The exact birth-date of Jesusthe man, as already stated, istotally unknown, not only as regards the year in which the event occurred, but equally so as regards the day of the month on which it happened. From the earliest time the Christians have been in doubtas to the year and day of the birth of their great teacher, but the 25th of December finally in time became acceptedas the day of his physical birth.
Now the 25th of December wasvery evidently intended to be the date of the Winter Solstice, occurring in our timeson or about December 21-22, and was from early times in Imperial Rome observed as the day of the new birth of the Sol Invictus or Unconquered Sun, signifying the lowest course of the solar orb in the winter time and the beginning of his return on his northern journey.
Mithras, the Persian divinity, was also given this title of"Unconquered"; and as one ofthe very earliest Christian writers tells -- Justin Martyr ( Dialog with Trypho, p. 305) -- Mithras was mystically said to have been born in a cave or grotto, as was also Jesus, according to very early and wide-spread orthodox Christian legends. Justin adds:"He was born on the day on which the Sun was born anew,in the stable of Augeas": and, as all know, the Christian gospels which are now considered as canonical say that Jesus was born in a"manger" or in a "stable," because, so the legend runs in the New Testament, there was no room for Joseph and Mary in the inn.
The Venerable Bede, an English chronicler of the islandof Britain, his native country, writing in the seventh centuryof the Christian era, in his book De temporum ratione tells us that the ancient Anglo-Saxons, whom he shortly calls the Angli, "began the year on December the 25th when we now celebrate the birthday of the Lord." He means Jesus, who was his Lord.
"And the very night which is now so holy to us (December 24-5) they called in their own tongue modra necht . Bede has misspelled these Anglo-Saxon words, or followed a dialect; they should be written modra niht .Their meaning is"Night of the Mothers," by reason of the ceremonies, we believe, that they performed in that night-long vigil."
It is obvious that Bede's reference to this mid-winter festival was taken from some ancient non-Christian ritual orceremony, based on the fact of a divine motherhood, which had its human correspondencein a mystical human birth. It goes without saying that if thesun was symbolized or figurated as being born at a certain season of the year, motherhood was closely involved in the idea back of the ritual -- the motherhood very likely of the Celestial Virgin in giving birth to man's greatest friend and illuminator.Some such idea unquestionably must have swayed the minds of the earlyChristians in fixing upon so definitely a pagan festival as commemorating the birth of their human savior, Jesus, from the woman whom they callMary the Maiden.
Even as the Christ-child, in the beautiful Christian legend, is said to have been born on December 25th, so likewise was the Mithraic divinity said to have been born into humanform on that same day of the year, which was the winter solstice. This day, or one a few days thereafter, has beencommemorated as the birthdayof other religious type-figuresalso.
The Christmas Festival is in one sense only, a Christian festival. It is based upon something belonging to the Greek and Roman paganism which the Christians took
next over. It is therefore older than Christianity. It is pagan, to use the popular word.
There were at least three dates when commemorative festivals were held in the early Christian era: on December 25th, on January 6th called the Epiphany, and on the 25th of March -- practically the time of the spring equinox. Now, all thesedates were based upon astronomical data and facts; and the Christians of about the fifth or sixth century of the Christian era finally chose the date which had been in use for the celebration of the birthday of the Persian god, Mithras -- December 25th.
The Mysteries of Antiquity were celebrated at various times of the year -- in the spring, in the summer, in the autumn, and at the winter solstice. But the greatest of these mystical celebrations, the greatest of the Mysteries,was that which was in the wintertime, when the sun had reached his southernmost point, and turning, began his return journey northwards.
Beginning with the winter solstice, on December 21st, these most sacred of the ancient Mysteries began. Therein were initiated certain men who had been chosen on account of having perfected a certain preliminary period of training: chosen to go throughinitiatory trials for the purpose of bringing into manifestation in the man the divine faculties and powers ofthe inner god. ®™ RNK
Sunday, 23 December 2012
THE BIRTH OF JESUS, AND THE CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL
The exact birth-date of Jesusthe man, as already stated, istotally unknown, not only as regards the year in which the event occurred, but equally so as regards the day of the month on which it happened. From the earliest time the Christians have been in doubtas to the year and day of the birth of their great teacher, but the 25th of December finally in time became acceptedas the day of his physical birth.
