Doane 359

Selected FOOTNOTES with Text - from: A MARTIAN EXAMINES CHRISTIANITY Chapter XI The Martian Inquires As To Miracles [ Ancient myth of the taxing: Pages 158, p. 361. BIBLE MYTHS. “Cæsar’s Fair.” More references at bottom of this page.]
Page 87 the Martian “ I find that your church father St. Chrysostom, who lived about the year 390, referred to these numerous festivals held on December 25th in the following language: ‘ On this day also the birth of Christ was lately fixed at Rome in order that whilst the heathen were busy with their profane ceremonies the Christians might perform their holy rite undisturbed.’ ” ⁴¹ ⁴¹ Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., p. 367. Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions CHAPTER XXXIV. (Page) 359 THE BIRTH-DAY OF CHRIST JESUS. Christmas — December the 25th — is a day which has been set apart by the Christian church on which to celebrate the birth of their Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus, and is considered by the majority of persons to be really the day on which he was born. This is altogether erroneous, as will be seen upon examination of the subject. There was no uniformity in the period of observing the Nativity among the early Christian churches; some held the festival in the month of May or April, others in January. ^a ^a See: Bible for Learners, vol iii, p. 66; Chambers’s Encyclo., art.’s “ Christmas.” The year in which he was born is also as uncertain as the month or day. “ The year in which it happened,” says Mosheim, the ecclesiastical historian, “ has not hitherto been fixed with certainty, notwithstanding the deep and laborious researches of the learned.” ^b ^b Eusebius, Eccl. Hist., vol. i. p. 53. Quoted in Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 104. According to IRENÆUS (A. D. 190), on the authority of “ The Gospel,” and “ all the elders who were conversant in Asia with John, the disciple of the Lord,” Christ Jesus lived to be nearly, if not quite, fifty years of age. If this celebrated Christian father is correct, and who can say he is not, Jesus was born some twenty years before the time which has been assigned as that of his birth. ^c ^c See Chapter XL., this work. (Eusebius, Eccl. Hist., vol. i.) The Rev. Dr. Giles says: “ Concerning the time of Christ’s birth there are even greater doubts than about the place; for, though the four evangelists have noticed several contemporary facts, which would seem to settle this point, yet on comparing these dates with the general history at the period, we meet with serious discrepancies, which involve the subject in the greatest uncertainty..” ^d ^d Hebrew and Christian Records vol. ii. p. 189. (Page) 360 BIBLE MYTHS. Again he says: “ Not only do we date our time from the exact year in which Christ is said to have been born, but our ecclesiastical calendar has been determined with scrupulous minuteness the day and almost the hour at which every particular of Christ’s wonderful life is stated to have happened. All this is implicitly believed by millions; yet all these things are among the most uncertain and shadowy that history has recorded. We have no clue to either the day or the time of year, or even the year itself, in which Christ was born.” ^e ^e Hebrew and Christian Records p. 194. Some Christian writers fix the year 4 B. C., as the time when he was born, others the year 5 B. C., and again others place his time of birth at about 15 B. C. The Rev, Dr. Geikie, speaking of this, in his Life of Christ, says: “ The whole subject is very uncertain. Ewald appears to fix the date of the birth at five years earlier than our era. Petavius and Usher fix it on the 25th of December, five years before our era. Bengel on the 25th of December, four years before our era; Anger and Winer, four years before our era, in the spring; Scaliger, three years before our era, in October; St. Jerome, three years before our era, on December 25th; Eusebius, two years before our era, on January 6th; and Idler, seven years before our era, in December.” ^f ^f (Dr. Geikie’s ?) Life of Christ, vol. i. p. 559. Albert Barnes writes in a manner which implies that he knew all about the year (although he does not give any authorities), but knew nothing about the month. He says: “ The birth of Christ took place four years before the common era. That era began to be used about A. D. 526, being first employed by Dionysius, and is supposed to have been placed about four years too late. Some make the difference two, others three, four, five, and even eight years. He was born at the commencement of the last year of the reign of Herod, or at the close of the year preceding.” ^g ^g Barnes’ Notes, vol. ii. p. 402. “ The Jews sent out their flocks into the mountainous and desert regions during the summer months, and took them up in the latter part of October or the first of November, when the cold weather commenced. . . . It is clear from this that our Saviour was born before the 25th of December, or before what we call Christmas. At that time it is cold, and especially in the high and mountainous regions about Bethlehem. God has concealed the time of his birth. There is no way to ascertain it. By different learned men it has fixed at each month in the year.” ^h ^h Barnes’ Notes, vol. ii. p. 25. Canon Farrar writes with a little more caution, as follows: “ Although the date of Christ’s birth cannot be fixed with absolute certainty, there is at least a large amount of evidence to render it probable that he was born four years before our present era. It is universally admitted that our received chronology, which is not older than Dionysius Exignus, in the sixth century, is wrong. But all attempts to discover the month and the day are useless. No data whatever exists to enable us to determine them with even approximate accuracy.” ⁱ [ Complete Book available here: Bible Myths. ] ⁱ Farrar’s Life of Christ, App. pp. 3, 4. (pages not legible.) Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., pp. 361 et seq. Doane, Bible Myths pp. 335 et seq. INDEX of Subjects. Martian Visitor ( Home ) Metaphysics: Which is PRIMARY? The Pagan origins of Easter THE WORLD’S SIXTEEN CRUCIFIED SAVIORS or Christianity Before Christ CONTAINING New, Startling and Extraordinary Revelations In Religious History, Which Disclose The Oriental Origin Of All The Doctrines, Principles, Precepts, And Miracles Of The CHRISTIAN NEW TESTAMENT And Furnishing A Key For Unlocking Many Of It’s Sacred Mysteries, Besides comprising the History Of 16 HEATHEN CRUCIFIED GODS BY KERSEY GRAVES Copyright, 1875

