Hope of Israel Ministries (Ecclesia of YEHOVAH):
Should Christians Celebrate "Christmas"?
The Shocking Pagan Origin of CHRISTMAS!
What is the TRUE ORIGIN of Christmas? Where did it come from? Did you know Yeshua the Messiah was born nowhere NEAR December 25, but that was the "birth day" of the sun- god, "Sol Invictus" or "Mithras"? Did you know December 25 was the concluding day of the pagan winter festival called the "Saturnalia"? Where did "Santa Claus" come from? The "Christmas tree"? How did this pagan feast become connected with "Christianity"? Here is an amazing "whale of a tale"! |
Although the whole world celebrates Christmas as a "Christian" holiday, including millions of non-Christians, is Christmas really "Christian" at all? Consider this fact: Look high and low throughout the pages of the Bible, and you will find not ONE WORD of "Christmas" being celebrated by any of YEHOVAH's people! It is not even mentioned once! Neither the Messiah nor any of his apostles ever observed this holiday, nor the New Testament Church!
Yet on the other hand the pagan, heathen world observed this day for thousands of years before the Messiah was even born!
Where did the mysterious rites and ceremonies that surround this daycome from? What about the "Christmas tree" and the "Yulelog" and the mistletoe and Holly wreaths? Are ANY of these customstruly "Christian" in origin? And what about fat and jolly old"Saint Nick" -- or Santa Claus?
It's high time we addressed these questions, and took a new look at"Christmas." A church I was formerly a member of, which condemnedChristmas observance as paganism, for almost sixty years, today has turnedits back on its former beliefs, and encourages its members to observe thispagan mid-winter festival "in honor of Christ"! Many are doingso, heedless of the severe warnings in Scripture of what their eternalfate and destiny will be if they continue to embrace this ancient custom.
Is it wrong to celebrate "Christmas"? What is the truth aboutthis popular and widespread holiday?
The Origin of Christmas
Before one gets carried away with Christmas worship, there are a fewthings you should know. Let's take an honest and objective look at theorigins of this holiday.
We read in Werner Keller's book The Bible as History thefollowing admission:
"December 25 is referred to in documents as Christmas Day in A.D.324 for the first time. Under the Roman emperor Justinian [A.D. 527-565]it was recognized as an official holiday. An old Roman festival playeda a major part in the choice of this particular day. December 25 in ancientRome was the 'Dies Natali Invictus,' 'the birthday of the unconquered,'the day of the winter solstice and at the same time, in Rome, the lastday of the Saturnalia, which had long since degenerated into a week ofunbridled carnival..." (p. 331).
Doesn't it seem rather strange that the so-called "Christian church" should choose a day to celebrate the Messiah's birth which was identified as the day of the birth of the unconquered sun, the day of the winter solstice, the "shortest day of the year," when the sunlit part of the days start becoming longer again? What does this have to do with the Messiah, anyway? Was Yeshua the Messiah born anywhere near December 25? Keller goes on:
"Meteorologists as well as historians and astronomers have somethingof importance to contribute to this question of fixing the date of thebirth of Jesus. According to St. Luke: 'And there were in the same countryshepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night'(Luke 2:8).
"Meteorologists have made exact recordings of the temperature atHebron. This spot in the southern highlands of Judah exhibits the sameclimatic conditions as Bethlehem, which is not far distant. The temperaturereadings show over a period of three months that the incidence of frostis as follows: December -- 2.8 degrees; January -- 1.6 degrees; February---0.1 degrees. The first two months have also the greatest rainfall inthe year: approximately 6 inches in December, and nearly 8 inches in January.According to all existing information the climate of Palestine has notchanged appreciably in the last 2,000 years, consequently modern meteorologicalobservations can be taken as a basis.
"At Christmas-time Bethlehem is in the grip of frost, and in thePromised Land no cattle would have been in the fields in that temperature.This fact is born out by a remark in the Talmud to the effect that in thatneighborhood the flocks were put out to grass in March and brought in againat the beginning of November. They remained out in the open for almosteight months.
"Around Christmas-time nowadays both animals and shepherds areunder cover in Palestine.
"What St. Luke tells us points therefore to the birth of Jesushaving taken place BEFORE the onset of winter..." (p. 331-332).
How interesting! How fascinating! As we explore the time for the birth of the Messiah, we find he was born nowhere near December 25, the very date the world has chosen to "celebrate" supposedly, his "birthday"! But there is much more to the story than this. Let's go on.
When Was Yeshua Really BORN?
Millions of ostensible "Christians," or "nominal" Christians, who think they are followers of the religion of Yeshua the Messiah, have been deceived. Not only have they foolishly embraced erroneous "traditions" as if they were "Christian," but they have been lied to, misled by preachers and ministers and priests, and have ASSUMED that they were worshipping the Messiah! Yet Yeshua the Messiah himself warned: "Howbeit IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, teaching for doctrines THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye HOLD THE TRADITION OF MEN..." (Mark 7:7-8).
The gospel of Matthew also records similar words spoken by the Messiah. Notice! "Ye HYPOCRITES, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 'This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouths, and honoreth me with their lips; but THEIR HEART IS FAR FROM ME. But IN VAIN do they WORSHIP me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of MEN" (Matt. 15:7-9).
Let's look into this matter honestly. Let's examine the evidence, seeking the truth. When was Yeshua the Messiah born, anyway? Was it anywhere NEAR December 25? And if not, then why believe a lie, and practice and perform a lie?
The birth of the Messiah is not known for certain, but we can know the approximate time of year when he was born! In the book of Luke we read that the father of John the Baptist was Zacharias, and he was a priest who served at the temple in Jerusalem. He was "of the course of Abia" (Luke 1:5). While serving at the temple, he was informed by an angel that his wife was to have a son, who was to be named "John." After this, Zacharias finished "the days of his ministration," and "departed to his own house" (v.23). "And after those days, his wife Elizabeth conceived..." (v. 24).
The names of the different courses of priests that served at the Templeare given in I Chronicles 24:1-19. "Abia" or "Abijah"was the EIGHTH course. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, eachone of these courses served at the Temple for one week, the first courseserving the first week of Nisan, in the spring (compare I Chron. 27:1-2),and then each course in its own order. All the priests served during theannual festivals (Passover in spring, Pentecost, and then Tabernacles inthe fall). After six months, the order would be repeated, thus each "course"would serve two weeks during a year.
The course of Abijah, then, would have served the eighth week in therotation. The eighth week from Nisan 1, leaving out the week of Passover,when all the priests served, would have been IYAR 27 TO SIVAN 5, the dayjust before Pentecost , which generally fell on Sivan 6. After servinga week in the Temple, Zacharias would have remained another week in Jerusalem,because of the Feast of Shavuot or Pentecost that week. Therefore, he returnedhome shortly after this, and his wife then conceived. This would have beenabout the middle of June. If we add nine months to this date, the normaltime for the gestation of a human baby in the womb, John the Baptist wouldhave been born about the middle of March, in the spring, shortly beforethe Passover.
Yeshua was conceived about six months after John (Luke 1:24-31, esp. verse 26). This would suggest that Yeshua the Messiah was conceived about the middle of December. This would place his birth nine months, or 270 days, later -- or the month of September!
Who WAS Born on December 25?
If Yeshua the Messiah was not born on December 25, who was? In other words, whose birthday is the whole "Christian world" really celebrating on December 25, though they call it the birth of "Christ"? Or, to put it another way, what "Christ" are they talking about? The word "Christ," remember, is merely the translation of the Greek word Christos, which literally means "Anointed one" -- it comes from the Hebrew word Moshiach, from whence we get the word "Messiah." So what "anointed one" was born on December 25?
Let us take out our magnifying glass, and like Sherlock Holmes, do some careful detective work, and see if we can solve the mystery -- the puzzle of why the whole world observes the birthday of Yeshua the Messiah on a day on which he was not even remotely born! In the book History of Rome, by Michael Grant, we read this startling revelation:
"Yet there was also another pagan belief during this same epoch,that much more nearly competed with Christ for the control of the Westernworld. This was the cult of the Sun, which was revered by millions of theinhabitants of the Roman Empire, and its religion for a time even becamethe state worship....
"In Rome, the divinity of the Sun came very early on; and then, centuries afterwards, in the superb dome of Hadrian's Pantheon, the central opening, surrounded by star-like rosettes, represented the solar orb....Before long, the emperor Aurelian established a massive temple of the Unconquerable Sun as the central and focal point of the entire religious system of the state (274). The birthday of the god was to be on DECEMBER 25, AND THIS, TRANSFORMED INTO CHRISTMAS DAY, WAS ONE OF THE HERI Pagan SystemES THAT CHRISTIANITY OWED TO HIS CULT" (p. 391- 392, emphasis mine).
Notice! Christianity took over the birthday of the sun god, the cult of the sun, and transformed it into CHRISTMAS DAY, the "birthday" of Yeshua the Messiah! It was in reality the birth day of the pagan sun god, worshipped by millions throughout the Roman Empire!
We read more about this novel and profound "plot" to turnpaganism into "Christianity" in a book by historian Jack Finegan,Myth & Mystery: An Introduction to the Pagan Religions of theBiblical World. Finegan writes:
"...But the worship of the sun-god continued widely throughoutthe empire, and under Aurelian (A.D. 270-275) the cult was restored toits former high estate. In the year 274 Aurelian declared the god -- nowcalled Deus Sol Invictus -- the official deity of the Roman Empire; hebuilt a splendid temple of the sun in Rome...and set the sun's birthdaycelebration (naturalis solis invicti) ON DECEMBER 25, the date then acceptedfor the winter solstice (also in his solar character the BIRTHDAY OF MITHRAS).In the time of Constantine the cult of Deus Sol Invictus was still at itsheight, and the portrait of the sun-god was on the coins of Constantine....Likewise it must have been in this time and with the intent totransform the significance of AN EXISTING SACRED DATE that the birthdayof Jesus, which had been celebrated in the East on January 6...wasplaced in Rome ON DECEMBER 25, THE DATE OF THE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION OFSOL INVICTUS. This date appears in a list of dates probably compiled inA.D. 336 and published in the Roman city calendar, edited by Filocalus,for the year 354" (Finegan, p. 211-212, emphasis mine).
