Christmas day is over, but our celebrations are not. Today, on the second day of Christmas we begin to visually sift through those who truly celebrate the season and those who have gotten lost in the business and even the godlessness of the season. Nine years ago, my grandmother died two days before Christmas; and with her the joy of many. You see, she lived for seventeen years after having a double hemorrhage stroke; and she used the miracles she was given to be a miracle for countless others. In a way she lived every day of her life as if it were her last; and as such, she treated each "last" day as if it were Christmas - her favorite. Of the countless souls she has touched and influenced over her life, you will never find one who can remember her without a warm and welcoming joy all about her; and if ever she were asked a reason why, the only reason she could ever give was "Jesus".
What does this have to do with Christmas? Well, there are many who try to dissolve the celebration of Christmas... those who think that Christianity is nothing more than a Christianized Pagan Celebration. Christians and non-Christians alike strike at the "Pagan Roots" of Christianity almost on a daily basis now trying to convince us through loud and lofty voices, through rumor and speculation, and through misinformation and outright lies that there is nothing genuine, noble, or true in Christianity... and Christmas along with it. As oft' as others try to dismantle Christmas, people like my Grandmother know the true meaning of this holy season and never stop living it. I know I am not anywhere near where she was in her walk with Ha-Shem, and a day rarely tarries when I don't catch myself complaining to or nagging Ha-Shem about something; but because of Christmas, everyday I can start anew and try one more time to live like Jesus and make her proud of the family she left behind...
What is Christmas?
When did its celebration first come to be?
When was Jesus' birth?
What of the Nativity?
Who were the Magi?
Really... a king celebrated by Shepherds?
What of the Pagan influence?
These are among the many questions I hope to ponder and address in this endeavor if study, reflection, and writing…
You see, it was with the death of my grandmother that I actually started paying attention to the holiday season each year. At first I thought that I was trying to re-discover that “magic” that seemed to have died with her. What Ha-Shem has been revealing to me piece by piece and little by little has been so much more than I ever could have hoped or dreamed.
It is from hope that we are inspired to dream and from striving toward those dreams we are greeted by unexplainable, repeating, and observable circumstances - these are the evidence and substance of the usually unseen realms - and it is to this very evidence that we refer in every occasion that we make proclamations of faith. You see, it is not a blind and meaningless faith at all; as in accordance with the laws of Science, it demonstrates a growth from the repeating and observable… and while we cannot replicate said events though any means aside from continuing to hope and dream, we can know with certainty that every time we strive toward those dreams unexplainable and observable circumstances will follow…
The holidays, every one of them… every holiday in every month and season is all about remembering the “hope” that once lived among us… they are about striving to grasp hold of such hope once again in order that we might remember how to dream by reminding us what has happened before when others dared such preposterous things. And in daring to dream we give power to the usually unseen powers to accomplish miraculous things in our lives.
“... and the usually non-terrestrial presence of Ha-Shem took on physical existence over the waters of te deep…” Genesis 1
Etymology of the Word “Christmas”:
I used wikipedia for this word-study as they have an extensive article on Christmas containing over 200 references. Below are a few items I found to be of note in the wikipedia article when it comes to the word “Christmas.”
* "Christmas" is a compound word originating in the term "Christ's Mass"
* It is derived from the Middle English Cristemasse, which is from Old English Crīstesmæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038
* Crīst (genitive Crīstes) is from Greek Khrīstos (Χριστός), a translation of Hebrew Māšîaḥ (מָשִׁיחַ), "Messiah", meaning "anointed"
* Mæsse is from Latin missa, the celebration of the Eucharist.
* The Anglo-Saxons referred to the feast as "midwinter"
* Nātiuiteð (from Latin nātīvitās). "Nativity", meaning "birth", is from Latin nātīvitās.
* In Old English, Gēola ("Yule") referred to the period corresponding to January and December.
* Noel" (or "Nowell") entered English in the late 14th century and is from the Old French noël or naël, itself ultimately from the Latin nātālis (diēs), "(day) of birth”.
The Wikipedia article has much more information on the etymology of “Christmas” than I listed above as well as detailed references from which it draws its data; however this is sufficient for my intents and purposes. Now at this point,I have no little interest in discussing the various traditions we have now associated with Christmas, but rather my interest is solely on tracing through the actual data we have on its origins that we might understand in reality from when and from where Christmas originated. From the above, we can see the word traces back to nearly the beginning of the 2nd Millennium CE/AD.
