Doane 366

Selected FOOTNOTES with Text - from: A MARTIAN EXAMINES CHRISTIANITY Chapter XI The Martian Inquires As To Miracles [More references at bottom of this page.]
Page 86 the Fundamentalist “ But we have other evidences of our Saviour’s life in our sacraments that have come down to us,” “ We know He was born on the 25th of December, because that is the day on which we celebrate His Birth.” the Martian “ Is it not a fact that the 25th of December was not adopted as the birthday of your Saviour until about four hundred years after he lived? ” ³⁵ ³⁵ Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., p. 367. Page 87 the Martian “ that according to the records Buddha, the son of the Virgin Maya, was born on December 25th; ³⁶ that the ancient Persians celebrated the birthday of their saviour, Mithra, on December 25th; ³⁷ that the ancient Egyptians for centuries before the birth of your saviour celebrated the end of December as an anniversary of their saviour Horus, the son of a holy virgin who was born on December 25th; ³⁸ that the same date is the birth of the Greek god Bacchus, born of a virgin and called the saviour, ³⁹ that the birthday of Adonis, another saviour, was celebrated on December 25th.” ⁴⁰ “ 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 ³⁶ Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., p. 363. ³⁷ Ibid. ³⁸ Ibid. ³⁹ Ibid., p. 364. ⁴⁰ Ibid. ⁴¹ Ibid., p. 367. Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions (Page) 366 CHAPTER XXXIV. THE BIRTH-DAY OF CHRIST JESUS. The festival of the 25th of December was celebrated by the ancient Druids, in Great Britain and Ireland, with great fires lighted on the tops of hills. ^a ^a Dupuis, p. 160; Celtic Druids, and Monumental Christianity, p. 167. Godfrey Higgins says: “ Stuckley observes that the worship of Mithra was spread all over Gaul and Britain. The Druids kept this night as a great festival, and called the day following it Nolagh or Noel, or the day of regeneration, and celebrated it with great fires on the tops of their mountains, which they repeated on the day of the Epiphany or twelfth night. The Mithraic monuments, which are common in Britain, have been attributed to the Romans, but this festival proves that the Mithraic worship was there prior to their arrival.” ^b This was also a time of rejoicing in Ancient Mexico. Acosta says: “ In the first month, which in Peru they call Rayme, and answering to our December, they made a solemn feast called Capacrayme (the Winter Solstice), wherein they made many sacrifices and ceremonies, which continued many days.” ^c ^b Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 99. ^c Hist. Indies, vol. ii. p. 354. The evergreens, and particularly the mistletoe, which are used all over the Christian world at Christmas time, betray its heathen origin. Tertullian, a Father of the Church, who flourished about A. D. 200), writing to his brethren, affirms it to be “ rank idolatry” to deck their doors “ with garlands or flowers, on festival days, according to the custom of the heathen.” ^d ^d See Middleton’s Works, vol. i. p. 80. This shows that the heathen in those days, did as the Christians do now. What have evergreens, and garlands, and Christmas trees, to do with Christianity? Simply nothing. It is the old Yule-feast which was held by all the northern nations, from time immemorial, handed down to, and observed at the present day. In the greenery with which Christians deck their houses and temples of worship, and in the Christmas-trees laden with gifts, we unquestionably see a relic of the symbols by which our heathen forefathers signified their faith in the powers of the returning sun to clothe the earth again with green, and hang new fruit on the trees. Foliage, such as the laurel, myrtle, ivy, or oak, and in general, all evergreens, were Dionysiac plants, that is, symbols of the generative power, signifying perpetuity of youth and vigor. ^e ^e Knight: Anct. Art and Mytho., p. 32. Among the causes, then, that co-operated in fixing this period— December 25th — as the birthday of Christ Jesus, was, as we have seen, that almost every ancient nation of the earth held a festival on this day in commemoration of the birth of their virgin-born god. THE BIRTH-DAY OF CHRIST JESUS. 367 On this account the Christians adopted it as the time of the birth of their God. Mr. Gibbon, speaking of this in his “ Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,” says: “ The Roman Christians, ignorant of the real date of his (Christ’s) birth, fixed the solemn festival to the 25th of December, the Brumalia, or Winter Solstice, when the Pagans annually celebrated the birth of Sol.” ^f ^f Gibbon’s Rome, vol. ii. p.383. And Mr. King, in his “ Gnostics and their Remains,” says: “ The ancient festival held on the 25th of December in honor of the ‘ Birthday of the Invincible One,’ and celebrated by the ‘great games’ at the circus, was afterwards transferred to the commemoration of the birth of Christ, the precise day of which many of the Fathers confess was then unknown.” ^g ^g King’s Gnostics, p. 49. St. Chrysostom, who flourished about A. D. 390), referring to this Pagan festival, says: “ 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 rites undisturbed.” ^h ^h Quoted in Ibid. (King’s Gnostics, p. 49.) Add to this the fact that St. Gregory, a Christian Father of the third century, was instrumental in, and commended by other Fathers for, changing Pagan festivals into Christian holidays, for the purpose, as they said, of drawing the heathen to the religion of Christ. ⁱ ⁱ (King’s Gnostics, p. 49.) See the chapter on “ Paganism in Christianity.” As Dr. Hooykaas remarks, the church was always anxious to meet the heathen half way, by allowing them to retain the feasts they were accustomed to, only giving them a Christian dress, or attaching a new or Christian signification to them. ^j ^j Bible for Learners, vol iii, p. 67. In doing these, and many other such things, which we shall speak of in our chapter on “ Paganism in Christianity,” the Christian Fathers, instead of drawing the heathen to their religion, drew themselves into Paganism. Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., pp. 368 et seq. Doane, Bible Myths pp. 364 et seq. Martian Visitor: Quoted excerpts and Footnotes to: Bible Myths. 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

