Evening star., 1931-12-26

conservative scholars who have
~ traced back to their origins the
customs of the December feast
of fellowship.
Hundreds, If not thousands, OF years
before Jesus of Nazareth was born IN
Bethlehem there was universal celebra-
ton of the Winter Solstice among the
tribes of Asia and Europe. The mo-
ment when the sun turns back from the
point of its greatest decline, the mid
moment of the year has particular
significance to primitive peoples. To
them it denotes the victory Of the sun
over darkness; the return OF the NE
giving orb to health.
The German and Celtic tribes of an
tiquity developed the festival OF Yule
to commemorate the return Of what
they called the burning wheel The
Romans celebrated their Saturnalia. IN
remembrance Of the supposed Golden
Age, from December IT TO 81. Slaves
were allowed to enjoy the Semblance OF
freedom during this time; they were
waited upon by their masters and chose
from among themselves a mock king
to preside over their reVelS. The Ro-
mans also, on December %, observed
the Sigillaria. the feast Of dolls, when
fair was held and dolls and other toys
were given to children Finally, on De-
cember 25. the Brumalia. otherwise
Dies Natalis Invicti Soils, the birthday
of the unconquered sun, was celebrated.
The Emperor Aureltan. about 270 or
273 AID. dedicated this last-named
feast TO Mithras, the Persian sun god.
Dedicated to Sun God.
In Egypt, too. the birthday OF the
sun deity was honored in December
The Hebrews had feast of lights or
feast of dedication. the Hanuca, the
traditional anniversary Of the rededi-
cation of the Temple after its recovery
by the Maccabees.
In Norway there was likewise a De-
cember festival inscribed to Thor. The
lighting of the Yule log was once an
almost universal occasion in Northern
Europe. Among the Lithuanians and
Let's the common words for Christmas
eve literally signify log evening"
The ancient BritonS began their year
on December 25. The chronicler Bede
says, The very night that is now so
holy to us, they called in their tongue
Mothers night. by reason, We suspect,
of the ceremonies which in that night
long vigil they performed"
Our word Christmas is a relatively
new word. 1t means "Christs mass"
or the mass or feast of Christ" 1t
was not celebrated in the first centu-
rieS of the Christian church. The
Christian usage in general was to cele-
brate the death of remarkable persons
rather than their birth" The death of
the martyr Stephen and the massacre
of the innocents at Bethlehem were
commemorated long before the nativity
of the Savior.
Exact Date Uncertain.
The exact date of the birth of Jesus
is unknown. DR.. David Foster Estes of
Colgate University says, The date of
His birth cannot be given with Ger
tainty as to day. month or even year"
But it is supposed that Jesus came into
the world between and BIC. There
is very ancient legend to the effect
that there was peace throughout the
Roman world at the hour of His birth.
T. G. Crippen, in Christmas and
Christmas Lore" says, There was
common belief that the nativity took
place on the 25th day of the
month, but which month was quite un-
certain" Clement of Alexandria, be-
fore 220 AID, named five dates in three
different months of the Egyptian year
to which various persons assigned the
occasion, and one of these dates corre-
spends with December 25. There was
in the third century common belief
that our Lord was born on the day of
the Winter solstice. This does not seem
to have rested on any record or evi-
dence worth the name, but on fam
tastic Interpretation of some prophetic
0rir oil hn+ hn
and the crucifiXion were
both on the same day of the year, viz,
the 25th of March" A document,
assigned to about 243 AID, gives March
% as the date of the nativity. Several
modern scholars, however, believe that
it must have been some time between
the end of July and the end of Octo-
ber. The date october 18 Is favored by
several evangelical writer's. 1t is GER
tain that Herod died in April, BIC.
Before the fifth century there was no
agreement among church authorities as
to whether January s, March 25 or De-
cember Is should be observed.
Early Estimates Doubted.
1t is said that the earliest identifi-
cation of December Is with the nativ-
itv is a passage of doubtful value at
tributed to Theophilus of Antioch, who
f1ourished about 1870 AID. This quota
ton is preserved in Latin by the Mag
deburg centuristorS.
A passage in Hippolytus' commen-
tary on Daniel iv,23 says that Jesus
was born at Bethlehem on Wednesday,
December 25, in the forty-second year
of Augustus. But this passage also has
been questioned as an Interpolation of
much later date.
The idea of celebrating the birth of
the Savior was not popular in the early
period of the Christian Church. Much
evidence is available on the matter. AS
late as 245, Origen placed himself on
record as opposed to keeping the birth
day of Christ, "as If he were a King
Pharaoh" Even after agreement had
ben reached as to the approximate date
of Jesus birth, there was no festival in
His honor.
There Is no mention of any feast in
the Calendar of Philocalos, 345 AID, In
which the first certain mention of De-
cember Is occurs. The calendar states
that in Year after Christ the Lord
.Jes1s Christ was born on December 25,
a FRIDAY. and the 18th day of the new
moon" But December 25, AID, was
a Sunday, not q Friday.
Polycarp speaks of His birth as hav-
ing happened on Sunday, when the
worlds creation began" but says He
was baptized on a Wednesday as the
analogue of the suns creation.
Date Believed Shifted.
Several Latin authorities as early as
s54 AID, are supposed to have trans
ferred the birthday from January 6 to
December 25, then the Mithraic feast.
Tho Svrians and Armenians clung to
January 8, accusing the Latins Of sun
worship and idblstry: