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The following are quotes added to my Jesus is Jehovah unclassified quotes database in December 2008.
The date format is dd/mm/yy. See copyright conditions at end.
2008: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov.
2/12/2008
"Psalm 45 is a marriage or wedding song. Its language and attributions made of the king and his bride
far transcend any legitimate words that could be used of the best earthly kings. Occasionally the
language is drawn directly from the promise made to David (e.g., v. 2, where the king is said to be
`blessed ... forever,' as 2Sa 7:13, 16 predicted). In spite of the elevated language, some have viewed this
psalm as one of David's marriages-perhaps to Saul's daughter Michal, or to Maacah of Geshur, or even
to Bathsheba. But none of these suggestions work, for David was not a king when he married Michal,
nor was he king over all Israel when he married Maacah; and Bathsheba was not from a royal line (as
the bride in this psalm, v. 9). Another popular opinion claims that it represents Solomon's marriage to
the Egyptian princess. But Solomon was no warrior, like the king depicted here (vv. 3, 5), nor were his
sons made princes over the whole earth (v. 16). Moreover, his marriage was not approved by God (1Ki
11:1-13). None of these persons embody all the elements found in this psalm. Any other nominees for
the identity of this king have likewise fallen short of the description given in this psalm."(Kaiser, W.C.,
Jr., "The Messiah in the Old Testament," Zondervan: Grand Rapids MI, 1995, pp.128-129)
5/12/2008
"[D&C 1:]30 And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the
foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living
church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church
collectively and not individually-" (Doctrine & Covenants, Section 1, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
Day Saints, 2006)
5/12/2008
"[1Ne 14:]10 And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the
Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the
Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of
all the earth." (Book of Mormon, First Book of Nephi, Chapter 14, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
Day Saints, 2006, p.125)
11/12/2008
"The biblical names of persons and places often carry great significance. This is true of the names for deity.
One of the most widely used terms for deity is El, with its derivations Elim, Elohim, and Eloah. It is
similar to the Greek theos, the Latin Deus, and the English God. It is a general word to indicate deity,
and is used to include all members of the class of deity. The plural Elohim is used regularly by the Old
Testament writers with singular verbs and adjectives to denote a singular idea. Though it usually refers to
God, it can also be used of pagan deities or gods. The compound El-Elyon designates him as the highest,
the most high (Ps. 78:35), and El-Shaddai as the Almighty God (Gen. 17:1)." (Thiessen, H.C. & Doerksen,
V.D., "Lectures in Systematic Theology," [1949], Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, Revised, 1977, p.24)
11/12/2008
"Jehovah or Yahweh is the personal name par excellence of Israel's God. The term is connected with
the Hebrew verb `to be,' and means the `self-existent one,' or the `one who causes to be' (Exod. 6:2f.; cf.
3:1316). This name is often translated into the English versions by the word `Lord,' often using upper case
letters. This name occurs in a number of significant combinations: Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will provide (Gen.
22:14); Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord that heals (Exod. 15:26); Jehovah-Nissi, the Lord our banner (Exod. 17:15);
Jehovah-Shalom, the Lord our peace (Judg. 6:24); Jehovah-Raah, the Lord my shepherd (Ps. 23:1);
Jehovah-Tsidkenu, the Lord our righteousness (Jer. 23:6); and Jehovah-Shammah, the Lord is present (Ezek.
48:35)." (Thiessen, H.C. & Doerksen, V.D., "Lectures in Systematic Theology," [1949], Eerdmans: Grand
Rapids MI, Revised, 1977, p.24)
11/12/2008
"Adonai, my Lord, is a title that appears frequently in the prophets, expressing dependence and
submission, as of a servant to his master, or of a wife to her husband. The title, Lord of hosts, appears
frequently in the prophetical and post-exilic literature (Isa. 1:9; 6:3). Some take the term to refer to God's
presence with the armies of Israel in the times of the monarchy (1 Sam. 4:4; 17:45; 2 Sam. 6:2), but a more
probable meaning is God's presence with the hosts of heaven, the angels (Ps. 89:6-8; cf. James 5:4)."
(Thiessen, H.C. & Doerksen, V.D., "Lectures in Systematic Theology," [1949], Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI,
Revised, 1977, p.24)
11/12/2008
"In the New Testament the term theos takes the place of El, Elohim, and Elyon. The names
Shaddai and El-Shaddai are rendered pantokrator, the almighty, and theos pantokrator, God
almighty. Sometimes the Lord [Jesus] is called the Alpha and the Omega (Rev. 1:8), who is and who was and
who is to come (Rev. 1:4), the first and the last (Rev. 2:8), and the beginning and the end (Rev. 21:6)."
(Thiessen, H.C. & Doerksen, V.D., "Lectures in Systematic Theology," [1949], Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI,
Revised, 1977, pp.24-25)
11/12/2008
"`I Am' In normal usage, both inside and outside the Bible, the phrase I am is not properly or technically
classified as a name. It is, however, quite commonly part of an act of self-naming. So, for example, the Lord
revealed himself to Abraham by saying, `I am God Almighty' (Gen. 17:1). He introduced the Ten
Commandments by first introducing himself. `I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house of slavery' (Exod. 20:2). At times, God practically punctuates his instructions to
Israel with the reminder, `I am the LORD' (for example, thirteen times in Lev. 19:10-37 alone). In addition to
these straightforward uses of the words I am in the Old Testament, God sometimes says simply, `I am he' (in
Hebrew, 'ani hu, literally, `I [am] he'). The Septuagint usually translates this statement as `I am' (ego
eimi). See now that I, even I, am he [Gk., `that I am,' hoti ego eimi]; there is no god besides me. (Deut.
32:39) I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last. I am He. (Gk., ego eimi; Isa. 41:4 NASB) ... even to your
old age I am he. (Gk., ego eimi; Isa. 46:4) We may see some connections between these statements and
God's declaration in Exodus 3:14, `I AM WHO I AM:' The Hebrew wording of this statement, 'ehyeh 'asher
'ehyeh, can be translated `I am who I am' or `I will be what I will be,' both of which mean much the same
thing: God is the self-determining one who is always there, or who will always be there, the one on whom all
creatures may and should rely. The Septuagint translates, `I am the being,' that is, `I am the one who is'
(ego eimi ho on). Despite frequent criticisms of this translation, it expresses the same point reasonably
well: God is the one who simply is, who depends on nothing else, and on whom all else depends.' The `I am
(he)' statements in Deuteronomy and Isaiah make much the same point: from first to last, the Lord is the one
and only God." (Bowman, R.M., Jr. & Komoszewski, J.E., "Putting Jesus In His Place: The Case for the Deity of
Christ," Kregel: Grand Rapids MI, 2007, pp.176-177)
11/12/2008
"According to a broad consensus of New Testament scholars, at least some of the `I am' sayings of Jesus in
the Gospel of John echo these `I am' sayings of God, especially those in Isaiah.' The clearest example is a
pair of such sayings in John 8, which allude strongly to a saying of God in Isaiah 43:10. Another very likely
allusion is Jesus' statement to the Samaritan woman: `I am he [ego eimi], the one who is speaking to you'
(John 4:26). On a prosaic level, one can read Jesus' statement as simply an affirmation that he is the Messiah
about whom the woman had asked. It turns out, however, that Jesus' response is almost a perfect quote from
Isaiah 52:6, in which God tells his people that at some point in the future they will finally realize that he is the
one speaking to them. Other `I am' sayings of Jesus are more allusive in their relation to sayings of God in
Isaiah, but in light of these clear connections, and since most of them pertain to the same passage in Isaiah
43, we should recognize these allusions as genuine as well ... The reactions of those to whom Jesus spoke
when he said these things change as one moves through the Gospel. In John 8 alone their reactions run the
gamut from confusion to outrage (vv. 25, 27, 59). When Jesus said, `Before Abraham was born, I am' (John
8:58 NASB), his opponents attempted to stone him to death, presumably for blasphemy (v. 59). When
soldiers and officials came to arrest him and said they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth, he replied, `I am
he,' and they promptly fell to the ground (18:5-6). John clearly expects his readers to understand that Jesus'
words `I am' on these occasions were not mere self-identification, like `Yeah, it's me.' They were astonishing,
even numinous claims to deity that were either blasphemous or true. Jesus' resurrection from the dead
proves, of course, his divine self-naming to be true (John 20:27-28)." (Bowman, R.M., Jr. & Komoszewski,
J.E., "Putting Jesus In His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ," Kregel: Grand Rapids MI, 2007, p.177)
11/12/2008
"Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, First and Last When we say that Jesus is it `from A to Z,' we
have in mind especially some of the titles of Jesus found in the last book of the Bible, the book of
Revelation. Revelation uses three titles that mean the same thing: `the Alpha and the Omega' (to alpha kai
to o), referring to the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; `the first and the last'; and `the beginning
and the end:' None of these titles occurs elsewhere in the New Testament. The title the first and the last
clearly originates at least in part from Isaiah, in which the Lord insists that he is the only God: `I, the LORD,
the first, and with the last; I am he.... I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.... I am he; I
am the first, and I am the last' (Isa. 41:4; 44:6; 48:12 ESV). In the context of Isaiah's prophecies, the Lord is
asserting in these statements that he is the one in control of Israel's future and that God's people have a sure
hope of restoration." (Bowman, R.M., Jr. & Komoszewski, J.E., "Putting Jesus In His Place: The Case for the
Deity of Christ," Kregel: Grand Rapids MI, 2007, pp.177-179. Emphasis original)
11/12/2008
"Beyond controversy, Revelation applies the title the first and the last to Jesus, who explicitly claims it for
himself. `Don't be afraid! I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. I was dead, but look-I am alive
forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades' (1:17b-18 HCSB). `The First and the Last, the One
who was dead and came to life, says [this]' (2:8 HCSB). In the context of John's visions, Jesus is asserting in
these statements that by his death and resurrection he has conquered death, and is assuring his people of
their future resurrection and vindication in the age to come. Thus, the title the first and the last has a
religious significance in Revelation that is parallel to that in Isaiah." (Bowman, R.M., Jr. & Komoszewski,
J.E., "Putting Jesus In His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ," Kregel: Grand Rapids MI, 2007, p.179)
11/12/2008
"Some interpreters deny that Revelation also applies the titles the beginning and the end and the Alpha
and the Omega to Jesus, noting that these titles apply explicitly in the book to the Lord God Almighty (Rev.
1:8; 21:6). Near the end of the book, however, both titles appear alongside the title the first and the last,
which we already know belongs to Jesus. `Look! I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me to repay
each person according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the
Beginning and the End. (Rev. 22:12-13 HCSB)' The speaker's statement, `I am coming quickly,' is the second
of three such declarations in the closing lines of the book (Rev. 22:7, 20). The third very clearly is Jesus
speaking: `He who testifies about these things says, `Yes, I am coming quickly.' Amen! Come Lord Jesus!'
(22:20 HCSB). Jesus also had said earlier in the book that he is coming to bring judgment on the unfaithful
and reward for the faithful (2:16; 3:11). Elsewhere Jesus also warns that he is the one who will repay people
according to what they have done (2:23; cf 20:13). Thus, the speaker in Revelation 22:12-13 declares that he
is coming quickly, that he will repay people according to what they have done, and that he is the first and
the last-all of which the book explicitly says about Jesus. In view of these contextual elements, and the fact
that `the Alpha and the Omega' and `the beginning and the end' are obviously synonymous with `the first
and the last,' we conclude that the book does assign these titles to Jesus." (Bowman, R.M., Jr. &
Komoszewski, J.E., "Putting Jesus In His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ," Kregel: Grand Rapids MI,
2007, pp.179-180)
11/12/2008
"If we read the first occurrence of the title the Alpha and the Omega in this light, we find further
confirmation of its application to Jesus: `Look! He is coming [erchetai] with the clouds, and every eye will
see Him, including those who pierced Him. And all the families of the earth will mourn over Him. This is
certain. Amen. `I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, `the One who is, who was, and who is
coming [ho erchomenos], the Almighty.' (Rev. 1:7-8 HCSB) Verse 7, as everyone agrees, refers to Jesus as
`coming.' Then God states in the next verse that he is the one who is `coming:' In light of the later references
to Jesus using the title the Alpha and the Omega and synonymous titles, it would seem clear enough that
verse 8 is identifying Jesus as God Almighty." (Bowman, R.M., Jr. & Komoszewski, J.E., "Putting Jesus In
His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ," Kregel: Grand Rapids MI, 2007, p.180)
11/12/2008
"There is something else about the title `the first and the last' that we should notice. When John introduces
this description of Jesus, it is actually a three-part title: `I am the First and the Last and the Living One'
(1:17b-18a, our translation). In form and meaning, this three-part title is synonymous with another title of
deity in the book of Revelation: `the one who is and the one who was and the one who is to come' (Rev. 1:4,
8, authors' translation).' Both titles express the lordship of the one to whom they apply from three temporal
perspectives: past ('the First'; `the one who was'), present ('the Living One'; `the one who is'), and future
('the Last'; `the one who is coming'). In Jesus, though, God's everlasting existence is seen not as static,
unperturbed, or remote, but as fully engaged in our own life-and-death struggle: the everlasting one, the first
and the last, is the living one on our behalf through his death and triumphant resurrection (1:18). The
ungrammatical wording of the three-part title in Revelation 1:4, 8 (literally, `the being and the was and the
coming'!) reveals such dynamic involvement in time and history to be true to the very nature of God."
