However, my dad, like so many people, are unaware of where Christmas came from. I think most of us know just from history class that Christmas was not the actual the date of Christ's birth. SO when did we decide to celebrate Christmas on December 25th? Where did Santa come from? What about caroling? Christmas trees?
Christmas originated in the Roman Catholic church. (Now may be a good time to read my post about Constantine, the Roman Emperor who founded the Roman Catholic church!)
Christmas was originally the holiday of Saturnalia, a week-long party that began December 17th and lasted until the 25th. This was no ordinary holiday party. In fact, during this week, Roman law actually forbid punishing those who damaged property or hurt people. It was literally out-of-control.
Every year, each Roman community would choose a victim to represent the "Lord of Misrule." They would force the person to eat and drink themselves sick, then at the week's end, the people would brutally murder him/her. That wasn't all; nearly everyone would get drunk and many other atrocities would occur such as human sacrifices and rape. It probably wouldn't be a party that anyone today would be interested in going to, but I think most of us know that the Romans were pretty sick people just from watching 'Gladiator.'
The Roman Catholic church figured that blending pagan and Christian holidays would make it easier for them to convert the pagans to Christianity since most of them were unwilling to give up Saturnalia. Of course, there was nothing Christian about Saturnalia, so religious leaders decided to name the last day of the festival, December 25th, Jesus' birthday. Of course, this did nothing to stop the debauchery during this festival.
Not that they really wanted to. In fact, Pope Paul II revived some of Saturnalia's traditions of singing naked in the streets (the early form of Christmas caroling) by forcing the Jews to run naked through the streets of Rome. During the Saturnalia festivals throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, rabbis were forced to wear clown costumes as they walked through the streets while spectators threw things at them.
Happy birthday Jesus.
And considering that Jesus WAS a Jew, there was NO WAY he would have condoned these festivities given that they have historically been days of shame, torture, rape and murder for the Jewish people. Jesus celebrated Chanukah! But more on that later.
Thankfully, Christmas looks a little different these days. Especially in Michigan, getting naked to go sing outside people's houses would no doubt end up in some serious frostbite.
Unfortunately, the traditions that go hand in hand with the holidays (Christmas trees, mistletoe, Santa Claus) are also of a pagan origin.
Santa Claus? He was based on a real person, Saint Nicolas (named a saint in the 19th century) who was born in Turkey and later became Bishop of Myra. What's interesting is that he was on the Council of Nicaea with Constantine!
After his death, a group of sailors who idolized Nicholas moved his bones to Italy where a cult formed. Members of this cult gave one another gifts during an annual pageant on the day of Nicholas' death on December 6th.
The cult spread to German and Celtic nations where it was adopted and assimilated into their worship of Woden, their chief god, who had a long white beard and flew through the skies on a horse. The amalgamation of the two birthed St. Nick and eventually the Catholic Church adopted the Nicholas cult and taught that he distributed gifts on the 25th of December, rather than the 6th.
Add a few years of influential literature and some ad campaigns and Santa Claus was BORN. In 1931, Coca-Cola used his image to sell their products and insisted that his coat be a bright Coca-Cola red. As you can see below, that was just the beginning of Santa's career in advertising.
Now, I realize that this post may be depressing and/or downright shocking and I swear if my dad sees it he'll probably cry. Christmas has its past and people are obviously free to celebrate it if they choose. After all, it is a great time of year that's good for families and great for the economy!
However, no longer do I associate Yeshua (Jesus) with the Christmas season. In fact, the more I learn about Chanukah, the more I desire to celebrate that holiday instead. Yeshua celebrated Chanukah, and while it is not one of YHWH's feasts, I think it needs to make a comeback. SO, my next blog post will be about just that! CHANUKAH! Its history, how to celebrate and why it lasts eight days!
Stay tuned!
Love,
Ashley
Hey Ashley. I appreciate your desire to clarify the holiday and its history but there are several comments you make that actually are not historical at all. I would be curious to know your references for some statements and conclusions because I don’t think you would find a majority of historians (church and secular historians) that would agree with them.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that Constantine and the council "created" the New Testament is completely inaccurate and an unfortunate accusation that seems to come to life whenever a new Dan Brown novel hits the shelves. The council of Nicaea did not even take up the topic of the canon of scripture. The council’s main argument was about the divinity of Jesus and the fight was over the inclusion of a word in the creed that was not found in the scriptures (both OT and NT that were fully recognized by the church since about 131 AD). This does not mean the council was perfect but it was not about creating the New Testament or making the Torah forbidden, which it also did not do in the least.
