{"id":3603,"date":"2019-12-24T06:06:12","date_gmt":"2019-12-24T06:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/?p=3603"},"modified":"2021-12-24T18:22:42","modified_gmt":"2021-12-24T18:22:42","slug":"christmas-still-celebrating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas: Still Celebrating"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Christmas_window\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20190916ff\/20191213-800px-The_Bay_Christmas_Window_2007-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Allen McGregor's photo of a window display, Bay department store, Downtown Toronto, Ontario. (24 November 24, 2007) via Wikimedia Commons, used w\/o permission.\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Christmas comes but once a year. It&#8217;s a time for exchanging gifts, family get-togethers and awkward office parties.<\/p>\n<p>December is a time for joyous preparation, frazzled shopping and holiday-themed music. It&#8217;s &#8220;Santa&#8217;s big scene.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Children see their first Christmas window display. Parents remember when the windows seemed higher and displays more dazzling.<\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"seasonal\"><\/a>Seasonal traditions<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/#its\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20190916ff\/20191219-Chaos_Monster_and_Sun_God-trim-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Faucher-Gudin's drawing, hand-enhancing a damaged bas-relief found in Nineveh.\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Some of our Christmas traditions are new, some are anything but. We&#8217;ve lost track of when and where some started.<\/p>\n<p>Some, like holly and mistletoe, almost certainly predate Europe&#8217;s Christianization.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m pretty sure celebrating Christmas near the winter solstice has even older roots.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/#attitudes\">Attitudes and Questions<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/#joy\">Joy? No Problem<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/#why\">Why December 25th?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/#its\">It&#8217;s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Zagmuk<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/#merry\">Merry Zagmuk?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/#ashurbanipal\">Ashurbanipal, Assyria and Epic Sibling Rivalry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/#library\">The Library of Ashurbanipal<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/#enuma\">En\u00fbma Eli\u0161, the Epic of Gilgamesh and Assumptions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/#truth\">&#8220;Truth Cannot Contradict Truth&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/#celebrating\">Celebrating Hope and Light<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/#light\">A Light for Revelation to the Gentiles<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/#light\">The Light Still Shines<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<h3><a name=\"attitudes\"><\/a>Attitudes and Questions<\/h3>\n<h4><a name=\"joy\"><\/a>Joy? No Problem<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.deviantart.com\/norski\/art\/Channel-Surfing-With-The-Lemming-2013-497194668\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20171117ff\/ChannelSurfingWithTheLemming-2013-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>I&#8217;m no fan of maxed-out credit cards and vapid holiday specials.<\/p>\n<p>But on the whole, I like the glitz and glitter. In moderation.<\/p>\n<p>Not everyone feels that way. For some, Christmas is the season for deploring.<\/p>\n<p>Traditional targets include rampant commercialism and Christmas specials.<\/p>\n<p>I see echoes of America&#8217;s Puritan past in &#8220;rampant commercialism&#8221; rants, and that&#8217;s another topic. (<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/spiritualism-attitudes\/#by\">June 1, 2018<\/a>)<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;The Obferation of Christmas having been deemed a Sacrilege, the exchanging of Gifts and Greetings, dreffing in Fine Clothing, Feafting and similar Satanical Practices are hereby FORBIDDEN&#8221;<br \/>\n(Public notice deeming Christmas illegal, Boston (1659))<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>New England Puritans apparently saw Christmas celebrations as unbiblical, pagan, idolatrous and Catholic.<\/p>\n<p>They had a point. Sort of. I know of no Biblical reference to holly, mistletoe or Yule logs.<\/p>\n<p>And Catholics do have a long history of commemorating our Lord&#8217;s birth by celebrating.<\/p>\n<p>I don&#8217;t see a problem with acting as if the Messiah&#8217;s birth was a joyful occasion. I&#8217;m also not bothered by holiday traditions with roots in pre-Christian Europe. Or troubled that a Holy Day of Obligation falls so close to the winter solstice.