Feature Article: Religious Holidays - or God's Holydays? p.

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ustard eed
“The Kingdom of heaven is like to a grain Mustard seed…” Matthew 13:31
SPECIAL ISSUE December 2007

When Was Jesus What is the

greatest gift Man
Born? can give?
e are
Q. What is the greatest gift Man

W
can give?
appro-
aching
the
time of the year
A. There are many gifts that we
can give to others. However, the
when the world greatest gift we can give is our love,
celebrates the our time and a part of ourselves.
supposed birth of Notice:
Jesus Christ. The
jingles on the radio "This is my commandment, that
you love one another as I have
and television invade
loved you. Greater love has no
our sanity earlier man than this, that a man lay
every year, and the down his life for his friends."
decorations now go up (John 15:12-13, RSV)
before Halloween!
Anywhere we go, We can lay down our lives for
Christmas "cheer" is others, literally by dying for others
inescapable. For most as Jesus Christ did. Or we can do
of us, this is a season the same by giving them of
we struggle through, ourselves and our time, in thinking
wishing it would rush by and be over. about them, caring for them and
Yet it is also a season that requires us to be on our guard. Since we do spending time with them. One of the
things that older people miss the
not celebrate Christmas, we often stick out in a crowd. Such a difference
most is being able to spend time
piques the curiosity of some, and they may ask why we do not keep it. If with others. When their children
we respond, "Christ was not born on December 25," can we prove it? If grow up and are gone, this element
He was not born on that date, then when was He born? What are the becomes lacking in their lives, in
facts? some more than others.
When this subject is broached, many Protestants and Catholics become (continued next page…)
quite emotional, often becoming firmly entrenched concerning the Î
1
What greatest gift? (From p. 1) Jesus' birth. All the clues are
there, and all that is required is
Virtually every single problem in the world today would be solved if people would to dig them out and put them in
simply have love for one another. But that will not happen until Jesus Christ order to discover the truth.
returns to this earth in all power and glory to take over the reins of government In a long section covering Luke
and begins to teach people how to love God and how to love one another, which 1:5 through 2:8, Luke writes of a
is the keeping of the two great commandments (Matt.22:36-40). We live in a specific series of events in
world filled with hate, which is the direct result of the one whole currently rules chronological order. He begins
this world, Satan the devil, the god of this world (2 Cor.4:4). by telling the story of Zacharias,
Another great gift we can give people is the God’s truth from the Bible (John
a priest, and his wife Elizabeth,
17:17) and the truth about the One, True God of Israel, which is not the God that who were childless. While
professing Christianity worships. Notice: administering his priestly duties
during the course of Abijah,
"Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in Zacharias was visited by the
my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the angel Gabriel, who told him that
truth will make you free." " (RSV, John 8:31-32) his prayers had been answered
and that he and Elizabeth would
The world today in general is not free but in bondage to Satan’s system and the have a son. They were to name
world that man has built, because mankind rejected God as ruler over them in him John.
the Garden of Eden and thus accepted Satan as their god and ruler. Since then, Because Zacharias doubted that
mankind has gone its own way and has in general been cut off from God and this would happen, Gabriel
from salvation. informed him that he would not
be able to speak until the birth of
But once God calls someone to salvation and opens their mind to the truth of His
his son. As soon as his service
Word and His thoughts, that person will become free and begin to start thinking
like God does. Once you make a commitment to live God’s way of life, you will in the Temple was completed,
begin to develop the spiritual "gifts" or fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal.5:22-23). You he returned to his own house.
will also start to understand many of the mysteries of life that are hidden from Elizabeth soon conceived and
most human beings, such as: hid herself five months, unsure
of how her pregnancy would be
Who is God? Where did everything come from? Who am I? What does life viewed.
mean? Why is the world so confusing and have so many incurable problems? In the sixth month of Elizabeth's
What is the meaning of the human family? What is my destiny and where am I pregnancy, Gabriel visited Mary
going? and informed her, "And behold,
you will conceive in your womb
The most important gifts we can give to others in this life are not the physical and bring forth a son, and shall
ones, but rather the ones that make a long-lasting effect on the lives of others call His name Jesus" (verse 31).
around us. The gifts we can develop and give to others, of love, joy, peace, Soon thereafter, Mary visited her
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, are the
cousin Elizabeth and stayed with
ones that will last for eternity:
her until the latter's ninth month,
leaving just prior to John's birth.
"There are three things that will endure-- faith, hope, and love-- and the
greatest of these is love." (1 Cor 13:13, NLT)
Jesus, then, was born
approximately six months after
John.
When Was…? What information do we have up
December 25 date in spite of the facts. Many simply enjoy the season to this point?