Now the 25th of December wasvery evidently intended to be the date of the Winter Solstice, occurring in our timeson or about December 21-22, and was from early times in Imperial Rome observed as the day of the new birth of the Sol Invictus or Unconquered Sun, signifying the lowest course of the solar orb in the winter time and the beginning of his return on his northern journey.
Mithras, the Persian divinity, was also given this title of"Unconquered"; and as one ofthe very earliest Christian writers tells -- Justin Martyr ( Dialog with Trypho, p. 305) -- Mithras was mystically said to have been born in a cave or grotto, as was also Jesus, according to very early and wide-spread orthodox Christian legends. Justin adds:"He was born on the day on which the Sun was born anew,in the stable of Augeas": and, as all know, the Christian gospels which are now considered as canonical say that Jesus was born in a"manger" or in a "stable," because, so the legend runs in the New Testament, there was no room for Joseph and Mary in the inn.
The Venerable Bede, an English chronicler of the islandof Britain, his native country, writing in the seventh centuryof the Christian era, in his book De temporum ratione tells us that the ancient Anglo-Saxons, whom he shortly calls the Angli, "began the year on December the 25th when we now celebrate the birthday of the Lord." He means Jesus, who was his Lord.
"And the very night which is now so holy to us (December 24-5) they called in their own tongue modra necht . Bede has misspelled these Anglo-Saxon words, or followed a dialect; they should be written modra niht .Their meaning is"Night of the Mothers," by reason of the ceremonies, we believe, that they performed in that night-long vigil."
It is obvious that Bede's reference to this mid-winter festival was taken from some ancient non-Christian ritual orceremony, based on the fact of a divine motherhood, which had its human correspondencein a mystical human birth. It goes without saying that if thesun was symbolized or figurated as being born at a certain season of the year, motherhood was closely involved in the idea back of the ritual -- the motherhood very likely of the Celestial Virgin in giving birth to man's greatest friend and illuminator.Some such idea unquestionably must have swayed the minds of the earlyChristians in fixing upon so definitely a pagan festival as commemorating the birth of their human savior, Jesus, from the woman whom they callMary the Maiden.
Even as the Christ-child, in the beautiful Christian legend, is said to have been born on December 25th, so likewise was the Mithraic divinity said to have been born into humanform on that same day of the year, which was the winter solstice. This day, or one a few days thereafter, has beencommemorated as the birthdayof other religious type-figuresalso.
The Christmas Festival is in one sense only, a Christian festival. It is based upon something belonging to the Greek and Roman paganism which the Christians took
next over. It is therefore older than Christianity. It is pagan, to use the popular word.
There were at least three dates when commemorative festivals were held in the early Christian era: on December 25th, on January 6th called the Epiphany, and on the 25th of March -- practically the time of the spring equinox. Now, all thesedates were based upon astronomical data and facts; and the Christians of about the fifth or sixth century of the Christian era finally chose the date which had been in use for the celebration of the birthday of the Persian god, Mithras -- December 25th.
The Mysteries of Antiquity were celebrated at various times of the year -- in the spring, in the summer, in the autumn, and at the winter solstice. But the greatest of these mystical celebrations, the greatest of the Mysteries,was that which was in the wintertime, when the sun had reached his southernmost point, and turning, began his return journey northwards.
Beginning with the winter solstice, on December 21st, these most sacred of the ancient Mysteries began. Therein were initiated certain men who had been chosen on account of having perfected a certain preliminary period of training: chosen to go throughinitiatory trials for the purpose of bringing into manifestation in the man the divine faculties and powers ofthe inner god. ®™ RNK
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