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It is not until the Fourth Century that the idea of celebrating
occasions in the earthly life of our Lord started to become popular.
Much of this is due to the Church of Jerusalem. Special celebrations
which were devised on the actual or supposed sites of the events of the
life of Christ lent themselves particularly well to the celebration of
historical remembrances. Thus interest developed in where Jesus was
born, where He grew up, where He performed His miracles, etc.
It is to the Church of Rome, however, that we must give the credit for
the origins of the feast of the birth of Christ. But on what was this
feast based and why was December 25th chosen as the day for its
celebration?
The actual historical facts surrounding the birth of Christ are clouded
in mystery. No one really knows when Jesus was born. Only certain facts
can be deducted from the biblical account and from history. For one
thing, Jesus was definitely born in B.C. (Before Christ!). This is known
because Herod the Great died in 4 B.C., and Herod figures in the account
of the Nativity given by St. Matthew. Jesus was definitely not born in
winter. St. Luke mentions that the shepherds were staying out in the
pasture land with their flocks, an event that does not take place in
winter. We must look elsewhere for the origin of the late December
celebration of the Nativity.
We find the origin of the winter feast of the Nativity not in the
historical facts available concerning the birth of Christ, but in a
curious astronomical phenomenon. In late December we reach the shortest
day of the year with more hours of darkness than daylight. From this
point the hours of daylight become gradually longer. This observable
phenomenon was given a religious significance in the pagan Roman world.
It became the feast of Sol Invictus (the Unconquerable Sun). It was
popularly celebrated in Rome during the last two weeks of December as
Saturnalia. What better time for the Christians to celebrate the coming
of the true unconquered “Sun”? Thus the feast of Christmas was born; the
celebration of the dawning on the world of the Sun of Righteousness.
The feast was not originally called Christmas or Nativity, but Epiphany
or “Manifestation.” It celebrated the idea of Christ’s coming and
manifesting Himself through several events of the New Testament and its
timing was based on the feast of the Unconquered Sun. In the East this
feast of “coming” was generally kept on January 6th and in the West on
December 25th. It did not originally concentrate exclusively on the
birth of our Lord, but celebrated several aspects of His manifestation:
the birth in the cave, the adoration of the Magi, the baptism in the
Jordan, and the first miracle at Cana in Galilee. All of these themes
came in one way or another to be associated with the feast of the
Epiphany. The East celebrated all of this on January 6th and knew of no
feast on December 25th. (The Armenian Church to this day still
celebrates the nativity and the baptism together on January 6th with no
celebration whatsoever on December 25th.) Egeria, a nun from Spain,
traveling in Palestine at the end of the 4th century mentions a great
celebration of our Lord’s coming. Thus it was only later that the East
and the West came to share both December 25th and January 6th. The East
separated the Nativity from the Baptism, leaving the January date as the
feast of the Baptism of Christ and accepting the December date as the
feast of the Nativity. The West in turn added January 6th to its
“Manifestation” celebration as the commemoration of the Adoration of the
Magi.
Once this double feast, Christmas-Epiphany, entered the life of the
Church it became, like Easter-Pentecost, an occasion for the celebration
of baptism. The feast of Christ’s coming was seen to be appropriate for
the administration of the sacrament by which Christ would come to the
new believer. Several relics in our present liturgical practice hint at
the baptismal connections of Christmas and Epiphany, as the long list of
readings of the vigil of both days (meant to cover the time of actual
baptizing), and the singing of the baptismal verse “As many as have been
baptized into Christ” in place of the Trisagion. The strange notation in
the liturgical books: “Nativity of our Lord . . . Three days Passover”
and “Epiphany of our Lord . . . Three days Passover” can only be
explained in connection with the sacrament of baptism.
The hymns of both Christmas and Epiphany reveal the origin of these days
in the old winter festival of the Unconquered Sun. Note how many
astronomical references we find in the Nativity Troparion: Christ is
described as the “Sun” of Righteousness, who illumines those who
worshipped stars (of which the physical sun is one). Jesus has come as
the dawning from the East (as the sun does).
The Matins exapostilarion hymn speaks of: A newly risen day. Our Savior
is the Dayspring from the East. Those who were in darkness and shadow
found the Light.
Epiphany is still known as “ton Foton” (feast of Lights). Its hymns also
concentrate on astronomical themes. In Vespers Christ is described as
“Bestower of light,” who desires to give light to those in darkness. In
the Matins of the feast we find: “With Thy light that never sets, shine
forth, O Christ.”
Unfortunately most of society has reverted to celebrating the pagan
winter holiday under the excuse of celebrating the birth of Christ. The
Romans had their Saturnalia, but modern man has his Santa, reindeer,
drinking parties and materialism to highlight his feast. In spite of all
of this Christians are still called to celebrate joyfully in the Spirit,
the coming of the Messiah. As the Christians of old celebrated under the
guise of Saturnalia, so the modern Christian must still celebrate the
true feast as the rest of our society keeps its pagan winter holiday.
The Church at one time conquered and transformed that pagan holiday into
the sublime celebration of the coming of the Sun of Righteousness. She
still is challenged to transform and transfigure and to proclaim that
coming and to lead men beyond tinsel and cheap lights to the true
meaning of this holiday: the glorification of the true Gladsome Light of
the Holy Glory of the Immortal Father, heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus
Christ.
Note: Theologians and historians continue to debate the mysterious
origins of the December 25 celebration of Christmas. For another
perspective on this topic, we recommend this article from the ecumenical
magazine Touchstone: Calculating Christmas.
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