QUESTION I PUT TO THE AI: What is Mithra and Saturnalia?

THE BIBLE SPEAKS DAILY (DECEMBER 25th,2024)

ANSWER FROM THE META AI: 

Mithra and Saturnalia are two ancient pagan festivals that share some intriguing connections with Christmas.

Mithra

Mithra was an ancient Roman deity worshipped from the 1st to the 4th century AD. The cult of Mithra originated in Persia (modern-day Iran) and spread throughout the Roman Empire.

Key aspects of Mithraism:

1. *Winter solstice*: Mithra's birthday was celebrated on December 25, coinciding with the winter solstice.

2. *Solar connections*: Mithra was associated with the sun and was often depicted with solar symbols.

3. *Initiation rituals*: Mithraic rituals involved initiation ceremonies, which included baptism, communion, and other symbolic acts.

4. *Moral code*: Mithraism emphasized a moral code, encouraging followers to live virtuous lives.

Saturnalia

Saturnalia was an ancient Roman festival honoring Saturn, the god of agriculture and time. It was celebrated from December 17 to 23.

Key aspects of Saturnalia:

1. *Feasting and gift-giving*: Saturnalia involved lavish feasts, gift-giving, and merriment.

2. *Role-reversals*: Social norms were temporarily inverted during Saturnalia, with masters serving slaves and men dressing as women.

3. *Candlelight and evergreens*: Saturnalia featured candlelight, evergreen decorations, and other symbols of life and fertility.

Connections to Christmas

While Christmas has its roots in the biblical account of Jesus' birth, some traditions and symbols associated with Mithraism and Saturnalia have influenced the way Christmas is celebrated:

1. *Winter solstice*: Christmas coincides with the winter solstice, a time when ancient cultures celebrated the return of the sun.

2. *Solar symbolism*: Christmas incorporates solar symbols, such as candles, lights, and evergreen trees, which were also present in Mithraism and Saturnalia.

3. *Gift-giving and feasting*: The traditions of gift-giving and feasting during Christmas have parallels in Saturnalia.

4. *Initiation and baptism*: Some early Christian baptismal rituals may have been influenced by Mithraic initiation ceremonies.

While these connections are intriguing, it's essential to note that Christmas has evolved over time, incorporating various cultural and religious traditions. 

THE QUESTION I PUT TO THE ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA: What Is The Etymology Of Christmas?

ANSWER FROM THE ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA:

The word "Christmas" comes from the Middle English word Christemass, which means "Christ's mass": 

Christ

• From the Greek word Chrīstos (Χριστός), which is a translation of the Hebrew Māšîaḥ (מָשִׁיחַ‎), meaning "anointed"
• Mass

  From the Latin word missa, which refers to the celebration of the Eucharist

The word "Christmas" was first used before the 12th century. The abbreviation "Xmas" is based on the first letter of Christos, the Greek word for "Christ". The letter "X" was first used to abbreviate "Christ" in the mid-1500s. Other names for Christmas include: 

Yule: From the Germanic jōl or the Anglo-Saxon geōl, which referred to the winter solstice feast.

Nativity: From the Latin word nātīvitās, which means "birth" 

Sol Invictus: The Roman holiday celebrated on December 25th that marked the rebirth of the Unconquered Sun The church in Rome began officially celebrating Christmas on December 25 in 336. However, the date was not widely accepted in the Eastern Empire for another half-century. 

Why Is Christmas in December?

Christmas, the holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, is celebrated by a majority of Christians on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar. But early Christians did not celebrate his birth, and no one knows on which date Jesus was actually born (some scholars believe that the actual date was in the early spring, placing it closer to Easter, the holiday commemorating his Resurrection).

What's the difference between Yule and Christmas? 

Yule is one of the oldest winter solstice festivals in the world.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc:

The origins of the holiday and its December date lie in the ancient Greco-Roman world, as commemorations probably began sometime in the 2nd century. There are at least three possible origins for the December date. The Roman Christian historian Sextus Julius Africanus dated Jesus’ conception to March 25 (the same date upon which he held that the world was created), which, after nine months in his mother’s womb, would result in a December 25 birth.

In the 3rd century, the Roman Empire, which at the time had not adopted Christianity, celebrated the rebirth of the Unconquered Sun (Sol Invictus) on December 25th. This holiday not only marked the return of longer days after the winter solstice but also followed the popular Roman festival called the Saturnalia (during which people feasted and exchanged gifts). It was also the birthday of the Indo-European deity Mithra, a god of light and loyalty whose cult was at the time growing popular among Roman soldiers.

