Robert Smith – Page 6 – What Does This Mean?

Where did Christmas come from?

Encore Post: People are planning parties, shopping for gifts, decking their homes in greenery, cooking for feasts. Soon they will make merry, drink plenty of wine, stuff themselves, play silly — and suggestive games. Rich and poor, everyone will go to orgies — and may even disappear with someone of the opposite sex. Everywhere revelers shout Io, Saturnalia! (Yo! Saturnalia!) No, it is not 21st Century America, it’s ancient Rome!

Beginning with December 17th and eventually lasting seven days, Ancient Rome would celebrate the harvest and the planting of the winter crops. The patron god of the celebration was Saturn, said to have been the pre-Roman Italian king who invented agriculture. The celebration had the same feel and atmosphere as does Marti Gras in New Orleans and Carnival in Buenos Aires. It got so wild that even Roman Emperors — not exactly prudes — tried to reign it all in — unsuccessfully.

There has been a myth going around that the Emperor Constantine or the Bishops invented Christmas and placed it on December 25th to rescue Christians from the party. These days it is mostly pagans, atheists, secular liberals — and interestingly enough — very conservative Christians who promote the theory. The problem is that no Christian writing from ancient times make that argument. So, how did the rumor get started?

To begin with, there is no mention of formal celebration of Christmas before 340 AD. The main focus of the early church was the celebration of Easter, which got quite a bit of discussion from the very start. Then again, there is no detailed description of Saturnalia before 400 AD, so it is hard to tell which came first. If we give ancient Christian and pagan sources the benefit of a doubt, both celebrations are very old. The date of Christmas has some variety to it until late in the 300s. Many Christians observed January 6th as the day to thank God for the many ways that the Son of God revealed himself — focusing on the incarnation and the baptism of Jesus.

Yet traditions die hard. The church never successfully brought an end to December parties, gift-giving and other customs. Rarely did it really try all that hard — beyond preaching against immorality and complaining that people do not focus on God’s gift of his Son. Instead, Christians baptized many of these customs, infusing them with Christian meaning. It is how we have a different reason for the season. “God rest ye merry, Gentlemen, let nothing you dismay. Remember Christ, our Savior, was born on Christmas Day, to save us all from Satan’s pow’r when we had gone astray. O tidings of comfort and joy! O tidings of comfort and joy! “

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Preparation of the Gospel: The Peace of Rome

Encore Post: After the defeat of Marc Anthony and Cleopatra, Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, great nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar, had gained sole control of the Roman Republic. With a combination of political skill and military power, he unified a badly divided empire. Having the Roman Republic declare him first citizen and give him the title Augustus and the title the Son of God (meaning Julius Caesar), he gained absolute power with the trappings of the Republic. This political unity would more or less hold for two hundred years. Successfully pushing warfare to the edges of the Empire, Augustus established the Pax Romana — the Peace of Rome.

This peace was a great blessing in the Mediterranean world. Travel was free of political barriers. A network of durable roads was constructed from Rome to the edges of the empire. Many of these are still in use today. Roman culture gave status to rulers and rich people who constructed public buildings, works like aqueducts, baths, theatres and temples, resulting in a sustained construction boom. A unified currency made trade relatively easy to conduct.

Rome was justly proud of its unified legal code, which, except for the highest levels of society, was stable and, for the most part, objectively enforced. Being a practical people, Romans adopted and adapted Greek culture and language. Where possible, Rome preferred to allow local nations to rule themselves, as long as they paid their taxes, were politically loyal, raised troops when needed and bowed to Roman law when it conflicted with their traditions.

God prepared the way for his son by establishing this common government. It allowed the apostles to fan out quickly across the whole of the Mediterranean World with the Gospel. It protected St. Paul in Jerusalem and allowed his appeal to the Emperor. The census of Caesar Augustus brought the holy family to Bethlehem. It assured the fulfillment of prophecy by sending the true Son of God to the cross rather than to death by stoning. It placed objective guards at his tomb to witness to his resurrection.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Note: This series of blog posts is available as a Kindle book and eventually as a print booklet at: Amazon.com: Preparation for the Gospel. Please note the author makes a small profit on the sale of this book.

