1611 KJV Liturgical Calendar - Purification of Mary

According to the February liturgical calendar in the 1611 King James Bible, today is a red letter day. Really. The February liturgical calendar in 1611 KJV Bible has printed in red ink in the row for February 2 "Purification of Mary".

What is the Purification of Mary and why is the event a red letter day in the KJV Bible?

The Purification of Mary is found in the Bible in the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke:

And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (As it is written in the law of the LORD, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.

And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
Luke 2:22-40

Egeria, a devoutly celibate Christian women who made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the late 4th Century, wrote:

"The fortieth day after the Epiphany is undoubtedly celebrated here with the very highest honor, for on that day there is a procession, in which all take part, in the Anastasis, and all things are done in their order with the greatest joy, just as at Easter. All the priests, and after them the bishop, preach, always taking for their subject that part of the Gospel where Joseph and Mary brought the Lord into the Temple on the fortieth day, and Symeon and Anna the prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, saw Him, treating of the words which they spake when they saw the Lord, and of that offering which His parents made. And when everything that is customary has been done in order, the sacrament is celebrated, and the dismissal takes place."

At the time of Egeria, the Purification of Mary was considered a minor Christian feast. Its was in 541, that a plague killed thousands in Constantinople that the Purification of Mary took on greater importance. Justinian I, in consultation with the Patriarch of Constantinople, ordered a period of fasting and prayer throughout the entire Empire. And, on the Feast of the Purification of Mary , arranged great processions throughout the towns and villages and a solemn prayer service to ask for deliverance from evils, and the plague ceased. In thanksgiving, the feast was elevated to a more solemn celebration.

By the way, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Purification of Mary is one of the twelve Great Feasts, and is sometimes called Hypapante ("meeting"). Other traditional Christian names for the Purification of Mary include Candlemas, the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin, and the Meeting of the Lord. In some Protestant churches, the feast is known as the Naming of Jesus (though historically he would have been named on the eighth day after the Nativity, when he was circumcised).

Interestingly, its not entirely coincidental that Ground Hog Day coincides with the Purification of Mary. Ground Hog Day is not entirely secular and has it foundation in the traditions of German Protestants ("Pennsylvania Dutch"). If your Christian beliefs keep you from enjoying the antics of well known whistle-pig Punxsutawney Phil, then enjoy some crepes for dinner, the traditional French food for the Purification of Mary. Just wait until after 8 to dine.

Related Posts:
Perpetual Virginity of Mary
1611 KJV Liturgical Calendar - Feast of John

Source: Wikipedia - Presentation of Jesus at the Temple

The Annointing of King Obama

Inauguration fever is at full peak. World events have been supplanted by 24/7 coverage of all things inauguration with nothing too mundane for an exclusive vignette. The list of religious invited to pray at the many events seems to just about cover all the major American faith groups and then some.

While many Americans will watch and hear the many prayers being offered, few will likely realize the historical significance. While the Bible story of Saul annointing Samuel tells us that the Judeo-Christian practice of annointing rulers is over 2,500 years old, the Western tradition dates only from Pepin in about 749. Pepin sought the approval of Pope Zachary for Pepin's overthrow of Childeric III.

Better known is the coronation of Charlemagne by Pope Leo III on Christmas Evening, 800, and made famous in the fresco by painter Raphael. The coronation solidified Charlemagne as the most powerful leader of Western Europe.

In more modern times, we have the example of Napoleon. Napoleon brought Pope Pius VII to Paris for his coronation as Emperor of the French. Napoleon took the crown from the hands of the pope, crowned himself and then crowned his empress.

While the tradition of inaugural prayers dates only from 1937 and the inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the tradition of Presidents presenting themselves to the Pope dates from Woodrow Wilson in 1920. In the past 89 years, American presidents have visited or been visited by the Pope 25 times. As the world recognized head of the Western Christian Church, these Papal vists serve as a modern annointing that legitimizes the authority of the President. It will be interesting to see if Obama continues the tradition and the timing of the visit (early-, mid-, or late-term).

So, the American inaugural ceremony is actually a remnant of the old coronation ceremony and the long list of American religious participating in the inauguration of Obama constitutes the annointing of the king and solidifies his authority and legitimacy.

God save the king!

Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?
1 Samuel 10:1

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Source: The Legitimization of Authrority Divine and Human

1611 KJV Liturgical Calendar - Feast of Silvester

Continuing our series of posts on the 12 Days of Christmas, we took yet another glance at the 1611 King James Bible's liturgical calendar where it notes December 31st as "Siluefter bith." It took us a bit to discover that the 400 yeard-old English was conveying that on December 31st, Christians commemorate Silvester.

While my generation of American Christians associates Silvester with a certain "puddy tat" in constant stalk of a yellow tweety bird, Silvester was in actuality a Christian in Rome during the 3rd Century. According to Christian tradition, Silvester died on December 31st.

