Sunday, December 1, 2024

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays!

“What holidays are there anyway?”

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, December 1, 2024 (originally published in 2019 in booklet form)

Introduction

‘Tis the season for “Happy Holidays”. We hear it in the stores as we are doing our “holiday” shopping. From November to January, we often hear this phrase and others like it, including “Happy New Year”, “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Christmas”, and have nativity scenes (Christ in a manger scene) and Christkind/Christkindl (meaning Christ child)[1] celebrations, and so on.

But in today’s Western Culture, people are pressured to stray away from “Merry Christmas”, and gravitate toward “Happy Holidays”. Christian elements associated with Christmas are disappearing and so is the terminology.

We’re often told that it is safer to say “Happy Holidays” or write “X-mas” instead of “Merry Christmas” so you don’t offend those who oppose Christ and Christmas. In other words, the society is now quickly catering to an anti-Christ position—“so what!” if it offends Christians.

But does Happy Holidays really help the anti-Christian position? How should Christians react? Let’s evaluate these questions in more detail.

What Holidays Are in Reference When We Say “Happy Holidays”?

I’m often surprised how many people fail to name even a few of the holidays that are part of the Christmas season (which runs from the fourth Sunday’s before Christmas until January 6th—more on this in a moment). Would you have answered Boxing Day, St. Nicholas’s Day, Feast of Epiphany, or Advent Sundays? Some do, some say…“Whaaaat?”

These days are just some of the holidays within the Christmas season. The Christmas season is broken into three parts:

1.      Advent Season

2.      Christmas

3.      The Twelve Days of Christmas

Advent Season of Christmas

The first part is the anticipation and preparation of Christmas and is sometimes called Penitential Season of Christmas but normally the Advent Season. Advent means “arrival” or “dawning” of an event. For instance, when Jesus Christ became a man and stepped into history, this is called the “first advent”. When Jesus comes again, as He promised He would, that is called the “second advent” or the Second Coming.   

The Advent Season celebrates Jesus’ first advent and begins with the first Advent Sunday and continues for the next three Sundays prior to Christmas. Because it is always four weeks prior to Christmas, it moves around on our modern Gregorian calendar (the calendar most of us use today). But it typically begins in late November or very early December. It tends to be near the USA holiday that always falls on the fourth Thursday of November called “Thanksgiving”.[2]

Each Sunday leading up to Christmas is respectively the First Advent Sunday, Second Advent Sunday, Third Advent Sunday, and Fourth or Final Advent Sunday. The Advent or Penitential Season of Christmas draws to a close on Christmas Eve—the evening before Christmas.

Commonly, we tend to mark the beginning of the Christmas season with the close of Thanksgiving in the USA and businesses mark it with an incredible shopping day that has morphed into Black Friday[3] (in some cases stores start the evening before and call it Black Thursday).[4]

The Advent Season is also close to St. Andrew’s Day which is always celebrated on November 30th. So, this holiday is sometimes part of the Advent Season and sometimes immediately precedes it. Traditionally, St. Andrew’s Day (not at the conclusion of Thanksgiving) had been used as the marker to indicate the Advent Season was upon us.  

Falling on December 6th is St. Nicholas’s Day. St. Nicholas of Myra was a bishop (minister/pastor) in the AD 300s. He died on December 6th, hence the day that is used to celebrate his life. He was an orphan who became a wealthy man living in a nation we call Turkey today traditionally known as Asia Minor (the town of Myra was later called Kale and is now called Demre).

St. Nicholas used his wealth to help the less fortunate (for example, he kept some poor young girls out of forced prostitution by paying their debt). He was said to have hung stockings of coins for the poor on windowsills and so on. For his faith in Christianity, he was persecuted by Roman Emperor Diocletian and put in jail for a time. He was released by Emperor Constantine about AD 325.

Because St. Nicholas’s Day always falls in the Christmas season, it makes sense why Christmas today has a corrupted version of him during the Christmas season. Saint Nickolas is corrupted into Santa Claus (think Sainta niclaus).

Sadly, attributes of God are applied to St. Nicholas. This paganized version of St. Nicholas sees all, judges between naughty and nice, blessings (gifts) comes from him, can be everywhere at the same time, etc. It’s better to leave St. Nicholas, as St. Nicholas—and as a result, many Christians avoid using Santa Claus as a deceptive tool on children.

Christmas Day

The second part of the Christmas season is of course Christmas Day (also called The Nativity of Our Lord), celebrated on December 25th. Christmas has been widely celebrated by underground Christians and documented by Christians since about AD 200. Christmas became very popular when Christianity was allowed to be out in the open after the Edicts of Toleration and Milan in AD 311 and 313 respectively.

Popular early church father Sextus Julius Africanus wrote the Chronographiai around AD 221 which put the conception of Christ at March 25—9 months prior to December 25th the date being used for Christmas. For context, this is about 125 years since the last of Jesus’s apostles died. Some Christians still celebrate an ancient feast on March 25th called the Feast of Annunciation (also called Conceptio Christi, Solemnity of the Annuciation, Lady Day, or Feast of the Incarnation) celebrating the immaculate conception of Christ.[5]

Is December 25th the actual day of Christ’s birth? That is a great question with mixed reviews, but what we know is that widespread use of celebrating December 25th in churches across the Roman Empire as the birth and first nativity of Christ was very early.


In the AD 300s, Ephraim the Syrian writing about the first nativity or Christmas points out that, “All men honour the day of Thy birth. Thou righteous One, keep Thou the glory of Thy birth; for even Herod honoured the day of His Birth!”[6] John Cassian points out the connection between Christ’s birth and its connection to Epiphany (the Twelfth Day of Christmas) in the late AD 300s and early AD 400s said:  

“In the country of Egypt this custom is by ancient tradition observed that—when Epiphany is past, which the priests of that province regard as the time, both of our Lord's baptism and also of His birth in the flesh, and so celebrate the commemoration of either mystery not separately as in the Western provinces but on the single festival of this day…”[7]

December 25th was defended by Sulpitius Severus in consultation with Sabinus and Rufinus in Sacred History (Historia Sacra) chapter 27 in AD 403. The point is that Christmas, the birth of Christ, was recognized and celebrated from the early days of the church.

X-mas

Christmas is also denoted as X-mas/X’mas/Xmas. The letter Chi (X) in Greek was used as the short hand notation of Christ, being the first letter of the name Christ or more specifically Christos (Χριστός).

Today, a few people unwittingly think if they use “X-mas”, they are deleting the name Christ from this holiday because of anti-Christian sentiment. However, X-mas is an ancient Christian usage for Christmas whether they realize it or not.

Pagan Holiday Copycat?

Some modern claims about Christmas is that it is born out of pagan celebrations such as:

1.      Sol Invictus

2.      Saturnalia

Sol Invictus means unconquered sun. “Sol” means sun and is where we get the name “solar” for instance. Sol Invictus [or more properly Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (Birth of the Unconquered Sun)] was the celebration of the Roman sun “god” in the latter stages of the Roman Empire and also the patron of Roman soldiers.

Sol Invictus, however, came into existence well after we have recorded history that Christmas was widely celebrated. Sol Invictus was first started by Roman emperor Lucius Aurelian in AD 274. If anything, the pagans took Christmas and wanted a pagan alternative.

Whether Sol Invictus is related to the Winter Solstice is uncertain. If it were meant to be, then they missed it by a couple of days! The shortest day of the year is the Winter Solstice between December 20-23, where Sol Invictus falls on December 25th. Solstices mark the changing of the seasons and the godly, since Adam’s creation in Genesis 1, have utilized the sun, moon, and stars to mark these events (e.g., Genesis 1:14).

Saturnalia, is obviously the popular festival to the “god” Saturn (“god” of the harvest and time) in the Roman pantheon. It was celebrated on December 17th. Later it was expanded into a three-day and then seven-day festival marking the winter sowing season. It is the equivalent festival of the Greek Kronia with the Greek equivalent “god” called Chronos/Chronus/Kronos/Cronus, who is the “god” of harvest and time (the name reflects time, think of chronology, chronometer, etc.).  

Regardless, this festival was always finished before Christmas anyway. So, if Christians were taking this pagan day and making a Christian alternative, they failed miserably! They missed it by about a week!

Interestingly, the Roman Saturn (where we get the name Saturday and the planet Saturn) and the Greek equivalent Chronos, is a corruption of Noah. An ancient historian Eupolemus (as preserved by Eusebius of Caesarea in the early to mid-AD 300s) writes,

“the Babylonians say, that the first was Belus, called Cronus or Saturn (that is, Noah), and of him was begotten another Belus and Chanaan (it should be read Cham), and he (i.e. Ham) begat Chanaan, the father of the Phoenicians; and of him another son, Chus, was begotten, whom the Greeks call Asbolos, the father of the Ethiopians, and the brother of Mestraim, the father of the Egyptians.”[8]

For the reader, you should be able to recognize Chanaan/Canaan in this list, whom the God judged and gave their land to the Israelites lead by Joshua Also, Belus is a title passed from Noah and to his son Ham/Cham and so forth. Although not mentioned here, this title ultimately passes as far down as Nimrod, the son of Cush (Chus), and was corrupted in Bel and Baal, which is where the pagan Baal worship in the Old Testament came from—merely a form of ancestor worship.

But of significant note, Chronos or Saturn is Noah. It is a corruption of Noah to a godlike status.  Sadly, this makes sense. Noah and his early progeny lived longer lifespans (Noah lived 350 years after the Flood, Shem lived 500 years after the Flood, and so forth).

As the ages subsequently drop, these patriarchs outlived great, great, great grandchildren. Noah, for instance, outlived his great, great, great, grandson Peleg![9] So many of these patriarchs in cultures were looked at as though they were “immortals” or “gods”. These “gods” still died, but they just outlived everyone else.

Another thing that happens is that some of these patriarchs and their descendants get mixed up in their oral passed-down accounts. And the accounts themselves get warped, paganized, and embellished.[10]

Fascinatingly, Noah, the oldest patriarch after the Flood who became the first farmer and trainer of farmers (Genesis 9), is corrupted into the “god” of the harvest and time. The point is that Saturn/Chronos, which is where Saturnalia and Kronia come from, is actually based on a biblical person—Noah. So that day really shouldn’t belong to pagans in the first place.