Biblical and Historical Evidence of Jesus’ Birthday:
I recently read an interesting article on the Biblical evidence both for and against a December 25th celebration of the birth of Jesus. In short, drawing from passages in Matthew and Luke, the conclusions of the article are that according to Scriptures either the birth or the conception of Jesus would have happened during the season we now know as “Advent” and the “12 Days of Christmas” Advent begins on the first sunday after Thanksgiving and ends on Christmas Day. Counting forward from December 25th the “Twelve Days of Christmas” end on January 5/6th and in some traditions they begin on January 6/7th and end on the 18/19th.
Now I don’t particularly see the difference between birth/conception as something to get terribly riled up about. Looking from culture to culture and tradition to tradition in today’s world, we see rejoicing at both times of conception (baby showers) and times of birth. If Jesus was Conceived in December rather than born than it was in December that Mary was visiting her cousin Elisabeth whose baby leapt inside the womb knowing already who was growing inside of Mary.
The details are not what give us cause to celebrate Jesus birth, but the hope that His birth promises us is what gives us cause to celebrate. Parsons, the author of the above mentioned article, concludes with this: “...Every day, then, may we celebrate the life of our LORD and Savior, Yeshua the Mashiach! Amen.” You see, we are grafted into Abraham’s Tree that is we are made beneficiaries of his covenant with Ha-shem. In Genesis we read how Abraham admitted his own unworthiness to forge covenant with Ha-Shem and in response Ha-Shem promised to pay Abraham’s price into the covenant that his shortcomings become irrelevant. Along with paying entry for Abraham and his descendants into this particular covenant - a covenant we remember every time we take Kiddush and every time we partake in the Eucharist - Ha-Shem also took on the penalties for breaking the covenant; and weather it be His conception, His Birth, His Death, His Resurrection, His youth, or His ministry we have just cause to celebrate the Hope that Ha-Shem has promised us. The very same hope that began the traditions that we now have 2000 years later.
In Judaism we have a festival of Hope that typically falls in mid-late December; it is called Chanukah. it is no mere coincidence that Chanukah and Christmas share manky symbols, traditions, and even proximity on the Calendar. For those unaware, Christianity was considered as the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, etc among the various sects of Judaism by much the world until the early-mid 4th century CE/AD… Christianity, before Roman Catholicism was a Sect of Judaism. It was not spontaneously created by Constantine or any other Roman Emperor from a mishmash of pagan sources. The Pagan Roots of Christianity are in their entirety a myth aimed at dividing the Ha-Shem’s people in order to destabilize and destroy the Church... You can read all about the Eight days of Temple Dedication in the Chronicles and Kings or about the Hasmonean Kings that made this festival famous in the books of Maccabees. Today, Chanukah and Christmas traditions remind us that with as far as we have strayed from Ha-Shem, there is Hope. Something about that hope births countless miracles - unexplainable but constantly repeating and observable events - in and around each of us who never forget what this season of holiness is all about. For me, it was in my grandmother’s last days in the hospital before being released on hospice; and in spite of not being able to muster strength to speak in months, as I strummed my guitar and sang her Christmas Carols in her hospital room, she sang with joy and life. For my own witness this has carried on for nine years now where a certain “magic”about this season births miracles, and even now, from time to time I can hear her voice singing along with the choir unrealized by many.
Now, keep in mind that the Bible as we know it has existed since the first Latin Vulgate Bible was written/compiled at the turn of the 5th Century CE/AD which extends our above timetable for evidence for/against the support of the December 25th Scripture more than 600 additional years. This was all made possible by the Synod of Hippo 393 CE/AD and the Council of Carthage 397 CE/AD. Prior to the Rise of Roman Catholicism in the 4th and 5th Centuries, the Gospels of Matthew and Luke take us back another 200 years (give or take) to the 2nd Century CE/AD.
For some further reading, one might gander into the writings of the Church Fathers from the 1st and 2nd Centuries, several of whom were referencing a Celebration of Jesus’ birth and dating it to December 25th. Others might turn to the historical inspiration for Santa Claus in St Nicholas who was not only a bishop of the Church during the rise of Emperor Constantine, but was also among those present at the Council of Nicea at the beginning of the 4th Century. Another interesting note is St Nick’s feast day on January 6th. While these beliefs and traditions have come a long way from where they began, very few of them actually originate in paganism.
