Particulars
of Christianity:
312
The Church Ethic
Celebrating
Christmas
When seeking
to understand the origin of Christmas, a Christian will quickly
find that there is a lot of information available on this
topic, particularly on the Internet. Many of those articles
unfortunately draw extensively from highly questionable sources
including a lot of hype about the covert paganism in the modern
Roman Catholic Church.
Not that the Roman Catholic Church isn't inherently based
upon pagan practice and heretical teaching, but the point
is that many sources on this topic tend to exaggerate and
"fudge" their evidence. And, unfortunately, much of the argumentation
against celebrating Christmas has been constructed from this
evidence and from such less-than-credible rhetoric.
This study is designed to present an analysis of the Christmas
holiday from simple, verifiable evidence. We will use citations
from common, everyday sources and even from Catholic sources.
Our intention is to show in a concise, clear, step-by-step
manner what Christians should do regarding the Christmas holiday.
In this study we will answer the following questions:
1. Is the celebration of Christmas ever mentioned in
the Bible?
2. Was Christmas practiced by the early Church (the
Ante-Nicene Church) before 200 AD? When did the celebration
of Christmas begin?
3. Was Jesus born on December 25th?
4. Why was that day chosen?
5. Is there evidence that Christians (particularly
Gentile Christians) were re-adopting their former pagan holidays
unto the Lord?
6. Is it ever acceptable to incorporate Pagan religious
rites into the worship of the true God?
7. Doesn't Romans 14-15 tell us that Christians are
free to celebrate any holiday they want as long as they do
so in faith unto the Lord and that other Christians should
not condemn them for doing so?
8. Can Christmas be considered a Christian holiday?
Should Christians practice Christmas?
1. Is the celebration of Christmas ever mentioned in the
Bible?
Well, certainly Jesus' birth is recorded in the Bible but
the annual celebration of that event is neither instructed
nor practiced in the Bible. A simple Concordance search will
prove this fact. The only new holiday practiced in the Church
was the Lord's day, a weekly remembrance of the first day
of the week, the day on which Jesus rose.
2. Was Christmas practiced by the early Church (the Ante-Nicene
Church)? When did the celebration of Christmas begin?
No. Before 200 AD, the early Church taught about the birth
of Christ discussing such things as the recorded history of
it, the prophecy of it, and the virginity of Mary. But there
is no mention of celebrating it or commemorating it either
as instruction or as practice as the following quotes will
demonstrate from a variety of common sources.
"Christmas - The actual observance of the day of Jesus'
birth was long in coming. In particular, during the first
two centuries of Christianity there was strong opposition
to recognizing birthdays of martyrs or, for that matter,
of Jesus. Numerous church fathers offered sarcastic
comments about the pagan custom of celebrating birthdays…"
- Britannica.com
"Christmas - The observance probably does not date earlier
than A.D. 200 and did not become widespread until the 4th
cent." - The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.
And the Catholic Encyclopedia, newadvent.org/cathen, has a
great deal of detail on the origin of Christmas. First, we
learn about the origin of the word "Christmas."
"The word for Christmas in late Old English is Cristes Maesse,
the Mass of Christ, first found in 1038..." - Catholic Encyclopedia
So, the very name itself points to the close ties of the celebration
to Roman Catholicism and the Roman Catholic Mass.
Additionally, the Catholic Encyclopedia openly admits that
Christmas was not practiced by the early Church even through
the days of Irenaeus (120-202 AD) and Tertullian (155-220
AD).
"Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the
Church. Irenaeus and Tertullian omit it from their lists of
feasts..." - Catholic Encyclopedia
While there is no direct evidence indicating who started this
holiday, two things are for sure. First, it was embraced and
established by the Roman Catholic Church somewhere in the
4th century and our modern notions of Christmas were cultivated
from this practice including the name itself. (But perhaps
it is just a coincidence that the establishment of the Christmas
holiday and the Romanization of the Church coincided in the
middle of the 4th century.) Second, it was not celebrated
by Christ Jesus, his apostles, or any Christian prior to probably
200 AD. It was expressly left out of Christian feasts by orthodox
Church theologians as late as 220 AD.
The origin of the Christmas holiday was not the early orthodox
Church of the first and second centuries. This holiday was
established by the Roman Catholic Church in the 4th century
AD.
3. Was Jesus born on December 25th?
The truth is, we do not know the date of Christ's birth. It
is not recorded in the Bible and it is not given in the earliest
Church history. There is room for speculation and many modern
Jewish Christians actually place the date somewhere near the
end of September or beginning of October to align with the
Jewish feast of Tabernacles.
The following lengthy quote from the Catholic encyclopedia
demonstrates that the earliest date for the birth of Christ
were not in December. And this comes from individuals who
lived much closer to the events than we do, which perhaps
puts them in a better position to determine the actual historic
date of the event. Nevertheless, this quote below demonstrates
the difficulty of determining the date of Christ's birth even
from early times.
"Alexandria. The first evidence of the feast is from
Egypt. About A.D. 200, Clement of Alexandria (Strom., I, xxi
in P.G., VIII, 888) says that certain Egyptian theologians
"over curiously" assign, not the year alone, but the day
of Christ's birth, placing it on 25 Pachon (20 May) in
the twenty-eighth year of Augustus. [Ideler (Chron., II, 397,
n.) thought they did this believing that the ninth month,
in which Christ was born, was the ninth of their own calendar.]
Others reached the date of 24 or 25 Pharmuthi (19 or 20
April). With Clement's evidence may be mentioned the "De
pasch¾ computus", written in 243 and falsely ascribed to Cyprian
(P.L., IV, 963 sqq.), which places Christ's birth on 28
March, because on that day the material sun was created.
But Lupi has shown (Zaccaria, Dissertazioni ecc. del p. A.M.
Lupi, Faenza, 1785, p. 219) that there is no month in the
year to which respectable authorities have not assigned Christ's
birth. Clement, however, also tells us that the Basilidians
celebrated the Epiphany, and with it, probably, the Nativity,
on 15 or 11 Tybi (10 or 6 January)...Abraham Ecchelensis
(Labbe, II, 402) quotes the Constitutions of the Alexandrian
Church for a dies Nativitatis et Epiphanie in Nic¾an times;
Epiphanius (H¾r., li, ed. Dindorf, 1860, II, 483) quotes
an extraordinary semi-Gnostic ceremony at Alexandria in which,
on the night of 5-6 January, a cross-stamped Kor was
carried in procession round a crypt, to the chant, "Today
at this hour Kore gave birth to the Eternal"; John Cassian
records in his "Collations" (X, 2 in P.L., XLIX, 820), written
418-427, that the Egyptian monasteries still observe the "ancient
custom"; but on 29 Choiak (25 December) and 1 January, 433,
Paul of Emesa preached before Cyril of Alexandria, and his
sermons (see Mansi, IV, 293; appendix to Act. Conc. Eph.)
show that the December celebration was then firmly established
there, and calendars prove its permanence. The December
feast therefore reached Egypt between 427 and 433. Cyprus,
Mesopotamia, Armenia, Asia Minor. In Cyprus, at the end
of the fourth century, Epiphanius asserts against the Alogi
(H¾r., li, 16, 24 in P. G., XLI, 919, 931) that Christ
was born on 6 January and baptized on 8 November. Ephraem
Syrus (whose hymns belong to Epiphany, not to Christmas) proves
that Mesopotamia still put the birth feast thirteen days after
the winter solstice; i.e. 6 January; Armenia likewise ignored,
and still ignores, the December festival." - Catholic
Encyclopedia
The Catholic Encyclopedia online describes additional difficulty
for deciphering the date or season in quote bwlow.