Twelve Days of Christmas

For the third and final part of the Christmas season, we have the Twelve Days of Christmas also known as Twelfthtide, which is the celebration of Christ’s significance and His work. Usually, when I mention the Twelve Days of Christmas, people immediately begin thinking of the popular Christmas song. In fact, many in today’s culture have forgotten about the Twelve Days of Christmas and just think it is a popular song everyone sings at Christmas! Interestingly, the song is based on the real Twelve Days of Christmas!    

The Twelve Days of Christmas begin the day after Christmas which is called Boxing Day. No—it has nothing to do with the sport, boxing. The Twelfth or Final Day of Christmas is the Feast of the Epiphany or simply, Epiphany. The Feast of Epiphany goes back to celebrations recorded in the AD 200s as well with the Homilies (The Fourth Homily) between AD 213 and 270.[11]

I’ve noticed that many of the Twelve Days of Christmas are shared commonly across the board of Christians around the world. However, a few of the days are specific or celebrated on different days to various denominations or church splits. For those who are not familiar with basic Church history there have been three major splits in the church. They are:

1.      Oriental Church Split occurred about AD 450, when churches from Africa to India separated.

2.      The Great Schism which happened about AD 1000 was a split between the Eastern (Orthodox) and Western Church (Rome).

3.      The Reformation was when Protestant churches split from Rome to return to scriptural authority.

We are currently living in the midst of another (fourth) split I’ve dubbed the Creation Reformation. This is where some churches are mixing their religion with secular humanism (naturalism/millions of years/evolution) and then there are those churches who stand on Scripture as the truth in all areas. The latter are churches that adhere to biblical authority.

As a note, many Christians coming out of the Reformation retained the Christmas season—Twelvetide and all—however, some Christians later became opposed due to the pagan infiltration occurring during the festivities during the Christmas season. One group was the Puritans who went so far as to legally ban Christmas in New England, but this was not to last. Christmas regained its importance in the churches and Christmas even became a national holiday in 1870 in the United States.   

As mentioned, a few of the holidays of the Twelve Days of Christmas tend to vary based on denomination and splits—so bear with me here. As an example, many in the Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on January 7th and the Twelve Days end on January 19th (so their days would have to be adjusted calendrically).

Also, some count the twelve days beginning with Christmas, where others begin the day after Christmas (the latter is the more common method). The point is there are plenty of variations and liberties taken on the specifics of these twelve days of celebration. 

With those liberties in mind, here are the Twelve Days of Christmas geared toward those generically in the Protestant Reformation with a just few of the many deviations listed in brackets[12]:

Day 1: December 26th Boxing Day or Stephen’s Day [Synaxis/Celebration of Mary—Orthodox Church (OC), Wren’s Day—Ireland and a few others]

The First Day of Christmas is known as Stephen’s Day or  Boxing Day—the first Martyr of the Church after the resurrection and he gave his all as a testimony to Jesus Christ. It consists of the Feast of Stephen. This is a day dedicated to giving to the poor. It is also called “Boxing Day”, in remembrance of giving boxes of food to the poor. Read Acts 6:8-8:2.

Day 2: December 27th Apostles Day [Stephen’s Day—OC, Feast of St. John—Anglican]  

The Second Day of Christmas (Apostles Day) remembers the apostles beginning with John the Apostle, “whom our Lord loved” and was present at the Crucifixion. It is customary to light candles on this day because John spoke of light versus darkness in a spiritual sense. Traditionally, the second day of Christmas was also a day to bless wine and toast it (in moderation of course)—but that can be left up local church discretions. Read Psalm 104:15, Amos 9:13-14, John 2:3-11, and 1 John 1:1-2:3.

Apostles

  1. John son of Zebedee and brother of James
  2. Andrew (Peter’s brother)
  3. James the son of Zebedee
  4. Simon Peter (Cephas)
  5. Philip
  6. Bartholomew
  7. Thomas
  8. Matthew the tax collector
  9. James the son of Alphaeus
  10. Lebbaeus Thaddaeus
  11. Simon the Canaanite
  12. Judas Iscariot, who forfeited his right as an Apostle
  13. Matthias (Acts 1:20-26) Replaced Judas
  1. Paul (2 Corinthians 11:5, 2 Corinthians 12:11, etc.)
  2. Barnabas (Acts 14:14)
  3. James the brother of Jesus (Galatians 1:19)
  4. Jesus is THE Apostle (Hebrews 3:1)

 

Apostle Paul as depicted in an early model at the Creation Museum

Day 3: December 28th Ember Day or Holy Innocents Day

The Third Day of Christmas is Ember Day where we recall the martyrs, particularly the Holy Innocents (those killed by Herod seeking to kill Jesus). It is a day to pray and fast for orphans and children; and to teach people why the modern form of child sacrifice, abortion, is wrong. Read Exodus 1:8-2 and Matthew 3:12-21.

Day 4: December 29th Martyrs and Sacrifice Day [Holy Innocents Day—OC]

The Fourth Day of Christmas remembers all who have been exiled, murdered, and persecuted for defending the faith against all opposition (Martyrs and Sacrifice Day). It is a time to remember pastors/ministers/bishops, missionaries, Christian leaders (i.e., deacons and elders), apologists, and even previous reformers and Christians leaders and all that they sacrifice(d) to follow Christ. It is a time to encourage current leaders to defend the authority of God and His Word above all others. Gifts can be given to current leaders to show support and encouragement. Read Isaiah 52:7, Romans 10:13-17, and Ephesians 4:11-16.