(Bowman, R.M., Jr. & Komoszewski, J.E., "Putting Jesus In His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ,"
Kregel: Grand Rapids MI, 2007, p.180)
11/12/2008
"We also should note that the title the one who is and the one who was and the one who is coming is
likely a covert form or interpretation of the Old Testament divine name YHWH, or Jehovah. The first part of
this title, `the One who is,' is identical to the Greek translation of God's explanation of his name in Exodus
3:14 ... Also suggesting that God's self-description in Revelation 1:8 is a self-description of Jesus Christ is
the third element, `the one who is coming:' This Greek expression, ho erchomenos, is a messianic title
found in all four Gospels (Matt. 11:3; 21:9; 23:39; Mark 11:9; Luke 7:19,20; 13:35; 19:38; John 6:14; 12:13; see
also Heb. 10:37). [The title evidently derives from Psalm 118:26, which all four Gospels quote.] The evident
application to Jesus of this three-part title of God in Revelation 1:8, and the parallel three-part divine title of
Jesus in Revelation 1:17-18, recalls another threefold description of Jesus: `Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday and today and forever' (Heb. 13:8). This description of Jesus would seem to be yet another
affirmation of his unchanging, divine presence throughout time, and in which we hear another echo of God's
self-description in Exodus." (Bowman, R.M., Jr. & Komoszewski, J.E., "Putting Jesus In His Place: The Case
for the Deity of Christ," Kregel: Grand Rapids MI, 2007, pp.180-181, 343n)
11/12/2008
"The Christology of the Revelation, when compared with that of other writings of the New Testament, is
`advanced'. Constantly the attributes of God are ascribed to Christ, as in the opening vision of the first
chapter, which is significantly a vision of Christ and not of God. The lineaments of the risen Lord are those
of the Ancient of Days and of his angel in the book of Daniel (chs. 7 and 10). Christ is confessed as Alpha
and Omega (22:13), as God is also (1:8). The implications of the claim are drawn out in the book as a whole,
wherein Christ is presented as the mediator of creation (3:14.), as he is of redemption (ch. 5) and of the final
kingdom (19:11ff.). Strangely enough it is in the context of the parousia that the Christ is called `the Word of
God' (19:13). If the term calls attention to the function of the Christ to be the bearer of the revelation of God
in his person and action, there is nevertheless a fitness in its application to him who in his parousia fulfils
the purpose of the creation initiated through him. More central is the concept of the Christ as the Lamb of
God, which reflects a highly original insight into the relation of Jewish and Christian interpretations of the
Messiah. Here the prophet has taken a typical apocalyptic representation of the Messiah as the young
Warrior-Lamb, raised from the midst of God's flock to be its leader and champion, and transformed it by
conjoining with it the Christian conception of the crucified Christ, who has wrought the world's redemption
by the sacrifice of himself-God's paschal lamb, through whom the greater exodus is wrought (ch. 5) . The
kingdom which is to come is `the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ' (11:15). In the closing vision of the
city of God, therefore, God and the Lamb are united as Lord of the kingdom and source of its blessedness. It
is especially noteworthy that John depicts the throne of God and the Lamb as the source of the river of
water of life in the city, thereby conveying the notion of a single throne, a single rule, and a single source of
life. He adds, `his servants shall worship him; they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their
foreheads' (22:3f.). In the context it is difficult to interpret the pronoun `his' as meaning anything other than
`God and the Lamb' as a unity (see the exposition). The Lamb remains the mediator of judgment and
redemption, yet he is inseparable from the God who enacts his works of judgment and redemption through
him." (Beasley-Murray, G.R., "The Book of Revelation," [1974], New Century Bible Commentary, Eerdmans:
Grand Rapids MI, Revised edition, 1978, Reprinted, 1983, pp.24-25)
14/12/2008
"No basis for winter date of birth. The popular date of December 25 as the day of Jesus' birth therefore
has no basis in Scripture. As many reference works show, it stems from a pagan holiday. Regarding the
origin for the celebration of the day December 25, the Jesuit scholar Urbanus Holzmeister wrote: `Today it is
commonly admitted that the occasion for the celebration of the day December 25 was the festival that the
pagans were celebrating on this day. Petavius [French Jesuit scholar, 1583-1652] already has rightly
observed that on December 25 was celebrated `the birthday of the unconquered sun.' `Witnesses for this
festival are: (a) The Calendar of Furius Dionysius Filocalus, composed in the year 354 [C.E.], in which it is
noted: `December 25, the B(irthday) of the unconquered (Sun).' (b) The calendar of astrologer Antiochus
(composed about 200 [C.E.]): `Month of December ... 25 ... The birthday of the Sun; daylight increases.' (c)
Caesar Julian [Julian the Apostate, emperor 361-363 C.E.] recommended the games that were celebrated at
the end of the year in honor of the sun, which was called `the unconquered sun.'-Chronologia vitae Christi
(Chronology of the Life of Christ), Pontificium Institutum Biblicum, Rome, 1933, p. 46. Perhaps the most
obvious evidence of the incorrectness of the December 25 date is the Scriptural fact that shepherds were in
the fields tending their flocks on the night of Jesus' birth. (Lu 2:8, 12) Already by the autumn month of Bul
(October-November) the rainy season was starting (De 11:14), and flocks were brought into protected
shelters at night. The next month, Chislev (the ninth month of the Jewish calendar, November-December),
was a month of cold and rain (Jer 36:22; Ezr 10:9, 13), and Tebeth (December-January) saw the lowest
temperatures of the year, with occasional snows in the highlands area. The presence of shepherds in the
fields at night therefore harmonizes with the evidence pointing to the early autumn month of Ethanim as the
time of Jesus' birth.-See BUL; CHISLEV. Also weighing against a December date is that it would be most
unlikely for the Roman emperor to choose such a wintry, rainy month as the time for his Jewish subjects
(often rebellious) to travel `each one to his own city' to be registered.-Lu 2:1-3; compare Mt 24:20; see
TEBETH." ("Jesus Christ," in "Insight on the Scriptures: Volume 2: Jehovah - ZuZim," Watchtower Bible &
Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, 1988, p.58. Emphasis original)
14/12/2008
"DECEMBER 25 ... In the Roman city calendar for the year 354, edited by Filocalus and described above ... ,
there is a list of the burial places of the martyrs (depositio martyrum) arranged in the order of the days of
the year on which festivals were held in their honor. [Lietzmann, H., "The Three Oldest Martyrologies," KLT
2, 1904, pp.3-5] The list can of course not be later than the calendar itself which is shown to belong to A.D.
354 by the facts that the lists of consuls and prefects extend to 354, and that the list of bishops extends to
Liberius whose accession was in 352 but of whose banishment in 366 nothing is said. But the original
depositio episcoporum was probably compiled in 336 and revised in 354 for it runs in order through the
church year and through the death of Sylvester in 335, and then Marcus (who died in 336) and his immediate
successors are added-out of order as far as the months of the church year are concerned- at the end of the
list. If the same is true of the depositio martyrum, it may also be dated in A.D. 336." (Finegan, J.,
"Handbook of Biblical Chronology: Principles of Time Reckoning in the Ancient World and Problems of
Chronology in the Bible," Princeton University Press: Princeton NJ, 1964, p.255. Emphasis original)
15/12/2008
"In the depositio martyrum the sequence of festivals in the church year begins with the item: VIII Kal.
Ian. natus Christus in Betleem Iudeae The eighth day before the Kalends of January, on which day it was
remembered that Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea, was the twenty-fifth day of December. Since the list
for the entire year begins with this date and since the following dates are those when festivals were held in
honor of the persons named, it seems evident that in Rome in A.D. 336 the festival of the birth of Christ was
held on Dec 25. Also the last item on the list is a festival on the Ides of December, i.e., on Dec 13. Therefore
the beginning of the liturgical year was between Dec 13 and Dec 25. The depositio episcoporum agrees
by making its last and first items respectively Dec 8 and Dec 27." (Finegan, J., "Handbook of Biblical
Chronology: Principles of Time Reckoning in the Ancient World and Problems of Chronology in the Bible,"
Princeton University Press: Princeton NJ, 1964, pp.255-256)
15/12/2008
"At Antioch in A.D. 386 John Chrysostom (born at Antioch A.D. c.345, preacher at Antioch and later [A.D.
398] bishop of Constantinople, died A.D. 407) delivered two sermons with which we are here concerned. On
Dec 20 he spoke in memory of Philogonius, a former bishop of Antioch. In this sermon he says that a
festival is approaching, namely that of the bodily birth of Christ. This is basic in its significance, he says, to
the other great festivals of the Christian year, for if Jesus had not been born he would not have been
baptized as is celebrated on Epiphany, he would not have been crucified and raised as is celebrated at
Easter, and he would not have sent the Spirit as is commemorated at Pentecost. To this festival which will be
celebrated in five days he therefore looks forward eagerly and urges the congregation to do the same."