and feel that the actual day of Christ's birth is irrelevant. Biblical and
historical scholars are equally divided over this question as well. » Zacharias, a priest, performed his
Christmas, however, is founded on the premise that Jesus was born on duties during the course of Abijah.
December 25, and a person who is truly striving to follow the Bible will » After he returned home from
see that the celebration of Christmas is based upon falsehood. Jerusalem, Elizabeth conceived.
» Mary conceived in the sixth month
The Clues in Luke's Gospel of Elizabeth's pregnancy.
On the surface, the accounts of Matthew and Luke reveal little about the » John was born approximately six
months before Jesus.
time of Jesus' birth. No dates are given, no season of the year is named.
As a well-regarded historian, Luke, however, provides a sound, orderly
account of the events that removes any doubt as to the general time of
2
The Course of Abijah
To date Jesus' birth, we need a
starting point. Fortunately, Luke
supplies one in mentioning "the
course of Abijah" (Luke 1:5). Is it
possible to know if this course
existed then, when it fell during
the year, and how long it lasted?
Indeed it is!
I Chronicles 24 lists the courses,
divisions or shifts of the
priesthood that served in the
Temple throughout the year.
Verse 1 states, "These are the
divisions of the sons of Aaron."
Among the sons of Eleazar were
sixteen heads of their father's
house, while among the sons of
Ithamar were eight additional
heads of house, making twenty-
four courses (verse 4).
These courses of priests were
divided by lot to be officials of
the sanctuary and of the house
of God (verse 5). Beginning on
Nisan 1, these courses rotated
throughout the year, serving in
the Temple for one week apiece.
The course of Abijah, the course
during which Zacharias was
responsible to work, was the
eighth shift (verse 10).
Josephus, the first-century
Jewish historian—who was, by
the way, of the priestly lineage of
the course of Jehoiarib, the first
course—supplies further
information about the priestly
courses.
"He [David] divided them also
into courses: and when he had
separated the priests from them,
he found of these priests twenty-
four courses, sixteen of the
house of Eleazar and eight of
that of Ithamar; and he ordained
that one course should minister
to God [during] eight days, from
[noon] Sabbath to [noon on the
following] Sabbath. And thus
were the courses distributed by
lot, in the presence of David,
and Zadok and Abiathar the high
priest, and of all the rulers: and
that course which came up first
was written down as the first,
and accordingly the second, and
so on to the twenty-fourth; and
this partition hath remained to
this day" (Antiquities of the
Jews, 7:14.7).
These courses were strictly
followed until the Temple was
destroyed in ad 70.
The Talmud describes the
details of the rotation of courses,
beginning on Nisan 1. With only
twenty-four courses, obviously
each course was required to
work twice a year, leaving three
extra weeks. (The Hebrew year
normally has fifty-one weeks.
Intercalary, or leap, years have
an additional four weeks.) The
three holy day seasons,
Passover, Pentecost and
Tabernacles, during which all
the courses were required to
serve, made up these three
extra weeks. Thus, each of the
courses worked five weeks out
of the year: two in their specific
courses and three during the
holy day seasons.
John the Baptist was sent to
prepare the way for Messiah
(Malachi 3:1; Luke 1:13-17). The
gospel accounts make it very
clear that he was born about half
a year before Jesus was born.
From historical details in Luke's
account, it is clear that Jesus
was born sometime in 4 bc. This
means, counting back the nine
months of gestation and the six-
month difference in age, John
must have been conceived in
the first half of 5 bc.
This fact forces us to choose the
first shift of the course of Abijah
as the time when Gabriel visited
Zacharias in the Temple.
Frederick R. Coulter, in his A
Harmony of the Gospels (p. 9),
computes it this way:
In the year 5 bc, the first day of
the first month, the month of
Nisan, according to the Hebrew
Calendar, was a Sabbath.
According to computer
calculation synchronizing the
Hebrew Calendar and the
stylized Julian Calendar, it was
April 8. Projecting forward, the
assignments course by course,
and week by week, were:
Course 1, the first week; Course
2, the second week; all Courses
for the Passover and Feast of
Unleavened Bread, the third
week; Course 3, the fourth
week; Course 4, the fifth week;
Course 5, the sixth week;
Course 6, the seventh week;
Course 7, the eighth week;
Course 8, the ninth week; and all
courses [sic] the tenth week,
which was the week of
Pentecost.
Zacharias of the course of
Abijah worked the ninth week in
his assigned course and the
tenth week in the Pentecost
course, and this period ran from
Iyar 27 through Sivan 12
(Hebrew calendar) or June 3
through 17 (Julian calendar). He
probably returned home
immediately after his shifts were
completed, and Elizabeth most
likely conceived in the following
two-week period, June 18
through July 1, 5 BC.
With this information we can
calculate Elizabeth's sixth month
as December, during which Mary
also conceived (Luke 1:26-38). It
is probable, because of the
circumstances shown in Luke 1,
that Mary conceived during the
last two weeks of Elizabeth's
sixth month. Thus, John was
born in the spring of 4 BC,
probably between March 18 and
31. By projecting forward
another six months to Jesus'
birth, the most probable time for
His birth occurred between
September 16 and 29. It is an
interesting sidelight that Tishri 1,
the Feast of Trumpets, is one of
the two middle days of this time
period.
3

Flocks in the Fields
There is additional proof that
Jesus was born in the fall of the
year. The census of Quirinius
that required Joseph to travel
from Galilee to Bethlehem would
most probably have taken place
after the fall harvest when
people were more able to return
to their ancestral homes (Luke
2:1-5). Besides, it was
customary in Judea to do their
tax collecting during this period,
as the bulk of a farmer's income
came at this time.
Another point is that Joseph and
Mary had to find shelter in a
barn or some other kind of
animal shelter like a cave or
grotto because the inns were full
(verse 7). This indicates that the
pilgrims from around the world
had begun to arrive in Jerusalem
and surrounding towns. Thus,
the fall festival season had
already commenced. There
would have been no similar
influx of pilgrims in December.
Also, as the shepherds were still
in the fields with their flocks
(verse 8), Jesus' birth could not
have occurred during the cold-
weather months of winter.
Sheep were normally brought
into centrally located pens or
corrals as the weather turned
colder and the rainy season
began, especially at night. If this
Just Who Were the Wise
Men?
T
he Christmas season is
almost over for another year!
Almost—but not quite!
Traditionally, there are twelve
days of Christmas, as the
were not significant, it begs the
question, "Why would Luke have
mentioned it in such detail if not
to convey a time reference?"
Notice what commentator Adam
Clarke writes regarding this:
It was a custom among the Jews
to send out their sheep to the
deserts [wilderness], about the
passover [sic], and bring them
home at the commencement of
the first rain: during the time they
were out, the shepherds
watched them night and day. As
the passover [sic] occurred in
the spring, and the first rain
began early in the month of
Marchesvan, which answers to
part of our October and
November, we find that the
sheep were kept out in the open
country during the whole of the
summer. And as these
shepherds had not yet brought
home their flocks, it is a
presumptive argument that
October had not yet
commenced, and that,
consequently, our Lord was not
born on the 25th of December,
when no flocks were out in the
fields; nor could He have been
born later than September, as
the flocks were still in the fields
by night. On this very ground the
nativity in December should be
given up. The feeding of the
flocks by night in the fields is a
chronological fact, which casts
popular Christmas carol says,
and as always, January 6 will
again be the twelfth and last day
of the season. Some churches
keep January 6 as Christmas
Day, but it is more commonly
observed as the Feast of
Epiphany, commemorating the
considerable light on this
disputed point. (Clarke's
Commentary, vol. V, p. 370)
Why is it important that we know
when Jesus was born? We
certainly do not use this
knowledge to celebrate His
birthday—He tells us to
commemorate His death, not His
birth (I Corinthians 11:23-26).
The true date, however,
destroys the entire foundation of
the Christmas holiday. It also
points to the proper time of His
ministry, crucifixion and
resurrection, helping to disprove
the Good Friday—Easter
Sunday tradition also. Lastly,
and maybe most importantly, it
renews our faith in God's
Word—that it is true, verifiable
and historically accurate.
In addition, we should know
even these details so that we
can provide common-sense
reasons for our beliefs. We live
in a world of compromise and
confusion—especially in the
realm of religion—and thus we
must study and follow what is
true so we will not be fooled by
what is counterfeit. The
Christmas season promotes a lie
concerning the date of the birth
of Jesus Christ. We need to do
more than reject the world's
explanation; we need to know,
prove and follow what is true.
(John O. Reid, Forerunner)
visit of the wise men—known by
many as magi—to the infant
Jesus at Bethlehem.
This event, described in Matthew
2, gives rise to many questions,
a few of which true Christians
should know the answers to. For
instance, who were these wise
4
men? Were they pagan,
Mesopotamian astrologers?
What was the "star" that they
followed? Where did they come
from?
A little bit of research and letting
the Bible interpret itself will give
us the answers.
A Difficult Scripture
Notice the account in Matthew
2:1-3, 7-12:
Now after Jesus was born in
Bethlehem of Judea in the days
of Herod the king, behold, wise
men from the East came to
Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He
who has been born King of the
Jews? For we have seen His
star in the East and have come
to worship Him." When Herod
the king heard these things, he
was troubled, and all Jerusalem
with him. . . .
Then Herod, when he had
secretly called the wise men,
determined from them what time
the star appeared. And he sent
them to Bethlehem and said,
"Go and search diligently for the
young Child, and when you have
found Him, bring back word to
me, that I may come and
worship Him also."
When they heard the king, they
departed; and behold, the star
which they had seen in the East
went before them, till it came
and stood over where the young
Child was. When they saw the
star, they rejoiced with
exceedingly great joy. And when
they had come into the house,
they saw the young Child with
Mary His mother, and fell down
and worshipped Him. And when
they had opened their treasures,
they presented gifts to Him:
gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Then, being divinely warned in a
dream that they should not
return to Herod, they departed
for their own country another
way.”
Of the gospel writers, Matthew
alone mentions this episode.
Mark and John make no
comment whatsoever about
Jesus' birth, while Luke, who
writes the most about the events
surrounding His birth, leaves this
scene out. Matthew's single,
brief passage has sparked a
great deal of imaginative
speculation over the centuries,
and we will deal with some of it
as we answer some of our
questions.
Were They Astrologers?
The first "magi myth" that we
should question is the tradition
of "we three kings." The Bible
nowhere states how many magi
visited the infant Jesus.
Although Matthew mentions
three types of gifts they
presented to the Son of God,
there may have been two, three,
or more of them. Some have
even thought there might be as
many as twelve!
Regardless of how many there
were, the question remains,
"Who were they?" Because the
wise men saw and followed a
"star," many believe that they
were pagan astrologers.
However, throughout Scripture,
God soundly condemns
astrology. Notice a few quite
pointed examples:
» And take heed, lest you lift
your eyes to heaven, and when
you see the sun, the moon, and
the stars, all the host of heaven,
and you feel driven to worship
them and serve them.
(Deuteronomy 4:19)
» If there is found among you,
within any of your gates which
the Lord your God gives you, a
man or woman who has . . .
gone and served other gods,
and worshipped them, either the
sun or moon or any of the host
of heaven which I have not
commanded, . . . then you shall
bring out to your gates that man
or woman who has committed
that wicked thing, and shall
stone to death that man or
woman with stones.
(Deuteronomy 17:2-3, 5)
» Let now the astrologers, the
stargazers, and the monthly
prognosticators stand up and
save you from these things that
shall come upon you. Behold,
they shall be as stubble, the fire
shall burn them; they shall not
deliver themselves from the
power of the flame. (Isaiah
47:13-14)
In addition, the wise men who
visited Jesus knew in advance
who they were going to visit and
that the purpose of their visit
was to worship Him (Matthew
2:2, 11). It is highly unlikely that
heathen, idolatrous astrologers
would go to the great effort to
travel many, many miles to give
honor to the son of a deity they
did not worship. With this
evidence, we can be quite
certain that these magi were not
pagan astrologers.
What Was the Star?