Day 5: December 30th Holy Family Day [Thomas Becket Day—Anglican]

The Fifth Day of Christmas, we celebrate Holy Family Day. This consists of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus as well as the rest of the Holy Family including Jesus’ earthly half-siblings (i.e., James, Jude/Judas, Joses, Simon and His sisters, e.g., Matthew 13:55). This is a time to bless our immediate and extended families and pray for them and dedicate them to the Lord. Read Matthew 1:18-25 and Mark 6:3.

Day 6: December 31st Hogmanay Day or New Year’s Eve [Feast of St. Silvester—Roman Catholic Church (RCC), St. Egwin Day, Three Kings Day—Hispanic and Latin America]

New Year’s Eve is the Sixth Day of Christmas, also known as Hogmanay/Hogmane Day (others have Hoggo-nott or Hoog Min Dag, meaning great love day or holy month or holy morning—for the looking forward to the first day of the year). This is the day for traditional games like shooting a bow (archery), javelin toss, and in our modern vernacular, shooting contests. Granted this is on our modern Gregorian calendar while different days were the first and last day of the year depending on calendar. To see significant events that occurred on the first day of the first month in Scripture, see: Genesis 8:13, Exodus 40:2, Exodus 40:17, 2 Chronicles 29:17, Ezra 7:9, Ezra 10:17, and Ezekiel 29:17-20.

Day 7: January 1st New Year’s Day [Circumcision of Christ or Feast of St. Basil and St. Gregory—OC/RCC, Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Day—RCC, The Holy Name Day—Anglican]

The Seventh Day of Christmas celebrates the new year and a new beginning, for Christians to celebrate passing from death to life as a new creation in Christ (e.g., John 5:24, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 John 3:14). It is a time to share your testimony to your family and friends of how the Lord saved you. Then, communion should follow it. Read Psalm 119:88, 1 Corinthians 1:4-7, 2 Timothy 1:8, 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, and 1 Corinthians 11:20-29.

Day 8: January 2nd Church Father’s Day [Forefeast of the Theophany—OC]

The Eighth Day of Christmas is the day to call to mind the church fathers (Church Father’s Day) and how they stayed the course to which Jesus Christ and the apostles laid the groundwork. It remembers their steadfast proclamation of teaching the good news of Jesus Christ. Try to call to mind certain early church fathers that the Apostles taught and delivered the faith that was to be once for all, [e.g., Timothy (to whom Paul wrote and traveled), Jude (author of Jude and brother of Christ), Clement (Philippians 4:3), Ignatius and Polycarp (disciples of John), Apollos (1 Corinthians 3:6)]. Read Ephesians 2:19-22 and 2 Peter 3:2.

Day 9: January 3rd Holy Name of Jesus Day or Triune Day [Malachi Day—OC]

The Ninth Day of Christmas is the day we celebrate the naming of “Jesus.” This is a day to recall the names of Jesus and the names of God (Mighty God, Elohim, Jehovah, Prince of Peace, I Am, Messiah, Son of God, The Word, Christ, etc.) and their significance it could be called Triune Day, as names of all three persons of one triune Godhead[13] is to be discussed and the Athanasius Creed[14] is to be read after the names of Jesus have been discussed.[15] All of the footnoted items here can be used on this holy day celebration. Read Philippians 2:10-11.

Day 10: January 4th Presentation Day or Simeon and Anna’s Day [Apostles Day—OC, some denote this day as the Holy Name of Jesus Day]

The Tenth Day of Christmas is Presentation Day or Simeon and Anna’s Day, when Jesus was presented at the Temple on the 40th day and the turtledoves/pigeons were sacrificed (customary for the those who were poor). Both Simeon and Anna saw the blessed Christ child. It is a day to present ourselves and our children and grandchildren to Lord and ask for forgiveness of our sin (repentance). This 40th day was prior to the reception of precious gifts of the wise men, which included gold, to offer such a humble sacrifice. Read Leviticus 12:1-4 and Luke 2:22-39.

Day 11: January 5th Angel and Shepherds Day or Epiphany Eve [Feast of St. Simeon Stylites—RCC, St. Elizabeth Seton Day—American RCC]

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas it is a time to remember the shepherds and angels (Angel and Shepherds Day or Epiphany Eve).[16] The angels announced the coming of the advent of the Lord to Mary, Joseph, Zacharias, and the shepherds who were the first to worship Jesus. It is wise to read the entire account of Jesus birth in both Matthew and Luke. It is also a time to plan for the feast of the Epiphany, which occurs the next day. Read Matthew 1:20-24, Matthew 2:13-19, Luke 1:13-21, Luke 1:26-38, and Luke 2:8-18.

Day 12: January 6th Epiphany or Feast of Epiphany

The Twelfth Day of Christmas is the celebration of the Epiphany—when the magi visited the Christ-child and presented gifts to Him – gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Though this is honored on the 12th day, it was not until after the 40th day when Jesus was presented at the Temple that the magi arrived.[17]

The magi saw Jesus at a house, not the manger scene and the Holy Family immediately went to Egypt for some time after the magi to flee from Herod, the king ruling out of Jerusalem. This is the final day of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Traditionally, it was a time for great feasting and drinking wine (in moderation and under local church discretion) and presentation of the final gifts to your family. Read Matthew 2:1-12.

