which christmas is correct? - christian mysteries · 2015. 3. 3. · • “the winter solstice,...

Which

Christmas is

Correct? December 25?

January 6?

January 7?

January 19?

Other?

Andrew Linnell

Slides are available at www.thechristianmysteries.org

Girolamo dai Libri (1475 – 1555)

http://www.thechristianmysteries.org/

So, What Day Was Jesus Born?

• December 25?

• January 6?

• January 7?

• January 19?

• September 15?

• November 18?

• March 21?

• Biblical Facts

– Quirinius governor (6 AD)

– Death of John the Baptist

during reign of Herod

Antipas (4? BCE – 39 AD)

– Reign of Tiberius Caesar (14-

37 AD)

– JtB began his mission in the

15th yr of Tiberius, 29 AD

– “When He began His ministry,

Jesus Himself was about 30

years of age” Luke 3:23

– Took 46 years to build Jrslm

Temple: 26 AD John 2:19

• Comet of 5 BCE?

– Herod the Great died 4 BCE

• What other historical facts

can help us?

Facts About the Birth of Jesus

• No historian, no records, Josephus (37-100 AD) & Tacitus (56-117)

• Two gospels provide some insights: Matthew and Luke

• Matthew: Herod the Great was king, Star brought Magi seeking

– Herod the Great lived 73-4? BCE

– Possible ‘star’: conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn? Magi = astrologers?

• Active: Jupiter = Babylonian deity, King, Saturn: Jews

• Matthew 2:2 “for we have seen his star in the east”

• Matthew 2:9 “the star which they saw in the east”

• Modern researchers: Sept (equinox) 7 BCE

– E.g. Prof. David Hughes, Prof. Ferrari d’Occhieppo,

– Prof. Jos Verhulst, Prof. Percy Seymour

• Much more likely than a comet

• Luke: “Caesar Augustus (-14AD) issued a decree”

– Quirinius became governor of Syria in 6 AD

• Mary and Joseph travelled to Bethlehem for census

– Baptist’s parents of priest Aaron’s lineage

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

Kingly lineage

Begins at baptism Begins at baptism

Priestly lineage Angel-Man

Lion

Bull

Eagle

Interpretations from Luke (+ John)

• Elizabeth (JtB’s mother) was in her 6th month when Jesus conceived

(Luke 1:24-36) – when was John born?

– JtB’s father, Zacharias, served as priest in the Jerusalem temple (Luke 1:5)

• The Companion Bible, 1974, Appendix 179 claims June 13-19 for his Abijah service

• 8th course of Abijah = the week Iyar 27 to Sivan 5 (late spring), he remained next week

– Gabriel tells him in the Temple that they would have a son (Luke 1:13)

– Elizabeth conceives after he returns from his priestly duties (Luke 1:24)

– 9 months from the end of June is late March for JtB’s birth

– 6 months later is late September for the time of Jesus’ birth

• Parents came to Bethlehem for a Roman census (Luke 2:1-4)

– Would a census take place in winter?

• Shepherds in the fields watching their flocks (Luke 2:7-8)

– Suggests Jesus born in summer or early fall (unless very poor shepherds)

• Dies on Passover, Nisan 14 – 33 AD (Apr 4 or May 3)

– Jesus was about 30 years old when he began his ministry (Luke 3:23), 3+ years

• 3 Passovers: John 2:13, John 6:4, and John 13:1

• December 25 from a desire to bring Romans into Christianity?

– Called the “Best” festival, Saturnalia was celebrated on December 25 (solstice)

http://www.enduring.org/article/print/is-christ-the-reason-for-the-seasonhttp://www.enduring.org/article/print/is-christ-the-reason-for-the-seasonhttp://www.judaismvschristianity.com/passover_dates.htm

Association of Christ as the Sun God

• “The winter solstice, the shortest and darkest day of the year,

signaled a celebratory time, as the Sun begins to reemerge and the

land will experience a rebirth

• “As Christianity began to spread in the 4th century, the Christmas

feast day was set on December 25 by Pope Julius I to align with the

Roman pagan holiday Dies natalis solis invicti: the birth of the

invincible Sun” – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Invictus

• Anonymous work De Pascha Computus, 243 AD

– Creation began at the spring equinox, on 25 March

– Conception (or birth, the word nascor can mean either) of Jesus on 28 March

• December 25 determined by historian Julius Africanus (221 AD) as Jesus’ birthday

– Creation of the sun and moon in the Genesis claimed to be 28 March

– One translation reads: "O the splendid and divine providence of the Lord, that on

that day, the very day, on which the sun was made, the 28 March, a Wednesday,

Christ should be born

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Invictushttps://books.google.com/books?id=n2EhAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA491&lpg=PA491&dq=De+Pascha+Computus,+243+AD&source=bl&ots=D1ppDEIecJ&sig=HdsJGEqjQBl7cH96hyLz1u6_RU0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=oNeqVI-SO5OdygSfpYKoAw&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAQhttps://books.google.com/books?id=n2EhAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA491&lpg=PA491&dq=De+Pascha+Computus,+243+AD&source=bl&ots=D1ppDEIecJ&sig=HdsJGEqjQBl7cH96hyLz1u6_RU0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=oNeqVI-SO5OdygSfpYKoAw&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAQhttps://books.google.com/books?id=n2EhAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA491&lpg=PA491&dq=De+Pascha+Computus,+243+AD&source=bl&ots=D1ppDEIecJ&sig=HdsJGEqjQBl7cH96hyLz1u6_RU0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=oNeqVI-SO5OdygSfpYKoAw&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAQhttps://books.google.com/books?id=n2EhAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA491&lpg=PA491&dq=De+Pascha+Computus,+243+AD&source=bl&ots=D1ppDEIecJ&sig=HdsJGEqjQBl7cH96hyLz1u6_RU0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=oNeqVI-SO5OdygSfpYKoAw&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAQ

Eastern Church’s Christmas Day

• Russian and Greek Orthodox still use Julian calendar

– Created under the reign of Julius Caesar in 45 BC

– Have not adopted the Gregorian calendar proposed by Latin

Pope Gregory of Rome in 1582

• Was January 6, now January 7 (by Gregorian calendar)

– Theophany (appearance of God in body), now called Epiphany

• Change from Gregorian calendar to Julian calendar

– January 7 corresponds to December 25, drift now 13 days

– Julian and Gregorian calendars do not agree on leap years

• Gregorian calendar skips centurial leap years divisible by 400

• January 7 date is valid only between 1901 and 2100

• Was January 6 from 1800 to 1900

• The Gregorian date for E.Orthodox Christmas will be January 8 in

2101 if the Julian calendar is still used

Drifting Calendars

Gregorian range Julian range Difference

From 15 October 1582

to 28 February 1700

From 5 October 1582

to 18 February 1700 10 days

From 1 March 1700

to 28 February 1800

From 19 February 1700


From 1 March 1800

to 28 February 1900



From 1 March 1900

to 28 February 2100



From 1 March 2100

to 28 February 2200



Dec. 25 + 13 days = Jan. 7

THAT WAS EASY, LET’S GO HOME

Calendar Drift

Gregorian Julian

Wait! Not So Fast …

• Eastern Orthodox (EO) celebrated Theophany (now

Epiphany) and nativity on Jan 6 during 4th C

– Celebrating the nativity of Jesus on both Dec 25 and Jan 6

seems to have continued after Nicaea until 380s [Hastings &

Selbie, Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics pp. 605]

