Christmas​—Its Origin

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN ITALY

JUST three days before Christmas 1993, Pope John Paul II acknowledged that the celebration of Christmas is not rooted in the Bible. Regarding the date December 25, the pope admitted: “On that day in pagan antiquity, the birthday of the ‘Invincible Sun’ was celebrated to coincide with the winter solstice.” How, then, did Christmas begin? The pope continued: “It seemed logical and natural to Christians to replace that feast with the celebration of the only and true Sun, Jesus Christ.”

“In other words,” wrote journalist Nello Ajello in La Repubblica, “someone had Jesus born on an imaginary, fabricated, false date.” When did this fabrication take place? A press release from the Vatican stated: “The festival of Christmas appeared for the first time in 354 [C.E.].”

What about January 6, Epiphany, which commemorates the coming of the Magi to visit the newborn Jesus? “Much evidence leads us to believe that the choice of January 6, like that of December 25 for the Roman holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus, was also influenced by a pagan anniversary,” continued the press release. “In Alexandria, in fact, on the night between January 5 and 6, pagans used to celebrate the birthday of the god Aeon (god of time and eternity). . . . It would seem that the Church wanted to Christianize this festival.”

Jesus never authorized his followers to merge true worship with pagan customs. Rather, he told them to teach “all the things I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19, 20) Furthermore, when confronted by the religious leaders of his day, Jesus asked them: “Why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?” (Matthew 15:3, New International Version) That same question may well be asked of so-​called Christians who perpetuate pagan customs today.