Christmas is so full of wonder, meaning and tradition. But, where did all these things that we now call "Christmas" come from? Let's briefly sketch the origin and development of what we now celebrate as Christ's Birth.

The Biblical Celebration

• The Dawning of Light (Luke 1:78-79)
• The Fullness of Time (Gal 4.4-5)
• The Mystery of Incarnation (1 Timothy 3:16)

The Pagan Connection

Dr. Phillip Schaff, a noted church historian of the last century, wrote a monumental 8-volume History of the Christian Church^[1]. In this work he relates that history records the ancients celebrated an annual victory of the Sun over the long night of winter. This religious festival was held near the winter solstice of December 21-22 each year.

By Roman times there was:

1. A silent testimony of nature: the seasons that show winter as death and spring as life and resurrection. And,
2. A Public Celebration in Paganism that:
3. Related the Sol Invictus legend of the conquest of darkness by the Sun.
4. This tradition was embodied in the Saturnalia Festival. This festival was a feast of images, the giving of gifts, and the setting free of slaves.

According to the Astronomers, on the night of 12/21-22, the earth is at its darkest, the night is the longest, the light of day is the shortest, and the Sun is closest to the Earth of any time of the year.

What an amazing picture of Christ's coming to us. As John 1 says, He came to a sin-darkened world, He came as a Sunrise from on High and offered a free gift of salvation and liberation from servitude to the servants of darkness.

The Christian Regeneration of this Pagan Celebration

By the year AD 360 the church was celebrating the Birth, Life, Death and Resurrection of Christ.

By AD 386, Chrysostom was preaching, "Without the birth of Christ there is no Baptism, no Passion, no Resurrection, no Ascension and no Pouring out of the Holy Spirit..."

As the centuries went on the tradition grew to include Epiphany [manifestation] when Christ was circumcised on the 8^th day after His birth. The eastern church celebrates this on January 6.