"Concerning the date of Christ's birth the Gospels give
no help; upon their data contradictory arguments are
based. The census would have been impossible in winter:
a whole population could not then be put in motion. Again,
in winter it must have been; then only field labour was suspended.
But Rome was not thus considerate. Authorities moreover differ
as to whether shepherds could or would keep flocks exposed
during the nights of the rainy season." - Catholic Encyclopedia
The point of the above quote is not to support either side
of the argument regarding whether the shepherds could have
been in the fields during winter or whether the census could
have taken place during winter. The point is simply to show
that scholars to this day continue to argue back and forth
on these questions. These types of arguments have by no means
resolved or proven the date one way or another. We are simply
demonstrating the difficulty of determining the date. We are
not trying to prove one side or another by the above excerpt.
Furthermore, the Catholic Encyclopedia goes on to explain
the following concerning other methods of determining the
date of Christ's birth.
"Zachary's temple service. Arguments based on Zachary's
temple ministry are unreliable, though the calculations
of antiquity (see above) have been revived in yet more complicated
form, e.g. by Friedlieb (Leben J. Christi des Erlosers, Munster,
1887, p. 312). The twenty-four classes of Jewish priests,
it is urged, served each a week in the Temple; Zachary was
in the eighth class, Abia. The Temple was destroyed 9 Ab,
A.D. 70; late rabbinical tradition says that class 1, Jojarib,
was then serving. From these untrustworthy data, assuming
that Christ was born A.U.C. 749, and that never in seventy
turbulent years the weekly succession failed, it is calculated
that the eighth class was serving 2-9 October, A.U.C. 748,
whence Christ's conception falls in March, and birth presumably
in December. Kellner (op. cit., pp. 106, 107) shows how
hopeless is the calculation of Zachary's week from any point
before or after it." - Catholic Encyclopedia
And finally, the Catholic Encyclopedia comments on another
popular method for determining the date.
"Analogy to Old Testament festivals. It seems impossible,
on analogy of the relation of Passover and Pentecost to Easter
and Whitsuntide, to connect the Nativity with the feast of
Tabernacles, as did, e.g., Lightfoot (Hore Hebr, et Talm.,
II, 32), arguing from Old Testament prophecy, e.g. Zacharias
14:16 sqq,; combining, too, the fact of Christ's death in
Nisan with Daniel's prophecy of a three and one-half years'
ministry (9:27), he puts the birth in Tisri, i.e. September.
As undesirable is it to connect 25 December with the Eastern
(December) feast of Dedication (Jos. Ant. Jud., XII, vii,
6)." - Catholic Encyclopedia
As these above quotes help to illustrate, the methods for
determining the birth date of Christ are as varied and conflicting
as are the dates themselves. And, these quotes also demonstrate
that this debate over the date not only occurs today but was
equally disputed among the ancient Christians.
4. Why was that day chosen?
Immediately after the above quote, The Catholic Encyclopedia
goes on to admit that the selection of the date for this holiday
is very likely to have been its tie to Natalis Invicti, the
pagan celebration of the birth of the sun at the winter solstice.
"Natalis Invicti. The well-known solar feast,
however, of Natalis Invicti, celebrated on 25 December,
has a strong claim on the responsibility for our December
date. For the history of the solar cult, its position
in the Roman Empire, and syncretism with Mithraism..."
- Catholic Encyclopedia
Further corroboration that the date was chosen for this purpose
comes when the Catholic Encyclopedia traces the long standing
symbolic association of God to the sun.
"The earliest rapprochement of the births of Christ and the
sun is in Cypr., 'De pasch. Comp.', xix, 'O quam preclare
providentia ut illo die quo natus est Sol . . . nasceretur
Christus.' - 'O, how wonderfully acted Providence that
on that day on which that Sun was born...Christ should be
born.' - In the fourth century, Chrysostom" - Catholic
Encyclopedia
And not only the Catholic Encyclopedia, but Worldbook and
Britannica Encyclopedias affirm that December 25 was most
likely chosen in order to coincide with the pagan festivals
at that time.
"Christmas - The first mention of December 25 as
the birth date of Jesus occurred in A.D. 336 in an early Roman
calendar. The celebration of this day as Jesus' birth date
was probably influenced by pagan (unchristian) festivals held
at that time. The ancient Romans held year-end celebrations
to honor Saturn, their harvest god; and Mithras, the god of
light. Various peoples in northern Europe held festivals
in mid-December to celebrate the end of the harvest season."
- World Book 2005 (Deluxe), Copyright 2004 World Book, Inc.
and its licensors.
"Christmas - The precise origin of assigning December
25 as the birth date of Jesus is unclear. The New Testament
provides no clues in this regard. December 25 was first identified
as the date of Jesus' birth by Sextus Julius Africanus in
221 and later became the universally accepted date. One widespread
explanation of the origin of this date is that December 25
was the Christianizing of the dies solis invicti nati ("day
of the birth of the unconquered sun"), a popular holiday in
the Roman Empire that celebrated the winter solstice as a
symbol of the resurgence of the sun, the casting away
of winter and the heralding of the rebirth of spring and summer.
Indeed, after December 25 had become widely accepted as
the date of Jesus' birth, Christian writers frequently made
the connection between the rebirth of the sun and the birth
of the Son." - Britannica.com
But notice how the Catholic Encyclopedia informs us that the
celebration of the birth of the sun was borrowed or incorporated
from Mithraism. (The word "syncretism" is defined as the "reconciliation
or fusion of differing systems of belief, as in philosophy
or religion." - The American Heritage¨ Dictionary of the English
Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.) Effectively, the Roman worship
of the sun-god including the celebration of his birth at the
winter solstice were borrowed from Mithraism, as the following
quotes will demonstrate.
"Mithra - Under the Achaemenids, Mithra became increasingly
important, until he appeared in the 5th cent. B.C. as the
principal Persian deity, the god of light and wisdom,
closely associated with the sun. His cult expanded
through the Middle East into Europe and became a worldwide
religion, called Mithraism. This was one of the great
religions of the Roman Empire, and in the 2d cent.
A.D. it was more general than Christianity." - The Columbia
Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.
"Christmas - It [Christmas] was celebrated in Rome
by AD 336, and the date December 25 was probably chosen
to coincide with the Roman winter solstice festival and birthday
of Mithra." - Britannica Concise at education.yahoo.com
"Sol - In Roman religion, the name of two distinct
sun gods at Rome. The original Sol, or Sol Indiges, had an
annual sacrifice and shrines on the Quirinal and in the Circus
Maximus. After the importation of various Syrian sun cults,
Elagabalus built a temple to Sol Invictus on the Palatine
and attempted to make his worship the principal religion at
Rome. Aurelian later reestablished the worship and erected
a temple to Sol in the Campus Agrippae. The worship of Sol
remained the chief imperial cult until the rise of Christianity."