(Finegan, J., "Handbook of Biblical Chronology: Principles of Time Reckoning in the Ancient World and
Problems of Chronology in the Bible," Princeton University Press: Princeton NJ, 1964, p.256)
15/12/2008
"On the day itself, namely Dec 25 of the year 386, Chrysostom delivered the second sermon. Theodoret
(A.D. c.393-453), bishop of Cyprus, later made two quotations from this sermon, saying that they were taken
from the "birthday discourse" ... Herein Chrysostom says that it would be wonderful if the sun could come
down from heaven and send forth its light on earth, and it is more wonderful that in the incarnation the sun
of righteousness does in fact send forth its light from human flesh. With "the sun of righteousness" he is
doubtless referring to Mal 4:2. Then he tells how long he had desired not only to experience this day but to
do so in the company of a large congregation. He states that it was not yet ten years that the festival had
been known to them. It was, however, transmitted to them as from long ago and from many years .... From
long ago it was known to those who dwell in the West .... And from long ago it was a festival that was very
well known and famous to those who dwell from Thrace to Gades ..." (Finegan, J., "Handbook of Biblical
Chronology: Principles of Time Reckoning in the Ancient World and Problems of Chronology in the Bible,"
Princeton University Press: Princeton NJ, 1964, p.256)
15/12/2008
"Later in the sermon Chrysostom introduces an exegesis of scripture to support the date of Dec 25. This is
based on Lk 1 and runs as follows. The promise to the priest Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth would bear a
son to be named John came at the time Zechariah had entered the temple to burn incense (Lk 1:9). Evidently
assuming, incorrectly as far as we know, that Zechariah was the high priest and that this was the most
important event possible, Chrysostom explains that this was the time of the Fast and of the Feast of
Tabernacles. The Fast was the Day of Atonement, the one day of the year when the high priest entered the
Holy of Holies, and the date of it was the tenth day of the seventh month (Lev 16:29), i.e., Tishri 10. The
Feast of Tabernacles followed shortly on the fifteenth day of the seventh month and continued for seven
days (Lev 23:34). This feast, says Chrysostom, the Jews celebrate toward the end of the month Gorpiaios. In
A.D. 386 there was a new moon on Sep 10. Since the month Tishri falls normally in Sep/Oct this new moon
presumably marked Tishri 1. Tishri 1 (the Day of Atonement) was therefore approximately Sep 20 in that
year, and Tishri 15-21 (the Feast of Tabernacles) was approximately Sep 25-Oct l. In the later correlation of
the Syro-Macedonian calendar with the Julian (Table 25) the month of Gorpiaios began on Sep 1. The Feast
of Tabernacles was accordingly celebrated toward the end of Gorpiaios exactly as Chrysostom says. This
was the date, then, of the conception of John the Baptist as announced to Zechariah (Lk 1:13). Counting
from this time (Gorpiaios = Sep), it was in the sixth month (Lk 1:26) that annunciation was made to Mary and
the conception of Jesus is to be dated. Here Chrysostom carefully names and counts six intervening months
(Hyperberetaios, Dios, Apellaios, Audynaios, Peritios, and Dystros) and concludes that it was in the next
month, Xanthikos (= Apr) that the conception of Jesus is to be placed. From that point he counts nine
months inclusively to the birth of Jesus, namely the months Xanthikos, Artemisios, Daisios, Panemos, Loos,
Gorpiaios, Hyperberetaios, Dios, and Apellaios. The last, Apellaios (= Dec), was the month in which the
birthday celebration was even then being held at which Chrysostom was preaching." (Finegan, J.,
"Handbook of Biblical Chronology: Principles of Time Reckoning in the Ancient World and Problems of
Chronology in the Bible," Princeton University Press: Princeton NJ, 1964, pp.257-258)
15/12/2008
"As to the reason for the selection of this exact date, the reference by Chrysostom ... to "the sun of
righteousness" (Mal 4:2) may give a clue. As we saw from Epiphanius... Dec 25 was the date accepted at this
time for the winter solstice. From this point began the increase of the light and the day. It was appropriate
that the time that the light of the natural sun began to increase was also the time that the "sun of
righteousness" came into the world. It was also not unimportant that the pagan feast of the sol invictus, the
"invincible sun," was observed on this date, and the Christian festival could replace it. Ultimately the full
equation with the solar year was completed in that the conception and the crucifixion were both placed on
Mar 25 as well as the birth on Dec 25. Thus Augustine writes: `For He is believed to have been conceived
on the twenty-fifth of March, upon which day also he suffered.... But he was born, according to tradition,
upon December the twenty-fifth.' [Augustine, "On the Trinity," IV, 5. NPNF III, p.74]" (Finegan, J.,
"Handbook of Biblical Chronology: Principles of Time Reckoning in the Ancient World and Problems of
Chronology in the Bible," Princeton University Press: Princeton NJ, 1964, p.258)
15/12/2008
"The chief reckonings attested by the oldest sources, then, put the conception of Jesus in the spring, and
his birth in midwinter. In the East the birth was celebrated on Jan 6, a date to which also the star and the
Magi, the baptism, and the sign at Cana were attached. In the West the birthday of Christ was Dec 25. From
Chrysostom we learn that, although this date had been introduced to Antioch only ten years before he
spoke, say about A.D. 375, it had long been known in the West. As the Western usage gradually spread to
most places, Jan 6 was retained as the celebration of the three "manifestations" in the coming of the Magi,
the baptism, and the sign at Cana. Although the exact dates of Jan 6 and Dec 25 may have been fixed
because of the relationships to the festival of Kore and the winter solstice respectively ..., the selection of
specific dates at this time of the year agrees with what we suppose was a relatively old tradition of a
midwinter birth, therefore a date in December or January is not in itself unlikely." (Finegan, J., "Handbook of
Biblical Chronology: Principles of Time Reckoning in the Ancient World and Problems of Chronology in the
Bible," Princeton University Press: Princeton NJ, 1964, pp.258-259)
15/12/2008
"THE DAY OF CHRIST'S BIRTH There have been lengthy discussions on the day of Christ's birth. Those
who have studied the question, have advocates for almost every month of the year. Since it is beyond the
scope of this chapter to do a detailed study of the day of Christ's birth, only the two traditional dates will be
mentioned. The traditional date for the birth of Christ from as early as Hippolytus (ca. A.D. 165-235)
[Hippolytus Comentarii in Danielem iv. 23. 3] has been December 25th. In the Eastern Church January 6th
was the date for not only Christ's birth, but also the arrival of the Magi on Christ's second birthday, His
baptism in His twenty-ninth year, and the sign at Cana in His thirtieth year. However, Chrysostom (A.D. 345-
407) in 386 stated that December 25th is the correct date and hence it became the official date for Christ's
birth in the Eastern Church (January 6th was still considered the day for the manifestations of the coming of
the Magi, the baptism, and the sign at Cana).Although the exact date may not be pinpointed it seems that
there is "a relatively old tradition of a midwinter birth, therefore a date in December or January is not in itself
unlikely." [Finegan, J., "Handbook of Biblical Chronology," Princeton University Press: Princeton NJ, 1964,
p.259]"(Hoehner, H.W., "Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ," Zondervan: Grand Rapids MI, 1975,
Fifth printing, 1981, pp.26-27. Emphasis original)
15/12/2008
"The one objection raised for the winter date is the fact of the shepherds attending their flock in the night
(Luke 2:8). Usually, it is noted, the sheep were taken into enclosures from November until March and were
not in the fields at night. However, this is not conclusive evidence against December being the time of
Christ's birth for the following reasons. First, it could have been a mild winter and hence the shepherds
would have been outside with their sheep. Second, it is not at all certain that sheep were brought under
cover during the winter months. Third, it is true that during the winter months the sheep were brought in
from the wilderness. The Lukan narrative states that the shepherds were around Bethlehem (rather than the
wilderness), thus indicating that the nativity was in the winter months. Finally, the Mishnah [Shekalim vii. 4]
implies that the sheep around Bethlehem were outside all year, and those that were worthy for the Passover
offerings were in the fields thirty days before the feast - which would be as early as February - one of the
coldest and rainiest months of the year. Therefore, a December date for the nativity is acceptable.
[Edersheim, A., "The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah," London, 1886, 3rd ed., I, pp.186-87] In
conclusion, the exact date of the birth of Christ is difficult to know with finality. However, a midwinter date is
most likely." (Hoehner, H.W., "Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ," [1975], Zondervan: Grand
Rapids MI, 1981, Fifth Printing, p.26)
15/12/2008
"Jesus Christ as the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last In Revelation 22:12-13, Christ the divine
King says: "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what
he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (also see
Rev. 1:8). These final words in the Book of Revelation were intended to be a comfort and encouragement to
Christians as they await the coming of their King. Christ assures his followers that he is coming soon and
that he will bring rewards with him. To the modern ear, the claim to be the Alpha and the Omega may seem
strange. But, for the ancient Jew, Christ was describing himself in a way they would have readily
understood. Though the letters Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, John
recorded the Book of Revelation for Jewish readers, who were also familiar with the Hebrew language and
alphabet. And therein lies the significance of Christ's claim. In Jewish thinking, a reference to the first and
last letters of an alphabet (aleph and tau in Hebrew) was regarded as including all the intermediate
letters, and came to represent totality or entirety. It is with this idea in mind that the Jews in their ancient
commentaries on the Old Testament said that Adam transgressed the whole law from aleph to tau.
Abraham, by contrast, observed the whole law from aleph to tau. The Jews also believed that when
God brings blessing upon Israel, he does so abundantly, from aleph to tau. When used of God (or
Christ), the first and last letters express eternality and omnipotence. Christ's claim to be the Alpha and the
Omega is an affirmation that he is the all-powerful one of eternity past and eternity future. "In describing
Himself as 'the first and the last' Christ is relating Himself to time and eternity. He is the eternal God who has
always existed in the past and who will always exist in the future." For any created being, however exalted,
to claim to be the Alpha and the Omega as these terms are used of Jesus Christ would be utter blasphemy."
(Rhodes, R., "Christ Before the Manger: The Life and Times of the Preincarnate Christ," Baker: Grand Rapids
MI, 1992, pp.171-172. Emphasis original)
15/12/2008
"The qualifying phrase "the First and the Last" is used of God in the Old Testament. Isaiah 44:6, for example,
records God as saying: "I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God." Again, in Isaiah
48:12, God says: "I am he; I am the first and I am the last," and God says this right after his pronouncement
that "I will not yield my glory to another" (v. 11b). Christ's use of this title was undoubtedly intended to be
taken as a claim to equality with God. And it is precisely this that was to bring comfort and encouragement
to Christ's followers. Christ wanted them to be absolutely assured that he is the all-powerful sovereign who
will be victorious." (Rhodes, R., "Christ Before the Manger: The Life and Times of the Preincarnate Christ,"
Baker: Grand Rapids MI, 1992, pp.172-173)
15/12/2008
"That the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem,' was a settled conviction. Equally so was the belief, that He
was to be revealed from Migdal Eder, 'the tower of the flock.' [Targum Pseudo. Jon. on Gen. xxxv 21] This
Migdal Eder was not the watchtower for the ordinary flocks which pastured on the barren sheep.
ground beyond Bethlehem, but lay close to the town, on the road to Jerusalem. A passage in the Mishnah
[Shek. vii. 4] leads to the conclusion, that the flocks, which pastured there, were destined for Temple-
sacrifices, and, accordingly, that the shepherds, who watched over them, were not ordinary shepherds. The
latter were under the ban of Rabbinism, on account of their necessary isolation from religious ordinances,
and their manner of life, which rendered strict legal observance unlikely, if not absolutely impossible. The
same Mishnic passage also leads us to infer, that these flocks lay out all the year round, since they are
spoken of as in the fields thirty days before the Passover--that is, in the month of February, when in
Palestine the average rainfall is nearly greatest. Thus, Jewish tradition in some dim manner apprehended the
first revelation of the Messiah from that Migdal Eder, where shepherds watched the Temple-flocks all the
year round. Of the deep symbolic significance of such a coincidence, it is needless to speak." (Edersheim,
A., "The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah," [1883], Hendrickson Publishers: Peabody MA, Third
Edition, 1886, Reprinted, 1988, pp.i.186-187. Emphasis original)
15/12/2008
"It was, then, on that 'wintry night' of the 25th of December, that shepherds watched the flocks destined for
sacrificial services, in the very place consecrated by tradition as that where the Messiah was to be first
revealed. Of a sudden came the long-delayed, unthought of announcement. Heaven and earth seemed to
mingle, as suddenly an Angel stood before their dazzled eyes, while the outstreaming glory of the Lord
seemed to enwrap them, as in a mantle of light. ... There is no adequate reason for questioning the historical
accuracy of this date. The objections generally made rest on grounds, which seem to me historically
untenable." (Edersheim, A., "The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah," [1883], Hendrickson Publishers:
Peabody MA, Third Edition, 1886, Reprinted, 1988, p.i.187)
15/12/2008
"But a curious piece of evidence comes to us from a Jewish source. In the addition to the Megillath Taanith
(ed. Warsh. p. 20 a), the 9th Tebheth is marked as a fast day, and it is added, that the reason for this is not
stated. Now, Jewish chronologists have fixed on that day as that of Christ's birth, and it is remarkable that,
between the years 500 and 816 A.D. the 25th of December fell no less than twelve times on the 9th Tebheth.