Are we beginning to get the picture? This was in the fourth century AFTER the Messiah! At this time, the Church moved to incorporate the birthday of the sun god into the so-called "Christian" calendar, and converted his "birth day" into the birth day of THE MESSIAH himself! That which was distinctly and definitely pagan now was "baptized," and by some act of "magic" was transformed into something "Christian"! At least, to the observer, it appeared to be "Christian." It was now called "Christian." But in truth, it still had a pagan heart and core!
The Influence of Constantine
When Constantine became Emperor of Rome, he nominally at least becamea "Christian." But being the head of a far-flung political Empire,he was concerned about the unity and coherence and stability of his Empire.As a sagacious politician, he sought to reconcile and blend and mesh paganpractices with "Christian" beliefs, to merge paganism with theRoman church. Constantine promulgated the "Edict of Toleration"in A.D. 313. He became emperor in A.D. 323, and "then Christianitywas enthroned" (Jesse Lyman Hurlbut, The Story of the ChristianChurch, p. 74). From this time, for the next two hundred years,all persecutions of Christians of the Roman church, and its adherents,ceased. The sword of persecution was "not merely sheathed; it wasburied" (ibid., p. 75).
But Jesse Hurlbut laments the results of Constantine's making Christianitythe state religion, free from all persecution. From that time, he pointsout, the church became totally subverted by politics and self-seeking opportunists.
"Everybody sought membership in the church, and nearly everybodywas received. Both good and bad, sincere seekers after God and hypocriticalseekers after gain, rushed into the communion. Ambitious, worldly, unscrupulousmen sought office in the church for social and political influence....
'The services of worship increased in splendor, but were less spiritualand hearty than those of former times. The forms and ceremonies of PAGANISMGRADUALLY CREPT INTO THE WORSHIP. Some of the OLD HEATHEN FEASTS BECAMECHURCH FESTIVALS WITH CHANGE OF NAME AND OF WORSHIP" (Hurlbut, TheStory of the Christian Church, p. 79, emphasis mine).
How did it happen? Obviously, something strange and weird was goingon!
Will Durant, renowned historian, in his massive work The Story of Civilization, wrote in volume III, entitled Caesar and Christ, that in the new "church" that developed in the Roman Empire, the Jewishness of Yeshua was lost or rejected, and replaced with Greek philosophy and thought; the "Law" of the Jews was rejected, and, he writes,
"...the god Christ was assimilated to the religious and philosophicaltraditions of the Hellenistic mind. Now the PAGAN WORLD -- even the anti-Semiticworld -- could accept him as its own.
"CHRISTIANITY DID NOT DESTROY PAGANISM; IT ADOPTED IT. The Greekmind, dying, came to a transmigrated life in the theology and liturgy ofthe Church...the Greek mysteries passed down into the impressive mysteryof the Mass. Other PAGAN cultures contributed to the syncrestic result.From Egypt came the idea of a divine trinity...from Egypt the adorationof the Mother and Child...From Phrygia came the worship of the GreatMother....The Mithraic ritual so closely resembled the eucharistic sacrificeof the Mass that Christian fathers charged the Devil with inventing thesesimilarities to mislead frail minds. Christianity was the last great creationof the ancient PAGAN world" (p. 595).
These historical observations ought to make us sit up and take notice! The 'Christianity" that we see around us in the world today is but a "spin-off" of this ancient syncretism or 'blending" and "merging" of PAGANISM into the professed Church of Yeshua the Messiah, which had lapsed into political apostasy, profligacy and impurity. The descendants of the once chaste and pure virgin of the Messiah, the New Testament Church, had seemingly become, for all intends and purposes, the religious WHORE of Babylon -- a bejeweled and bedecked and bedeviled slut and trollop, a "shady lady," a spiritual PROSTITUTE!
"Paganism" was not defeated by the Church. It invaded thechurch, infiltrated it, and seduced it from within! The professing ChristianChurch became the "new face of paganism"! Only the "names"were changed. And in some cases -- as in "Easter" Sunday -- eventhe old pagan names were left in place!
H. G. Wells, in his Outline of History, discusses the transformation of the teachings of the Messiah into the pagan worship of the heathen, calling itself "Christian." He notes:
"The observance of the Jewish Sabbath, again, TRANSFERRED TO THEMITHRAIC SUN-DAY, is an important feature of many Christian cults...He [Jesus] did not say a word about the worship of his mother Mary in theguise of ISIS, THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN. Much that is most characteristicallyChristian [so-called] in worship and usage, he ignored. Skeptical writershave had the temerity to deny that Jesus can be called a Christian at all"(p. 445, emphasis mine, of course).
How did this happen? How did Mithraism, with its December 25 worship, and Sun-day worship, contribute these prominent "holidays" to the established "Christian" Church? How did paganism overtake, overcome, and subdue, the original teachings of the Church of Yeshua the Messiah, and his apostles, and replace Biblical holy days with pagan "holy days"? Should all true Christians be concerned about this historic truth -- this reality? Doesn't it really matter?
What should these facts mean to us, today, who seek to obey YEHOVAH God, and follow the Messiah of the Bible, who seek to be TRUE followers of the Word of YEHOVAH GOD?
The Seduction of the Church
Admits the Worldbook Encyclopedia, "The exact dateof Christ's birth is not known. The early Christians did NOT celebrateHis birth, because they considered the celebration of anyone's birth tobe a pagan custom. The first mention of the observance of Christ's birthdayappears about A.D. 200. For many years, several dates were used. December25 was first mentioned in 336" (article "Christmas").
This common reference work acknowledges, "For many years, peopleobserved Christmas as a religious festival only. But they GRADUALLY ADOPTEDMORE AND MORE CUSTOMS UNRELATED TO THE CHURCH. Most of the customs originatedin cultures that existed before Christianity....In 1643, the Puritans,who regarded such celebrations as pagan, outlawed the observance of Christmasin England." Colonists in New England followed the English laws andalso outlawed Christmas. But immigrants to the New World brought Christmascustoms from many lands and the old festivities where soon restored.
All of the popular customs and traditions surrounding Christmas actually were celebrated at pagan mid-winter festivals thousands of years before the Messiah was born. Admits this same encyclopedia, "The custom of burning the Yule log began with the ancient Scandinavians, who once a year burned a huge log in honor of their god Thor. After the Scandinavians became Christians [sic], they made the Yule log an important part of their Christmas ceremonies."
Where Did the Christmas Tree Come From?
One of the most pervasive customs of Christmas, today, is the bringinghome and decorating of a "Christmas tree." Where did this customcome from? Coffin in The Book of Christmas Folklore tellsus:
"Most people have heard that the Christmas tree originates in thetannenbaum and is some sort of vestige of Teutonic vegetation worship.THIS IS PARTIALLY TRUE. However, the custom of using pine and other evergreensceremonially was well established at the ROMAN SATURNALIA, even earlierin Egypt" (p. 209).
Writes Alexander Hislop in The Two Babylons,
"The Christmas tree, now so common among us, was equally commonin Pagan Rome and Pagan Egypt. In Egypt that tree was the palm tree; inRome it was the fir; the palm tree denoting the Pagan Messiah, as Baal-Tamar,the fir referring to him as Baal-Berith. The mother of Adonis, the Sun-Godand great mediatorial divinity, was mystically said to have been changedinto a tree, and when in that state to have brought forth her divine son.If the mother was a tree, the son must have been recognized as the 'Manthe branch.' And this entirely accounts for the putting of the Yule Loginto the fire on Christmas Eve, and the appearance of the Christmas treethe next morning" (page 97).
Tree worship was very common among the ancients. Says Festivals,Holy Days, and Saints' Days,
"The Christmas tree...recapitulates the idea of tree worship...gilded nuts and balls symbolizing the sun...all the festivitiesof the [heathen] winter solstice have been absorbed into Christmas Day...the use of holly and mistletoe to the Druidic ceremonies; the Christmastree to the honours paid to Odin's sacred fir...." (p. 236).
Writes Collins in Christmas Folklore:
"This idea of decorating homes on holidays is both worldwide andage-old....So the Saturnalian laurel, the Teutonic holly, the Celticmistletoe, and the Mexican poinsettia have all attached themselves to thispolyglot ceremony...
"Many of the plants used at Christmas are SYMBOLS OF FERTILITY.Certainly any evergreen (fir, yew, laurel) with its ability to return verdurein the barrens months is appropriate, but by far the most interesting arethe holly, the ivy, and the mistletoe. Holly, with its pricking leaves,white flowers, and red berries symbolizes the male reproductive urge. Infact, in the English carols...the holly is the male and the ivy isthe female. This use of the plants was most likely BORROWED by the Christiansalong with other customs of the ROMAN SATURNALIA" (p. 22-23).
Ivy, holly's mate, in ancient Grecian rites took its name from the girlwho danced with such abandon and joy before Dionysius that she fell deadat his feet. The pagan god, moved by her dance, turned her into the ivythat she might entwine whatever is near. Dionysius, of course, was theGreek version of the god of wine and revelry, another form of Bacchus,Tammuz, or Nimrod!
Mistletoe, since the earliest of times, has been regarded as mysteriousand sacred, the symbol of the sun, bestower of life, an aphrodisiac, andprotector against disease and poison. The plant was especially sacred tothe Celtic Druids who offered it in prayer to the gods. The mistletoe wasreferred to by pagans as the "golden bough." The two great holidayswhen the pagans gathered mistletoe were Midsummer Day, the summer solstice,and December 25, the winter solstice. It was supposed to posses the powerof revealing treasures in the earth, and was formed into a "diviningrod." It was also looked upon as the "seat of life" of thesacred oak, and as an emanation of the sun's fire. Kissing under the mistletoeis a survival of Saturnalian sexual licentiousness and bawdy immoral behavior,which was commonplace at the Saturnalia.
What about Dear Old "Santa Claus"?
Even Santa Claus has a not-so-benign origin! This fat and jolly elfcan be traced back to another ancient pagan Norse legend! Admits the WorldbookEncyclopedia,
"Some of Santa Claus's characteristics date back many centuries.For example, the belief that Santa enters the house through the chimneydeveloped from an old Norse legend. The Norse believed that the goddessHertha appeared in the fireplace and brought good luck to the home."