There are many legends concerning Silvester. The most common legend is that Silvester baptized Constantine.

Interestingly, in Germany, the historic seat of the Reformation and Martin Luther, New Years Eve is still referred to as Silvester-Nacht (Silvester-Night) in honor of Silvester. In Austria, New Year’s Eve is called Sylvesterabend, Eve of Saint Sylvester.

An article in the January 1, 1872, edition of the New York Times notes that German churches in New York were filled with church-going Germans on New Year's Eve. In Life Among the Germans, published in 1887, Emma Louise Parry writes of Berliners; "Then the people drink chocolate and eat Berliner Pfannenkuchen. Then they go to church for the beautiful liturgical service;..."

Related Posts:
1611 KJV Liturgical Calendar - Feast of the Innocents
1611 KJV Liturgical Calendar - Feast of John
1611 KJV Liturgical Calendar - Feast of Stephen


Source: SYLVESTER ABEND.; New-Year's Eve Among the Germans.

1611 KJV Liturgical Calendar - Feast of the Innocents

Another peek at the 1611 KJV Bible's liturgical calendar for December, informs us that December 28th is the feast of the Innocents. The Innocents are the children slain by Herod as told in the Gospel of Matthew.

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, in Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
Matthew 2:16-17

There is some arguement among historians as to whether the event took place as described. The Jewish historian Josephus fails to mention the "massacre" in his history. Matthew records the events ocuring in and around rural Bethlehem, which was a small town. Some historians point out that only about 6-20 boys may have been victims and thus the event was not significant enough for inclusion in Josephus' history.

Other historians feel the murdered boys may have been Herod's children. Josephus records Herod's execution of two of his sons by his wife Mariamne because he believed they posed a threat. (The Jewish War (I.535–7) and Jewish Antiquities (16.121–7, 356).

Nonetheless, surviving historical documents from the 4th Century clearly indicate that early Christians did commemorate the event of Matthew 2. Prior to the 4th Century, the rememberance of the Innocents is thought to have been part of Epiphany.

Like the earlier feast days listed in the 1611 KJV Bible, the commemoration of the Innocents varies by church. Both the West Syrians (Syriac Orthodox Church, Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, and Maronite Church) and East Syrians (Chaldeans and Syro-Malabar Catholic Church) observe the feast of the Innocents on December 27th. Western Christians (Latin Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans) observe the feast on December 28th. The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates the feast on December 29th.

In England, the feast of the Innocants was known as Childermas. A Childermas tradition was allowing the children to be in charge for one day. In monastaries and convents, the youngest monk or nun would become abbott or abbess for the day.

The Coventry Carol was written in England in the 1500's and the carol commemorates the death of the Innocents by Herod. Check your Christmas music collection. Today would be a good day to play and listen to Coventry Carol.

Related Posts:
1611 KJV Liturgical Calendar - Feast of John
1611 KJV Liturgical Calendar - Feast of Stephen
12 Days of Christmas Myth


Source: Traditional Festivals

1611 KJV Liturgical Calendar - Feast of John

The liturgical calendar in the 1611 King James Bible marks December 27th as the feast of John. In an interesting twist, the Greek Orthodox Church commemorate Stephen on December 27 and John on December 26, just the oppposite of Western Christians. Yet, the earliest Syrian martyrology, dating from 411 AD in Edessa, records December 27 as commemorating John.

John, the beloved disciple of Jesus and caretaker of Mary, is honored with a spot on the KJV liturgical calendar not for his evangelism, but for his virginity. It seems that early Christians not only held that Mary was a perpetual virgin, but also John the Apostle. Augustine of Kent (ca. 604 AD) says, "to a virgin was the Virgin intrusted." The fragmets of Hyppolytus (ca. 980 AD) refer to John as "the virgin and the evangelist." Martin Luther Luther in a sermon of 1527 on December 27 spoke to John's virginity.

One modern author writes:

"Our Lord wishes the children to learn from St. John that they must retain an innocence and purity of life similar to that of His beloved disciple in order to enter the kingdom of heaven."

There is great disagreement among the early Christians concerning the martyrdom of John. Long story made short, John was thrown into boiling oil by Domitian and thus is a martyr. However, God protected John from harm and John resided in Ephesus for an extended time after, and thus is not a martyr. Alan Culpper in his book John, the Son of Zebedee notes that both accounts are legendary and therefore neither may be correct.

Interestingly, the Gospel of John, which is the fourth in our modern cannon of scripture, was not initially considered inspired or apostolic and it was not until about 200 AD that the Gospel of John began becoming accepted among early Christians. The earliest 2nd Century writers (Clement, Ignatius, Irenaeus, etc.) neither mention the fourth gospel nor quote from it. The acceptance of the fourth gospel started among the Gnostics, Montanists, and Orthodox Christians. If you'd like to know more about John, the entire book John, the Son of Zebedee is available online at Google Books.

Finally, in researching John, we discovered a very moving old world custom that perhaps some of you might like to adopt:

"A beautiful custom is some old countries is the drinking of 'St. John's love' on that day. Wine, blessed with a special blessing and prayers, is served in the home before the main meal: the father lifts the cup towards the mother. 'I drink you the love of Saint John'; she having answered: 'I thank you for the love of Saint John,' drinks to the eldest child and so on including guests and servants."
[True Christmas Spirit, by Edward J. Sutfin]

To our beloved CAS readership, we drink you the love of Saint John.


Related Posts:
1611 KJV Liturgical Calendar - Feast of Stephen

Source: John, the Son of Zebedee

1611 KJV Liturgical Calendar - Feast of Stephen

According to the online 1611 King James Bible, today is the feast of Stephen. You may have heard the feast of Stephen mentioned in the Christmas carol Good King Wenceslas.

"Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of Stephen"

Thus, Good King Wenceslas (Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia, 907-935 AD) looked out on December 26th. But who was Stephen and why do present day Christians remember Stephen and continue to name our children after him?

Stephen was the first Christian martyr.

In Acts 6 we read that there was a "murmuring" among Greek Christians against Hebrew Christians concerning the care of widows. The Apostles chose Stephen and several others to attend to the problem.

they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.
Acts 6:5-8

Acts 6 goes to state that a dispute arose in one of the synagogues and charges were brought against Stephen:

Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.

And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.

Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.

And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council,

And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:

For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.

And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.
Acts 6:9-15

Acts 7 begins with the elders asking Stephen if the charges are true. Stephen then launches into his famous soliloquy. Stephen's soliloquy is unique due to Stephen experiencing a theophany, or vision of a deity. Just before he is to be martyred, Stephen is granted a vision of Christ:

And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
Acts 7:56

Acts 7 ends with the stoning of Stephen:

Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Acts 7:57-60

By the way, the Saul mentioned in verse 58 above,is the future missionary and epistilist Paul. Acts 8 informs us that Saul, who had not yet had his road to Damascus event, consented to the stoning of Stephen and then made such as havoc as to "scatter" the Christians abroad.

And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.

As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.

Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
Acts 8:1-4

For those inspired by the story of Stephen and wishing to name a son after him, you may like to know that "Stephen" has Greek roots and means "crown." Also Eastern Christians (Greek Orthodox, Chaldean Catholics, etc.) commemorate Stephen on December 27th.

Related Posts:
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12 Days of Christmas Myth
Baptists Don't Celebrate Christmas

Source: Acts 7 (King James Version)

Why Christmas Is December 25th

While reviewing our analytics, we discovered that a number of folks have visited seeking the true answer to "Why is Christmas on December 25th?" We also have had one visitor leave the popular, but erroneous myth of Christmas being of pagan origin as a comment.

As we stated in our reply to the misinformed commentor, It's not because "the feast of the Son of Isis (Goddess of Nature) was celebrated on December 25." While that is a happy coincidence, its not the true reason for the season. The true reason for why December 25th commemorates the birth of Jesus is because its about nine months after Easter. Nine months is the gestation period for a human, including God incarnate."

But why take our word for it? Why not read and dwell on what William J. Tighe, Associate Professor of History at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, researched and wrote for Touchstone, a Journal of Mere Christianity. In his article, Calculating Christmas, professor Tighe explains the true reason for how Christmas came to be observed by Western Christians on December 25th and by Eastern Christians on January 6th. Professor Tighe aptly explains "why" far better than we can.

By the way, for those fond of the pagan origins of Christmas myth, while the myth seems to explain why Western Christians celebrate on December 25th, the myth fails to satifactorily explain why Eastern Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus on Januray 6th. Thus the myth is true only for one date, but not both dates. If something is true for one date, but not all dates, then one does not have the truth. Its a simple, but effective test.

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12 Days of Christmas Song Myth
title


Source: Calculating Christmas

12 Days of Christmas Myth

Being close to Christmas, the ubiquitous 12 Days of Christmas urban myth is yet again making another round of the world. The basic allegation, like any good myth, has a central kernal of truth. The myth starts by citing the persecution of Catholics in old England. That much is true. The myth further claims that the song is a secret Catholic catechism due to the forementioned persecution of Catholics. This is were the fallacy occurs.

An examination of the twelve verses reveals no distinct Catholic teaching or doctrine, which is not found in any other Christian congregation. Yes, the song is doctrinely sound for Catholics, but it is also doctrinely sound for Anglicans, Lutherans and other non-Catholic Christian sects. Granted, most Oneness Pentacostals would likely take umberance with the three calling birds / Trinity allegory.

