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2. Visit John Cripps’ Web Site www.johncripps.com Email Address: jcripps@yanceync.net

3. Visit Asheville church of Christ’s Website www.ashevillechurchofchrist.com EMAIL ADDRESS Joehick1@juno.com

4. A CHRISTIAN TAKES A CLOSER LOOK AT “CHRISTMAS” “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” – Acts 17:11 The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

5. EXAMINING THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS If one examines the Scriptures from front to back and back to front, one will find that the term “Christmas” is no where to be found in them. –The term "Christmas" has its origin in a mixture of Christianity and Paganism. –Pagan religious rites (ie. elaborate ceremonies, pagan praying for the dead, transubstantiation, etc.) were called "mass". Thus to win pagans to Christianity, "Christ" was added to their religious term "mass" and thus we have the term "Christmas".

6. EXAMINING THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS One would say well surely you can find December 25th in the Scriptures and thus make this day the actual birth day of the Lord. –As we quickly note once again December 25th does not appear in the Scriptures, in fact all evidence in the Scriptures proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christ could not have been born on this day.

7. Evidences Why Christ Could Not Have Been Born On Christmas Day Luke 2:8 --- Shepherds in the fields. –Dec. 25th --- in Palestine is winter and it is a well known fact that shepherds did not and still do not have their sheep in the fields during this time of the year. Note that the shepherds would live out in the fields with their sheep, thus the statement that they were “watching by night”. –It must also be noted that the shepherds of Palestine do not leave their sheep out on the mountain slopes or fields much beyond the 15th. of October.

8. Though the exact date of the birth of Christ cannot be calculated there is a way in which to place the birth of Christ at an approx. time. John the Baptist was born six months before Jesus. –Zacharias, was a priest in the Temple at Jerusalem. These priests had a set time/part of the year in which to serve in the Temple. There were 24 such times according to 1 Chron. 24:7-19. According to Josephus {Ant. of the Jews, Vol 7, p. 14,7.) he states that each of these cources lasted for one week, the first began serving in the month of Nissan, in the very early spring. -- cf. 1 Chron. 27:1-2. –After six months this order would be repeated by the priests so that each priest served a week twice a year. Three weeks a year all the Priests would serve together, Pentecost, Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles.

9. Having noted these facts let us now look at what the Scriptures tell us of Zacharias. He served in the course ABIA -- or Hebrew "Abijah" when an angel appeared unto him and revealed that his wife Elizabeth was to have a son. -- cf. Luke 1:5-13. –When was this time of Abijah? According to I Chron. 24:10 this was the eighth in the order of courses to be served by the Priests. This would be from Iyar 27 to Sivan 5 or June 1 - 8 of our calendars. –Zacharias was compelled to stay a further week in Jerusalem since it was the week of Pentecost. After this week he returned to his home in the hill country which is approx. 30 miles from Jerusalem. –At this time Luke 1:23-24 says that his wife conceived. This would be around the middle of June. Add nine months to this and we find that John would have been born in the early Spring the following year. Since Christ was six months younger than John (cf. Luke 1:26,35-36), we can simply add six months to this and come to a period of mid-September or late September as been the approx time period of Christ's birth.

10. Now lies the question where did we get this date from? History answers this question for us. Instead of being the birth of our Savior history shows us that this was the day that Pagans for centuries celebrated the birth of the SUN-god! –It was in the 5th Century that the Roman Catholic church commanded that the birth of Christ be observed forever on Dec. 25th. This was also the day of the old-Roman feast of the birth of Sol --- one of the names of the sun-god! The most important evidence that shows this to be true is seen in the Mysteries known as Mithraism. "The largest pagan religious cult which fostered the celebration of Dec. 25 as a holiday through out the Roman and Greek worlds was the pagan sun worship - Mithraism.... This winter festival was called 'the Nativity' - the 'nativity of the Sun'" --- {The Golden Bough, by James George Frazer p. 471}

11. PAGANISM or CHRISTIAN??? “Not only was Mithra, the sun god of Mithraism said to be born on this time of the year but also, Osiris, Horus, Hercules, Bacchus, Adonis, Jupiter, Tammuz, and other sun-gods were also supposedly born on at what is today called the 'Christmas' season - the winter solstice." {The Two Babylon's. by Alexander Hislop. p. 93 & Bible Myths. by T.W. Doane p.474} Homer W. Smith states: "The winter solstice (was) the time at which all the sun-gods from Osiris to Jupiter and Mithra had celebrated their (birthdays), the celebration being adorned with the pine tree of Adonis, the Holly of Saturn, and the mistletoe... tapers represented the kindling of the newborn sun-gods fire..." {Man and his Gods. p. 201} –Since all these gods were worshipped around the same time of the year it is imperative for us to note that they are differing variations of the sun -god Tammuz, of Babylon. –It is in this land that sun-god worship had its origin.

12. PAGANISM or CHRISTIAN??? In ancient Babylon Tammuz was celebrated at the time of the winter Solstice with great feasts, revelry, and drunkenness. –Is it a coincidence that this is the same way that people celebrate "Christ's birth today"? –In his book Cyril Bailey makes this observation of Christmas - "It is a matter of common knowledge, that much of our association with the Christmas season - the holidays, the giving of presents and the general feeling of geniality - is but the inheritance from the Roman winter festival of the Saturnalia... survivals of paganism." {The Legacy of Rome, p. 242} –Saturnalia was the name given to the winter festival when it came to Rome. –Saturn being another name of Nimrod or Tammuz as "the hidden god.“ –The feast was the most vile, immoral feast that ever disgraced pagan Rome. –It was a feast of license, drunkenness, and debauchery, when all restraints of law were laid aside.

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