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/#1\">1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Oddly enough, Puritans didn&#8217;t seem to mind that December 25 \u2014 or thereabouts \u2014 is Christmas Day. And has been since Roman times.<\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"why\"><\/a>Why December 25th?<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Roman_calendar\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20190916ff\/20191222-669px-Fasti_Praenestini_Massimo_n1-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Why we celebrate Christmas on the 25th day of the 12th month day depends on who&#8217;s talking.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe it&#8217;s because Christians hijacked Emperor Aurelian&#8217;s Sol Invictus festival.<\/p>\n<p>Sol Invictus was Rome&#8217;s Sol, a sun god. Or maybe Elagabal, a Syrian import. Or something else.<\/p>\n<p>Sextus Julius Africanus said Christmas is December 25th because Jesus of Nazareth was conceived on March 25th.<\/p>\n<p>The current Western calendar started back when Rome had kings. Somewhere along the line, December \u2014 the 10th month \u2014 became the 12th month. Probably.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s what the Romans said. But their accounts don&#8217;t quite add up, and records got lost. Including Licinius Macer&#8217;s history.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/#2\">2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>If that&#8217;s not enough to give the jittery demographic conniptions, here&#8217;s a winter solstice celebration, Mesopotamian style.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><a name=\"its\"><\/a>It&#8217;s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Zagmuk<\/h3>\n<h4><a name=\"merry\"><\/a>Merry Zagmuk?<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/En%C3%BBma_Eli%C5%A1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20190916ff\/20191219-Chaos_Monster_and_Sun_God-trim-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Faucher-Gudin's drawing, hand-enhancing a damaged bas-relief found in Nineveh. From 'Monuments of Nineveh, Second Series' plate 5, London, J. Murray (1853) It showed either a chaos monster and sun god, Tiamat and Markduk, Anzu and Ninurta, some monster and a king, or something else.\"><\/a><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">(From L. Gruner, via Wikimedia Commons, used w\/o permission.)<\/span><br \/>\n(Bas relief from Nineveh: sun god attacking chaos monster.)<\/p>\n<p>Backing up a little, Sargon of Akkad ruthlessly crushed the sovereign rights of Sumerian city-states. Or brought them a measure of peace and stability. Again, it would depend on who&#8217;s talking.<\/p>\n<p>His Akkadian Empire lasted a couple centuries, and started a cycle that&#8217;s lasted four millennia. I think we may be developing a viable alternative to the empire-collapse-rebuild tradition, and that&#8217;s yet another topic. (<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/peace-optional\/#many\">December 24, 2018<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Babylon was a small town on the Euphrates during the Akkadian Empire&#8217;s heyday. It endured the Gutian dynasty of Sumer and what we call the 4.2 kiloyear event. Babylon grew, occasionally prospered and is currently an archaeological site south of Baghdad.<\/p>\n<p>Where was I? Christmas specials, Puritans, Elagabal, Sargon of Akkad and Babylon. Right.<\/p>\n<p>Folks living in Mesopotamia&#8217;s &#8216;good old days&#8217; celebrated Zagmuk this time of year.<\/p>\n<p>In Babylon, the festivities include a reenactment of Marduk&#8217;s 12-day battle with Chaos. The king played Marduk&#8217;s part, winning each year.<\/p>\n<p>That, and what we euphemistically call a sacred marriage, sounds like fun for the king. Getting killed after the 12 days, so he could battle at Marduk&#8217;s side? Not so much. I gather that the king often had a stand-in for the 12 days of Zagmuk.<\/p>\n<p>Zagmuk sounds a lot like Christmas: a mid-winter festival celebrating light and life&#8217;s triumph over chaos \u2014 and, arguably, evil \u2014 lasting 12 days.<\/p>\n<p>What we know about Zagmuk comes partly from documents like En\u00fbma Eli\u0161. Copies of En\u00fbma Eli\u0161, more precisely.<\/p>\n<p>The original text was probably written around Hammurabi&#8217;s day, give or take a few centuries. A particularly famous copy of En\u00fbma Eli\u0161 was found in a royal library built a thousand years after Hammurabi enacted his law code.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/#3\">3<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"ashurbanipal\"><\/a>Ashurbanipal, Assyria and Epic Sibling Rivalry<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nimrud#Early_history\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20190916ff\/20191222-800px-The_Palaces_at_Nimrud_Restored-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"><\/a><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">(From Austen Henry Layard, James Fergusson; via Wikimedia Commons, used w\/o permission.)