- Britannica Concise at education.yahoo.com
"Sol, in Roman religion, in Roman religion, sun god.
An ancient god of Mesopotamian origin, he was introduced
(c.220) into Roman religion as Sol Invictus by emperor Heliogabalus.
His worship remained an important cult of Rome until the
rise of Christianity." - The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth
Edition. 2001.
"Sol - The worship of Sol assumed an entirely
different character with the later importation of various
sun cults from Syria. The Roman emperor Elagabalus
(reigned AD 218-222) built a temple to him as Sol Invictus
on the Palatine and attempted to make his worship the principal
religion at Rome. The emperor Aurelian (reigned 270-275)
later reestablished the worship and erected a magnificent
temple to Sol in the Campus Agrippae. The worship of Sol as
special protector of the emperors and of the empire remained
the chief imperial cult until it was replaced by Christianity."
- Britannica.com
"Church Year - Many have posited the theory that
the feast of Christ's Nativity, the birthday of "the sun
of righteousness" (Malachi 4:2), was instituted in
Rome, or possibly North Africa, as a Christian rival to
the pagan festival of the Unconquered Sun at the winter solstice.
This syncretistic cult that leaned toward monotheism had been
given official recognition by the emperor Aurelian in 274."
- Britannica.com
"Hellenistic Religion - Syrian solar cults of Sol
Invictus (the "Unconquered Sun") and Jupiter Dolichenus
played an important role under the emperors Antoninus Pius,
the Severans-Septimius, and Alexander-and Elagabalus and these
were hailed as the supreme deities of Rome under Aurelian,
whose Sun temple was dedicated in 274." - Britannica.com
"Christianity - Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 260-c.
340) was the court theologian of Emperor Constantine the Great,
who formed the Orthodox understanding of the mutual relationship
of church and state...Some of Eusebius' remarks echo the
cult of the Unconquered Sun, the Sol Invictus, who was represented
by the emperor according to pagan understanding. The emperor
- in this respect he also resembled the pagan god - emperor
who played the role of the pontifex maximus (high priest)
in the state cult - took the central position within the
church as well." - Britannica.com
"Mystery Religion - The height of Syrian influence
was in the 3rd century AD when Sol, the Syrian sun god, was
on the verge of becoming the chief god of the Roman Empire.
He was introduced into Rome by the emperor Elagabalus (Heliogabalus)
in about AD 220, and by about AD 240 Pythian Games (i.e.,
festivals of the sun god Apollo Helios) were instituted in
many cities of the empire. The emperor Aurelian (270-275)
elevated Sol to the highest rank among the gods. Sanctuaries
of Sol and the gods of other planets (septizonium) were constructed.
Even the emperor Constantine the Great, some 50 years later,
wavered between Sol and Christ. For some time his religious
policy was devised so as to allow the coexistence of both
religions. Finally, Christianity was accepted as the official
religion. - Britannica.com
And not only was the rebirth of the sun celebrated on the
day of December 25th, but, there was another important holiday
at that time as well, which also shares characteristics with
Christmas traditions. This provides at least some indicating
that it, too, may have been a adapted into the Christmas holiday
by Christians.
"Saturn, in Roman religion and mythology, god of harvests,
later identified with the Greek Kronos. Little is known of
the origins of his cult. His reign was regarded as the Golden
Age. He was the husband of Ops and the father of Jupiter,
Juno, Ceres, Pluto, and Neptune. It was said that after the
fall of the Titans, Saturn fled to Italy, where he settled
on the Capitoline Hill, civilized the people, and taught them
the arts of agriculture. At his festival, the Saturnalia,
held at first on Dec. 17 but later extended for several days
thereafter, gifts were exchanged, schools and courts were
closed, war was outlawed, and slaves and masters ate at
the same table. " - The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition.
2001.
"Saturn - Saturn's great festival, the Saturnalia,
became the most popular of Roman festivals, and its influence
is still felt in the celebration of Christmas and the
Western world's New Year. The Saturnalia was originally
celebrated on December 17, but it was later extended to seven
days. It was the merriest festival of the year: all
work and business were suspended; slaves were given temporary
freedom to say and to do what they liked; certain moral restrictions
were eased; and presents were freely exchanged." - Britannica.com
In conclusion, we take note that while Tertullian and Irenaeus
omit the celebration of Christmas among orthodox Christians
as late as 220 AD, which is the exact year that Sol Invictus
was introduced and established by the Roman Emperor. Conversely,
there is no debate that the celebration of Sol Invictus was
twice established as the "principle religion of Rome" by two
separate emperors while Christmas did not become widespread
among Christians until AFTERWARD in the late 3rd or early
4th century. So, while the date of Christ's birth was and
is still disputed both then and now, the celebration of the
sun-gods birth on December 25 was well known in the Roman
Empire BEFORE Christians began celebrating Christmas. And
these excerpts from both the Catholic Encyclopedia and common
reference books specifically assert more than once that the
understanding that the popular emergence of Christmas among
Christians in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries occurred
as an adaptation of the pagan holiday commemorating the rebirth
of the sun on the winter solstice, December 25.
5. Is there evidence that Christians (particularly Gentile
Christians) were re-adopting their former pagan holidays unto
the Lord?
"Galatians 4:8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God,
ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known
of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements,
whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 10 Ye observe
days, and months, and times, and years. 11 I am afraid
of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
12 Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are:
ye have not injured me at all." - The Apostle Paul
"Observing times" is a clear Biblical reference to pagan holidays,
which were based around various cosmic phenomenon such as
the winter solstice. (Please visit our article entitled "What
is Observing Times" for an in-depth explanation regarding
what the phrase "observing the times" means in the Bible and
its relationship to the positions of the sun, moon, and stars
in the sky.)
"3. Wherefore also it comes to pass, that the 'most perfect'
among them addict themselves without fear to all those
kinds of forbidden deeds of which the Scriptures assure
us that 'they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom
of God.'(5) For instance, they make no scruple about
eating meats offered in sacrifice to idols, imagining that
they can in this way contract no defilement. Then, again,
at every heathen festival celebrated in honour of the idols,
these men are the first to assemble; and to such a pitch
do they go, that some of them do not even keep away from that
bloody spectacle hateful both to God and men, in which gladiators
either fight with wild beasts, or singly encounter one another.
Others of them yield themselves up to the lusts of the flesh
with the utmost greediness, maintaining that carnal things
should be allowed to the carnal nature, while spiritual things
are provided for the spiritual. Some of them, moreover, are
in the habit of defiling those women to whom they have taught
the above doctrine, as has frequently been confessed by
those women who have been led astray by certain of them, on
their returning to the Church of God, and acknowledging this
along with the rest of their errors." - IRENAEUS, AGAINST
HERESIES, BOOK I, CHAP. VI.--THE THREEFOLD KIND OF MAN FEIGNED
BY THESE HERETICS: GOOD WORKS NEEDLESS FOR THEM, THOUGH NECESSARY
TO OTHERS: THEIR ABANDONED MORALS.
