Ecclesiasticus I: Introducing Eastern Orthodoxy
Ecclesiasticus II: Orthodox Icons, Saints, Feasts and Prayer
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The
celebration of the birth of Christ has become the most obvious religious-based
public festival of American life. Its arrival in December is prepared for
months in advance. It is the one event which generates the most anticipation
and to which the most tradition and custom have attached themselves. Individual
homes and whole cities dress up for Christmas. In popular sentiment it has
eclipsed the greater feast of the Resurrection, and has completely dwarfed
its twin festival, the Epiphany.
But how did we get a feast of Christmas? What was its original purpose?
How does it actually fit into the life of the Orthodox Christian Church?
The Christian Church in the first three centuries of its existence knew
of only one great festival, Pentecost (by Pentecost is here meant the complete
celebration of the Christian Passover from the cross and resurrection to
the 50th day commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit). Every Sunday
was considered a feast in that it was a gathering to proclaim the mighty
redemption brought by the death and resurrection of Christ. This festival
of redemption was realized weekly by the Holy Eucharist, the presence of
the victorious Risen Christ in the midst of the assembly. It was realized
yearly in the great Paschal Feast in the administration of baptism. We see
that in this ancient period the interest and emphasis was not at all on
the historical facts concerning what happened to Jesus, but rather how what
happened to Jesus now happens to those who join His Church; how the new
believer dies and rises to new life in Christ through baptism and how in
the Eucharist the believer participates directly in the sacrifice of Christ.
In time the celebration of martyrs' days, that is, the yearly anniversary
of a martyr's death, came to be celebrated. But these festivals were local
and usually conducted at the martyr's tomb.
It is not until the Fourth Century that the idea of celebrating occasions
in the earthly life of our Lord started to become popular. Much of this
is due to the Church of Jerusalem. Special celebrations which were devised
on the actual or supposed sites of the events of the life of Christ lent
themselves particularly well to the celebration of historical remembrances.
Thus interest developed in where Jesus was born, where He grew up, where
He performed His miracles, etc.
It is to the Church of Rome, however, that we must give the credit for the
origins of the feast of the birth of Christ. But on what was this feast
based and why was December 25th chosen as the day for its celebration?
The actual historical facts surrounding the birth of Christ are clouded
in mystery. No one really knows when Jesus was born. Only certain facts
can be deducted from the biblical account and from history. For one thing,
Jesus was definitely born in B.C. (Before Christ!). This is known because
Herod the Great died in 4 B.C., and Herod figures in the account of the
Nativity given by St. Matthew. Jesus was definitely not born in winter.
St. Luke mentions that the shepherds were staying out in the pasture land
with their flocks, an event that does not take place in winter. We must
look elsewhere for the origin of the late December celebration of the Nativity.
We find the origin of the winter feast of the Nativity not in the historical
facts available concerning the birth of Christ, but in a curious astronomical
phenomenon. In late December we reach the shortest day of the year with
more hours of darkness than daylight. From this point the hours of daylight
become gradually longer. This observable phenomenon was given a religious
significance in the pagan Roman world. It became the feast of Sol Invictus
(the Unconquerable Sun). It was popularly celebrated in Rome during the
last two weeks of December as Saturnalia. What better time for the Christians
to celebrate the coming of the true unconquered "Sun"? Thus the
feast of Christmas was born; the celebration of the dawning on the world
of the Sun of Righteousness.
The feast was not originally called Christmas or Nativity, but Epiphany
or "Manifestation." It celebrated the idea of Christ's coming
and manifesting Himself through several events of the New Testament and
its timing was based on the feast of the Unconquered Sun. In the East this
feast of "coming" was generally kept on January 6th and in the
West on December 25th. It did not originally concentrate exclusively on
the birth of our Lord, but celebrated several aspects of His manifestation:
the birth in the cave, the adoration of the Magi, the baptism in the Jordan,
and the first miracle at Cana in Galilee. All of these themes came in one
way or another to be associated with the feast of the Epiphany. The East
celebrated all of this on January 6th and knew of no feast on December 25th.
(The Armenian Church to this day still celebrates the nativity and the baptism
together on January 6th with no celebration whatsoever on December 25th.)
Egeria, a nun from Spain, traveling in Palestine at the end of the 4th century
mentions a great celebration of our Lord's coming. Thus it was only later
that the East and the West came to share both December 25th and January
6th. The East separated the Nativity from the Baptism, leaving the January
date as the feast of the Baptism of Christ and accepting the December date
as the feast of the Nativity. The West in turn added January 6th to its
"Manifestation" celebration as the commemoration of the Adoration
of the Magi.
Once this double feast, Christmas-Epiphany, entered the life of the Church
it became, like Easter-Pentecost, an occasion for the celebration of baptism.
The feast of Christ's coming was seen to be appropriate for the administration
of the sacrament by which Christ would come to the new believer. Several
relics in our present liturgical practice hint at the baptismal connections
of Christmas and Epiphany, as the long list of readings of the vigil of
both days (meant to cover the time of actual baptizing), and the singing
of the baptismal verse "As many as have been baptized into Christ"
in place of the Trisagion. The strange notation in the liturgical books:
"Nativity of our Lord . . . Three days Passover" and "Epiphany
of our Lord . . . Three days Passover" can only be explained in connection
with the sacrament of baptism.
The hymns of both Christmas and Epiphany reveal the origin of these days
in the old winter festival of the Unconquered Sun. Note how many astronomical
references we find in the Nativity Troparion: Christ is described as the
"Sun" of Righteousness, who illumines those who
worshipped stars (of which the physical sun is one). Jesus has come
as the dawning from the East (as the sun does).
The Matins exapostilarion hymn speaks of: A newly risen day. Our
Savior is the Dayspring from the East. Those who were in darkness
and shadow found the Light.
Epiphany is still known as "ton Foton" (feast of Lights).
Its hymns also concentrate on astronomical themes. In Vespers Christ is
described as "Bestower of light," who desires to give light
to those in darkness. In the Matins of the feast we find: "With
Thy light that never sets, shine forth, O Christ."
Unfortunately most of society has reverted to celebrating the pagan winter
holiday under the excuse of celebrating the birth of Christ. The Romans
had their Saturnalia, but modern man has his Santa, reindeer, drinking parties
and materialism to highlight his feast. In spite of all of this Christians
are still called to celebrate joyfully in the Spirit, the coming of the
Messiah. As the Christians of old celebrated under the guise of Saturnalia,
so the modern Christian must still celebrate the true feast as the rest
of our society keeps its pagan winter holiday. The Church at one time conquered
and transformed that pagan holiday into the sublime celebration of the coming
of the Sun of Righteousness. She still is challenged to transform and transfigure
and to proclaim that coming and to lead men beyond tinsel and cheap lights
to the true meaning of this holiday: the glorification of the true Gladsome
Light of the Holy Glory of the Immortal Father, heavenly, holy, blessed
Jesus Christ.
Father Antony Bassoline is pastor of St. George Church
in Upper Darby, PA.
From Word
Magazine
Publication of the Antiochian Orthodox
Christian Archdiocese of North America
December 1979
pp. 5-6
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