• No Christmas until time of Council of Niceae in 325 AD

– Afterwards, Rome celebrated nativity on Dec 25

• Calendar drift, while real, does not explain nativity

celebrations on Jan 6 before 5th C

– In 1582, it was 10 days deleted, not 13

– Calendar drift becomes convenient explanation from 1900 on

Early Calendars

• Calendar derived from Roman calare

– First day of each new month called Kalends

– Means: to announce solemnly, to call out

– Pontifex (priest) observed sky and announced celestial events

• Before 8th century BC: 360 day year plus 5/6 days ‘gatha’

– Egyptian 365 day calendars date back to 4236 BCE

– 360 days around the sun – 360 degrees around a circle

• Month lengths not fixed, based on crescent appearance

– What if it was cloudy?

– Priest-astronomers declared when a new month began

• Mystery Center priests

• Osiris-Isis-Horace and other mythologies

One Day a bit less than One Degree

Not to scale

What Unit of Time Should Be Used?

• Day? (24 hours) – rotation of the earth (includes weeks)

– Rotation is slowing, thus day is getting longer!

• Month? New moon to new moon (ave. 29.530588 days)

– Lunation time varies by where in solar orbit earth is

• Year? Solar (365-66) or Lunar (354–355 days) Year

– Equinox (seasons) Ecliptic? Whoops, precession

– Movement of sun (solar system) relative to milky way, fixed stars

When Should We Celebrate A Festival?

• Seasonal timeframe, e.g. based on solstice or equinox

• Given day & month every year

• Position (of the earth to sun) as seen from the stars

• Position (of the sun/star) as seen from the earth (tropical)

Astronomy and Calendars

• 1 mean tropical year = 365.24255 days to vernal equinox

– Sidereal year drifts out of sync with the seasons one day/72yrs

– Need complicated formula for leap years (intercalation)

• Julius Caesar introduced concept of Leap Years

– Any year evenly divisible by 4 would be a leap year (365.25 d/yr)

– Dionysius Exiguus, a monk who died in A.D. 556, determined the

Jesus’s birth-year as 753 (years were then counted from the

year Rome was founded) so 754 became 1 A.D.

• First Gregorian calendar was accurate to 365.24 days

– Modern Gregorian uses 365.2425 days (still not fully accurate)

• Resolving days/month (for 12 equal zodiac traversals)

– 1 lunation = 14 + 14 phases (menstrual cycle, gestation)

– But, as seen from the earth, a month is 29 or 30 days

What Is a Month?

• Month = Moon: is it 28, 29, or 30 days?

– Greece: 30d “full”, 29d were named "hollow"

– Babylon: "full“ and "defective“ months

– Hebrew: "full" and "deficient“ months

– Celtic: "matos" (lucky), "anmatos" (unlucky)

• Lunisolar calendars combined moon & sun

– Some years have 12 months, some have 13

– Egypt: 12 months x 30 days (360) + 5 days epagomenae

– Coptic and Ethiopian churches still use 360+5 day year

• Ethiopians count years from 7 CE

– 12 zodiac stages * 30 day months = 360 day year

• Coligny calendar, Roman-Celtic artifact from 5th C BCE

– 5 solar years = 62 lunations (over by 0.16d)

Sources: http://www.webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-ancient.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_calendar

Nut, Egyptian

goddess of the

sky, with the star

chart in the tomb

of Ramses VI.

Human figures

represent stars &

constellations

http://www.webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-ancient.htmlhttp://www.webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-ancient.htmlhttp://www.webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-ancient.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_calendar

Days in a Month

Perspective matters

• 30 days hath Sept …

• Since the Earth's orbit around

the Sun is elliptical and not

circular, the angular rate of

Earth's progression around the

Sun varies during the year

• The angular rate is faster

nearer periapsis and slower

near apoapsis

• The same is so for the Moon's

orbit around the Earth

• Variations in angular rate:

actual time between lunations

ranges 29.18 - 29.93 days

Month type Length in days

sidereal 27.321661547 +

0.000000001857 × Y

tropical 27.321582241 +

0.000000001506 × Y

anomalistic 27.554549878 −

0.000000010390 × Y

draconic 27.212220817 +

0.000000003833 × Y

synodic 29.530588853 +

0.000000002162 × Y

Sidereal: time it takes the Moon to return to a

given position among the fixed stars

Tropical: return to an ecliptic longitude of zero

Anomalistic: precession of perigee, longer to

return to perigee than to return to the same star

Draconic: ave interval between 2 successive

transits through its ascending node

Synodic: position of the Moon with respect to

the Sun as seen from the Earth, i.e. phases

Synchronizing for the Ancients

• Earth rotation, moon rotation, solar orbit, galaxy rotation

• 5 Venus synodic cycles = 2920 days

– Symbols of Islam: Moon and Venus

• 8 solar years= 2921.937592 days

– 99 lunations= 2923.52841 days

– Avebury

• 99 outer stones (lunations)

• Two inner circles (27 and 29 stones)

• 19 solar years = Metonic cycle

– 235 Lunations, off by only two hours!

– Stonehenge

• 19 outer bluestones

• 30 (originally) inner stones

Source: http://www.skyscript.co.uk/moonheath.html

http://www.skyscript.co.uk/moonheath.html

Quick Astronomy Lesson

Not to scale, exaggerated skew

25.December

Calendar Summary

• Fixed Astronomical Base

– Vernal Equinox Mar 25

• Now Mar 21 (+/- 1)

– Start of new year

• Moved to Jan 1 in 1752

• Float:

– Moon – 30 (or 29) day cycle

• Times 12 = 360 (ideally)

• Fixed: (uninterrupted by adjustments e.g. leap year)

– Planets (week) – 7 day cycle

• Times 52 weeks = 364 days (close but not aligned to year)

• 4th C BC desire to do away with float, fix months/seasons

• No perfect calendar – too many irregularities

• Ancient → Julian → Gregorian → Modern Gregorian

– Irregular months, irregular years (leap)

Temple Orientation: Vernal Equinox

Chichen Itza Mnajdra Temples, Malta

Stonehenge

Puma

Punku

Recalibration; all “floated” according to one fixed date

Temple Orientation: Vernal Equinox

Angkor Wat Giza-Necropolis

• Vernal Equinox = Priests declared start of new year,

“dates” based on cycles following equinox

• Important to Jewish Passover and Christian Easter

When Should We Celebrate a Festival?

