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The pagan roots of Christianity: a Reply

Mina Fouad Tawfike

2011

www.freeorthodoxmind.org

Note: This paper was written in Arabic and Translated into English

In the introduction of his book "The Pagan Origins of Christianity" Andre Knighton

wrote: "…. The Catholic Church did not recognize her pagan roots and origins up to

this day…… the time has come to look today at Christianity in the light of the

emerging studies on paganism"1

In fact, the first to put these theories is Godfrey Higgins (1772-1833), followed by

Kersey Graves, who published his famous book "The World's Sixteen Crucified

Saviors", in 1875, after that, there have been writings by John G. Jackson , Tom

Harpur , Acharya S , and others.

But the accuracy and validity of the information of these writings had been questioned

not only by Christian scholars, but also by atheists, with the general consensus that

these writings are non-scientific and non-credible, and among those who issued these

books including Higgins, none of them is specialized in history or theology or

religions, or even ancient civilizations.

This theory, which is called the copycat, (means: copy or imitation) is trying to put all

the similarities between Jesus and Horus, Attis, Krishna, Mithra and Dionysius and

others, on the basis that Christianity had adapted the personal details and the life of

Jesus from them.

Part One: Horus

The similarities, which are referred to between Horus and Jesus:

Horus was born in the twenty-fifth of December, of a virgin called Isis, his star

emerged in the east he was worshipped by Three Kings, was a teacher when he was

twelve years old, , baptized at the age of thirty by Anob, was a master for twelve

disciples, he performed miracles like walking on water, healing the sick , he had titles

such as the Lamb of God, Light, Good Shepherd, the truth and the anointed Son of

God, Horus was crucified , died and was raised from the dead after three days.

                                                            ≒ ソ ،るنيゅاإنس れゅعھد الدولي للدراسヨال れوراゼمن ،るسيحيヨلل るالوثني メين،اأصوゴمي الゴع りيرヨس るヨترج ،ラوآخرو ラيتوゅأندريه ن≒∽

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But what we do know about Horus?

Horus is the Greek name of the Egyptian god: "Hor", one of the oldest gods in

ancient Egypt, his main shape was in the form of a falcon or a phoenix , he was

considered the embodiment of the Pharaoh in the life after death2, he is the God of

heaven and the Royal god ,he has two main forms, the greatest Horus, and Horus

the Child (Har Boqrat)3, sometimes, they may be considered as separate gods

belonging to two distinct era. In other times, they may be considered two shapes of

one god.

Horus the elder is the one who started creation, and as a god of heaven, his wings are

enlarged in the evening, and his eyes were the sun and the moon4. The falcon was the

greatest symbol of Horus, and then it was related to the sun, in Egyptian inscriptions

Horus was the god having a head of a falcon5.

As for Horus the child, (or younger Horus), he is the son of Isis who grew up to take

revenge for his father Osiris, to replace him as a ruler of Egypt, he is pictured in the

shape of a man with a falcon head6.

Myth of the birth of Horus

The text that contains this legend written in hieroglyphs has been found, on a

tombstone, the piece is now preserved in Paris7.

Legends agree that after the death of Osiris, Isis began to search for his body, having

taken the form of a bird, flying almost non-stop, going here and there. She was crying

in tears of grief, and finally found the body; the texts of the pyramids say that

Nephthys (sister of Isis and the goddess of fate) was with her8. And by means of

magic, Isis and Osiris returned to life and she conceived of Horus, whom she hid until

he grew up and fought Seth murderer of his father and defeated him, but in the battle

Horus lost his left eye (i.e. the moon) but cured by the god Thoth.

