology for commemorating such
an
important event?
Some Historical Support for Christ's Birth at the
Feast of
Tabernacles
The connection between Christ's birth and the Feast of
Tabernacles proposed above, may at first appear
astonishing,
but it has been proposed not only by modern authors6
but
also by early Christian Fathers. In his classic study
The
Bible and Liturgy, Jean Daniélou discusses the
connection
between the Feast of Tabernacles and that of the
Nativity in
the writings of some Church Fathers.7 He notes, for
example,
that in his Sermon on the Nativity, Gregory of
Nazianzus (A.
D. 329-389) connects the Feast of the Nativity of
December
25th with the Feast of Tabernacle: "The subject of
today's
feast (25th December) is the true Feast of
Tabernacles.
Indeed, in this feast, the human tabernacle was built
up by
Him who put on human nature because of us. Our
tabernacles,
which were struck down by death, are raised up again
by Him
Who built our dwelling from the beginning. Therefore,
harmonizing our voices with that of David, let us also
sing
the Psalm: 'Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the
Lord'
[Ps 118:26. This verse was sung during the procession
of the
Feast of Tabernacles]. How does He come? Not in a boat
or in
a chariot. But He comes into human existence by the
immaculate Virgin. It is He, Our Lord, who has
appeared to
make the solemn feast day in thick branches of foliage
up to
the horns of the altar."8
In the last sentence, Gregory alludes to the ancient
Jewish
custom of erecting a canopy over the altar during the
Feast
of Tabernacles by tying branches to the four horns of
the
altar. For Gregory, this ceremony finds its
fulfillment in
the Incarnation. Commenting on this text, Daniélou
writes:
"The coming of Christ, His birth, thus is seen to be
the
inauguration of the true Feast of Tabernacles. Here
appears
a new harmony: the scenai [Greek for 'the tent'], the
human
dwelling at the beginning, have been struck by sin. .
. .
Christ comes to raise them up, to restore human
nature, to
inaugurate the true Feast of Tabernacles prefigured in
Jewish liturgy. And the beginning of this Scenopegia
[Feast
of Tabernacles] is the Incarnation itself in which,
according to St. John, Christ built the tabernacles of
His
own Body (John 1:14). It does indeed seem as if it
were this
term of St. John which makes the connection between
the
feast of the scenai [Tabernacles] and the feast of the
Birth
of Christ."9
What contributed to make the connection between the
birth of
Jesus and the Feast of Tabernacles, was not only
John's
representation of the Incarnation as Christ pitching
His
tent among us, but also the Messianic understanding of
Psalm
118:26-27, a psalm that was sung by the Jews during
the
processions of the Feast of Tabernacles and that was
used by
the Fathers to link the two feasts. The Psalm
announces "He
who comes in the name of the Lord" (Ps 118:26)-a clear
allusion to the coming of the Messiah-in the context
of the
Feast of Tabernacles: "The Lord is God, and he has
given us
light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to
the
horns of the altar!" (Ps 118:27).
Church Fathers saw in these passages a representation
of the
coming of the Messiah through the typology of the
Feast of
Tabernacles. Gregory of Nissa (about A. D. 330-395)
remarks
that "The prophet David tells us that the God of the
universe, the Lord of the world has appeared to us to
constitute the solemn Feast in the thick branches of
foliage."10 "The thick branches of foliage" refer to
the
Feast of Tabernacles which was celebrated in booths
made of
leafy branches. The booths are seen as foreshadowing
the
Incarnation which made it possible for Christ to dwell
among
us.
Daniélou finds that traces of the patristic connection
between the Feast of Tabernacles and that of the
Nativity
still survive in the current use of the Messianic
verses 23,
28, 29 of Psalm 118 during "the Gradual of the Second
Mass
of Christmas" celebrated in Catholic Churches. He
concludes:
"It is indeed at Christmas that the eschatological
tabernacle was built for the first time, when the Word
'established His dwelling amongst us' and the unity of
men
and angels was restored when the angels visited the
shepherds."11
Unfortunately, the connection between Christ's birth
and the
Feast of Tabernacles was gradually lost as the pagan
symbology of the sun displaced the Biblical typology
of the
Feast of Tabernacles. The attempt of the Fathers to
connect
the Feast of Tabernacles with Christmas was not
successful
because the two feasts differ in origin, meaning, and
authority. By adopting the date of December 25th,
which was
the pagan feast of the birthday of the Invincible Sun
(dies
natalis Solis Invicti),12 the Christological meaning
of the
Feast of Tabernacles was gradually lost-as indicated
by the
fact that today nobody thinks of Christmas as being
the
antitypical fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles,
when
Christ became flesh and tabernacled with us, in order
to
accomplish His redemptive plan to tabernacle with us
throughout eternity in the world to come.