The fact that there are only twelve verses indicates the song could just as likely refer to the 12 months on the Western calendar. For example, five golden rings could easily represent May weddings.

The song is, in fact, an old English Twelth Night memorization and forfeit game which was popular several centries ago. Its a party game, not a secret catechism. That said, the underlying tune is not English, but French. As France was largely Catholic at that time, a case could be made for the song being Catholic on account of the underlying melody most likely being of French Catholic origin.

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Source: The Twelve Days of Christmas (song)

Baptists Don't Celebrate Christmas

Baptists don't celebrate Christmas, or at least they didn't for the first several hundred years of Baptist history. CAS readers may recall that in our earlier post on Advent wreaths at our local Lifeway store, that we encountered a clerk busy stocking several shelves with Christmas ornaments and cards. A Baptist from Colonial American days would be shocked to discover 21st Century Baptists not only stocking Advent supplies, but hawking Christmas decorations and openly celebrating Christmas. Why, it just wasn't done!

So it was that on our return from Lifeway, we decided to investigate just what Baptist history was in regards to Christmas. Once again, we turned to that repository of all human knowledge, Google. True to past experience, there in the digital stacks of Google Books we found several tomes from the early 19th Century documenting the Baptist history of Christmas, or rather the lack of any Christmas.

In The American Christmas By James Harwood Barnett, we found written:

"In general, Puritans, Baptists, Presbyterians, and Quakers strongly opposed the religious observance of Christmas,..."

One must remember that the English Puritans passed an Act of Parliment in 1647 banning any observance of Christmas or Easter. The Puritan fathers in New England likewise enacted a law to punish those who "kept Christmas." As historical points of reference, Jamestown, VA was settled by Anglicans in 1607, Plymouth by Puritans in 1620 and Roger Williams founds his Baptist church in Rhode Island in 1639.

Penne L. Restad, author of Christmas in America, writes the first recorded Calvinist to dabble in Christmas was the Reverand Ezra Stiles who attended Lutheran Christmas services in Newport, Rhode Island in 1769 and 1770. The first Baptist congregation to keep Christmas seems to be the Baptist Church of Newport under Mr. Kelly, according to Stiles' diary. Kelly prophesied;

"This will begin the Introduction of Christmas among the Baptist Churches,..."

Restad further details that Baptists would often mask "their 'sin' of Christmas visitation by using it as a pretext for an asthetic critiques on Roman Catholicism." The big Baptist turn towards Christmas seems to have begun just after 1820. Restad writes that Congregationalist Thomas Robbins kept a diary and mention in 1823 the turning of yet another Calvinist congregation to Christmas.

Baptist history regarding Christmas gets scarce after 1820. The Suthern Baptist Convention comes into being in 1840 and the first Lottie Moon Christmas collection occurs in 1887. I suspect that just as WWII standardized the traditional Thanskgiving menu, that the Civil War in the early 1860's may have played a part in standardizing the observance of Christmas among Baptists.

Related Posts:
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Source:
Christmas in America: A History
The American Christmas
Christmas: A Candid History‎

Waldensians Not Baptists

One of the more common historical errors we find about the Christian blogosphere is the persistent myth of Dr. JM Carroll's Trail of Blood. The now disproven tract had a wide circulation around the late 19th Century and gained much traction among Christian congregations during the anti-Catholic No Nothing period of American history. Modern Baptist historians like James Edward McGoldrick, author of Baptist Successionism, have used scholarship to soundly refute the "landmarkism" myth perpetuated by Trail of Blood.

One of the myths perpetuated by landmarkism and Carroll's Trail of Blood was the myth that Waldensians are part of the apostolic continuity of Baptists. Nothing could be further from the truth. While Waldensian congregations still exist in Europe and the America's, the post-Reformation doctrines of modern Waldensians differ greatly from the doctrines and practices of Waldensians of the 12th and 13th Centuries. One of the advantages of living in the 21st Century is that we have the advantage of the collection of docuents known as the world-wide web. Among those 10 billion documents can be found at the University of Michigan a short tome entitled Waldo and the Waldensians Before the Reformation.

Among the pages of this short, but well footnoted book are documented evidence of some very non-Baptist practices. Among these are:

1. Transubstantiation (p.41)

2. Acceptance of the Apochrypha (p.54)

3. Salvation by faith and works (p.56)

4. Prayed mostly repeating the Lord’s Prayer (p.60)

5. Admitted the seven sacraments (p.61)

6. Did not exclude the confessional (p.61)

7. Veneration of the Mother of Jesus (p.61)

Yeah, the 12th and 13th Century Waldensians sound just like the present day Baptist conventions. The world can hardly tell them apart.

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Scripture Memorization in Early Church History


Source: History, Homeschooling, and Religious Persecution