The tendency of Gentile Christians to return to celebrating
their former pagan holidays (under the justification provided
by Gnostic teaching) is documented both by Paul in Galatians
4, as well as by Irenaeus (120-202 AD), a disciple of Polycarp,
the disciple of the Apostle John. So, we have early orthodox
Christian testimony from Paul and Irenaeus that Christians
were already exhibiting the tendency of re-adopting pagan
practices long before Christians in the late 3rd century began
celebrating Christmas on the winter solstice, which was by
that time well-established for Sol Invictus. And not only
that, but both Paul and Irenaeus condemned this practice of
Christians adopting pagan holidays under the cover of Gnostic
teaching.
6. Is it ever acceptable to incorporate Pagan religious
rites into the worship of the true God?
Of course, most Christians will argue, "Now that this holiday
has been Christianized for centuries, why can't we celebrate
the birth of Christ on this day? We're not celebrating paganism,
we're celebrating Jesus." But is it acceptable to Christianize
and celebrate pagan religious practices? Can God be glorified
by such Christianizing of pagan practices?
Since there is little room for debate that the Christmas holiday
originated from a "Christianized" celebration of Roman pagan
feast days in the 3rd or 4th centuries, question #6 is the
critical question.
Of course, the Bible has ample to say on this particular topic.
And not surprising to most, the Bible is completely against
any mingling of pagan practices into the worship of God. In
both the Old and New Testaments, saints were expressly forbidden
to adopt pagan religious customs into the true worship of
God. We believe just a few short quotes on the subject will
suffice to prove our point.
Galatians 4:8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God,
ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known
of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements,
whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 10 Ye observe
days, and months, and times, and years. 11 I am afraid
of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
12 Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are:
ye have not injured me at all.
By its very nature, the original date of December was chosen
by both Pagans and the Roman Catholics that followed them,
because it was a calendar event, it was the winter solstice.
(Please visit our article entitled "What
is Observing Times" for an in-depth explanation regarding
what the phrase "observing the times" means in the Bible and
its relationship to the positions of the sun, moon, and stars
in the sky - such as the winter solstice.)
Matthew 15:3 But he answered and said unto them, Why
do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
...7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and
honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from
me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for
doctrines the commandments of men.
As we will see below from Deuteronomy, God has commanded his
people not to incorporate pagan practices into their worship
of Him. Therefore, since Christmas traditions developed from
"Christianizing" the Roman December 25th holiday, Christians
who practice Christmas are nullifying God's commands not incorporate
pagan practices into our worship of Him. That holiday and
those traditions are the doctrines of men.
(NKJV)Jeremiah 10:1 Hear the word which Yahweh speaks
to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says Yahweh: "Do not
learn the way of the Gentiles; Do not be dismayed at the signs
of heaven, For the Gentiles are dismayed at them. 3 For
the customs of the peoples are futile; For one cuts a tree
from the forest, The work of the hands of the workman,
with the ax. 4 They decorate it with silver and gold; They
fasten it with nails and hammers So that it will not topple.
We should note that we do NOT believe verses 3-4 describe
a Christmas tree. That would be reading modern notions into
the text, which is entirely inappropriate in terms of interpretive
methodology. Verses 3-4 are describing the forming of idols
(or images of false gods) from wood, not Christmas trees.
However, the really interesting part about Jeremiah 10 is
that it not only identifies God's command on this issue of
adopting Pagan customs, but it also identifies a clear depiction
of pagan holiday traditions. Notice, God command his people
not to be "dismayed at the signs in the heavens as the Gentiles
were."
The celebration of the rebirth of the unconquered sun was,
in fact, a celebration of the winter solstice, the day on
which the length of daylight hours stopped getting shorter
and began to get longer again. The decreasing time in which
the sun was in the sky was definitely a sign in the heavens
that dismayed the Gentiles and caused them to celebrate the
winter solstice. This is one of the more prominent "signs
of the heavens," which are mentioned here in Jeremiah 10.
And notice how the customs of the pagans in celebrating these
"signs in the heavens" are mentioned as futile. (Please visit
our article entitled "What is Observing
Times" for an in-depth explanation regarding what the
phrase "observing the times" means in the Bible and its relationship
to the positions of the sun, moon, and stars in the sky -
such as the winter solstice.)
Not only can we find ancient solstice practices in this passage
but more importantly we find God's clear command not to learn
or practice such things.
We end this section with one final quote.
Deuteronomy 12:29 When the LORD thy God shall cut off
the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess
them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following
them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and
that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these
nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for
every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they
done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters
they have burnt in the fire to their gods. 32 What thing
soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add
thereto, nor diminish from it.
God's command on incorporating elements of pagan worship into
worshipping him could not be any clearer in scripture. To
practice them is a snare. We are not to look to the way the
pagans served their gods and imitate it. Since Christmas started
as a pagan day of celebration including gift giving, we should
not adopt this day into Christianity.
In Deuteronomy 12, God is very specific. We are not to incorporate
pagan practices to do "unto the LORD [our] God." We are not
to add or detract from what God has commanded us. Since God
never commanded us to celebrate the birth of Christ on an
annual day, we should not do so, particularly on a day chosen
because of its pagan origins.
7. Doesn't Romans 14-15 tell us that Christians are free
to celebrate any holiday they want as long as they do so in
faith unto the Lord and that other Christians should not condemn
them for doing so?
Romans 14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye,
but not to doubtful disputations. 2 For one believeth that
he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and
let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God
hath received him. 4 Who art thou that judgest another
man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth.
Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth
every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own
mind. 6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the
Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth
not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he
giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he
eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
Well, the first thing to note about Romans 14 is that Paul
is discussing the issue of eating meat or just eating vegetables.
There is no mention of meat sacrificed to idols in this chapter.
Nor is there mention of holidays in 1 Corinthians 8 and 10
where Paul does clearly discuss eating meat sacrificed to
idols. So, we have no Biblical basis to assume Paul is talking
about meat sacrificed to idols here in Romans 14-15. Paul
is simply talking about eating meat as opposed to just eating
vegetables. But exactly why were some opposed to eating meat
if it was not about the meat being sacrificed to idols?
The answer comes in verses 14-15.
Romans 14:14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord
Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to
him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest
thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom
Christ died.
Paul's reference to the teaching of the Lord Jesus is a clear
reference back to such passages as Matthew 15:11-20 and Mark
7:15-23. Now, in those passages Jesus is discussing and abolishing
JEWISH KOSHER food laws. Paul's reference to that teaching
indicates that the same topic is in view here. In other words,
some of the Jewish Christians were refusing to eat any meat
because they were still conscious of Jewish food laws and
their consciences were so weak that they prefered to eat only
vegetables rather than feel guilty about violating some aspect
of the food laws regarding meat.
This is significant for 2 reasons.
