Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-12-25
CHRISTMAS DAY.

The festival OF Christmas is regarded
as the greatest celebration throughout
the ecclesiastical year, and so impor-
tant and joyous a solemnity Is 1t
deemed, that a special exception IS
made in its favor, whereby, in the
event Of the anniversary falling on
a Friday, that day Of the week, under
all other circumstances a fast, is trans
formed to a festival.
That the birth of Jesus Christ, the
deli fyerer of the human race, and the
mysterious link connecting the tran
scendenU and incomprehensible attri-
butes of Deity with human sympathies
and affections should be considered
as the most glorious event that ever
happened. and the most worthy Of be-
inc reverently and jOyOusly commem-
GRATED, is a proposition which must
commend itselfto the heart and reason
of every one of His followers, who as
nire TO walk in His footsteps, and
share in the inefable benefits which
his death secured 70 mankind. And
SO though at one period denounced by
the Puritaps as superstitiOus, ana TO
the present day disregarded by Cal
whistle PrOtestants, IS unWarranted
nv Scripture. there are few who viii
seriously dispute the prOpriety OF OBJ
serving the anniversary OF Chrlsts
birth BY a religious service.
A question, however, which has been
long and eagerly agltated, Is here
brought forward. Is the 18th OF De
cember really the day on which our
Saviour first showed himself IN human
form in the mangef at Betnlehem!
The evidence which we possess re-
garding thetdate is not only traQltlon-
al, but likewise conflicting and con
fused. In the earlier periods at when
We have any record OF the observance
of Christmas, we find that some CON-
muuities Of Christians celebrated LRe
festival On the lst or 9th OF January;
others on the 29th Of March, the time
of the Jewish Passover; while others,
Il is said, observed 1t CO the ZJtn OF
Segtember, or Feast of TaOefnacles.
There can be no doubt, however, that
long before the reign Of Constantine,
in the fourth century, the season OF
the New Year had been adopted as
the period for celebrating the Nativity,
though a difference in this respect eX-
isted in the practice OF the Eastern and
Western churches, the former ObserV-
ing the 9th of January, and the latter
the 18th of December. The custom OF
the Western church at last prevailed,
and both Of the ecclesiastical bodies
agreed to hold the anniversary on the
same day. The fixing OF the date ap-
Dears to have been the act of Julius
/. who presided as Pope or Bishop OF
Rome from 337 TO 3j2, AID. The cir
cumstance is doubted by AlOsheim, but
Is confirmed by St. ChrysOstom, who
died in the beginning of the fifth CEN
turv. This celebrated Father of the
Church informs US, 10 one Of his epis-
ties, that Julius, at the solicitation OF
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, caused strict
INQUIRIES to be made on the subject,
ana thereafter, following what seemed
70 b. the best authenticated tradition,
settled euthOTitatively the 18th OF De
cember a. the anniversary of Chrlsts
birth. the 'FeatOrUm Omnium metro
polls as it Is styled by st. Chrysos-
tom. 1t is true, indeed, that some
have represented this liking Of the
day to have been accomplished b. *.
Telesphorus,w who was Bishop OF Rome
I2S-I5g A.D., but the authority for the
assertion is very doubtful. Toward
the close of the second century, We
find a notice of the observance OF
Christmas in the reign Of the Emperor
COmmOdus: and about a hundred
wears afterWard. in the reign OF Do
cIaSisu an atrOciOus act OF cruelty Is
recorded o. the latter-named Emperor
who caused u church at NicOmedla,
where the Christians were celebrating
rhe Nativity, to he set on fire, ana by
barring every means % egfeSS lrOIH
The building. made all the Worshlppers
perish in the flames. Since the 6nu o.
the fourth century at least, the 18th OF
December has been uniformly ODSerN-
ed as the anniversary Of the Nativity
byall the nations of Christendom.
Thus far for ancient usage, but II
will be easily cOmprehended that In
surmOuntable difficulties exist with
respect TO the real date of the Mo
mentOus event under notice. Sir Isaac
Newton, indeed, remarks in his Com
mentary on the Prophecies of Daniel,
that the feast of the Nativity, and
most of the other ecclesiastical ami
yersaries. were originally fixed at car
dinal points of the year, without any
reference TO the dates of the incidents
which they commemOrated, date,
which, by the lapse of time, had be
come impossible to be ascertained
Thus the AnnunciatiOn of the Virgin
Mary was placed on the 18th of March
or about the beginning of the verna
.e0uiuoT: the feast of st. Michael OF
the 18th OF September, or near the
autumual equinox; and the birth o
Christ and other festivals at the time
of the winter sOistice. Many of th'
Matthias, and Others-Were determin
ed by the days when the sun entered
the reSpe ecdve signs OF the eeilpue,an
the Pagan festivals had also cOnsld
cradle share in the adjustment OF IN
Christian year. To this last we sinai
shortly have occasion to advert NOR
particularly, but at present We shat
content ourselves by remardng tina
the views of the great astronomer JUS
indicated, present, at least, SpeclOu
explanation of the original construC
non of the ecclesiastical calendar. A
REQ, rds the observance of Easter IN
deed. and its accessory celebration,
there is good ground Tor maintaining
that they mark tOleraDiy acyuratel
the anniversaries OF the Passion an
Resurrection of our Lord, seeing tna
we know that the events themSelNt
took place at the period OF the jews
Passover. But no such precision
date can be adduced as regards ChrE
tiaRs. respecting which the general
received view now is, that 1t does n'
correspond with the actual date OF u
eivitv Of the Saviour. OneObjectlol
na.- ocular, has been made, that II
IN par. corded in the Scripture,
.honbarJs 1IIClJea. ~ l,o Nping watch by night Q
9uepliSSIus ne @thlehem, could ~
have taken place in " i,ly,f of grest i
-cember, a period genera. >~.iea.
clemency in the region of -. ~~fbu
Though Christian nations haY,
from an early period in the hist)l
the church, celebrated Chris ma
about the period Of the winter sol5tice
or the shortest day, it is well know
that many, and, indeed the create
number OF the popular festive oh
servances by which il is characterized
are referrable to a much more ancieI
origin. Amid all the pagan nation
of antiquity, there seems 10 have bee
a universal tendency TO worship tn
sun as the giver of life and light, an
the visible manifestation of Deit.
Various as were the names bestowe
by different peoples on this object
their worship, he was still the san
divinity. Thus, at Rome, he appea
to have been worshipped under one
the characters attributed to Satur
the father of the gods; among Il
scandinavian natiOrs he was know
under the epithet of Odin, or Wode
the father Of Thor, who seems aite
wards to have shared with his Parel
the alteration bestowed on the latte
as the divinity of which the sun W
the visible manifestation; whilst WI
the ancient PeTsians, the appellate
for the god of light was Mithras, a