The Roots of Modern Christmas

For millions of people worldwide, the Christmas season is a very joyful time of year. It is a time of sumptuous meals, time-honored traditions, and family togetherness. The Christmas holiday is also a time when friends and relatives enjoy exchanging cards and gifts.

Just 150 years ago, however, Christmas was a very different holiday. In his book The Battle for Christmas, professor of history Stephen Nissenbaum writes: "Christmas . . . was a time of heavy drinking when the rules that governed people's public behavior were momentarily abandoned in favor of an unrestrained 'carnival,' a kind of December Mardi Gras."

To those who view Christmas with reverential awe, this description might be disturbing. Why would anyone desecrate a holiday that purports to commemorate the birth of God's Son? The answer may surprise you.

Faulty Foundation

From its inception in the fourth century, Christmas has been surrounded by controversy. For example, there was the question of Jesus' birthday. Since the Bible does not specify either the day or the month of Christ's birth, a variety of dates have been suggested. In the third century, one group of Egyptian theologians placed it on May 20, while others favored earlier dates, such as March 28, April 2, or April 19. By the 18th-century, Jesus' birthday had been associated with every month of the year! How, then, was December 25 finally chosen?

Most scholars agree that December 25 was assigned by the Catholic Church as Jesus' birthday. Why? "Most probably the reason," say The New Encyclopedia Britannica, "is that early Christians wished the date to coincide with the pagan Roman festival marking the 'birthday of the unconquered sun.'" But why would Christians who were viciously persecuted by pagans for over two and a half centuries all of a sudden yield to their persecutors?

Corruption Introduced

In the first century, the apostle Paul warned Timothy that "wicked men and impostors" would slip into the Christian congregation and mislead many. (2 Timothy 3:13) This great apostasy began after the death of the apostles. (Acts 20:29, 30) Following the so-called conversion of Constantine in the fourth century, vast numbers of pagans flocked to the form of Christianity that then prevailed. With what result? The book Early Christianity and Paganism states: "The comparatively little body of really earnest believers was lost in the great multitude of professed Christians."

How true Paul's words proved to be! It was as if genuine Christianity were being gobbled up by pagan corruption. And nowhere was this contamination more apparent than in the celebration of holidays.

Actually, the only celebration that Christians are commanded to observe is the Lord's Evening Meal. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) Because of the idolatrous practices associated with Roman festivals, early Christians did not share in them. For this reason third-century pagans reproached Christians, saying: "You do not visit exhibitions; you have no concern in public displays; you reject the public banquets, and abhor the sacred contest." Pagans, on the other hand, bragged: "We worship the gods with cheerfulness, with feasts, songs and games."

By the middle of the fourth century, the grumbling subsided. How so? As more and more counterfeit Christians crept into the fold, apostate ideas multiplied. This led to compromises with the Roman world. Commenting on this, the book The Paganism in Our Christianity states: "It was a definite Christian policy to take over the pagan festivals endeared to the people by tradition, and to give them a Christian significance." Yes, the great apostasy was taking its toll. The willingness of the so-called Christians to adopt pagan celebrations now brought a measure of acceptance within the community. Before long, Christians came to have as many annual festivals as the pagans themselves. Not surprisingly, Christmas was foremost among them.

http://www.moonchild.ch/Holidays/Xmas1.html