[Magdalen] Home for the Holidays.

[Lynn Ronkainen]

interesting read...

No surprise that not much stirred in this dating endeavor until after 
Constantine put his 'stamp' on the Christian cult.  Prior to that the 
Christian movement was taking care of their own, gathering new converts and 
waiting for Jesus to return. It was not until ordered Roman influence that 
we see 'action' in establishing the legitimacy(i.e. markers of proof 
[relics], doctrine and commemorative dates) of the this growing faith 
embraced by the powerful, most historians say to keep it under control.

Lynn

website: www.ichthysdesigns.com

When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I have not a 
single bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything You gave me." 
attributed to Erma Bombeck
 "Either Freedom for all or stop talking about Freedom at all" from a talk 
by Richard Rohr

--------------------------------------------------
From: "James Oppenheimer-Crawford" <oppenheimerjw at gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2016 12:42 PM
To: "Magdalen at herberthouse.org" <magdalen at herberthouse.org>
Subject: Re: [Magdalen] Home for the Holidays.

> It is not what we have assumed -- or, in the case of some, what we [think
> we] know.
>
> For a nice read on a blustery cold evening, here's a scholarly explanation
> of how December the 25th got to be Christmas.
>
> http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/how-december-25-became-christmas/
>
>
>
> James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
> *“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
> except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy
>
> On Wed, Nov 30, 2016 at 12:30 PM, Sibyl Smirl <polycarpa3 at ckt.net> wrote:
>
>> On 11/30/16 8:52 AM, Cantor03--- via Magdalen wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> This is not an unique observation, but for some reason I've been more
>>> aware this year of the portrayal of the Christmas holiday as extremely
>>> important
>>> to families but this does not translate into even the slightest
>>> realization
>>> of the real essence of the holiday.
>>>
>>> There are a half dozen series that I follow on television and  Christmas
>>> is
>>> always featured as very important to the characters, but never is  there
>>> any idea of participating in religious observances which are the
>>> foundation
>>> of the holiday.
>>>
>>
>> Actually, I suspect the foundation of the holiday, like all the others
>> about this time, is the Winter Solstice, which is common to all Northern
>> Hemisphere humans.  We _know_ that Jesus wasn't actually born at this 
>> time,
>> from detail in the Nativity stories, but the holiday season connected to
>> people being happy at the sun returning, the days lengthening, was a
>> convenient peg to hang the celebration on.
>>
>>
>>
>> Christmas trees and decorations are prominently displayed, and there  are
>>> often subplots involving Santa Klaus.  Families fight tooth and nail  to
>>> get
>>> together for the holiday usually portrayed on Christmas Eve.
>>>
>>> I am reminded of the three medical residents assigned to my area
>>> over the Christmas holiday whom I observed having a heavy duty  argument
>>> over who would be off for the holiday.  One was Jewish, one was
>>> Moslem, and one was Hindu.
>>>
>>> Such is Christmas in North America.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> David S.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> --
>> Sibyl Smirl
>> I will take no bull from your house!  Psalms 50:9a
>> mailto:polycarpa3 at ckt.net
>>