After this last day of Christmas, the Christmas season officially comes to a close, end-capping the traditional term “Happy Holidays”.  As a caveat, I’m not telling readers to celebrate or not to celebrate these holidays and involve themselves in the respective traditions. Instead, I’ll leave that to your family and church’s discretion. 

What Is a Holiday?

A holiday is literally a “holy day”, being derived from the Old English hāligdæg (hālig meaning holy and dæg meaning day). Naturally, it is predicated on holiness which is an attribute of the Holy God of the Bible.

Holy means sacred, spiritually perfect, hallowed, and godly. This is why we call the Bible the Holy Bible. Bible literally means the book or more properly, the collection of books from God. Furthermore, it is why Christians strive to live a godly and holy life as God patterned for man in the life of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:16).

The God of the Bible began instituting holy days in the Old Testament as types and shadows of God of Himself (Colossians 2:16-17). Some of these include:

1.      Weekly Sabbath (e.g., Exodus 16:23-29, Exodus 20:8-11)[18]

2.      Passover (e.g., Exodus 12:1-4; Leviticus 23:5; Numbers 9:1-14; 28:16; Deuteronomy 16:1-3, 4-7; Matthew 26:17; Mark 14:12-26; John 2:13; 11:55; 1 Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 11:28)

3.      Feast of Unleavened Bread (e.g., Exodus 12:15-20; 39; 13:3-10; 23:15; 34:18; Leviticus 23:6-8; Numbers 28:17-25; Deuteronomy 16:3, 4, 8; Mark 14:1,12; Act 12:3)

4.      Firstfruits (e.g., Exodus 23:19; 34:26; Leviticus 23:9-14; Deuteronomy 26:5,9-10.)

5.      Feast of Weeks (Exodus 23:16; 34:22; Leviticus 23:15-21; Numbers 28:26-31; Deuteronomy 16:9-12)

6.      Feast of Trumpets (e.g., Leviticus 23:23-25; Numbers 29:1-6; 2 Samuel 6:15)

7.      Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur, e.g., Leviticus 16:1-34; 23:26-32; Numbers 29:7-11)

8.      Feast of Tabernacles/Booths (e.g., Exodus 23:16; 34:22; Leviticus 23:33-38; 39-43; Numbers 29:12-34; Deuteronomy 16:13-15; 1 Kings 8:3; 2 Chronicles 7:1; Zechariah 14:16-19; John 7:2)

There was also a Jubilee year, after seven cycles of seven years (49 years), the fiftieth year was the Jubilee! The point is that God gave holidays to man. In a nutshell, holidays exist by being predicated on the existence of the Holy God of the Bible.

The New Testament continues in this tradition with the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week (e.g., Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2, Revelation 1:10)—which is when Christ resurrected. The Breaking of Bread, also called the Last Supper, Lord’s Supper, Communion, or The Elements is a New Testament regular observance of the Passover fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus, the Christ, is the final and perfect Passover lamb. He was sacrificed and resurrected as the ultimate victor once for all. The Lord’s Supper celebrates Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.

Celebrating new holidays to the Lord is a Christian freedom. As the Bible says:

“One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.” (Romans 14:5-6, NKJV)

We see something like this in the intertestamental period. The Jews came up with a new festival—Hanukkah. 

Hanukkah

Just as man is made in the image of the God (Genesis 1:26-27) who instituted festivals, so man has honored God with new festivals. The godly Jews, for example, honored God with a holiday when they developed an 8-day winter festival called Hanukkah or Festival of Dedication (“Hanukkah” is derived from the word “dedication” in Hebrew). It was to rededicate the Second Temple and one tradition is to progressively light a special 9-branch candle holder called a menorah. This is why this holy day is sometimes called the Festival of Lights.

Jesus had no problem joining this celebration at the Second Temple of God in Jerusalem approximately 2,000 years ago (John 10:22-23). Jews often celebrate this, but so do many Christians as a way of honoring God.

There is nothing inherently wrong with a Christian celebrating this, as Christ did as well. And Christians are happy to include this as part of the phrase Happy Holidays. This is not a holiday prescribed in the Bible, and yet, Jesus shows us the freedom we can have make new holidays dedicated to the Lord.

Conclusion

“Happy Holidays” is a common Christian phrase that largely includes the entire Christmas season. It extends from the fourth Sunday prior to Christmas (First Advent Sunday) until January 6th with the Feast of Epiphany. Clearly, there is a lot in between. But let’s not forget the reason for the season.

Jesus Christ, the eternal and uncreated Son of God, became a man (John 1, Colossians 1, Hebrews 1)—remaining fully God and becoming fully man. Becoming a man—our relative—was a task all too easy for an all-powerful God. Christ stepped into history to ultimately die on a cross for sin.

The infinite Son of God took the full measure of wrath for our sin upon Himself. He had the power to lay down His life and take it up again (e.g., John 10:17-18). This shows He alone holds the power over life and death. The infinite punishment we deserve for sin against a perfect, infinite, just, and holy God, was satisfied in Jesus’ sacrifice. 

The Christmas season should be a time to reflect how God alone was the one who made salvation possible through the blood of Christ. It shows the love that God has for us by sending the Babe in a manger to rescue sinners.

To purchase copies of this article in booklet form for witnessing purposes please visit Answer in Genesis



[1] German for child or children is “kind, kinder”, which is also the root for our English kindergarten.

