Once again during this holiday season, there has been talk about the so-called “War on Christmas”–a war that was launched several years ago by Bill O’Reilly who was offended by the trend to replace traditional Christmas greetings with secular holiday greetings. Having grown up in a Christian home and having spent most of my life in Zürich, Switzerland, one of the three major centers of the Protestant Reformation in sixteenth-century Europe, I understand quite well the nostalgia for a past time when the overwhelming majority of the population professed the Christian faith and when the greeting “Merry Christmas” seemed as natural as “Happy New Year.” This is not, however, the world in which we live today. Modern communication and the ease of travel have transformed our society in ways that we have not yet fully comprehended. Admittedly, the United States never was as homogeneous as some want to pretend, but it certainly was not as pluralistic as it is today. In a society of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, agnostics and atheists, it is simply not democratic to insist on the customary Christmas celebration in the public sphere. Many of us may find this emotionally disappointing, but religiously, it is not as tragic as one might think.
If we can tear ourselves away from the customs of Christmas: the Advent wreath, the Christmas tree, the children’s Santa Claus, the Christmas parades, the lavish dinners with family and friends and the exchange of gifts–if we can put all of this aside for moment and inquire about the actual role of Christmas in the Christian tradition, we will discover that the celebration of Christmas is not and never has been an essential element of Christian faith. Anyone who attempts to argue the contrary will be obligated to explain how and why the Christian Church prospered for over 300 years without this celebration.
Without going into great detail, I would like to point out a few historical facts. The New Testament contains 27 separate books, of which only two place much emphasis on the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The Apostle Paul assumes that Jesus had a natural birth; Mark doesn’t seem to be interested in how he was born and so forth. In the Church of the early centuries, the Christians resisted the celebration of the birth of Jesus because they believed that such a celebration would be pagan. The very first celebration of Christmas occurred in Rome sometime around the middle of the 4th century; scholars disagree about the exact date, whether it was 335 or 354 a.d. By that time, the Christian Church had spread over much of the Roman Empire. There was the Roman Catholic Church in Rome, the Eastern Orthodox Church in Constantinople, the Coptic-Orthodox Church in Egypt, the Nestorian Church in Persia, to name only a few of the branches. Significantly, all of this happened without Christmas. If one wished to compare the situation then and now, one could say that the early Christians had a very strong faith, but no Christmas, whereas we have an elaborate Christmas celebration, but not much faith.
So how did Christmas actually originate? The answer to this question must be sought outside of the narrow bounds of Christianity itself. The worship of the sun god, which had deep roots in ancient Egyptian culture, was adopted by the Roman Emperors in the 3rd century a.d. as the official religion of the Empire. Furthermore, the 25th of December was designated as the official date of the god’s celebration. Under the Julian calendar, the winter solstice occurred on the 25th (not the 22nd), and the celebration of the sun god was a celebration of light after the long winter nights had come to an end. After Christianity became not only legal, but socially acceptable in the Roman Empire, it was only natural to substitute the celebration of the son for the celebration of the sun.
By relating the celebration of Jesus’ birth to the ancient celebration of light based on the rhythm of the seasons, the Christian Church imbued Christmas with a universal character that is still felt today. Light is one of the most power symbols of the human psyche, and regardless of religious persuasion, people today still enjoy displaying and viewing the lights of the season. Light symbolizes the overcoming of darkness and hope for the future. And because it is a universal symbol, it binds us together and engenders in us a sense of generosity. Whether we are Jews, Christians, Muslims or atheists, there is a common element in all of us that we bring to expression in the celebration of light. For Christians, this element may appropriately be interpreted in the context of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth.
With these words, my best wishes to all for an enjoyable Holiday Season!
Villager Jack E. Brush is a regular contributor to Villages-News.com