In fact, it was not a virgin pregnancy at all, one of the Egyptian inscriptions, located

in the temple of Isis at Philae describes this pregnancy by a drawing of Isis in the

form of a Falcon hovering around the penis of Osiris (see Figure 1), the myth also

indicates that Seth, after murdering Osiris , cut his body into fourteen pieces and

distributed them to all parts of Egypt. Isis went to collect the parts of Osiris, and

succeeded in collecting all the pieces except the penis of Osiris, where Seth threw in

                                                            2 Margaret R. Bunson, Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, Facts on File 2002, p. 172 3 Geraldine Pinch, Handbook of Egyptian Mythology, ABC-CLIO 2002, p. 143 4 Geraldine Pinch, Handbook of Egyptian Mythology, ABC-CLIO 2002, p. 143

∽ サلوجو るヨلムدار ال るらتムلم، مゅالع ゆشعو れومعتقدا ラゅأدي サموゅق≪≡≡√ソ ،≪√≒ 6 Geraldine Pinch, Handbook of Egyptian Mythology, ABC-CLIO 2002, p. 143, the English translation

for the Hieroglyphic text of the Myth can be found in: E. A. Wallis Budge, Legends of the Gods: The

Egyptian Texts edited with translations, Kegan Paul, Trench and Trübner & Co. Ltd. 1912 7 E. A. Wallis Budge, Legends of the Gods, p. 47 8 E. A. Wallis Budge, Legends of the Gods, p. 49

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the river and was eaten by the fish, but Isis by magic, was able to find a substitute for

the organ and had sex with Osiris and became pregnant with Horus. (Figure 2)9

Horus was not born of a virgin, the Egyptian texts do not also tell us that Horus had

twelve disciples, or that he was born at the twenty-fifth of December, they do not tell

us anything about his crucifixion or resurrection after three days.

These spurious writings indicate the presence of Egyptian inscriptions and texts

supporting these claims, but at the same time do not provide us with any evidence or

reference to these texts.

In fact, all the Pharaonic inscriptions have now been published and can be accessed

easily.

                                                            9 http://www.egyptology.com/extreme/opet/philae.html

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∽  

Part two: Mithras

In the spring of 334 BC, Alexander crossed the Greek world to Asia and began one of

the most successful military campaigns in history. By the year 331 BC he had

defeated Darius (III) the Persian in the Battle of Gaugamela, and proceeded eastward

across Central Asia to the Punjab, In 326 BC He defeated the Indian King Porous10

.

The conquests of Alexander has turned the geographical dimensions of the Greek

world, and brought it to a closely linked relationship with the traditions and beliefs

of East, this communication between peoples of Greek and non-Greek (Eastern)

produced gradually a so-called Hellenistic culture (blending), it's a blend

(reconciling) between the Greek and Eastern elements, especially in the world of

religion, and there was a mixing among the gods in the early fifth and fourth centuries

BC During that Hellenistic period. The ease of travel and communications, helped

different religions to expand largely and to mix widely, and the mystery cults began to

emerge.

The mystery cults may be considered as secret sects emerged in the Greco-Roman

world, and was confined to certain members, the main characterization of those

mystery cults, is secrecy, and an act of ceremony to join and worship practices, which

cannot be disclosed to strangers.

But an attempt to put a comprehensive description of these acts of worship would be

incomplete, either because there are differences between these communities and some

of them, or because of disagreement among scholars about their definition. But at

least, we may put a temporary model that acts as a general framework for these cults

(sects)11

, this framework includes a number of common standards:

- Confidential accession by certain rituals and recruits were prevented from

disclosing any details of the sect, or its rituals (the word mystery is from the

Greek word μ仝σ〃ήριο, which means to hide).

- These cults were optional supplements to the civil religion (main religion)

rather than a competitor, that is why they are called cults (sects) and not

religions12

.

- These cults are linked to myths, and narratives about its gods.

Mithraism (Mithras cult) is one of those mystery cults.

But what do we really know about Mithra?

                                                            10 Antonia Tripolitid, Religions of the Hellenistic-Roman Age, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2002,

p.9 11 Sarah Iles Johnston, ed., Ancient Religions, President and Fellows of Harvard College 2007, pp.

98,99 12 Sarah Iles Johnston, ed., Ancient Religions, p. 99

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Mithra was one of the Indo-Iranian old sun goddesses, who was turned by the Romans

in the first century AD to Mithras, the god of mysteries, this worship spread

throughout the Roman Empire to Britain13

. Professor Edwin M. Yamauchi refers that

Mithraism was popular among the Roman soldiers and merchants14

.

