CLE: Reflection paper on Advent
First, what is
Advent? Advent is a season observed in many
Western Christian churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for
the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. The term is an Anglicized
version of the Latin word adventus,
meaning "coming." It is the beginning of the Western liturgical year
and commences on Advent Sunday. The Eastern churches' equivalent of Advent is
called the Nativity Feast, but it differs in both length and observances and does
not begin the church year, which starts instead on September 1. At least in the
Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Moravian, Presbyterian and Methodist calendars,
Advent starts on the fourth Sunday before December 25, which is the Sunday
between November 27 and December 3, inclusive.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent)
Roman pagans first introduced
the holiday of Saturnalia, a week long period of lawlessness celebrated between
December 17 and 25. During this period, Roman courts were closed, and Roman law
dictated that no one could be punished for damaging property or injuring people
during the weeklong celebration. The festival began when Roman authorities
chose “an enemy of the Roman people” to represent the “Lord of Misrule.” Each
Roman community selected a victim whom they forced to indulge in food and other
physical pleasures throughout the week. At the festival’s conclusion, December
25th, Roman authorities believed they were destroying the forces of darkness by
brutally murdering this innocent man or woman.
(Source: http://www.factmonster.com/spot/advent1.html)
The history of Advent. Advent has probably been observed since
the fourth century. Originally, it was a time when converts to Christianity
readied themselves for baptism. During the Middle Ages, Advent became
associated with preparation for the Second Coming. In early days Advent lasted
from November 11, the feast of St. Martin, until Christmas Day. Advent was
considered a pre-Christmas season of Lent when Christians devoted themselves to
prayer and fasting. The Orthodox Eastern Church observes a similar Lenten
season, from November 15 until Christmas, rather than Advent. Many Christians
still view Advent as a Season to prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus. In the
last 50 years, however, it has also come to be thought of as a time of
anticipating the Nativity, on Christmas Day.
So Advent is associated with Christmas. As a Christian
Jehovah’s Witness, here are my Bible-based beliefs on why I don't celebrate Christmas.
When was Jesus born? The Bible does not give a specific date for the birth of Jesus Christ, as these reference works show:
- “The true birth date of Christ is unknown.”— New Catholic Encyclopedia
- “The exact date of Christ’s birth is not known.”— Encyclopedia of Early Christianity
While the
Bible does not directly answer the question, ‘When was Jesus born?’ it does
describe two events surrounding his birth that lead many to conclude that he
was not born on December 25.
Not in winter
1.
The registration. Shortly before Jesus was
born, Caesar Augustus issued a decree ordering “all the inhabited earth to be
registered.” Everyone had to register in “his own city,” which might have
required a journey of a week or more. (Luke 2:1-3) That order—probably made to support taxation and
military conscription—would have been unpopular at any time of year, but it is
unlikely that Augustus would have provoked his subjects further by forcing many
of them to make long trips during the cold winter.
2.
The sheep. Shepherds were “living
out of doors and keeping watches in the night over their flocks.” (Luke 2:8) The book Daily Life in the Time of Jesus notes
that flocks lived in the open air from “the week before the Passover [late
March]” through mid-November. It then adds: “They passed the winter under
cover; and from this alone it may be seen that the traditional date for
Christmas, in the winter, is unlikely to be right, since the Gospel says that
the shepherds were in the fields.”
In early fall
We can estimate when Jesus was born by
counting backward from his death on Passover, Nisan 14 in the spring of the
year 33 C.E. (John 19:14-16) Jesus was about 30 years old when he began his
three-and-a-half-year ministry, so he was born in the early fall of
2 B.C.E.—Luke 3:23.
Why is Christmas on
December 25? Since there is no evidence that the birth of
Jesus Christ occurred on December 25, why is Christmas celebrated on this date?
The Encyclopædia Britannica says
that church leaders probably chose it “to coincide with the pagan Roman
festival marking the ‘birthday of the unconquered sun,’” at the time of the
winter solstice. According to The Encyclopedia Americana, many scholars believe that
this was done “in order to make Christianity more meaningful to pagan
converts.”