Selected FOOTNOTES with Text - from:
A MARTIAN EXAMINES CHRISTIANITY
Chapter XI
The Martian Inquires As To Miracles

[ Ancient myth of the taxing: Pages 158,
p. 361. BIBLE MYTHS. “Cæsar’s Fair.”
More references at bottom of this page.]

Page 87
the Martian
“ I find that your church father St. Chrysostom, who lived about the year 390, referred to these numerous festivals held on December 25th in the following language: ‘ On this day also the birth of Christ was lately fixed at Rome in order that whilst the heathen were busy with their profane ceremonies the Christians might perform their holy rite undisturbed.’ ” ⁴¹

⁴¹ Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., p. 367.

Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions
CHAPTER XXXIV. (Page) 359

THE BIRTH-DAY OF CHRIST JESUS.

Christmas — December the 25th — is a day which has been set apart by the Christian church on which to celebrate the birth of their Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus, and is considered by the majority of persons to be really the day on which he was born. This is altogether erroneous, as will be seen upon examination of the subject.
There was no uniformity in the period of observing the Nativity among the early Christian churches; some held the festival in the month of May or April, others in January. ^a

^a See: Bible for Learners, vol iii, p. 66; Chambers’s Encyclo., art.’s “ Christmas.”

The year in which he was born is also as uncertain as the month or day. “ The year in which it happened,” says Mosheim, the ecclesiastical historian, “ has not hitherto been fixed with certainty, notwithstanding the deep and laborious researches of the learned.” ^b

^b Eusebius, Eccl. Hist., vol. i. p. 53. Quoted in Taylor’s Diegesis, p. 104.

According to IRENÆUS (A. D. 190), on the authority of “ The Gospel,” and “ all the elders who were conversant in Asia with John, the disciple of the Lord,” Christ Jesus lived to be nearly, if not quite, fifty years of age. If this celebrated Christian father is correct, and who can say he is not, Jesus was born some twenty years before the time which has been assigned as that of his birth. ^c

^c See Chapter XL., this work. (Eusebius, Eccl. Hist., vol. i.)