Many historians have attempted
to determine the date of Jesus'
birth by looking for records
concerning comets, meteors,
supernovae, conjunctions of
planets, and the like.
What was the "star" that led the
wise men to Jesus Christ in
Bethlehem? Was it a physical
star at all? Whatever it was, the
"star" (Greek aster) was
definitely of miraculous origin; it
was no ordinary, physical star.
For instance, it had the ability to
move. Matthew writes that the
star "went before them, till it
came and stood over where the
young Child was" (Matthew 2:9).
No star we have ever seen can
do that! Even shooting stars—
really meteors burning up in the
atmosphere—cannot change
5
directions and stop over a
specific place!
"His star" (verse 2) was
possibly—perhaps even
probably—an angel. These spirit
beings have a glorious
appearance like a radiating star,
and they can certainly move and
change directions to show
someone the way. Stars in the
Bible often symbolize angels, for
example:
» [Where were you] when the
morning stars sang together,
and all the sons of God shouted
for joy? (Job 38:7)
» His tail drew a third of the stars
of heaven. . . . And war broke
out in heaven: Michael and his
angels fought against the
dragon; and the dragon and his
angels fought. (Revelation 12:4,
7)
What Are Magi?
The Bible mentions two types of
magi:
Heathen Magi
Jeremiah 39:3, 13 is the earliest
of ancient records mentioning
magi:
Then all the princes of the king
of Babylon came in and sat in
the Middle Gate: Nergal-
Sharezer, Samgar-Nebo,
Sarsechim, Rab-saris, Nergal-
Sarezer, Rabmag, with the rest
of the princes of the king of
Babylon. . . . So Nebuzaradan
the captain of the guard sent
Nebushasban, Rabsaris, Nergal-
Sharezer, Rabmag, and all the
king of Babylon's chief officers.
The word "Rabmag" is merely
transliterated because the
original translators did not
understand its meaning, and
even subsequent translations
have left it untranslated.
However, it has since been
correctly deciphered as "chief
magus."
The best translation authorities
say that "magus" (a singular
form of "magi") comes from an
old Pahlavi Persian word mag or
mog, meaning "priest" or "great
one." Thus, a man by the name
of Nergal-Sharezer was the
"rabmag" or "chief magus" of the
Babylonians at this time (about
586 bc) when they were
conquering Jerusalem.
The magi of Babylon were
heathen physicians, priests, and
learned men, and it is said that
from them descended a line of
evil, perverted priests and
sorcerers (said to include
Haman of the book of Esther
and Barjesus or Elymas of Acts
13). It is not at all likely
therefore, that the magi of
Matthew 2, seeking to worship
the newborn King of the Jews,
could be included with the likes
of these men!
God-fearing Magi
Daniel 2:48 gives us a quick
glimpse of another kind of magi:
Then the king promoted [rebah]
Daniel and gave him many great
gifts; and he made him ruler
[shelet] over the whole province
of Babylon, and chief [rab]
administrator [cagan] over all the
wise men [chakkiym] of Babylon.
Using the Brown, Driver & Briggs
Hebrew Lexicon, we can define
some of the key terms:
» "promoted" (rebah) — to grow
long, tall, or great; to increase; to
make great.
» "ruler" (shelet) — to have
power, to rule (over), to make
ruler.
» "chief" (rab) — (adj.) great; (n.)
a captain, a chief.
» "administrator" (cegan) — a
prefect, a governor.
» "wise men" (chakkiym) —
(adj.) wise; (n.) a wise man
The verse tells us the
Babylonian King
Nebuchadnezzar elevated God's
servant Daniel to the ranks of
the great in Babylon. He made
Daniel a ruler, an official of great
power over his kingdom. This
promotion made Daniel the chief
or lord over all the other wise
men (magi) of Babylon.
This act of Nebuchadnezzar
gave Daniel the power and the
opportunity to make significant
changes in the way the magi
operated in Babylon. He may
have held this post for the rest of
his long life, and such a long
tenure would ensure that many
of his changes would endure.
We could also speculate that,
understanding the Seventy
Weeks Prophecy (Daniel 9:20-
27), he could have passed along
to the magi the need to watch for
strange tidings in Judea around
this time.
We should also remember that a
large number of Jews, Levites,
and Benjamites still lived in
Babylon and the surrounding
areas, for only a small
percentage of Judeans returned
from exile to Jerusalem (Ezra
2:64-67). Some of them,
following the example of Daniel,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-
Nego, may have been magi or
governors. It is most probable,
then, that the magi who visited
the young Jesus would come
under this second category of
God-fearing, high-ranking rulers.
Of Orient Are?
Finally, where did these wise
men come from? As explained in
Francis W. Upham's book, The
Wise Men (1869), there are two
Greek expressions for "East"
used in Matthew 2:1-2, 9.
Firstly, in verse 1: "Now after
Jesus was born in Bethlehem of
Judea in the days of Herod the
king, behold, wise men from the
East came to Jerusalem." "The
East" is ton anatolon, the
common Greek expression for
"eastern regions," particularly
those far distant.
Secondly, in verses 2 and 9:
6
"Where is He who has been
born King of the Jews? For we
have seen His star in the East,
and have come to worship Him."
. . . When they heard the king,
they departed; and behold, the
star which they had seen in the
East went before them, till it
came and stood over where the
young Child was.
In both verses, "the East" is te
anatole, literally, "the rising,"
which could mean either that the
magi saw the star when it first
appeared—at its rising—or that
they saw it from their vantage
point east of Jerusalem, the
direction in which the sun rises.
The latter is more natural and to
be preferred. The magi, while in
a place east of Jerusalem, saw
the star, and it led them west.
The more important expression,
then, appears in verse 1. The
magi were from "the East," a
land or lands far away from the
Judea of 4 bc. This could not
mean Arabia for two reasons: 1)
The New Testament explicitly
identifies Arabia in Galatians
1:17, so why not here as well?
2) Though we know Arabia is
east and south of Palestine,
commonly expression of the time
considered Arabia to be in the
south, not the east. Further, any
nearby country would have been
named specifically and does not
qualify as "distant."
In the distant east lay the
Parthian Empire, little known
today, but it rivaled the Roman
Empire for hegemony of the
world at the time. Parthia
included all the conquered lands
of Babylon, Persia, Bactria, and
many other countries on the east
side of the Euphrates River. It
was to these lands that the
Assyrians had exiled some of
the ancient house of Israel, and
many of their descendants had
remained in the region.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical,
Theological, and Ecclesiastical
Literature by John J. McClintock
and James Strong, in its article
"Magi," says that some of the
ancient magi claimed Abraham
as their ancestor. If this were
true, it would add evidence that
the magi were Israelites who
were desirous to honor the One
who could be their rightful King,
especially since the miraculous
star made His birth so
auspicious. (For more on the
magi being Israelites from
Parthia, please see The "Lost"
Ten Tribes of Israel . . . Found!
by Steven M. Collins, pp. 205-
278.)
Altogether, this biblical and
historical evidence indicates that
the magi of Matthew 2 were not
pagan astrologers whose
observations of the heavenly
bodies led them to the infant
Jesus. Rather, they were
probably God-fearing
descendants of the exiled house
of Israel who were led to
Bethlehem miraculously, likely
by an angel, just as they were
"divinely warned" to flee back to
their homeland after their visit
(Matthew 2:12).
Once again, we see that if we
are willing to break free of the
bonds of the world's traditions,
the historical evidence backs up
the Bible record and leads us to
the truth.
(John Plunkett, Forerunner)

