Esposito writes:
"The claim that the roots of Christmas are pagan is one I hear over and over again, especially in December. The idea isn't even new. The New England Puritans, who valued work more than celebration, taught such. Puritan preacher Increase Mather preached that "the early Christians who first observed the Nativity on December 25 did not do so thinking that 'Christ was born in that Month, but because the Heathens Saturnalia was at that time kept in Rome, and they were willing to have those Pagan Holidays metamorphosed into Christian.'
When one digs into the actual history however, a much different picture arises. There are two ways to approach the question: one is to see how December 25 became associated with the Nativity, which is how the early church would have referred to the day of Christ's birth. The other one is to look at the celebrations of Saturnalia and Sol Invictus. Either approach shows the dubious nature of the claim that Christmas has pagan roots."
The articles are as follows:
Pt. 1- No, Christmas Is Not Based on a Pagan Holiday
Pt. 2- The Date of Saturnalia Doesn't Line Up with Christmas
Pt. 3- Christmas, the Solstice, and December 25th
For more on the date of Christmas, see this article by Andrew McGowan, originally published in Bible Review, December 2002.
Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
Courage and Godspeed,
Chad
Comments
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Christmas Celebration