First, this is significant because it means that Paul is saying
that Christians are free to either keep or not keep the Jewish
food laws required by the Law of Moses. Likewise, when Paul
speaks of holidays in this chapter, we can assume that Paul
is also talking about the Jewish holidays required by the
Law of Moses. This is simply an issue between Jewish Christians
and Gentile Christians. The Jews were clinging to the dietary
laws of Moses and eating only vegetables. And they condemned
the Gentiles for eating meat. The Jews were also celebrating
the holidays required by Moses law. The Gentiles on the other
hand were probably condemning the Jews for rebuilding the
Law of Moses (Galatians 2:16-21) by continuing to keep these
practices. So, the entire chapter is about Jewish food laws
and Jewish holidays. Pagan holidays are not in view here at
all. And Paul's proclamation that Christians are free to celebrate
holidays in this chapter deals only with celebrating holidays
prescribed in the Law of Moses and in no way was intended
to include pagan festivals.
Paul's acceptance of Jewish holidays is further upheld in
Colossians 2:16-17 where the inclusion of the words "new moon"
and "sabbath," which were specifically the feast days God
prescribed to the Jews in the Law of Moses. Likewise, Paul's
prohibition of Christians adopting pagan holidays based around
the position of sun, moon, and stars is expressly stated in
Galatians 4:8-12, which we have covered above. (Please visit
our article entitled "What is Observing
Times" for an in-depth explanation regarding what the
phrase "observing the times" means in the Bible and its relationship
to the positions of the sun, moon, and stars in the sky -
such as the winter solstice.)
Second, this is significant because it frames the issue in
the following way. When Paul writes (verse 5) "Let every man
be fully persuaded in his own mind," Paul is does not in any
way mean that a person can make an unclean thing turn clean
by their faith. Rather, Christ had made all food clean by
his proclamation so the food was clean. Therefore, faith didn't
make it clean, Christ's proclamation did. So Paul was not
saying that faith made any unclean thing clean. Instead, Paul
is simply stating in verses 5, 22-23 that doubt can make a
clean thing unclean if we partake while believing it is sin.
But this does not make the opposite true: that faith can make
an unclean thing clean if we do it in full confidence. Simply
put, faith cannot make a sinful thing clean but doubt can
make a clean thing sinful if we partake of it while believing
it is a sin. One does not logically lead to the other. Paul's
words here to not teach that faith can make a pagan holiday
clean. Instead, doubt can make a perfectly acceptable Jewish
holiday unclean to us if we do so in doubt.
In short, to answer question 8, having faith or confidence
as we do so cannot make an unclean pagan holiday acceptable
to God. Rather, only the opposite is true, that having doubt
as we eat meat, participate in a Jewish festival, or fail
to participate in a Jewish festival can make such behavior
sinful so long as we believe it is a sin even though in reality
it is not. And there is no proclamation anywhere that pagan
festivals are acceptable to Christians, only that Jewish festivals
were. And as we have shown above, both Paul and Irenaeus condemned
Christians who believed they could celebrate the pagan festivals
such as the winter solstice, which were based around the positions
of the sun, moon, and stars in the sky.
8. Can Christmas be considered a Christian holiday? Should
Christians practice Christmas?
Based upon this study Christmas cannot be considered a Christian
holiday. We cannot make a pagan holiday godly by simply changing
the God who is the object of that holiday. God has unequivocally
demonstrated his hatred of such practice. Christians should
not practice Christmas, or any other holiday that originates
from pagan religions. The early Church celebrated the coming
of Christ and the resurrection of Christ every day. They did
not have an annual holiday. Neither should we.
We should learn a lesson from the story of King Saul. God
gave him a command to destroy all the livestock of Amalek
and he disobeyed with the justification that he would use
some of the sheep as a sacrifice to glorify God.
I Samuel 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly
destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay
both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep,
camel and ass.
...13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him,
Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment
of the LORD. 14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this
bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the
oxen which I hear? 15 And Saul said, They have brought them
from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of
the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy
God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. 16 Then Samuel
said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath
said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. ...22
And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt
offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than
the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of
witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also
rejected thee from being king.
God has given us a command not to incorporate pagan practices
into our worship. Which does God prefer, holidays devoted
to Him, or obedience? We should not make the same mistake
as Saul, thinking we can glorify God by breaking his command.
Summary Review of Questions
1. Is the celebration of Christmas ever mentioned in
the Bible? No.
2. Was Christmas practiced by the early Church (the
Ante-Nicene Church) before 200 AD? When did the celebration
of Christmas begin? No, Christians were not celebrating
Christmas before 220 AD. In fact, the emergence of Christmas
as a widely celebrated festival among Christians did not occur
until the late 3rd or early 4th century, after Sol Invictus
was already established by 2 Roman Emperors.
3. Was Jesus born on December 25th? No one knows
for sure when he was born. Scholars still debate this issue.
4. Why was that day chosen? While the birth date
of Christ is not known and was not established by the time
Christmas began to be celebrated, December 25 was the long-established
date for pagan holiday of Sol Invictus.
5. Is there evidence that Christians (particularly
Gentile Christians) were re-adopting their former pagan holidays
unto the Lord? Yes. Both Paul and Irenaeus (disciple of
Polycarp, the disciple of the Apostle John) testified to Christians
doing so and condemned them for it.
6. Is it ever acceptable to incorporate Pagan religious
rites into the worship of the true God? No.
7. Doesn't Romans 14-15 tell us that Christians are
free to celebrate any holiday they want as long as they do
so in faith unto the Lord and that other Christians should
not condemn them for doing so? No.
8. Can Christmas be considered a Christian holiday?
Should Christians practice Christmas? No.
Addendum: Should Christmas Be A Litmus Test?
(NOTE: As is documented in the article above, the specific
title "Christmas" does not emerge until the eleventh century.
But for the purposes of simplicity and conceptual continuity
the term "Christmas" is summarily used to denote the holiday
assigned to the birth of Christ in late December, even before
the emergence of that title in the eleventh century.)
In today's world it seems like almost everyone celebrates
Christmas both around the world and especially here in the
United States. It is both a religious and a secular holiday,
celebrated by Christians and non-Christians, and celebrated
for both religious and non-religious reasons. Conversely,
in light of the seemingly universal acceptance of this holiday
by such a diverse group, there has arisen a stigma attached
to those who choose not to celebrate it.
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines
a "Litmus Test" as follows:
"Litmus test - NOUN: 1. A test for chemical
acidity or basicity using litmus paper. 2. A test that
uses a single indicator to prompt a decision." - The American
Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition.
2000.
Although "litmus test" is the term used to denote a specific
scientific test for determining if a substance is an acid
or a base, it has also taken on a much wider meaning in common
speech to denote a single test by which we can declare something
good or bad, etc.
The common line of thinking usually goes a little something
like this:
It might be perfectly expected for non-Christian Jews to celebrate
Hanukkah and reject Christmas, but shouldn't every Christian
celebrate Christmas? Doesn't it just seem inherently bizarre
or alarming for a Christian not to celebrate it? Is not celebrating
Christmas a mark of a cult? Aren't the Jehovah's Witnesses
against celebrating Christmas?
These are the types of questions and ideas that often come
to mind when Christians who do celebrate Christmas come across
Christians who don't. And in this way, whether or not a Christian
celebrates Christmas has become a sort of modern litmus test
for determining the orthodoxy of someone's Christianity. If
someone does celebrate Christmas, then that's perfectly normal.
