Accusations over whether Christmas is associated with paganism have been growing rapidly in an attempt to subdue Christianity. It's obvious that the prevalence of sin coupled with man's faulty nature will corrupt anything good. Despite this, a focus upon God's providence & His glory in the restoration of the world is critical to the redemption of Biblical Christmas.
Inspiration: Holidays and the Feasts, 2nd Edition, Revised and Expanded by Nicholas Campbell (@christ.is.the.cure)
IS CHRISTMAS PAGAN?
For this claim to be true, there must be evidence that the date December 25th was stolen from pagan practices & altered by Christians.
*Note: Early sources celebrated the Coming of Christ as "The Feast of the Nativity.""Christmas" wasn't given the name until much later.
CALCULATING THE BIRTH OF CHRIST
AD 200-211: Earliest historical source referencing December 25th as the birth of Christ.
Calculations of the early church, per tradition, stated that a prophet would die on the same day he was conceived. Two major dates were held for Jesus' death by the third century: March 25th in the west & April 6th in the east.
Considering nine months of pregnancy, death on March 25th meant birth on December 25th while death on April 6th meant birth on January 6th. Which began the 12-day tradition that the season began with the Nativity on December 25th & ended with the Epiphany on January 6th.
*Note: It's a misunderstanding that the Eastern Orthodox Church doesn't celebrate on December 25th as it begins their 12-day celebration.
Calculation from the biblical text are dependent on the timing of Zachariah's service in the temple, Elizabeth's pregnancy, & the birth of John the Baptists because of his age in relation to Jesus. The festival of Nativity is ultimately celebrated on December 25th because of tradition & consensus of the early church.
AD 302: The "Great Persecution" revoked the legal rights of Christians & sought to force them to comply with Roman religious practices. Other edicts called on them to offer sacrifices to pagans. Christian refusal to comply led to the last & most severe persecution of Christians living within Rome. If Christians were conforming to Roman celebrations, then the fire in Nicomedia would have been unnecessary.
AD 354: The Chronograph of 354 was a calendar that included a number of feasts that were already established (i.e. the Feast of Christmas). Some try to say that the date of this calendar is the year that Christmas was instituted.
AD 375-380: The Apostolic Constitutions' were a collection of older documents. Scholars date the following quotes to have been written as early as the third century:
"Celebrate the day of the Nativity of Christ.”
"We may not join in their feasts, which are celebrated in honor of demons.”
Therefore, replacement or conformity is unlikely.
"CHRISTMAS REPLACED SOL INVICTUS"
In AD 274, Aurelian established a celebration for Sol Invictus but there is no record of a specific date & the calendar with the alleged date of December 25th is unclear. Aurelian had a strong disposition towards Christians. Suppression of the Christian holiday lines up with the desire to assimilate other religious practices (including Christian traditions).
The problem with the claim: Hippolytus, among others, provide evidence for December 25th as the birth of Christ prior to AD 274.
"CHRISTMAS REPLACED SATURNALIA"
The festival occurred over several days, eventually extending to around December 19th or 23rd. The claim attempts to ground itself in today's "traditions": gift giving, burning logs in fireplaces, use of holly/ivy/evergreens, & caroling.
The problems with the claim: (1) Christmas was initially practiced from December 25th to January 6th. (2) All of the above "traditions" are too common to attribute any credit to a particular person or thing.
"CHRISTMAS REPLACED WINTER SOLSTICE"
The winter solstice falls between December 20th & 23rd. It's the shortest day & longest night of the year (vice versa in the southern hemisphere).
The problems with the claim: (1) Christians used math, not seasons or holidays, to arrive at December 25th as the birth of Jesus. (2) The winter solstice doesn't fall on December 25th. In fact, the solstice drifted on the Julian calendar. On the year of Jesus' birth, the solstice would have fallen around December 23rd.
"CHRISTMAS WAS THE BIRTHDAY OF PSEUDO-GODS"
The problem with the claim: there is no evidential backing. Anyone can pick a handful of false deities & couple them together to create a whirlwind of pseudo-history to be passed off as factual proof that Christians ripped off other religions.
WHERE DID WE GET IT?
Christmas trees: Evergreens are winter staples because they remain green while many other plants fail to survive. Many other cultures used evergreens to decorate for various reasons. However, common use doesn't make something pagan or an idol. If forming your tree by approval of a false god. Performing rituals so a divine essence can inhabit the tree, & using the tree as a mediator—yes, your tree is pagan. Otherwise, trees are just trees.
Mistletoe: Similar to evergreens, mistletoe is just a plant with a variety of uses. However, during Christmas it is never separated from its pagan fertility ritual origin (i.e. kissing under the mistletoe).
Poinsettias, holly & ivy: Similar to evergreens, these plants are widely used & harmless winter staples unless attributed with some power or myth.
Santa Clause: Bishop in Asia Minor who suffered for Christ under the persecution of Diocletian. He is remembered today by orthodox Christians for his charitable, compassionate, & Christ-like life. Cultural changes, reinventions, & time have distorted the story of St. Nicholas.
Stockings: Hanging of stockings over the fireplace came from St. Nicholas who left several gold coins in stockings drying on mantles for several young girls who desperately needed money.
12 Days of Christmas: The 12-days from the Nativity of Christ on December 25th to the baptism of Christ on January 6th. The song has conflicting information surrounding its meaning & origin.
Nativity scene: Contained all the elements of the Biblical account placed into a single image & was popularized by Francis of Assisi in 1223.
Caroling: Likely began in the late middle ages & development from earlier Christian practices of singing hymns & performing liturgical dramas on Christmas eve.
ARE THE ROOTS OF CHRISTMAS PAGAN?
No. Its purpose, function, & role are Christian by definition & origin.
IS CHRISTMAS PAGAN NOW?
No. Most of the world does not paganize Christmas (per the actual definition of paganism).
IS CHRISTMAS SECULAR NOW?
Yes & no. Most of the world has adopted a secularized version of Christmas. The fundamental origin & purpose of Christmas remains the same.
CHRISTMAS BELONGS TO THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST, THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
SO WHAT IS CHRISTMAS ALL ABOUT?
Christmas is about the Incarnation of Christ, without such there would be no Gospel (the good news). The Son of God came in flesh to fulfill the law, to endure the pangs of humanity, & to bear the sins of the world on the cross so that through Him we have freedom from the consequences of our sins (eternal damnation). The angel said, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people" (Luke 2:10). For all people, not just the Jew—but the Gentile also, who abide in the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit.
This annual celebration of the Coming of Christ should cause us to re-focus & reflect upon this glorious work God has done & continues to do. In deciding if to celebrate or not, read Romans 14 where the apostle Paul says: let each be fully convinced in his own mind of his or her decisions. The Incarnation of Christ is evidence that God's perfect will is in full effect & that while we should work to do God's work on earth, we need not fear for he will accomplish all things.
Dear Lord,
Whoever has ears let them hear what Your Spirit has to say.
Amen.
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Sources: Campbell
The world attempts to discredit Christ by attacking Christmas with false pagan accusations & infiltrating it with secular traditions. I waited to create this post when I heard that @christ.is.the.cure was releasing an expanded edition of Holidays and the Feasts. Nicholas Campbell has done extensive research on the topic and does a commendable job tying loose ends on several accusations made about Christmas.
Why is this important? Because everyday we see people try to stake claim over things that are inarguably Christ’s. We see this with other holy days such as the resurrection of Christ and we see this through the mankind’s rebellion against the sanctity of life, the institution of marriage and the family, history and governments, science and medicine. All of these things were created and established by the Triune God. We cannot relinquish any of God’s creation to the perversion of humanity.
I hope that you all enjoy celebrating the incarnation of Christ, the Savior of the world, with your family and loved ones. The incarnation of Christ is evidence that God's perfect will is in full effect & that while we should work to do God's work on earth, we need not fear for He will accomplish all things. Take heart Christ has overcome the world.
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