• Same day/month each year? Julian? Gregorian?

• Astronomical calendar? Which rhythm?

– Moon based?

– Sun based?

– Star based?

• Key: What day is Easter?

– Nicene Council tried to resolve

– Sunday following the passover full moon

• From Saturn and Moon to Sun

– Spring Equinox + Full Moon + Sun-Day

• Vernal equinox is Julian New Year

• Vernal equinox celebrated March 25

– Precession moved actual to March 21

– Winter solstice celebrated Dec 25

Setting a Date for the Vernal Equinox

• AD 325: First Council of Nicaea

• Vernal equinox on 21 March

• Revised in

• 1582: Pope Gregory's bull

establishing new calendar

• Vernal equinox had drifted

backward in Julian calendar to

11 March

• Thus Gregorian calendar

began by skipping 10 calendar

days to restore 21 March as

the date of the vernal equinox

• Accuracy: 365.2425 d/yr

compared to

– 365.24237 d/yr for v. equinox

– 365.24219 d/yr for tropical yr.

Floating Solstice and Equinox Dates

Year March Equinox June Solstice September Equinox December Solstice

1900 Mar 20 8:39 PM EST Jun 21 4:40 PM EST Sep 23 7:20 AM EST Dec 22 1:41 AM EST

1901 Mar 21 2:24 AM EST Jun 21 10:28 PM EST Sep 23 1:09 PM EST Dec 22 7:37 AM EST

1902 Mar 21 8:16 AM EST Jun 22 4:15 AM EST Sep 23 6:55 PM EST Dec 22 1:35 PM EST

1903 Mar 21 2:15 PM EST Jun 22 10:05 AM EST Sep 24 12:44 AM EST Dec 22 7:20 PM EST


1905 Mar 21 1:58 AM EST Jun 21 9:52 PM EST Sep 23 12:30 PM EST Dec 22 7:04 AM EST


1907 Mar 21 1:33 PM EST Jun 22 9:23 AM EST Sep 24 12:09 AM EST Dec 22 6:51 PM EST


1909 Mar 21 1:13 AM EST Jun 21 9:06 PM EST Sep 23 11:45 AM EST Dec 22 6:20 AM EST


1911 Mar 21 12:54 PM EST Jun 22 8:36 AM EST Sep 23 11:17 PM EST Dec 22 5:53 PM EST

1912 Mar 20 6:29 PM EST Jun 21 2:17 PM EST Sep 23 5:08 AM EST Dec 21 11:45 PM EST

1913 Mar 21 12:18 AM EST Jun 21 8:10 PM EST Sep 23 10:53 AM EST Dec 22 5:35 AM EST

1914 Mar 21 6:11 AM EST Jun 22 1:55 AM EST Sep 23 4:34 PM EST Dec 22 11:22 AM EST


1916 Mar 20 5:47 PM EST Jun 21 1:25 PM EST Sep 23 4:15 AM EST Dec 21 10:59 PM EST


1918 Mar 21 5:25 AM EST Jun 22 2:00 AM EDT Sep 23 4:46 PM EDT Dec 22 10:41 AM EST

1919 Mar 21 11:19 AM EST Jun 22 7:54 AM EDT Sep 23 10:36 PM EDT Dec 22 4:27 PM EST

1920 Mar 20 4:59 PM EST Jun 21 1:40 PM EDT Sep 23 4:28 AM EDT Dec 21 10:17 PM EST

What’s a Paschal (Passover) Full Moon?

• Nicene Goal: get the Church to set a universal date for Easter

– Equinox then full moon then Sunday, but …

• Eastern Orthodox Church adhered to the tradition that Easter must

always fall after the Jewish Passover, since the resurrection of

Christ happened after the celebration of Passover

– Jewish calendar used the Metonic 19-year cycle (235 lunations)

– Eastern Orthodox Church came up with an alternative to calculating

Easter based on the Gregorian calendar plus the 19-year lunar cycle

• RC felt it could split from Jewish traditions

– With Gregorian, sets March 21 as the date for the vernal equinox

• Although it occurs on March 20 some years

• 381 AD Theodosius forbade meetings of the Sanhedrin effectively

abolishing the Jewish calendar that was dependent upon Sanhedrin

declaring festival dates (attempting to destroy pagan rites/calendars)

• Importance of vernal equinox for calendars

Battles Over Fixing a Date

Easter based on Gregorian or Julian or other Calendar?

• RC (West): OK to differ from Jewish passover

– Astronomers were able to approximate the dates of all the full moons in

future years for the Western Christian churches, thus establishing a

table of Ecclesiastical Full Moon dates

– 1583 AD: table for determining the Ecclesiastical Full Moon dates was

permanently established and has been used ever since

– Easter dates can range from March 22 through April 25

• EOC: must fall on the Sunday AFTER Passover

– Use the actual, astronomical full moon and the actual vernal equinox as

observed along the meridian of Jerusalem

– When is Passover? Based on Lunar & Solar calendar

• Average Hebrew calendar year is longer by about 6 minutes and 25.5

seconds than the current mean solar year, so that every 231 years it falls

another day behind the Gregorian calendar year

Why Eastern Church Rejected New Calendar

• Despite the efforts of the emissaries of Pope Gregory to

convince the Orthodox to accept the New (Gregorian)

Calendar, the Orthodox Church rejected it because:

– The celebration of Easter would be altered plus it violates:

• Injunctions of canon 7 of the Holy Apostles,

• The decree of the First Ecumenical Synod, and

• Canon 1 of Ancyra

• Easter would sometimes coincide with the Jewish

Passover in the Gregorian calendar

• With separate calendars, did Christmas E&W drift apart?

Adoption of Gregorian Meant “Lost” Days

• 1582: Philip II of Spain who ruled over Spain, Portugal,

and much of Italy, decreed the change from the Julian to

the Gregorian calendar

– Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Papal States joined

– Julian Thursday, 4 October 1582 was followed by Gregorian

Friday 15 October 1582 (10 days “lost”)

• In America and British empire, the adoption came in

1752 when the calendar sliced away 11 days

– Also, New Year’s day moved from March 25 to January 1

• October, Latin number eight (octo), moved from 8th to 10th month

– Importance of vernal equinox lost

– People wrote dates between January 1st and March 25th both

ways, reflecting the "Old Style”(O.S.) and the "New Style" (N.S.)

Complications

• Gregorian calendar attempts to fix the vernal equinox on

(or shortly before) March 21

• The mean length of the year is 365.2425 days

– 97 leap years every 400 years

– Actual current length of the mean tropical year 365.24219 days

– Current March equinox year is 365.2424 days

• The Sun is moving in our galaxy

• The Earth’s rotation wobbles (nutation)

• The Earth's rotation is slowing down!

– Length of the day will elongate (relative to rotation around sun)

– After 4000 years

CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS

Finding a Suitable Day for

Roman Origins

• Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius

270-275 AD establishes the winter

solstice, 25 December, to

celebrate the sun god

• Dies Natalis Solis Invicti means

“Birthday of the Unconquered Sun”

• Malachi 4:2 writes Sol Iustitiae the

'sun of righteousness'

• RC leaders during the reign of the

emperor Constantine, assimilate

this sun feast as the birthday of

Jesus as the sun god

Christ the Sun God, 4th C, St. Peter’s

Basilica, Rome

British

Museum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Invictushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Invictus

Christmas Was Not Important Till Rome

• THE important Christian date was Easter – until Constantine

– 245: Origen commented that Scripture says only sinners celebrate their birthdays

• Christmas unimportant until 4th C to Roman Christians

– Eastern and Western Church had separate traditions

– Indicative of theological differences (plus Arius, Nestorius, Mani, others)

• 354 CE: evidence of a Christmas celebration on Dec 25 in Rome

– Eastern Christianity’s Christmas was celebrated on January 6

• In connection with Theophany / Epiphany (Baptism)

• Birth of Christ (god) at baptism

• December 25 celebration was imported to the Eastern Empire

– 388: to Antioch by John Chrysostom

– To Alexandria in the following century

– Celebrating the nativity of Jesus on both Dec 25 and Jan 6 seems to

have continued after Nicaea until 380s [Hastings & Selbie, Encyclopedia

of Religion and Ethics pp. 605]

History of Christmas Celebrations

• Irenaenus (130-202), Hippolytus of Rome (170-235), and Sextus Julius

Africanus (160–240): Jesus’ conception on equinox, birth on solstice

• In 245, Origen of Alexandria, writing about Leviticus 12:1–8, comments

that Scripture mentions only sinners celebrate their birthdays

• In 303, Arnobius ridicules the idea of celebrating the birthdays of gods;

evidence that Arnobius was unaware of any nativity celebration

• Roman festival Saturnalia held Dec 17 in the Julian calendar with

festivities through to the 23rd of December

– Began with a sacrifice at the Temple of Saturn, in the Roman Forum

• Oldest cult site in Rome, location of "a very ancient" altar within the first temple, 497 BC

– A public banquet followed by private gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival

atmosphere that overturned Roman social norms lasted for a week

• Gambling was permitted, and masters provided table service for their slaves

• Holiday from all forms of work, schools, duties, politics, no declaration of war could be made

– The poet Catullus called it "the best of days”

• Roman Chronography of 354 AD indicates a celebration on December

25 of a Christian liturgical feast of the birth of Jesus

History of Christmas in EO Church

• Late 4th C, the birth of Jesus was celebrated in connection

with the Epiphany (baptism) on Jan 6

– The December 25 celebration was imported to East from Rome

• 325 AD: Niceae sought to homogenize Christianity

• 379 AD: To Constantinople

• 380 AD: To Antioch by John Chrysostom

• 392 AD: To Alexandria

– January 6 celebration continued in addition to December 25

• Strange to have 2 birthdays? Did Epiphany replace birthday?

– Even in the West, the January 6 celebration continued

throughout 4th C

• Christmas was promoted in the Christian East as part of the

revival of Catholicism following the death of the pro-Arian

Emperor Valens at Adrianople in 378 AD

Christmas Day Today

Church Date Calendar Gregorian Note

Armenian Patriarchate January 6 Julian January 19 Good till 2100

Armenian Apostolic January 6 Gregorian January 6

Eastern Orthodox December 25 Revised

Julian December 25

RJC begun in

early 20th C

Other EO:

Russia, Serbia December 25

Julian (adpt

Gregorian

in 1918)

January 7 Good till 2099

Coptic Koiak 29 Coptic January 7 or 8

Ethiopian Tahsas 29 or 28 Ethiopian January 7 Complicated

Western Christian December 25 Gregorian December 25

Twelve Holy Days

• Early Middle Ages: Dec 25th was overshadowed by Epiphany

• Eastern Christianity celebrated Theophany on Jan 6th

• Western Christianity assigned Jan 6 as the visit of the magi

– December 25 as the birth, Jan 6th for Epiphany as well

• Medieval calendar dominated by Christmas-related holidays

– The forty days before Christmas became the "forty days of St. Martin"

(which began on November 11, the feast of St. Martin of Tours), now

known as Advent

– In Italy, former Saturnalian traditions were attached to Advent

• 12th century: traditions applied to the Twelve Days of

Christmas (December 25 – January 6); a time that appears in

the liturgical calendars as Christmastide or Twelve Holy Days

– Relation of each day to coming month of year

– Twelve days from Jan 6 is Jan 19

Middle Ages: Christmas Gaining “Power”

• The prominence of Christmas Day increased gradually after

– Charlemagne was crowned Emperor on Christmas Day in 800

– King Edmund the Martyr was anointed on Christmas in 855

– King William I of England was crowned on Christmas 1066

• By the High Middle Ages, the holiday had become so

prominent that chroniclers routinely noted where various

magnates celebrated Christmas

– 1377: King Richard II of England hosted a Christmas feast in at which

28 oxen and 300 sheep were eaten

– Medieval Christmas feasts commonly offered the Yule boar

– Unruly traditions of Saturnalia and Yule became incorporated

• Caroling also became popular

– Group composed of a lead singer and a ring of dancers that provided

the chorus

Bans on Celebrating Christmas

• English Parliament banned Christmas celebration

– During the English Interregnum (1649–1660)

– Considered it "a popish festival with no biblical justification"

– Appalled with immoral behavior

– England then was ruled by a Puritan Parliament

– Puritans sought to remove the remaining pagan elements in

Roman Christianity, namely Christmas

• 1659: Puritans in America outlawed Christmas celebration

CELEBRATION OF CHRISTMAS

Theology Relating to the

Birth of Christ or Jesus?

• Are these different?

• “Incarnation of Christ and the cosmic salvation it has for

all mankind” – Archimandrite Christopher Calin, dean of

the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Virgin

Protection

• “Emphasis on the spiritual reality of this miraculous

mystery of God becoming man, so that man may be

united to God and to each other”

http://www.christianpost.com/news/why-the-orthodox-church-celebrates-christmas-on-jan-7-66615/http://www.christianpost.com/news/why-the-orthodox-church-celebrates-christmas-on-jan-7-66615/

Theology and Christ’s Mass

• Confusion about Jesus, Jesus the Nazarene*, and Christ by 325 AD

– For Rome, concept of Jesus as Christ from birth

– For East, Theophany as birth of Christ (the man Jesus became J-C)

