is it a christmas tree or a holiday tree??
- Thread starter tbubster
- Start date
The early Christians "celebrated" significant religious milestones at the same time of year that many pagan celebrations took place. They attached "dates" to events so they too could party with the rest. As far as I know there is no historical or liturgical evidence that "fixes" the birth of Christ as December 25th. I am not sure if the date of the death of Christ is recorded in Roman history but I know of scripture that notes that date.
Well Jesus may not have been the reason for the original celebration, His is the Reason we celebrate it now. It is well known that old Christians stole the dates .. but I don't think the date is as important as the intentions of the heart.
Dale
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
alot of bibical scholars and others have figured that Jesus was born in the Month known at that time as Nissan...Which was in the Spring as we look at the Calendar now..maybe March...
But as Dale pointed out, the "reason for the season" is more heart felt and tradition is that we celebrite the birth in Dec...
But as Dale pointed out, the "reason for the season" is more heart felt and tradition is that we celebrite the birth in Dec...
If ya ask me, it's over-reported. Every friggin' year somebody has to point out that Christmas used to ba a pagan holiday. Sheesh. Enough already. We know it!
It's almost as bad as every year there's a slew of yahoos who get bent out of shape with, "Put Christ back in Christmas!" because they are utterly clueless and think that the word Xmas is a secular attempt to remove the religious tradition from Christmas by taking the "Christ" out of "Christmas". It was Christian monks who first started using the Greek letter "X" (Chi), the first letter in "Christos", which in Hebrew and Greek means "Messiah" or "the anointed one", and was frequently also used along with "P" (Rho), the Greek second letter of "Christos" to form the ChiRho symbol for Christ: ☧ which is a symbol often used to represent Christ in Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christian Churches.
The Chi Rho with a wreath symbolizing
the victory of the Resurrection, above
Roman soldiers, circa 350 AD.
The Xmas means, literally, Christ's Mass, despite the objections of Christians who don't even know their own history.
If ya ask me, it's over-reported. Every friggin' year somebody has to point out that Christmas used to ba a pagan holiday. Sheesh. Enough already. We know it!
It's almost as bad as every year there's a slew of yahoos who get bent out of shape with, "Put Christ back in Christmas!" because they are utterly clueless and think that the word Xmas is a secular attempt to remove the religious tradition from Christmas by taking the "Christ" out of "Christmas". It was Christian monks who first started using the Greek letter "X" (Chi), the first letter in "Christos", which in Hebrew and Greek means "Messiah" or "the anointed one", and was frequently also used along with "P" (Rho), the Greek second letter of "Christos" to form the ChiRho symbol for Christ: ☧ which is a symbol often used to represent Christ in Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christian Churches.
The Chi Rho with a wreath symbolizing
the victory of the Resurrection, above
Roman soldiers, circa 350 AD.
The Xmas means, literally, Christ's Mass, despite the objections of Christians who don't even know their own history.
True, but I think 'most' people who use the X just mean it as shorthand, saving space... and why save 5 letters! Just put the name in.. IMO!
Dale
Shorthand and saving space were exactly why the monks started using it, too.
It's also why people use numerals instead of writing out the number, and why people use IMO instead of writing it out.
If ya ask me, it's over-reported. Every friggin' year somebody has to point out that Christmas used to ba a pagan holiday. Sheesh. Enough already. We know it!
Except 'we' don't all know it, just as we don't all know about the monks who first 'took the Christ out of Christmas' [or appeared to, to the uneducated, which includes me].
We learn something new every year, lol.
It's almost as bad as every year there's a slew of yahoos who get bent out of shape with, "Put Christ back in Christmas!" because they are utterly clueless and think that the word Xmas is a secular attempt to remove the religious tradition from Christmas by taking the "Christ" out of "Christmas". It was Christian monks who first started using the Greek letter "X" (Chi), the first letter in "Christos", which in Hebrew and Greek means "Messiah" or "the anointed one", and was frequently also used along with "P" (Rho), the Greek second letter of "Christos" to form the ChiRho symbol for Christ: ☧ which is a symbol often used to represent Christ in Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christian Churches.
The Chi Rho with a wreath symbolizing
the victory of the Resurrection, above
Roman soldiers, circa 350 AD.
The Xmas means, literally, Christ's Mass, despite the objections of Christians who don't even know their own history.
Those who participate in some of the more highly ritualized religions should be quite familiar with the Chi and the ChiRho labrum, like the Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy and many of the more grandiose Catholic Masses, where the symbols are used to denote a special reverence to Christ, such as the Roman liturgy of Sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist, Easter and Christmas. You can also often see the letters IHS (sometimes misinterpreted or misread as JHS) appearing on liturgical items, building plaques and gravestones and sacred vessels. IHS is a shortened form of the Greek word for Jesus.
These are important and powerful symbols, and should not be denounced as sacrilege, even when they are used by those who use them out of shorthand brevity or as some secular attempt to homogenize Christmas. Those who use them in ignorance only showcase their ignorance. Those who understand the symbols should view them for what they are, regardless of the context used. That's my opinion, anyway.
These are important and powerful symbols, and should not be denounced as sacrilege, even when they are used by those who use them out of shorthand brevity or as some secular attempt to homogenize Christmas. Those who use them in ignorance only showcase their ignorance. Those who understand the symbols should view them for what they are, regardless of the context used. That's my opinion, anyway.
LisaLouHoo
Expert Expediter
I for one do not subscribe to any religious sect, because for me I don't believe any would benefit my spirituality; I do however understand the importance of ritualistic worship to some people, their way of displaying their faith. I respect their decision. Whatever works for them.
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