Although most people assume that the original "Santa Claus"was a bishop by the name of St. Nicholas of Asia Minor of the fourth century,this is not really true. Although some of this bishop's deeds later cameto be associated with "St. Nick," the original "Nicholas"was once again Nimrod, the "mighty one against the Lord." Theword "Nicholas" means "mighty one, powerful." Traditionsof a "god" who gave gifts under an evergreen tree antecede theAsian Minor bishop by thousands of years! Among the Scandinavians it wasthe god Odin or Woden who left special gifts during the Yuletide seasonunder the evergreen tree, his sacred tree!
Tony van Renterghem writes in When Santa Was a Shaman: The AncientOrigins of Santa Claus & the Christmas Tree:
"In newly Christianized areas where the pagan Celtic and Germaniccults remained strong, legends of the god Wodan were blended with thoseof various Christian saints; Saint Nicholas was one of these. There wereChristian areas where Saint Nicholas ruled alone; in other locations, hewas assisted by the pagan Dark Helper (the slave he had inherited fromthe pagan god Wodan). In other remote areas...ancient pockets of the Olde Religion controlled traditions. Here the Dark Helper ruled alone,sometimes in a most confusing manner, using the cover name of Saint Nicholasor 'Klaus,' without in any way changing his threatening, Herne/Pan, fur-cladappearance. (This was the figure later used by the artist Nast as the modelfor the early American Santa Claus)" (page 96).
The Catholic Saint Nicholas also had a confusing past. Says van Renterghem,"He was a compilation of two separate saints (one from Myra in AsiaMinor, the other from Pinora), both of whom were -- as the Church nowadaysadmits -- nothing more than Christianized water deities (possibly relatedto the Greco-Roman god Poseidon/Neptune)" (ibid.). Inthe 1970s, the Second Vatican Council formally stated that no Roman Catholicbishop by the name of Nicholas had ever existed! Vatican II further confessedthat the legends attributed to this "saint" had no Christianorigin, and probably came from pagan traditions!
Says van Renterghem, further:
"By absorbing such PAGAN FEASTS AND TRADITIONS, the Christian Churchcould subtly bring in its own theology: in this case, establishing thegood Saint Nicholas, bringer of love and gifts, while grudgingly allowingthe presence of the Olde Religion's Herne/Pan, but only as a slave to SaintNicholas. Thus, in parts of Europe, the Church turned Herne into SaintNicholas' captive, chained Dark Helper; none other than Satan, the DarkOne, symbolic of all evil....
"In Holland and several other European countries, the Saint Nicholas figure is still highly esteemed. He appears as a tall, dignified, bearded, white-haired old man, dressed as a Catholic bishop, complete with cloak, mitre, and pastoral staff, a seemingly genuine Catholic saint, but with a bizarre, quite unsaintly habit of riding through the skies on a white horse, followed by his Dark Helper. It seems that our Catholic saint inherited some of these customs from the pagan god Wodan, who had also been a BEARDED, WHITE-HAIRED OLD MAN, also dressed in a hat and cloak, carried a staff (or spear), rode a white horse, and dragged along the same dark slave/helper on a chain" (p. 97).
So much for old "Santa Claus"! This mythological figure, also,is pagan to the core!
The Dutch "Sinterklaas" brings gifts to good children, whilebad children are harrassed by the "Dark Helper," called ZwartePier, or "Black Pete," who brandishes a broom-like rod. LikeSanta Claus, Sinterklaas also had the habit of entering homes through thechimney! His helper, "Black Pete," is today, still horned, fur-clad,scary, and less than kind to children. Although portrayed as the slavehelper of Saint Nicholas, the two are, in many villages, blended into onecharacter, who often has the name Nikolaas or Klaus. Thus "Santa Claus"is blended with, and is none other than, that old enemy of mankind, Satanthe devil!
"In Germany, Saint Nicholas' Dark Helper is a swarthy, horned,frightening little man, always brandishing the besom [broom]. He is knownby many names: Knecht Ruprecht (servant Ruprecht), or in Bavaria, PelzNickel, meaning 'fur-clad Nick.' In Tyrol, the picture is even clearer;there the Dark Helper is Kllaubau, a scarier version of the British Hernethe Hunter, a chained, furry, black-faced horned creature" (p. 103-105).
Who was this Odin, or Woden, the original "Santa Claus"? Hewas the chief god of Norse mythology, a fierce fighter who carried a spearas his special weapon. He was renown as a mighty hunter, and for his magicalpowers. This same author declares, further, of the connection between Odin/Wodanand Saint Nicholas:
"Wodan/Odin: ...man's friend, the mysterious Schimmel rider. Dragging his dark and devilish slave Eckhart along on achain, he rides through the stormy skies. He leads the Wild Hunt, eluding,and finally subjugating, the powers of evil. He also wears a broad-brimmedhat, a wide mantel, holds his spear, and rides through the skies (replacehis hat with a bishop's mytre and the spear with a crozier, and we havethe Dutch Saint Nicholas)" (p. 111).
In other words, Odin was another name for Nimrod, who, the Bible says,was "the mighty hunter before [the Hebrew word for "before"also means "against"] the LORD" (Genesis 10:9). Nimrod'sreputation as a mighty hunter was widespread.
Says Alexander Hislop, "The Wodan or Odin of Scandinavia can beproved to be the Adon of Babylon" (The Two Babylons,p. 133-134). Nimrod, Adon, or Adonis, of Babylon was the great "war-god."Odin was the same. Nimrod, in the character of Bacchus, was the god ofwine. Odin was said to partake of no other food but wine. The name of oneof Odin's sons, Balder, indicates the meaning of Odin's own name. Balderis a form of the Chaldee Baal-zer, "The seed of Baal." The Hebrew"z" in the later Chaldee frequently became a "d." Baaland Adon both signify "Lord." Since Balder is the "son ofBaal," as well as the "son of Adon," or "Odin,"then Baal, Adon, and Odin must be the same person -- representative ofNimrod, the first human to be deified and proclaimed by the pagans as a"god" after the Deluge!
"Santa Claus," then, is not so innocent and cherubic a figureafter all! Why do parents take their young children, sit them on "Santa'slap," and insist on teaching them Santa Claus myths? The word "Santa,"rearranged, spells "S-A-T-A-N," and "Claus" is reminiscentof "Claws" -- in other words, "SATAN'S CLAWS"! Do youwant Satan, the arch-enemy of mankind, to get his "claws" intoyour children? By teaching them Santa Claus myths, and taking them to "Christmasparties," with "Santa Claus" handing out "gifts,"you are subtly teaching your children to worship Satan the devil, the greatimpostor!
The True Origin of "Christmas"
It is indeed strange that a day never mentioned or sanctioned in the Bible should become the chief so-called "Christian" holiday of the entire year -- a day never celebrated by Yeshua the Messiah, or his apostles, or the early New Testament Ecclesia of YEHOVAH God!
What is the actual origin of the celebration of December 25? A carefullook at the word "Christmas" itself ought to tell us something.Notice! It itself is a mixture. Though it includes the name of Christ,it also mentions the "mass." Where did the "mass" --with its rituals, elaborate ceremony, pagan prayers for the dead, transubstantiationrites, etc. -- come from?
Alexander Hislop in his remarkable book The Two Babylons,points out that the "mass" is something that definitely goesback to ancient PAGAN customs and rites! He declares in plain and clearlanguage:
"Therefore we find the women of Judah represented as simply 'burningincense, pouring out drink-offerings, and offering CAKES to the queen ofheaven' (Jer. 44:19). The cakes were the 'unbloody sacrifice' she required....In the FOURTH CENTURY, when the queen of heaven, under the name ofMary, was beginning to be worshipped in the Christian Church, this 'unbloodysacrifice' also was brought in. Epiphanius states that the practice ofoffering and eating it began among `women of Arabia; and at that time itwas well known to have been ADOPTED FROM THE PAGANS. The very shape ofthe unbloody sacrifice of Rome may indicate when it came. It is a smallthin, round wafer; and on its roundness the Church of Rome lays so muchstress....The importance, however, which Rome attaches to the roundnessof the wafer, must have a reason; and that reason will be found, if welook at the altars of EGYPT. 'The thin, round cake,' says Wilkinson, 'occurson all altars.' Almost every jot or tittle in the Egyptian worship hada symbolical meaning. The round disk, so frequent in the sacred emblemsof Egypt, symbolized the sun" (The Two Babylons, p. 159-160).
The "sun-god" in ancient Egypt was Osiris. The round diskof the Egyptian "mass" symbolized the sun, and was an offeringsymbolizing the sun-god. He was considered the life and nourishment ofthe souls of men!
The "Christ-mass" therefore is nothing more than the celebrationof the birth of the "sun-god" himself, the False Messiah, theFalse "Saviour" of the world, and the "mass" itselfalso represents the offering or "cakes" made to the queen ofheaven, the "Mother" of the pagan Saviour, the "unbloodysacrifice"! Again, "Christ-mass" is proved to be PAGAN tothe core!
It is a fact that December 25 was celebrated for thousands of years before the birth of the Messiah as the birth day of an ancient pagan god -- THE SUN GOD! Alexander Hislop points out the truth in these shocking words -- at least, they ought to be shocking to anybody with a clear, undefiled, and conscientious mind:
"Indeed, it is admitted by the most learned and candid writersof all parties that the day of our Lord's birth cannot be determined, andthat within the Christian Church no such festival as Christmas was everheard of till the third century, and that not till the fourth century wasfar advanced did it gain much observance. How, then, did the Romish Churchfix on December the 25th as Christmas-day? Why, thus: Long before the fourthcentury, and long before the Christian era itself, a festival was celebratedamong the heathen, at that precise time of the year, in honour of the birthof the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven; and it may fairly be presumedthat, in order to conciliate the heathen, and to swell the number of thenominal adherents of Christianity, the SAME FESTIVAL WAS ADOPTED by theRoman Church, giving it only the name of Christ. This tendency on the partof Christians to MEET PAGANISM HALF-WAY was very early developed....Upright men strove to stem the tide, but in spite of all their efforts,the apostasy went on, till the Church, with the exception of a small remnant,was submerged under Pagan superstition" (p. 93).
Hislop goes on,
"That Christmas was originally a Pagan festival, is beyond alldoubt. The time of the year, and the ceremonies with which it is stillcelebrated, prove its origin. In Egypt, the son of Isis, the Egyptian titlefor the queen of heaven, was born at this very time, 'about the time ofthe winter solstice.' The very name by which Christmas is popularly knownamong ourselves -- Yule-day -- proves at once its Pagan and Babylonianorigin. 'Yule' is the Chaldee name for an 'infant' or 'little child;' andas the 25th of December was called by our Pagan Anglo- Saxon ancestors,'Yule-day,' or the "Child's day,' and the night that preceded it,'Mother-night,' long BEFORE they came in contact with Christianity, thatsufficiently proves its real character" (pp. 93-94).
December 25th was observed far and wide among the ancient world. Thisday was "The birth-day of the unconquered Sun." The Yule logrepresented the dead stock of the slain Nimrod, arch-apostate rebel againstthe Lord after the flood (see Genesis 10:8-10), and the Christmas-treewas supposedly Nimrod reborn -- the slain god come to life again!
In Europe, the Saxons offered a boar in sacrifice to the sun, to propitiatethe queen of heaven on Christmas day. The boar, in pagan mythology, wassupposed to have slain the false pagan Messiah. The boar was also a majorarticle of the feast of Saturn at Rome. The boar's head is still a standingdish in England at Christmas dinner. Says Hislop: "There can be nodoubt, then, that the Pagan festival at the winter solstice -- in otherwords, Christmas -- was held in honor of the birth of the Babylonian Messiah"(p. 102).
The largest pagan religious cult which fostered sun worship in the Greekand Roman worlds on December 25 was the cult of Mithraism. They calledit "the Nativity of the Sun." Mithras, the sun-god, was supposedto have been born at this time, but so were Osiris, Horus, Tammuz, Hercules,Bacchus, Adonis, Jupiter -- all the pagan Messiahs! This fact alone wouldseem to indicate that all these pagan sun-gods and deities trace theirroots back to the original sun-god of ancient Babylon -- Nimrod!
This popular winter festival became such an established custom thatin pagan Rome and Greece, Egypt, and throughout Europe, the period of thewinter solstice was a time of great revelry and festivity. In Rome it becameknown as the "Saturnalia," in honor of the god Saturn, "thehidden one." Saturn was another name for Nimrod, who late in his apostasywent into hiding from Shem, the son of Noah. The "feast of Saturn,"Hislop adds, "lasted five days; loose reins were given to drunkennessand revelry, slaves had a temporary emancipation, and used all manner offreedoms with their masters. This was precisely the way in which, accordingto Berosus, the drunken festival of the month Thebeth, answering to ourDecember, in other words, the festival of Bacchus, was celebrated in Babylon"(p. 96-97).
Writes T. G. Crippen in Christmas and Christmas Lore,
"Now in December and the beginning of January there were severalfestivals which were intimately associated with the daily life of the Romanpeople. First, from the 17th to the 21st December, was the Saturnalia,the great Roman holiday....One might call it the Feast of Topsy-turveydom;when slaves were allowed for a few days to enjoy the semblance of freedom,were waited upon by their masters, and chose from amongst themselves amock king to preside over their revels. Next, on the 22nd, came Sigillaria,the Feast of Dolls, when a fair was held, and dolls and other toys, mostlyof earthenware, were given to children. Then, on 25th, came Brumalia, otherwise Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, The Birthday of the Unconquered Sun, whenthe days began to lengthen after the solstice....It is believed tohave been instituted ... by the emperor Aurelian, in honour of Mithras,the Persian sun-god..." (p. 8-9).
Clearly, the pagan customs of Christmas had nothing remotely to do with the Messiah, or the Word of YEHOVAH God, the Scriptures. Clearly, they had nothing to offer to the Church of YEHOVAH God, as they were the very antithesis of true Christianity! Yet, somehow, this ancient pagan festival wormed its way into the established "Christian" Church and became its most prominent holiday of the year! What a monstrous mystery!
The Catholic Church took the excitement which surrounded the Roman Saturnalia, with its excesses, delights, debauchery, and wantonness, and called them the celebration of the birth of the Son of YEHOVAH God, Yeshua. Most people today still think of December 25 as the birth day of Yeshua, even though this is definitely not the case.
This pagan "bash" was transformed by the Catholic Church into the festivities of Christmas, in honor of the Madonna and Child. Thus the pagan Semiramis (Egyptian Isis) and Tammuz (Horus) were "transformed," by sleight of hand, by the "magicians" of the Roman Church, into Mary and Yeshua. In this manner, the pagan practices of the past centuries became outwardly "Christian" in name and character! For almost 300 years after the time of Yeshua, the Church showed no concern for the date of the Messiah's birth. The apostles and leaders of the New Testament Church never bothered to find out when Yeshua was born, as the date was not important to them. It was not until the fourth century that Christmas began to be observed by the Roman Catholic Church. Says the Encyclopedia Americana:
"Christmas -- it was according to many authorities not celebratedin the first centuries of the Christian Church as the Christian usage ingeneral was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than theirbirth. A feast was established in memory of the birth of the Saviour inthe Fourth Century. In the Fifth Century the Western Church ordered itto be celebrated forever on the day of the old Roman Feast of the birthof Sol."
That is how an ancient PAGAN CUSTOM became engrafted upon the unsuspected Christian world! But should true followers of Yeshua, the Messiah, participate in ANCIENT PAGAN CUSTOMS? Should true Christians celebrate "Christmas"?
The Puritans, who were Christians attempting to reform the Church duringthe 1600's, did not believe Christmas should be observed. This "baptism"of pagan rites and festivals by the Roman Catholic and the vast majorityof the Protestant Churches, was totally rejected by the Puritans. One ofthem, William Prynne, during the time of king Charles I, wrote:
"Our Christmas lords of Misrule, together with dancing, masques,mummeries, stage-players, and such other Christmas disorders, now in usewith Christians, were derived from these Roman Saturnalia and Bacchanalianfestivals; which should cause all pious Christians eternally to abominatethem" (The Book of Christmas Folklore, p. 8).
Because of his attitude toward Christmas and pagan rituals still observedby the professing Christian Church, William Prynne was placed in a pilloryand his ears were cut off.
Should Christians Observe "Christmas"?
Should Christians today celebrate this ancient festival? Many today may think it is all right, but the opinions of men are not our standard or authority. What does the Word of YEHOVAH God itself say about this matter? It is a very serious question. Is it all right in the sight of YEHOVAH for men to take pagan customs and traditions, and to observe them, calling them "Christian"? Is it all right to merge and combine PAGAN practices with the truth of YEHOVAH God?
According to the prophet Malachi, YEHOVAH does not change (Mal.3:8). His laws and commandments are eternal (Psa. 111:7-8). Does YEHOVAH say it is all right to observe the traditions and customs of the pagans?
YEHOVAH God commanded ancient Israel, "I am the Lord your God. You must NOT DO AS THEY DO IN EGYPT, where you used to live, and you must NOT DO AS THEY DO IN THE LAND OF CANAAN, where I am bringing you. DO NOT FOLLOW THEIR PRACTICES. You must obey my laws, and be careful to follow my decrees" (Lev. 18:2-4).
YEHOVAH God hates idolatry! He detests it with vehement passion. He tells us, "...Be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, 'How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.' YOU must NOT WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD IN THEIR WAY, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of DETESTABLE THINGS the LORD HATES" (Deut. 12:29-31).
Because of pagan idolatrous practices, YEHOVAH God cast the Canaanites out of the Promised Land. They were worshippers of Baal, or Nimrod, Tammuz, the sun god, the pagan Messiah, the god of wine and revelry. They worshipped the evergreen tree, and used it as a symbol of their god. They observed December 25, in worship of the waning sun, and their sun-god divinity. This whole religious system stemmed from ancient Babylon, the fount of all heresy and apostasy.
Their sensuality and gross lasciviousness was particularly displayed during the mid-winter festival, called the Saturnalia in Rome, with gift-giving, drunkenness, and sexual licentiousness. YEHOVAH says of such Bacchanalial rites,
"Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. Even the land was defiled, so I punished it for its sin, and the land VOMITED out its inhabitants....Anyone who does any of these DETESTABLE THINGS -- such persons must be cut off from their people. Keep my requirements and do NOT follow ANY OF THE DETESTABLE CUSTOMS that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the Lord your God" (Lev. 18:24-30).
Even such idolatrous items as the "Christmas tree" are condemned in the Word of YEHOVAH God! Jeremiah the prophet wrote,
"Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house ofIsrael: Thus saith the Lord, LEARN NOT THE WAY OF THE HEATHEN, and be notdismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them [suchas the waning sun at the winter solstice!]. For the CUSTOMS of the peopleare VAIN [empty, useless, worthless]: for one CUTTETH A TREE out of theFOREST, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They DECK ITWITH SILVER AND WITH GOLD; they fasten it with nails and with hammers,that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: theymust needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; forthey cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good" (Jer. 10:1-5).
Truly, the whole world has been deceived by Satan the devil and his clever masquerades and machinations (Rev. 12:9). YEHOVAH God Almighty thunders: "Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye POLLUTED after the manner of your fathers? and commit ye WHOREDOM after the manner of THEIR ABOMINATIONS?...ye POLLUTE yourselves with all your IDOLS, even unto this day....But as for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD: Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but POLLUTE YE MY HOLY NAME NO MORE with your gifts, and with your idols" (Ezek. 20:30-39).
The very name "Christmas," combining the holy name of Christ with the pagan mass, POLLUTES and PROFANES YEHOVAH's holy name! The celebration of these ancient pagan festivals, calling them "Christian," is an abomination in the sight of YEHOVAH God! YEHOVAH will not accept such pagan, superstitious worship!
Yeshua the Messiah said to his disciples, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will KNOW THE TRUTH, and the truth will set you FREE" -- free from the shackles of error, superstition, mythology, and pagan deception! (John 8:32, NIV).
Christmas is pagan. There is no doubt about it. The question is: What are you going to do about it? May YEHOVAH God help you to make the right decision, so you can inherit eternal life, and reign with the saints forever (Rev. 2:26-27; 5:10; 20:4).
-- Edited By John D. Keyser.
