HOLIDAYS Session 3: Origins of

Why do we do what we do? John 17:14-19

This is your decision… Removing paganism from your life… Sincerity… That’s not what it means to me…

History Post-Flood:

Nimrod and Semiramis

Genesis 10:9-11 - Nimrod was a mighty hunter before the Lord, or Nimrod was a mighty hunter in the face of the Lord. He was responsible for Babylon and Nineveh.  There’s loose connection with Nimrod and the sun god, being called Baal, Mithras, Osiris, Horus, Ra, or Attis

Alexander Hislop in 1853. The story of Nimrod, Semiramis, and Tammuz.  Nimrod and Semiramis invented polytheism, their son was Tammuz (life, death, rebirth)  Isis/Osiris, Baal/Ashtoreh, Aphrodite/Cupid, etc… retelling of Semiramis and Tammuz

Tammuz was the husband of Ishtar, and his worship is connected with the solar cycle. Ezekiel 8:14-15 Ishtar is the goddess of fertility, love, war, and sex. In Gilgamesh, she caused the death of Tammuz.  Solar wheel - the 8-pointed star is connected with his worship and the worship of Ishtar.

Roman Empire:

Saturnalia: Pagan midwinter festival in connection with the for the deity Saturn (god of agricultural bounty). Marked with gift-giving, partying, gambling, and sacrifices, and a reversal of roles, it celebrated the contradictory nature of Saturn and a careless well-being.

Birthday of the Unconquered Sun (dies natalist solis invicti): celebrated on 25th. In 274AD, Emperor Aurelian made this worship an official cult of the Roman Empire.  Mithras is the name of the Persian sun-god, and a primary name in this worship and cult.  Sunday was the day of celebrating the Sun God. Emperor Constantine called for shops to close on this day in 321AD.  Some connect the birth of Tammuz to December 25th.

336AD - The first recorded time of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th. 350AD - Julius I declares December 25th as the celebration for the birth of .

Modern History:

1500’s in Holland - The god Odin becomes known as . 1659-1681AD - Celebrating Christmas is illegal in Massachusetts 1700’s - Dutchman comes to new world, and words change to 1823 - Dr. Clement Moore has ‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’ published, AKA “Twas’ the Night Before Christmas” 1836- Alabama becomes the first state to celebrate Christmas 1930 - Coca Cola tries to get people to buy their drink: out came modern Santa Claus. 1970’s - 2nd Vatican council formally stated that no Roman Catholic bishop by the name of Nicholas had ever existed. Vatican 2 confessed that the legends had no Christian origins, but was connected to paganism. Traditions

Mark 7:7-8

St. Nicholas - From modern day Turkey. He saved three women by giving them gold so they could be married, and he raised three boys from the dead who were butchered. He also gave gifts to children.

Santa Claus -  Scandinavian god Odin is the sky god of war, death, wisdom, and poetry. (Thor is his eldest son.) In English, he is known as Woden, and this is where we get the name ‘Wednesday.’ He is known for magic. He was symbolized as a tall, old man with a long, white beard. He rides and eight-legged white horse, and has ravens that tell him the activity all around the world. Sometimes, Odin would have a dark companion.  By the 1500’s, Odin became Sinterklaas in Holland. He was kind, wise, and had a white beard. He was accompanied by Black Jacks who left gifts under the sacred fir . If you were good, you would receive a gift, if you were bad, you would be beaten by the Black Jacks.  Entering through the chimney comes from the goddess Hertha (from World Book Encyclopedia, the name hearth comes from her). She would come through smoke, and therefore through the chimney, and leave gifts in slippers by the fireplace. She was also known for kitchen wizardry, so druids would leave milk and pastries to appease her.  Thor is another possibility of the origin of Santa. He also came down chimneys; he had a magic hammer; he had elf helpers. In Sweden, Thor is very similar to a modern U.S. Santa.  "It was Thor who in the last days of heathenism was regarded as the chief antagonist of Christ." (Davidson, H.R. Ellis. Scandinavian Mythology. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1982, p. 133)  Revelation 1:13-15  Psalm 37:4, Matthew 7:7-8  Revelation 20:12

