yesman@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
He didn’t. Up until the time of Paul (decades after the Jdog’s death), Christianity was a Jewish sect seeking to become mainstream Judaism. It was only then that early Christians shed their Jewish identity.
That’s in the story, but in the History, Christianity arose from Greece and Rome, not Judea. It was never a Semitic religion. Instead borrowing elements of that combined with Paganism.
Either way, a Historic Jesus would have died a Jew. The mythological Jesus may do whatever and I’m aware of Christians who’ll deny he was ever a Jew.
Flax_vert@feddit.uk 4 weeks ago
Christianity is not combined with paganism at all
_haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.works 4 weeks ago
They most certainly did: What do you think Easter is? Why do you think Christmas is in December when Jesus was not born during the winter? Many native pagan holidays were basically transformed into the modern Christian holidays you know today.
Flax_vert@feddit.uk 4 weeks ago
Easter in Greek and Latin (the language of the first Christians) is Pascha. It’s around the same time as the Passover. That’s why it changes every year due to the lunisolar calendar. It’s just using the old Jewish calendar. The earliest record of Easter being celebrated is from the time when pagans were the ones persecuting Christians.
We don’t know for certain that Jesus wasn’t born in December.
The reason lies within Jewish superstition - that a prophet/holy man died on the anniversary of their conception. Someone, likely a century later, reckoned that Jesus died on the 25th of March (we reckon now that it was actually the 3rd of April) so this became the Feast of the Annunciation (conception). So a cycle was created where the day of the death happened on the same as the conception. Another factor is this was also traditionally believed to be the date of the world’s creation.
In fact, in the UK it was this date that was used to demarcate new years. So traditionally many people still commence and terminate land contracts on “Lady day” (the 25th of March) and the tax year begins on the 6th of April (today) which is the 25th of March on the Julian Calendar.
So simply add 9 months - you have the 25th of December.
As for the saints - most saints commenorated in Christianity are generally Biblical figures or early Christians such as St Patrick or St Nicholas
Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
You can try to retcon it all you want. All this stuff existed way before the Christians came along and appropriated it.
ExperiencedWinter@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
So Sunday is going to be the holy day, and December 25th is going to be a festival, are you sure that there wasn’t any plagiarism going on? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Invictus
redsand@infosec.pub 4 weeks ago
Ever heard of Baal or Osiris?
Flax_vert@feddit.uk 4 weeks ago
Don’t see how either have anything to do with Jesus
redsand@infosec.pub 4 weeks ago
Now you have something to research
daychilde@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
If you’re ignorant, it’s trivial to research this issue. Google “pagan origins of easter” and find a source you like. There will be shit tons of options.
If you’re being willfully ignorant, you deserve nothing but ridicule.
Flax_vert@feddit.uk 4 weeks ago
I have researched this issue. “The pagan origins of Easter” is a common myth (often there are several variants of this myth) which has been debunked.
daychilde@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
So. Willfully ignorant it is.
Jarix@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Explain Christmas Trees then
Flax_vert@feddit.uk 4 weeks ago
Christmas trees are a German tradition. Originally they were “Paradise trees” and were representing the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden in Mystery plays. Typically there are readings around Christmas surrounding the Garden of Eden due to depicting The Fall and why Christ had to come. An evergreen tree was picked, likelt due to practicalities with the fact it was winter, but it also helped that they represented eternal life. They were decorated with fruits and later candles to represent the Light of Christ. Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, was German, and he brought the tradition to the UK.
Jarix@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
It’s a pagan celebration co opted by the church to expand the influence of Christianity.
December 25th is not even the correct day to celebrate the birth of Christ. That’s other pagan holidays being co opted to fuel conversion of “Savages”.
Yule is not a Christian celebration yet it has been supplanted by Christianity.
Some reading on the practice.
allthatsinteresting.com/christmas-tree-history
Auli@lemmy.ca 4 weeks ago
Oh yes it was. Christmas is where it is because of winter solstice. Or do you believe Jesus was born then. It was just a day chosen to celebrate his birthday not the actual day. Then the whole Christmas tree and the list goes on. It is much easier to get people to convert when you can go see we are similar.
Flax_vert@feddit.uk 4 weeks ago
The Winter Solstice is on the 21st of December. Christmas is on the 25th of December (actually the 6th of January, if you use the old calendar.)
Christmas trees aren’t pagan, they are German and Jesus’ birth is celebrated 9 months after His conception, which was placed on the 25th of March to roughly line up with His death, as it was believed that Holy men died on the anniversary of their conception.
historyforatheists.com/…/pagan-christmas-again/
We don’t know for certain that it wasn’t the actual day. It very well could have been.
Scrogu@lemmy.zip 4 weeks ago
Bro. Why else would Jesus be claimed to be a demigod. Jews never believed that God and humans mix. That’s standard Greek half god paganism.
Flax_vert@feddit.uk 4 weeks ago
Jesus never claimed to be a demigod, and is not a demigod. Jesus is and claimed to be God incarnate in Human Form. There are several instances in the Torah and Old Testament where God appears in human form.
Scrogu@lemmy.zip 4 weeks ago
A greek style demi god is when a god causes a human woman to give birth. Is that not the case here?