From: REXLEX@linac.fnal.gov
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Genesis of SUNday
Date: 24 Dec 92 06:49:40 GMT
Organization: FNAL

Following is a *brief* explaination of the origin of Sunday and Dec 25th. For a
much more detailed explaination of their origins being found in Babylonian
antiquities, including those of the Christmas tree, the Christmas goose,
mistletoe, and Lady-Day, refere to Layards "Babylon & Nineveh,"  "Nineveh"; 
Wilkinson's "Egyptians"  Franz Cumonts "Mysteries of Mithra", "The Oriental
Religions in Roman Paganism",  Angus' "The Mystery Religions", EA Wallis
Budge's "Osiris and the Egyptian Resurrection" and, of course, Hislop's "Two
Babylons."


"Astrology & Religion Among the Greeks and Romans" by Franz Cumont, Dover
Press, Pp. 89-91; cat. no 0-486-20581-9.  Used by permission.


   Concerning the worship which was paid to the stars in the West we possess
very few data, even for the most important of all, that of the Sun. I will not
lay stress on certain details which have come down to us about the rites of the
Moon, the stars, the signs of the zodiac, etc. We shall only mention some
liturgical practices which have had permanent results.
    It was customary to worship the rising Sun (Oriens) at dawn, at the moment
when its first rays struck the  demons  who invaded the earth in the darkness.
Tacitus describes to us how, at the battle of Bedriacum in A.D. 69, the
soldiers of Vespasian saluted the rising sun with loud shouts after the Syrian
custom. I In temples thrice a day-at dawn, at midday, and at dusk-a prayer was
addressed to the heavenly source of light, the wor- shipper turning towards the
East in the morning, towards the South at midday, and towards  the  West  in 
the  evening. Perhaps this custom survived in the three daily services of the
early Church.
    A very general observance required that on the 25th  of December the birth
of the "new Sun" should be  celebrated, when after the winter solstice the days
began to lengthen and the "invincible" star triumphed again over darkness. It 
is certain that the date of this Natalis Invicti was selected by the Church as
the commemoration of the Nativi!y of Jesus, which was previously confused with
the Epiphany. In appointing this day, universally marked by pious rejoicings,
which were as far as possible retained,-for instance the old chariot-races were
preserved,-the ecclesiastical  authorities  purified  in  some degree the
customs which they could not abolish. This sub- stitution, which took place at
Rome  probably  between  354 and 36o, was adopted throughout the Empire, and
that is why we still celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December.
   The pre-eminence assigned to the dies Solis also certainly  Tacit., Hist.,
iii, 24. contributed to the general recognition of Sunday as a holiday. This is
connected with a more important fact,  namely,  the adoption of the week by all
European nations. We have seen that in the astrological system each day was
sacred to a planet. It is probable that the worshipper prayed to the  presiding
star of each day in turn. We still possess the text of these prayers addressed
to the planets in the East as in the West. We have some in Greek, but of a late
date, and the  most curious are those of the pagans of Harran near Edessa,
which an Arabic writer has transmitted to us in great detail. Thus, for
instance, to call upon Saturn it was necessary to await the favourable  moment,
 to  don  black  vestments,  to  approach the sacred place humbly, like a man
sunk in sorrow, to burn a perfume composed of incense  and  opium  mixed  with 
grease and the urine of a goat, then, at the moment when the smoke arose, to
raise the eyes to the star and say:
     "Lord, whose name is august, whose power is widespread, whose spirit
sublime, 0 Lord Saturn the cold, the dry, the dark, the harmful.... crafty sire
who knowest all wiles, who art deceitful, sage, understanding, who causest
prosperity or ruin, happy or un- happy is he whom thou makest such. I adjure
thee, 0 primeval Father, by thy great mercies, and thy noble qualities, to do
for me this and that!"     "This having been said," continues the text, which 
I  am abridging, "thou shalt bow thyself down  with  humility  and contrition,
and while bending thou shalt repeat  the  prayer several times."
    We do not suppose  that  in  the  Roman  Empire  devotees would have gone
through  such  complicated  ceremonies  every day in honour of the planets,-the
great prayer to Jupiter fills not less than four pages,-but certainly the use
of an analogous liturgy in certain cults, notably in the mysteries of Mithra,
contributed largely to the adoption of the  week  throughout the Roman Empire.
    This diffusion of the week and even its invention are much more recent than
is usually supposed. It is known that the Jews already divided time into
consecutive groups of  seven  days ending with the Sabbath, but these days were
not each under the patronage of a planet:  they  were  merely  counted.  This
system of the meblsurement of time originates in the  division of the lunar
month into  four  equal  parts.  This  hebdomadal period is also found
elsewhere, but the astrological week has a much later origin. It is connected
with the general theory of c ' chronocratories," which assigned to each planet
the dominion over an hour, a day, a year, and even over a period  of  a
thousand years'; and the assignment of each of these  to  one of the gods is
the result of an ingenious calculation, which is based  on  the  so-called 
"Chaldean"  arrangement  of  the planets.  Now  this  arrangement  appears 
nowhere  before  the second century B.C., and it may be considered certain that
our week is a creation of the Hellenistic period. It was probably first
introduced into the sidereal cults of Mesopotamia and of Syria, thence passed
to Alexandria' and it is about the age of Augustus that it began to supplant in
Latin countries the old Roman nundinum of eight days, and it ended by 
replacing  all local calendars. Adopted by the Church, in spite of its
suspicious origin, it was imposed on all Christian peoples.  When  to-day we
name the days Saturday,  Sunday,  Monday,  we  are  heathen and astrologers
without knowing  it,  since  we  recognise  im- plicitly that the first belongs
to Saturn, the second to the Sun, and the third to the Moon.
    If I may be allowed to conclude with an observation,  which takes us a
little away from our subject, there can perhaps be no more striking proof of
the power and popularity of astrological beliefs than the  influence  which 
they  have  exercised  over popular language. All modern  idioms  preserve 
traces  of  it, which we can no longer discern save with difficulty, survivals
of vanished superstitions. Do we still  remember,  when  we  speak of a
martial, jovial, or lunatic character, that it must have been formed by Mars,
Jupiter, or the Moon, that an influence is the effect of a fluid emitted by the
celestial bodies, that it is one of these " astra " which, if hostile, will
cause me a disaster, and that, finally, if I have the good fortune to find
myself among you, I certainly owe it to my lucky star?