The Origin of Christmas “…from Heaven or from man?” Part 1 of 5 I prayerfully offer the following articles for your personal study and consideration regarding the holiday called ‘Christmas’. I have tried to provide accurate information from secular history. To ensure, that, I will give the source(s) from which I quote. I realize that many are sensitive to any writings on this subject that are not positive and that do not advocate a continuation of present practice. That is not the purpose for which I write. I am not concerned with HOW this holiday is celebrated. I do not question that Jesus is the Christ, or that the Bible sets forth that He is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, man’s Redeemer, or that He is King of kings and Lord of lords. It is not the giving of gifts that I question, or the happy associations we may have with our families and friends. Such things can be right at any time of the year (or we could make them wrong at any time of the year). Such things are not going to be the focus of this material. It is to separate myth from truth on the origin of Christmas. The historical facts and the evidence from the Bible contained in this material speak for themselves. If there is any perversion of either the internal or external facts, such perversions will be publicly retracted and correction made, as it is not my intention to set forth error on the matter. I only ask that you give consideration to the evidence and base your convictions on Scripture, not on tradition. If the Bible sanctions the celebration of the birth of Jesus as a religious observance, then it is not an option. If not, then we ought not to do so, for such will not be by faith, and “whatsoever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Rom. 14:15). What about Christmas? The first statement to be considered is from McClintock and Strongs Encyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. “The observance of Christmas is not of divine origin. The day of Christs birth cannot be ascertained from the New Testament or, indeed, from any other source. This is a very definite statement - and it is definitely a statement of facts. Since this is true, let us not be misled by the various statements to the contrary which come from those who, at the best, are uninformed on the subject. And let us not allow our children to be misled into thinking the Bible teaches something it simply does not teach. Secondly, if Christmas is due religious observance at all, the Bible would give information concerning the matter. Where do we find this information in the Bible? The Bible does not inform us as to the birthday of the Christ, nor does the Bible authorize us to observe the birthday of the Christ. Hence, to attempt such is to go beyond the limits of divine authority. Much of the world is approaching that season of the year known as Christmas. Regardless of the attitude one holds toward December 25 as the date of Christ’s birth, he is nevertheless affected by the events centering on this date. In America, where so much commercialism is observed in this connection, perhaps more time is given to this season than any other country on earth. Probably no single aspect of American life is affected longer than education whether public or private, since most institutions from first grade through university dismiss regular activities for a period of one to three or even four weeks. We see and hear so much ado about the birth of Jesus and its relationship to December 25, that it leads us to ask the question: “Where is the only authentic record of the birth of Christ to be found?” Universally the answer is returned, “Only in the New Testament.” (Matthew 1 & 2; Luke 1 & 2). This being the case, a second logical question is: “Does the New Testament anywhere indicate any particular day of any week of any month of any year as the birthday of Jesus?” The answer is as readily given as the question is asked: “No, there is no indication whatever in the New Testament as to the day, month or year that Jesus was born.” Are we correct, then, when we assert that December 25 is a date set by man, not by God? Unquestionably this is true. The evidence is overwhelming to the effect that Christmas was not even among the earliest festivals of the apostate Roman Church. Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. V, p. 642, 1960 ed., declares: “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church, and before the 5th century there was no general consensus of opinion as to when it should come in the calendar, whether on January 6, March 25 or December 25.” This same authority states that “the exact day and year of Christ’s birth have never been satisfactorily settled” (p. 643).
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 08:00:10 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015