I guess it is accurate to say that the Christ-Mass was instituted by the RCC but this does not mean that Christ’s birth was never celebrated prior to the establishment of the holy day. The birth narratives that appear in scripture were read as part of worship in the early church and therefore would have been celebrated. That Christians placed the celebration on December 25th could very well have been an attempt to “overcome evil with good” (which I believe I read somewhere once). To infer that Christmas is just a “blended” pagan holiday is interesting because the only thing similar to the pagan celebration is the date. Also, Constantine did not make Christianity the official religion of Rome, it was actually Theodosius I who made the decree in 379 AD. That is a bit nit-picky, I know, but it is statements like this that make me question your resources.
Singing while streaking was not an early form of Christmas caroling. Give me a break! Every religious celebration in antiquity would have involved singing in the streets. There is even signing at sporting events. Putting that as a link between a pagan festival and modern Christmas celebrations is stretching things a bit, even if it was meant as a joke. The information about Pope Paul II is also incorrect.
Regarding you comment that the council called Jews “children of the devil” is also errant. Search the text. That statement is not found in the text of the council of Nicaea anywhere. Was the council kind to Jews. Nope! But if you are going to put quotes up, be sure it is a quote. It is more accurate Jesus of being anti-Semitic from what he said in John 8:44. I found an article by Rabbi Lawrence Kelemen, which makes many of the same statements you make (or repeat) and he uses John as an attack on our Messiah. Very interesting mix of fact/fiction throughout.
Sorry for my long post but I have studied history and church history a bit to much to swallow your claims, even with a glass full of egg nog! ☺ In Him - Pastor Ken
PASTOR KEN! I'm so happy that you're reading! Of course I don't want to write anything that is not true and I'm so glad you're calling me out! After your post, I set about checking my sources. You were right! The council of Nicaea was NOT the council that canonized the new testament. My wording made it sound like they had even written it which is NOT what I want people to think. Believe me, I do not use The Da Vinci Code as a source the same way I don't use the Left Behind series to learn about Christ's second coming!
ReplyDeleteI have to stand by my research of the pagan roots of Christmas, however. I did mention in my blog that incorporating the celebration of Christ's birth into the Winter solstice was an attempt to convert people to Christianity, or "overcome evil" as you said? However, YHWH is VERY clear in his word that we are not supposed to mix pagan practices with ours. Duet 23:24 says "Do not bow down before their gods or worship them OR FOLLOW THEIR PRACTICES." We have to be honest and ask ourselves if YHWH is okay with us celebrating the birth of Christ on this day even though we obviously aren't celebrating it the same way as the Romans celebrated Saturnalia. Especially when he is very clear about the feasts that we should be celebrating?
And a LOT is similar! Not just the date! Xmas trees, stockings, santa etc. all have roots in cults and paganism.
If you're curious about some of these things, I would encourage you to check out some sources. "Christmas Customs and Traditions: Their History and Significance" by Clement Miles, "The Popes Against the Jews: The Vatican's role in the rise of modern Anti-Semitism" by David Kertzer, "Fossilized Traditions" by Lew White... These are just a few. Also, I'm pretty sure a lot of this stuff is just in the encyclopedia…
The ancient Greek writer Lucian described Saturnalia as a week of widespread intoxication, going from house to house while singing naked, rape and human sacrifice. Yes, naked caroling. The nude caroling from house to house (to beg for food and drink) turned into caroling for candy, treats, and money and so on.
The information about Pope Paul IS correct.
"Some of the most depraved customs of the Saturnalia carnival were intentionally revived by the Catholic Church in 1466 when Pope Paul II, for the amusement of his Roman citizens, forced Jews to race naked through the streets of the city. An eyewitness account reports, 'Before they were to run, the Jews were richly fed, so as to make the race more difficult for them and at the same time more amusing for spectators." CONT.
CONT.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I don't mean to condemn those who Christmas carol or celebrate Christmas! But the truth about where those things originated cannot be denied. And honestly, I think it's beside the point I'm trying to make. The question I want to raise is IS this what God wants? Is he okay with us celebrating Christ on a pagan day when he says NOT to mix these things? In fact, Christ probably wouldn't have even celebrated his birthday at all. It was only people like Pharaoh and Herod that made big deals about their birthday.