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Should Christians Celebrate "Christmas"?
The Shocking Pagan Origin of CHRISTMAS!
What is the TRUE ORIGIN of Christmas? Where did it come from? Did you know Yeshua the Messiah was born nowhere NEAR December 25, but that was the "birth day" of the sun- god, "Sol Invictus" or "Mithras"? Did you know December 25 was the concluding day of the pagan winter festival called the "Saturnalia"? Where did "Santa Claus" come from? The "Christmas tree"? How did this pagan feast become connected with "Christianity"? Here is an amazing "whale of a tale"! |
Although the whole world celebrates Christmas as a "Christian" holiday, including millions of non-Christians, is Christmas really "Christian" at all? Consider this fact: Look high and low throughout the pages of the Bible, and you will find not ONE WORD of "Christmas" being celebrated by any of YEHOVAH's people! It is not even mentioned once! Neither the Messiah nor any of his apostles ever observed this holiday, nor the New Testament Church!
Yet on the other hand the pagan, heathen world observed this day for thousands of years before the Messiah was even born!
Where did the mysterious rites and ceremonies that surround this daycome from? What about the "Christmas tree" and the "Yulelog" and the mistletoe and Holly wreaths? Are ANY of these customstruly "Christian" in origin? And what about fat and jolly old"Saint Nick" -- or Santa Claus?
It's high time we addressed these questions, and took a new look at"Christmas." A church I was formerly a member of, which condemnedChristmas observance as paganism, for almost sixty years, today has turnedits back on its former beliefs, and encourages its members to observe thispagan mid-winter festival "in honor of Christ"! Many are doingso, heedless of the severe warnings in Scripture of what their eternalfate and destiny will be if they continue to embrace this ancient custom.
Is it wrong to celebrate "Christmas"? What is the truth aboutthis popular and widespread holiday?
The Origin of Christmas
Before one gets carried away with Christmas worship, there are a fewthings you should know. Let's take an honest and objective look at theorigins of this holiday.
We read in Werner Keller's book The Bible as History thefollowing admission:
"December 25 is referred to in documents as Christmas Day in A.D.324 for the first time. Under the Roman emperor Justinian [A.D. 527-565]it was recognized as an official holiday. An old Roman festival playeda a major part in the choice of this particular day. December 25 in ancientRome was the 'Dies Natali Invictus,' 'the birthday of the unconquered,'the day of the winter solstice and at the same time, in Rome, the lastday of the Saturnalia, which had long since degenerated into a week ofunbridled carnival..." (p. 331).
Doesn't it seem rather strange that the so-called "Christian church" should choose a day to celebrate the Messiah's birth which was identified as the day of the birth of the unconquered sun, the day of the winter solstice, the "shortest day of the year," when the sunlit part of the days start becoming longer again? What does this have to do with the Messiah, anyway? Was Yeshua the Messiah born anywhere near December 25? Keller goes on:
"Meteorologists as well as historians and astronomers have somethingof importance to contribute to this question of fixing the date of thebirth of Jesus. According to St. Luke: 'And there were in the same countryshepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night'(Luke 2:8).
"Meteorologists have made exact recordings of the temperature atHebron. This spot in the southern highlands of Judah exhibits the sameclimatic conditions as Bethlehem, which is not far distant. The temperaturereadings show over a period of three months that the incidence of frostis as follows: December -- 2.8 degrees; January -- 1.6 degrees; February---0.1 degrees. The first two months have also the greatest rainfall inthe year: approximately 6 inches in December, and nearly 8 inches in January.According to all existing information the climate of Palestine has notchanged appreciably in the last 2,000 years, consequently modern meteorologicalobservations can be taken as a basis.
"At Christmas-time Bethlehem is in the grip of frost, and in thePromised Land no cattle would have been in the fields in that temperature.This fact is born out by a remark in the Talmud to the effect that in thatneighborhood the flocks were put out to grass in March and brought in againat the beginning of November. They remained out in the open for almosteight months.
"Around Christmas-time nowadays both animals and shepherds areunder cover in Palestine.
"What St. Luke tells us points therefore to the birth of Jesushaving taken place BEFORE the onset of winter..." (p. 331-332).
How interesting! How fascinating! As we explore the time for the birth of the Messiah, we find he was born nowhere near December 25, the very date the world has chosen to "celebrate" supposedly, his "birthday"! But there is much more to the story than this. Let's go on.
When Was Yeshua Really BORN?
Millions of ostensible "Christians," or "nominal" Christians, who think they are followers of the religion of Yeshua the Messiah, have been deceived. Not only have they foolishly embraced erroneous "traditions" as if they were "Christian," but they have been lied to, misled by preachers and ministers and priests, and have ASSUMED that they were worshipping the Messiah! Yet Yeshua the Messiah himself warned: "Howbeit IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, teaching for doctrines THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye HOLD THE TRADITION OF MEN..." (Mark 7:7-8).
The gospel of Matthew also records similar words spoken by the Messiah. Notice! "Ye HYPOCRITES, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 'This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouths, and honoreth me with their lips; but THEIR HEART IS FAR FROM ME. But IN VAIN do they WORSHIP me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of MEN" (Matt. 15:7-9).
Let's look into this matter honestly. Let's examine the evidence, seeking the truth. When was Yeshua the Messiah born, anyway? Was it anywhere NEAR December 25? And if not, then why believe a lie, and practice and perform a lie?
The birth of the Messiah is not known for certain, but we can know the approximate time of year when he was born! In the book of Luke we read that the father of John the Baptist was Zacharias, and he was a priest who served at the temple in Jerusalem. He was "of the course of Abia" (Luke 1:5). While serving at the temple, he was informed by an angel that his wife was to have a son, who was to be named "John." After this, Zacharias finished "the days of his ministration," and "departed to his own house" (v.23). "And after those days, his wife Elizabeth conceived..." (v. 24).
The names of the different courses of priests that served at the Templeare given in I Chronicles 24:1-19. "Abia" or "Abijah"was the EIGHTH course. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, eachone of these courses served at the Temple for one week, the first courseserving the first week of Nisan, in the spring (compare I Chron. 27:1-2),and then each course in its own order. All the priests served during theannual festivals (Passover in spring, Pentecost, and then Tabernacles inthe fall). After six months, the order would be repeated, thus each "course"would serve two weeks during a year.
The course of Abijah, then, would have served the eighth week in therotation. The eighth week from Nisan 1, leaving out the week of Passover,when all the priests served, would have been IYAR 27 TO SIVAN 5, the dayjust before Pentecost , which generally fell on Sivan 6. After servinga week in the Temple, Zacharias would have remained another week in Jerusalem,because of the Feast of Shavuot or Pentecost that week. Therefore, he returnedhome shortly after this, and his wife then conceived. This would have beenabout the middle of June. If we add nine months to this date, the normaltime for the gestation of a human baby in the womb, John the Baptist wouldhave been born about the middle of March, in the spring, shortly beforethe Passover.
Yeshua was conceived about six months after John (Luke 1:24-31, esp. verse 26). This would suggest that Yeshua the Messiah was conceived about the middle of December. This would place his birth nine months, or 270 days, later -- or the month of September!
Who WAS Born on December 25?
If Yeshua the Messiah was not born on December 25, who was? In other words, whose birthday is the whole "Christian world" really celebrating on December 25, though they call it the birth of "Christ"? Or, to put it another way, what "Christ" are they talking about? The word "Christ," remember, is merely the translation of the Greek word Christos, which literally means "Anointed one" -- it comes from the Hebrew word Moshiach, from whence we get the word "Messiah." So what "anointed one" was born on December 25?
Let us take out our magnifying glass, and like Sherlock Holmes, do some careful detective work, and see if we can solve the mystery -- the puzzle of why the whole world observes the birthday of Yeshua the Messiah on a day on which he was not even remotely born! In the book History of Rome, by Michael Grant, we read this startling revelation:
"Yet there was also another pagan belief during this same epoch,that much more nearly competed with Christ for the control of the Westernworld. This was the cult of the Sun, which was revered by millions of theinhabitants of the Roman Empire, and its religion for a time even becamethe state worship....
"In Rome, the divinity of the Sun came very early on; and then, centuries afterwards, in the superb dome of Hadrian's Pantheon, the central opening, surrounded by star-like rosettes, represented the solar orb....Before long, the emperor Aurelian established a massive temple of the Unconquerable Sun as the central and focal point of the entire religious system of the state (274). The birthday of the god was to be on DECEMBER 25, AND THIS, TRANSFORMED INTO CHRISTMAS DAY, WAS ONE OF THE HERI Pagan SystemES THAT CHRISTIANITY OWED TO HIS CULT" (p. 391- 392, emphasis mine).
Notice! Christianity took over the birthday of the sun god, the cult of the sun, and transformed it into CHRISTMAS DAY, the "birthday" of Yeshua the Messiah! It was in reality the birth day of the pagan sun god, worshipped by millions throughout the Roman Empire!
We read more about this novel and profound "plot" to turnpaganism into "Christianity" in a book by historian Jack Finegan,Myth & Mystery: An Introduction to the Pagan Religions of theBiblical World. Finegan writes:
"...But the worship of the sun-god continued widely throughoutthe empire, and under Aurelian (A.D. 270-275) the cult was restored toits former high estate. In the year 274 Aurelian declared the god -- nowcalled Deus Sol Invictus -- the official deity of the Roman Empire; hebuilt a splendid temple of the sun in Rome...and set the sun's birthdaycelebration (naturalis solis invicti) ON DECEMBER 25, the date then acceptedfor the winter solstice (also in his solar character the BIRTHDAY OF MITHRAS).In the time of Constantine the cult of Deus Sol Invictus was still at itsheight, and the portrait of the sun-god was on the coins of Constantine....Likewise it must have been in this time and with the intent totransform the significance of AN EXISTING SACRED DATE that the birthdayof Jesus, which had been celebrated in the East on January 6...wasplaced in Rome ON DECEMBER 25, THE DATE OF THE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION OFSOL INVICTUS. This date appears in a list of dates probably compiled inA.D. 336 and published in the Roman city calendar, edited by Filocalus,for the year 354" (Finegan, p. 211-212, emphasis mine).
