"The tendency to claim God as an ally for our partisan value and ends is the source of all religious fanaticism."
~Reinhold Niebuhr
If you are reading this blog page, I have to imagine that you are an adult. And since we are all adults, I wanted to discuss something that has been on my mind lately - specifically because it is Christmas time.
Now, don't get me wrong, I love Christmas. It really can bring out the best in all of us, the best in humanity, because of the emphasis on giving. If human beings are not at their best then, then when are we at our best, anyway?
The Significance of December 25
The oldest is Horus (circa 3000BC). He was also born on December 25th, and born from a virgin. There were three kings present for his birth. He was teaching people at 12 years old, and leading a ministry at 30, with exactly 12 disciples to spread his word.
There was Attis (circa 1200BC), who was also born of a virgin on December 25th. He was crucified, and raised from the dead after three days.
We also have the Persian God Mithra (circa 1200BC), who was honored by a popular cult known as the Mystery Cult, which honored the virgin birth of Mithras on December 25th. Placed on a manger as a baby and attended by sheppards. he had 12 disciples and performed miracles. His message was to personally sacrifice for the greater good of the world, and ascended to Heaven. He was known as the way, the truth, and the light.
Finally, we have the Greek god Dionysius, the god of wine (circa 500BC). he also was born of a virgin on December 25th, and performed miracles. He was known as the "King of Kings", as well as the "Alpha and Omega", and was also resurrected after his death.
So, we can see that all of these mythical figures had their birthday on December 25th, which was picked (yes, picked, because there is no actual concrete proof) as the day to recognize and honor the birthday of Jesus. It was both a way to blend the long established traditions of worship on a sacred day for pagan faiths, while simultaneously replacing it, which is to say accelerating the process for many in forgetting it.
December 25th is also significant for another reason, as well. The ancient Romans honored this day as the Winter Solstice to honor the "Unconquered Sun". Indeed, it is right around the time when days begin to get longer, even though the winter season has essentially just begun. So, Pagans recognized this as a time to worship the sun, understandably, even with months of often harsh winter yet to come. One can see the positive and hopeful motives behind this. Generally, it is roughly three or so days after the winter solstice, and this was indeed recognized by many so-called pagans before Christianity, so the date was already significant. It would be easy enough, and very convenient, for Christianity to pick up on this significance for one of the most important dates in the Christian calendar.
There is no mention of the birth date in much of early Christian writing. Celebrating the birth of Jesus was hardly a unanimous, undisputed thing when it was first instituted, and Origen of Alexandria (circa 165-264) even mocked the practice of recognizing this particular date, and considered them remnants of "pagan" traditions.
In any case, this was a topic that interested me quite a bit, and which I always wanted to learn more about. Below are some of the links that helped me to understand this history a little better, and greatly assisted me in writing this particular blog entry. Of course, you are free to do your own research, and come to your own conclusions. But these websites seemed a good starting point to getting the debate going:
"Dionysus: Born of a Virgin on December 25th, Killed and Resurrected after Three Days" by D.M. Murdock/Acharya S
http://truthbeknown.com/dionysus.html
"WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DECEMBER 25?" By Dr. Lee Warren, B.A., D.D. (c) 2002 PLIM REPORT, Vol. 11 #5:
http://www.plim.org/1225Pagan.html
"What pagan holiday falls on December 25?" In: Paganism [Edit categories] for wiki.answers.com:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_pagan_holiday_falls_on_December_25
"How December 25 Became Christmas" by Andrew McGowan • 12/07/2012:
http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/how-december-25-became-christmas/
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