Christmas, Constantine, and the Bible

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With Christmas as a case in point, this writing shows how pagan worship practices were brought into what would become prevailing Christianity, the Roman Emperor Constantine being a key player in those changes. Additionally, a detailed review of events that really did surround the advent of Christ is included, and a summary of how the Biblical holy days have acquired Christ-centered meanings. Following is the more detailed introduction to this work.

Picture in your mind this manger scene that was spotted one December outside of a McDonald's restaurant. Present were the baby Jesus, His parents Joseph and Mary, some shepherds, three men wearing crowns and carrying gifts, Ronald McDonald, the Hamburgler, and other McDonald's characters. Above the roof of the small open-sided wooden barn was a five-pointed star.

We all know that Ronald McDonald was not present at the birth of Jesus. But adding McDonald's characters is not the only thing amiss with the scene just described. Jesus was not born in the winter, and certainly not on December 25, an ancient day of pagan worship. There were no kings or wise men bearing gifts at Jesus' birth. When they did travel to find him, they did not follow a star in the sky, at least according to the Bible. Some historians believe that the barn itself was probably built primarily of stone, or may have been a hillside cavern. When the wise men did finally show up over one year later, they found Christ as a young child in a house.

Common ideas about the events surrounding the birth of Christ are not well informed by either the Bible or historical records. Serious warping of the story has taken place over time. While the wise men gave gifts to Christ, Christmas entails everyone giving gifts to one other, just as had been done for a long time before Christ by pagan worshipers. This is but one result of Christ's birth becoming linked to pagan celebrations. The gift giving aspect of Christmas will be examined. Indicators of Christ being born in the autumn, and not near the time of the winter solstice, will be presented. The events that really did surround the birth of Christ, and later the visit of the wise men, will be covered in detail. In doing so, common misconceptions will be cleared up.

Then we will learn much about the 4th Century Roman Emperor Constantine. We will see how he was instrumental in transforming Christianity so as to reflect various pagan worship practices within the Roman Empire. These changes were not limited to Christmas alone. Accordingly, some space will be taken to explore the change in the day of rest and the introduction of the Easter holiday, including the initial reasons and later justifications for these.

Returning to Christmas as the principal focus of this writing, some subsequent Christmas history will be presented, including the origin and addition of the mythical figure Santa Claus. Santa Claus is now closely tied to the commercialism that is part and parcel of the Christmas holiday season. Nevermind that Santa doesn't really manufacture anything at the North Pole, where there is only ice and no workshop, leaving folks to buy things with their own money.

As alternatives to the popular holidays of prevailing Christianity, a summary of the festivals of the Bible will be presented. They are generally labeled as Jewish, and said to be done away. But in fact, thanks to the New Testament, we can now see how they are now rich in Christian meaning. They clearly portray Jesus Christ's central role in the wonderful plan of God by which every individual will have a full opportunity for salvation.