Forthright Magazine http://www.forthright.net Straight to the Cross ---- Join our chatty new email group, FRIENDS! Sign up free: friends-join@... And be sure to read the rules of the game: http://www.forthright.net/editorial/join_our_new_chat_group.htm ---- COLUMN: Heavenly Connections A Short History of Christmas by Paul Goddard "If a thousand old beliefs were ruined in our march to truth we must still march on." -Stopford A. Brooke The birthday of Jesus Christ has been celebrated on December 25th since A.D. 336. During the first three centuries of Christ's Church, this holiday festival was not observed by Christians, nor was it on their calendar. The Bible does not reveal the year, and there is considerable uncertainty about the correct day and month. The Christmas celebration was started in the fourth century to put an end to pagan festivals./1 Most of the Eastern churches settled for January 6th, but the Western churches chose December 25th to commemorate the birth of the Messiah. These days were selected because they were already public holidays for pagans. The Romans celebrated "Natalis Solis Invicti" (the birth of the Unconquered Sun), and the Iranians celebrated "Sun of Righteousness." Some Christians opposed the birth celebration of Jesus because birthdays were reserved for pagan gods. Origen wrote that it would be wrong to celebrate the birth of the Christ in the same way Herod and Pharaoh had been honored./2 However, not all of his contemporaries agreed. Clement of Alexandria favored May 20th, and Hippolytus selected January 2nd as the date of Jesus' birth. What we do know about the birth is that it occurred during the reign of Caesar Augustus./3 His mother was a virgin who was pledged to be married to man by the name of Joseph, son of Jacob (Matthew 1:1-25). The birth occurred in Bethlehem of Judea, during the first census of governor Quirinius, and shepherds were told by an angel that the birth had occurred (Luke 2:1-20). Likewise, Magi from the east were led by a star to worship the infant king (Matthew 2:1-12). In this, the fullness of time, the incarnate son of God came to earth to redeem mankind (Galatians 4:4-7). What day was he born? We do not know. Do you believe it happened? Only you can answer that. Christian, are you up for the task? "Why did my Savior come to earth, And to the humble go? Why did He choose a lowly birth? Because He loved me so!" -- J.G. Dailey _______ 1/ The origin of the word Christmas: Latin = Dies Natalis (birth day) English = Cristes-maesse (the mass of Christ) appeared in 1038 Dutch = Kerst-misse (the mass of Christ) French = Noel (to be born) Italian = il Natale (been born) German = Weihnacht (sacred night) appeared in 1000 Greek/English = Xmas (the Greek letter, Chi or X, is the abbreviation for Christ, thus Christ's Mass) 2/ Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 10 (New York, 1911), 709. 3/ Caesar Augustus ruled Rome from 31 B.C. until 14 A.D. In 1627, the scholar Petavius invented the system of dating the events before Christ (B.C.). On the Gregorian calendar, B.C. is followed by "Anno Domini" (Latin phrase for "In the year of Lord," also known as A.D.). ---- Join the conversation. Read this article online and share your thoughts with us. Click here: http://www.forthright.net/up_for_the_task/a_short_history_of_christmas.htm ---- COLUMN: Heavenly Connections Divine Evidence by Tim Hall It's easy to understand why John was confused. When he baptized his cousin Jesus, he had been shown that this was the long-anticipated Messiah. But now John was in prison and Jesus wasn't doing anything to win his release. Had John been mistaken? Was Jesus really who John thought he was? John sent two of his followers to ask Jesus bluntly: "Are you the coming one, or do we look for another?" (Luke 7:20, NKJV). Jesus responded by performing mighty deeds in the sight of these men: "And that very hour he cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind he gave sight" (v. 21). It was a demonstration of deeds that no human could produce without divine empowerment. What's interesting is what Jesus said to these men after doing the amazing miracles: "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them" (v. 22). The things you've seen, Jesus said, are compelling evidence that I am from God. The response satisfied the messengers, and they returned to tell John. Christians today look at that episode wistfully. We can't do things like that. There was a brief time in the earliest history of the church when miracles were commonplace, but no more. How can we show the power of God in our age? Until recently I had overlooked the last part of Jesus' statement. After listing various miracles he had performed, Jesus then said that "the poor have the gospel preached to them." Why did Jesus include that "evidence" in the company of such amazing things? Perhaps the reason is that preaching the gospel to the poor is truly evidence of the divine. It's also an act that man continually overlooks. But our Lord didn't overlook it. James saw the need to warn Christians on this point. He spoke of two visitors to a worship assembly, one rich and the other poor. He observed the normal tendency to pay great attention to the wealthy while virtually ignoring the poor man. What principle was James trying to stress? "My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality" (James 2:1). We don't learn neglect of the poor from God! Miraculous healings and raising the dead are clear evidence of divine pleasure. But so is the simple act of preaching good news to a poor person. And it's not just the poor who need the gospel; all people do. But among all the peoples of the earth, the poor are most often neglected. Even by Christians. Would we do the works that Jesus did while he was on earth? Then let us do what we're able to do and show the world the power of Jesus in our lives. ---- Join the conversation. Read this article online and share your thoughts with us. Click here: http://www.forthright.net/heavenly_connections/divine_evidence.htm ---- You can help us get the word out. Here's how: http://www.forthright.net/editorial/lend_a_hand.htm