Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-12-12

Henry ]. Van DYKE. Jr.. in Harpers Hksazine.
There were some men in adva4te Of their age
who had learned to think of the whole life OF
Christ in its unity as a lite for and with man
crowned by His vicarious death and resurrec-
ton. Iren@us in particular is worthy of special
mention and enduring honor as the first OF the
fathers to bring out the unfolding Of all the
stages of human life in Jesus Christ and even
though he had never written another word than
this he deserves to be immortal in the memory
of the church for having said: THE Son OF God
became child among the children In order That
childhood might be made holy" This sentence
holds the heart of Christmas. But 1t was not
until long after it was uttered. it was not
until the latter halt of the fourth CEN
fury, that the church at large began to
feel and to unfold its meaning. Then IL
was that she emerged from the sIo n,ni
favor Then she saw that she had work to
do here on earth in the cleansing and adjoining
she realized that patient suffering and faithful
death were not the only duties OF the CHRISTIAN,
but that, following God in love. it was possible
to begin in this world the purity and peace OF
heaven. Then she began to feel the wOndrOus
significance of the living entrance of the Son OF
God into the life OF man. and ms PERCY pat'e err,
passed from the lower conception or church
saved out of the world, to the higher conception
of a world 10 be saved through the ministry OF
the church, a natural year to be TRANSFORMED Dy
reverent devotion and wholesome plety INTO
the Christian year, a redeeming life as well as
an atOning death of Christ, to be preserved In
living remembrance by the perpetual COM
memOratiOn OF its chief events. Then 1t was
that opening her heart to the humanity Of reli-
gion she began to draw near to the humanity
of Jesus, and to seek with eager interest for the
day of His birth that she might make 1t holy.
But what clew was there to direct the search?
What reason could be given for choosing one
day rather than another for the Christmas festi-
val; The gospels always meageE In dates were
or month of the Nativity. Oral tradition, we
may be sure, was equally reticent or Indifferent.
OF the date of Christs birth floating here and
there among the writings of the fathers; but
these were all of late origin, manifestly UNI
Clement of Alexandria said that many Chris
tians regarded the Goth of May the day Of
but he favored the 10th of November. In the
Eastern Church the 9th or 9th of January was
celebrated as the date of Christ's baptism, and
the Nativity was joined with this on no better
ground than q forced Interpretation of Ezekiel,
j, 1-3, as prophecy of the Incarnation. Others
again liked the 2lst OF March as the day OF
slightly supported assumptions there was little
to choose. A historical date was clearly out of
but TO select some day on grounds OF convent
ence and symbolic Significance, and celebrate it
by common consent as Christmas Day.
1t would take too long tor Inc to trace the
many reasons which led 10 the choice OF the
25th of December. 1t was doubtless connected
by process of deduction with the day which
common date of the Annunciation and OF the
creation OF the world. Assuming that the world
was made in the spring. because ii was COM
manded to bring forth gras, and herbs, and
that it was made when light and darkness
were equally divided, because 1.-THE evening
and the morning were the first day. il was
natural, though somewhat naive, TO fix upon
the vernal equinox according to the Julian
calendar, March 25) as the exact date of the
creation. tie who could question the value of
such Straightforward and scriptural argu-
ment as this must have had more logic and
less piety than belonging to the early Chris
tians- And once having discovered by this
easy method the very day on which the world
came into being and the glorious light sprang
out Of darkness, what more simple than
to assume that it was the same day
on which adst the power Of the Almighty
spring from on high began his entrance into
the world? Nothing could be palmer. Even
the least imaginative OF chronOgraphers could
sumption nine months, and arrive at Decem-
Der 20 the day Of the Nativity. And here
another wonderful coincidence meets him.
This is the day of the Winter solstice, the day
when the worlds darkness begins to lessen,
and the worlds light to grow; the day which
the ancient world HAD long celebrated as the
birthday of the sun-dies ndtdtis soils inricti-
what more appropriate day could be found for
the birth OF the 'sun of Righteousness" abe
other instance of the wondrous f1lfllment of
Scripture. st. John, the Baptist, is born on
June %, the summer solstice, when the sun be-
gins to decline. The Lord Jesus is born on De-
cember %, the Winter sOlstice, when the sun
begins to ascend. And in this is fulfilled the
saying, He must increase, but l must de-
crease
The earliest mention of the 25th of December
as Christmas day is found in an ancient cata-
lOgue OF church festivals about 354 A. u. And
1t is surprising to see with what alacrity the
date was received and the Nativity celebrated
throughout ChristendOm. 1t seems If the
world had been waiting for this festival of
divine and human childhood, and was ready
to welcome 1t at once with songs of joy. In the
year $50 1t was already celebrated in Rome by
vast multitudes thrOnging the churches.
Twenty years later Antioch had taken it up
with great popular enthusiasm. And in little
more than fifty years from its earliest sugges-
ton the observance of December % as the day
OF the Nativity had become the universal prac-
tice of Christians. st. CnrysOston, in Christ
mas sermon preached at Antioch, called it the
fundamental feast, or the root from which all
other Christian festivals grow.