But if you come across a Christian who does not celebrate
Christmas, be careful. They are weird, legalistic, possibly
part of a cult, and certainly on the fringe of Christian orthodoxy
- or at least that's the perception.
However, this kind of "litmus test" view of Christmas is entirely
a byproduct of a short-sighted tunnel-vision of history. But
what destroys this litmus test is a fact that might take most
modern Christians by surprise. And that is this. Before the
last century, it was not uncommon to find a significant number
of Christians, especially in America, who did not celebrate
Christmas. In fact, outside of the last century, there have
been significant periods of time throughout history when celebrating
Christmas was quite out of vogue for many normal Christians.
For this reason, the subtle association of Christians who
don't celebrate Christmas to cult groups such as the Jehovah's
Witnesses falls apart in the presence of so many historic
Christian groups that also did not celebrate Christmas.
And this fact alone completely erases any validity for perceiving
Christmas as a litmus test for someone's orthodoxy. Instead,
what we find is that historically speaking it is perfectly
normal for Christians not to celebrate Christmas. And the
perception that not celebrating Christmas is a good indicator
of heretical or cult doctrine can only be maintained by this
tunnel-vision understanding of history and Christmas that
defines truth solely in terms of what's been going on for
a generation or two.
As an overview, plotting the nearly two millennia of Christmas
celebration and non-celebration on a timeline would look like
this.
The timeline above illustrates the following facts:
1. Christmas was not celebrated by Christians at
all for at least the first 200 years of Christianity and was
not widely celebrated by Christians for the first 300-350
years of Christianity.
"Christmas - Christmas was not among the earliest festivals
of the Church. Irenaeus and Tertullian omit it from their
lists of feasts; Origen, glancing perhaps at the discreditable
imperial Natalitia, asserts (in Lev. Hom. viii in Migne, P.G.,
XII, 495) that in the Scriptures sinners alone, not saints,
celebrate their birthday; Arnobius (VII, 32 in P.L., V, 1264)
can still ridicule the "birthdays" of the gods. Alexandria.
The first evidence of the feast is from Egypt. About A.D.
200, Clement of Alexandria (Strom., I, xxi in P.G., VIII,
888) says that certain Egyptian theologians "over curiously"
assign, not the year alone, but the day of Christ's birth,
placing it on 25 Pachon (20 May) in the twenty-eighth year
of Augustus." - The Catholic Encyclopedia, newadvent.org
"A brief history of the holiday - The first time the birth
of Jesus Christ was attributed to the date December 25 was
in the 4th century, according to early Roman history."
- CNN, http://www.cnn.com/EVENTS/1996/christmas/history.html
"Christmas - The first mention of December 25 as the birth
date of Jesus occurred in A.D. 336 in an early Roman calendar."
- World Book 2005 (Deluxe), Copyright 2004 World Book, Inc.
and its licensors.
"Christmas - The actual observance of the day of Jesus'
birth was long in coming. In particular, during the first
two centuries of Christianity there was strong opposition
to recognizing birthdays of martyrs or, for that matter,
of Jesus. Numerous church fathers offered sarcastic
comments about the pagan custom of celebrating birthdays…"
- Britannica.com
"Christmas - The observance probably does not date earlier
than A.D. 200 and did not become widespread until the 4th
cent." - The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.
As we can see, if you were a Christian in the first two to
three hundred years of Christianity, it was by no means unusual
or unorthodox not to celebrate the birth of Christ. In contrast,
the United States of America has only existed for just over
2 centuries. This means that in the earliest times Christmas
was not widely celebrated or even celebrated at all by Christians
for longer than the United States has been a country!
As the quotations above also attest, the popular celebration
of Christmas finally emerged as a development of Roman Catholicism
in the fourth century. Likewise, the celebration of Christmas
remained a status quo throughout the Middle Ages as a facet
of Roman Catholic tradition. That is, until the Protestant
Reformation in the 1500's.
2. With the Protestant Reformation in the 1500's,
the celebration of Christmas began to fall into decline among
Protestants and remained out of vogue, particularly in England
and America, for three centuries until the mid 1800's.
"Christmas - By the Middle Ages, Christianity had,
for the most part, replaced pagan religion. On Christmas,
believers attended church, then celebrated raucously in a
drunken, carnival-like atmosphere similar to today's Mardi
Gras…In the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform
changed the way Christmas was celebrated in Europe. When Oliver
Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645,
they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their
effort, cancelled Christmas. By popular demand, Charles
II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the
return of the popular holiday." - The History Channel,
historychannel.com
(NOTE: Charles II, whose restoration to the throne
of England marked the end of Christmas' abolition, was a Roman
Catholic. This further ties the celebration of Christmas as
being largely a byproduct of Roman Catholicism. "Charles
II, king of England, Scotland, and Ireland - Charles also
favored religious toleration (largely because of his own
leanings toward Roman Catholicism)…" - The Columbia Encyclopedia,
Sixth Edition. 2001.)
"Christmas - The popularity of Christmas grew until
the Reformation, a religious movement of the 1500's. This
movement gave birth to Protestantism. During the Reformation,
many Christians began to consider Christmas a pagan celebration
because it included nonreligious customs." - World Book
2005 (Deluxe), Copyright 2004 World Book, Inc. and its licensors.
"Christmas - In England, Christmas was forbidden by Act
of Parliament in 1644; the day was to be a fast and a
market day; shops were compelled to be open; plum puddings
and mince pies condemned as heathen. The conservatives
resisted; at Canterbury blood was shed; but after the Restoration
Dissenters continued to call Yuletide 'Fooltide'." - The
Catholic Encyclopedia, newadvent.org
"Christmas - The practice of giving gifts, which goes
back to the 15th century, contributed to the view that
Christmas was a secular holiday focused on family and
friends. This was one reason why Puritans in Old and New
England opposed the celebration of Christmas and in both England
and America succeeded in banning its observance." - Britannica.com
"Once Upon A Time, When Christmas Was Banned... Outlawing
the celebration of Christmas sounds a little extreme, but
it happened. The ban existed as law for only 22 years,
but disapproval of Christmas celebration took many more years
to change. In fact, it wasn't until the mid-1800s that celebrating
Christmas became fashionable in the Boston region. The
Puritans who immigrated to Massachusetts to build a new life
had several reasons for disliking Christmas. First
of all, it reminded them of the Church of England and the
old-world customs, which they were trying to escape. Second,
they didn't consider the holiday a truly religious day.
December 25th wasn't selected as the birth date of Christ
until several centuries after his death. Third, the holiday
celebration usually included drinking, feasting, and playing
games - all things which the Puritans frowned upon…Fourth,
the British had been applying pressure on the Puritans for
a while to conform to English customs. The ban was probably
as much a political choice as it was a religious one for
many." - Copyright 2001-2004 C. Danko, Massachusetts Travel,
http://masstraveljournal.com/features/1101chrisban.html
"Once Upon A Time, When Christmas Was Banned... The ban
was revoked in 1681 by an English-appointed governor Sir
Edmund Andros, who also revoked a Puritan ban against festivities
on Saturday night. But even after the ban was lifted, the
majority of colonists still abstained from celebrations."
