Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-12-26
CHRISTMAS.

lie read, as appropriate to the ap-
preaching festival. Luke2; 8-2l. He
began with some generalremarkso on the
origin of::festivals. They spring from
the religious nature of mamie multi
plies his days of worship. The Old
Testament prescribes quite number of
festivals, and there were many among
the Pagan nations. 1t is singular
trait in the human race to observe days.
The early church observed Satur-
day, the Jewish Sabbath, and also
Sunday to commemorate the resurrec-
ton of the Lord Friday is regarded
as an unlucky day among christians,
because Christ was crucifed on it.
Then there were yearly festivals. The
principal of these were Easter, to
commemorate the resurrection ; Whit
suntide, to take the place of the jew
ish pentecost and commemorate the
outpouring OF the Holy Ghost. Epi-
phany commentaries the appearance
of the star that guided the Magi. But
we find no festival to celebrate the ma
tivify until the latter part of the fourth
century. 1t was not the design of
christianity TO celebrate the birthday
of Jesus. There is something higher,
nobler, sublimer in His religion. Men
may celebrate the birthday of hero
or Statesman, but not of Jesus Of
Nazareth. His mission is too high.
The celebration of birthdays is of the
earth. He then quoted from Sir
Issac Newton, The times of the birth
and passion of Christ with such like
niceties, not material to religion, were
little regarded by the christians of
the early ages. They who first began
to celebrate them placed them in the
cardinal periods of the year"
He then affirmed that it was impos-
sible to determine the time of the
birth of Christ. We can refer it to
no Jewish festival, nor to any day
noted 10 the heather calendar. There |
is a diversity of opinion on it. Light
foot places His birth in the Jewish |
month Tisri, which answers to part |
of our September. Archbishop New
come, a very distinguished chro-
nologer, speaking of Lardner says,
Jesus was born, says Lard, er,
between the middle of August and the |
middle of November. We will take
the mean time, Oct. LIST. To the !
same point he quoted other authori-
ties. Clement Of Alexandria says,
There are some who over curiOusly |
assign, not the year only, but also the |
day of our Savior's nativity, which !
they say was the 18th year of Angus
tus, on the 10Th of May; but some
Others say the Goth of April" DIR. |
Murdoch, whose learning in patristic |
lore was immense, says, This is al
most the only genuine passage of an
Ante-nicene writer which may be sup
posed to allude to such a festival"
DIR. Shaft says, Easter and Pente-
cost are the only festivals that can be
traced to Apostolic times. Of the
observance of other festivals, as
Christmas for instance, we find not
the least hint in the New Testament,
1t is only at a later period that the
church went back from the centre OF
her faith, the crucifxion and resurrec-
ton of Christ, to the beginning of his
theanthropic life, and appointed
special feast for the mystery of the in
carnation. Old documents which
would have been sure to mention it, if
it had existed, make not the slightest
allusion to a Christmas festival. JUS
tin Martyr, who describes so minutely
nearly everything pertaining to church
service, says nothing of it. Nor does
Tertullian, in his Apology, make men,
ton of it. Chrysostom, in a discourse
delivered 25th Dec, $50, at Antioch.
says this festival had become known
there less than ten years before
Why then was such a festival ap-
pointed? We have already referred
to the pagan festivals. The church at
Rome was made almost exclusively of
those who had been pagans. Their
festivals would still have strong hold
upon them, and at each recurrence
they would be inclined to join in with
their pagan friends and relatives. The
selection of the day also sanctions this
view. Why the 18th of December
was appointed We cannot see, unless it
was an attempt on the part of the
church to supplant a pagan festival.
One fact renders this date improbable
the shepherds keeping watch over
their focks at night. During the
rainy season the rain falls almost
necessarily, especially at night. De-
cember 18th is in the very midst of
the rainy reason. There must have
been then very strong reason to IN
duce the church 10 appoint that day.
Looking then at the pagan calendar,
we find their chief festival included
that DAY. Saturnalia was instituted
TO commemorate the peaceful reign OF
Saturn. During this festival all public
business was suspended; the utmost
freedom of social intercourse was ac-
corded TO all, even children aud slaves.
Society was turned upside down, and
universal merriment was the grand
distinguishing feature. He argued
that christians would be carried off by
this festival and the church thought
to save her members by outstanding
this great festival. She therefore an
pointed the 18th of December as the
day of Christ's birth, and proclaimed
festival to celebrate il, hoping by this |
to turn away the minds of christians /
from the Saturnalian revels. Did the
church succeed?
He then gave some resemblances TO |
prove this point: