Xmas the short thread

[Evang.Benincasa]

What about Wassail?

A Xmas (winter solstice) tradition?

Refer to Samuel Johnson’s dictionary.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Jesus celebrated it?

John 10:22

It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication.

[Tithesmeister]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

What’s wrong with bacon? You do understand that not all bacon is pork?

If there was no Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, especially Charles Dickens. You might be celebrating a Roman Catholic Xmas totally different to what you now practice. Yet, seriously, the whole Xmas thing is foreign to the Apostles.

Brother, don’t get me wrong, I love some good bacon. Of the pork variety.

But, I can’t find any commandment in the Bible to eat bacon specifically. Or even pork in general. So I’m just pointing that out. You know, for the record.

Don’t give me any turkey bacon, or tofu bacon (if there is even such a thing). It just isn’t the same. Thick sliced is preferred, and peppered and smoked (pecan or hickory and even applewood.) it doesn’t have to be fancy, just mass produced.

And don’t get me started on a good ol BLT.

[Amanah]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

Jesus celebrated it?

John 10:22

It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication.

The re-dedication of the temple from Maccabees:

According to the First and Second Books of Maccabee, in 167 BCE, the Syrian-Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes conquered Judea and desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem by erecting a statue of Zeus and sacrificing pigs on the altar.

A small group of Jewish rebels, led by Mattathias and his five sons, including Judah Maccabee, refused to submit to the Syrian-Greek rule. They fled to the wilderness and began a guerrilla war against the occupiers.

After a series of victories, the Maccabees recaptured Jerusalem and the Temple. They found the Temple in a state of disrepair and desecration. The Maccabees cleansed and rededicated the Temple, restoring Jewish worship and practices.

***

Jesus at the Feast of Dedication:

In the New Testament, John 10:22-23 mentions Jesus in Jerusalem at the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah). The passage states: "At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon's portico."

***

In later Jewish tradition, the myth of The Miracle of the Oil from the Talmud was incorporated into Hanukkah celebration:

The Talmud (Shabbat 21b) provides the story of the miracle of the oil. According to the Talmud, when the Maccabees recaptured the Temple, they found a single jar of oil that had been left untouched by the Syrian-Greeks. The jar had only enough oil for one day, but miraculously, it lasted for eight days, allowing the Jews to prepare new oil.

This miracle was seen as a sign of God's presence and favor, and it became a central part of the Hanukkah story. The Talmud attributes the miracle to the faith and piety of the Maccabees, who trusted in God's power and provision.

[diakonos]

Originally Posted by Tithesmeister

Brother, don’t get me wrong, I love some good bacon. Of the pork variety.

But, I can’t find any commandment in the Bible to eat bacon specifically. Or even pork in general. So I’m just pointing that out. You know, for the record.

Don’t give me any turkey bacon, or tofu bacon (if there is even such a thing). It just isn’t the same. Thick sliced is preferred, and peppered and smoked (pecan or hickory and even applewood.) it doesn’t have to be fancy, just mass produced.

And don’t get me started on a good ol BLT.

Some years ago while I was living in Texas I purchased soy chorizo.
It was mild, but it ran right through me. Never again..!

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

What about the snowmen?

It was winter, and the neighborhood kids were making a snowman in the street. They looked at it and started singing "Go on, bald head! Go on, bald head!" and laughing.

Unfortunately for them, a prophet was walking by.

[Tithesmeister]

Originally Posted by Esaias

It was winter, and the neighborhood kids were making a snowman in the street. They looked at it and started singing "Go on, bald head! Go on, bald head!" and laughing.

Unfortunately for them, a prophet was walking by.

Funny!
Let me guess. A polar bear ate them.

[Steven Avery]

Originally Posted by Amanah

*Constantine and the Establishment of Xmas: In 336 CE, Emperor Constantine, declared December 25 to be a day of celebration in honor of Jesus' birth.

Naah, one of the many Constantine myths.

[Steven Avery]

Originally Posted by Steven Avery

Naah, one of the many Constantine myths.

To be fair, in Rome in AD 336 there is a reference to a Nativity festival

Was there no festival of Sol on 25 December before 324 AD?
Roger Pearse
https://www.roger-pearse.com/weblog/...before-320-ad/

in the Chronography of 354; specifically in the 6th part, which contains the so-called “Calendar of Philocalus” (online here), listing the state holidays. Sol Invictus was introduced into Rome by Aurelian in 274 AD as a state cult, and it seems reasonable to suppose that this state holiday was introduced at the same time. The Chronography also lists the saints’ days, in another calendar dating from 336 (online here), including Christmas on 25 December.

That is the primary source evidence. Maybe Constantine helped declare the day, the whole are of Roman holidays is complex.

[jediwill83]

Originally Posted by Tithesmeister

Funny!
Let me guess. A polar bear ate them.

And thats why Coca Cola uses Polar Bears during Christmas marketing.