I am far from exhausted on this topic, but that is about all I have in me to write today… hopefully I will get to a bit more of this by the turn of the year…
What does this have to do with Christmas? Well, there are many who try to dissolve the celebration of Christmas... those who think that Christianity is nothing more than a Christianized Pagan Celebration. Christians and non-Christians alike strike at the "Pagan Roots" of Christianity almost on a daily basis now trying to convince us through loud and lofty voices, through rumor and speculation, and through misinformation and outright lies that there is nothing genuine, noble, or true in Christianity... and Christmas along with it. As oft' as others try to dismantle Christmas, people like my Grandmother know the true meaning of this holy season and never stop living it. I know I am not anywhere near where she was in her walk with Ha-Shem, and a day rarely tarries when I don't catch myself complaining to or nagging Ha-Shem about something; but because of Christmas, everyday I can start anew and try one more time to live like Jesus and make her proud of the family she left behind...
What is Christmas?
When did its celebration first come to be?
When was Jesus' birth?
What of the Nativity?
Who were the Magi?
Really... a king celebrated by Shepherds?
What of the Pagan influence?
These are among the many questions I hope to ponder and address in this endeavor if study, reflection, and writing…
You see, it was with the death of my grandmother that I actually started paying attention to the holiday season each year. At first I thought that I was trying to re-discover that “magic” that seemed to have died with her. What Ha-Shem has been revealing to me piece by piece and little by little has been so much more than I ever could have hoped or dreamed.
It is from hope that we are inspired to dream and from striving toward those dreams we are greeted by unexplainable, repeating, and observable circumstances - these are the evidence and substance of the usually unseen realms - and it is to this very evidence that we refer in every occasion that we make proclamations of faith. You see, it is not a blind and meaningless faith at all; as in accordance with the laws of Science, it demonstrates a growth from the repeating and observable… and while we cannot replicate said events though any means aside from continuing to hope and dream, we can know with certainty that every time we strive toward those dreams unexplainable and observable circumstances will follow…
The holidays, every one of them… every holiday in every month and season is all about remembering the “hope” that once lived among us… they are about striving to grasp hold of such hope once again in order that we might remember how to dream by reminding us what has happened before when others dared such preposterous things. And in daring to dream we give power to the usually unseen powers to accomplish miraculous things in our lives.
“... and the usually non-terrestrial presence of Ha-Shem took on physical existence over the waters of te deep…” Genesis 1
Etymology of the Word “Christmas”:
I used wikipedia for this word-study as they have an extensive article on Christmas containing over 200 references. Below are a few items I found to be of note in the wikipedia article when it comes to the word “Christmas.”
* "Christmas" is a compound word originating in the term "Christ's Mass"
* It is derived from the Middle English Cristemasse, which is from Old English Crīstesmæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038
* Crīst (genitive Crīstes) is from Greek Khrīstos (Χριστός), a translation of Hebrew Māšîaḥ (מָשִׁיחַ), "Messiah", meaning "anointed"
* Mæsse is from Latin missa, the celebration of the Eucharist.
* The Anglo-Saxons referred to the feast as "midwinter"
* Nātiuiteð (from Latin nātīvitās). "Nativity", meaning "birth", is from Latin nātīvitās.
* In Old English, Gēola ("Yule") referred to the period corresponding to January and December.
* Noel" (or "Nowell") entered English in the late 14th century and is from the Old French noël or naël, itself ultimately from the Latin nātālis (diēs), "(day) of birth”.
The Wikipedia article has much more information on the etymology of “Christmas” than I listed above as well as detailed references from which it draws its data; however this is sufficient for my intents and purposes. Now at this point,I have no little interest in discussing the various traditions we have now associated with Christmas, but rather my interest is solely on tracing through the actual data we have on its origins that we might understand in reality from when and from where Christmas originated. From the above, we can see the word traces back to nearly the beginning of the 2nd Millennium CE/AD.