It was 300 years after Christ before the Roman Church kept Christmas and wasn't until the fifth century that it was mandated to be kept throughout the empire as an official festival. We already had YHWH's festivals. Why did we need new ones? In fact, the church outlawed celebrations of the feasts for Christians trying to keep them. People justify Christmas by saying they have replaced pagan customs and intents and that they are now honoring Christ. The problem I have with that is that God NEVER said that was okay. In fact, He plainly commands against it. "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition. Then he said to them, 'You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition!' Mark 7:7-9
Also, the council may not have called Jews "children of the devil" in the TEXT, but they did call them that. In fact, they used to make them wear hats with horns on them as well as other stupid clothing to set them up for ridicule.
I haven't read that article by Rabbi Kelemen, however, I think we both know that the bible has been used to support/condemn many things that are not in line with the laws of YHWH. (Domestic abuse, slavery and so on.) And modern Jews rejecting the messiah does not shock me in the least given that the Christian church changed the Lord's sabbath to Sunday, replaced all of the Lord's feasts with man-made holidays founded in pagan roots (don't even get me started on Easter), and thinks that Jesus has blonde hair and blue eyes! We forget that Christ was a Jew who kept the feast days. The bible, awesome at it is, said this would happen! That the house of Judah would reject the messiah but KEEP his LAWS while the house of Israel would FORGET his NAME and his laws.
And wouldn't you know? Most Christians I know do not know God's name, YHWH, and they certainly don't keep his laws.
Also, you were right about Constantine not declaring Christianity as the official Roman religion! I confused that with the other things he did for Christians including signing the Edict of Milan and returning stolen property to the Christians, as well as really getting the ball rolling overall in terms of making Christianity the official religion of Rome. I made all of these corrections and I'm so excited to be getting feedback! Keep reading! I can use all the help I can get!
Ashley
Thanks for your love of the WORD and zeal for Truth Ashley, it is inspiring. The only thing I would add is that what you are teaching and proclaiming is showing Yahweh's WORD to be true. We are living out prophecy in the end for Jeremiah prophesied that we would come back to seek Truth and cry out that we had inherited lies from our forefathers:
ReplyDeleteJer 16:14 ¶ Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
Jer 16:15 But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.
Jer 16:16 ¶ Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.
Jer 16:17 For mine eyes [are] upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.
Jer 16:18 And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.
Jer 16:19 ¶ O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the GENTILES shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely OUR fathers have inherited LIES, vanity, and [things] wherein [there is] no profit.
Jer 16:20 Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they [are] no gods?
Jer 16:21 ¶ Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name [is] The YAHWEH.
Thanks again....Looking forward to reading your future posts!
Blessings,
CK
Awesome! So so true! Thanks so much for that! We were looking ALL over for those verses today! lol!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for Wednesday! I'm so blessed to have you guys!
CONT…
ReplyDelete“In 1466, Pope Paul II considerably enlarged the festivities...The Jews were called to the place directly in a special competition, made just for them, and they accepted the invitation gladly and with pride, since they saw it as an extra sign of their inclusion in the life of the city.... there was a large group of Jews, armed from head to toe, led by their factors and by two knights...Then the athletes came, a dozen of them, dressed in white. They were ahead of the senator of Rome and the other authorities of the town. The senator of Rome gave the trophy to the young Jew who won the competition, with a solemn ceremony. Later, the entire Jewish community organized a big party in his honor in the house of one of the rabbis, near Castle S. Angel, ending up the night carousing.”
So which is it? Is Pope Paul II someone who dishonored the Jews or gave them a place of honor? Could there possibly be more to the story that needs to be discovered? I am no expert, having not read either of these works, but I am willing to say that one quote from one author is not the only evidence in this case. And I am no fan of the Roman Catholic Church in all this. I am a protestant for a reason you know. But I also don’t take accusations lightly and would prefer a more rounded approach to historical figures than what a single author has to say.
I agree that Christ most likely did not celebrate His birthday; it doesn’t appear to be a custom in his culture. But I do know his cousin John celebrated his pre-natal existence, God announced (centuries beforehand) the place and worked it out so that a pagan emperor orchestrated the reason why Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem, Angels announced the big day, shepherds were sent to bear witness, magi followed a star a great distance to coronate a newborn king, Simeon uttered a prayer of thanksgiving at his dedication, Anna couldn’t keep quiet about His arrival on earth and I don’t think God is the least bit upset that we chose a day to mark Christ’s arrival in human flesh. The setting of the day itself (Dec. 25th) was more an effort to align calendars for when people were already marking the day than concocting the celebration out of thin air to maintain a pagan feel to a Christian celebration. Feel free to disagree with a choice made by church leaders 1,700 years ago but don’t try and saddle the current celebration with unrelated baggage.