Should I tell my child that Santa Your daughter won't understand

explanations for not keeping
Claus is not real? Christmas, such as its obvious
pagan background, nor reasons
why Santa is not real, for several
Q. How do I truthfully explain to my ten-month old daughter that Santa Claus years. My advice is for now don't try
isn't real and why she shouldn't celebrate Christmas? to explain this subject with your
child. That way, she won't think
(Submitted by: M. J.) anything wrong about children who
believe in Santa.
A. When our children were young my wife and I had to deal with the same
problem you are experiencing. We found that children learn more by example Eventually your daughter may feel
than by words. like she's missing out on the
presents, but again, just don't bring
Years ago, while walking in the shopping malls before Christmas, our family it up. Besides, relatives will likely
would invariably see several "Santas" along the way. Since my wife and I didn't bring gifts. You might want to
celebrate Christmas, we would simply walk past any Santas we saw without discuss the situation with them, and
making any comments. ask that they bring only one gift
each, and let your daughter know
One year a lady asked our five year old what Santa brought him for Christmas. who it's truly from. ()
He simply replied, "We don't keep Christmas."

7
 Brief History
of Christmas in
Christianity
The names given to the Christmas feast by different
European peoples throw a certain amount of light on its
history. Let us take five of them - Christmas, Weihnacht,
Noël, Calendas, and Yule - and see what they suggest.
I. The English Christmas and its Dutch equivalent
Kerstmisse, plainly point to the ecclesiastical side of the
festival; the German Weihnacht (sacred night) is vaguer,
and might well be either pagan or Christian; in point of fact
it seems to be Christian, since it does not appear till the
year 1000, when the Faith was well established in
Germany. Christmas and Weihnacht, then, may stand for
the distinctively Christian festival, the history of which we
may now briefly study.
When and where did the keeping of Christmas begin?
Many details of its early history remain in uncertainty, but
it is fairly clear that the earliest celebration of the Birth of
Christ on December 25 took place at Rome about the
middle of the fourth century [ca. 350 A.D.], and that the
observance of the day spread from the western to the
eastern Church, which had before been wont to keep
January 6 as a joint commemoration of the Nativity and
the Baptism of the Redeemer.
Whether the Nativity had previously been celebrated at
Rome on January 6 is a matter of controversy; the
affirmative view was maintained by Usener in his
monograph on Christmas, the negative by Monsignor
Duchesne. A very minute, cautious, and balanced study of
both arguments is to be found in Professor Kirsopp Lake's
article on Christmas in Hastings's Encyclopedia of
Religion and Ethics; and a short article was contributed by
the same writer to The Guardian, December 29, 1911.
Professor Lake, on the whole, inclines to Usener's view.
The early history of the festival is also treated by Father
Cyril Martindale in "The Catholic Encyclopedia" (article
"Christmas").
The first mention of a Nativity feast on December 25 is
found in a Roman document known as the Philocalian
Calendar, dating from the year 354, but embodying an
older document evidently belonging to the year 336. It is
uncertain to which date the Nativity reference belongs; but
further back than 336 at all events the festival cannot be
traced.
From Rome, Christmas spread throughout the West, with
the conversion of the barbarians. Whether it came to
England through the Celtic Church is uncertain, but St.
Augustine [of Canterbury] certainly brought it with him,
and Christmas Day, 598, witnessed a great event, the
baptism of more than ten thousand English converts. In
567 the Council of Tours had declared the Twelve Days,
from Christmas to Epiphany, a festal tide; the laws of
Ethelred (991-1016) ordained it to be a time of peace
concord among Christian men, when all strife must cease.
In Germany Christmas was established by the Synod of
Mainz in 813; in Norway by King Hakon the Good about
the middle of the tenth century.
In the East, as has been seen, the Birth of the Redeemer
was at first celebrated not on December 25, but on
January 6, the feast of the Epiphany or manifestation of
Christ's glory. The Epiphany can be traced as far back as
the second century, among the Basilidian heretics, from
whom it may have spread to the Catholic Church. It was
with them certainly a feast of the Baptism, and possibly
also of the Nativity, of Christ. The origins of the Epiphany
festival are very obscure, nor can we say with certainty
what was its meaning at first. It may be that it took the
place of a heathen rite celebrating the birth of the World or
Aeon from the Virgin on January 6. At all events one its
objects was to commemorate the Baptism, the
appearance the Holy Dove, and the Voice from heaven,
"Thou art my son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt.
3:17, Mark 1:11) (or, as other manuscripts [?] read, "This
day have I begotten thee").
The eastern father, Epiphanius (fourth century), gives a
strange account of a heathen, or perhaps in reality a
Gnostic, rite held at Alexandria on the night of January 5-
6. In the temple of Kore - the Maiden - he tells us,
worshippers spent the night in singing and flute-playing,
and at cockcrow brought up from a subterranean
sanctuary a wooden image seated naked on a litter. It had
the sign of the cross upon in gold in five places - the
forehead, the hands, and the knees. This image was
carried seven times round the central hall of the temple
with flute-playing, drumming, and hymns, and then taken
back to the underground chamber. In explanation of these
strange actions it was said: "To-day, at this hour, hath
Kore (the Maiden) borne the Aeon." Can there be a
connection between this festival and the Eleusinian
