"Christmas Before Christianity: How the Birthday of the "Sun" Became Birthday of the "Son"
By Lochlainn Seabrook - 300 pages - Illustrated
No one knows what day Jesus was born, his birthday was not celebrated in the First Century, Christmas is not mentioned in the Bible, and the holiday was banned by English and American Christians in the 1600s. Why then do we observe His birthday on December 25? A clue comes from the early Church Fathers, who declared that “Christianity has always existed and was practiced by Pagans long prior to the birth of Jesus.” Thus, according to the highest Church authorities, Christianity, and in turn Christmas, predated Christ. How is this possible?
Award-winning Christian author, Bible scholar, and historian, Lochlainn Seabrook, provides the answer in his fascinating and exhaustively researched book Christmas Before Christianity. The spiritual truths which form the basis of Christianity were already well known to prehistoric peoples, who held a special reverence for our neighborhood star, the Sun, which they variously called Krs, Crs, Hrs, Krst, Karas, Karast, Kris, Krish, Krist, and Chris. During the Graeco-Roman period, these words, along with the many religious beliefs and myths that accompanied them, were absorbed as Chrestos or Christos, which became “Christ” in modern English, assimilating the prehistoric Sun-God into the ancient Son-God.
Ten years in the making, Christmas Before Christianity, a fast-reading but in-depth 300-page work based on comparative religion and comparative mythology (as well as archaeology, social anthropology, and etymology), explores the vast pre-Christian foundations of humanity’s most popular holiday, including the many Pagan gods, goddesses, myths, rituals, legends, ceremonies, customs, and beliefs that contributed to its creation and development.
Every facet of Christmas is examined, from the religious views of prehistoric vegetation cults with their emphasis on astrology and a female supreme being, to the astronomical origins of the Nativity story and Santa Claus; from the practice of decorating Christmas trees, hanging stockings, lighting candles, burning the Yule log, singing carols, and exchanging gifts, to the traditions of displaying holly, wreaths, and mistletoe, eating plum pudding, candies, turkey, and mince pie, drinking cider and eggnog, performing pantomime, and giving out Christmas cards.
Though Colonel Seabrook examines the origins of Christmas traditions of countries and societies all over the world, special emphasis is placed on ancient Egypt, where a majority of our modern “Christmas traditions” can be traced.
"Christmas Before Christianity" is a sensational work that will not only provoke discussion, but will also inspire a renewed appreciation for both the religion of our Lord and for the sacred annual celebration of His birth.
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