If the 9th Tebheth, or 25th December, was regarded as the birthday of Christ, we can understand the
concealment about it." (Edersheim, A., "The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah," [1883], Hendrickson
Publishers: Peabody MA, Third edition, 1886, Reprinted, 1988, p.i.187)
15/12/2008
"The angels and the shepherds ([Lk ]2:8-20) 8. It is not unlikely that the shepherds were pasturing
flocks destined for the temple sacrifices. Flocks were supposed to be kept only in the wilderness (Mishnah,
Baba Kamma 7:7; Talmud, Baba Kamma 79b-80a), and a rabbinic rule provides that any animal found
between Jerusalem and a spot near Bethlehem must be presumed to be a sacrificial victim (Mishnah,
Shekalim 7:4.). The same rule speaks of finding Passover offerings within thirty days of that feast, i.e. in
February. Since flocks might be thus in the fields in winter the traditional date for the birth of Jesus,
December 25, is not ruled out. Luke, of course, says nothing about the actual date and it remains quite
unknown. " (Morris, L.L., "The Gospel According to Luke: An Introduction and Commentary," Tyndale New
Testament Commentaries, Inter-Varsity Press Leicester UK, 1974, Reprinted, 1986, p.84. Emphasis original)
15/12/2008
"On the other hand, late December should not be ruled out in the belief that at that time of the year there
could not have been `shepherds in that same region, out in the field, keeping watch at night over their flock'
(Luke 2:8). In a letter dated January 16, 1967 the New Testament scholar Dr. Harry Mulder of The
Netherlands writes (my translation from the Dutch): `During the brief Christmas vacation my wife and I
traveled from Beirut [where he was teaching at the time] to Jerusalem. In this connection I can also answer
your question regarding the presence of sheep. around Bethlehem in the month of December. On Christmas
eve in Shepherd Field a crowd had gathered to sing Christmas carols. We joined this crowd and took part in
the singing. Right near us a few flocks of sheep were nestled. Even the lambs were not lacking. It was a
moving sight. It is therefore definitely not impossible that the Lord Jesus was born in December. But it is
perhaps interesting to mention in this connection that the swarthy Coptic monks whose humble dwellings
are located in the heart of the older city celebrate Christmas every month on the roof of the Church of the
Holy Sepulchre, because we do not know in which month the Lord was born. The weather in Jerusalem was
beautiful, thus also in Bethlehem. We spent a few hours in the fields of Ephrata and were not bothered by
the cold or by anything of that kind.' " (Hendriksen, W., "The Gospel of Matthew: New Testament
Commentary," Banner of Truth: Edinburgh UK, 1974, Reprinted, 1982, p.182)
15/12/2008
"THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTMAS It was not until several hundred years after Jesus lived on the earth that
people began to commemorate his birth on December 25. But that was not the date of Jesus' birth, for it
evidently took place in October. So why was December 25 chosen? Some who later claimed to be Christian
likely `wished the date to coincide with the pagan Roman festival marking the `birthday of the unconquered
sun.' (The New Encyclopaedia Britannica) In winter, when the sun seemed weakest, pagans held
ceremonies to get this source of warmth and light to come back from its distant travels. December 25 was
thought to be the day that the sun began its return. In an effort to convert pagans, religious leaders adopted
this festival and tried to make it seem `Christian.' ... The Saturnalia also played a part in the choice of
December 25. This festival honoring the Roman god of agriculture took place on December 17-24. Feasting,
merrymaking, and gift-giving took place during the Saturnalia. The pagan roots of Christmas have long been
recognized. ... Because of the connections that Christmas has with false religion, however, those who want
to please God do not celebrate it or any other holiday that has its roots in pagan worship." (Watchtower
Bible & Tract Society, "What Does the Bible Really Teach?," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New
York: Brooklyn NY, 2005, pp.157-158. Emphasis original)
15/12/2008
"Was Jesus Born in December? THE Bible does not tell us when Jesus was born. However, it does give
us sound reason to conclude that his birth did not take place in December. Consider the weather conditions
at that time of the year in Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. The Jewish month of Chislev (corresponding to
November/December) was a month with cold and rainy weather. The month after that was Tebeth
(December/January). It saw the lowest temperatures of the year, with occasional snows in the highlands. Let
us see what the Bible tells us about the climate of that region. The Bible writer Ezra shows that Chislev was
indeed a month known for cold and rainy weather. After stating that a crowd had gathered in Jerusalem `in
the ninth month [Chislev] on the twentieth day of the month,' Ezra reports that people were `shivering ... on
account of the showers of rain.' Concerning weather conditions at that time of the year, the congregated
people themselves said: `It is the season of showers of rain, and it is not possible to stand outside.' (Ezra
10:9, 13; Jeremiah 36:22) No wonder shepherds living in that part of the world made sure that they and their
flocks were no longer out of doors at night when December came around! The Bible reports, however, that
shepherds were in the fields tending their flocks on the night of Jesus' birth. In fact, the Bible writer Luke
shows that at that time, shepherds were `living out of doors and keeping watches in the night over their
flocks' near Bethlehem. (Luke 2:8-12) Notice that the shepherds were actually living out of doors, not just
strolling outside during the day. They had their flocks in the fields at night. Does that description of
outdoor living fit the chilly and rainy weather conditions of Bethlehem in December? No, it does not. So the
circumstances surrounding Jesus' birth indicate that he was not born in December." (Watchtower Bible &
Tract Society, "What Does the Bible Really Teach?," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York:
Brooklyn NY, 2005, pp.221-222. Emphasis original)
16/12/2008
"The birthday anniversaries of heathen kings ... are considered by the rabbis of the Talmud as legal heathen
holidays, which count among those holidays on the three days preceding which Jews are by Talmudic law
required to abstain from concluding any business with a heathen (Mishnah 'Ab. Zarah i. 3). About the
meaning of of the Mishnah, which seems to correspond with ... (LXX., Gen. xl. 20), some doubts have been
raised because, by the side of ('birthday of the king') mention is also made of ('the day of birth and the day
of death'). In the Babylonian Talmud ('Ab. Zarah 10a) the decision is reached in favor of as meaning `the
day of coronation.' It is accepted by Maimonides (see Commentary to the Mishnah, and Yad ha-Hazakah,
'Akkum we-Hukotehem, ix. 5). The glossary `Kesef Mishneh,' ad loc., thinks that Maimonides may have
read ('assembly') for . Rashi explains as equivalent to `the birthday of the king'; while the Talmud
Yerushalmi ('Ab. Zarah i. 39) explains as `birthday.' This agrees with the use made of the word in many
instances (Gen. R. lxxxviii.; Ex. R. xv.; Yer. R. H. iii. 8; Yalk., Job. 584; Compare Rashi, Gen. xl. 20).
Graetz (in `M. G. Y.' 230) is of the opinion that means the day of death of the king. All these difficulties and
differences may be obviated if be explained as indicating Christian festivals of the early Church. By may be
understood the Nativity, or Christmas, and by Easter, or the Resurrection. Cave (in `Primitive Christianity,'
part 1, vii. 194, cited in McClintock and Strong's `Cyclopedia,' s.v. `Christmas `) traces the observance of
Christmas to the second century, about the time of the emperor Commodus. According to David Ganz
('Zemah David,' i., year 3881), Commodus reigned 183-185, at the time of Rabbi Meďr of the Mishnah, who
counted those days as legal holidays." (Adler, C. & Roubin, S., "Birthday," JewishEncyclopedia.com, 2002.
Emphasis original)
17/12/2008
"When the World Had Its Holidays When Jehovah's Witnesses cast aside religious teachings that had
pagan roots, they also quit sharing in many customs that were similarly tainted. But for a time, certain
holidays were not given the careful scrutiny that they needed. One of these was Christmas. This holiday
was celebrated yearly even by members of the Watch Tower Society's headquarters staff at the Bethel Home
in Brooklyn, New York. For many years they had been aware that December 25 was not the correct date, but
they reasoned that the date had long been popularly associated with the birth of the Savior and that doing
good for others was proper on any day. However, after further investigation of the subject, the members of
the Society's headquarters staff, as well as the staffs at the Society's branch offices in England and in
Switzerland, decided to stop sharing in Christmas festivities, so no Christmas celebration was held there
after 1926. R. H. Barber, a member of the headquarters staff who made a thorough investigation of the origin
of Christmas customs and the fruitage that these were yielding, presented the results in a radio broadcast.
That information was also published in The Golden Age of December 12, 1928. It was a thorough expose
of the God-dishonoring roots of Christmas. Since then, the pagan roots of Christmas customs have become
general public knowledge, but few people make changes in their way of life as a result. On the other hand,
Jehovah's Witnesses were willing to make needed changes in order to be more acceptable as servants of
Jehovah. When shown that celebrating the birth of Jesus had actually become of greater interest to people
than the ransom provided by his death; that the revelry of the holiday and the spirit in which many gifts
were given did not honor God; that the magi whose gift-giving was being imitated were actually demon-
inspired astrologers; that parents set an example for their children in lying by what they told them about
Santa Claus; that `St. Nicholas' (Santa Claus) was admittedly another name for the Devil himself; and that
such festivals were, as acknowledged by Cardinal Newman in his Essay on the Development of Christian
Doctrine, `the very instruments and appendages of demon-worship' the church had adopted -when made
aware of these things, Jehovah's Witnesses promptly and permanently stopped having any part in
Christmas celebrations. Jehovah's Witnesses have good times with their families and friends. But they do
not participate in holidays and celebrations that are linked with pagan gods (as is true of such holidays as
Easter, New Year's Day, May Day, and Mother's Day). (2 Cor. 6:14-17) Like the early Christians, they do not
even celebrate birthdays. They also respectfully refrain from sharing in national holidays that memorialize
political or military events and refrain from giving worshipful honor to national heroes. Why? Because
Jehovah's Witnesses are no part of the world." (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, "Jehovah's Witnesses:
Proclaimers of God's Kingdom," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, 1993, pp.198-199.
Emphasis original)
18/12/2008
"After his failed prophecy of 1925 ('Millions Now Living Will Never Die,' highlighting expectations for that
year), the Judge was never the same. With Rutherford drinking to excess, the headquarters staff felt the
wrath of his cursing tongue. Knorr and Fred Franz showed a brilliance for manipulation, by encouraging
Rutherford to build a mansion (Beth-Sarim) in San Diego, California in 1929 to get him out of Brooklyn,
where they could, during his absence, begin forming alliances of support to take over. Society attorney,
Hayden Covington, who would certainly be in a position to know, told the author that Fred Franz concocted
the cover story to justify the considerable outlay of money, saying the house was for the ancient Bible
prophets due back `any day' in the pre Armageddon resurrection." (Gruss, E.C., ed., "The Four Presidents of
the Watch Tower Society (Jehovah's Witnesses)," Xulon Press: Longwood FL, 2003, p.31)
19/12/2008
"We believe in one sovereign God, existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, perfect in holiness,
infinite in wisdom, unbounded in power and measureless in love; that God is the source of all creation and
that through the immediate exercise of His power all things came into being." ("Statement of Faith," Jews for
Jesus, 2008)
19/12/2008
"A godly life frees us from the often burdensome celebrating of worldly holidays. For instance, the Bible
does not reveal the exact day of Jesus' birth. 'I thought Jesus was born on December 25!' some may exclaim.
This is not possible because he died in the spring of 33 C.E. at 33 1/2 years of age. Moreover, at the time
of his birth, shepherds were `living out of doors and keeping watches in the night over their flocks.' (Luke
2:8) In the land of Israel, late December is a cold, rainy season during which sheep would be kept in shelters
overnight to protect them from the winter weather. Actually, December 25 was set aside by the Romans as
the birthday of their sun god. Centuries after Jesus was on earth, apostate Christians adopted this date for
the celebration of Christ's birth. Consequently, true Christians do not celebrate Christmas or any other
holiday based on false religious beliefs. Because they give Jehovah exclusive devotion, they also do not
observe holidays that idolize sinful humans or nations. The Bible specifically mentions only two birthday
observances, both involving men who did not serve God. (Genesis 40:20-22; Matthew 14:6-11) Since the
Scriptures do not reveal the birth date of the perfect man Jesus Christ, why should we give special attention
to the birthdays of imperfect humans? (Ecclesiastes 7:1) (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, "Knowledge
That Leads to Everlasting Life ," [1984], Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York: Brooklyn NY,
Second edition, 1995, p.126)
19/12/2008
"Many people today believe that Jesus was born on December 25. But December is a rainy, cold season in
Bethlehem. Shepherds would not be out in the fields overnight with their flocks at that time of the year.
Also, the Roman Caesar would not likely have required a people who were already inclined to revolt against
him to make that trip in the dead of winter to register. Evidently Jesus was born sometime in the early
autumn of the year. Luke 2:1-20; Micah 5:2." (Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, "The Greatest Man Who
Ever Lived," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York: Brooklyn NY, 1991, Ch.5)
19/12/2008
"Christmas is a prominent religious holiday today. But history shows that it was not a celebration observed
by the very early Christians. Jesus told his followers to observe a memorial of his death, not of his birth. (1
Corinthians 11:24-26) The fact is, December 25 is not the date of Jesus' birth. It could not have been, since
the Bible shows that at the time of his birth shepherds were still in the fields at night. They would not have
been there in the cold, rainy season of winter. (Luke 2:812) Actually December 25 was chosen as the date to
celebrate Jesus' birth because, as The World Book Encyclopedia explains: `The people of Rome already
observed it as the Feast of Saturn, celebrating the birthday of the sun.'" (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society,
"You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth," [1982], Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York:
Brooklyn NY, Second edition, 1989, pp.212-213)
19/12/2008
"Easter is another prominent religious holiday. The Holy Week in some Latin-American countries is similar.
But Easter was not celebrated by early Christians either. It, too, had its beginnings in non-Christian
celebrations. The Encyclopaedia Britannica says: `There is no indication of the observance of the Easter
festival in the New Testament.' Yet does it really matter that Christmas and Easter are not Christian
celebrations but actually had their beginnings with worshipers of false gods? The apostle Paul warned
against mixing the true and the false, saying that even "a little leaven ferments the whole lump." (Galatians
5:9). (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, "You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth," [1982], Watchtower
Bible & Tract Society of New York: Brooklyn NY, Second edition, 1989, pp.213-214)
19/12/2008
"Day of birth Determining the exact day of Jesus' birth is even more problematic than the year. Some say
that the birth could not have happened in the deep winter, because the Bible says that shepherds spent the
night outdoors with their flocks when Jesus was born (Luke 2:8). November/January Mediterranean
climates such as Judea's have mild winters reaching their coolest in late February. Thus December nights
can be quite balmy and warm enough to graze sheep. Moreover, December/January would have been an
ideal time to graze sheep to take advantage of the winter rains. During the hot months, conditions can be
quite barren and the grasses dry. But the end of December was the time when the perennial grasses began
to turn green again and the annual grasses had sprouted anew. Thus, climatically the ecclesiastical practice
of placing Christ's birth between December 25 and January 6 is possible." ("Chronology of Jesus," Wikipedia,
14 December 2008)
19/12/2008
"Herod the Great Herod ... also known as Herod I or Herod the Great (73 BC - 4 BC in Jericho), was a
Roman client king of Judaea.... New Testament references ... Herod the Great appears in The Gospel
according to Matthew (Ch. 2), which describes an event known as the Massacre of the Innocents.
According to Matthew's gospel, shortly after the birth of Jesus, Magi from the East visited Herod to inquire
the whereabouts of "the one having been born king of the Jews", because they had seen his star in the east
and therefore wanted to pay him homage. Herod, who was himself King of Judea, was alarmed at the
prospect of the newborn king usurping his rule. In the story, Herod was advised by the assembled chief
priests and scribes of the people that the Prophet had written that the "Anointed One" (Greek: ho christos)
was to be born in Bethlehem of Judea. Herod therefore sent the Magi to Bethlehem, instructing them to
search for the child and, after they had found him, to "report to me, so that I too may go and worship him".
However, after they had found Jesus, the Magi were warned in a dream not to report back to Herod.
Similarly, Joseph was warned in a dream that Herod intended to kill Jesus, so he and his family fled to Egypt.
When Herod realized he had been outwitted by the Magi, he gave orders to kill all boys of the age of two
and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity. Joseph and his family stayed in Egypt until Herod's death, then
moved to Nazareth in Galilee in order to avoid living under Herod's son Archelaus. ... The scholarly
consensus, based on Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews is that Herod died at the end of March or early April
in 4 BC. Josephus wrote that Herod died 37 years after being named as King by the Romans, and 34 years
after the death of Antigonus. This would imply that he died in 4 BC. This is confirmed by the fact that his
three sons, between whom his kingdom was divided, dated their rule from 4 BC. For instance, he states that
Herod Philip II's death took place after a 37-year reign in the 20th year of Tiberius, which would imply that he
took over on Herod's death in 4 BC. In addition, Josephus wrote that Herod died after a lunar eclipse, and a
partial eclipse took place in 4 BC. It has been suggested that 5 BC might be a more likely date - there were
two total eclipses in that year. However, the 4 B.C. date is almost universally accepted." ("Herod the Great,"
Wikipedia, 18 December 2008)
19/12/2008
"Memorial of Christ's death Jehovah's Witnesses commemorate Christ's death as a ransom or propitiatory
sacrifice by observing The Lord's Evening Meal, or Memorial. They celebrate it once each year, noting that
it was instituted on the Passover, which is annual. They observe it on Nisan 14 according to the ancient
Jewish lunisolar calendar. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that this is the only celebration commanded for
Christians in the Bible. In support, they often cite Jesus' words found at 1 Corinthians 11:24, 25, NWT,
`'Keep doing this in remembrance of me.' Of those who attend the Memorial, a small minority worldwide will
partake of the unleavened bread and wine. This is because Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the majority of
the faithful have an earthly hope. Only those with a heavenly hope, the 144.000, or the `anointed,' are
commanded to partake of the bread and wine. Thus, for instance, in 2007, the number of persons who
actually partook worldwide was 9,105, whereas, the number who attended was 17,672,443, though Jehovah's
Witnesses believe that some of the 9,105 may be in error about their claim, such as those ignorant of
Jehovah's Witness belief. In the last few years, the number of partakers has been rising." ("Beliefs and
practices of Jehovah's Witnesses," Wikipedia, 16 December 2008)
20/12/2008
"In simultaneous pre-Christmas cover stories, Time and Newsweek magazines sifted with skepticism the
narratives of Jesus' birth in Matthew and Luke, the only accounts we have since no other chroniclers
recorded this obscure peasant's nativity. It's far less important than those historical debates, but there's also
a small disagreement about why the church later chose Dec. 25 for Christmas. Two main theories compete.
One notes that in A.D. 274, the Roman Emperor Aurelian inaugurated Dec. 25 as the pagan `Birth of the
Unconquered Sun' celebration, at the calendar point when daylight began to lengthen. Supposedly,
Christians then borrowed the date and devised Christmas to compete with paganism. Aurelian's empire
seemed near collapse, so his festival proclaimed imperial and pagan rejuvenation. Prior to 274 there's no
record of a major sun cult at the Northern Hemisphere's winter solstice (the year's shortest day, which
actually occurs before Dec. 25). William Tighe, a church history specialist at Pennsylvania's Muhlenberg
College, champions the exact opposite theory. Aurelian almost certainly created `a pagan alternative to a
date that was already of some significance to Roman Christians,' Tighe wrote last December in Touchstone,
a Chicago-based magazine for Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant traditionalists. True, the Christians later
appropriated Aurelian's festival into their Christmas. But Dec. 25 `appears to owe nothing whatsoever to
pagan influences,' Tighe asserted. He said the pagans-first theory originated only three centuries ago in the
writings of Protestant historian Paul Ernst Jablonski and Catholic monk Jean Hardouin. Tighe acknowledged
that the first hard evidence of Christmas occurring on Dec. 25 isn't found until A.D. 336 and the date only
became a fixed festival in Constantinople in 379." (Ostling, R., "Why is Dec. 25 the date to celebrate
Christmas? Two explanations compete," North County Times, December 22, 2004)
20/12/2008
"However, the definitive `Handbook of Biblical Chronology' by professor Jack Finegan (Hendrickson, 1998
revised edition) cites an important reference in the `Chronicle' written by Hippolytus of Rome three decades
before Aurelian launched his festival. Hippolytus said Jesus' birth `took place eight days before the kalends
of January,' that is, Dec. 25. Tighe said there's evidence that as early as the second and third centuries,
Christians sought to fix the birth date to help determine the time of Jesus' death and resurrection for the
liturgical calendar long before Christmas also became a festival." (Ostling, R., "Why is Dec. 25 the date to
celebrate Christmas? Two explanations compete," North County Times, December 22, 2004)
20/12/2008
"The New Testament Gospels say the Crucifixion happened at the Jewish Passover season. The `integral
age' concept, taught by ancient Judaism though not in the Bible, held that Israel's great prophets died the
same day as their birth or conception. Quite early on, Tighe said, Christians applied this idea to Jesus and
set the Passover period's March 25 for the Feast of the Annunciation, marking the angel Gabriel's
announcement to Mary that she would give birth. Add nine months to the conception date and we get Dec.
25." (Ostling, R., "Why is Dec. 25 the date to celebrate Christmas? Two explanations compete," North
County Times, December 22, 2004)
20/12/2008
"Last year, Inside the Vatican magazine also supported Dec. 25, citing a report from St. John Chrysostom
(patriarch of Constantinople who died in A.D. 407) that Christians had marked Dec. 25 from the early days of
the church. Chrysostom had a further argument that modern scholars ignore: Luke 1 says Zechariah was
performing priestly duty in the Temple when an angel told his wife Elizabeth she would bear John the
Baptist. During the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, Mary learned about her conception of Jesus and
visited Elizabeth `with haste.' The 24 classes of Jewish priests served one week in the Temple, and Zechariah
was in the eighth class. Rabbinical tradition fixed the class on duty when the Temple was destroyed in A.D.
70 and, calculating backward from that, Zechariah's class would have been serving Oct. 2-9 in 5 B.C. So
Mary's conception visit six months later might have occurred the following March and Jesus' birth nine
months afterward. `Though it is not a matter of faith, there is no good reason not to accept the tradition' of
March 25 conception and Dec. 25 birth, the magazine contended." (Ostling, R., "Why is Dec. 25 the date to
celebrate Christmas? Two explanations compete," North County Times, December 22, 2004)
20/12/2008
"Aurelian ... The Roman gens Aurelia was associated with the cult of Sol. After his victories in the East,
the emperor Aurelian introduced an official cult of Sol Invictus, making the sun-god the premier divinity of
the empire, and wearing his radiated crown himself. He founded a college of pontifices, and dedicated a
temple to Sol Invictus in 274. It is possible that he created the festival called dies natalis Solis Invicti,
`birthday of the undefeated Sun', which is recorded in 354 ... as celebrated on the 25th December; but no
earlier reference to it exists. The cult of Sol Invictus was the leading official cult of the fourth century." ("Sol
Invictus," Wikipedia, 19 December 2008)
20/12/2008
"Sol Invictus and Christianity ... Whether the 'Sol Invictus' festival has a `claim on the responsibility' for
the date of Christmas (Catholic Encyclopedia (1908)) has been called into question by Joseph Ratzinger,
now Pope Benedict XVI, who challenged this theory by arguing that a December 25th date was determined
simply by calculating nine months beyond March 25th, regarded as the day of Jesus’ conception (the Feast
of the Annunciation).[Ratzinger, J., `The Spirit of the Liturgy,' Saward, J., trans., Ignatius Press: San
Francisco CA, 2000), p.108] The March 25th date coincides with concepts of `new life' and `rebirth' and have
been associated by Christianity with Jesus. Other recent Christian commentators [Tighe, W.J., `Calculating
Christmas,' Touchstone, 2003; Schmidt, A.J., `Under the Influence,' HarperCollins, 2001, pp.377-379] also
agree that the identification of Christ's birthday pre-dates the Sol Invictus festival, noting the earliest record
of the celebration of Christ's birthday on December 25 dates to 243 A.D." ("Sol Invictus," Wikipedia, 19
December 2008)
20/12/2008
"Many Christians think that Christians celebrate Christ's birth on December 25th because the church fathers
appropriated the date of a pagan festival. Almost no one minds, except for a few groups on the fringes of
American Evangelicalism, who seem to think that this makes Christmas itself a pagan festival. But it is
perhaps interesting to know that the choice of December 25th is the result of attempts among the earliest
Christians to figure out the date of Jesus' birth based on calendrical calculations that had nothing to do with
pagan festivals. Rather, the pagan festival of the `Birth of the Unconquered Son' instituted by the Roman
Emperor Aurelian on 25 December 274, was almost certainly an attempt to create a pagan alternative to a
date that was already of some significance to Roman Christians. Thus the `pagan origins of Christmas' is a
myth without historical substance." (Tighe, W.J., "Calculating Christmas," Touchstone, December, 2003)
20/12/2008
"A Mistake The idea that the date was taken from the pagans goes back to two scholars from the late
seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Paul Ernst Jablonski, a German Protestant, wished to show that
the celebration of Christ's birth on December 25th was one of the many `paganizations' of Christianity that
the Church of the fourth century embraced, as one of many `degenerations' that transformed pure apostolic
Christianity into Catholicism. Dom Jean Hardouin, a Benedictine monk, tried to show that the Catholic
Church adopted pagan festivals for Christian purposes without paganizing the gospel." (Tighe, W.J.,
"Calculating Christmas," Touchstone, December, 2003. Emphasis original)
20/12/2008
"In the Julian calendar, created in 45 B.C. under Julius Caesar, the winter solstice fell on December 25th, and
it therefore seemed obvious to Jablonski and Hardouin that the day must have had a pagan significance
before it had a Christian one. But in fact, the date had no religious significance in the Roman pagan festal
calendar before Aurelian's time, nor did the cult of the sun play a prominent role in Rome before him.. There
were two temples of the sun in Rome, one of which (maintained by the clan into which Aurelian was born or
adopted) celebrated its dedication festival on August 9th, the other of which celebrated its dedication
festival on August 28th. But both of these cults fell into neglect in the second century, when eastern cults
of the sun, such as Mithraism, began to win a following in Rome. And in any case, none of these cults, old
or new, had festivals associated with solstices or equinoxes." (Tighe, W.J., "Calculating Christmas,"
Touchstone, December, 2003)
20/12/2008
"As things actually happened, Aurelian, who ruled from 270 until his assassination in 275, was hostile to
Christianity and appears to have promoted the establishment of the festival of the `Birth of the
Unconquered Sun' as a device to unify the various pagan cults of the Roman Empire around a
commemoration of the annual `rebirth' of the sun. He led an empire that appeared to be collapsing in the face
of internal unrest, rebellions in the provinces, economic decay, and repeated attacks from German tribes to
the north and the Persian Empire to the east. In creating the new feast, he intended the beginning of the
lengthening of the daylight, and the arresting of the lengthening of darkness, on December 25th to be a
symbol of the hoped-for `rebirth,' or perpetual rejuvenation, of the Roman Empire, resulting from the
maintenance of the worship of the gods whose tutelage (the Romans thought) had brought Rome to
greatness and world-rule. If it co-opted the Christian celebration, so much the better." (Tighe, W.J.,
"Calculating Christmas," Touchstone, December, 2003)
20/12/2008
"A By-Product It is true that the first evidence of Christians celebrating December 25th as the date of the
Lord's nativity comes from Rome some years after Aurelian, in A.D. 336, but there is evidence from both the
Greek East and the Latin West that Christians attempted to figure out the date of Christ's birth long before
they began to celebrate it liturgically, even in the second and third centuries. The evidence indicates, in fact,
that the attribution of the date of December 25th was a by-product of attempts to determine when to
celebrate his death and resurrection." (Tighe, W.J., "Calculating Christmas," Touchstone, December,
2003. Emphasis original)
20/12/2008
"How did this happen? There is a seeming contradiction between the date of the Lord's death as given in
the synoptic Gospels and in John's Gospel. The synoptics would appear to place it on Passover Day (after
the Lord had celebrated the Passover Meal on the preceding evening), and John on the Eve of Passover,
just when the Passover lambs were being slaughtered in the Jerusalem Temple for the feast that was to
ensue after sunset on that day. Solving this problem involves answering the question of whether the Lord's
Last Supper was a Passover Meal, or a meal celebrated a day earlier, which we cannot enter into here. Suffice
it to say that the early Church followed John rather than the synoptics, and thus believed that Christ's death
would have taken place on 14 Nisan, according to the Jewish lunar calendar. (Modern scholars agree, by the
way, that the death of Christ could have taken place only in A.D. 30 or 33, as those two are the only years of
that time when the eve of Passover could have fallen on a Friday, the possibilities being either 7 April 30 or 3
April 33.)" (Tighe, W.J., "Calculating Christmas," Touchstone, December, 2003)
20/12/2008
"However, as the early Church was forcibly separated from Judaism, it entered into a world with different
calendars, and had to devise its own time to celebrate the Lord's Passion, not least so as to be independent
of the rabbinic calculations of the date of Passover. Also, since the Jewish calendar was a lunar calendar
consisting of twelve months of thirty days each, every few years a thirteenth month had to be added by a
decree of the Sanhedrin to keep the calendar in synchronization with the equinoxes and solstices, as well as
to prevent the seasons from `straying' into inappropriate months. Apart from the difficulty Christians would
have had in following-or perhaps even being accurately informed about-the dating of Passover in any given
year, to follow a lunar calendar of their own devising would have set them at odds with both Jews and
pagans, and very likely embroiled them in endless disputes among themselves. (The second century saw
severe disputes about whether Pascha had always to fall on a Sunday or on whatever weekday followed two
days after 14 Artemision/Nisan, but to have followed a lunar calendar would have made such problems
much worse.) These difficulties played out in different ways among the Greek Christians in the eastern part
of the empire and the Latin Christians in the western part of it. Greek Christians seem to have wanted to find
a date equivalent to 14 Nisan in their own solar calendar, and since Nisan was the month in which the spring
equinox occurred, they chose the 14th day of Artemision, the month in which the spring equinox invariably
fell in their own calendar. Around A.D. 300, the Greek calendar was superseded by the Roman calendar, and
since the dates of the beginnings and endings of the months in these two systems did not coincide, 14
Artemision became April 6th." (Tighe, W.J., "Calculating Christmas," Touchstone, December, 2003)
20/12/2008
"In contrast, second-century Latin Christians in Rome and North Africa appear to have desired to establish
the historical date on which the Lord Jesus died. By the time of Tertullian they had concluded that he died
on Friday, 25 March 29. (As an aside, I will note that this is impossible: 25 March 29 was not a Friday, and
Passover Eve in A.D. 29 did not fall on a Friday and was not on March 25th, or in March at all.)" (Tighe,
W.J., "Calculating Christmas," Touchstone, December, 2003)
20/12/2008
"Integral Age So in the East we have April 6th, in the West, March 25th. At this point, we have to
introduce a belief that seems to have been widespread in Judaism at the time of Christ, but which, as it is
nowhere taught in the Bible, has completely fallen from the awareness of Christians. The idea is that of the
`integral age' of the great Jewish prophets: the idea that the prophets of Israel died on the same dates as
their birth or conception. This notion is a key factor in understanding how some early Christians came to
believe that December 25th is the date of Christ's birth. The early Christians applied this idea to Jesus, so
that March 25th and April 6th were not only the supposed dates of Christ's death, but of his conception or
birth as well. There is some fleeting evidence that at least some first- and second-century Christians thought
of March 25th or April 6th as the date of Christ's birth, but rather quickly the assignment of March 25th as
the date of Christ's conception prevailed. It is to this day, commemorated almost universally among
Christians as the Feast of the Annunciation, when the Archangel Gabriel brought the good tidings of a
savior to the Virgin Mary, upon whose acquiescence the Eternal Word of God ('Light of Light, True God of
True God, begotten of the Father before all ages') forthwith became incarnate in her womb. What is the
length of pregnancy? Nine months. Add nine months to March 25th and you get December 25th; add it to
April 6th and you get January 6th. December 25th is Christmas, and January 6th is Epiphany." (Tighe, W.J.,
"Calculating Christmas," Touchstone, December, 2003. Emphasis original)
20/12/2008
"Christmas (December 25th) is a feast of Western Christian origin. In Constantinople it appears to have been
introduced in 379 or 380. From a sermon of St. John Chrysostom, at the time a renowned ascetic and
preacher in his native Antioch, it appears that the feast was first celebrated there on 25 December 386. From
these centers it spread throughout the Christian East, being adopted in Alexandria around 432 and in
Jerusalem a century or more later. The Armenians, alone among ancient Christian churches, have never
adopted it, and to this day celebrate Christ's birth, manifestation to the magi, and baptism on January 6th.
Western churches, in turn, gradually adopted the January 6th Epiphany feast from the East, Rome doing so
sometime between 366 and 394. But in the West, the feast was generally presented as the commemoration of
the visit of the magi to the infant Christ, and as such, it was an important feast, but not one of the most
important ones-a striking contrast to its position in the East, where it remains the second most important
festival of the church year, second only to Pascha (Easter). In the East, Epiphany far outstrips Christmas.
The reason is that the feast celebrates Christ's baptism in the Jordan and the occasion on which the Voice of
the Father and the Descent of the Spirit both manifested for the first time to mortal men the divinity of the
Incarnate Christ and the Trinity of the Persons in the One Godhead." (Tighe, W.J., "Calculating Christmas,"
Touchstone, December, 2003)
20/12/2008
"A Christian Feast Thus, December 25th as the date of the Christ's birth appears to owe nothing
whatsoever to pagan influences upon the practice of the Church during or after Constantine's time. It is
wholly unlikely to have been the actual date of Christ's birth, but it arose entirely from the efforts of early
Latin Christians to determine the historical date of Christ's death. And the pagan feast which the Emperor
Aurelian instituted on that date in the year 274 was not only an effort to use the winter solstice to make a
political statement, but also almost certainly an attempt to give a pagan significance to a date already of
importance to Roman Christians. The Christians, in turn, could at a later date re-appropriate the pagan "Birth
of the Unconquered Sun" to refer, on the occasion of the birth of Christ, to the rising of the "Sun of
Salvation" or the "Sun of Justice." (Tighe, W.J., "Calculating Christmas," Touchstone, December, 2003.
Emphasis original)
20/12/2008
"What about the other practices the Watchtower condemns? Is a practice or ritual necessarily displeasing
to God if its roots can be traced back to paganism? No. Circumcision is a classic, biblical instance of this.
Circumcision was a custom of pagan origin. `In Egypt (Jer. 9:25-26; Josh. 5:4-9) and among Semitic peoples
generally, circumcision seems to have been practiced in antiquity. A relief in the Sixth Dynasty tomb of Ti (c.
2300 B.C.) at Saqqarah in Egypt depicts the operation of circumcision on 13-year-old youths. [Vos, C.F., et
al., eds, "Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia," Moody Press: Chicago, 1975, 1:354] The third millennium before
Christ, and more specifically 2300 B.C., was before Abraham, who lived in the early second millennium, thus,
before he was given the covenant of circumcision by God in Genesis 17. Yet the fact that circumcision is of
pagan origin did not prevent God from using it as a sign of his covenant with the people of Israel. Further,
Jehovah's Witnesses themselves have adopted things originally used by pagans. Wedding rings, marriage
vows, white veils, and bridal bouquets are all of pagan origin, but you will likely find all of these at any
Witness wedding. Even if some custom has a tainted past, so long as it is not intrinsically immoral it can
be `baptized' and offered to God in spirit and truth." (Evert, J., "Answering Jehovah's Witnesses," Catholic
Answers: El Cajon CA, 2001, pp.142-143)
20/12/2008
"Even in secular matters, a Witness does not seem to realize how much of our modern culture is in some way
connected with extinct pagan religion. If the Witness at your door is wearing Nike shoes, for instance, you
might point out that Nike is the Greek goddess of victory. If the true God commanded that our lives be free
from any and all references to paganism, the Witness would not only need to throw away his shoes, he
would also have to rename the days of the week, months of the year, and even the planets of the solar
system-as well as throw away his wedding ring. Fortunately, God does not ask Christians to live in such
scrupulosity." (Evert, J., "Answering Jehovah's Witnesses," Catholic Answers: El Cajon CA, 2001, pp.143-
144)
21/12/2008
"Christmas Is Christmas a pagan celebration merely because it is celebrated at the same time of the year
as ancient pagan feasts honoring a sun god? ... the Watchtower seeks to convince the world that to win the
favor of pagans, the early `apostate Church' established Christmas at the time of the pagan feast of Sol
Invictus. This feast of `the unconquerable sun' celebrated at the time of the winter solstice-was when the
sun began to return to the northern skies and the days grew longer. It was essentially a celebration of the
return of sunlight. While one frequently encounters assertions that Christmas was timed to coincide with
the celebration of Sol Invictus, these never seem to be backed up by evidence. In particular, they are
never backed up by quotations from the early Christians saying, `We decided to time this celebration to
coincide with Sol Invictus, and this is why ...' If the early Church had deliberately decided to time the
celebrations to coincide, this ought to be reflected in its writings, but it isn't. Witnesses never produce
quotes from early Christians saying that Christmas was timed to coincide with a pagan festival. That is sheer
speculation." (Evert, J., "Answering Jehovah's Witnesses," Catholic Answers: El Cajon CA, 2001, pp.145-
146. Emphasis original)
21/12/2008
"But let's suppose for a minute that there is evidence for such an idea. What message would be
communicated by holding a Christian celebration on the same day as a prior pagan one? Would it be an
endorsement of paganism? Hardly! Instead of trying to woo the pagans, the early Church's taking the sun
god's feast day would have been supplanting it with a celebration of the birth of the true God. Ancient
pagans would not consider it a compliment to their sun god that his birthday party had been replaced by
one for the true "light of the world" (John 9:5; RSV:CE) and "sun of righteousness" (Mal. 4:2), Jesus Christ."
(Evert, J., "Answering Jehovah's Witnesses," Catholic Answers: El Cajon CA, 2001, p.146. Emphasis
original)
21/12/2008
"Lastly, should the celebration of Christmas be abolished because it is not mentioned in the Bible? To
object to this holiday on these grounds involves having an extremely legalistic mind-set that presumes one
cannot do anything unless there are explicit examples of it in Scripture. If this line of reasoning were
followed consistently, it would prevent people from eating tomatoes, attending college, fishing with
anything but a net, using microwave ovens, and even attending Kingdom Hall meetings on Sundays, since
these are not expressly mandated in the Bible. Not only does this mind-set slip into scrupulosity; it is also
an argument from silence, which is inherently problematic. Just because the celebration of Christmas is not
explicitly mentioned in the Bible, one cannot assume that it is prohibited. If anything, the reverse is the case-
all things are lawful for us, as Paul says in I Corinthians 6:12, as long as they are not prohibited." (Evert, J.,
"Answering Jehovah's Witnesses," Catholic Answers: El Cajon CA, 2001, p.146)
21/12/2008
"The Jews of the Old Testament would celebrate festivals, new moons, sabbaths, and various other feasts
throughout the year, recalling the great things that God had done for them. The origin of some of these,
such as Hanukkah, cannot be found in the New World Translation, but Jesus himself observed this feast
(John 10:22). Another feast day he observed was that of the Passover, calling to mind the saving work of
God in bringing Israel out of the bondage of Egypt (Luke 22:15). Even the exchange of gifts on holidays is
countenanced in Scripture. Thus we read of the feast of Purim: Mordecai proceeded to write these things
and send written documents to all the Jews ... to impose upon them the obligation to be regularly holding
the fourteenth day of the month A'dar and the fifteenth day of it in each and every year, according to the
days on which the Jews had rested from their enemies and the month that was changed for them from grief
to rejoicing and from mourning to a good day, to hold them as days of banqueting and rejoicing and
sending of portions to one another and of gifts to the poor people. (Esther 9:20-22) Like Passover and the
feast of Purim, Christmas is a celebration that commemorates God's victory over sin, when he delivered man
from the bondage of the evil one. Easter is the commemoration of his victory over death. Surely such
occasions are worthy of celebration!" (Evert, J., "Answering Jehovah's Witnesses," Catholic Answers: El
Cajon CA, 2001, p.147)
21/12/2008
"Christmas It is quite immaterial the day Christmas is celebrated; we may properly join. WT 12/15/1903,
p. 3290
Don't quibble about the date; join in with the world and celebrate Christmas. WT 12/1/1904, p. 3468
The Studies in the Scriptures suggested as Christmas gifts WT 11/15/1907, p. 4094
Christmas is so important, regardless of the date. WT 12/15/1926, p. 371
`Jesus was not born on December 25th.... Hence, celebrating his birthday through Christmas observance on
December 25 is totally inappropriate for those guided by the Holy Scriptures.' WT 12/15/1979, p. 5
`We all need to face up to the fact that Christmas and its music are not from Jehovah, the God of truth. Then
what is their source? ... Satan the Devil.' WT 12/15/1983, p. 7
`Yes, Satan the Devil can ingeniously make Christmas music appear to be of God and the singing of it a
Christian duty that honors Him and his Son. In reality, it does just the opposite.' WT 12/15/1983, p. 7"
(Reed, D.A., ed., "Index of Watchtower Errors, 1879 to 1989," Compiled by Steve Huntoon and John
Cornell, Baker: Grand Rapids MI, 1990, p.72)
21/12/2008
"Christmas "... those who celebrate Christmas do not honor God or Christ, but honor pagan celebrations
and pagan gods." This declaration in an Awake! magazine of December 8, 1988 (page 19) sums up the
Watchtower. Society's teaching on the holiday-a teaching that the Society's magazines reemphasize each
December lest some of the flock forget and erroneously conclude 'tis the season to be jolly. Criticism of
Christmas in those articles focuses first of all on the date. Religious and secular sources are quoted to
establish the well-known fact that the actual date of the Savior's birth is unknown. The articles then attack
selection of December 25th as an arbitrary date to celebrate the event, because pagans were already holding
winter festivals on that date. The implication is that the Church did not try to supplant the pagan festival
with a Christian one, but rather that the Church merely attached a new name to the old holiday so that
believers could join in." (Reed, D.A., "Answering Jehovah's Witnesses: Subject by Subject," Baker: Grand
Rapids MI, 1996, Second printing, 1998, pp.73-74. Emphasis original)
21/12/2008
"JW articles go on to trace the Christmas tree to pagan worship; they focus on greed and commercialism
that surfaces during the Christmas shopping season; they point out that the holiday is celebrated in oriental
lands where the general population makes no pretense of being believers in Christ. From all of this they
argue that Christmas is a pagan holiday inappropriate for Christians to share in." (Reed, D.A., "Answering
Jehovah's Witnesses: Subject by Subject," Baker: Grand Rapids MI, 1996, Second printing, 1998, p.74)
21/12/2008
"Interestingly, however, The Watchtower did not always express this viewpoint. The organization's
founders and early leaders celebrated Christmas and encouraged others to do the same:
`"Christmas Day," in celebration of our dear Redeemer's birth, has for long centuries been celebrated on
December 25th; and although it is now well known that this date is in error, and that it more properly
corresponds with the date of the annunciation to Mary, nine months before our Lord was born, and that he
was born about October 1st,nevertheless, since the Lord has given no instructions whatever upon this
subject, and since it is proper to do good deeds and think good thoughts upon any day, it cannot be
improper, in harmony with general usage, for us to remember in a social way our dear Redeemer's birth at this
time.' - Zion's Watch Tower, December 15, 1898, page 370
`It matters not particularly that December 25 is not the anniversary of our Lord's birth, according to the
Scriptural account; that really he was born about September 25, nine months later. One day, as well as
another, will serve us to commemorate our Savior's birth in the flesh, as a gift of God's love to a condemned
and dying world. - Zion's Watch Tower, December 15, 1908, page 379
The early Watchtower leaders who felt this way were just as familiar as today's leaders with the resemblance
between pagan customs and certain Christmas traditions. They welcomed opportunities to share with others
in honoring Christ, while today's leaders seem more eager to keep followers separated from non-JW relatives
and neighbors. (Some form of isolation from outsiders is a common thread found in many mind-control cults.
With some groups this separation is accomplished by physically withdrawing into a commune, while in
other cults members continue living in the outside world but withdraw from social contact with
nonmembers.)" (Reed, D.A., "Answering Jehovah's Witnesses: Subject by Subject," Baker: Grand Rapids
MI, 1996, Second printing, 1998, pp.74-75)
21/12/2008
"Explain that there are really two different celebrations taking place on December 25th: One is the festival
promoted by department stores and liquor companies and celebrated even by non-Christians in pagan
lands. Its central figure is Santa Claus, and its main focus is on having a `good time.' The other is the
commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ by sincere Christians. `And many will rejoice over his birth,' said
the angel concerning the birth of John the Baptist six months before Jesus. (Luke 1:14 in the JW New
World Translation) How much more so, then, is the birth of our Savior a cause for rejoicing! Christians use
the day to honor Christ by gathering to sing hymns, to pray, and to praise the Lord, while non-believers see
it as an occasion to party. ... Ask the Witness if he can rightly condemn you for honoring Christ on that
day, in view of what Paul wrote concerning the Roman Christians and Jewish holidays: `One man esteemeth
one day above another: another esteemeth every day [alike]. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own
mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth [it] unto the Lord.' (Romans 14:5-6)" (Reed, D.A., "Answering
Jehovah's Witnesses: Subject by Subject," Baker: Grand Rapids MI, 1996, Second printing, 1998, p.76)
21/12/2008
"What about Christmas? By checking reference works in a public library, you will find that it was unknown
among the earliest Christians. Jesus instructed his followers to observe a memorial of his death, not of his
birth. (1 Corinthians 11:24-26) Says The Catholic Encyclopedia: `Christmas was not among the earliest
festivals of the church... . The first evidence of the feast is from Egypt.' What, then, of the date December 25,
celebrated by many as the birthday of Christ? It could not have been the date of Jesus' birth. The Bible
shows that at the time shepherds were still in the fields at night. As the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1907,
Vol. V, p. 611) acknowledges, they would not have been there in the cold, rainy season of winter. (Luke 2:8-
12) As for the origin of the date, The World Book Encyclopedia says: `In A.D. 354, Bishop Liberius of
Rome ordered the people to celebrate on December 25. He probably chose this date because the people of
Rome already observed it as the Feast of Saturn, celebrating the birthday of the sun.' [The World Book
Encyclopedia, 1966, Vol. 3, p. 416]" (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, "The Truth that Leads to Eternal
Life," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, 1968, p.148)
21/12/2008
"Since the date of Christmas is of pagan origin, it should not seem strange that the customs of Christmas are
also of pagan origin. Thus the Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics tells us: `Most of the Christmas
customs now prevailing ... are not genuine Christian customs, but heathen customs which have been
absorbed or tolerated by the Church... . The Saturnalia in Rome provided the model for most of the merry
customs of the Christmas time.' [Hastings, J., Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, Vol. III, pp. 608-609] ...
Also, The Encyclopedia Americana points out that among the customs borrowed from the pagan Roman
feast of Saturnalia was `the giving of gifts.' [The Encyclopedia Americana, 1956, Vol. VI, p. 622.]"
(Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, "The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life," Watchtower Bible & Tract
Society: Brooklyn NY, 1968, pp.148-149. Emphasis original)
21/12/2008
"There is no escaping it: Christmas is of pagan origin. Knowing this, we should pay attention to the apostle
Paul's warning against mixing the true and the false. He says that even `a little leaven ferments the whole
lump.' (Galatians 5:9) He reproved some of the early Christians for observing days that had been kept under
the law of Moses but that God had canceled for Christians. (Galatians 4:10, 11) How much more important it
is for true Christians today to shun a celebration that was never authorized by God, that stems from pagan
Babylon, and that falsely bears the name of Christ!" (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, "The Truth that
Leads to Eternal Life," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, 1968, p.149)
22/12/2008
"The mixing of non-Christian and supposed Christian religion extends to other holidays, such as Christmas.
God directed Christians to commemorate Jesus' death, not his birth. (1 Corinthians 11:24-26) And the Bible
shows that Jesus was not born in December, which is a cold rainy season in Israel. (Luke 2:8-11) You can
check almost any encyclopedia and see that December 25 was chosen because it was already a Roman
holiday. Sir James Frazer observes: `Taken altogether, the coincidences of [Christmas and Easter] with the
heathen festivals are too close and too numerous to be accidental... . [Clerics] perceived that if Christianity
was to conquer the world it could do so only by relaxing the too rigid principles of its Founder, by widening
a little the narrow gate which leads to salvation.' - The Golden Bough. After he learns the facts, what
person who sincerely loves Jehovah would continue to accept beliefs and practices based on a compromise
with pagan worship? To some persons these teachings or practices may seem like little things. But the Bible
clearly says: `A little leaven ferments the whole lump.' - Galatians 5:9." (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society,
"Happiness-How to Find It," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York: Brooklyn NY, 1980, pp.171-
172)
22/12/2008
"Yes, in those earlier days, dedicated Christians commemorated birthdays. Well, then, why not celebrate the
supposed birthday of Jesus? This they also did for many years. In Pastor Russell's day, Christmas was
celebrated at the old Bible House in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Ora Sullivan Wakefield recalls that Brother
Russell gave members of the Bible House family five- or ten-dollar gold pieces at Christmas. Mabel P. M.
Philbrick remarks: `A custom that certainly would not be carried on today was the celebration of Christmas
with a Christmas tree in the Bethel dining room. Brother Russell's usual "Good morning, all" was changed to
"Merry Christmas, all."' What caused the Bible Students to stop celebrating Christmas? Richard H. Barber
gave this answer: `I was asked to give an hour talk over a [radio] hookup on the subject of Christmas. It was
given December 12, 1928, and published in The Golden Age #241 and again a year later in #268. That talk
pointed out the pagan origin of Christmas. After that, the brothers at Bethel never celebrated Christmas
again.' `Did we mind putting those pagan things away?' asks Charles John Brandlein. `Absolutely not. This
was just complying with new things learned, and we had never known before they were pagan. It was just
like taking a soiled garment off and throwing it away.' Next, birthday celebrations and Mother's Day were
discarded - more creature worship. Sister Lilian Kammerud recalls: `How readily the brothers all dropped
these holidays and admitted they were glad to be free. New truths always make us happy and ... we felt we
were privileged to know things that others were ignorant about.'" (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, "1975
Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, 1975, p.146)
25/12/2008
"Saturnalia is the feast with which the Romans commemorated the dedication of the temple of the god
Saturn, which was on 17 December. Over the years, it expanded to a whole week, to 23 December. Saturnalia
became one of the most popular Roman festivals. It was marked by tomfoolery and reversal of social roles, in
which slaves and masters ostensibly switched places. Saturnalia was a public festival in Rome. Originally
celebrated for a day, on December 17th, popularity grew it to week-long extravaganza, ending on the 23rd."
("Saturnalia," Wikipedia, 24 December 2008)
25/12/2008
"One of the best-known festivals of ancient Rome was the Saturnalia, a winter festival celebrated on
December 17-24. Because it was a time of wild merrymaking and domestic celebrations, businesses, schools,
and law courts were closed so that the public could feast, dance, gamble, and generally enjoy itself to the
fullest." ("feast," Encyclopaedia Britannica, Online Library Edition. 25 December, 2008)
25/12/2008
"The Christian year was beginning to assume somewhat of its present form by the close of the fourth
century. Sunday was protected by the legislation of Constantine ; and in the Theodosian code Saturday,
still known as `the Sabbath', is mentioned as a holy-day second only to Sunday, with special prayers and
services. The Roman Church observed it as a fast. Wednesday and Friday had long been kept as days of
abstinence. Easter was naturally the central festival. It was preceded by a fast which varied considerably in
its duration, and the `Preparation day' (Good Friday) was kept with great solemnity. There were many
striking ceremonies on the Easter festival, especially the lighting of the lamps, and it was the chief season
for Baptisms. The other great festivals were Pentecost and Christmas. The latter seems to have been of
Roman origin, whereas the Epiphany was rather an Oriental festival commemorative of the Manifestation
including the Birth of Christ. Gradually the whole Church practically accepted the birth-day of the Saviour as
December 25th, despite the fact that it was necessary for Christian teachers to warn their flocks against
connecting it with the worship of the sun at the winter solstice. The Nativity of St. John the Baptist at
Midsummer was one of the earliest and most popular festivals of the Church. As a rule the birth-days of
martyrs (natalitia) were the days of their sufferings, and were celebrated at their tombs. At a slightly later
date the days of St. Stephen, St. Peter, St. Paul, and the Maccabees were festivals held in especial honour.