Iranian Mithra:

Mithra was a god of Aryan origin worshiped in Iran as the god of agency contracts

and agreements (the word Mithra really means the contract or agreement)15

. He

preserves the right and order, and eliminates the divisive forces: the forces of evil,

anger, greed, arrogance, procrastination and all the wicked of the gods and humans16

.

He was described as strong warrior, powerful, and he is the one worshiped by

warriors on the backs of their steeds before they go to battle and as the guardian of the

truth, he is the judge of spirits in the life after death, in spite of this, it is difficult to

judge whether there is absolutely independent Mithraic worship in Iran17

.

In late zardashtism, in Reg-Vida, the sun is the eye of Mithra and in the Avista, Mithra

precedes the sun and fly over the tops of the golden mountains to watch the earth18

,

and he is a mediator between Ahoramazda and Aherrman.

In all of these, we do not find any correlation between the Aryan deity Mithra and

Jesus and Christianity.

Mithras mystery cult (the Roman Mithras):

In fact, the Roman Mithraic mystery cult could be considered a new worship where

there is no contact with the Iranian Mithraism except only the name of Mithra.

It is Clear that the Roman Mithras cult, has started in Rome, and spread through the

troops, we do not find any beliefs for this act of worship in Persia19

.

It’s certain so far that the beliefs of Mithras mystery cult, did not appear except only

after finishing writing the New Testament, we do not have any traces of Mithras

mystery cult that may be traced to before the end of the first century, but that even the

excavation, which was in the city of Bombay, land filled by the volcano Vesuvius in

1979 did not reveal any signs of existence of Mithras or its cult20

.

                                                            13 Sarah Iles Johnston, ed., Ancient Religions, p. 103 14 Lee Strobel, The Case for the Real Jesus, Zondervan 2009, p. 168 15 William W. Malandra, An Introduction to Ancient Iranian Religion:Readings from the Avesta and

Achaemenid Inscriptions, University of Minnesota 1983, p. 56 ∫∬، ソ≪∬∬≓مゅيو ، الムويت،≪∵≓جفري بゅرنゅرد، الヨعتقداれ الدينيる لدي الゼعوゆ، عゅلم الヨعرفる عدد ∝≓ ∫∬، ソ≪∬∬≓، الムويت، مゅيو ≪∵≓جفري بゅرنゅرد، الヨعتقداれ الدينيる لدي الゼعوゆ، عゅلم الヨعرفる عدد ∵≓

18 Prods Oktor Skjærvø, Introduction to Zoroastrianism, Prods Oktor Skjærvø 2005, p.23 19 Lewis M. Hopfe, Uncovering Ancient Stones, Essays in Memory of H. Neil Richardson, Eisenbrauns

1994, pp. 147-158 20 M.J. Vermaseren, Mithras: the secret god, trans.: Therese and Vincent Magaw, London, Chatto 1963,

p.29

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As for the oldest places of Mithras cult, they appeared only at the end of the first

century AD and the beginning of the second. The oldest scene of Mithras found was

the scene of Mithras slaughtering the bull21

is the scene classified as CIMRM 593 (see

Figure 1) and has been found in Rome and it dates back to the year 101 AD22

.

The first writing containing the name Mithras is in Carnuntum, and it is a place of an

ancient Roman military barrack in Austria (See map Figure 2) and it goes back to

Barbarous, a centurion, and dating back to 114 AD23

.

Also, the first place for Mithras cult outside Rome is dating back to 148 AD, in

Böckingen in the province Heilbronn Germany (see map Figure 3), where the

centurion of the eighth troop of Augustus Caesar had built two altars, one for Mithras

and the other to Apollo. In Rome itself 55 places for the worship of Mithras have been

discovered, 25 of them in Italy and most of the rest in Austria, they are dating back to

150-260 AD24

.

Most of these inscriptions date back to after 140 AD and till the fourth century when

Mithraism had completely disappeared25

.

The presuppositions posed by Franz Cumont, in his research paper "The Mysteries of

Mithra" in 193026

, where he claimed that the mystery cult of Mithra is an extension of

the Persian Mithra cult, and that it affected the rise of Christianity, this presupposition

is denied, refused and analyzed by all scholars27

specialized in Mithras and historical

studies28

.

