Unlike Easter, which developed as a Christian holiday much earlier, there is no mention of birth celebrations from the earliest church fathers. When did Christians first start celebrating the birth of Jesus on December 25? Let me try to distill McGowan’s fine historical work by addressing three questions. This is the argument Andrew McGowan, of Yale Divinity School, makes in his article “How December 25 Became Christmas” (first published in Bible Review in 2002). Even if Christmas was plopped down on December 25 because of Saturnalia and Sol Invictus, that by itself does not entail that the Christian celebration of Christ’s birth really began as a pagan festival.īut in the case of Christmas, there is good evidence that December 25 was not chosen because of any pagan winter holidays. Whether they did so wisely and effectively is open to historical debate, but the motivation was to transform the paganism of the Roman world rather than raze it to the ground. After the conversion of Constantine in the fourth century, Christians did sometimes adapt and Christianize pagan festivals. The presence of some connection between a Christian celebration and a pagan celebration could imply a synchronistic copy-cat (“Hey, let’s Christianize this popular pagan holiday so as to make our celebration more palatable”), or it could mean a deliberate rejection (“Hey, this pagan holiday is horrible, so let’s put something distinctively Christian in its place”). By the time Lucian described the festivities, it was a seven-day event.That’s the story, and everyone from liberal Christians to conservative Christians to non-Christians seem to agree that it’s true.įor starters, we should distinguish between roots that suggest a rip-off and roots that suggest a rebuke. During the reign of the Emperor Augustus (63 BC-AD 14), it was a two-day affair starting on December 17th.
Saturnalia grew in duration and moved to progressively later dates under the Roman period. Wax taper candles called cerei were common gifts during Saturnalia, to signify light returning after the solstice. Instead of working, Romans spent Saturnalia gambling, singing, playing music, feasting, socializing and giving each other gifts. Secondly, what happened during Saturnalia?ĭuring Saturnalia, work and business came to a halt. The tragedy became a touchstone issue in last year's presidential election.The half-time show has become a cultural touchstone.These streets of terraced houses have become a touchstone for local Brexiteers.The popularity of his hymns made him a cultural touchstone.Secondly, how do you use touchstone in a sentence? Examples of 'touchstone' in a sentence touchstone A woman or man who has indiscriminate sex without regard to the consequences is an example of someone who might be described as licentious. The definition of licentious is being lacking in willpower or moral discipline, or being promiscuous (prone to random sex) or unwilling to conform to accepted rules. (sometimes used with a plural verb) the festival of Saturn, celebrated in December in ancient Rome as a time of unrestrained merrymaking.Īlso question is, what is the meaning of the word licentiousness?