The Rev. Dr. Giles says:

“ Concerning the time of Christ’s birth there are even greater doubts than about the place; for, though the four evangelists have noticed several contemporary facts, which would seem to settle this point, yet on comparing these dates with the general history at the period, we meet with serious discrepancies, which involve the subject in the greatest uncertainty..” ^d

^d Hebrew and Christian Records vol. ii. p. 189.

(Page) 360 BIBLE MYTHS.

Again he says:

“ Not only do we date our time from the exact year in which Christ is said to have been born, but our ecclesiastical calendar has been determined with scrupulous minuteness the day and almost the hour at which every particular of Christ’s wonderful life is stated to have happened. All this is implicitly believed by millions; yet all these things are among the most uncertain and shadowy that history has recorded. We have no clue to either the day or the time of year, or even the year itself, in which Christ was born.” ^e

^e Hebrew and Christian Records p. 194.

Some Christian writers fix the year 4 B. C., as the time when he was born, others the year 5 B. C., and again others place his time of birth at about 15 B. C. The Rev, Dr. Geikie, speaking of this, in his Life of Christ, says:

“ The whole subject is very uncertain. Ewald appears to fix the date of the birth at five years earlier than our era. Petavius and Usher fix it on the 25th of December, five years before our era. Bengel on the 25th of December, four years before our era; Anger and Winer, four years before our era, in the spring; Scaliger, three years before our era, in October; St. Jerome, three years before our era, on December 25th; Eusebius, two years before our era, on January 6th; and Idler, seven years before our era, in December.” ^f

^f (Dr. Geikie’s ?) Life of Christ, vol. i. p. 559.

Albert Barnes writes in a manner which implies that he knew all about the year (although he does not give any authorities), but knew nothing about the month. He says:

“ The birth of Christ took place four years before the common era. That era began to be used about A. D. 526, being first employed by Dionysius, and is supposed to have been placed about four years too late. Some make the difference two, others three, four, five, and even eight years. He was born at the commencement of the last year of the reign of Herod, or at the close of the year preceding.” ^g

^g Barnes’ Notes, vol. ii. p. 402.

“ The Jews sent out their flocks into the mountainous and desert regions during the summer months, and took them up in the latter part of October or the first of November, when the cold weather commenced. . . . It is clear from this that our Saviour was born before the 25th of December, or before what we call Christmas. At that time it is cold, and especially in the high and mountainous regions about Bethlehem. God has concealed the time of his birth. There is no way to ascertain it. By different learned men it has fixed at each month in the year.” ^h

^h Barnes’ Notes, vol. ii. p. 25.

Canon Farrar writes with a little more caution, as follows:

“ Although the date of Christ’s birth cannot be fixed with absolute certainty, there is at least a large amount of evidence to render it probable that he was born four years before our present era. It is universally admitted that our received chronology, which is not older than Dionysius Exignus, in the sixth century, is wrong. But all attempts to discover the month and the day are useless. No data whatever exists to enable us to determine them with even approximate accuracy.” ⁱ

[ Complete Book available here: Bible Myths. ]
ⁱ Farrar’s Life of Christ, App. pp. 3, 4. (pages not legible.)

Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels
in other Religions, 7th ed., pp. 361 et seq.

Doane, Bible Myths pp. 335 et seq.

INDEX of Subjects.

Martian Visitor ( Home )

Metaphysics: Which is PRIMARY?

The Pagan origins of Easter

THE WORLD’S
SIXTEEN CRUCIFIED SAVIORS
or
Christianity Before Christ
CONTAINING
New, Startling and Extraordinary Revelations In
Religious History, Which Disclose The Oriental
Origin Of All The Doctrines, Principles,
Precepts, And Miracles Of The
CHRISTIAN NEW TESTAMENT
And Furnishing A Key For Unlocking Many Of
It’s Sacred Mysteries, Besides comprising the
History Of 16 HEATHEN CRUCIFIED GODS
BY
KERSEY GRAVES Copyright, 1875