Devil: Besides the name Satan, he is also called Beelzebub, Lucifer . . . and in popular or rustic speech by many familiar terms as Old Nick . . . (Oxford English Dictionary)

Old Nick: A well-known British name of the . It seems probable that this name is derived from the Dutch Nikken, the devil..." (Shepard, Leslie A. Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. New York: Gale Research Inc. 1991, p. 650)

Kriss Kringle A US name for Santa Claus derived from the German Christkindl (little Christ child). (Brewer's Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Phrase and Fable, p. 334)

The fact is that Santa and Satan are alter egos, brothers; they have the same origin. . . On the surface, the two figures are polar opposites, but underneath they share the same parent, and both retain many of the old symbols associated with their "father" . . . From these two paths, he arrived at both the warmth of our fireplace and in the flames of hell. (Siefker, Phyllis. Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men: The Origins and Evolution of Nicholas. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1997, p. 6)

Ho, Ho, Ho -  Made popular in ‘Miracle Plays’, which were moral plays, and used in the famous play “Bomelio” of England, it signaled the entrance of the devil. These plays were around in the 1600’s.  In these plays, the devil’s common entry line, known as the "devil’s bluster," was "Ho! Ho! Hoh!"(Siefker, Phyllis. Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men: The Origins and Evolution of . Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1997, p. 69)  Robin Goodfellow appeared in more plays around 1600. And there were many 17th century broadside ballads about him. . . Robin's trademark laugh is "Ho Ho Ho!" . . . Robin itself was a medieval nickname for the devil. (Wright, Allen W. "The History of a .”

Eight Reindeer - A possible connection between the 8-legged horse of Odin and the number of reindeer.

Krampus - the dark helper(s) of Santa who beat the children, or dragged them away (to hell). AKA Black Peter, Pelze- Nicol, Knecht Rupprecht, and others…

Elves -  1. A wandering spirit; a fairy; a hobgoblin; an imaginary being which our rude ancestors supposed to inhabit unfrequented places, and in various ways to affect mankind… 2. An evil spirit; a devil. (Webster's Dictionary)  Elf: A small, often mischievous creature considered to have magical powers.' Although some of these creatures may appear cute on the surface, all of them are nonetheless demonic entities that have their origin in the occult world. (Cathy Burns, Masonic and Occult Symbols Illustrated, p. 77)

Christmas Tree - A common symbol of the sun god and fertility. It decorated the temples for Saturnalia: they would sing songs to it.  When Tammuz died, his blood was said to fall on a stump, and produce the evergreen.  Jeremiah 10:2-5

12 Days of Christmas - Either the length of time of celebrating Saturnalia and together, or due to the change in calendar by Pope Gregory, creating a gap in time from the traditional Julian calendar.

Yule Log - Log that provided magical protection; it burned in the hearth for 12 days, and a piece was saved to start the next year’s log. They would sacrifice animals and slaves in the fire each night.  In Chaldea, Yule day means infant day - a celebration of rebirth of Tammuz.

Mistletoe - Was said to have majic powers, heal wounds and increase fertility in Saturnalia. They would hang it all over their homes and have orgies. This practice is why we kiss under it.

Quotes

“It was not celebrated in the first centuries, as Christians celebrated the death of people. In the 5th century, it was ordered to be forever celebrated on the day of the Roman feast of the birth of Sol.” - Encyclopedia Americana.

"By the height of the Middle Ages, St. Nicholas was probably invoked in prayer more than any other figure except the Virgin Mary and Christ Himself" (Del Re, Gerard and Patricia. The Christmas Almanack. New York: Random House, 2004, p. 131)

“We have no superstitious regard for times and seasons. Certainly we do not believe in the present ecclesiastical arrangement called Christmas: first, because we do not believe in the mass at all, but abhor it, whether it be said or sung in Latin or English; and secondly, because we find no scriptural warrant whatever for observing any day as the birthday of the Savior; and, consequently, it’s observance is a superstition, because it is not of divine authority.” - Charles Spurgeon. (December 24th, 1871)

Deuteronomy 12:29-31