The
day observed by Christians in commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The
Scriptures do not reveal the exact date of Christ’s birth, and the earliest
Christians had no fixed time for observing it. However, by the late fourth
century Christmas was generally celebrated in the churches, although on
differing dates in different locales. Various methods were used in an attempt
to compute the day of Christ’s birth; among dates suggested by early churchmen
were January 6, April 18, April 19, May 20, and according to Hippolytus (ca.
170-ca, 236), in his Commentary on Daniel, “Our Lord was born on Wednesday,
December 25, in the 42nd year (2
B.C.) of the reign of Augustus.” December 25 eventually became the
officially recognized date for Christmas because it coincided with the pagan
festivals celebrating Saturnalia and the winter solstice. The church thereby
offered the people a Christian alternative to the pagan festivities and
eventually reinterpreted many of their symbols and actions in ways acceptable
to Christian faith and practice. For example, Jesus Christ was presented as the
Sun of Righteousness (Mal. 4:2), replacing the Sun god, Sol Invictus. As
Christianity spread throughout Europe, it assimilated into its observances many
customs of the pagan winter festivals such as holly, mistletoe, the Christmas
tree, and log fires. At the same time new Christmas customs such as the
nativity crib and the singing of carols were introduced by Christians.
In
every period of Christian history the observance of Christmas has been opposed
by a minority of Christian leaders. Usually one or more of three factors have
been involved in this opposition: (1) a rejection of ecclesiastical authority
in its attempt of establish official feast days, of which Christmas is one; (2)
an objection of the drinking, partying and immorality associated in every age
with Christmas festivities; (3) the long-standing and continuing associations
of Christmas with pagan religious ideas and practices. Some Protestants,
especially those in the Calvinistic tradition – including Calvin himself, Knox,
the English and American Puritans, and many Presbyterians – refused to
celebrate Christmas. However, the Lutherans, the Continental Reformers, and
most other Protestants defended the observance of Christmas and sought to
emphasize its deeper truth expressed in the doctrine of the incarnation. By the
midtwentieth century Christmas had come to be observed almost universally in
some form or another by Christians throughout the world. With the expansion of Christianity
into the cultures of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, many new customs and
ideas were incorporated into the Christian celebration of Christmas. O.
G. OLIVER JR.
Bibliography.
L.
W. Cowie and J. S. Gummer, Christian
Calendar; O. Cullmann, “Origin of
Christmas,” in Early Church; A. A. McArthur, Evolution of the Christian Year;
P. Schaff, History of the Christian
Church; T. J. Taley, Origins of the
Liturgical Years.
*Evangelical Dictionary of Theology 2nd
Edition. Edited by Walter A. Elwell,
Baker, 2001
rcmang@gmail.com
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