Local martyrs were honoured on their 'birth-days,' and churches erected in their honour. " eat. (Foakes
Jackson, F.J., "The History of the Christian Church from the Earliest Times to AD 461," [1891], George Allen
& Unwin: London, Sixth edition, 1914, Reprinted, 1957, pp.580-581)
26/12/2008
"By the end of the fourth century two other festivals had become widespread, the Epiphany, originating in
the East, and the twenty-fifth of December, radiating from the West. The Epiphany, at first celebrated on the
sixth and tenth of January, but eventually only on the former date, commemorated the birth of Jesus, the
adoration of Jesus by the Wise Men, and the baptism of Jesus. Christmas, the observance of the twenty-
fifth of December as the birthday of Christ, appears to have begun at Rome. The New Testament, it is
scarcely necessary to say, gives no clue to the precise days of any of these events, but they were obviously
of importance to Christians, and Epiphany and Christmas, although fixed conventionally, became
outstanding." (Latourette, K.S., "A History of Christianity: Volume 1: to A.D. 1500," Harper & Row: New
York NY, 1953, Reprinted, 1975, pp.205-206)
27/12/2008
"Sol ... in Roman religion, name of two distinct sun gods at Rome. The original Sol, or Sol Indiges, had a
shrine on the Quirinal, an annual sacrifice on August 9, and another shrine, together with Luna, the moon
goddess, in the Circus Maximus. Although the cult appears to have been native, the Roman poets equated
him with the Greek sun god Helios. The worship of Sol assumed an entirely different character with the later
importation of various sun cults from Syria. The Roman emperor Elagabalus (reigned AD 218-222) built a
temple to him as Sol Invictus on the Palatine and attempted to make his worship the principal religion at
Rome. The emperor Aurelian (reigned 270-275) later reestablished the worship and erected a magnificent
temple to Sol in the Campus Agrippae. The worship of Sol as special protector of the emperors and of the
empire remained the chief imperial cult until it was replaced by Christianity." ("Sol," Encyclopaedia
Britannica Online. 26 December 2008)
27/12/2008
"Aurelian ... born c. 215 died 275, near Byzantium [now Istanbul, Turkey] ... Roman emperor from 270 to
275. By reuniting the empire, which had virtually disintegrated under the pressure of invasions and internal
revolts, he earned his self-adopted title restitutor orbis (`restorer of the world'). Aurelian, born near the
Danube River, had established himself as an army officer when, about 260, from outside pressure and
internal fragmentation of authority, the frontiers of the empire suddenly collapsed. With his compatriot
Claudius, Aurelian led the cavalry of the emperor Gallienus (253-268), and, upon Gallienus's assassination in
268, Claudius became emperor. The new ruler quickly suppressed the rebellion of the usurper Aureolus, but,
after a reign of 18 months, Claudius died. His brother Quintillus, who ruled about three months, died or was
killed, and in September 270 Aurelian succeeded as emperor. ... Aurelian was an outstanding general and a
severe and uncompromising administrator. ... He sought to subordinate the divergent religions of the empire
to the cult of the Unconquered Sun (Sol Invictus) and so create the kind of religious unity that came only
later with Constantine. Early in 275, while marching to open a campaign against Persia, Aurelian was
murdered by a group of officers who had allegedly been misled by his secretary into believing themselves
marked for execution. ... The empire remained divided and chaotic until Diocletian's ascension (AD 284)."
("Aurelian," Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 27 December, 2008)
27/12/2008
"Elagabalus (c. 203 - March 11, 222) ... was a Roman Emperor ...who reigned from 218 to 222. ... he was a
Syrian by birth ... and in his early youth he served as a priest of the god El-Gabal at his hometown, Emesa....
Elagabalus, barely fourteen years old, ascended to the imperial power and began a reign that was marred by
controversies. During his rule, Elagabalus showed a disregard for Roman religious traditions .... Elagabalus
replaced Jupiter, head of the Roman pantheon, with a new god, Deus Sol Invictus, and forced leading
members of Rome's government to participate in religious rites celebrating this deity, which he personally
led. Amidst growing opposition, Elagabalus, only 18 years old, was assassinated and replaced by his cousin
Severus Alexander on March 11, 222 ... Since the reign of Septimius Severus, sun worship had increased
throughout the Empire. Elagabalus saw this as an opportunity to install El-Gabal as the chief deity of the
Roman Pantheon. The god was renamed Deus Sol Invictus, meaning God the Undefeated Sun, and placed
over Jupiter. ... A lavish temple called the Elagabalium was built on the east face of the Palatine Hill to house
El-Gabal ... By 221 Elagabalus' eccentricities ... increasingly infuriated the soldiers of the Praetorian Guard. ...
the Praetorians attacked [and killed] Elagabalus ... His religious edicts were reversed and El-Gabal was
returned to Emesa." ("Elagabalus," Wikipedia, 26 December 2008)
27/12/2008
"Christmas ... Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus. ... The early Christian community
distinguished between the identification of the date of Jesus' birth and the liturgical celebration of that
event. The actual observance of the day of Jesus' birth was long in coming. In particular, during the first two
centuries of Christianity there was strong opposition to recognizing birthdays of martyrs or, for that matter,
of Jesus. Numerous church fathers offered sarcastic comments about the pagan custom of celebrating
birthdays when, in fact, saints and martyrs should be honoured on the days of their martyrdom-their true
`birthdays,' from the church's perspective." (Hillerbrand, H.J., "Christmas," Encyclopaedia Britannica Online,
27 December 2008)
27/12/2008
"The precise origin of assigning December 25 as the birth date of Jesus is unclear. The New Testament
provides no clues in this regard. December 25 was first identified as the date of Jesus' birth by Sextus Julius
Africanus in 221 and later became the universally accepted date. One widespread explanation of the origin of
this date is that December 25 was the Christianizing of the dies solis invicti nati ('day of the birth of the
unconquered sun'), a popular holiday in the Roman Empire that celebrated the winter solstice as a symbol of
the resurgence of the sun, the casting away of winter and the heralding of the rebirth of spring and summer.
Indeed, after December 25 had become widely accepted as the date of Jesus' birth, Christian writers
frequently made the connection between the rebirth of the sun and the birth of the Son. One of the
difficulties with this view is that it suggests a nonchalant willingness on the part of the Christian church to
appropriate a pagan festival when the early church was so intent on distinguishing itself categorically from
pagan beliefs and practices." (Hillerbrand, H.J., "Christmas," Encyclopaedia Britannica Online,
27 December 2008)
27/12/2008
"A second view suggests that December 25 became the date of Jesus' birth by a priori reasoning that
identified the spring equinox as the date of the creation of the world and the fourth day of creation, when
the light was created, as the day of Jesus' conception (i.e., March 25). December 25, nine months later, then
became the date of Jesus' birth. For a long time the celebration of Jesus' birth was observed in conjunction
with his baptism, celebrated January 6." (Hillerbrand, H.J., "Christmas," Encyclopaedia Britannica Online,
27 December 2008)
27/12/2008
"Christmas began to be widely celebrated with a specific liturgy in the 9th century but did not attain the
liturgical importance of either Good Friday or Easter, the other two major Christian holidays." (Hillerbrand,
H.J., "Christmas," Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, 27 December 2008)
27/12/2008
"Sextus Julius Africanus Christian historian. born c. AD 180, Jerusalem. died c. 250. ... first Christian
historian known to produce a universal chronology. His life is not well documented, but evidence indicates
that Africanus traveled considerably in Asia, Egypt, and Italy and later lived chiefly at Emmaus, in Palestine,
where he served as prefect. He was named regional ambassador to Rome about 222, when he became a
protégé of the emperor Severus Alexander. Africanus' greatest work was Chronographiai (221), a five-
volume treatise on sacred and profane history from the Creation (which he placed at 5499 BC) to AD 221.
Relying on the Bible as the basis of his calculations, he incorporated and synchronized Egyptian and
Chaldaean chronologies, Greek mythology, and Judaic history with Christianity. His work raised the prestige
of early Christianity by placing it within a historical context. He also wrote a critical work on genealogies of
Christ as found in Matthew and Luke." ("Sextus Julius Africanus," Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, 27
December, 2008)
27/12/2008
"Avoid Independent Thinking From the very outset of his rebellion Satan called into question God's way
of doing things. He promoted independent thinking. `You can decide for yourself what is good and bad,'
Satan told Eve. `You don't have to listen to God. He is not really telling you the truth.' (Genesis 3:1-5) To
this day, it has been Satan's subtle design to infect God's people with this type of thinking.-2 Timothy 3:1,
13. How is such independent thinking manifested? A common way is by questioning the counsel that is
provided by God's visible organization. For example, God's organization has from time to time given
warnings about listening to certain types of immoral and suggestive music, and about frequenting discos
and other types of worldly dance halls where such music is played and people are known to engage in
immoral conduct. (1 Corinthians 15:33) Yet certain ones have professed to know better. They have rebelled
against such counsel and have done what is right in their own eyes. With what result? Very often they have
become involved in sexual immorality and have suffered severe spiritual harm. But even if they have not
been so affected, are they not reprehensible if others follow their example and suffer bad
consequences?-Matthew 18:6. This fact cannot be overemphasized: We are in a war with superhuman
foes, and we constantly need to be aware of this. Satan and his demons are real; they are not mere figments
of the imagination. They are `the world rulers of this darkness,' and we have a spiritual fight against them.
(Ephesians 6:12) It is absolutely vital that we recognize their subtle designs and not allow ourselves to be
overreached by them. Very appropriately, then, we will next consider how we can arm ourselves to fight
against these wicked spirits." ("Exposing the Devil's Subtle Designs," The Watchtower, January 15,
1983, pp.18-22, p.22)
27/12/2008
"Fight Against Independent Thinking As we study the Bible we learn that Jehovah has always guided
his servants in an organized way. And just as in the first century there was only one true Christian
organization, so today Jehovah is using only one organization. (Ephesians 4:4, 5; Matthew 24:45-47) Yet
there are some who point out that the organization has had to make adjustments before, and so they argue:
`This shows that we have to make up our own mind on what to believe.' This is independent thinking. Why
is it so dangerous? Such thinking is an evidence of pride. And the Bible says: `Pride is before a crash,
and a haughty spirit before stumbling.' (Proverbs 16:18) If we get to thinking that we know better than the
organization, we should ask ourselves: `Where did we learn Bible truth in the first place? Would we know
the way of the truth if it had not been for guidance from the organization? Really, can we get along without
the direction of God's organization?' No, we cannot!-Compare Acts 15:2, 28, 29; 16:4, 5. When we
consider the mighty spirit forces who are fighting against us, we must acknowledge that on our own we
could not possibly win. Yet with God's backing, and with the help and support of his organization-our
worldwide association of brothers-we cannot lose. (Psalm 118:6-12; 1 Peter 5:9) However, we must never
forget that we are in a spiritual war, and that wartime is no time to be relaxing, enjoying only leisure and the
pleasures of life. Rather, it is the time for vigorous training, alertness and self-sacrifice. The enemy has been
able to get some from among us to relax their guard, and these have become battle casualties. May this
never happen to us! It will not if we keep on `the complete suit of armor from God' and `stand firm against
the [crafty acts] of the Devil.'-Ephesians 6:11, 12." ("Armed for the Fight Against Wicked Spirits," The
Watchtower, January 15, 1983, pp.23-27, p.27)
28/12/2008
"The first essential for study is the right condition of mind and heart, appreciating that Jehovah grants
understanding only to the meek, and not to the stiff-necked. If we have love for Jehovah and for the
organization of his people we shall not be suspicious, but shall, as the Bible says, `believe all things,' all the
things that The Watchtower brings out, inasmuch as it has been faithful in giving us a knowledge of God's
purposes and guiding us in the way of peace, safety and truth from its inception to this present day."
(Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, "Qualified to be Ministers," [1955], Watchtower Bible & Tract Society:
Brooklyn NY, Revised, 1967, p.156)
28/12/2008
"Alexander Severus ... Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander, commonly called Alexander Severus, (October
1, 208-March 18, 235) was the last Roman emperor (11 March 222-235) of the Severan dynasty, having
succeeded, as heir apparent, his despised cousin, the eighteen year old Emperor Elagabalus who had been
murdered along with his mother by his own guards-and as a mark of contempt, had their remains cast into
the Tiber river. He became emperor suddenly when a rumor of Alexander's death had circulated, triggering
the assassination. He and his cousin were both grandsons of the influential and powerful Julia Maesa, who
had arranged for Elagabalus' acclaimation by the Legio III Gallica as emperor. ... he did much to improve the
morals and condition of the people. ... The luxury and extravagance that had formerly been so prevalent at
the court were put down; the standard of the coinage was raised; taxes were lightened; literature, art and
science were encouraged ... In religious matters Alexander preserved an open mind. It is said that he was
desirous of erecting a temple to the founder of Christianity [Jesus], but was dissuaded by the pagan priests.
("Alexander Severus," Wikipedia, 7 November 2008)
30/12/2008
"The True God Jehovah. The true God is not a nameless God. His name is Jehovah. (De 6:4; Ps 83:18) ...
Infinite, but approachable. The true God is infinite and beyond the mind of man fully to fathom. The
creature could never hope to ... understand all the workings of His mind. (Ro 11:33-36) " (Watchtower Bible
& Tract Society, "Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 1: Aaron-Jehoshua," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society:
Brooklyn NY, 1988, p.969. Emphasis original)
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Copyright © 2008-2009, by Stephen E. Jones. All rights reserved. These my quotes may be used for
non-commercial purposes only and may not be used in a book, ebook, CD, DVD, or any other
medium except the Internet, without my written permission. If used on the Internet, a link back
to this page would be appreciated.
Created: 7 December, 2008. Updated: 28 July, 2009.