Biblical and Historical Evidence of Jesus’ Birthday:
I recently read an interesting article on the Biblical evidence both for and against a December 25th celebration of the birth of Jesus. In short, drawing from passages in Matthew and Luke, the conclusions of the article are that according to Scriptures either the birth or the conception of Jesus would have happened during the season we now know as “Advent” and the “12 Days of Christmas” Advent begins on the first sunday after Thanksgiving and ends on Christmas Day. Counting forward from December 25th the “Twelve Days of Christmas” end on January 5/6th and in some traditions they begin on January 6/7th and end on the 18/19th.
Now I don’t particularly see the difference between birth/conception as something to get terribly riled up about. Looking from culture to culture and tradition to tradition in today’s world, we see rejoicing at both times of conception (baby showers) and times of birth. If Jesus was Conceived in December rather than born than it was in December that Mary was visiting her cousin Elisabeth whose baby leapt inside the womb knowing already who was growing inside of Mary.
The details are not what give us cause to celebrate Jesus birth, but the hope that His birth promises us is what gives us cause to celebrate. Parsons, the author of the above mentioned article, concludes with this: “...Every day, then, may we celebrate the life of our LORD and Savior, Yeshua the Mashiach! Amen.” You see, we are grafted into Abraham’s Tree that is we are made beneficiaries of his covenant with Ha-shem. In Genesis we read how Abraham admitted his own unworthiness to forge covenant with Ha-Shem and in response Ha-Shem promised to pay Abraham’s price into the covenant that his shortcomings become irrelevant. Along with paying entry for Abraham and his descendants into this particular covenant - a covenant we remember every time we take Kiddush and every time we partake in the Eucharist - Ha-Shem also took on the penalties for breaking the covenant; and weather it be His conception, His Birth, His Death, His Resurrection, His youth, or His ministry we have just cause to celebrate the Hope that Ha-Shem has promised us. The very same hope that began the traditions that we now have 2000 years later.
In Judaism we have a festival of Hope that typically falls in mid-late December; it is called Chanukah. it is no mere coincidence that Chanukah and Christmas share manky symbols, traditions, and even proximity on the Calendar. For those unaware, Christianity was considered as the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, etc among the various sects of Judaism by much the world until the early-mid 4th century CE/AD… Christianity, before Roman Catholicism was a Sect of Judaism. It was not spontaneously created by Constantine or any other Roman Emperor from a mishmash of pagan sources. The Pagan Roots of Christianity are in their entirety a myth aimed at dividing the Ha-Shem’s people in order to destabilize and destroy the Church... You can read all about the Eight days of Temple Dedication in the Chronicles and Kings or about the Hasmonean Kings that made this festival famous in the books of Maccabees. Today, Chanukah and Christmas traditions remind us that with as far as we have strayed from Ha-Shem, there is Hope. Something about that hope births countless miracles - unexplainable but constantly repeating and observable events - in and around each of us who never forget what this season of holiness is all about. For me, it was in my grandmother’s last days in the hospital before being released on hospice; and in spite of not being able to muster strength to speak in months, as I strummed my guitar and sang her Christmas Carols in her hospital room, she sang with joy and life. For my own witness this has carried on for nine years now where a certain “magic”about this season births miracles, and even now, from time to time I can hear her voice singing along with the choir unrealized by many.
Now, keep in mind that the Bible as we know it has existed since the first Latin Vulgate Bible was written/compiled at the turn of the 5th Century CE/AD which extends our above timetable for evidence for/against the support of the December 25th Scripture more than 600 additional years. This was all made possible by the Synod of Hippo 393 CE/AD and the Council of Carthage 397 CE/AD. Prior to the Rise of Roman Catholicism in the 4th and 5th Centuries, the Gospels of Matthew and Luke take us back another 200 years (give or take) to the 2nd Century CE/AD.
For some further reading, one might gander into the writings of the Church Fathers from the 1st and 2nd Centuries, several of whom were referencing a Celebration of Jesus’ birth and dating it to December 25th. Others might turn to the historical inspiration for Santa Claus in St Nicholas who was not only a bishop of the Church during the rise of Emperor Constantine, but was also among those present at the Council of Nicea at the beginning of the 4th Century. Another interesting note is St Nick’s feast day on January 6th. While these beliefs and traditions have come a long way from where they began, very few of them actually originate in paganism.
I am far from exhausted on this topic, but that is about all I have in me to write today… hopefully I will get to a bit more of this by the turn of the year…