• The contribution of the ancient Mysteries to Christianity, civilization,

knowledge, and science often is ignored in History classes

– Content of Mysteries was oral tradition until Alexander’s time

– Hellenism provided a path for some of Mysteries to be written

– Early Christianity claimed new mystery, spread through Mystery Ctrs

– Later Christianity destroyed the Mystery Centers as pagans

• Among the Mystery groups, wisdom of duality in Man existed

– Mani, Gnostics, Essenes, many others

– Light-Dark, Male-Female, Cain-Abel, Outer-Inner, Ascent-Descent

– To fulfill, expectation of Two Messiahs who would be merged

* See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazirite

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazirite

Theophany/Epiphany

• 361 AD: first reference to

Epiphany as a Christian feast by

Ammianus Marcellinus (380 AD

Rome adopts Christianity)

• St. Gregory of Nazianzus said in

a sermon on December 25, 380:

ta theophania commemorates

he hagia tou Christou gennesis

and told his congregation to

celebrate the baptism of Christ on January 6

• January 6 is “hemera genethlion toutestin epiphanion” Christ's

"Birthday; that is, His Epiphany" - St. Epiphanius

• Saint John Cassian wrote that in the beginning of the 5th century, the

Egyptian monasteries celebrated the Nativity and Baptism together on

January 6

Multiple Disciples, Multiple Christianities

Right to left:

• John the

Baptist

• Jesus

receiving the

Spirit (Dove)

• God of the

Jordon River

• = Man + God

Circled by 12

Apostles

Built by

Ostrogoth King

Theodoric the

Great, Arian

Christian

Rome Becomes Christian: Wants 1 Religion

• 325 AD: Constantine I called

the Church's bishops to

convene the Council of Nicaea

– Affirmed the view that the Son

was equal to the Father, one

with the Father, and of the

same substance

• Council condemned the

teachings of Arius

– Jesus was a man and Christ

the Son enters body at baptism

– The Son was a created being

and inferior to God the Father

• Theodosius puts an end to

different Christian factions

– Also destroys pagan churches

Who (and What) Was Christ?

• Substance of Father and Son

– Council of Nicaea asserted homo-ousios

• Jesus as the Son is equal to the Father, one with the Father, and of the same

substance

– Arius: Son a created being and inferior to God the Father but Father and

Son were of a similar substance (homo-iousios in Greek) but not identical

• Homoousian: Identical vs Homoiousios: Nearly the same (only an iota)

– Homoios: Spiritual Beings, Gods, ignores (ousia) substance

• Emperor Valens favored the homoios group

– Theology prominent in much of the East

– Sons of Constantine the Great gave it a foothold in the West

• 381: Council of Constantinople

– Jesus declared a deity of Jesus

– Arianism formally declared a heresy

– Holy Spirit deemed to be the third Person of the Trinity

– Most churches abandoned Arianism after this council

Arian Theology Taken Up by Barbarians

• In 348, in Moesia [modern northern Bulgaria] Ulfilas

translates the Bible from Greek into the Gothic language

– To do this, he devised the Gothic alphabet

• Ulfilas converts many of the Goths, to Arian Christianity

– Arian theology: distinguishes God the Father ("unbegotten") from

God the Son ("only-begotten"), through whom (as architect) the

world was created, and the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from both

the Father and the Son

– Through whom means

• Wholeness

• Archetype

– Wulfila in Gothic

• Goths surround Rome

Migrations of Peoples: 100–500

Paulicians and Bogomils

• Originated in Armenia, 7th C Slavic: “beloved of God”

• 660: Constantine of Mananalis

received an initiate who put in

his hands a precious and rare

treasure – a New Testament

copy – called to restore the

pure Christianity taught by Paul

• Using only the NT, he taught

there were 2 gods: one made

human soul, the other made

human body and matter

• 845-852: Byzantine Empress Theodora had over 100,000 Paulicians executed

• 970: Emperor John I Tzimiskes forced 200K Armenian Paulicians to resettle in Philippopolis

• 1234: Pope Gregory IX calls for a crusade against Bogomils and Cathars

• 1650: After Cathar extermination and centuries of brutality, they convert to Catholicism

Migration of the Dualists What of the Ancient Mysteries Did They Carry?

Nestorian Church, aka The Church of the East

• Nestorius

– (386–451)

– From Antioch

• Spread from Persia

– To India & Mongols

• 9th – 14th C world's

largest (geo) Church

– From Japan & China to

Mediterranean

• What was different?

– New Mysteries

– Jesus (human) + Christ

(god) @ baptism

Emperor Theodosian

• Emperor Theodosius issued a series of decrees

in 341-391 CE

• The intent was to “suppress all rival religions,

order the closing of the temples, and impose

fines, confiscation, imprisonment or death upon

any who cling to the old Pagan religions.”

• On 27 February 380, decree "Cunctos populos"

aka "Edict of Thessalonica“ declared the Nicene

Trinitarian Christianity to be the only legitimate Imperial religion

• Other Christians he described as "foolish madmen”

• Ended official state support for the traditional Polytheism religions

• Expelled non-Nicene bishops

Painting: Saint Ambrose and Emperor Theodosius by Anthony van Dyck

Theodosian Destroys the Ancient Mysteries

• The Emperor now had a major say in beliefs and admin of church

– The period of relative religious tolerance in Roman Empire ends

• Pagan worship became punishable by death

– Pagan temples seized and converted to Christian use or destroyed

– Priests and Priestesses were exiled or killed

• Nicene Christianity became the only permitted religion

– 385 Spain: bishop Priscillian, who taught some Gnostic beliefs was

condemned as a heretic and executed by his fellow Christians on

religious grounds

– The church used the power of the state to begin programs to oppress,

exile or exterminate both Pagans and non-Nicene Christians, e.g.

Gnostics, Arians

• Christian mobs, led by monks, destroy pagan learning centers and

libraries – all books burned (also Hulagu destroys Baghdad, 1258)

• What else was lost of the different Christianities?

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS?

Should there be TWO

Expectations of Two Anointed Ones

• Dead Sea Scroll (Essene) Damascus Document

Two Messiah children: from Aaron (priest) and from Israel (king)

Importance of baptism: the beginning of “the Word became flesh”

• Kabbalistic Roots: Zohar "Another Messiah, the son of Joseph, will unite himself with the Messiah,

the son of David. But the son of Joseph will not remain in life, he will be

killed and will become alive again, when the little hill receives life upon the

great hill."