Jesus was a Jew who kept the feasts. No doubt about it. The disciples were His followers and passed along His message to the rest of us. But when push came to shove, they didn’t require gentiles to follow the feasts. They didn’t even mention them. The most they are mentioned in the New Testament is as reference points, not as requirements. I fully appreciate the that Jesus was a Jew and try to help people understand the context of what He taught given the context of the Jewish culture in which He lived and taught. But I do not find evidence that Jesus intended for the law of Moses to be applied to His followers at any time. I find just the opposite. Romans 14 is an incredible passage about the law and its application in the life of a believer.
CONT…
ReplyDeleteI don’t think modern Jews are rejecting Christ because we somehow took away His Jewishness. Ancient Jews rejected the Messiah as well and He was there in the flesh. The Apostle Paul spent his ministry trying to overcome the work of people who were trying to force gentiles to become Jewish in order to be “truly” Christian. Read, Re-read and Re-Re-read Galatians and Hebrews. Christians are not commanded to keep Christmas, they are invited to celebrate Christmas. You will never hear me say that people who don’t keep Christmas are no longer Christian or even sub-Christian. Holy Days have nothing to do with saving faith. But they are effective means of communicating the truth about Christ. Yes, even EASTER! Read all of Mark 7 and you will see that the context is very different than an annual celebration of a “new” feast that you seem to want to reject based on things Jesus said. Jesus was not saying this about Christmas or any other celebration that might come one day.
Some final questions: My kids call me Daddy/Dad and not Kenneth. Should that bother me? When they were little, I was lucky if they got out a “Da” and I loved it. I knew in their heart they were calling out to me regardless of the exact term coming off their lips. Do you think YHWH loves us more than I love my kids? Do you think God is unable to hear our hearts cry because of our words? Do you think Jesus was mistaken when He taught us to call God “Father”? Feel free to use the YHWH term for God but don’t judge others because they use a more modern or different term.
As you continue to study the Hebrew roots of Christianity, I would encourage you to heed the words of Stephen Katz in this article…
http://jewsforjesus.org/publications/havurah/4_1/jewishroots
I appreciate your comments Pastor Ken.
ReplyDeleteI simply have to respectfully disagree. Like I said previously, I don't condemn anyone who chooses to celebrate Christmas. In fact, I think we'd truly alienate our friends and family if we chose to be so legalistic about it! We can argue all day about history, and believe me, I love a good debate! But that is not my goal in writing this blog. I want to intrigue peers of mine who have lost faith in the church and in Christ. I want to show them that there IS so much evidence that supports not only a creator, but a loving God who wants a relationship with us and who is currently carrying out a plan for mankind, NOT to accuse ANYONE of anything or make people feel bad that they're celebrating Christmas. I, myself, still celebrate, I just choose to not to mix my faith with the holiday.
Others may see things differently, as you do, and that is within your right to do so. Seeing that this is my blog, however, I will state my opinion as such and I am prepared to answer any questions that people may have regarding it based on research.
You said that you didn't read the sources that you or I used? I realize you may not have the free time that I do, however, I did read the books. I also researched the authors of those books as well as used several different kinds of books. Just because I only quoted one, don't assume that it's the only one I used. I would encourage you to do the same if you're interested in finding out more because yeah, there is a lot more to the story that needs to be discovered. My generation is one that DOUBTS. They need facts. They aren't buying Christianity anymore and what a misfortune that is! Especially when we are so blessed to live in an age where we CAN prove God is ALIVE! Scientifically, historically, and through God's own word which is almost MAGICAL how it is PACKED full of prophecy! but I'm sure you know by how amazing it is!
Also, to clarify, I NEVER said that calling YHWH by any other name was wrong, nor would I EVER judge anyone for not knowing/using it. I call him lots of names and so do the men/women I study with. I simply meant to point out how the enemy has brought his name to naught, so that most people don't even know what it is, as he predicted would happen in scripture. Do I think God doesn't hear us if we don't use it? ABSOLUTELY not. I never said such a thing, nor do I believe anything in what I wrote even eludes to that conclusion.
Do I think we all need to become Jewish and disregard the New Testament? OF COURSE NOT! I also never said that. In this post or in any other. Stephen Katz does make a good point that we should be careful not to completely disregard the New Testament. I do believe that the old and new testaments belong together and you need them both. Jewish people are as guilty as Christians are in terms of adding to and taking away from the truth of the scriptures.
