Christmas: Its Origin and Character neither Biblical nor Christian
By Arthur L. Manous
1. What is said of Christmas Day?
"Christmas Day, a festival of the church, universally observed in commemoration of the nativity of our Saviour."—"The World's Progress, a Dictionary of Dates." 2. Of whom was Christ born?
"Behold," said the prophet, "a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Isa. 7: 14. "And she brought forth her first-born Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." See Luke 2: 1-12; Matt. 1: 18-25. 3. Where and when was Christ born?
"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, tho thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." In fulfilment of this, "Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king." See Micah 5: 2; Matt. 2: 1-11. 4. Where were the shepherds on the night of Christ's birth?
"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night." Luke 2: 8. Or, as others render the verse: "In that same countryside were shepherds out in the open fields, watching their flocks that night."—Twentieth Century New Testament. 5. From this fact what may we regard as almost certain?
"That the nativity did not take place in winter."—Matthew Henry. 6. What is said of the exact date of Christ's birth?
"The exact date of Christ's birth appears not to have been known to the early church, and can not now be determined."—Johnson's New Universal Cyclopædia.
"The precise date of the nativity can certainly be no matter of vital importance, else it would have been revealed to us."—J. P. Lange's notes on Luke 2: 8. 7. What is said of the twenty-fifth of December as the date of the nativity?
"There is, however, a difficulty in accepting this as the date of the nativity, December being the height of the rainy season in Judea, when neither flocks nor shepherds could have been at night in the fields of Bethlehem."—Encyclopædia Britannica. 8. When do most learned men think Christ was born?
"Scaliger, Calvisius, and most learned men since their time" maintain "that our Lord was born in September. . . . To this agrees the circumstance of the shepherds lying out in the fields the night of the nativity. So likewise the taxation at Christ's birth, which might be executed more conveniently in autumn, than in the depth of winter, especially as the people were obliged to repair to the cities of their ancestors, which were often at a great distance from the places of their abode."—James Macknight on Luke 2: 8-11. 9. Was Christmas derived from apostolic usage?
"As Augustine represents Christmas as neither derived from apostolic usage nor sanctioned by any general council, . . . there can be no reasonable doubt, that it had its rise after the council of Nice" (325 A.D.).—Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History, book 2, century 4, part 2, chapter 4, paragraph 5, note 12. 10. To whom is Christmas observance ascribed?
"The observance of the twenty-fifth of December is ascribed to Julius, bishop of Rome, A.D. 337-352."—Johnson's New Universal Cyclopædia. 11. By whom and on what date was Christmas ordered to be forever observed?
"In the fifth century the Western church ordered it to be celebrated forever on the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol, tho no certain knowledge of the day of Christ's birth existed."—The Americana, article "Christmas." 12. Where did the Christmas festival originate?
"It originated in Rome, and was probably a Christian transformation or regeneration of a series of kindred heathen festivals, the Saturnalia, Sigillaria, Juvenalia, and Brumalia, which were celebrated in the month of December in commemoration of the golden age of universal freedom and equality, and in honor of the unconquered sun, and which were great holidays, especially for slaves and children."—J. P. Lange's Notes on Luke 2: 8. 13. What is said to be the character of Christmas observance?
"From the first institution of this festival, the Western nations seem to have transferred to it many of the follies and censurable practises which10prevailed in the pagan festivals of the same season, such as adorning the churches fantastically, mingling puppet-shows and dramas with worship, universal feasting and merrymaking, Christmas presents and jocularity, and Christmas revelry and drunkenness."—Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History, book 2, century 4, part 2, chapter 4, paragraph 5, note 12. 14. What does Paul say of those who observe pagan days?
"Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain." See Gal. 4: 8-10. Spartanburg, South Carolina.