• “Old Testament”: Zechariah 4:14, Numbers 24:17, Ezekiel 37:15-17, 1. “These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth”

2. “There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel“

3. “They [sticks of Judah and Joseph] shall become one in thine hand”

• Pistis Sophia chptrs 59-62 mentions two families

Both with parents Joseph and Mary, both with son Jesus

The Two Christmas Stories Summary

Matthew Luke

Theme Kings, Magi - Star Poor Shepherds,

Heavenly hosts

Lineage Through King Solomon Through Priest Nathan

Generations 42 (14x3) from Abraham 77 (7x11) from Adam

Angel speaks to Joseph Mary

Original home Bethlehem, own home Nazareth

Slaughter of the

innocents Yes Not mentioned

Escape to Egypt Yes No

John the Baptist’s birth Not mentioned Mary visits Elizabeth

Maternal lineage Not mentioned Mary and Elizabeth from

high priest Aaron

Fra Filippo Lippi, Spoleto Cathedral

Plautilla Nelli, Nativity

• 1524–1588

• Florentine nun

• Child partially

up

– Gesturing

• Joseph

• Shepherds

• Also note:

– Dominican

Monk

– Knight

– Resurrection

image upper

right http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Plautilla_Nelli

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plautilla_Nellihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plautilla_Nelli

Ghirlandaio, Adoration of the Magi

• 1449 – 1494

• Child is awake

– Blessing

• Legend: he could

speak

• Also note:

– Ox and ass

– John the Baptist

– Two children

Ghirlandaio, Slaughter of the Innocents

Presentation on Virgin of the Rocks is available at www.thechristianmysteries.org

http://www.thechristianmysteries.org/

Three Children by Bernardino de’ Conti

• 1470-1523

• Milan

• Bernardino was a

student of Leonardo

• He was also a friend and

associate of Ambrogio di

Predis

• Who are these three?

• Note the halo of the

Nathan-Jesus

• Why John? Baptism!

Note the “transfer”

Michaelangelo, Sistine Chapel

Zachariah (Zacharias)

Note Two Anointed Ones

foretold

Priest serving in Temple in

Jerusalem

AND THE TWO BECAME ONE

Leonardo’s Students Were in on This

Christ Among the Doctors

Ambrogio da Fossano Bergognone

1470s – 1523/24

Milan

• Bernardino di

Betto

(Pinturicchio) c.

1452-1513

• Studied under

Bergognone and

DaVinci

• Fresco, Bagloioni

Chapel, Santa

Maria Maggiore,

Spello, Italy

• Painted this 1501



• Colors, socks, clothes

Bernardino Luini

• Student of both Leonardo and Bergognone

• Christ Among the Doctors, painted 1515

• Leonardo’s signature appears 3 times on the back

Martino Spanzotti (1455 – 1528)

Conclusions

1. Originally, the only Christian holy day was Easter

– Set in conjunction with the Vernal Equinox and after Passover

2. Multiple streams of Christianity, some connected to Ancient Mysteries =

different traditions & theologies, different Sees

3. Rome’s desire for uniformity led to Roman Catholicism (one universal)

– Roman army and mobs used to destroy pagans and heretics

– Roman empire split into East and West each with own theology

4. By 4th C, Roman theology “requested” Jesus to be God at birth – needed

celebration – adopted Saturnalia 12/25 (winter solstice) – Julian calendar not sufficiently accurate, drift led to Gregorian calendar

5. Florentine artists were aware of “heretical” and Mystery theology

– Hid theme of two Jesus children into art (fear of inquisitors)

6. Actual birth dates (Matthew & Luke) may never be known

– Luke-Jesus likely late September (e.g. 25) came well after Matthew-Jesus

– Matthew-Jesus possibly between December 21 and January 19, 4 BCE?

– “About 30” necessary because Jesus combination would not be a single age

– When is Epiphany / Theopany? January 6 is “good enough”

FURTHER WORK

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

Cain fulfillment

Begins at baptism Begins at baptism

Abel fulfillment Angel-Man

Lion

Bull

Eagle

Lineage in Matthew: “42 Generations”?

Abraham to David David to Exile Exile to JC

Abraham Solomon Shealtiel

Isaac Rehoboam Zerubbabel

Jacob Abijah Abihud

Judah Asa Eliakim

Perez Jehoshaphat Azor

Hezron Jehoram Zadok

Ram Uzziah Akim

Amminadab Jotham Elihud

Nahshon Ahaz Eleazar

Salmon Hezekiah Matthan

Boaz Manasseh Jacob

Obed Amon Joseph, Mary

Jesse Josiah Jesus Chris

David Jeconiah ? (us)

Kepler: 41 Conjunctions Saturn & Jupiter

1596: Mysterium Cosmographicum

Source: Jos Verhulst, Unbearable Beauty, Unfathomable Depth

Scheme of 40 subsequent great

conjunctions, with the first one

located at the vernal point (a

‘greatest conjunction’, according

to Kepler)

The 40 locations are drawn at

the corners of a regular 40-

pointed star inscribed in the

ecliptic

41st great conjunction coincides

with the 1st one

Was Kepler a mystic?

References

• David Hughes, The Star of

Bethlehem Mystery, 1979

• Konradin Ferrari d‘Occhieppo,

Der Stern von Bethlehem in

astronomischer Sicht Legende

oder Tatsache?, 2003

• Jos Verhulst, De Rubens Code,

Via Libra, 2011

• David Ovason, The Two Children,

2001

• Percy Seymour, The Birth of

Christ, 1998

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luke_1

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronology_

of_Jesus

• http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/e

ntry/Theodosius_I

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(

holiday)

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_

calendar#Adoption

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_

solstice

• http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/

us/orthodox-christmas-day

• http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_h

ise.htm

• http://www.jewishhistory.org/the-

roman-empire-adopts-christianity/

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphinx

• http://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-

was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-

december-25-christmas-day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luke_1http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Theodosius_Ihttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Theodosius_Ihttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Theodosius_Ihttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Theodosius_Ihttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Theodosius_Ihttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Theodosius_Ihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_solsticehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_solsticehttp://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/orthodox-christmas-dayhttp://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/orthodox-christmas-dayhttp://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/orthodox-christmas-dayhttp://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/orthodox-christmas-dayhttp://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/orthodox-christmas-dayhttp://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/orthodox-christmas-dayhttp://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_hise.htmhttp://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_hise.htmhttp://www.jewishhistory.org/the-roman-empire-adopts-christianity/http://www.jewishhistory.org/the-roman-empire-adopts-christianity/http://www.jewishhistory.org/the-roman-empire-adopts-christianity/http://www.jewishhistory.org/the-roman-empire-adopts-christianity/http://www.jewishhistory.org/the-roman-empire-adopts-christianity/http://www.jewishhistory.org/the-roman-empire-adopts-christianity/http://www.jewishhistory.org/the-roman-empire-adopts-christianity/http://www.jewishhistory.org/the-roman-empire-adopts-christianity/http://www.jewishhistory.org/the-roman-empire-adopts-christianity/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphinxhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-dayhttp://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-day

DISCUSSION

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL

Middle East and the Renaissance

• Constantinople

would soon fall

• Remnants of

Knights

Templars

vanishing

• Fear of the loss

of Eastern

Christian values

• Fear of the loss

of Ancient

Mysteries

Gemistus Plethon (1355 – 1454)