[2] Originally, Thanksgiving was celebrated on the last Thursday in November, but in 1939, it was adjusted to be the fourth Thursday of November.

[3] The name “Black Friday” comes from companies selling so much on that day that it gets them out of the red and into the black—in other words, it helps companies get from being in debt (in the red) to making a profit (in the black).

[4] In ancient times, the day often began at sunset—we still see this on the Babylonian/Jewish Calendar. This is a reflection of cultures as they retain the evening then morning cycle which is how God created successively during Creation Week (Genesis 1:1-2:3).

[5] The Feast of Annunciation was originally April 6th in some churches but it represented more than just the conception then. It also collectively included things like Christ’s birth, circumcision, and baptism.

[7] John Cassian, Conferences of John Cassian, Chapter 2, Of the custom which is kept up in the Province of Egypt for signifying the time of Easter, AD 360-435, https://www.ccel.org/ccel/cassian/conferences.ii.xi.ii.html.

[8] Eusebius of Caesarea, Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 17. p. 419.

[9] Bodie Hodge, Tower of Babel, Master Books, Green Forest, AR, 2013, pp. 199-204.

[10] This is why in some instances, we see the Saturn and Chronos figure convoluted into Japheth, Kittim, or Ham (some of Noah’s descendants in Genesis 10) in various accounts.

[12] Taken from: B. Hodge, The Twelve Days of Christmas (for Protestants), Biblical Authority Ministries, December 16, 2015, https://biblicalauthorityministries.wordpress.com/2015/12/16/the-twelve-days-of-christmas/, Used by Permission.

[16] January 5th also happens to be my birthday!

[17] This is because they sacrificed doves (Luke 2:24), a sign of being poor, they clearly hadn’t received the expensive gifts from the magi. Those gifts likely help fund their trip to Egypt to avoid Herod. Was it one year and twelve days after the birth of Christ that the magi arrived? It’s possible. Nonetheless, Epiphany, which is the twelfth day after Christmas, is an ancient day set aside to honor this event.

[18] See Hosea 2:11, Colossians 2:16.

Monday, November 25, 2024

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, November 25, 2024

In the USA (and a few other countries), there is a celebration called Thanksgiving. This US holiday (i.e., Holy Day) dates back to times prior to the founding of the United States as a political entity, originating in the days when the Pilgrims came to America.

Background to Thanksgiving

What many don’t realize is the hardship the Pilgrims endured and their efforts to escape persecution in England. How many realize the Pilgrims were attacked, imprisoned, fined, and had their property and assets confiscated? They were literally fleeing for their livelihood. But why? And who were the Pilgrims?

The Pilgrims were those who believed in the Bible but didn’t follow the official state church of England (the Anglican Church). The King or Queen of England (the highest monarch) is also the head of the Church of England—a tradition that continues to this day.

Kings and queens today, though lifelong positions in the United Kingdom, share limited power with elected leaders, such as members of Parliament (the House of Commons and the House of Lords), the Prime Minister, and the judiciary. However, in the past, the King or Queen wielded much greater power. When disagreements arose, the monarch could use both political and church authority to suppress dissent.

One law from the 1600s stated that no one was allowed to belong to or organize a church that was not part of the Church of England. The Pilgrims, desiring to follow the Bible in its purest and plainest sense, sought to establish a church purified from false teachings. They became known as Puritans (Presbyterians and Baptists came out of the Puritan line by the way). Because they refused to conform to the Church of England's practices and methodology and held what they believed were more biblical views, they were seen as "separatists" opposing the Church of England.

This was the situation with the Pilgrims—they were separatists who disagreed with the Church of England on certain points and wanted to serve and worship God distinctly from the prescribed Anglican practices.

As a result, they were hunted, fined, jailed, and persecuted. Some fled to the Netherlands for a time before returning to England to sail to the New World in hopes of finding freedom. After much strife and negotiation, two ships were set to sail: the Speedwell and the Mayflower. However, the Speedwell had to abort its voyage due to leaks. The Mayflower eventually set sail, and after 66 days, the first wave of Pilgrims (102 passengers) arrived in North America at a terrible time of year—November 1620.

The men signed a government charter called the Mayflower Compact. They discovered Plymouth Harbor on December 16, 1620, and began building. The cold, wet, and sickly conditions caused many to fall ill, and only 52 people survived the winter.

Meanwhile, the Pilgrims developed a good relationship with the natives, even agreeing to be allies in case of war.

The First Thanksgiving

In the fall of 1621, about one year after landing, the natives and the Pilgrims held a three-day celebration of thanks to God. Over the next six years, many other Pilgrims were able to join them from England and the Netherlands.

The celebration became a regular event and is forever marked as the first Thanksgiving festival. When a fledgling United States was gaining independence from England (e.g., the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776), the new nation wanted a day to honor and thank God. 

Thanksgiving was recommended and voted a success. Though the date has shifted a few times, it is now always the fourth Thursday of November each year. Thus, it always precedes the Christmas season, which begins with Advent (the four Sundays before Christmas).

