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I am an engineer or maybe a mathematician or computer scientist. I'm never quite sure. I enjoy working with technology but do not even own a cell phone or television. Reading is a passion of mine - history, language, theology, science, baseball, Stevenson, Scott, Eliot, Brontë, Tolstoy. My faith influences how I see the world. I love viewing the world from the top of a mountain or from behind a camera. Thinking, observing, listening are better than talking. My wife is my companion in all of this. Call me CJ.

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« The Dating of Christmas | Home | Christmas Questions: Part 2 »

Christmas Questions: Part 1

Sunday, January 1, 2006

Q. Was Jesus born on December 25?
A. No. Well, I suppose there is a 1 in 365 chance.

Q. So why do we celebrate his birth on the 25th?
A. First, we need to define "we" since some, like Armenian Christians (January 6), celebrate on a different day. The most common theory is that this day was chosen to take the place of a pagan festival. The minority opinion is that the leaders of the church calculated the date based on some less than reliable information. Both groups use questionable evidence when building their cases and then conveniently forget that when they reach their definitive conclusion. For more information, you can read this.

Q. Are we worshipping a pagan god then?
A. Even if we assume the majority opinion is correct, modern Christians would still not be worshiping a pagan deity by celebrating Christmas. Borrowing a tradition (or in this case, a date) does not imply that any of the baggage comes along with it. Drinking tunes were used as hymn tunes. John borrowed some Greek philosophy when he used the term logos. Augustine has that great quote about plundering the Egyptians, too.

Q. Isn't it horrible how people abbreviate Christmas as Xmas?
A. Actually, no. Using the Greek letter chi to stand for Christ has a long history (chi is the first letter of Christ in Greek). In fact, in some New Testament texts abbreviations are used to set certain words apart as holy - sort of like the Israelites treating God's name differently. I suppose some people do mean it as a slight and that usage is unfortunate.

Comments

requesting Augustine quote....

Posted by: Shannon Costello on Sunday, January 1, 2006

From De Doctrina Christiana by Augustine. Book 2, Chapter 40, Paragraph 60.

"Moreover, if those who are called philosophers, and especially the Platonists, have said aught that is true and in harmony with our faith, we are not only not to shrink from it, but to claim it for our own use from those who have unlawful possession of it. For, as the Egyptians had not only the idols and heavy burdens which the people of Israel hated and fled from, but also vessels and ornaments of gold and silver, and garments, which the same people when going out of Egypt appropriated to themselves, designing them for a better use, not doing this on their own authority, but by the command of God, the Egyptians themselves, in their ignorance, providing them with things which they themselves were not making a good use of;(1) in the same way all branches of heathen learning have not only false and superstitious fancies and heavy burdens of unnecessary toil, which every one of us, when going out under the leadership of Christ from the fellowship of the heathen, ought to abhor and avoid; but they contain also liberal instruction which is better adapted to the use of the truth, and some most excellent precepts of morality; and some truths in regard even to the worship of the One God are found among them. Now these are, so to speak, their gold and silver, which they did not create themselves, but dug out of the mines of God's providence which are everywhere scattered abroad, and are perversely and unlawfully prostituting to the worship of devils. These, therefore, the Christian, when he separates himself in spirit from the miserable fellowship of these men, ought to take away from them, and to devote to their proper use in preaching the gospel. Their garments, also,--that is, human institutions such as are adapted to that intercourse with men which is indispensable in this life,--we must take and turn to a Christian use."

Posted by: CJ Costello on Sunday, January 1, 2006

funny...when i first read this *i* was going to request the augustine quote, but i was too fried out from the holy-days...when i came back, shannon had done the work for me...but your response is just way too long...give me that quote in a 5 second sound byte please...

Posted by: kiki on Monday, January 2, 2006

I enjoyed answering Shannon that way. I see references to the quote often, but I have never seen the text before I searched for it. For those who do not want to read through it (Shannon), see below.

It is an idea that is frequently cited as Augustine's "plunder the Egyptians" quote. The Scripture reference is Exodus 3:22. God tells the Israelites to ask the Egyptians for gold and other stuff before they leave to go to the promised land. This plunder was later used in the construction of the tabernacle (and I suppose for the golden calf, too). Augustine's application is that it is okay to take Greek philosophy and use it to the glory of God. The quote is now often used to justify using secular methods or knowledge in the worship or service of God.

Posted by: CJ Costello on Monday, January 2, 2006

And I enjoyed seeing the quote in its entirety...thank you very much! (please note the slight sarcastic edge to the normally sweet and musical tones of my voice).

Posted by: shannon Costello on Tuesday, January 3, 2006

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