- Copyright 2001-2004 C. Danko, Massachusetts Travel, http://masstraveljournal.com/features/1101chrisban.html
"Christmas - The pilgrims, English separatists that came
to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan
beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas was not a
holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration
of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting
the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. By contrast,
in the Jamestown settlement, Captain John Smith reported that
Christmas was enjoyed by all and passed without incident.
After the American Revolution, English customs fell out
of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Congress was in session
on December 25, 1789, the first Christmas under America's
new constitution. Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday
until June 26, 1870." - The History Channel, historychannel.com
"Was Christmas celebrated throughout all the colonies?
No. The celebration of Christmas was outlawed in most of New
England. Calvinist Puritans and Protestants abhorred the entire
celebration and likened it to pagan rituals and Popish observances.
In 1659, the General Court of Massachusetts forbade, under
the fine of five shillings per offense, the observance
'of any such day as Christmas or the like, either by forebearing
of labour, feasting, or any such way.' The Assembly of Connecticut,
in the same period, prohibited the reading of the Book
of Common Prayer, the keeping of Christmas and saints'
days, the making of mince pies, the playing of cards, or performing
on any musical instruments. These statutes remained in
force until they were repealed early in the nineteenth century."
- http://www.history.org/, David DeSimone, Another Look
at Christmas in the Eighteenth Century (http://www.history.org/almanack/life/xmas/xmasqa.cfm)
"After the Reformation, certain Protestant groups opposed
Christmas celebrations. Oliver Cromwell banned them in
England. King Charles II restored Christmas when he ascended
the throne. In the American colonies, Puritans, Baptists,
Quakers, and Presbyterians opposed the festivities, while
Catholics, Anglicans (Episcopalians), Dutch Reformed, and
Lutherans approved." - http://www.factmonster.com/spot/christmas1.html,
David Johnson, Origins of the Christmas Holiday, World's
biggest festival has varied roots
"Christmas - In England after the Reformation the observance
became a point of contention between Anglicans and other
Protestants, and the celebration of Christmas was suppressed
in Scotland and in much of New England until the 19th cent."
- The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.
In fact, the article on Massachusetts Travel actually includes
the text of the Boston laws forbidding Christmas.
"Once Upon A Time, When Christmas Was Banned... 'For
preventing disorders, arising in several places within this
jurisdiction by reason of some still observing such festivals
as were superstitiously kept in other communities, to the
great dishonor of God and offense of others: it is therefore
ordered by this court and the authority thereof that whosoever
shall be found observing any such day as Christmas or the
like, either by forbearing of labor, feasting, or any
other way, upon any such account as aforesaid, every such
person so offending shall pay for every such offence five
shilling as a fine to the county.' From the records of the
General Court, Massachusetts Bay Colony May 11, 1659'…'" -
Copyright 2001-2004 C. Danko, Massachusetts Travel, http://masstraveljournal.com/features/1101chrisban.html
Furthermore, it should be noted that not only was Christmas
banned among Puritans in England and America, but among other
denominations as well as Presbyterians under John Knox and
in Geneva under John Calvin.
(NOTE: It should be noted that the mention of Puritans,
Presbyterians and such Church leaders as Calvin and Knox in
this segment is not for the purposes of endorsing these persons
or any particular points of their theology. As other articles
on this website attest, we are most decidedly against the
teachings of John Calvin concerning the concepts that have
come to be known as "Calvinism." However, although we ourselves
do not necessarily have regard for these persons, a significant
number of those Christians who celebrate Christmas do regard
them and their teaching. Our intention here is simple. Because
modern Christians who celebrate Christmas admire some of the
very Christian leaders who do not celebrate Christmas, they
cannot and should not assign a stigma to Christians today
who do not celebrate Christmas.)
Subsequently, while John Calvin did not himself instigate
the ban on Christmas in Geneva, Calvin did state after the
fact that he was not entirely opposed to the ban.
"Besides the abolition of the feast-days here has given
grievous offense to some of your people, and it is likely
enough that much unpleasant talk has been circulating among
you. I am pretty certain, also, that I get the credit of being
the author of the whole matter, both among the malevolent
and the ignorant. But as I can solemnly testify that it
was accomplished without my knowledge, and without my desire…Although
I have neither been the mover nor instigator to it, yet, since
it has so happened, I am not sorry for it." - John Calvin,
Letter, 1551
[FOOTNOTES: http://www.rbvincent.com/BibleStudies/calvinxmas.htm,
(John Calvin, Selected Works of John Calvin, Tracts and Letters,
Jules Bonnet, Ed., David Constable, Trans., Vol. 5, Letters,
Part 2, 1545-1553, pp. 299, 300.) AND http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualNLs/Xmas_ch2.htm,
Calvin, Letters, Vol. ii, p. 289; cf. George Gillespie, A
Dispute Against the English-Popish Ceremonies, Obtruded upon
the Church of Scotland (Geneva, 1637), Part 1, p. 34.]
And despite Calvin's hesitation about the creation of an outright
ban (due to the upheaval it would cause), Calvin and Knox
both shared the same personal view that all forms of worship,
including holidays such as Christmas, which were not set forth
in scripture itself should not be celebrated.
"I know how difficult it is to persuade the world that God
disapproves of all modes of worship not expressly sanctioned
by His Word. The opposite persuasion which cleaves to
them, being seated, as it were, in their very bones and marrow,
is, that whatever they do has in itself a sufficient sanction,
provided it exhibits some kind of zeal for the honor of God.
But since God not only regards as frivolous, but also plainly
abominates, whatever we undertake from zeal to His worship,
if at variance with His command, what do we gain by a
contrary course? The words of God are clear and distinct,
"Obedience is better than sacrifice." "In vain do they worship
me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men," 1 Sam.
15:22; Matt. 15:9. Every addition of His word, especially
in this matter, is a lie. Mere "will worship" (ethelothreeskia)
is vanity [Col. 2:23]. This is the decision, and when once
the judge has decided, it is no longer time to debate." -
John Calvin, The Necessity of Reforming the Church
[FOOTNOTE: http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualNLs/Xmas_ch2.htm,
Calvin, Tracts (1844; rpt. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1983),
Vol. 1, pp. 128-29.]
"By contrary Doctrine, we understand whatsoever men,
by Laws, Councils, or Constitutions have imposed upon the
consciences of men, without the expressed commandment of God's
word: such as be…keeping of holy days of certain Saints
commanded by men, such as be all those that the Papists have
invented, as the Feasts (as they term them) of Apostles, Martyrs,
Virgins, of Christmas, Circumcision, Epiphany, Purification,
and other fond feasts of our Lady. Which things, because
in God's scriptures they neither have commandment nor assurance,
we judge them utterly to be abolished from this Realm;
affirming further, that the obstinate maintainers and teachers
of such abominations ought not to escape the punishment of
the Civil Magistrate." - John Knox, First Book of Discipline,
1560
[FOOTNOTE: http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualNLs/Xmas_ch2.htm,
Knox's History, Vol. 2, p. 281. Cf. John Knox, Works (David
Laing, ed.; Edinburgh: James Thin, 1895), Vol. ii, p. 190.]