I think it is worth taking a closer look at the congressional committee’s recommendation for a national Thanksgiving Day. It shows congressional unity behind the Triune God, which I will emphasize in bold in the text reprinted below:

“Saturday, November 1, 1777

The committee appointed to prepare a recommendation to the several states, to set apart a day of public thanksgiving, brought in a report; which was taken into consideration, and agreed to as follows:

Forasmuch as it is the indispensable duty of all men to adore the superintending providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with gratitude their obligation to him for benefits received, and to implore such farther blessings as they stand in need of; and it having pleased him in his abundant mercy not only to continue to us the innumerable bounties of his common providence, but also smile upon us in the prosecution of a just and necessary war, for the defense and establishment of our unalienable rights and liberties; particularly in that he hath been pleased in so great a measure to prosper the means used for the support of our troops and to crown our arms with most signal success:

It is therefore recommended to the legislative or executive powers of these United States, to set apart Thursday, the 18th day of December next, for solemn thanksgiving and praise; that with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts, and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor; and that together with their sincere acknowledgments and offerings, they may join the penitent confession of their manifold sins, whereby they had forfeited every favor, and their humble and earnest supplication that it may please God, through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of remembrance; that it may please him graciously to afford his blessings on the governments of these states respectively, and prosper the public council of the whole; to inspire our commanders both by land and sea, and all under them, with that wisdom and fortitude which may render them fit instruments, under the providence of Almighty God, to secure for these United States the greatest of all blessings, independence and peace; that it may please him to prosper the trade and manufactures of the people and the labor of the husbandman, that our land may yield its increase; to take schools and seminaries of education, so necessary for cultivating the principles of true liberty, virtue and piety, under his nurturing hand, and to prosper the means of religion for the promotion and enlargement of that kingdom which consisteth in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.

And it is further recommended, that servile labor, and such recreation as, though at other times innocent, may be unbecoming the purpose of this appointment, be omitted on so solemn an occasion.”[1]

Making Thanksgiving Personal

I hope that Thanksgiving is a blessed time for those reading this. I also hope that you take time to personally thank God who created and sustains your very existence. God is loving and wants all to come to repentance and receive the great news of what Jesus Christ has done by sacrificing Himself on the Cross to die in our place to take our sin upon Him. What a loving God and Savior indeed.

Consider as a conclusion, the importance of thanking Christ for what He has done based on Luke 17:11-19 (NKJV):

Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.

And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”

And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? “Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

 



[1] Open source.


Thursday, November 21, 2024

Joseph

What happened to Joseph, the one thought to be Jesus’s father?

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, November 21, 2024

After Jesus was born, there wasn’t much said of Joseph but a few things can be ascertained from the Scriptures. 

We know Joseph was a carpenter (Matthew 13:55) and surely taught Jesus a fair bit about carpentry during His youth (Mark 6:3). These same two passages (Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3) reveal that Jesus had other brothers and sisters such as James, Joses, Simon, and Judas.  Therefore, Joseph and Mary had other children after Jesus. [1]

We are not told how many sisters Jesus had, but the plural “sisters” in Mark 6:3 suggests at least two. Assuming there were at least two sisters and four brothers, Joseph surely lived several years after Jesus’s birth to have fathered at least six children with Mary (in obedience to Genesis 1:28 and 9:7) and to have trained Jesus in carpentry. There is no indication that these children were twins or triplets either.

With Jesus being the oldest and having younger siblings, as well as other relatives and acquaintances, it makes sense why Mary and Joseph failed to realize where Jesus, their perfect child, was when He stayed behind at the Temple during His first phase of adulthood (Luke 2:42-45).

Joseph was not wealthy. He did honest work as a carpenter. When Mary and Joseph presented sacrifices for Mary’s purification after she gave birth to Jesus, they offered a sacrifice of turtledoves or pigeons (Luke 2:22-24).

It was common for young men in Israel who had used their savings to prepare a place for their bride (e.g., a bridal chamber) and to pay the bride price to the bride’s family. The young groom would often use his remaining funds for basic living expenses to take a year off, in keeping with Deuteronomy 24:5, which says:

When a man has taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war or be charged with any business; he shall be free at home one year, and bring happiness to his wife whom he has taken. (NKJV)

According to the Law of Moses if someone could afford it, they were to bring a lamb for sacrifice but due to their lowly and modest status, they brought turtledoves or pigeons (Leviticus 12:1-6) at least during the early and poorer stages of their marriage. They were truly without riches.

However, one can’t help but miss that Mary and Joseph did bring to the Temple the perfect and infinite Lamb of God who would later be sacrificed. Any sacrifice, prior to the actual sacrifice, must be examined to be sure it is without blemish. In one sense, Jesus’ inspection by the Simeon at the Temple, being filled with the Holy Spirit, affirmed His perfection when he said in Luke 2:29-32:

 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to [bring] revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” (NKJV)

The sacrifice of the perfect Christ was prepared by a perfect God in advance, and here He was. Of course, the rich gifts given by the wise men surely helped fund the trip to Egypt which soon followed. Returning to Joseph:

Now Jesus Himself began [His ministry at] about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) [the] son of Joseph, [the son] of Heli. (Luke 3:23, NKJV)  

In Luke 3:23, Jesus began his ministry when he was about 30 years old.  In the latter portion of the verse, it indicates that people thought He was the son of Joseph. The verb used in the Greek is in the present indicative implying that Joseph was still alive at this time.  

So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” (Luke 4:22, NKJV)

Later in Luke 4:22, when Jesus was speaking with great wisdom, the people asked, “isn’t this Joseph’s son?” The verb form translated here indicates that it was also a present event implying that Joseph was still alive at this time and people knew who he was in that area.  