The Pagan Origin of Date of Christmas
\The adoption of the 25th of December for the
celebration of
Christmas is perhaps the most ex-plicit example of
Sun-worship's influence on the Christian litur-gical
calendar. It is a known fact that the pagan feast of
the
dies natalis Solis Invicti-the birthday of the
Invincible
Sun, was held on that date.13 Do Christian sources
openly
admit the borrowing of the date of such a pagan
festivity?
Generally not. To admit borrowing a pagan festival,
even
after due reinterpretation of its meaning, would be
tantamount to an open betrayal of the faith. This the
Fathers were anxious to avoid.
An exception is the comment of an unknown Syrian
writer who
wrote in the margin of the Expositio in Evangelia of
Bar-salibaeus as follows: "It was a solemn rite among
the
pagans to celebrate the festival of the rising of the
sun on
this very day, December 25th. Furthermore, to augment
the
solemnity of the day, they were accustomed to kindle
fires,
to which rites they were accustomed to invite and
admit even
Christian people. When there-fore the Teachers
observed that
Christians were inclined to this custom, they
contrived a
council and established on this day the festival of
the true
Rising"15
The commemoration of the birth of the Sun-god was not
easily
forgotten by Christians. Augustine and Leo the Great
strongly re-primanded those Christians who at
Christmas
worshiped the Sun rather than the birth of Christ.15
Therefore, it is well to keep in mind that in the
investigation of the influence of the Sun-cults on the
Christian liturgy, the most we can hope to find are
not
direct but indirect indications. This warning applies
not
only for the date of Christmas but for that of Sunday
as
well.
Astronomical/Allegorical Speculations
Few scholars maintain that the date of the 25th of
Decem-ber
was derived from astronomical-allegorical
observations. It
was the opinion of some Fathers that both the
conception and
passion of Christ occurred at the time of the vernal
equinox
on the 25th of March.16 Reckoning from that date the
nine
months of pregnancy of Mary, the date of the birth of
Christ
was computed to be the 25th of December.
0scar Cullmann rightly observes that these
computations "can
scarcely have given the initiative."17 They seem to
represent rather an a posteriori rationale advanced to
justify an already existing date and practice. To the
majority of scholars, as stated by J. A. Jungmann, "It
has
become progressively clear that the real reason for
the
choice of the 25th of December was the pagan feast of
the
dies natalis Solis Invicti which was celebrated in
those
days with great splendor."18
In his dissertation The Cult of Sol Invictus, Gaston
H.
Halsberghe similarly concludes: "The authors whom we
consulted on this point are un-animous in admitting
the
influence of the pagan celebration held in honor of
Deus Sol
Invictus on the 25th of December, the Natalis Jnvicti,
on
the Christian celebration of Christmas. This influence
is
held to be responsible for the shifting to the 25th of
December of the birth of Christ, which had until then
been
held on the day of the Epiphany, the 6th of January.
The
celebration of the birth of the Sun god, which was
ac-companied by a profusion of light and torches and
the
decora-tion of branches and small trees, had
captivated the
followers of the cult to such a degree that even after
they
had been converted to Christianity they continued to
celebrate the feast of the birth of the Sun god."19
Let us note that the Church of Rome (as in the case of
Easter-Sunday so in the question of the celebration of
Christmas) pioneered and promoted the adoption of the
new
date. In fact the first explicit indication that on
the
25th of December Christians celebrated Christ's
birthday, is
found in a Roman document known as Chronograph of 354
(a
calendar attributed to Fuzious Dionysius Philocalus),
where
it says: "VIII Kal. Jan. natus Christus in Betleem
Judaeae-On the eighth calends of January [i.e.,
December
25th] Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea."20
That the Church of Rome introduced and championed this
new
date, is accepted by most scholars. For instance,
Mario
Righetti, a renowned Catholic liturgist who is the
author of
a four volumes set on STORIA LITURGICA (A HISTORY OF
LITURGY), writes: "After the peace the Church of Rome,
to
facilitate the acceptance of the faith by the pagan
masses,
found it convenient to insti-tute the 25th of December
as
the feast of the temporal birth of Christ, to divert
them
from the pagan feast, celebrated on the same day in
honor of
the "Invincible Sun" Mithras, the conqueror of
darkness."21
In the Orient, however, the birth and the baptism of
Jesus
were celebrated respectively on January 5 and 6. B.