<\/span><br \/>\n(Austen Henry Layard and James Fergusson&#8217;s &#8220;The Palaces at Nimrud Restored.&#8221; (1853))<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/early-agriculture-new-tech\/#over\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20190916ff\/20151218-800px-Map_of_Assyria-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Ashurbanipal ruled the world&#8217;s largest empire, Assyria, from the world&#8217;s largest city, Nineveh.<\/p>\n<p>He and his older brother, Shamash-shum-ukin, jointly inherited the Assyrian throne.<\/p>\n<p>Before long, Ashurbanipal was running Assyria. His brother was king of Babylon.<\/p>\n<p>Ashurbanipal? Shamash-shum-ukin? Don&#8217;t bother trying to remember these names. There won&#8217;t be a test on this.<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, being a king of Babylon meant playing second fiddle to the Assyrian empire&#8217;s ruler. The one we call the Neo-Assyrian Empire.<\/p>\n<p>Shamash-shum-ukin&#8217;s dissatisfaction started a three-year civil war.<\/p>\n<p>He&#8217;d assembled an impressive coalition of anti-Assyria rulers, including Elamites. When the dust settled, Ashurbanipal was still running Assyria, Shamash-shum-ukin was dead and Elam was an unpopulated wasteland.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/peace-optional\/#many\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20171019ff\/20171107-800px-Memorial_service_at_the_Urakami_Roman_Cathoric_Cathedral-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>If Ashurbanipal had lived today, he&#8217;d probably have faced charges of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.<\/p>\n<p>But the International Criminal Court was 26\u00bd centuries in his future.<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;re learning, slowly, to see foreigners as neighbors. And that war is far from an ideal method for resolving conflicts. (<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/world-day-peace\/\">January 1, 2019<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Ashurbanipal wasn&#8217;t just a hard-nosed military commander who knew the value of a reputation for cruelty.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/#4\">4<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"library\"><\/a>The Library of Ashurbanipal<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/de.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bibliothek_des_A%C5%A1%C5%A1urbanipal\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/201508ff\/20151219-410px-Library_of_Ashurbanipal_synonym_list_tablet-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>While an apprentice scribe, Ashurbanipal mastered Akkadian and Sumerian.<\/p>\n<p>As a ruler, he sent scribes throughout his empire, looking for ancient texts. &#8220;Ancient&#8221; from his viewpoint.<\/p>\n<p>Collecting them was probably facilitated by his reputation for cruelty above and beyond his era&#8217;s norm.<\/p>\n<p>The Library of Ashurbanipal was the world&#8217;s first systematically organized library. First that we know of, that is.<\/p>\n<p>I gather that Ashurbanipal saw the library as his greatest accomplishment.<\/p>\n<p>I think he may have been right.<\/p>\n<p>About 19 years after Ashurbanipal died, a coalition of Babylonians, Scythians and Medes reached Nineveh and torched the palace.<\/p>\n<p>Including the library. Or, maybe, libraries. The anti-Assyria forces were very thorough.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, some scholars say the Library of Ashurbanipal was in use in Alexander the Great&#8217;s day. Maybe someone extracted part of the collection before or during the fire.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m assuming that the anti-Assyrians incinerated the palace, library or libraries included.<\/p>\n<p>The fire obliterated anything written on wood, wax, leather or papyri. But the intense heat partly baked the library&#8217;s clay tables. That may have helped preserve them.<\/p>\n<p>Centuries and millennia passed. Empires rose and fell. Then, about a century and a half back, someone found what was left of the Library of Ashurbanipal.<\/p>\n<p>Fitting bits of broken clay tablets together took time. So did translating them.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/#5\">5<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"enuma\"><\/a>En\u00fbma Eli\u0161, the Epic of Gilgamesh and Assumptions<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/first-americans\/#dragon\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20130220ff\/20141118-Frontpiece-SeaDragons-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>En\u00fbma Eli\u0161 and the Epic of Gilgamesh may be the best-known documents from the Library of Ashurbanipal.<\/p>\n<p>I suspect that the documents upset many 19th century folks.<\/p>\n<p>The era was a bit like ours. Some Europeans and Euro-Americans were studying this world&#8217;s processes and evidence we&#8217;ve left as millennia passed.<\/p>\n<p>What they learned didn&#8217;t always match their culture&#8217;s &#8220;Biblical&#8221; assumptions.<\/p>\n<p>I suspect that politics fuels zealots on all sides of the ongoing science-religion-evolution-education brouhaha. (<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/firestorm-comet\/#beetles\">February 9, 2018<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/an-ichthyosaur-tale\/#creationists\">September 22, 2017<\/a>)<\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"truth\"><\/a>&#8220;Truth Cannot Contradict Truth&#8221;<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/faith-the-universe-and-wisdom\/#reading\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20130220ff\/Gutenberg_Bible_Lenox_Copy_New_York_Public_Library_2009_Pic_01-detail329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Scholars had known about ancient parallels to the Bible&#8217;s creation and flood stories. But the extra-Biblical parallels often postdated their Biblical equivalent.<\/p>\n<p>En\u00fbma Eli\u0161 and the Epic of Gilgamesh&#8217;s creation stories and flood myth looked like their Biblical counterparts.<\/p>\n<p>And were probably written before Hebrews finalized Genesis. Worse, from one viewpoint, it looked like they were likely based on even older documents.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/#6\">6<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Brooding because the Bible wasn&#8217;t the source of ancient stories was definitely an option. So was accepting what we&#8217;ve been learning, and thinking.<\/p>\n<p>I think Pope Leo XIII was right.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;&#8230;God, the Creator and Ruler of all things, is also the Author of the Scriptures &#8211; and that therefore nothing can be proved either by physical science or archaeology which can really contradict the Scriptures. &#8230; Even if the difficulty is after all not cleared up and the discrepancy seems to remain, the contest must not be abandoned; truth cannot contradict truth&#8230;&#8221;<br \/>\n(&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20140826ff-Documents\/Leo-XIII-ProvidentissimusDeus.pdf\">Providentissimus Deus<\/a>,&#8221; Pope Leo XIII (November 18, 1893))<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<hr>\n<h3><a name=\"celebrating\"><\/a>Celebrating Hope and Light<\/h3>\n<h4><a name=\"light\"><\/a>A Light for Revelation to the Gentiles<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/peace-optional\/#paying\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20181127ff\/20181215-nasa-127a0959-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>I figure winter solstice celebrations are so common in non-equatorial cultures because it&#8217;s when the sun starts returning.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/#7\">7<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a time to celebrate the visible hope that light and life will go on, that winter won&#8217;t last forever.<\/p>\n<p>And for two millennia, it&#8217;s been a time to celebrate &#8220;good news of great joy:&#8221; the moment in history when &#8220;a light for revelation to the Gentiles&#8221; was born.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;The angel said to them, &#8216;Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.<br \/>\n&#8220;For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord&#8230;.'&#8221;<br \/>\n(<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/2#50002010\">Luke 2:10<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&#8216;Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word,<br \/>\n&#8220;for my eyes have seen your salvation,<br \/>\n&#8220;which you prepared in sight of all the peoples,<br \/>\n&#8220;light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.'&#8221;<br \/>\n(<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/2#50002029\">Luke 2: 29<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/2#50002032\">32<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><a name=\"light2\"><\/a>The Light Still Shines<\/h4>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/201508ff\/20151225-800px-04649_Nativity_scene_at_the_Christ_the_King_Church_in_Sanok%2C_2010-658.JPG?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">(From Silar, Wikimedia Commons, used w\/o permission.)<\/span><br \/>\n(Nativity scene at the Christ the King Church in <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sanok\">Sanok<\/a>, Poland, 2010.)<\/p>\n<p>You know what happened after the angel told shepherds to &#8220;not be afraid&#8230;.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>They hightailed it to Bethlehem, found the promised Messiah in a feeding trough, with his mother, father and livestock. (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/2#50002015\">Luke 2:15<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/2#50002020\">20<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Make that foster-father. I&#8217;ve talked about Joseph, Mary and their awkward circumstances before. (<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/gabriel-joseph-and-mary\/\">December 18, 2016<\/a>)<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.