Are we beginning to get the picture? This was in the fourth century AFTER the Messiah! At this time, the Church moved to incorporate the birthday of the sun god into the so-called "Christian" calendar, and converted his "birth day" into the birth day of THE MESSIAH himself! That which was distinctly and definitely pagan now was "baptized," and by some act of "magic" was transformed into something "Christian"! At least, to the observer, it appeared to be "Christian." It was now called "Christian." But in truth, it still had a pagan heart and core!
The Influence of Constantine
When Constantine became Emperor of Rome, he nominally at least becamea "Christian." But being the head of a far-flung political Empire,he was concerned about the unity and coherence and stability of his Empire.As a sagacious politician, he sought to reconcile and blend and mesh paganpractices with "Christian" beliefs, to merge paganism with theRoman church. Constantine promulgated the "Edict of Toleration"in A.D. 313. He became emperor in A.D. 323, and "then Christianitywas enthroned" (Jesse Lyman Hurlbut, The Story of the ChristianChurch, p. 74). From this time, for the next two hundred years,all persecutions of Christians of the Roman church, and its adherents,ceased. The sword of persecution was "not merely sheathed; it wasburied" (ibid., p. 75).
But Jesse Hurlbut laments the results of Constantine's making Christianitythe state religion, free from all persecution. From that time, he pointsout, the church became totally subverted by politics and self-seeking opportunists.
"Everybody sought membership in the church, and nearly everybodywas received. Both good and bad, sincere seekers after God and hypocriticalseekers after gain, rushed into the communion. Ambitious, worldly, unscrupulousmen sought office in the church for social and political influence....
'The services of worship increased in splendor, but were less spiritualand hearty than those of former times. The forms and ceremonies of PAGANISMGRADUALLY CREPT INTO THE WORSHIP. Some of the OLD HEATHEN FEASTS BECAMECHURCH FESTIVALS WITH CHANGE OF NAME AND OF WORSHIP" (Hurlbut, TheStory of the Christian Church, p. 79, emphasis mine).
How did it happen? Obviously, something strange and weird was goingon!
Will Durant, renowned historian, in his massive work The Story of Civilization, wrote in volume III, entitled Caesar and Christ, that in the new "church" that developed in the Roman Empire, the Jewishness of Yeshua was lost or rejected, and replaced with Greek philosophy and thought; the "Law" of the Jews was rejected, and, he writes,
"...the god Christ was assimilated to the religious and philosophicaltraditions of the Hellenistic mind. Now the PAGAN WORLD -- even the anti-Semiticworld -- could accept him as its own.
"CHRISTIANITY DID NOT DESTROY PAGANISM; IT ADOPTED IT. The Greekmind, dying, came to a transmigrated life in the theology and liturgy ofthe Church...the Greek mysteries passed down into the impressive mysteryof the Mass. Other PAGAN cultures contributed to the syncrestic result.From Egypt came the idea of a divine trinity...from Egypt the adorationof the Mother and Child...From Phrygia came the worship of the GreatMother....The Mithraic ritual so closely resembled the eucharistic sacrificeof the Mass that Christian fathers charged the Devil with inventing thesesimilarities to mislead frail minds. Christianity was the last great creationof the ancient PAGAN world" (p. 595).
These historical observations ought to make us sit up and take notice! The 'Christianity" that we see around us in the world today is but a "spin-off" of this ancient syncretism or 'blending" and "merging" of PAGANISM into the professed Church of Yeshua the Messiah, which had lapsed into political apostasy, profligacy and impurity. The descendants of the once chaste and pure virgin of the Messiah, the New Testament Church, had seemingly become, for all intends and purposes, the religious WHORE of Babylon -- a bejeweled and bedecked and bedeviled slut and trollop, a "shady lady," a spiritual PROSTITUTE!
"Paganism" was not defeated by the Church. It invaded thechurch, infiltrated it, and seduced it from within! The professing ChristianChurch became the "new face of paganism"! Only the "names"were changed. And in some cases -- as in "Easter" Sunday -- eventhe old pagan names were left in place!
H. G. Wells, in his Outline of History, discusses the transformation of the teachings of the Messiah into the pagan worship of the heathen, calling itself "Christian." He notes:
"The observance of the Jewish Sabbath, again, TRANSFERRED TO THEMITHRAIC SUN-DAY, is an important feature of many Christian cults...He [Jesus] did not say a word about the worship of his mother Mary in theguise of ISIS, THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN. Much that is most characteristicallyChristian [so-called] in worship and usage, he ignored. Skeptical writershave had the temerity to deny that Jesus can be called a Christian at all"(p. 445, emphasis mine, of course).
How did this happen? How did Mithraism, with its December 25 worship, and Sun-day worship, contribute these prominent "holidays" to the established "Christian" Church? How did paganism overtake, overcome, and subdue, the original teachings of the Church of Yeshua the Messiah, and his apostles, and replace Biblical holy days with pagan "holy days"? Should all true Christians be concerned about this historic truth -- this reality? Doesn't it really matter?
What should these facts mean to us, today, who seek to obey YEHOVAH God, and follow the Messiah of the Bible, who seek to be TRUE followers of the Word of YEHOVAH GOD?
The Seduction of the Church
Admits the Worldbook Encyclopedia, "The exact dateof Christ's birth is not known. The early Christians did NOT celebrateHis birth, because they considered the celebration of anyone's birth tobe a pagan custom. The first mention of the observance of Christ's birthdayappears about A.D. 200. For many years, several dates were used. December25 was first mentioned in 336" (article "Christmas").
This common reference work acknowledges, "For many years, peopleobserved Christmas as a religious festival only. But they GRADUALLY ADOPTEDMORE AND MORE CUSTOMS UNRELATED TO THE CHURCH. Most of the customs originatedin cultures that existed before Christianity....In 1643, the Puritans,who regarded such celebrations as pagan, outlawed the observance of Christmasin England." Colonists in New England followed the English laws andalso outlawed Christmas. But immigrants to the New World brought Christmascustoms from many lands and the old festivities where soon restored.
All of the popular customs and traditions surrounding Christmas actually were celebrated at pagan mid-winter festivals thousands of years before the Messiah was born. Admits this same encyclopedia, "The custom of burning the Yule log began with the ancient Scandinavians, who once a year burned a huge log in honor of their god Thor. After the Scandinavians became Christians [sic], they made the Yule log an important part of their Christmas ceremonies."
Where Did the Christmas Tree Come From?
One of the most pervasive customs of Christmas, today, is the bringinghome and decorating of a "Christmas tree." Where did this customcome from? Coffin in The Book of Christmas Folklore tellsus:
"Most people have heard that the Christmas tree originates in thetannenbaum and is some sort of vestige of Teutonic vegetation worship.THIS IS PARTIALLY TRUE. However, the custom of using pine and other evergreensceremonially was well established at the ROMAN SATURNALIA, even earlierin Egypt" (p. 209).
Writes Alexander Hislop in The Two Babylons,
"The Christmas tree, now so common among us, was equally commonin Pagan Rome and Pagan Egypt. In Egypt that tree was the palm tree; inRome it was the fir; the palm tree denoting the Pagan Messiah, as Baal-Tamar,the fir referring to him as Baal-Berith. The mother of Adonis, the Sun-Godand great mediatorial divinity, was mystically said to have been changedinto a tree, and when in that state to have brought forth her divine son.If the mother was a tree, the son must have been recognized as the 'Manthe branch.' And this entirely accounts for the putting of the Yule Loginto the fire on Christmas Eve, and the appearance of the Christmas treethe next morning" (page 97).
Tree worship was very common among the ancients. Says Festivals,Holy Days, and Saints' Days,
"The Christmas tree...recapitulates the idea of tree worship...gilded nuts and balls symbolizing the sun...all the festivitiesof the [heathen] winter solstice have been absorbed into Christmas Day...the use of holly and mistletoe to the Druidic ceremonies; the Christmastree to the honours paid to Odin's sacred fir...." (p. 236).
Writes Collins in Christmas Folklore:
"This idea of decorating homes on holidays is both worldwide andage-old....So the Saturnalian laurel, the Teutonic holly, the Celticmistletoe, and the Mexican poinsettia have all attached themselves to thispolyglot ceremony...
"Many of the plants used at Christmas are SYMBOLS OF FERTILITY.Certainly any evergreen (fir, yew, laurel) with its ability to return verdurein the barrens months is appropriate, but by far the most interesting arethe holly, the ivy, and the mistletoe. Holly, with its pricking leaves,white flowers, and red berries symbolizes the male reproductive urge. Infact, in the English carols...the holly is the male and the ivy isthe female. This use of the plants was most likely BORROWED by the Christiansalong with other customs of the ROMAN SATURNALIA" (p. 22-23).
Ivy, holly's mate, in ancient Grecian rites took its name from the girlwho danced with such abandon and joy before Dionysius that she fell deadat his feet. The pagan god, moved by her dance, turned her into the ivythat she might entwine whatever is near. Dionysius, of course, was theGreek version of the god of wine and revelry, another form of Bacchus,Tammuz, or Nimrod!
Mistletoe, since the earliest of times, has been regarded as mysteriousand sacred, the symbol of the sun, bestower of life, an aphrodisiac, andprotector against disease and poison. The plant was especially sacred tothe Celtic Druids who offered it in prayer to the gods. The mistletoe wasreferred to by pagans as the "golden bough." The two great holidayswhen the pagans gathered mistletoe were Midsummer Day, the summer solstice,and December 25, the winter solstice. It was supposed to posses the powerof revealing treasures in the earth, and was formed into a "diviningrod." It was also looked upon as the "seat of life" of thesacred oak, and as an emanation of the sun's fire. Kissing under the mistletoeis a survival of Saturnalian sexual licentiousness and bawdy immoral behavior,which was commonplace at the Saturnalia.
What about Dear Old "Santa Claus"?
Even Santa Claus has a not-so-benign origin! This fat and jolly elfcan be traced back to another ancient pagan Norse legend! Admits the WorldbookEncyclopedia,
"Some of Santa Claus's characteristics date back many centuries.For example, the belief that Santa enters the house through the chimneydeveloped from an old Norse legend. The Norse believed that the goddessHertha appeared in the fireplace and brought good luck to the home."