Botte,
a Belgian Benedictine scholar, in a significant study
concludes that this date also evolved from an
originally
pagan feast, namely Epiphany, which commemorated the
birth
and growth of light.22 It was not an easy task for the
Church of Rome to get the Eastern churches to accept
the new
date of Decem-ber 25th, since many of them "firmly
adhered
to the practice of observing the festival of Christ's
birth
in its old form as an Epiphany festival on January
5th-6th."81
It would take us beyond our immediate scope to trace
the
process of adoption by the various Christian
communities of
the Roman Christmas date of December 25. It will be
sufficient to notice that the adoption of the date of
December 25th for the celebration of Christ's birth
shows
not only of the influence of the Sun-cult, but also of
the
primacy exerted by the Church of Rome in promoting the
adoption of the pagan holidays of Dies Solis (the Day
of the
Sun) and Natalis Solis Invicti (the birthday of the
Invincible Sun) held on December 25.
Conclusion
The birth of Jesus is of incomparable importance to
the
Christian faith. Without the birth of Christ there
would be
no baptism, death, resurrection, ascension,
outpouring of
the Holy Spirit, Christ's intercession in the heavenly
sanctuary, and Second Advent.
The date of Christ's birth most likely concided with
the
Feast of Tabernacles that falls late in September or
early
in October. Being the feast of thanksgiving for God's
willingness to protect His people with the tabernacle
of His
presence during the wilderness sojourning, it could
serve
fittingly to celebrate Christ's willingness to become
a
human being and pitch His tent among us in order to
become
our Savior.
The time of the Feast of Tabernacles provides
Christians
today with a more accurate Biblical timing and
typology for
celebrating Christ's birth, than the pagan dating of
December 25th. The latter date not only is removed
from the
actual time of Christ's birth, but is also derived
from the
pagan celebration of the birth of the Sun-god. Why
celebrate Christ's birth at the wrong time of the year
because of a pagan tradition, when we can observe it
at the
right season on the basis of sound biblical reasons?
>From a biblical perspective the birth of Jesus is
connected
with three major themes: (1) adoration and worship
(Luke
2:8-12); (2) the giving of gifts to God (Matt 2:1-11);
and
proclamation of peace and goodwill (Luke 2:13-14). May
our
clebration of Christ's birth, at any time of the
year,
incorporate these essential elements: worship, giving,
and
praise.
ENDNOTES
1. Oscar Cullmann, The Early Church (1956), p. 35.
2.. See A. T. Robertson, A Harmony of the Gospels (New
York,
1992), p. 267. 3. See, Adam Clark, Commentary on the
Gospel
of Luke (New York, 1956), vol. 5, p. 370. 4. Barney
Kasdan,
God's Appointed Times (Baltimore, MD, 1993), p. 97. 5.
Ellen
White, Patriarchs and Prophets, P. 540. 6. See, for
example,
Edward Chumney, The Seven Festivals of the Messiah
(Shippensburg, PA, 1994), pp. 178-184; Barney Kasdan,
God's
Appointed Times (Baltimore, MD, 1993), pp. 95-99. 7.
Jean
Daniélou, The Bible and Liturgy (South Bend, IN,
1956), pp.
343-347. 8. Gregory of Nazianzus, Sermon on the
Nativity,
Patrologia Graeca 46, 1129 B-C, translated by Jean
Daniélou
(note 7), p. 345. 9. Jean Daniélou (note 7), p. 345.
10.
Gregory of Nissa, Pychnazomena, Psalm 118:27,
translated by
Jean Daniélou (note 7), p. 344. 11. Jean Daniélou
(note 7),
p. 347. 12. For a study of the influence of
sun-worship on
the Christian adoption of December 25 for the
celebration of
Christ's birth, see my dissertation, From Sabbath to
Sunday.
A Historical Investigation of the Rise of Sunday
Observance
in Early Christianity (Rome, Italy, 1977), pp.
256-261. 13.
In the Philocalian calendar (A.D. 354) the 25th of
December
is designated as "N[atalis] Invicti-The birthday of
the
invincible one" (CIL I, part 2, p. 236); Julian the
Apostate, a nephew of Constantine and a devotee of
Mithra,
says regarding this pagan festival: "Before the
beginning of
the year, at the end of the month which is called
after
Saturn [December], we celebrate in honor of Helios
[the Sun]
the most splendid games, and we dedicate the festival
to the
Invincible Sun. That festival may the ruling gods
grant me
to praise and to celebrate with sacrifice! And above
all the
others may Helios [the Sun] himself, the king of all,
grant
me this" (Julian, The Orations of Julian, Hymn to King
Helios 155, LCL p. 429); Franz Cumont, Astrology and
Religion Among Greeks and Romans, 1960, p. 89: "A very
general observance re-quired that on the 25th of
December
the birth of the 'new Sun' should be celebrated, when
after
the winter solstice the days began to lengthen and the
'invincible' star triumphed again over darkness"; for
texts
on the Mithraic celebration of Dec. 25th see CIL I, p.
140;
Gordon J. Laing, Survivals of Roman Religion, 1931,
pp.
58-65, argues persuasively that many of the customs of
the
ancient Roman Saturnalia (Dec. 17-23) were transferred
to
the Christmas season. 14. J. S. Assemanus, Bibliotheca
orientalis 2, 164, trans. by P. Cotton, From Sabbath
to
Sunday, 1933, pp. 144-145. 15. Augustine, Sermo in
Nativit
ate Domini 7, PL 38, 1007 and 1032, enjoins Christians
to
worship at Christmas not the sun but its Creator; Leo
the
Great rebukes those Christians who at Christmas
cel-ebrated
the birth of the sun rather than that of Christ
(Sermon 27,
In Nativitate Domini, PL 54, 218). 16.L. Duchesne,
Christian
Worship: Its Origin and Evolution, 1919, pp. 260f.,
presents
this hypothesis as a possibility. M. Righetti, Manuale
di
Storia Liturgica, 1955, II, pp. 68-69, explains that
the
date of March 25th "though historically unfounded, was
based
on astronomical-alle-gorical considerations, namely
that on
the day of the vernal equinox the world was created."
According to this theory, on the same date of March 25
creation began and Christ, as Augustine says, was
"con-ceived and crucified" (De trinitate 4, 5, PL 42,
894);
cf. Hippolytus, In Danielem commentarius 4, 23, for a
similar view. 17. 0scar Cullmann, The Early Church,
1956, p.
29. 18. Joseph A. Jungmann, The Early Liturgy to the
Time of
Gregory the Great, 1962, p. 147; L. Duchesne (fn. 74),
p.
26, also recognizes this as a more plausible
explanation: "A
better explanation is that based on the festival of
Natalis
Invicti, which appears in the pagan calendar of the
Philocalian collection under the 25th of December. . .
.One
is inclined to believe that the Roman Catholic Church
made
the choice of the 25th of December in order to enter
into
rivalry with Mithraism"; John Fer-guson, The Religions
of
the Roman Empire, 1970, p. 239, defends the same view;
cf.
Franz Cumont (Franz Cumont, Astrology and Religion
Among
Greeks and Romans, 1960), p. 89: "It appears certain
that
the commemoration of the nativity was placed on
December 25,
because on the winter solstice was celebrated the
rebirth of
the invincible god. By adopting this date ... the
ecclesiastical authorities purified somehow some pagan
customs which they could not suppress." 19. Gaston H.
Halsberghe, The Cult of Sol Invictus, 1972, p. 174.
20. T.
Mommsen, Chronography of Philocalus of the Year 354,
1850,
p. 631; L. Duchesne, Bulletin critique, 1890, p. 41,
has
established that the calendar goes back to 336,
because the
Depositio ma rtyrum is pre-ceded in the Philocalian by
the
Depositium episcoporum of Rome, which lists Sylvester
(d.
A.D. 335) as the last pope. 21, Mario Righetti,
Manuale di
Storia Liturgica, 1955, II, p. 67. 22. B. Botte, "Les
Denominations du dimanche dans la tradition
chrétienne," Le
Dimanche, Lex Orandi 39, 1965, pp. 14ff. 23. 0scar
Cullmann,
The Early Church, 1956, p.32.
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Thursday, December 08, 2005
Hello all,
The latest Webcast Stream has just been uploaded, and it has some very interesting material indeed!
The Real Truth program starts out with the incident yesterday of the mentally ill man who was shot dead by Federal Marshalls.
Just what kind of a crazy world is this, anyway, where so many people live in fear on a constant basis?
How did we get to this point of insanity where everyone is trying to rip off or do damage to someone else, it seems, and you have to keep everything locked up or it will be stolen?
Why does everyone lie almost all the time today?
If you take a few steps back, as I do in this broadcast, you will see that this world is truly insane. But, there is a cause for every effect. There are REASONS for this mess, and SOLUTIONS, and I explore them both in this very thoughtful program you won't want to miss!
And, as God's people, we are promised protection and a way of escape from this rat race, which I also discuss.
After the Real Truth, we have parts 5 and 6 of Ron Dart's Origins of Evil series, which is very insightful and thoughtful, especially in light of the above.
And finally, our Bible Study today is part 4 of John Ritenbaugh's excellent series on Satan [unfortunately, there were some tape gaps in this message. The gaps have been removed, but this means that sometimes there will be a skip to a totally different thought at several points. We apologize for this, but this was better than leaving these annoying gaps in].
To listen to the Stream with the Real Truth program first, go to this page:
http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/rcg/webcast.htm
To listen to the Stream with the Bible Study first, go here:
http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/rcg/sermon.htm
ENJOY!
John
The latest Webcast Stream has just been uploaded, and it has some very interesting material indeed!
The Real Truth program starts out with the incident yesterday of the mentally ill man who was shot dead by Federal Marshalls.
Just what kind of a crazy world is this, anyway, where so many people live in fear on a constant basis?
How did we get to this point of insanity where everyone is trying to rip off or do damage to someone else, it seems, and you have to keep everything locked up or it will be stolen?
Why does everyone lie almost all the time today?
If you take a few steps back, as I do in this broadcast, you will see that this world is truly insane. But, there is a cause for every effect. There are REASONS for this mess, and SOLUTIONS, and I explore them both in this very thoughtful program you won't want to miss!
And, as God's people, we are promised protection and a way of escape from this rat race, which I also discuss.
After the Real Truth, we have parts 5 and 6 of Ron Dart's Origins of Evil series, which is very insightful and thoughtful, especially in light of the above.
And finally, our Bible Study today is part 4 of John Ritenbaugh's excellent series on Satan [unfortunately, there were some tape gaps in this message. The gaps have been removed, but this means that sometimes there will be a skip to a totally different thought at several points. We apologize for this, but this was better than leaving these annoying gaps in].
To listen to the Stream with the Real Truth program first, go to this page:
http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/rcg/webcast.htm
To listen to the Stream with the Bible Study first, go here:
http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/rcg/sermon.htm
ENJOY!
John
Friday, December 02, 2005
Hello all,
With this week, we start Cyber Services again with the Faith and Healing series we started before the Feast.
There is no song service in today's service, but we have two very fine messages.
In place of the sermonette, we have a World Tomorrow broadcast called "Healing and Christ's Garment." This is a very inspirational message that all need to hear.
This is followed by the sermon, presented by Richard Duncan, and is part 1 of his Health and Healing series.
I know that all of you will find these messages very useful. We live in perilous times indeed, and our only hope is to put our hope and trust in God Almighty. And that is a great hope indeed, but we must learn to have the FAITH needed. Once we have the faith, God has promised to ACT to heal us of our afflictions, and, for the future, to protect us from what is soon to come.
Have a very great and wonderful Sabbath day!
You may find the Cyber Service on our Sermon and Bible study page at:
http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/rcg/sermon.htm
John
With this week, we start Cyber Services again with the Faith and Healing series we started before the Feast.
There is no song service in today's service, but we have two very fine messages.
In place of the sermonette, we have a World Tomorrow broadcast called "Healing and Christ's Garment." This is a very inspirational message that all need to hear.
This is followed by the sermon, presented by Richard Duncan, and is part 1 of his Health and Healing series.
I know that all of you will find these messages very useful. We live in perilous times indeed, and our only hope is to put our hope and trust in God Almighty. And that is a great hope indeed, but we must learn to have the FAITH needed. Once we have the faith, God has promised to ACT to heal us of our afflictions, and, for the future, to protect us from what is soon to come.
Have a very great and wonderful Sabbath day!
You may find the Cyber Service on our Sermon and Bible study page at:
http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/rcg/sermon.htm
John