<br \/>\n&#8220;He was in the beginning with God.&#8221;<br \/>\n&#8220;the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.&#8221;<br \/>\n&#8220;And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father&#8217;s only Son, full of grace and truth.&#8221;<br \/>\n(<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/john\/1#51001001\">John 1:1<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/john\/1#51001002\">2<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/john\/1#51001005\">5<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/john\/1#51001014\">14<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Reactions to our Lord&#8217;s arrival was mixed.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/life-death-and-choices\/#rachel\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/201508ff\/20160102Adam_Elsheimer_-_Die_Flucht_nach_Agypten_Alte_Pinakothek_2-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>The shepherds and Magi saw our Lord&#8217;s arrival as good news.<\/p>\n<p>Herod saw a threat, which is why Joseph, Mary and Jesus took off for Egypt and stayed there until Herod died.<\/p>\n<p>Jesus grew up, worked miracles, made sense: and reactions were mixed again.<\/p>\n<p>The Pharisees and Sadducees didn&#8217;t agree on much, but they both saw Jesus as a threat. Grass roots sentiment turned from making our Lord&#8217;s arrival in Jerusalem into a parade to shouting &#8220;Crucify him!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Which is what happened.<\/p>\n<p>A few days later, Jesus stopped being dead. We&#8217;re still celebrating, two millennia later. And that&#8217;s yet again another topic.<\/p>\n<p>Christmas and Advent posts:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/advent-luke-and-good-advice\/\">Advent, Luke, and Good Advice<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(December 7, 2018)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/do-not-be-afraid\/\">&#8216;Do Not be Afraid&#8217;<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\nGuest post (January 7, 2018)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/celebrating-ever-since\/\">Celebrating Ever Since<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(December 25, 2017)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/bah-humbug\/\">Bah! Humbug?<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(December 24, 2017)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/good-news-of-great-joy\/\">&#8216;Good News of Great Joy&#8217;<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(December 25, 2016)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<p><sup><a name=\"1\"><\/a>1<\/sup> Christmassy traditions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Christmas_in_Puritan_New_England\">Christmas in Puritan New England<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Christmas_controversies\">Christmas controversies<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Christmas_controversies#Puritan_era\">Puritan era<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Winter_solstice\">Winter solstice<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Yule_log\">Yule log<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.azlyrics.com\/lyrics\/bingcrosby\/silverbells.html\">Sliver Bells<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\nBing Crosby Lyrics, AZLyrics<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Holy Days of Obligation?<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>HOLY DAYS OF OBLIGATION:<\/strong> Principle feast days on which, in addition to Sundays, Catholics are obliged by Church law to participate in the Eucharist; a precept of the Church. (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s1c3a3.htm#2043\">2043<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s2c1a3.htm#2180\">2180<\/a>)<br \/>\n(Catechism of the Catholic Church, <a href=\"http:\/\/ccc.usccb.org\/flipbooks\/catechism\/index.html#882\/\">Glossary<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><sup><a name=\"2\"><\/a>2<\/sup> A matter of time:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Christmas_controversies\">Christmas controversies<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Christmas_controversies#Date\">Date<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/History_of_Rome\">History of Rome<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Roman_calendar\">Roman calendar<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><sup><a name=\"3\"><\/a>3<\/sup> Four millennia, briefly:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Akkadian_Empire\">Akkadian Empire<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Babylon\">Babylon<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hammurabi\">Hammurabi<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sargon_of_Akkad\">Sargon of Akkad<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Zagmuk\">Zagmuk<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>My take\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/peace-optional\/\">Peace: Optional<\/a>&#8221; (December 24, 2019)\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/peace-optional\/#change\">Change Happens<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/materialism-robots-and-attitudes\/\">Materialism, Robots and Attitudes<\/a>&#8221; (April 15, 2018)\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/materialism-robots-and-attitudes\/#trying\">Trying Something New<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><sup><a name=\"4\"><\/a>4<\/sup> An empire&#8217;s best years:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ashurbanipal\">Ashurbanipal<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Babylon\">Babylon<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Neo-Assyrian_Empire\">Neo-Assyrian Empire<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Shamash-shum-ukin\">Shamash-shum-ukin<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.journals.uchicago.edu\/doi\/pdfplus\/10.1086\/369931\">Babylonia as an Assyrian Dependency<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\nA. T. Olmstead, University of Illinois, Urbana (1921)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><sup><a name=\"5\"><\/a>5<\/sup> Ashurbanipal&#8217;s legacy:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Library_of_Ashurbanipal\">Library of Ashurbanipal<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nineveh\">Nineveh<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/magazine-31941827\">The men who uncovered Assyria<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\nDaniel Silas Adamson, BBC News Magazine (March 22, 2015)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><sup><a name=\"6\"><\/a>6<\/sup> History, archaeology and attitudes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Authorship_of_the_Bible\">Authorship of the Bible<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dating_the_Bible\">Dating the Bible<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nineveh\">Nineveh<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/magazine-31941827\">The men who uncovered Assyria<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\nDaniel Silas Adamson, BBC News Magazine (March 22, 2015)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/yale.imodules.com\/s\/1667\/images\/gid6\/editor_documents\/flick_readings\/heidel-enuma_elish.pdf?sessionid=78aa58eb-f0a6-4d78-be92-92e74fa74605&amp;cc=1\">The Babylonian Genesis<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\nThe Story of Creation<br \/>\nAlexander Heidel, (1942)<\/li>\n<li>My views\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/epiphany-still-shining\/\">Epiphany: Still Shining<\/a>&#8221; (January 6, 2019)\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/epiphany-still-shining\/#medieval\">Medieval Legacies<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/science-and-religion\/\">Science and Religion<\/a>&#8221; (January 12, 2018)\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/science-and-religion\/#albert\">Albert: A Busy Friar<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><sup><a name=\"7\"><\/a>7<\/sup> Winter solstice celebrations:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Brumalia\">Brumalia<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Winter_solstice\">Winter solstice<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Winter_solstice#Holidays_celebrated_on_the_winter_solstice\">Holidays celebrated on the winter solstice<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/penelope.uchicago.edu\/~grout\/encyclopaedia_romana\/calendar\/saturnalia.html\">Saturnalia<\/a><br \/>\nEncyclopaedia Roma, The University of Chicago<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Christmas comes but once a year. It&#8217;s a time for exchanging gifts, family get-togethers and awkward office parties. December is a time for joyous preparation, frazzled shopping and holiday-themed music. It&#8217;s &#8220;Santa&#8217;s big scene.&#8221; Children see their first Christmas window &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/christmas-still-celebrating\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[154],"tags":[109,27,90,69,189],"class_list":["post-3603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-discursive-detours","tag-christmas","tag-history","tag-holidays","tag-jesus","tag-knowledge"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Dwtw-W7","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3603"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3603\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5600,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3603\/revisions\/5600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}