Although most people assume that the original "Santa Claus"was a bishop by the name of St. Nicholas of Asia Minor of the fourth century,this is not really true. Although some of this bishop's deeds later cameto be associated with "St. Nick," the original "Nicholas"was once again Nimrod, the "mighty one against the Lord." Theword "Nicholas" means "mighty one, powerful." Traditionsof a "god" who gave gifts under an evergreen tree antecede theAsian Minor bishop by thousands of years! Among the Scandinavians it wasthe god Odin or Woden who left special gifts during the Yuletide seasonunder the evergreen tree, his sacred tree!
Tony van Renterghem writes in When Santa Was a Shaman: The AncientOrigins of Santa Claus & the Christmas Tree:
"In newly Christianized areas where the pagan Celtic and Germaniccults remained strong, legends of the god Wodan were blended with thoseof various Christian saints; Saint Nicholas was one of these. There wereChristian areas where Saint Nicholas ruled alone; in other locations, hewas assisted by the pagan Dark Helper (the slave he had inherited fromthe pagan god Wodan). In other remote areas...ancient pockets of the Olde Religion controlled traditions. Here the Dark Helper ruled alone,sometimes in a most confusing manner, using the cover name of Saint Nicholasor 'Klaus,' without in any way changing his threatening, Herne/Pan, fur-cladappearance. (This was the figure later used by the artist Nast as the modelfor the early American Santa Claus)" (page 96).
The Catholic Saint Nicholas also had a confusing past. Says van Renterghem,"He was a compilation of two separate saints (one from Myra in AsiaMinor, the other from Pinora), both of whom were -- as the Church nowadaysadmits -- nothing more than Christianized water deities (possibly relatedto the Greco-Roman god Poseidon/Neptune)" (ibid.). Inthe 1970s, the Second Vatican Council formally stated that no Roman Catholicbishop by the name of Nicholas had ever existed! Vatican II further confessedthat the legends attributed to this "saint" had no Christianorigin, and probably came from pagan traditions!
Says van Renterghem, further:
"By absorbing such PAGAN FEASTS AND TRADITIONS, the Christian Churchcould subtly bring in its own theology: in this case, establishing thegood Saint Nicholas, bringer of love and gifts, while grudgingly allowingthe presence of the Olde Religion's Herne/Pan, but only as a slave to SaintNicholas. Thus, in parts of Europe, the Church turned Herne into SaintNicholas' captive, chained Dark Helper; none other than Satan, the DarkOne, symbolic of all evil....
"In Holland and several other European countries, the Saint Nicholas figure is still highly esteemed. He appears as a tall, dignified, bearded, white-haired old man, dressed as a Catholic bishop, complete with cloak, mitre, and pastoral staff, a seemingly genuine Catholic saint, but with a bizarre, quite unsaintly habit of riding through the skies on a white horse, followed by his Dark Helper. It seems that our Catholic saint inherited some of these customs from the pagan god Wodan, who had also been a BEARDED, WHITE-HAIRED OLD MAN, also dressed in a hat and cloak, carried a staff (or spear), rode a white horse, and dragged along the same dark slave/helper on a chain" (p. 97).
So much for old "Santa Claus"! This mythological figure, also,is pagan to the core!
The Dutch "Sinterklaas" brings gifts to good children, whilebad children are harrassed by the "Dark Helper," called ZwartePier, or "Black Pete," who brandishes a broom-like rod. LikeSanta Claus, Sinterklaas also had the habit of entering homes through thechimney! His helper, "Black Pete," is today, still horned, fur-clad,scary, and less than kind to children. Although portrayed as the slavehelper of Saint Nicholas, the two are, in many villages, blended into onecharacter, who often has the name Nikolaas or Klaus. Thus "Santa Claus"is blended with, and is none other than, that old enemy of mankind, Satanthe devil!
"In Germany, Saint Nicholas' Dark Helper is a swarthy, horned,frightening little man, always brandishing the besom [broom]. He is knownby many names: Knecht Ruprecht (servant Ruprecht), or in Bavaria, PelzNickel, meaning 'fur-clad Nick.' In Tyrol, the picture is even clearer;there the Dark Helper is Kllaubau, a scarier version of the British Hernethe Hunter, a chained, furry, black-faced horned creature" (p. 103-105).
Who was this Odin, or Woden, the original "Santa Claus"? Hewas the chief god of Norse mythology, a fierce fighter who carried a spearas his special weapon. He was renown as a mighty hunter, and for his magicalpowers. This same author declares, further, of the connection between Odin/Wodanand Saint Nicholas:
"Wodan/Odin: ...man's friend, the mysterious Schimmel rider. Dragging his dark and devilish slave Eckhart along on achain, he rides through the stormy skies. He leads the Wild Hunt, eluding,and finally subjugating, the powers of evil. He also wears a broad-brimmedhat, a wide mantel, holds his spear, and rides through the skies (replacehis hat with a bishop's mytre and the spear with a crozier, and we havethe Dutch Saint Nicholas)" (p. 111).
In other words, Odin was another name for Nimrod, who, the Bible says,was "the mighty hunter before [the Hebrew word for "before"also means "against"] the LORD" (Genesis 10:9). Nimrod'sreputation as a mighty hunter was widespread.
Says Alexander Hislop, "The Wodan or Odin of Scandinavia can beproved to be the Adon of Babylon" (The Two Babylons,p. 133-134). Nimrod, Adon, or Adonis, of Babylon was the great "war-god."Odin was the same. Nimrod, in the character of Bacchus, was the god ofwine. Odin was said to partake of no other food but wine. The name of oneof Odin's sons, Balder, indicates the meaning of Odin's own name. Balderis a form of the Chaldee Baal-zer, "The seed of Baal." The Hebrew"z" in the later Chaldee frequently became a "d." Baaland Adon both signify "Lord." Since Balder is the "son ofBaal," as well as the "son of Adon," or "Odin,"then Baal, Adon, and Odin must be the same person -- representative ofNimrod, the first human to be deified and proclaimed by the pagans as a"god" after the Deluge!
"Santa Claus," then, is not so innocent and cherubic a figureafter all! Why do parents take their young children, sit them on "Santa'slap," and insist on teaching them Santa Claus myths? The word "Santa,"rearranged, spells "S-A-T-A-N," and "Claus" is reminiscentof "Claws" -- in other words, "SATAN'S CLAWS"! Do youwant Satan, the arch-enemy of mankind, to get his "claws" intoyour children? By teaching them Santa Claus myths, and taking them to "Christmasparties," with "Santa Claus" handing out "gifts,"you are subtly teaching your children to worship Satan the devil, the greatimpostor!
The True Origin of "Christmas"
It is indeed strange that a day never mentioned or sanctioned in the Bible should become the chief so-called "Christian" holiday of the entire year -- a day never celebrated by Yeshua the Messiah, or his apostles, or the early New Testament Ecclesia of YEHOVAH God!
What is the actual origin of the celebration of December 25? A carefullook at the word "Christmas" itself ought to tell us something.Notice! It itself is a mixture. Though it includes the name of Christ,it also mentions the "mass." Where did the "mass" --with its rituals, elaborate ceremony, pagan prayers for the dead, transubstantiationrites, etc. -- come from?
Alexander Hislop in his remarkable book The Two Babylons,points out that the "mass" is something that definitely goesback to ancient PAGAN customs and rites! He declares in plain and clearlanguage:
"Therefore we find the women of Judah represented as simply 'burningincense, pouring out drink-offerings, and offering CAKES to the queen ofheaven' (Jer. 44:19). The cakes were the 'unbloody sacrifice' she required....In the FOURTH CENTURY, when the queen of heaven, under the name ofMary, was beginning to be worshipped in the Christian Church, this 'unbloodysacrifice' also was brought in. Epiphanius states that the practice ofoffering and eating it began among `women of Arabia; and at that time itwas well known to have been ADOPTED FROM THE PAGANS. The very shape ofthe unbloody sacrifice of Rome may indicate when it came. It is a smallthin, round wafer; and on its roundness the Church of Rome lays so muchstress....The importance, however, which Rome attaches to the roundnessof the wafer, must have a reason; and that reason will be found, if welook at the altars of EGYPT. 'The thin, round cake,' says Wilkinson, 'occurson all altars.' Almost every jot or tittle in the Egyptian worship hada symbolical meaning. The round disk, so frequent in the sacred emblemsof Egypt, symbolized the sun" (The Two Babylons, p. 159-160).
The "sun-god" in ancient Egypt was Osiris. The round diskof the Egyptian "mass" symbolized the sun, and was an offeringsymbolizing the sun-god. He was considered the life and nourishment ofthe souls of men!
The "Christ-mass" therefore is nothing more than the celebrationof the birth of the "sun-god" himself, the False Messiah, theFalse "Saviour" of the world, and the "mass" itselfalso represents the offering or "cakes" made to the queen ofheaven, the "Mother" of the pagan Saviour, the "unbloodysacrifice"! Again, "Christ-mass" is proved to be PAGAN tothe core!
It is a fact that December 25 was celebrated for thousands of years before the birth of the Messiah as the birth day of an ancient pagan god -- THE SUN GOD! Alexander Hislop points out the truth in these shocking words -- at least, they ought to be shocking to anybody with a clear, undefiled, and conscientious mind:
"Indeed, it is admitted by the most learned and candid writersof all parties that the day of our Lord's birth cannot be determined, andthat within the Christian Church no such festival as Christmas was everheard of till the third century, and that not till the fourth century wasfar advanced did it gain much observance. How, then, did the Romish Churchfix on December the 25th as Christmas-day? Why, thus: Long before the fourthcentury, and long before the Christian era itself, a festival was celebratedamong the heathen, at that precise time of the year, in honour of the birthof the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven; and it may fairly be presumedthat, in order to conciliate the heathen, and to swell the number of thenominal adherents of Christianity, the SAME FESTIVAL WAS ADOPTED by theRoman Church, giving it only the name of Christ. This tendency on the partof Christians to MEET PAGANISM HALF-WAY was very early developed....Upright men strove to stem the tide, but in spite of all their efforts,the apostasy went on, till the Church, with the exception of a small remnant,was submerged under Pagan superstition" (p. 93).