All the other mystery cults in Rome, like those of Serapis or Isis in addition to

Mithras, cannot be considered the revival of these traditional gods, but an integral part

of and linked to Rome29

.

It is likely that Mithras mystery cult, had been founded at the time of emperor Hadrian

as claimed by Richard Gordon30

, between the years 117-138, or perhaps in the reign

of Antonius Pius between 138-161 AD. All respected scholars of history have

consensus now that Mithraism could not be preceding Christianity, or even affecting

it31

.

                                                            21 The scenes if Mithras slaughtering the bull is called the Tauroctony, it seems as driven from the

greek word: ταυとοκτόνοな, which means slaughtering bulls. 22 Richard L. Gordon, The Date and Significance of CIMRM 593, Journal of Mithraic Studies II (148-

174), 1978 23 Richard L. Gordon, The Date and Significance of CIMRM 593, p.154 24 Edwin M. Yamauchi, Persia and the Bible, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids: MI 1990, p. 510 25 Lee Strobel, The Case for the Real Jesus, Zondervan 2009, p. 169 26 Franz Cumont, The Mysteries of Mithra, Chicago, Open Court 1903 27 Lee Strobel, The Case for the Real Jesus, Zondervan 2009, p. 168 28 In 1970, in the Second Conference of Mithraic Studies, that was held in Tehran, all scholars agreed

that the presuppositions of Franz Cumont is now invalid and can’t be accepted any more. 29 Jorg Rupke, Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World: A Companion to Roman Religion,

Blackwell Publishing 2007, p. 97 30 Professor of the History of Ancient Religions at the University of Erfurt 31 Lee Strobel, The Case for the Real Jesus, Zondervan 2009, p. 170

∫  

All these archaeological evidences completely confirm that Mithras cult did not

appear until after the ascension of Jesus for 70 years at least32

, that is in the second

century AD33

.

But what we know about Mithras cult and its rituals?

In fact, we do not have any writings about Mithras or dogmatic declarations, the

literary evidences for such worship are very weak, which are a small group of

dedications engravings on the statues of Mithras. The fact that this religion is a secret

or mystery cult between worshippers made its teachings never written and

considered as secrets. Although Porphyry in the third century AD (one of the

philosophers of Neo-Platonism) pointed out that there is a number of Mithraic

existing literature, but none of these writings have been received34

.

Therefore, the information written about Mithras and Mithraism is derived almost

exclusively from sources other than written, primarily from the Mithraic icons and

statues, that have been found35

, and as well as from the references to this cult from

ancient writers and church fathers .

All these makes it difficult to access to a proven fact about the worship of Mithra, if

we take for example a scene of Tauroctony (slaughtering of the bull) one of the most

famous and repeated scenes about Mithra, there is very little information from

ancient literary sources about the meaning of this scene, which makes its

interpretation and understanding difficult36

, so unfortunately without any literary

writings found, the meaning of various symbols for the statues and depictions

remains an inference that is subject to right and wrong.

In the Roman Mithraism the members were meeting inside a cave, usually

underground, and the cave was in turn represents the universe37

, it seems that the rite

of joining it included some sort of cleansing or baptism, but there was no evidence

that this practice has been indicated the rebirth of or something of that sort, then

these newly acceded were passing the so-called seven grades, mentioned by St.

Jerome (400 AD) in a Letter 107 to Laeta , ch 238

, who passes these tests , was given a

chip of bread.

                                                            32 Maps of Mithras archeological evidences and photos can be found in: http://www.mithraeum.eu/ 33 Mary Beard, John North, and Simon Price, Religions of Rome, Vol 1:A History, Cambridge

University Press 1996, p. 266 34 Antonia Tripolitid, Religions of the Hellenistic-Roman Age, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2002,

p.48 35

For more information on this point check: Roger Beck, The Religion of the Mithras Cult in the

Roman Empire, Oxford University Press 2006, where Roger Beck explains the different schools of

rebuilding the Mithraic beliefs from statues, inscriptions, and hints in the ancient writrings 36

Antonia Tripolitid, Religions of the Hellenistic-Roman Age, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2002,

p. 49 37 Carlo Provanzano, The mysteries of Mithra Tracing syncretistic connections to the ancient Near East,

A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University Dominguez Hills 2009, p. 20 38 Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol 29 (Electronic Edition)

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Mithra was not born from a virgin, but born of a rock: Petra Genetrix, emerged as an

adult and (not as a child), completely naked and devoid of any clothing except from

his Phrygian headdress, holding a dagger and the torch39

. Some of the other scenes

(such as the scene at a site named Dura-Europos in Syria), Mithra appears as if the

flames push him out of the rock40

.

We do not know anything about the death of Mithra, there are no inscriptions or

statues indicating otherwise, and thus allegations that say he sacrificed himself, died

and was buried in a tomb, and was raised from the dead by the third day, is pure

fiction.

Bruce Metzger proposes that Christianity is probably influenced the Mithraic

beliefs41

, this assumption is highly permissible. If we take into account that one of the

fundamental qualities of the Hellenistic cults is syncretism, which means collecting

and syncretyzing from so different influencing cults and cultures around, and

combining them together to be a part of that emerging cult, in addition to the

references by the church fathers, like Justin the martyr, (150 AD) in his first apology

(I apology 66) that the Mithraism is a demonic cult or a devilish imitation of

Christianity.

The conclusion is that all archeological and literary evidences don’t give us but one

answer to the question: did Christianity quote from the Mithraic cult? This answer is

as the scholars realized: No, and absolutely no.

We could put here, a guide to all the quotations of the Greco-roman literature and the

writings of the Fathers about the Roman Mithras cult42

:

-Justin Martyr (150 AD): 1 Apology. 66; Dialogue with Trypho. 70

-Tertullian (ca. 200 AD): Adversus Marcionem 1.13.4; Apologeticum 7; De

Baptismo 5; De corona. 15.; De praescriptione haereticorum 40.3-4

-Origen (200-254 AD): Contra Celsum, I. 9; contra Celsum VI. 21-22

-Porphyry (ca.270 AD): De Abstinentia, Book 2, ch. 56; De Abstinentia, Book 4, ch.

16; De Antro Nympharum (=The Cave of Nymphs) ch. 5-6:; De Antro Nympharum,

ch. 15-24

-Commodian (3rd c. AD): Instructiones. 1.13

-Acts of Archelaus (Early 4th c. AD): Acts of Archelaus ch. 36

-Firmicus Maternus (350 AD): De Errore profanis religionis, ch. 4. Ch. 20

-Gregory Nazianzen (370 AD): Oration 4, ch.70 (First Invective against Julian);

Oration 39 -- On the Holy Lights (Ad Sancta Lumina), ch.5; Ad Nemesium, ch. 7

-Julian the Apostate (361-2 AD): Oration 4 (Hymn to King Helios), 115b; Caesares.

336c; Oration 4 (Hymn to King Helios), 172d; Oration 4 (Hymn to King Helios),

156c;

                                                            39 Lee Strobel, The Case for the Real Jesus, Zondervan 2009, p. 171 40

Edwin M. Yamauchi, The Apocalypse of Adam, Mithraism and Pre-Christian Gnosticism, p. 547, in

Textes et Memoires, Volume IV, Etudes Mithriaques, Acta Iranica, Bibliotheque Pahlavi, Teheran-

Liege 1978, pp.537-561 41

Lee Strobel, The Case for the Real Jesus, Zondervan 2009, p. 175 42 Roger Pearse, Mithras in Ancient Texts, http://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/mithras/index.htm

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-Himerius (ca. 362 AD): Oration VII, ch. 60; Panegyric on Julian, opening words;

Panegyric on Julian, IX, 62

-Jerome (ca. 400 AD): Letter 107, ch.2 "To Laeta"; Against Jovinian, book 1. c. 7;

Against Jovinian, book 2. c.14; Commentary on Amos, book 5, ch.9-10

-Eunapius (late 4th c. AD): Lives of the Sophists: Life of Maximus

-Augustan History (late 4th c. AD): Life of Commodus, ch. 9

-Paulinus of Nola (ca. 400 AD): Poem 36

-Carmen ad Antonium (ca. 400 AD): Poem 32

-Augustine (early 5th c. AD): Tractatus in Joh. Evang. VII, 6

-Ambrosiaster (5th c. AD): Quaestiones veteris et novi testamenti 113.11

-Socrates Scholasticus (early 5th c. AD): Ecclesiastical History book III, ch. 2:3