[More references at bottom of this page.]

Page 86
the Fundamentalist
“ But we have other evidences of our Saviour’s life in our sacraments that have come down to us,”
“ We know He was born on the 25th of December, because that is the day on which we celebrate His Birth.”

the Martian
“ Is it not a fact that the 25th of December was not adopted as the birthday of your Saviour until about four hundred years after he lived? ” ³⁵

³⁵ Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., p. 367.

Page 87
the Martian
“ that according to the records Buddha, the son of the Virgin Maya, was born on December 25th; ³⁶ that the ancient Persians celebrated the birthday of their saviour, Mithra, on December 25th; ³⁷ that the ancient Egyptians for centuries before the birth of your saviour celebrated the end of December as an anniversary of their saviour Horus, the son of a holy virgin who was born on December 25th; ³⁸ that the same date is the birth of the Greek god Bacchus, born of a virgin and called the saviour, ³⁹ that the birthday of Adonis, another saviour, was celebrated on December 25th.” ⁴⁰

“ 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

³⁶ Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions, 7th ed., p. 363.
³⁷ Ibid.
³⁸ Ibid.
³⁹ Ibid., p. 364.
⁴⁰ Ibid.
⁴¹ Ibid., p. 367.

Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions
(Page) 366 CHAPTER XXXIV.

THE BIRTH-DAY OF CHRIST JESUS.

The festival of the 25th of December was celebrated by the ancient Druids, in Great Britain and Ireland, with great fires lighted on the tops of hills. ^a

^a Dupuis, p. 160; Celtic Druids, and Monumental Christianity, p. 167.