mysteries?In the latter there was a nocturnal celebration
with many lights burning, and the cry went forth, "Holy
Brimo (the Maiden) hath borne a sacred child, Brimos."
The details given by Miss Harrison in her " Prolegomena"
of the worship of the child Dionysius are of extraordinary
interest, and a minute comparison of this cult with that of
the Christ Child might lead to remarkable results.
In some circles of early Christianity the Baptism appears
to have been looked upon as the true Birth of Christ, the
moment when, filled by the Spirit, He became Son of God;
and the carnal Birth was regarded as of comparatively
little significance. Hence the Baptism festival may have
arisen first, and the celebration of the Birth at Bethlehem
may have been later attached to the same day, partly
perhaps because a passage in St. Luke's Gospel was
8
supposed to imply that Jesus was baptized on His thirtieth
birthday. As however the orthodox belief became more
sharply defined, increasing stress was laid on the
Incarnation of God in Christ in the Virgin's womb, and it
may have been felt that the celebration of the Birth and
the Baptism on the same day encouraged heretical views.
Hence very likely the introduction of Christmas on
December 25 as a festival of the Birth alone. In the East
the concelebration of the two events continued for some
time after Rome had instituted the separate feast of
Christmas. Gradually, however, the Roman use spread at
Constantinople it was introduced about 380 by the great
theologian, Gregory Nazianzen; at Antioch it appeared in
388, at Alexandria in 4.32. The Church of Jerusalem long
stood out, refusing to adopt the new feast till the seventh
century, it would seem. One important Church, the
Armenian, knows nothing of December 25, and still
celebrates the Nativity with the Epiphany on January 6.
Epiphany in the eastern Orthodox Church has lost its
connection with the Nativity and is now chiefly a
celebration of the Baptism of Christ, while in the West, as
every one knows, it is primarily a celebration of the
Adoration by the Magi, an event commemorated by the
Greeks on Christmas Day. Epiphany is, however, as we
shall see, a greater festival in the Greek Church than
Christmas.
Such in bare outline is the story of the spread of
Christmas as an independent festival. Its establishment
fitly followed the triumph of the Catholic [Trinitarian]
doctrine of the perfect Godhead of Christ at the Council of
Nicea in 325.
II. The French Noë is a name concerning whose origin
there has been considerable dispute; there can, however,
be little doubt that it is the same word as the Provencal
Nadau or Nadal,the Italian Natale, and the Welsh Nadolig,
all obviously derived from the Latin natalis, and meaning
"birthday." One naturally takes this as referring to the Birth
of Christ, but it may at any rate remind us of another
birthday celebrated on the same date by the Romans of
the Empire, that of the unconquered Sun, who on
December 25, the winter solstice according to the Julian
calendar, began to rise to new vigor after his autumnal
decline.
Why, we may ask, did the Church choose December 25
for the celebration of her Founder's Birth ? No one now
imagines that the date is supported by a reliable tradition;
it is only one of various guesses of early Christian writers.
As a learned eighteenth-century Jesuit [A. Lupi] - has
pointed out, there is not a single month in the year to
which the Nativity has not been assigned by some writer
or other. The real reason for the choice of the day most
probably was, that upon it fell the pagan festival just
mentioned.
The Dies Natalis Invicti was probably first celebrated in
Rome by order of the Emperor Aurelian (270-5), an ardent
worshipper of the Syrian sun-god Baal. With the Sol
Invictus was identified the figure of Mithra, that strange
eastern god whose cult resembled in so many ways the
worship of Jesus, and who was at one time a serious rival
of the Christ in the minds of thoughtful men.
Mithraism resembled Christianity in its monotheistic
tendencies, its sacraments, its comparatively high
morality, its doctrine of an Intercessor and Redeemer, and
its vivid belief in a future life and judgment to come.
Moreover Sunday was its holy-day dedicated to the Sun.
It was the sun-god, poetically and philosophically
conceived, whom the Emperor Julian made the center of
his ill-fated revival of paganism, and there is extant a fine
Prayer of his to "King Sun."
What more natural than that the Church should choose
this day to celebrate the rising of her Sun of
Righteousness with healing in His wings (Mal. 4:2), that
she should strive thus to draw away to His worship some
adorers of the god whose symbol and representative was
the earthly sun ! There is no direct evidence of deliberate
substitution, but at all events ecclesiastical writers soon
after the foundation of Christmas made good use of the
idea that the birthday of the Savior had replaced the
birthday of the sun.
This is the explanation adopted by most scholars (cf.
Chambers Encyclopedia, "M.S.," i., 241-2). Duchesne
suggests as an explanation of the choice of December 25
the fact that a tradition fixed the Passion of Christ on
March 25. The same date, he thinks, would have been
assigned to His Conception in order to make the years of
His life complete, and the Birth would come naturally nine
months after the Conception. He, however, "would not
venture to say, in regard to the 25th of December, that the
coincidence of the Sol novus [new Sun] exercised no
direct or indirect influence on the ecclesiastical decision
arrived at in regard to the matter." Professor Lake also, in
his article in Hastings's "Encyclopedia," seeks to account
for the selection of December 25 without any deliberate
competition with the Natalis Invicti [Birth of the
Unconquerable]. He points out that the Birth of Christ was
fixed at the vernal equinox by certain early chronologists,
on the strength of an elaborate and fantastic calculation
based on Scriptural data, and connecting the Incarnation
with the Creation, and that when the Incarnation came to
be viewed as beginning at the Conception instead of the
Birth, the latter would naturally be placed nine months
later.
Little is known of the manner in which the Natalis Invicti
was kept; it was not a folk-festival, and was probably
observed by the [high-] classes rather than the masses. Its
direct influence on Christmas customs has probably been
little or nothing. It fell, however, just before a Roman
festival that had immense popularity, is of great
importance for our subject, and is recalled by another
name for Christmas that must now be considered.
9
III. The Provencal Calendas or Calenos, the Polish
Kolenda, the Russian Kolydda, the Czech Koteda and the
Lithuanian Kalledos, not to speak of the Welsh Nos Calen
for New Year's eve, and the Gaelic Calluinn for New
Year's Eve, are all derived from the Latin Kalendae, and
suggest the connection of Christmas with the Roman New
Year's Day, the Kalends or the first day of January, a time
celebrated with many festive customs. What these were,
and how they have affected Christmas we shall see in
some detail; suffice it to say here that the festival, which
lasted for at least three days, was one of riotous life, of
banqueting and games and license. It was preceded,
moreover, by the Saturnalia (December 17 to 23) which
had many like features, and must have formed practically
one festive season with it. The word Saturnalia has
become so familiar in modern usage as to suggest
sufficiently the character of the festival for which it stands.
Into the midst of this season of revelry and license the
Church introduced her celebration of the beginning of
man's redemption from the bondage of sin. Who can
wonder that Christmas contains incongruous elements, for
old things, loved by the people, cannot easily be uprooted.
IV. One more name yet remains to be considered, Yule
(Danish Jul), the ordinary word for Christmas in the
Scandinavian languages, and not extinct among
Feature Article:
Does it matter to God? ...
Religious Holidays - or God's Holydays?
In the Bible, God has designated His Holydays, how come we don't observe them?
H
indu, Muslim, Jew, Christian - all of us have
religious holy days that set us apart from each other.
Indeed, the God we worship is identified by the pageantry
of these days, which usually mark events associated with
the Founder - the Christian Christmas and Easter for
example, and the Muslim `Id-Mawlid marking the birth
and death of Muhammad - or with other significant
aspects of the faith.
But does it matter which days we observe?
Jesus Christ claimed that he was the sole route to God -
the "way, the truth and the life". He claimed that there's no
other way for mankind to receive salvation. Which days
did he observe? Do they have relevance today? Do -
should - Christians today observe them?
ourselves. Its derivation has been widely discussed, but
so far no satisfactory explanation of it has been found.
Professor Skeat in the last edition of his Etymological
Dictionary (1910) has to admit that origin is unknown.
Whatever its source may be, it is clearly name of a
Germanic season - probably a two-month tide covering
the second half of November, the whole of December, and
the first half of January. It may well suggest to us the
element added to Christmas by the barbarian peoples who
began to learn Christianity about the time when the
festival was founded. Modern research has tended to
disprove the idea that the old Germans held a Yule feast
at the winter solstice, and it is probable, as we shall see,
that the specifically Teutonic Christmas customs come
from a New Year and beginning-of-winter festival kept
about the middle of November. These customs transferred
to Christmas are to a great extent religious or magical rites
intended to secure prosperity during the coming year, and
there is also the familiar Christmas feasting, apparently
derived in part from the sacrificial banquets that marked
the beginning of winter.
Excerpted from: Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, Christian
and Pagan, by Clement A. Miles, London: T. Fisher Unwin, 2nd
Ed. 1913, pp. 20-25
The clear evidence is that our modern Christian worship
Days bear little resemblance to the worship God
prescribed from the beginning. Nor were they observed in
the Church Jesus Christ founded and began to build back
around 31 A.D.! Nowhere in the Scriptures do you find
God's people observing Christmas or Easter or Sunday of
any of the so-called Saint's Days. Surprisingly, many are
rooted in pre-Christian observances by the nations which
had rejected God's one and only revealed religion.
Heathen days are utterly condemned by God: "Learn not
the way of the nations", He said, "...for the customs of the
peoples are false", wrote Jeremiah (10:1-3). He goes on to
describe one of these abominable customs - and it sounds
remarkably like Christmas! Read the whole chapter.
10
But the New Testament Church did observe specific Holy
Days. And they were the Festivals God had ordained
centuries before.
The manner of their observance has been modified, but
God's revealed Holy Days remain. What are they?
God's Holy Days
It is God who determines how we worship Him. He is the
sovereign Lord of all creation, and graciously benefits
mankind for obedience to Him. Right from man's
beginning He required a specific form of worship,
evidenced by His rejection of Cain's unauthorized offering
(Genesis 4:1-3).
Godly men and women throughout history have carefully
worshipped as God required, thus identifying Him. All
other forms are false!
However, when the nation of Israel divided after the death
of King Solomon into the House of Israel and the House
of Judah, the northern House of Israel deliberately chose
to change the time of God's annual autumn Festival - and
cut themselves off from God. Later, the House of Judah
began worshipping the sun (Ezekiel 8:16- 17), placing sun
worship at the heart of government. The result was a God-
appointed invasion by a foreign power and a seventy year