And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” (John 6:42, NKJV)

Also, in John 6:42, it is translated as present tense when referring to Joseph. This was when Jesus was revealing that he came down from heaven after Jesus began his ministry, contradicting their belief that He was Joseph's biological son.

After these events, nothing else is directly revealed from the Bible. It is highly probable that Joseph died during Jesus’s ministry for a couple of reasons.

The first is so that the people wouldn’t be confused to whom Jesus was speaking on the cross, when He said “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). The centurion and others recognized this was not His earthly father but referring to God the Father and believed. Had Joseph been there, there may have been confusion to whom Jesus was speaking.

Mary was present at the Cross and there is no reason Joseph wouldn’t have been there for such an ordeal, unless he had already passed on. Also, Mary is recorded immediately after this in Acts 1:14 without reference to Joseph being present. Since Joseph was not with her when she met with the apostles [and Jesus’s brothers] in Acts 1, it could be an indication that Joseph had indeed passed into glory.

Furthermore, the apostle John (the disciple that Jesus loved) was tasked to take care of Mary (John 19:25-27), implying Joseph was no longer alive to have such duties. Those duties would have passed to Jesus, the eldest, who was then in charge of assigning her into John’s care.

Recall, Jesus was about 30 when He went into ministry (Luke 3:23) and early in Jesus’s ministry, Joseph is mentioned in the present tense (e.g., John 6:42). Many of his younger siblings were surely old enough to be living on their own—perhaps involved in carpentry themselves.

In light of this information, consider another passage that has Joseph conspicuously missing. After Jesus had been in ministry an interesting situation arose that we sometimes don’t ask why it happened. It is recorded in parallel in Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-34, and Luke 8:19-21. The account in Luke is repeated below:

19  Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. 20  And it was told Him by some, who said, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.” 21  But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”  (NKJV)

Often commentators speak about the spiritual significance of the passage and rightly so—that should not be neglected. However, I have often pondered why they needed to see Jesus so bad as to interrupt His preaching to a multitude of people in another town no less. What was so urgent that Christ’s mother and some grown brothers are willing to interrupt Him?   

Why was Jesus’ family assembled together and be so bold as to interrupt His preaching? Who was absent? Joseph. Is it possible that Joseph had died and therefore Christ’s family reunited together and came to inform Jesus? Was that the urgent desire? It is indeed possible.

Not long after, was when Mary was put into John’s care at the Cross by Jesus, which means Jesus, the eldest son, was clearly responsible for Mary’s care at this point. This means Joseph was no longer on the scene and likely had died and these passages seem to give a possible reason why. Take note that Jesus’s brothers did not believe in Him when He died on the Cross (John 7:5). Later at least two brothers believed— the book of Jude and James are written by the half-brothers of the Lord.

But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. (Galatians 1:19, NKJV)

James, the brother of Jesus, was later called an apostle by Paul in Galatians 1:19. There were other apostles like Barnabas (Acts 14:14) and Paul but they are not to be confused with the Twelve. At the Cross, Jesus’s brothers were not believers yet so Jesus put Mary into the care of John and rightly so—it was His duty. Consider the words revealed in the church for caring about widows.

“If any believing man or woman has widows, let them relieve them, and do not let the church be burdened, that it may relieve those who are really widows.” (1 Timothy 5:16 NKJV) 

One needed to be a believing man or woman to be in their care. Since Jesus brothers were not believing at the time and Mary needed care, she was entrusted to a believing man—John the apostle.

There is a debatable letter from Mary written in response to John’s disciple Ignatius recorded in the writings of Ignatius (early church father writings). Both are below:

THE EPISTLE OF IGNATIUS TO THE VIRGIN MARY

Her friend Ignatius to the Christ-bearing Mary.

THOU oughtest to have comforted and consoled me who am a neophyte,

and a disciple of thy [beloved] John. For I have heard things wonderful to

tell respecting thy [son] Jesus, and I am astonished by such a report. But I

desire with my whole heart to obtain information concerning the things

which I have heard from thee, who wast always intimate and allied with

Him, and who wast acquainted with [all] His secrets. I have also written to

thee at another time, and have asked thee concerning the same things. Fare

thou well; and let the neophytes who are with me be comforted of thee,

and by thee, and in thee. Amen.

 

REPLY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN TO THIS LETTER.

The lowly handmaid of Christ Jesus to Ignatius, her beloved fellow disciple.

THE things which thou hast heard and learned from John concerning Jesus

are true. Believe them, cling to them, and hold fast the profession of that

Christianity which thou hast embraced, and conform thy habits and life to

thy profession. Now I will come in company with John to visit thee, and

those that are with thee. Stand fast in the faith, and show thyself a man;

nor let the fierceness of persecution move thee, but let thy spirit be strong

and rejoice in God thy Savior. Amen.

If this is accurate, this is significant. This show that Mary was still in the care of John and apparently even accompanied him on some trips after Jesus’ ascension.

Though I’m not adamant that Matthew 12:46-50, Mark 3:31-34, and Luke 8:19-21 were directly related to Joseph’s death, it is highly possible and makes a lot of sense of Joseph’s absence. I would like to see theologians and historians hash this out more. 

 


Happy Holidays

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