Preparation for the Gospel: The Great Library of Alexandria

Encore Post: Ptolemy I, one of Alexander the Great’s generals, claimed the throne of Egypt and painted a layer of Greek culture over the top of Pharaonic Egypt. He claimed he was a true pharaoh, which also his heirs did. He assumed the gods, trappings and some customs of ancient Egypt. His dynasty lasted until the death of his descendant, Cleopatra, and the accession of Rome to the throne of Upper Egypt.

His son, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, enriched the capital of Alexandria, building the two great wonders of the world — the lighthouse of Pharos, that guided navigation on the Mediterranean Sea for nearly 100 miles until its destruction into the 14th Century and the Ancient Library of Alexandria. He became an aggressive collector of books, including the searching of incoming ships. Copies of these books were made, and the copy given to the owner. The originals ended up in the Library of Alexandria. According to tradition, Ptolemy II commissioned the translation of the Old Testament into Greek. Known as the Septuagint and abbreviated LXX, this translation was quoted by the writers of the New Testament when they quoted the Old.

The Ptolemies were defenders of the Jewish people. Because of this, the largest population of Jews outside of Israel settled in Alexandria. One of these Jews, Philo of Alexandria, became the most important of the philosophers of Judaism in ancient times.

God prepared the way for his son when he installed the Ptolemies. They provided a home for his people where they could be safe, learn Greek culture and introduce the Scriptures to them. With the translation of the Septuagint, he provided the Apostles with a tool accessible to the pagan world around them, where the church grew and thrived.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Preparation for the Gospel: Zeus in the Holy of Holies

Encore Post: The Jewish people prospered under the rule of Ptolemy and his descendants in Egypt. For a while, they ruled Palestine and more or less allowed the Jews to govern themselves. However, the Ptolemies lost Palestine in a war with the Seleucids — descendents of the Greek ruler of Syria, Babylon and Persia. At first, the Seleucids continued the policy of the Ptolemies. However, King Antiochus IV Epiphanes decided to unify his emperor under Greek culture.

Antiochus intervened in a civil war between Hellenizing Jews (those who favored adopting Greek culture) and traditional Jews, who favored the obedience to the law of God. He outlawed Judaism and enforced it with a severe persecution. He executed women who allowed their sons to be circumcised, forced Jews to sacrifice to Greek gods and participate in their festivals and forced the eating of unclean foods. The last straw for Jews, however, is when he erected an altar to Zeus in the Holy of Holies in the temple, sacrificed pigs to it and brought temple prostitution into it.

The Jews rebelled under the direction of the priest Matthias and his sons, Judas and Simon. They became known by the nickname Maccabees (“hammer”) and the story of the war of independence they fought is told in the apocryphal books of 1 and 2 Maccabees. The feast of Hanukkah celebrates the re-dedication of the temple after it had been cleansed of the pagan altars and sacrifices by the Maccabees.

For one hundred years, more or less, the Jews ruled themselves under the descendants of Matthias, known as the Hasmoneans. They gained neighboring territories, including the Galilee. Jews from Judea, including towns like Bethlehem, resettled these areas. Likely, the great-grandparents and grandparents of Mary and Joseph were among them.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Preparation for the Gospel: Alexander the Great

Encore Post: Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia, one of the greatest generals in history, reigned in Macedonia and Greece beginning in 336 B.C. and reigned until 323 B.C. He conquered Greece, Persia, Egypt and Palestine. As a student of Aristotle, he had a vision of extending Greek language and culture throughout his lands and merge the peoples of his empire into a unified nation. At his death, the vision of a single empire died, but three large kingdoms, ruled by his generals and their heirs, emerged and established Greek culture throughout the Western world.

In 277 B.C., after years of civil war, the empire settled into three hereditary kingdoms: one under Ptolemy in Egypt, Macedonia and Greece under Antigonus II and the Seleucid empire of Syria, Palestine and Asia. These kingdoms shared the same language, Koine (Common) Greek, the same culture, philosophy, love of learning, sports, etc. Even the up-and-coming Roman Republic, which came early to absorb Greek colonies in southern Italy, came to appreciate much of Greek culture and to use common Greek to communicate with other nations.

God used Alexander and the Greeks, then, to prepare the way for the birth of his Son. Jesus may have taught in Greek and communicate in Greek. The New Testament was written in that language, used the Greek translation of the Old Testament when it quoted Scripture, and Paul used that language and its common culture to share the Good News of salvation in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Because of this common culture, the disciples of Jesus would establish the church in the whole Roman World inside of one generation.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Preparation for the Gospel: Judaism

Encore Post: When the Babylonians conquered Judah, destroyed the temple and the walls of Jerusalem, and carried off most of her people into exile, the people had a crisis of faith. How could they worship God without a temple where they could sacrifice? How could they relate to him at all? God sent prophets to help them work all this out. The result was the birth of a brand new religion — Judaism. A religion is a series of customs, duties, practices and rites that people do to serve their god or gods. It is a culture, really. God used Judaism as a place where true faith in him could be planted, nurtured and grow, even when there was no temple, sacrificial system and functioning priesthood to support it.

Judaism — especially the party of the Pharisees — was built on a devotion to the Torah. They read it, taught it and even vowed to practice traditions that kept them from ever violating the commandments it teaches. To prevent accidental violation of a particular commandment, the Rabbis taught you should follow a tradition stricter than the Law requires. So, for example, to avoid taking the name of the Lord in vain, they did not pronounce the name of God at all, but said Adonai — my Lord — instead. This practice is called “building a hedge around the Torah.”

During the exile, wherever ten men were available to worship (called a minyan), Jews would gather to pray on the Sabbath. These congregations became known by the Greek word “Synagogue” (“coming together”). When they built houses of prayer, these buildings became known as synagogues. By New Testament times, the worship service settled into a pattern of saying the Shema (“Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one”), prayer, readings from the Torah and the prophets, a sermon and a benediction.

When Cyrus the Great ended the exile, not all Jews returned home. Some stayed in Babylon and Persia, others moved to Greece, Rome and other parts of the world. The Synagogue went with them, along with other aspects of Judaism. In these events, God prepared the world for the ministry of Jesus, the apostles, and especially the Apostle Paul.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

The Real Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra

Encore Post: Christmas in America doesn’t seem possible without Santa Claus. In an image first drawn by Thomas Nast for Harper’s Weekly in 1863 and shaped to his current form by Haddon Sundblum for a Coca-Cola advertising campaign, the jolly Saint Nick is said to live at the North Pole, making toys for children to give on Christmas Eve. Our Santa’s legend has grown from the Dutch form of the Father Christmas story, where candies were distributed on December 6. Through poems, songs, and TV specials, the story continues to change each year. Many Americans tell their children that Christmas gifts come from him.

Yet the image did begin with the story of a real St. Nicholas, a Greek Bishop who cared for God’s people during the most intense persecution of the Church prior to the 20th Century. Nicholas was born to wealthy Christian parents who died during his early manhood. Nicholas followed his uncle into the priesthood and was chosen Bishop of Myra, a town in what is now Turkey. His legend says he gave away his parents’ wealth to the poor, but since he was a humble man, did so secretly. One story tells of a father who lost his wealth during a tragedy. Unable to afford a dowry for his three daughters, he feared he would have to sell them as slaves or hire them as prostitutes. Upon hearing the story, Bishop Nicholas resolved to help. At night for two successive nights, he slipped a bag of gold through their girl’s window. In the morning, the father was greatly thankful to his mystery patron. So he watched on the third night for the donor to appear. Unmasking Nicholas, he was begged by the saint, apparently unsuccessfully, to keep his generosity a secret. The girls, now with generous dowries each, were married successfully and saved a depressing fate. From this story developed the Dutch legend of Sinterklaas, who is said to give children gifts on December 6. This story came across the Atlantic during the colonization of New Amsterdam (New York).

During the Great Persecution of Emperor Diocletian of Rome, Nicholas was thrown into prison and tortured in an attempt to get him to renounce his faith. Remaining faithful to Christ, he was released by Emperor Constantine the Great. One legend places Bishop Nicholas at the Council of Nicea, where he is said to have slapped Arius the heretic and to have temporarily lost his office for the incident. Restored to office, he stood up for his people, battled idolatry and heresy and intervened with authorities from time to time to protect his flock and the poor in general.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Kindle and Print Copies of Post Series

Dear Friends,

Over the past month, I’ve received feedback that readers would love to have all the posts in a particular series all in one file for future reference. At the urging of my sons, I’ve experimented with producing Kindle and print booklet form through Amazon’s publishing service.

I’ve created a Kindle Book of my Preparation for the Gospel series, which will run on the blog this month. Ironically, it is too short to offer as a booklet, so I will have to say more in it to flesh it out. (Imagine telling a pastor to talk more!) I will price these inexpensively, mostly covering cost, but truth in advertizing, I’ll make a little money with each one bought.

To follow how I’m doing on this, my Amazon Author page is:

Amazon.com: Robert E. Smith: books, biography, latest update

If you like this idea, please leave a comment.

In the peace of God in man made manifest,

Pastor Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Publisher of blog What Does This Mean?

Stir up Your Power, O Lord, and Come!

Encore Post: Great forest fires, earthquakes, hurricanes and floods are all over our news. Acts of unspeakable evil and cruelty occur on almost a weekly basis. A nation routinely kills babies in the womb, celebrates immorality and lectures the church when it doesn’t join them. All the signs of the end of days fill our T.V.s, cell phones and computer screens. It makes you just want to scream, “Tear open the heavens and get down here, Lord, and do something about it! What are you waiting for? (See Isaiah 64)

To most of the world’s religions, the high god who made the world is a distant god, who made the world and tired of it, going away to leave it to lesser gods and our own devices. We are left alone to deal with the mess that is our world and our part in making it worse. Even more modern thinkers, like the Deists, thought of God as a great watchmaker, who made the world capable of running itself, wound it up and walked away. Pop songs muse: “God is watching us… from a distance” and “The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost, they caught the last train for the coast, the day the music died.” We just have to cope, they advise.

Advent breaks into that mood and reminds us that is not true at all. The God who made the world and called it “very good” intends to do something about it. He promised to come himself, in the person of his Son, born of a woman, to become one of us. It reminds us that he kept that promise and to prepare to celebrate that coming, receive him as he comes to us each day and how he will finally come to set things right.

The season of Advent developed over the centuries to do just that. Like Lent prepared the church to celebrate Easter, Advent would come to celebrate Christmas. For some, it was also a season of repentance, as a deliberate counter to the wild and immoral way pagans celebrate their December holidays. So in many places, Advent’s color is purple or black, the Gloria is not sung and people fast. For others, it is a season of hope, with the color being blue and carols sung to anticipate Christmas.

Either way, the church cries out: “Stir up your power, O Lord, and come!” Come as you did, born to die that we might live. Come with your grace and live among us. Come and bring us all home to be with you. Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Thanks for Nothing

Encore Post: Giving thanks does not come naturally to sinful human beings. It is a learned trait. In the etiquette of traditional American culture, children are constantly reminded to say “please” and “thank you.” Part of the training which goes into professional life, since it is not a feature of working-class culture, is always to respond to a gift with a hand-written “thank you” note. It is a part of every successful fund-raising campaign. It functions to let the giver know you received the gift, that it was appreciated, and to give an opportunity to let the giver know what use their donation is going to support. Even self-centered individuals soon learn that if you take this step, you are likely to receive another gift from the patron.

The Holy Scriptures are filled with thanksgiving to God for his mercies. They are part and parcel of the praise we give to him for his love towards us. God’s Word encourages us to thank him, exhorts us to thank him and gives endless examples of how to do it. By the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry, it was a part of the liturgy of God’s people. The constant refrain throughout is familiar to every Christian: “give thanks to the Lord, for he is good and his mercy endures forever.” Nearly every prayer began with “Blessed are you, O Lord, our God…”

Yet sinful human beings very quickly forget that all they have has been given to them. Very quickly, a blessing becomes something they are owed rather than something given them, which will eventually be taken away. We enter this world without everything and will leave this life with nothing. All depends upon others and ultimately on God. Thanksgiving reminds us of this positively and helps us to appreciate everything as a gift, not a right. It encourages us to hold our possessions, loose it our hands, to enjoy them while they last and be ready to give them when another needs them.

It would not be unjust for God to withdraw all our gifts since we are ungrateful, self-serving creatures, curved in on ourselves to the exclusion of God and others. Yet he loves us and is not willing that we perish. So he sends sends sunlight and rain, seasons and all needed for our crops and other foods to grow, even without thanks or prayer. And most of all, in the person of his Son, he became one of us, took our ungratefulness and all other sins upon himself, died to pay their full price and earned for us the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. These he gives to us fully, along with the faith to receive them and give him thanks. So it is that we urge each other to give thanks to the Lord, for he is good and his mercy lasts forever.

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana