We’re all pretty much in agreement that Jesus wasn’t born on December 25th, right? So why do we celebrate on this day?
It’s simple. In 336 CE, a group of Christian leaders, under the direction of Constantine, declared that every December 25th, we will observe the mass–the celebration–of Christ. Christ’s Mass: Christmas. That declaration occurred long before the Gregorian calendar that we use today was introduced.
They chose the date because of a popular holiday already in place: Saturnalia. Saturnalia honored the birth of a Pagan sun god, Mithras. The leaders declared that December 25th should no longer honor Mithras, but Jesus. And that stuck.
Some historians assert that the date of Saturnalia was chosen to counter the growing Christian celebration of the incarnation of Christ. Early Christians taught that life begins at conception. It is probable that Jesus was born during the Feast of Sukkot, which would put his conception on or about what we call December 25.
Because the worldwide celebration of the birth of Jesus got stamped over a Pagan holiday, some Christians say we should have nothing to do with Christmas. They cry out that December 25th is a Pagan holiday. It’s true that Saturnalia was a Pagan holiday, and it was on what we call December 25th. From its beginning, however, Christmas has always been a Christian holiday.
It’s ironic when Messianics reject Christmas on the basis of the date, while embracing Hanukkah, a date also chosen to redirect Paganism. The Maccabees didn’t just march into the temple, and light the menorah. There’s a reason that they lit it before they had enough oil to keep it going, and that reason is the date. 25 Kislev marked the anniversary of the declaration by Antiochus that Judaism would be eliminated and all the world would worship Pagan gods.
When the Children of Israel used gold plundered from the Egyptians to fashion the holy vessels of the Tabernacle, that gold was not sacred in and of itself. It had been used in the worship of other gods, in evildoing, and who knows what else. But God accepted, even commanded, it to be consecrated to him. And with that declaration, it was made pure.
I don’t know anyone who worships Mithras. But I know that people all over the world pause to consider why Jesus came into the world, only because a date has been chosen to remember. If you don’t want to celebrate on December 25th, don’t. But please don’t use it as a day to cause division. And please don’t discourage others from using it as an opportunity to worship, and to share the gospel. It really is good tidings of great joy that shall be to all people.
For an in depth look at the timing of the birth of Jesus, check out http://www.hol.com/~mikesch/sukkoth.htm
Copyright 2009, 2010, Kathryn A. Frazier http://preciousholidays.wordpress.com
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Filed under: Christianity, Christmas, faith, History, Holidays, Messianic Judaism, Religion Tagged: | Christian, Christmas, December 25, Hanukkah, pagan, Saturnalia
Hanukkah also has pagan traditions like Christmas. You’ll fine these connections everywhere. The problem is when people styart down that road, they never would be able to stop. The fact that pagans also worshipped stars did not stop God from using one to announce His Son’s birth. In the time of Jeremiah, people regulated their lives by the zodiac, and it is still being done today. Water cooler and dinner chatter centers around, “What sign were you born under?” Astrology has been picked up from the pagan world, clearly a practice forbidden by God, and we should be concerned over Christmas Trees/ Easter Eggs? Even the days of the week are pagan days.
Yes, that’s one of my problems with these “pagan hunters.” The days of the week are named after “pagan” gods, such as Thursday being named after the Norse god Thor. Yet we don’t hear the same chatter about not going to work on Thursday because it’s a pagan day or whatever. LOL. Real paganism is the worship of false gods, NOT using things pagans may have used. But people are too busy straining out gnats and swallowing camels. God help us.
Hi Paul- You have some good points. I especially liked it when you pointed out, “Real paganism is the worship of false gods, NOT using things pagans may have used.”
I wonder what you mean by Hanukkah having Pagan traditions. I don’t know of any. Can you enlighten me?
The lighting of Candles was done once a year on the same night in honour of the sun. The burning of lamps. In Babylon, this practice had been exceedingly prevalent. This was where Judah was taken during their captivity. In Pagan Rome, the same practice was observed. And Rome is where the Catholic Church was and is set up to this day.
The wax-candle was, in fact, a hieroglyphic, like so many other things which we have already seen, and was intended to exhibit the Babylonian god in one of the essential characters of the Great Mediator. Now I’m not saying all Hanukkah traditions are pagan but in the feasts Yahweh gave to Israel the elements formerly existed in paganism. And sometimes Hanukkah falls on December 25.
see:
http://www.candlecomfort.com/historyofcandles.html
The origin of popular customs associated with birthday celebrations?
“The various customs with which people today celebrate their birthdays have a long history. Their origins lie in the realm of magic and religion. The customs of offering congratulations, presenting gifts and celebrating—complete with lighted candles—in ancient times were meant to protect the birthday celebrant from the demons and to ensure his security for the coming year. . . . Down to the fourth century Christianity rejected the birthday celebration as a pagan custom.”—Schwäbische Zeitung (magazine supplement Zeit und Welt), April 3/4, 1981, p. 4.
“The Greeks believed that everyone had a protective spirit or daemon who attended his birth and watched over him in life. This spirit had a mystic relation with the god on whose birthday the individual was born. The Romans also subscribed to this idea. . . . This notion was carried down in human belief and is reflected in the guardian angel, the fairy godmother and the patron saint. . . . The custom of lighted candles on the cakes started with the Greeks. . . . Honey cakes round as the moon and lit with tapers were placed on the temple altars of [Artemis]. . . . Birthday candles, in folk belief, are endowed with special magic for granting wishes. . . . Lighted tapers and sacrificial fires have had a special mystic significance ever since man first set up altars to his gods. The birthday candles are thus an honor and tribute to the birthday child and bring good fortune. . . . Birthday greetings and wishes for happiness are an intrinsic part of this holiday. . . . Originally the idea was rooted in magic. . . . Birthday greetings have power for good or ill because one is closer to the spirit world on this day.”—The Lore of Birthdays (New York, 1952), Ralph and Adelin Linton, pp. 8, 18–20.
It is often pointed out that Christmas is way too commercialized. People eat too much, drink too much and party too much. Many people focus on the secular aspects of Christmas and pay little attention to the birth of Christ. All of this is true. But we have the power of choice. We can choose not to eat too much, drink too much, party too much or get involved in the secular and commercialized aspects of Christmas. There will always be people who abuse celebrations and stray far from their original intended purpose. This does not make such celebrations wrong, in and of themselves. I have personally attended festivals such as the Feast of Tabernacles, a scriptural based observance, and observed people eating to much, drinking to much and carrying on in ways that did not reflect the intent of the festival.
Anonymous- You may benefit from a course in formal logic.Of course fire has been used in other religious observances. And in cooking. And in reading. And warming homes. Testing wells. Sterilization. Boiling water. Decoration, and. . .
The tradition of lighting oil lamps (in modern America most people use candles) is in celebration of the miracle that God did during the rededication of the Temple by the Macabees. He caused the oil of the menorah to burn for eight days, when it was only enough oil for one day.
Paul- The whole birthday thing is a little off topic, and I question the historical accuracy of some of what you said, but I’m not going into that in this thread. Probably someday I’ll do a post on birthdays. In the meantime, folks can check out the birthday pages of my website at http://preciousholidays.net/birthday.html
Judaism recognizes that all customs and practices–pagan or otherwise–originated from the misuse of true and pure practices. You wrote, for example, “The fact that pagans also worshipped stars did not stop God from using one to announce His Son’s birth.” In fact, stars were already around before Pagans worshiped them. They were originally given by God as signs (Genesis 1:14).
If we’re going to look at the original source of a custom, then we need to go all the way back to the One True God.
That’s my point because you won’t see a pagan celebrating the birth/ death/ resurrection of Jesus unless the pagan was converted into a Christian! Birth is a gift from The Most High and it is worth celebrating. The Jehovah’s Witness say that celebrating birthdays are celebrating paganism but I do believe that there is a certain way that one should carry about him/ herself on his/her birth date because if celebrating birthdays is wrong: then why wasn’t Job punished for it/ then Yahweh would be going against His own goodness.
Good blog but I’m still mystified and doubtful.
Many people whom I’ve met told me that Deuteronomy 12:29-31 and 2 Corinthians 6:14–17 forbids adding to God’s Word. Does Deuteronomy 12 and Corinthians 6 forbid everthing that the pagans did? (So I’ve been told.) Please help.
Joey- Thanks for your question. As more Gentiles join the Messianic movement, the drive to snoop out Paganism gains popularity, and needs to be addressed. (Jews, by and large, don’t worry about what Pagans do/did.)
As far as adding to God’s word, neither Deuteronomy nor 2 Corinthians were the final words of the Bible. Both were added upon.
And forbid everything pagans did as part of their worship? What about what they do today? We’d have to get rid of food, fire, water, sex, prayer, music, clothing, nakedness, flowers, every single day on the calendar, giving birth, breastfeeding, dancing, burning incense, using plates, swimming, using the computer. . . you get the picture. Pagans are human. All humans have things in common. We can’t forbid it all. We can only use what God has given us for good, not evil.
Deuteronomy 12:29-31 talks about not worshiping the true God in the way that others worship their gods. He warns us in verse 29, “Be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods?”The reason that God doesn’t want us to inquire about them is the danger of being ensnared by sinful ideas (v. 31) “because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates.” This current craze of inquiring how pagans worshiped centuries ago, ensnares believers. Believers, as a result, do the detestable: stir up dissension among brothers (Proverbs 6:16-19). We were warned.
If we read chapters 5 and 7 along with 2 Corinthians 6, it’s clear that Paul is talking about fellowship between believers-specifically himself and the Corinthians. Remember that the chapter breaks were added to help us study, and not part of the original letter.
In 2 Corinthians 6, Paul quotes Isaiah 52:11 “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” The passage in Isaiah refers to the Kingdom age, when the LORD will return and show Himself to all nations through Jerusalem. Paul is encouraging the Corinthians to open their hearts and become one with him, in light of their shared salvation.
The last thing Jesus prayed in the Garden before His arrest was that we believers would be in the world, as He came into the world, and became a part of humanity as He was, a light to glorify God. He prayed that we would not be taken out of the world, but that we would be protected from the evil one. He prayed that “all of them may be one” and “may they be brought to complete unity”. (John 17:6-25)
It is not the intention of God that we separate from other believers who celebrate or don’t celebrate holidays in a certain way. (“Do not let anyone judge you…with regard to a religious festival…” Colossians 2:16)
Not everyone is called to the same service. “But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” (1 Corinthians 12:18-20)
It is His desire and prayer that we open our hearts to one another and live in complete unity. But by inquiring after the ancient practices of paganism, the Body becomes divided. This is detestable to God.
“…there should be no division in the body, but…its parts should have equal concern for each other. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:26,27)
So then what you are saying is ; If I choose to celebrate a holiday I must be fully convinced that I would be comfortable celebrating it? If not, then don’t. It’s just that I have been falsely taught by peers that celebrating holidays like Christmas/ Easter/ Halloween is dabbling in paganism. Many concerned people hear this and this type of reasoning has brought grief to a great many. I know because I was one of them. Like Jeremiah 10 1-5: Learn not the way of the heathen,
nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens
because the heathen are dismayed at them,
3 for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down
and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman.
4 They decorate it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so that it cannot move.
5 Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field,
and they cannot speak. The context of this passage was really talking about idols. Anyway, thanks for clearing things up and I would ask if I have any more questions.
>>So then what you are saying is ; If I choose to celebrate a holiday I must be fully convinced that I would be comfortable celebrating it? If not, then don’t.>>
That’s what I’m saying. I think we know in our spirits if something is right or wrong, if we’re sincere or not.
Christmas has always been Christian. Uhhhh…. no. The time that Christmas is celebrated is the Wiccan Sabbath on December 21st the death of the sun king. And the 25th December is the rebirth of the sun king. The “Christmas” season has always been pagan/wiccan but the Nativity of Jesus has always been Christian. Yule and the Nativity of Jesus are NOT the same.
Witchcerridwen- Thanks for stopping by. Perhaps you didn’t read the article. As you said, “the Nativity of Jesus has always been Christian”, hence the name Christ-mas. I agree with you that Wiccan sabbath is not the same holiday, even if it overlaps on the calendar.
The celebration of the incarnation of Christ in no way changes the history of Paganism. And the Pagan celebration in no way changes the history of Christianity.
A few thoughts about “Messiahmas”–
1. YAHWEH ELOHIM–not KMart or Walmart–ordered the EXTRAVAGANTLY SPLENDIFOROUS, MUSICAL, LIGHT-FILLED CELEBRATION of Yeshua’s birth on a COSMIC SCALE: “And again, when He brings the Firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him!” (Hebrews 1:6) How like our God to FILL HIS CREATION WITH HIS LIGHT AND MUSIC…imagine the countless MYRIADS of holy, angelic beings–archangels, cherubim, seraphim, warriors, the “bearer of the eternal word”, joyful Gabriel and Fearless
Michael, and “all the company and host of heaven”–all singing a hymn we’ve never stopped singing since in all of earth’s languages:
“Glory to God in the highest!
On earth, peace–good will toward men!” (Luke 2:14)
This heavenly sound was heard by THE ENTIRE PLANET and the ENTIRE UNIVERSE, including those rough-hewn shepherds out on the Judean hills and all those nasty-Nazi-like Roman soldiers and all those Sukkot celebrators crowding Bethlehem and Jerusalem. God Himself ROCKED THE HOUSE by ordering THE ULTIMATE BIRTHDAY PARTY
which celebrated EMANU-EL’s arrival to our forlorn planet. We can conclude from this that YAHWEH REJOICES IN BIRTHDAYS and the prophet Zephaniah declares He will “sing over us with joy.” GOD IS THE AUTHOR OF BIRTH! No wonder we can’t keep from singing
“IN EXCELSIS DEO!”
2. It is the devil, not believers, who is clearly threatened by creches/
praesepios/Nativity scenes in public places! Who do you think is behind the “protests” of parents who “don’t want their children to sing about Jesus in the public schools”? Why is it “OK” to sing winter songs about sleigh rides, frightful weather, sleigh bells and shopping for
packages–but NOT permitted to sing about “The Virgin Mary had a Baby Boy” or “O little Town of Bethlehem” or “Go Tell It on the Mountain?” Yet, audiences everywhere–Jewish, Christian and heathen–flock to hear and SING G. F. Handel’s “For unto us a Child is born” every December–belting out arias and choruses taken entirely
from scripture and always ending with the ultimate declaration of
JESUS/YESHUA’s DOMINION–”Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth! The kingdoms of this world is become THE KINGDOM OF OUR LORD, AND OF HIS CHRIST! And He shall reign
forever and ever!” (Revelation) Whether you enjoy it in the original Baroque version or the Black Gospel setting by Quincy Jones, it is STILL the TRUTH and all kinds of musicians–Jewish, Christian and pagan–sing and play this music EVERY YEAR. By the way, most public schools in predominantly BLACK and LATINO areas do not have an “anti-Jesus” problem–and Black gospel music is studied/learned/performed by choirs in these public schools! Some Muslim and some Jehovah Witness students may “opt out” of singing the music, but truth be told, many of them SING IT ANYWAY.( Holy Ghost-filled music makes you FEEL better!)
3. Many secular and traditional Jews have always ENJOYED Christmas carols and many listen to, and PERFORM classical Christian Christmas music. How many testimonies have you heard about Jewish believers who came to faith in Yeshua–and Christmas carols played a part in this? Jewish singers and musicians also sing/play in churches–both as music students to gain choral experience, and as accompanists and instrumentalists. We owe Jewish musicians a HUGE debt of gratitude for researching and recording medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Christmas music.
3. Oh yes–about those lights on trees and in houses and churches–
the Bible declares that “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.”
(I John
[...] fear of unintentional Pagan worship reaches fever pitch around Christmas time. In the ultimate irony, followers of God accuse their brothers and sisters who celebrate Christmas [...]
Saturnalia actually occured after Christians established Christmas. Saturnalia aka Sol Invictus was actually a counteracting feast against Christmas made by Emperor Aurelian in an attempt to drive Christianity away from Rome. In the end Christmas won and some of the surrounding traditions were adopted into Christmas.