Hislop goes on,
"That Christmas was originally a Pagan festival, is beyond alldoubt. The time of the year, and the ceremonies with which it is stillcelebrated, prove its origin. In Egypt, the son of Isis, the Egyptian titlefor the queen of heaven, was born at this very time, 'about the time ofthe winter solstice.' The very name by which Christmas is popularly knownamong ourselves -- Yule-day -- proves at once its Pagan and Babylonianorigin. 'Yule' is the Chaldee name for an 'infant' or 'little child;' andas the 25th of December was called by our Pagan Anglo- Saxon ancestors,'Yule-day,' or the "Child's day,' and the night that preceded it,'Mother-night,' long BEFORE they came in contact with Christianity, thatsufficiently proves its real character" (pp. 93-94).
December 25th was observed far and wide among the ancient world. Thisday was "The birth-day of the unconquered Sun." The Yule logrepresented the dead stock of the slain Nimrod, arch-apostate rebel againstthe Lord after the flood (see Genesis 10:8-10), and the Christmas-treewas supposedly Nimrod reborn -- the slain god come to life again!
In Europe, the Saxons offered a boar in sacrifice to the sun, to propitiatethe queen of heaven on Christmas day. The boar, in pagan mythology, wassupposed to have slain the false pagan Messiah. The boar was also a majorarticle of the feast of Saturn at Rome. The boar's head is still a standingdish in England at Christmas dinner. Says Hislop: "There can be nodoubt, then, that the Pagan festival at the winter solstice -- in otherwords, Christmas -- was held in honor of the birth of the Babylonian Messiah"(p. 102).
The largest pagan religious cult which fostered sun worship in the Greekand Roman worlds on December 25 was the cult of Mithraism. They calledit "the Nativity of the Sun." Mithras, the sun-god, was supposedto have been born at this time, but so were Osiris, Horus, Tammuz, Hercules,Bacchus, Adonis, Jupiter -- all the pagan Messiahs! This fact alone wouldseem to indicate that all these pagan sun-gods and deities trace theirroots back to the original sun-god of ancient Babylon -- Nimrod!
This popular winter festival became such an established custom thatin pagan Rome and Greece, Egypt, and throughout Europe, the period of thewinter solstice was a time of great revelry and festivity. In Rome it becameknown as the "Saturnalia," in honor of the god Saturn, "thehidden one." Saturn was another name for Nimrod, who late in his apostasywent into hiding from Shem, the son of Noah. The "feast of Saturn,"Hislop adds, "lasted five days; loose reins were given to drunkennessand revelry, slaves had a temporary emancipation, and used all manner offreedoms with their masters. This was precisely the way in which, accordingto Berosus, the drunken festival of the month Thebeth, answering to ourDecember, in other words, the festival of Bacchus, was celebrated in Babylon"(p. 96-97).
Writes T. G. Crippen in Christmas and Christmas Lore,
"Now in December and the beginning of January there were severalfestivals which were intimately associated with the daily life of the Romanpeople. First, from the 17th to the 21st December, was the Saturnalia,the great Roman holiday....One might call it the Feast of Topsy-turveydom;when slaves were allowed for a few days to enjoy the semblance of freedom,were waited upon by their masters, and chose from amongst themselves amock king to preside over their revels. Next, on the 22nd, came Sigillaria,the Feast of Dolls, when a fair was held, and dolls and other toys, mostlyof earthenware, were given to children. Then, on 25th, came Brumalia, otherwise Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, The Birthday of the Unconquered Sun, whenthe days began to lengthen after the solstice....It is believed tohave been instituted ... by the emperor Aurelian, in honour of Mithras,the Persian sun-god..." (p. 8-9).
Clearly, the pagan customs of Christmas had nothing remotely to do with the Messiah, or the Word of YEHOVAH God, the Scriptures. Clearly, they had nothing to offer to the Church of YEHOVAH God, as they were the very antithesis of true Christianity! Yet, somehow, this ancient pagan festival wormed its way into the established "Christian" Church and became its most prominent holiday of the year! What a monstrous mystery!
The Catholic Church took the excitement which surrounded the Roman Saturnalia, with its excesses, delights, debauchery, and wantonness, and called them the celebration of the birth of the Son of YEHOVAH God, Yeshua. Most people today still think of December 25 as the birth day of Yeshua, even though this is definitely not the case.
This pagan "bash" was transformed by the Catholic Church into the festivities of Christmas, in honor of the Madonna and Child. Thus the pagan Semiramis (Egyptian Isis) and Tammuz (Horus) were "transformed," by sleight of hand, by the "magicians" of the Roman Church, into Mary and Yeshua. In this manner, the pagan practices of the past centuries became outwardly "Christian" in name and character! For almost 300 years after the time of Yeshua, the Church showed no concern for the date of the Messiah's birth. The apostles and leaders of the New Testament Church never bothered to find out when Yeshua was born, as the date was not important to them. It was not until the fourth century that Christmas began to be observed by the Roman Catholic Church. Says the Encyclopedia Americana:
"Christmas -- it was according to many authorities not celebratedin the first centuries of the Christian Church as the Christian usage ingeneral was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than theirbirth. A feast was established in memory of the birth of the Saviour inthe Fourth Century. In the Fifth Century the Western Church ordered itto be celebrated forever on the day of the old Roman Feast of the birthof Sol."
That is how an ancient PAGAN CUSTOM became engrafted upon the unsuspected Christian world! But should true followers of Yeshua, the Messiah, participate in ANCIENT PAGAN CUSTOMS? Should true Christians celebrate "Christmas"?
The Puritans, who were Christians attempting to reform the Church duringthe 1600's, did not believe Christmas should be observed. This "baptism"of pagan rites and festivals by the Roman Catholic and the vast majorityof the Protestant Churches, was totally rejected by the Puritans. One ofthem, William Prynne, during the time of king Charles I, wrote:
"Our Christmas lords of Misrule, together with dancing, masques,mummeries, stage-players, and such other Christmas disorders, now in usewith Christians, were derived from these Roman Saturnalia and Bacchanalianfestivals; which should cause all pious Christians eternally to abominatethem" (The Book of Christmas Folklore, p. 8).
Because of his attitude toward Christmas and pagan rituals still observedby the professing Christian Church, William Prynne was placed in a pilloryand his ears were cut off.
Should Christians Observe "Christmas"?
Should Christians today celebrate this ancient festival? Many today may think it is all right, but the opinions of men are not our standard or authority. What does the Word of YEHOVAH God itself say about this matter? It is a very serious question. Is it all right in the sight of YEHOVAH for men to take pagan customs and traditions, and to observe them, calling them "Christian"? Is it all right to merge and combine PAGAN practices with the truth of YEHOVAH God?
According to the prophet Malachi, YEHOVAH does not change (Mal.3:8). His laws and commandments are eternal (Psa. 111:7-8). Does YEHOVAH say it is all right to observe the traditions and customs of the pagans?
YEHOVAH God commanded ancient Israel, "I am the Lord your God. You must NOT DO AS THEY DO IN EGYPT, where you used to live, and you must NOT DO AS THEY DO IN THE LAND OF CANAAN, where I am bringing you. DO NOT FOLLOW THEIR PRACTICES. You must obey my laws, and be careful to follow my decrees" (Lev. 18:2-4).
YEHOVAH God hates idolatry! He detests it with vehement passion. He tells us, "...Be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, 'How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.' YOU must NOT WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD IN THEIR WAY, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of DETESTABLE THINGS the LORD HATES" (Deut. 12:29-31).
Because of pagan idolatrous practices, YEHOVAH God cast the Canaanites out of the Promised Land. They were worshippers of Baal, or Nimrod, Tammuz, the sun god, the pagan Messiah, the god of wine and revelry. They worshipped the evergreen tree, and used it as a symbol of their god. They observed December 25, in worship of the waning sun, and their sun-god divinity. This whole religious system stemmed from ancient Babylon, the fount of all heresy and apostasy.
Their sensuality and gross lasciviousness was particularly displayed during the mid-winter festival, called the Saturnalia in Rome, with gift-giving, drunkenness, and sexual licentiousness. YEHOVAH says of such Bacchanalial rites,
"Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. Even the land was defiled, so I punished it for its sin, and the land VOMITED out its inhabitants....Anyone who does any of these DETESTABLE THINGS -- such persons must be cut off from their people. Keep my requirements and do NOT follow ANY OF THE DETESTABLE CUSTOMS that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the Lord your God" (Lev. 18:24-30).
Even such idolatrous items as the "Christmas tree" are condemned in the Word of YEHOVAH God! Jeremiah the prophet wrote,
"Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house ofIsrael: Thus saith the Lord, LEARN NOT THE WAY OF THE HEATHEN, and be notdismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them [suchas the waning sun at the winter solstice!]. For the CUSTOMS of the peopleare VAIN [empty, useless, worthless]: for one CUTTETH A TREE out of theFOREST, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They DECK ITWITH SILVER AND WITH GOLD; they fasten it with nails and with hammers,that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: theymust needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; forthey cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good" (Jer. 10:1-5).
Truly, the whole world has been deceived by Satan the devil and his clever masquerades and machinations (Rev. 12:9). YEHOVAH God Almighty thunders: "Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye POLLUTED after the manner of your fathers? and commit ye WHOREDOM after the manner of THEIR ABOMINATIONS?...ye POLLUTE yourselves with all your IDOLS, even unto this day....But as for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD: Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but POLLUTE YE MY HOLY NAME NO MORE with your gifts, and with your idols" (Ezek. 20:30-39).
The very name "Christmas," combining the holy name of Christ with the pagan mass, POLLUTES and PROFANES YEHOVAH's holy name! The celebration of these ancient pagan festivals, calling them "Christian," is an abomination in the sight of YEHOVAH God! YEHOVAH will not accept such pagan, superstitious worship!
Yeshua the Messiah said to his disciples, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will KNOW THE TRUTH, and the truth will set you FREE" -- free from the shackles of error, superstition, mythology, and pagan deception! (John 8:32, NIV).
Christmas is pagan. There is no doubt about it. The question is: What are you going to do about it? May YEHOVAH God help you to make the right decision, so you can inherit eternal life, and reign with the saints forever (Rev. 2:26-27; 5:10; 20:4).
-- Edited By John D. Keyser.
Hope of Israel Ministries -- Preparing the Way for the Return of YEHOVAH God and His Messiah! |
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