• Constantinople 1355 – Mistra (outside Sparta)1454

• 1428: Byzntn Emperor John VIII asks Gemistus

– How to unify the churches

• 1438 - 39 Council of Florence

– Attempts to reconcile the East-West schism

– Accompanies John VIII because of his renowned wisdom and morality

– Byzantine Empire was asking for European help against the Ottomans

• Becomes the Catalyst for the Renaissance

– Invited to set up a temporary school

• Lectures on the differences between Plato and Aristotle

– Cosimo de' Medici attended these lectures – very excited

• Inspired, he founds the Accademia Platonica with Ficino as its head

• Students of Plethon continued to teach well after the council ended

– Lectures summarized in book On the Differences of Aristotle from Plato

– Inspired Renaissance paintings on Greek mythology

Plethon and the Council of Florence

• A “Prince Among the Philosophers”

• Well versed in Plato, Aristotle, Zoroaster/Zarathustra

• Marsilio Ficino called him 'the second Plato' while Cardinal

Bessarion speculated as to whether Plato's soul occupied his body

• Plethon’s books included Hermes Trismegistus, likely source

for Ficino's Orphic system of natural magic

– Believed West was influenced by Arabic (materialistic) interpretations of

Plato & Aristotle

– Practiced ancient Greek paganism yet coupled this with Christianity

• Trunk full of books – allowed de’ Medici team to translate

– Doctrines of Zoroaster, Plato, Plotinus, Hermes Trismegistus and others

– Byzantines had wisdom and many documents the West had not seen

• 1440: Returned to Greece to found a mystery center in Mistra

Esoteric Books

Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse

of St. John

• The affairs of the Church begin to be considered at the opening of the fifth

seal, as was said above. Then she is represented by a woman in the

Temple of heaven, clothed with the sun of righteousness, and the

moon of Jewish ceremonies under her feet, and upon her head a crown of

twelve stars relating to the twelve Apostles and to the twelve tribes of Israel.

When she fled from the Temple into the wilderness, she left in the Temple

a remnant of her seed, who kept the commandments of God, and had the

testimony of Jesus Christ; and therefore before her flight she represented

the true primitive Church of God, tho afterwards she degenerated like

Aholah and Aholibah. In Diocesian's persecution she cried, travelling in

birth, and pained to be delivered. And in the end of that persecution, by the

victory of Constantine over Maxentius A.C. 312, she brought forth a man-

child, such a child as was to rule all nations with a rod of iron, a Christian

Empire. And her child, by the victory of Constantine over Licinius, A.C.

323, was caught up unto God and to his throne.

Esoteric Books

• And the woman, by the division of the Roman Empire into the Greek and Latin

Empires, fled from the first Temple into the wilderness, or spiritually barren Empire of

the Latins, where she is found afterwards sitting upon the Beast and upon the seven

mountains; and is called the great city which reigneth over the Kings of the earth, that

is, over the ten Kings who give their kingdom to her Beast.

• But before her flight there was war in heaven between Michael and the Dragon,

the Christian and the heathen religions; and the Dragon, that old serpent, called the

Devil and Satan, who deceiveth the whole world, was cast out to the earth, and his

Angels were cast out with him. And John heard a voice in heaven, saying, Now is

come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of

his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down. And they overcame him by

the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. And they loved not their

lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe

be to the inhabiters of the earth and sea, or people of

the Greek and Latin Empires, for the devil is come down amongst you, having great

wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

• And when the Dragon saw that he was cast down from the Roman throne, and the

man-child caught up thither, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man-

child; and to her, by the division of the Roman Empire between the cities

of Rome and Constantinople A.C. 330, were given two wings of a great eagle, the

symbol of the Roman Empire, that she might flee from the first Temple into the

wilderness of Arabia, to her place at Babylon mystically so called.

By Isaac Newton!

From Isaac Newton (1733)

• The times of the Birth and Passion of Christ, with such like niceties,

being not material to religion, were little regarded by the Christians

of the first age. They who began first to celebrate them, placed them

in the cardinal periods of the year; as the annunciation of the Virgin

Mary, on the 25th of March, which when Julius Cæsar corrected the

Calendar was the vernal Equinox; the feast of John Baptist on the

24th of June, which was the summer Solstice; the feast of St.

Michael on Sept. 29, which was the autumnal Equinox; and the birth

of Christ on the winter Solstice, Dec. 25, with the feasts of St.

Stephen, St. John and the Innocents, as near it as they could place

them. And because the Solstice in time removed from the 25th of

December to the 24th, the 23d, the 22d, and so on backwards,

hence some in the following centuries placed the birth of Christ on

Dec. 23, and at length on Dec. 20: and for the same reason they

seem to have set the feast of St. Thomason Dec. 21, and that of

St. Matthew on Sept. 21.

From Isaac Newton (1733)

• So also at the entrance of the Sun into all the signs in the Julian

Calendar, they placed the days of other Saints; as the conversion

of Paul on Jan.25, when the Sun entred ; St. Matthias on Feb. 25,

when he entred ; St. Mark on Apr. 25, when he entred ; Corpus

Christi on May 26, when he entred ; St. James on July 25, when he

entred ; St. Bartholomew on Aug. 24, when he entred; Simon and

Jude on Oct. 28, when he entred : and if there were any other

remarkable days in the Julian Calendar, they placed the Saints upon

them, as St. Barnabas on June 11, where Ovid seems to place the

feast of Vesta and Fortuna, and the goddess Matuta; and St. Philip

and James on the first of May, a day dedicated both to the Bona

Dea, or Magna Mater, and to the goddess Flora, and still celebrated

with her rites. All which shews that these days were fixed in the

first Christian Calendars by Mathematicians at pleasure, without any

ground in tradition; and that the Christians afterwards took up with

what they found in the Calendars.

De Pascha Computus

• An anonymous work known as De Pascha Computus,

243 AD, linked the idea that creation began at the spring

equinox, on 25 March with the conception or birth (the

word nascor can mean either) of Jesus on 28 March, the

day of the creation of the sun in the Genesis account

• One translation reads: "O the splendid and divine

providence of the Lord, that on that day, the very day, on

which the sun was made, the 28 March, a Wednesday,

Christ should be born

• For this reason Malachi the prophet, speaking about him

to the people, fittingly said, ‘Unto you shall the sun of

righteousness arise, and healing is in his wings’

Pagan Sources for Christmas

• Prior to and through the early Christian centuries, winter

festivals—especially those centered on the winter

solstice—were the most popular of the year in many

European pagan cultures

– Reasons included the fact that less agricultural work needs to be

done during the winter, as well as an expectation of better

weather as spring approached

• Many modern Christmas customs have been directly

influenced by such festivals, including gift-giving and

merrymaking from the Roman Saturnalia, greenery,

lights, and charity from the Roman New Year, and Yule

logs and various foods from Germanic feasts

Pagan Sources

• Pagan Scandinavia celebrated a winter festival called

Yule, held in the late December to early January period

• As northern Europe was the last part to Christianize, its

pagan traditions had a major influence on Christmas

there, an example being the Koleda, which was

incorporated into the Christmas carol

• Scandinavians still call Christmas Jul

• In English, the word Yule is synonymous with Christmas,

a usage first recorded in 900

Twelve Days of Christmas?