exile for the entire nation. Certainly a warning for our
own nation!
But did the coming of Jesus Christ change all that? Did he
abandon the Holy Days which in fact he himself had
appointed? Did he change Sabbath for Sunday?
In fact, Jesus of Nazareth was careful to observe all the
Holy Days revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures. The New
Testament records His attendance at the seventh-day
weekly Sabbath, Passover, Unleavened Bread, Pentecost,
Tabernacles and the Last Great Day [Eighth Day -editor] -
omitting reports of only two of the days: Trumpets and
Atonement. All these days are listed in Leviticus 23.
The Apostles, Too
A study of the New Testament writings also shows that
the disciples of Jesus and the entire New Testament
church continued to observe these same days.
To confirm this, read
• Unleavened Bread (includes the Passover): Acts
12:3, 20:6, I Cor 5:8
• Pentecost: Acts 2. 20:16, I Cor 16:8
• Atonement: Acts 27:9
• autumn Festivals are reflected in the book of
Revelation (e.g., Rev. 8)
Only after the passage of a couple of centuries following
the death of Jesus Christ was the church saddled with
festivals imported from the pagan religion around them.
Prophesied Observance
The Scriptures also make clear that when Jesus Christ
returns He will command the observance of these same
Holy Days for all people! The prophet Zechariah describes
the terrible consequences for a nation which refuses to
keep the Festival of Tabernacles (Zech. 14), while Ezekiel
(ch. 40ff) and Isaiah (66:23) promote the same concept.
But what about now?
Clearly, since the Apostles continued on with the
observance of the seven annual Holy Days and the weekly
Sabbath they have left a pattern for Christian worship that
no-one aspiring to be a follower of Jesus Christ can
ignore. These days mark out the true followers of the God
of the Bible! They are the only form of authentic divine
worship described in the Scriptures of the Old or the New
Testament. All else, however well-intentioned, is vain,
empty, frivolous.
No matter how diligently you may observe Christmas or
Easter or Hallowe'en or any of the unbiblical festivals and
saints' days - Jesus Christ simply wouldn't recognize your
actions as following his example!
Why are not all Christians careful to observe the weekly
and annual holy days described in the Scriptures - and
enjoined on all the people of God? The joyous observance
of these Festival Days is not a "means of salvation" but a
reflection of the only form of worship God has ever
appointed for His people and for all mankind, (not just for
the Jewish nation).
Were the Holy Days "done away"?
Some Bible readers latch on to Paul's Statement in
Galatians 4:9-10 as evidence that he taught the Holy Days
were "done away". What did he mean?
In the first place. why would Paul downgrade God's law -
which he says is "holy and just and good" (Romans 7.12) -
to being "weak and beggarly"? Elsewhere he wrote:"Do
we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea,
we establish the law" (Romans 3:31).
11
And didn't Jesus himself tell us that "he that does [God's Not then obeying God's Law. which is liberating, helpful.
Commands] and teaches them shall be called great" a joy to keep (Deut. 4:6-8).
(Matthew 5: 19)?
As the New Bible Commentary observes on v.10: "Pagan
Next - what were these "elements"? The answer is clear astrological mythology was being applied to the Christian
when we identify Paul's readers. They had, before [i.e., Biblical] holy days". The Gospel of grace freed men
conversion to Christ, "not known God" (v.8) and had been from self-serving, pagan religious practices.
slaves let dumb idols. Clearly, these folk were not in the
habit of obeying the laws of God! The elements, or Paul ardently observed the holy days revealed in the
rudiments, of their religious practices had been something Scriptures! ()
that had severely restricted them - they were "in bondage".
Does Jeremiah Describe a Christmas Tree in Jeremiah 10:2-5?
Although these scriptures picture the carved idols of Jeremiah's time, they are also an
accurate description of the Christmas tree we are familiar with today. The practice
Jeremiah wrote about was a custom (verse 3) and was associated with "the signs of
heaven" (verse 2)—just as Christmas today is a custom and is associated with the winter
solstice. People today do not normally associate Christmas with the winter solstice, but
that does not change its pagan origin.

Even though these scriptures no doubt had an application to the customs practiced some
2500 years ago, we must keep in mind that the book of Jeremiah is primarily prophecy.
Just as with other prophecies, this was written for our time, to our people, and referring to
the common customs of the modern world! For instance, Jeremiah also accurately
describes such things as hot-cross buns for Easter (Jeremiah 7:18), and Ezekiel sees a
vision of worship very much like sunrise services (Ezekiel 8:16)!

We should especially note that cutting down and setting up a tree is termed "the way of the
Gentiles [heathen, KJV]." We are commanded not to learn or follow that way (verse 2).
This whole passage clearly tells us that using a tree in this manner is idolatry. The basic commandment against idolatry, of
course, is found in Exodus 20:4-6. If we try to honor God through any sort of idol or icon, we are guilty of breaking this
commandment.()

I will stand my watch

And set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say to me,
And what I will answer when I am reproved.
Then the LORD answered me and said:
“Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.”
Habakkuk 2:1-2

"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of
all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."
Matthew 13:31-32

This publication is provided by The Mustard Seed Evangelistic Assn. For inquiries and/or request for additional free
literature,
email: mseedwork@yahoo.com/ Publisher/Editor: Raul de Asis Hipe

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