-Sozomen (5th c. AD): Ecclesiastical History, book V, ch.7

-Lactantius Placidus (5th century AD): Commentary on Statius' Thebaid 1.719-20

-John the Lydian (6th c. AD): De mensibus (On the Months) book 3, ch.26

-Mythographer (6th or 7th c. AD): Commentary on Gregory Nazianzen, In Julianum

imperatorem invectivae duae; Commentary on In sancta lumine

-Cosmas of Jerusalem (ca. 750 AD): Scholia in Greg. Naz. Carm.

-Theophanes (650+ AD): Chronicle, Anno Mundi 5794

-The Suda (9-10 c. AD): Under Mithres, μ 1045

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Part three: 25th

December and celebration of Sol Invictus

What do we know about the celebration of the Sun Invincible, or Sol Invictus?

Solis Invicti is the official god of the sun in the late Roman cult, where the sun

worship was not in fact a part of the early Roman cults, but by the third century, and

by Emperor Aurelian in 274 AD, the cult has been introduced43

. We do not have any

evidences if there is such a ceremony before the third century, it is also uncertain

whether if there was a celebration of Solis Invicti done on 25 December44

.

The claim that the twenty-fifth of December was a popular commemoration of the

invincible sun, is baseless, just like the claim, which says that the founder of this

ceremony is the Emperor Aurelian, it is true that he built temples for the sun, and

appointed priests, but there is no evidence that Aurelian has founded any celebration

of the unbeatable sun in that day.

All the evidences we have, are against that firm belief of the existence of that majestic

celebration of the sun in the twenty-fifth of December, the dates that we find recorded

in the early Imperial Calendar is the eighth of August, the ninth of August and is also

believed that is in the twenty-eighth of August, the eleventh of December, all these

dates are not co-related to the astronomical equinoxes of the sun.

Also, the early calendars, such as Feriale Duranum, a Roman military one, dating

back to the year 227 AD, was found in the archaeological area Dura Europos in

Syria, where we do not find any mention of the sun god45

.

In the Calendar of 354 AD (Chronograph of 354)46

we find three celebrations of Sol

, the sun god47

:

- August 28: Sol and Luna ( SOLIS-ET-LVNAE.CM.XXIIII)

- October 19-22: Ludi Solis (LVDI-SOLIS)

- December 25: Natalis Invicti ( N-INVICTI-CM-XXX)

Note that the calendar does not explicitly mention the name Sol in 25 December.

In fact, the expression used "The celebration of the invincible or Natalis Invicti"

can be also used with the heroes and emperors, and also used as a signal of a

ceremony devoted to the temples48

.

Considering that this date refers in this calendar to Sol, the sun god is pure

conjecture and nothing more.

                                                            43 Roger T. Beckwith, Calendar and Chronology, Jewish and Christian, Biblical, Intertestamental and

Patristic Studies, Brill Academic Press, Leiden 1996, p. 71 44 Edwin M.Yamauchi, Persia and the Bible. Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI 1990, p.520 45 The text of this Chronograph can be found in:

http://www.historykb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/ancient/4565/Feriale-Duranum-at-Dura-Europos-

exhibition 46 The Text of this Chronograph can be found in:

http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/index.htm#Chronography_of_354 47 The Chronography of 354 AD. Part 6: the calendar of Philocalus, Inscriptiones Latinae

Antiquissimae, Berlin (1893) pp.256-278 48 Footnote 106 in Michele Renee Salzman, On Roman time: The Codex-Calendar of 354 and the

Rhythms of Urban Life in Late Antiquity, University of California Press, 1990, p.182 

≒≪  

Note also that in Part XII (12) of the same calendar, we find a reference to the date of

the birth of Christ in the fifteenth of December (see the section on setting the date of

the birth of Christ below)

First references to the existence of a celebration of invincible sun, goes back to the

year 362 AD, and that in the writings of the Emperor Julian (the Apostate) in his

speech to the King of Helios (Oration to King Helios)49

but without reference to a

specific date.