• Britain and the British Empire (including the eastern part of what is

now the United States) adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752 by

which time it was necessary to correct by 11 days. Wednesday, 2

September 1752 was followed by Thursday, 14 September 1752.

• Dec 24th sundown - Dec 25th sundown => Christmas Day, holy day

• Dec 25th sundown - Dec 26th sundown => day 1 of the Twelve days

of Christmas

• Dec 26th sundown - Dec 27th sundown => day 2 of the Twelve days

of Christmas...

• Jan 4th sundown - Jan 5th sundown => day 11 of the Twelve days

of Christmas

• Jan 5th sundown - Jan 6th sundown => day 12 of the Twelve days

of Christmas, which is also Epiphany

Eastern and Western Empires

Under Diocletian, 5 part division Roman Empire 286 AD

Constantine 306 AD becomes Augustus of West. Unites both 314

Eastern Traditions

• Abstain from meat, eggs, dairy, and alcohol for a period

of 40 days leading up to Christmas

• A fast is kept throughout the day of Christmas Eve

• At sunset a child looks for the appearance of the first star

• A special meal called the "Holy Night supper" is eaten

– 12 meat-free and dairy-free dishes, one for each apostle

– When gathered at the table, a blessing and reading from the

Bible is offered and after the meal is eaten, carols are sung

• Next, a Nativity Vigil consisting of psalms and

prophesies followed by anointing each with fragrant oil

• The day after Christmas, church services honor the

Virgin Mary for her role in the nativity story • Source

http://www.christianpost.com/news/why-the-orthodox-church-celebrates-christmas-on-jan-7-66615/

History of Customs

• Many popular customs were adopted by Christianity from pagans

– Constantine, State Religion

• Pre-Christian festivals celebrated around the winter solstice

– Evergreen tree

– Yule log from Yule

– Gift giving from Saturnalia

• Evolution of the prevailing atmosphere of Christmas

• Raucous, drunken, carnival-like state in the Middle Ages

• Tame family-oriented and children-centered theme introduced in a

19th-century reformation

• Celebration of Christmas was banned on more than one occasion

within certain Protestant groups

– Puritans: concerned that it was too pagan or unbiblical

Stamping Out the Mysteries

• 341 CE: Emperor Theodosian issued a series of decrees in 341,

345, 356, 381, 383, 386 and 391 CE to "suppress all rival religions,

order the closing of the temples, and impose fines, confiscation,

imprisonment or death upon any who cling to the older religions"

• The period of relative religious tolerance in the Roman Empire

ended as Pagan temples were seized and converted to Christian

use or destroyed

• Priests and Priestesses were exiled or killed

• Christianity and Judaism became the only permitted religions

• In Spain, bishop Priscillian, who taught some Gnostic beliefs was

condemned as a heretic and executed by his fellow Christians on

religious grounds

• The church used the power of the state to begin programs to

oppress, exile or exterminate both Pagans and Gnostic Christians

One Christianity (Catholic)

• By the end of the century, Pagan temples had been either destroyed or recycled for

Christian use

• Pagan worship became punishable by death

• According to most religious historians, church authority had became concentrated in

five bishops or patriarchs located in Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, Jerusalem

and Rome.

• Although they were officially given equal status, the Bishop of Rome was considered

by many to be the first among equals, mainly because the governing of the Roman

Empire was centered in Rome.

• Roman Catholic Church teaches that Peter was the first pope during the first century

CE and was widely acknowledged to be the head of the Christian Church.

• 381 CE: At the Council of Constantinople, the earlier council's decision on the deity of

Jesus was confirmed and Arianism was formally declared a heresy.

• They also voted that Holy Spirit was the third Person of the Trinity. Almost all of the

churches abandoned Arianism after this council.

• Near the end of the century, the Roman Emperor "Theodosius decreed that the

doctrine of the Trinity was to be the official state religion and that all his subjects

should adhere to it."

Calendar Nomenclature

• Celebration of Easter

– Key Christian festival until Rome

– Between AD 325 (when the First Council of Nicaea was held, and the

vernal equinox occurred approximately 21 March), and the time of Pope

Gregory's bull in 1582, the vernal equinox had moved backward in the

calendar, so that in 1582 it occurred about 11 March, 10 days earlier

than 21 March. The Gregorian calendar therefore began by skipping 10

calendar days, to restore 21 March as the date of the vernal equinox.

• The Gregorian calendar continued to use the previous calendar era

(year-numbering system), which counts years from the traditional

date of the nativity (Anno Domini), originally calculated in the 6th

century by Dionysius Exiguus

• This year-numbering system, also known as Dionysian era or

Common Era is the predominant international standard today

Setting Easter by Spring Equinox

• Because the spring equinox was tied to the date of Easter, the

Catholic Church felt the date of Easter should not drift with calendar

• The Church of Alexandria celebrated Easter on the Sunday after

the 14th day of the moon (computed using the Metonic cycle) that

falls on or after the vernal equinox, which they placed on 21 March

• However, the Church of Rome still regarded 25 March as the

equinox (until 342) and used a different cycle to compute the day of

the moon

• Thus Easter could vary between 22 March and 25 April

• But in Rome, Easter was not allowed to fall later than 21 April

because that was Parilia or birthday of Rome, a pagan festival

• Thus first day of the Easter moon allowed to be between 5th March

and 2nd April

Easter and the Moon

• Easter was set on the Sunday after the 15th day of the spring moon,

whose 14th day was allowed to precede the equinox

– Where the two systems produced different dates there was generally a

compromise so that both churches were able to celebrate on the same day

• By the 10th century all churches (except some on the eastern border

of the Byzantine Empire) had adopted the Alexandrian Easter, which

still placed the vernal equinox on 21 March, although Bede had

already noted its drift in 725 AD

– it had drifted even further by the 16th century

• Worse, the reckoned Moon that was used to compute Easter was

fixed to the Julian year by a 19-year cycle

– That approximation built up an error of one day every 310 years, so by the 16th

century the lunar calendar was out of phase with the real Moon by four days!

Origins of Month Names

• January: Janus (Roman god of gates, doorways, beginnings and endings)

• February: Februus] (Etruscan god of death) Februarius (mensis) (Latin for

“month of purification” last month of ancient pre-450 BC Roman calendar)

• March: Mars (Roman god of war)

• April: Aprilis (Latin for "month of Venus," 2nd month of AncRoman calendar)

• May: Maia Maiestas (Roman goddess)

• June: Juno (Roman goddess, wife of Jupiter)

• July: Julius Caesar] (Roman dictator)

• August: Augustus (first Roman emperor)

• September: septem (Latin for seven, the seventh month)

• October: octo (Latin for eight, the eighth month in the calendar of Romulus)

• November: novem (Latin for nine, the 9th month in the calendar of Romulus)

• December: decem (Latin for ten, 10th month in the calendar of Romulus)

which christmas is correct? - christian mysteries · 2015. 3. 3. · • “the winter solstice,...

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