How did Christmas trees become so popular? And why do we decorate Christmas trees? (Christmas tree, pine tree, holiday, Christianity, candles, Christmas decorations, Prince Albert, Queen Victoria, tinsel)

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree: Why do we deck thy branches?Christmas trees have a long, colorful, and even dangerous history.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

The church in Rome began formally celebrating Christmas on December 25 in 336, during the reign of the emperor Constantine. As Constantine had made Christianity the effective religion of the empire, some have speculated that choosing this date had the political motive of weakening the established pagan celebrations. The date was not widely accepted in the Eastern Empire, where January 6 had been favored, for another half-century, and Christmas did not become a major Christian festival until the 9th century.

I CULLED THIS FROM "HISTORY.COM

Why Is It Called Christmas? The Origin and Meaning of the Name Explained

Published Dec 25, 2019 at 6:00 AM EST

By Jenni Fink

Senior Editor, Politics

It's hard to imagine a time when the Christmas holiday wasn't referred to as Christmas, but it wasn't always the name for the celebration marking Jesus' birth.

On Wednesday, family and friends will gather in homes across the globe to share good tidings and exchange gifts in honor of the Christmas holiday. Oftentimes, loved ones will share a meal and since the holiday is one of the most important for those observing the Christian faith, some people attend church services either on Christmas Day or the night before on Christmas Eve.

Church officials started celebrating Jesus' birth in the fourth century, according to History.com, and Pope Julius I chose December 25. The Bible doesn't mention the date of Jesus' birth and there's debate as to when it actually took place. Some point to the shepherds' presence to argue that it was likely spring since that's when they herd, and others claim the stars depicted in the sky indicate it was a summer birth.

By the time the church decided to celebrate Jesus' birth, there were already a number of festivities that marked the winter solstice, including the pagan Saturnalia festival. It's possible Pope Julius I chose December 25 because if it was surrounded by other holidays, it was more likely to be embraced.

Initially, Jesus' birth celebration was called the Feast of the Nativity and was celebrated in England by the end of the sixth century, according to History.com. The first known use of Christmas, according to Merriam-Webster, was before the 12th century and originates from Middle English's Christemass meaning "Christ's mass." Mass in

 Old English, according to Dictionary.com, references a church service.

THE QUESTION YOU MUST ANSWER FROM YOUR GOOD CONSCIENCE IS THIS: 

WHO COMMANDED CHRISTIANS TO CELEBRATE THE BIRTHDATE OF JESUS CHRIST, GOD or MAN?

"...And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him..." Colossians 3:17 NKJV

"in the name of the Lord Jesus,..." means "n the authority of the Lord Jesus..."

THIS IS WHERE THE AUTHORITY OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS:

a. The Early Christians remember The Lord Jesus Christ on every first day of the week (Sunday), to remember His Death. They do this by BREAKING THE BREAD. 

"...And when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”  In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes..."

I Corinthians 11:24-26 NKJV

b. The Early Christians remember The Lord Jesus Christ every first day of the week, THE LORD'S DAY. This was the day the Lord Jesus Christ resurrected from the grave. To acknowledge His triumphant resurrection, Christians worship the Almighty God on this day.

c. The Early Christians commemorate the Death, Burial and the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ through immersion into water.

"...Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,  knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord..."

Romans 6:3-11 NKJV.

d. Genuine Christian must daily remembers the Lord Jesus Christ, as he must obey Him daily and work in His ways. This is the highest acknowledgement of the begottened Son of God who died for our sins for our redemption, sanctification, justification and salvation.

Yearly rememberance is not commanded, and also, it is not adequate!

Please read these texts:

a. "...But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years.  I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain. Galatians 4:9-11 NKJV.

b. "...Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh..."

Colossians 2:20-23 NKJV

c. "...I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed..."

Galatians 1:6-9 NKJV

Read and study your Bible diligently, meditate on its commands to do them, for your salvation!

TODAY'S PRAYER 

My Heavenly Father, glory be to your Holy Name always.

Thanks to my GOD for preserving me to the end of the year, help me to be pleasing to You, always.

Remake me, and remold my hearts for the coming year.

Precious Father make me to love only You, and preserve my Soul from idolatrous observance!

Almighty Father, please heal the Sick and provide for the Needy among us, AMEN.

Credits to: Meta AI, and Benson Omole.

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This work is under the oversight of the Elders of The Church of Christ Ekute Quarters Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State Nigeria.

Thanks for reading,

Preacher.