Was Jesus born on December 25? The custom: According to tradition,
Jesus’ birth took place on December 25 and is celebrated on that date.
“Christmas,” says the Encyclopedia of Religion, means “‘Christ’s Mass,’ that
is, the mass celebrating the feast of Christ’s nativity,” or birth.
Its roots: “The establishment of December 25 evolved not
from biblical precedent,” says The Christmas
Encyclopedia, “but from pagan Roman festivals held at year’s end,” about
the time of the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. Those festivals
included the Saturnalia, in honor of Saturn, god of agriculture, “and the
combined festivals of two sun gods, the Roman Sol and the Persian Mithra,”
The Bible
does not give the date of Jesus’ birth, nor does it say that we should
celebrate his birthday. As McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopedia states:
“The observance of Christmas is not of divine appointment, nor is it of NT [New
Testament] origin.” Instead, an examination of the history of Christmas exposes
its roots in pagan religious rites. The Bible shows that we offend God if we
try to worship him in a way that he does not approve of.—Exodus 32:5-7.
History of Christmas customs
1.
Celebrating Jesus’ birthday: “The early Christians did not celebrate [Jesus’] birth because they
considered the celebration of anyone’s birth to be a pagan custom.”—The World Book Encyclopedia.
2.
December 25: There is no proof that
Jesus was born on that date. Church leaders likely chose this date to coincide
with pagan festivals held on or around the winter solstice.
3.
Gift-giving, feasting, partying: The Encyclopedia Americana says: “Saturnalia, a Roman feast celebrated in mid-December,
provided the model for many of the merry-making customs of Christmas. From this
celebration, for example, were derived the elaborate feasting, the giving of
gifts, and the burning of candles.” The Encyclopædia Britannica notes
that “all work and business were suspended” during Saturnalia.
4.
Christmas lights: According to The Encyclopedia of Religion,
Europeans decorated their homes “with lights and evergreens of all kinds” to
celebrate the winter solstice and to combat evil spirits.
5.
Mistletoe, holly: “The Druids ascribed
magical properties to the mistletoe in particular. The evergreen holly was
worshiped as a promise of the sun’s return.”—The Encyclopedia Americana.
6. Christmas tree: “Tree worship, common among the pagan Europeans, survived after
their conversion to Christianity.” One of the ways in which tree worship
survived is in the custom of “placing a Yule tree at an entrance or inside the
house in the midwinter holidays.”—Encyclopædia Britannica.
(Sources:
http://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/when-was-jesus-born/
; http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102010442?q=history+of+christmas&p=par
; http://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/bible-about-christmas/)
Do origins really
matter?
Some agree that such holidays as Christmas have pagan
origins but still feel that it is not wrong to celebrate them. After all, most
people are not thinking about false worship when they observe holidays. These
occasions also give families opportunities to draw close together. Is this how
you feel? If so, likely it is love of family, not love of false religion, that
makes taking a stand for true worship seem difficult. Be assured that Jehovah,
the one who originated the family, wants you to have a good relationship with
your relatives. (Ephesians 3:14, 15) But you can strengthen such bonds in
ways that God approves. Regarding the matter that should be our chief concern,
the apostle Paul wrote: “Keep on making sure of what is acceptable to the
Lord.”—Ephesians 5:10.
Maybe you feel that the origins of holidays have little to do with how they are celebrated today. Do origins really matter? Yes! To illustrate: Suppose you saw a piece of candy lying in the gutter. Would you pick up that candy and eat it? Of course not! That candy is unclean. Like that candy, holidays may seem sweet, but they have been picked up from unclean places. To take a stand for true worship, we need to have a viewpoint like that of the prophet Isaiah, who told true worshipers: “Touch nothing unclean.”—Isaiah 52:11.
(Reference: What does the Bible Really Teach?, chapter
16, p 159. Published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania,
2005)
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