I'll be the first to admit that I can be overzealous and hurt people's feelings without realizing it. This is not my intention. I just love studying the word! It is the most exciting thing I've ever experienced.
So I do hope you keep reading and I'm so sorry if I made you feel accused. I LOVE your sermons and when I reference the 'church' I am NOT referencing YOUR church specifically, but rather the people of God as a whole.
Wow...Ashley...how old are you really? You are more wise than most "old" adults I know. I know you WILL BE blessed by Our Creator for your obedience to stand by the Truth and you definitely fulfill the NT command to be like the Bereans to see if what you are told is so! (Acts 17:11) And if I may be so bold as to mention just a few things: The feasts are not "Jewish Feasts," yes, the Jews kept them because they were part of Israel and because they were obedient to the Commands of Yah. Leviticus 23:2 "Speak to the children of Israel and say unto them, concerning the Feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be Holy Convocations, even these are MY FEASTS." What saddens me most is that people don't realize that it is a blessing and an honor to keep the Feasts that God created and proclaimed as HIS Feasts to help us understand HIS Plan...the Spring Feasts to understand the FIRST coming of Messiah and the Fall Feasts to understand His Second coming, when he returns to reign as King on Earth. Acts teaches us that all the followers of Messiah kept HIS Feasts and Sabbaths.
ReplyDeleteI am so thrilled that you have found Messiah and His Truth...you ARE and WILL BE such a blessing for the Youth...for the droves of young that are leaving the Church because they want to Follow the WORD of God versus the Traditions of men. Deu 4:40 Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, FOR EVER.
Lam 3:40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
Lam 3:41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
Blessings,
CK
Hey Ashley! Thanks for the clarifications. The one thing I hate about written words is that they often convey emotions or force that was not intended. Please know that I am not the least bit offended with strong opinions, even those with which I disagree. There is such a thing as disagreeing disagreeably and that is my approach. I am also a relentless debater (just ask Diane - it can be annoying) so I tend to dig in a bit more than necessary at times.
ReplyDeleteChurch is a pretty broad word and I have to admit, I did feel you were including Keystone in the mix. Not that we aren't guilty of tripping over manmade traditions (I think every group does to some degree or another) but I always hoped to create a place that did our best to overcome them or transform them into something more valuable.
I wasn't accusing you of tossing out the NT or requiring people to become Jewish or only use the name YHWH. I have been doing a lot of study and a number of people in the Hebrew Roots movement do slip into these errors and I just wanted to be sure you did not as well. (it's that darn pastor thing in me).
I fully understand your excitement of discovery. I too felt the same thing as I began to actually read the original languages of the text and not just the english translations. Keep studying. I loved Hebrew and am looking forward to another semester of it soon. I won't clog up your blog with ramblings unless there is something significant that needs to be clarified. Thanks for posting your thoughts. We all need to "think on these things" more and more.
In Him,
Ken
I just want you to know how intrigued I am reading this debate. I like you Ashley usually use the name Jesus when around those who use that name. Nothing wrong with that. Yes, HE does know who we are talking about. But how much better to use his real name where appropriate. Yes you could call me by a nick name and that would be legitimate. Calling me by a made up name isn't. I'd have to learn who your talking about first, then I may respond. Especially when there isn't any letter "J" (or corresponding letter) in Hebrew to make a "Jesus" with.
ReplyDeleteYes, I understand how hard it is for you to make your points without writing a whole book about each topic. Remember few people in general (whosoever may read your blog) realize how many Hebraic teachers we use and how many hours and hours of teachings we study. Be kind and gentle with all who haven't been grafted in. Romans 11:19. Your right, that "Christians" (theological seminary's) tend to call the O.T. obsolete, and Israelites on the opposite end ignore the N.T. It's commonly thought of in the sub conscious as the old (hard) covenant and the new (easy) covenant. What isn't realized is how precious are the O.T. laws and how fortunate we are that YHWH gave them to us. If we understood how badly we need them, then we wouldn't shun them, but embrace them and be glad they are still in effect. What we do is see how the Torah and the Brit Hadashah complement each other so fully that you can't properly understand the new w/o the old. It's the Hebraic cyclical mindset compared to the Greek linear way of thinking. How patterns are repeated over and over. And how fully the Hebrew authors of the new constantly quote the old being fully in effect realizing that while they were speaking, there was no new, it was only being created as they spoke. A little rambling but I had to get my two cents in.
Shalom, John Almas