It should be noted that our intention at this point is not
to necessarily agree with the specific reasoning or argumentation
employed by either Calvin or Knox concerning why Christmas
should not be celebrated. Our point here is simply to demonstrate
yet another instance of historic opposition to Christmas among
Christians, including such opposition by two prominent Protestant
figures as Calvin and Knox.
Additionally, the ban on holidays such as Christmas is also
reflected in the Westminster Catechism, which is used by used
Presbyterians and some Baptists.
"The sins forbidden in the second commandment are…all superstitious
devices, corrupting the worship of God, adding to it, or taking
from it, whether invented and taken up of ourselves, or received
by tradition from others, though under the title of antiquity,
custom, devotion, good intent, or any other pretence whatsoever…"
- Westminster Catechism, Larger Catechism no. 109; cf. Confession,
chapter 21
[FOOTNOTES: a full copy of the Westminster Larger Catechism
can be found at http://www.opc.org/documents/WLC2.html]
It is interesting to note that the Westminster Catechism was
approved by English Parliament under Cromwell at the same
time that Parliament under Cromwell also banned Christmas
(1645). Both the Westminster Catechism and the ban on Christmas
were repealed when Charles II, a king with Roman Catholic
leanings, was restored to the throne in 1660.
"Westminster Catechism - Written by the Westminster Assembly,
which met regularly from 1643 until 1649 during the English
Civil War, the catechisms were presented to the English
Parliament in 1647 and were approved by Parliament in 1648.
They lost their official status in England, however, in 1660,
when the monarchy was restored and episcopacy was reestablished.
The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland authorized
their use in July 1648, and the Scottish Parliament authorized
them in January 1649." - Britannica.com
Given that some Baptists also held to the Westminster Catechism,
it is not surprising that famous American Baptist Preacher
Charles Spurgeon also opposed the celebration of Christmas
as late as 1871. Notice that the second half of the quote
below mirrors the portion of the Westminster Confession above.
"We have no superstitious regard for times and seasons. Certainly
we do not believe in the present ecclesiastical arrangement
called Christmas: first, because we do not believe in the
mass at all, but abhor it, whether it be said or sung
in Latin or in English; and, secondly, because we find
no scriptural warrant whatever for observing any day as the
birthday of the Savior; and, consequently, its observance
is a superstition, because not of divine authority." -
Charles H. Spurgeon, Sermon, December 24, 1871
[FOOTNOTE: http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualNLs/Xmas_ch2.htm,
C. H. Spurgeon, Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit (1871; rpt.
Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications), p. 697.]
In short, for those who view not celebrating Christmas as
weird, alarming, or unorthodox Christianity, let them likewise
condemn John Calvin, John Knox, Charles Spurgeon, historic
Presbyterianism and the Westminster Confession as likewise
being weird, alarming, and unorthodox. Furthermore, let them
condemn all of the apostles including Paul as well as Ignatius,
Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus and virtually every sincere
Christian living in the first two centuries as being weird
and unorthodox. And, for those who view not celebrating Christmas
as weird, alarming, or unorthodox, let them in no way embrace
the Pilgrim settlers of America, which were largely Puritans
who rejected Christmas. In short, if someone is going to condemn
modern Christians who don't celebrate Christmas as unorthodox,
weird, or alarming, let them also condemn all of these persons
as weird, alarming, and unorthodox and let them affirm only
the Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and modern Christians of the
last 100-150 years as acceptable and orthodox.
In summary, we can see that the occurrence of Christians opposed
to celebrating Christmas was so strong that there were times
in English, European, and American history when laws were
passed against the celebration of Christmas. Moreover, as
the quotes above indicate, even after those laws were repealed,
Christmas continued to be largely out of vogue among Protestants
until the 1800's. In large part, Christians who abstained
from celebrating Christmas did so because the holiday was
viewed as dishonoring to God and inherently non-Christian.
As we can see, if you were a Christian in the first two to
three hundred years after the Reformation, it was by no means
unusual or unorthodox not to celebrate the birth of Christ.
So, if it was not uncommon from the Reformation to the mid-1800's
to find normal Christians not celebrating Christmas, when
did this holiday begin to be celebrated by a majority of Protestant
Christians, particularly in America?
3. Only increasingly in the later half of the nineteenth
century did Christmas begin to become popular in America.
The tunnel-vision perception of Christmas held by many (if
not most) Christians in America today is a re-invention of
Christmas from the holiday of debauchery it was known as for
a long time prior to the mid-1800's.
"Christmas - Christmas as we know it today is a Victorian
invention of the 1860s." - The History Channel, historychannel.com
"Christmas - It wasn't until the 19th century that Americans
began to embrace Christmas. Americans re-invented Christmas,
and changed it from a raucous carnival holiday into a family-centered
day of peace and nostalgia." - The History Channel, historychannel.com
"Christmas - As Americans began to embrace Christmas
as a perfect family holiday, old customs were unearthed. People
looked toward recent immigrants and Catholic and Episcopalian
churches to see how the day should be celebrated. In the
next 100 years, Americans built a Christmas tradition all
their own that included pieces of many other customs,
including decorating trees, sending holiday cards, and gift-giving.
Although most families quickly bought into the idea that
they were celebrating Christmas how it had been done for centuries,
Americans had really re-invented a holiday to fill the cultural
needs of a growing nation." - The History Channel, historychannel.com
As we have seen, outside of Roman Catholicism and the Roman-Catholic-dominated
Middle Ages, the phenomenon of Christians widely celebrating
Christmas is largely a product of the last 100-150 years,
particularly in America. And during that 100-150 years, Christmas
has been entirely re-invented from being known and rejected
by many Protestants as a day of drinking, gluttony, and immorality,
into the only perception of Christmas that most Americans
know today - a family day with a myth of antiquity. In reality,
in all of Christian history, there have been a total of over
600 years when celebrating the birth of Christ was not common
at all among Christians in the West. The periods when the
birth of Christ and Christmas were not widely (or at all)
celebrated by Christians include 30-350 A.D. and 1500-1850
A.D. approximately. In fact, it seems the only two exceptions
to this are the intervening 1200 years under the ruling traditions
of Roman Catholicism and the last 150 years.
In light of the historic fact that many Christians in years
past, both during the earliest Church and since the Reformation
did not celebrate Christmas, no suspicion or prejudice should
be placed upon Christians who don't celebrate Christmas today.
Not celebrating Christmas should not be a cause for alarm.
Historically speaking, it is impossible to support the modern,
tunnel-vision perception that celebrating Christmas is a litmus
test for "normal" or orthodox Christianity. It is simply a
matter of fact that outside of the last century there have
been significant periods of time throughout history when celebrating
Christmas was quite out of vogue for many normal Christians.
There is no reason (other than name-calling) to associate
Christians who don't celebrate Christmas with cult groups
such as the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Unless one is imprisoned by the ignorance of tunnel-vision
and a short-sightedness of history, it obvious that it is
perfectly normal for Christians not to celebrate Christmas.
