Inspire your heart.Although many today reason that Christ was born in the spring, it is important to recognize the possibility that the Church believed, whether mistakenly or not, that December 25 was the proper date for the incarnation.Origen, an early church father, opposed the celebration of Christ’s incarnation on the grounds that recognition of the birth of a deity was a pagan practice. They weren’t blindly borrowing, they were engaging in subversive theology. Likewise, the egg has come to represent Spring, fertility, and renewal. If so, what of the fact that every single day of the week derives its English name from a pagan god/festival? When Trinitarian controversy threatened his empire, Constantine did not personally decide the matter; he called an ecumenical council and charged the bishops to preside over Nicaea. Amid the monotony of familiarity and tradition, we must invest in the only true story—the story of Jesus Christ.It appears likely that Christian celebration eventually borrowed certain traditions from pagan holidays. Christ died for our sins. The Pagan Origins of Christmas and Easter.
Myth: Christians borrowed Christmas and Easter from pagansEvery spring just before Easter, major news organizations run stories “debunking” one of the central tenets of the Christian faith—Jesus’ resurrection. Such claims are plastered online and used in a philosophical sleight of hand to conclude that Christianity is rooted in paganism and thus nothing more than myth…or at least that Christians should have nothing to do with the holidays. The God of Israel did not ordain Thanksgiving Day but rather the Feast of Tabernacles in Leviticus 23. Origin of Christmas. Anyone who claims to know why Christmas was originally celebrated on this date is speculating. Discover the history of Easter and whether this holiday has Pagan influences. Regardless, the exclusion of certain elements should not cause us to discard the celebration of the holidays entirely or pass judgment on our brothers or sisters who choose to celebrate differently.But what of these holidays? Your religion is a heaven without a sun, an arch without a keystone, a compass without a needle, a clock without spring or weights, a lamp without oil.”Inanna is missing for three days after which her assistant seeks help from other gods.
There are various theories as to why Christmas was associated with December 25, and none is conclusive. Furthermore, there are explicit calls to remember and rejoice in the work of the Savior. We knowfor a fact that Easter was celebrated from the 2nd centuryonward, but we can assume that there were already celebrations of the resurrectionbefore among the Christian circles. Dionysus also brought his mum, Semele, back to life.” The Sumerian goddess Inanna, or Ishtar, was hung naked on a stake and was subsequently resurrected and ascended from the underworld.Commentators have cited numerous reasons why cultures have chosen to celebrate Easter in some form. Meanwhile, the myths of Sumeria and Egypt have retained all the power of a chocolate Easter bunny.Often, these themes are regarded as part of recurring cycles, like the seasons. They use this claim in a philosophical sleight of hand to conclude that Christianity is rooted in paganism and thus nothing more than myth.It could imply nothing more than that God embedded certain themes and truths into the world that even pagans recognized. I was recently reading about Christmas and the fact it really has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus. “Dionysus was a divine child, resurrected by his grandmother.
Bunnies are a leftover from the pagan festival of Eostre.” Hot cross buns are related to “Israelites baking sweet buns for an idol, and religious leaders trying to put a stop to it.” Eventually, “defiant cake-baking pagan women” were successful and a cross was added to the buns to Christianize them.A celebration of seasonal renewal has taken place in numerous cultures for thousands of years around the time of the Spring Equinox. Is He not the better Light of the world?Critics love to manufacture Constantinian conspiracy theories. Below are a few common theories:Advent is a season of wonder, especially for our children. It is beyond doubt that Christmas was originally a pagan festival. Does the fact that Thursday was originally “Thor’s day” prohibit Christians from using modern calendars? but fail to recognize that pagan elements also exist in the celebration of Christmas and Easter. Plus, even if he did, it would not further the claim that Christianity is mere myth.Christ became flesh. In fact, we find the opposite trajectory in Scripture. The Scriptures not only declare the day of resurrection as Sunday – the first day of the Jewish calendar – but also speak of the season as coinciding with the Jewish feast of Passover.While it is possible that Constantine took initiative in setting the date of the holiday, such a theory is merely speculative. His chief concern was not theological precision but rather imperial harmony.Choosing the date of Easter was much easier given precise biblical data. The Origins of Easter customs . and do they actually have anything to do with Jesus’ resurrection? What better way to communicate that than to leverage an existing concept and expand its meaning?The people of God have always held that He has embedded certain themes and truths into the world that even pagans recognized.