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The Origins of Christmas

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"The Origins Of Christmas" by Joseph F. Kelly, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, 2004.

This book covers exactly what the title says, "The Origins of Christmas". Professor Kelly presents the establishment of Christmas as an important feast day in the Christian Church, with both eastern and western roots. Drawing heavily on the scriptural nativity stories, found in the Gospels of St Mark and St. Luke, the author shows the roots of story of the Three Kings, then Star over Bethlehem, the Flight into Egypt and many more commonly held aspects of Christmas as the present age knows it. Using historical analysis, Dr. Kelly makes it clear that Christ was probably born between 6 B.C,. to 4 B.C., (based upon the records for the death of Herod) and that the ancient Church chose December 25th as the date for celebrating the Birth of Christ as a holy remedy to Roman extravaganzas in that month of the year. Kelly shows how Christmas and Epiphany developed as competing feast days for the Nativity of Christ in Orthodox Catholic and Roman Catholic branches of Christendom. He also devotes some little time to St. Nicholas and how that saint's feast day metamorphosed into a gift giving day in certain countries (e.g. The Netherlands).

This is not, however, a book that deals with the tinsel: the origins of Christmas trees, or Christmas decorations or Christmas lights. Christmas carols are hardly mentioned, and the more modern aspects of Christmas, such Prince Albert's introduction of Christmas trees to England, are not emphasized in Kelly's book. If you want a bible-based analysis of the origins of Christmas, and how the biblical story grew into today's modern story of Christmas, then this is the book for you.

In The Origins Of Christmas, Joseph F. Kelly (Professor of Religious Studies at John Carroll University) deftly traces the evolution of Christmas in Christian life and western culture. Readers will learn when Christmas was first celebrated as the birth of the Christ; how December 25th became the official date for Christmas; how the three "magi from the East" became the three kings known as Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar riding on camels and coming from three different continents to worship the newborn in a manger; why medieval and Renaissance artists tended to portray Joseph as an old man; when Christmas music first made its appearance; the real St. Nicholas and how he became the most well known of all the Christian saints. The diverse origins of Christmas will come as a fascinating surprise to most who know only the Sunday School version of the Christmas story from their childhoods. The Origins Of Christmas, is very highly recommended and informative reading in which Professor Kelly begins when Christmas did not yet exist, and concludes when Christmas had become an integral part of the world culture in general, and Christian communities in particular.

I bought this book in search of a text that would illuminate the history of Christmas as a sacred holiday in the church -- versus as a secular holiday (there are other good books on that topic). Kelly's book was a perfect fit for what I was seeking.

Kelly recounts the history of the feast of the Nativity (Christmas) in the early church, examining the years from the end of the B.C. era through about the 6th century. He draws on scripture (the gospel accounts) as well as apocryphal literature to identify the sources of details for the modern day nativity story that we know. His discussion of identifying the date of Christ's birth is interesting and, frankly, really helpful for other Bible study efforts, as he explains the reckoning of time in ancient cultures. Really interesting stuff.

I appreciated that the author drew not only on the canon, but on other sources, as well as taking a look at the culture of the day to explain how Christmas came to be celebrated. He illuminates the connection between Christmas and pagan winter celebrations without diminishing the significance of the Nativity.

If you are interested in early Church history, particularly as it relates to Epiphany and the feast of the Nativity, you will find rich information in this text. If you are searching for the "meaning of Christmas" in the context of your Christian faith, this book may make you pause and reflect, and might possibly move you toward a richer and deeper experience of the holiday season.

I had to read this book for a Western Civ 101 class and read it in a weekend before the class. I thought the book was very well written. If your searching for the explanation as to why Santa is so popular at Christmas or why we sing the carols we sing, don't look for those answers in this book, but still read it. The book gives great historical insight into the religious tradition and historical precedence that manifests itself into today's Christmas holiday. It is very heavy in the church history and documents behind Christmas as an event (not simply the birth of Christ), as well as examining the legitamacy of having a Christmas in the first place. Overall, not bad. Im intrested in reading any more books the author writes on the history of Christmas or other holidays.

Joseph Kelly is professor and chair of the department of religious studies at John Carroll University. He has also written books such as The Birth of Jesus according to the Gospels, The World of the Early Christians (Message of the Fathers of the Church), An Introduction to the New Testament for Catholics (Michael Glazier Books), etc.

He writes in the Preface to this 2004 book, "This book began as the opening chapters of a larger history of Christmas, but, after reading them over, I thought that they might make a good, brief history of how Christmas began... I plan to write the rest of the history of Christmas and hope this book will get the project off to a good start."

Here are some quotations from the book:

"The author (of the Protoevangelium) abandons the no-room-at-the-inn account because Mary gave birth in a cave before they even got to Bethlehem. This is the first mention of a cave, which would become a regular feature of Medieval Christmas stories." (Pg. 40)
"By the end of the second century, the Nativity had become part of Christian tradition... Yet nowhere in these two centuries do we find any mention of a feast in honor of Christ's birth, that is, no Christmas. Formidable objections existed to celebrating Christ's birth... But such an objection did not carry as much weight in the third century as it might have in the first. By then the majority of Christians were Gentiles who considered themselves loyal Romans for whom birthday celebrations were merely part of the culture." (Pg. 53)
"The attempt to ascertain the exact date of Christ's birth was just one way the ancient Christians tried to determine the date of Christmas. The other was to adopt some symbols and images common to many religions. This may sound a bit shocking to modern believers, but in fact there are many basic traits that different religions share... The ancient Christians would use such images in they did not contradict the Faith and could help others understand it." (Pg. 61)
"In 274 Aurelian instituted the cult of Sol Invictus, the Unconquered Sun... Yet Aurelian may still have had an important impact on Christianity, especially since the cult of the Sun did not die with him. The first Christian emperor, Constantine (306-337), was a devotee of the Sun before his conversion." (Pg. 63)
"Historians find it impossible to believe that this portrayal was just coincidentally produced in the city of Rome at the very time when the pagans were promoting the cult of their sun. The Christians must have created this as part of their struggle to turn back the emperor and his Unconquered Sun. This combination of evidence makes the connection between the birthday of the Sun and the birthday of the Son very likely." (Pg. 66)
"When this was combined with the proximity of Saturnalia, the Roman Christians chose a date (of Christ's birth of December 25th) which had already achieved some acceptance and which could counter two major pagan feasts." (Pg. 68)
"It is unlikely that the historical St. Nicholas would be able to recognize himself today." (Pg. 109)

I liked this book very much. Lots of information, but written in a way it is easy to grasp and to remember. If this author has written a similar book about Easter, I will certainly buy it.