Determining the date of the birth of Jesus Christ:

We have no references in the writings of the early Fathers, such as Irenaeus (130-200)

or Tertullian (160-225). As for Origen (185-254) he gives us the references to the

ceremonies in the church in (Contra Celsum, VIII, xxii)50

, but he does not mention any

celebration of the birthday of Jesus, also Origen goes to the extent that he condemns

the celebration of birthdays in general, and describes it as a pagan practice

(Origen, Homily on Leviticus 8.3.2)51

, which gives a signal to us that perhaps there

were no celebrations of Jesus birth in the time of Origen in Egypt.(165-264 AD).

But the first reference that we receive on the history of the date of the birth of Jesus,

we find it from the third century (about 200 AD) in the writings of Clement of

Alexandria, (Stromaties 1.21.146) it does not refer to any sign about the twenty-fifth

of December at all:

From the birth of Christ, therefore, to the death of Commodus are, in all, 194

years, 1 month, 13 days. And there are those who have determined not only the

year of our Savior’s genesis, but even the day, which they say took place in the

twenty-eighth year of Augustus on the 25th of Pachon [20 May now a day's]…

And treating of his passion, with very great accuracy, some say that it took

place in the sixteenth year of Tiberius, on the 25th of Phamenoth [21 March

now a day's], but others the 25th

of Pharmuthi [21 April now a day's] and others

say that on the 19th of Pharmuthi [15 April now a day's]the Savior suffered.

Indeed, others say that he came to be on the 24th or 25th of Pharmuthi [20 or

21st of April a day's]

52

But almost in the same period of the third century (200-211AD) and in the

interpretation of the Book of Daniel by Hippolytus (commentary on Daniel 4.23.3) we

find him referring to the date of the birth of Jesus on December 25, This is the first

of the early testimonies, which we have, so far about that date53

:

                                                            49 The Works of Emperor Julian, Vol. 1, The Loeb Classical Library, P. 357 50 Origen, Contra Celsum,trans, Henry Chadwick, Cambridge University Press 1980 51 Origen, Homilies on Leviticus, trans, Gary Wayne Barkley, The Catholic University of America

Press 1990 52

ANF-2 53 This text is quoted by George Syncellus, a Byzantium historian from the 9th Century (died 810 AD),

and he quoted the text with mentioning it's author as Hippolytus in his book The Chronoghraph 381,

also the same text was quoted by George of Arabia in his Letter to Presbyter Joshua 115, also with

referring to Hippolytus

William Adler & Paul Tuffin, The Chronography of George Synkellos: A Byzantine Chronicle of

Universal History from the Creation, Oxford University Press 2002  

≒≫  

For the first advent of our Lord in the flesh, when he was born in Bethlehem,

eight days before the kalends of January [December 25th], the 4th day of the

week [Wednesday], while Augustus was in his forty-second year, [2 or 3BC] but

from Adam five thousand and five hundred years. He suffered in the thirty third

year, 8 days before the kalends of April [March 25th], the Day of Preparation,

the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar [29 or 30 AD], while Rufus and Roubellion

and Gaius Caesar, for the 4th time, and Gaius Cestius Saturninus were

Consuls.54

There is also another text that refers to the birth of Christ on December 25, it is in the

manuscript called "Calender of Filocalus" which is likely collected in Rome in 345

AD55

, and we read in this manuscript:

On the eighth day before the month of January (ie 25 December) Christ is born

in Bethlehem of Judea,

VIII, kal.Ian.natus Christus in Betleem Idueae56

We note that in the year 380 AD, Gregory Nazianzus gave a sermon in

Constantinople in the day of Christ birth57

, and it is very likely that he delivered it at

the sixth of January58

, which gives us an additional date for the day of Jesus Christ

birth.

Is there a link?

The theory saying that the December 25 as the date of the birth of Christ is the

pseudonym of a pagan celebration of the invincible sun (and the aim was to help the

spread of Christianity) is a theory based on assumptions that lack any grounds, though

if we assume their validity, they do not constitute any problem for the Christian

doctrine, there is nothing wrong with transforming a pagan festival, related to the sun

to the festivity of Christ, the Sun of Righteousness.

In fact, the theory of quoting the celebration of December 25 from paganism, is not

found in any writings of the early Fathers, there is no sign co-relating pagan festival

with a Christian history of the birth of Jesus, but not until the twelfth century AD,

when we find the first proposal that the celebration of the birth of Christ has been set

intentionally at the time of celebrating a pagan festival, which is a marginal note in

the manuscript of the Syrian writer, Dionysius Bar-Salibi (d. 1171 AD), the note

says that in the ancient times, the vacation of the Christmas holiday in the sixth of

January, turned to the twenty-fifth, to fall in the date of the pagan vacation of the

invincible sun59

.

                                                            54 The English and Greek texts can be reached in:

http://chronicon.net; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel, T.C. Schmidt 2010 55 The English Translation of this Codex is in:

http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/index.htm#Chronography_of_354 56 The Chronography of 354 AD. Part 12: Commemorations of the Martyrs. MGH Chronica Minora I

(1892), pp.71-2 57 Oration XXXVIII : On the Theophany, or Birthday of Christ 58 For more information on this subject, refer to the introduction of this Sermon in NPNF2-07 59 Thomas J. Talley, Origins of the Liturgical Year, Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1991, pp. 101-

102

≒√  

There is another way to calculate the date of the birth of Christ, which may indicate

that it was known before the advent of the pagan celebration, around the year 200 AD,

Tertullian mentions that the calculation of the fourteenth day of Nisan (on the

crucifixion of Christ) in the year of Christ's death, agrees with the twenty-fifth of

March in the Roman solar year60

.

Twenty-fifth of March, is naturally prior to the twenty-fifth of December, by nine

months, which is the date known subsequently as the Annunciation, and so it was

believed that the Annunciation and the death of Christ were in one and the same day,

exactly nine months after that of the Annunciation, where Jesus was born, i.e. in the

twenty-fifth of December61

.

This idea appears in the thesis of an unknown Christian author, titled De solstitiis et

aequinoctiis62

, and it appears to be from North Africa, dating to the fourth century,

this thesis says:

So it has been conceived of our Lord on the eighth day before the end of April

(March 25), which was the same day of our Lord passion , and the day of His

conception, because at the same date of His conception, he also suffered

The assumption, which may be surprising, is that the celebration of December 25th as

the day of Sol the sun god, maybe in fact, a pagan quotation of Christianity, the

historical signs and evidences lead us to this inevitable conclusion, the evidences to

mark December 25, a day of the birth of Jesus Christ are the oldest of those

unconfirmed ones, that suggest the celebration of it as a day for the sun god Sol.

The idea that the sun symbolizes the divinity, existed since the Old Testament, in

Psalm 84: 11 we read "For the LORD God is a sun and a shield". In Malachi 4:2 we

read "the sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings;"

Philo the Jewish philosopher of Alexandria (20 BC -50 AD) provides a detailed

explanation of the sun as a symbol of the Divine Word Logos: "But according to the

third reference, (James) speaks of the sun, and he means the word of God, as a model

of the sun, which moves across the heavens"63

All of these signals that we have for celebrating the birth of Christ in that day are

the oldest and most widespread than those weak and few ones on the observance of

this day as a day of the invincible sun god.

                                                            60 ANF03, Tertullian, Adversus Iudaeos 8 61 This study is proposed by a French scholar named Louis Duchesne, and the developed by the

American scholar Thomas Talley, for more information on this theory refer to: Duchesne, Origines du

culte Chrétien, Paris: Thorin et Fontemoing, 1925, pp. 275–279; Thomas J. Talley, Origins of the

Liturgical Year, Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1991 62 It's a pseudonym work ascribed to John Chrysostom, there is no English translation for it, the

complete title is: De solstitia et aequinoctia conceptionis et nativitatis Domini Nostri Iesu Christi et

Iohannis Baptistae (On the solstice and equinox of the conception and birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ

and John the Baptist) 63 Philo, On Dreams 1.85, The Works of Philo: Complete and Unabridged, trans., C.D. Yonge,

Hendrickson 1993