Godfrey Higgins says:

“ Stuckley observes that the worship of Mithra was spread all over Gaul and Britain. The Druids kept this night as a great festival, and called the day following it Nolagh or Noel, or the day of regeneration, and celebrated it with great fires on the tops of their mountains, which they repeated on the day of the Epiphany or twelfth night. The Mithraic monuments, which are common in Britain, have been attributed to the Romans, but this festival proves that the Mithraic worship was there prior to their arrival.” ^b

This was also a time of rejoicing in Ancient Mexico. Acosta says:
“ In the first month, which in Peru they call Rayme, and answering to our December, they made a solemn feast called Capacrayme (the Winter Solstice), wherein they made many sacrifices and ceremonies, which continued many days.” ^c

^b Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 99.
^c Hist. Indies, vol. ii. p. 354.

The evergreens, and particularly the mistletoe, which are used all over the Christian world at Christmas time, betray its heathen origin. Tertullian, a Father of the Church, who flourished about A. D. 200), writing to his brethren, affirms it to be “ rank idolatry” to deck their doors “ with garlands or flowers, on festival days, according to the custom of the heathen.” ^d

^d See Middleton’s Works, vol. i. p. 80.

This shows that the heathen in those days, did as the Christians do now. What have evergreens, and garlands, and Christmas trees, to do with Christianity? Simply nothing. It is the old Yule-feast which was held by all the northern nations, from time immemorial, handed down to, and observed at the present day. In the greenery with which Christians deck their houses and temples of worship, and in the Christmas-trees laden with gifts, we unquestionably see a relic of the symbols by which our heathen forefathers signified their faith in the powers of the returning sun to clothe the earth again with green, and hang new fruit on the trees. Foliage, such as the laurel, myrtle, ivy, or oak, and in general, all evergreens, were Dionysiac plants, that is, symbols of the generative power, signifying perpetuity of youth and vigor. ^e

^e Knight: Anct. Art and Mytho., p. 32.

Among the causes, then, that co-operated in fixing this period— December 25th — as the birthday of Christ Jesus, was, as we have seen, that almost every ancient nation of the earth held a festival on this day in commemoration of the birth of their virgin-born god.

THE BIRTH-DAY OF CHRIST JESUS. 367

On this account the Christians adopted it as the time of the birth of their God. Mr. Gibbon, speaking of this in his “ Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,” says:

“ The Roman Christians, ignorant of the real date of his (Christ’s) birth, fixed the solemn festival to the 25th of December, the Brumalia, or Winter Solstice, when the Pagans annually celebrated the birth of Sol.” ^f

^f Gibbon’s Rome, vol. ii. p.383.

And Mr. King, in his “ Gnostics and their Remains,” says:
“ The ancient festival held on the 25th of December in honor of the ‘ Birthday of the Invincible One,’ and celebrated by the ‘great games’ at the circus, was afterwards transferred to the commemoration of the birth of Christ, the precise day of which many of the Fathers confess was then unknown.” ^g

^g King’s Gnostics, p. 49.

St. Chrysostom, who flourished about A. D. 390), referring to this Pagan festival, says:

“ 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 rites undisturbed.” ^h

^h Quoted in Ibid. (King’s Gnostics, p. 49.)

Add to this the fact that St. Gregory, a Christian Father of the third century, was instrumental in, and commended by other Fathers for, changing Pagan festivals into Christian holidays, for the purpose, as they said, of drawing the heathen to the religion of Christ. ⁱ

ⁱ (King’s Gnostics, p. 49.) See the chapter on “ Paganism in Christianity.”

As Dr. Hooykaas remarks, the church was always anxious to meet the heathen half way, by allowing them to retain the feasts they were accustomed to, only giving them a Christian dress, or attaching a new or Christian signification to them. ^j

^j Bible for Learners, vol iii, p. 67.

In doing these, and many other such things, which we shall speak of in our chapter on “ Paganism in Christianity,” the Christian Fathers, instead of drawing the heathen to their religion, drew themselves into Paganism.

Doane, Bible Myths and their Parallels
in other Religions, 7th ed., pp. 368 et seq.

Doane, Bible Myths pp. 364 et seq.

Martian Visitor: Quoted excerpts
and Footnotes to: Bible Myths.
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