8/22/2023 0 Comments Pagan saturnalia![]() It's unlikely, primarily because the chronology is a bit off. 1171), who celebrated Jesus’ birth on Epiphany, wrote “The reasons for which the Fathers transferred the said solemnity from the sixth of January to December 25 is… it was the custom of the pagans to celebrate on this same day … the feast of the birth of the sun.” As an Eastern Christian who celebrated the Nativity and Epiphany in January, Jacob had a clear motive for undermining the December date, but was he right? ![]() ![]() A Sun God and the Son of God shared a birthday? What are the chances?įrom the medieval period onwards, people have speculated that Dec. Sol Invictus was one of several “sun gods” that were worshipped in the Roman Empire, and according to an ancient calendar known as the Chronograph of A.D. Perhaps the most superficially similar festival is the birthday of Sol Invictus (the “Unconquered Sun,” also known as Helios). If celebration of Christ’s birth is based on a pre-existing festival, then there are at least three prime candidates: the birthday of the ancient Sun God (Sol Invictus), the Roman festival of Saturnalia which takes place around this time, and the widely celebrated Winter Solstice. All of which leads many to ask: did Christians steal a pagan holiday? There are no fewer than three different ancient pagan festivals around this time of year, and many people claim that Christians scheduled Christmas to erase and monopolize the season. Perform even the most cursory of online searches and you’ll be confronted by a wealth of conspiracy theories about the origins of Christmas. But a careful reader of the infancy stories will note that the Bible never mentions the date of Jesus’ birth. It’s that time of year when families get together, we put trees in our living room, and we exchange gifts in honor of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |