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

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:
1611 KJV Liturgical Calendar - Feast of Stephen
12 Days of Christmas Myth
Baptists Don't Celebrate Christmas

Source: Acts 7 (King James Version)

1611 KJV Bible Available Online

Many readers may recall my earlier post on the 1611 KJV Bible. It turns out that many CAS visitors are interested in the 1611 KJV BIble. Also most King James Only (KJO) Christians have never seen the 1611 KJV Bible and have no idea what was included in it besides the Old and New Testaments. I have found a complete copy of the 1611 KJV Bible scanned and online. This post will describe the additional 1611 KJV materials that have long since been removed or replaced. each section title is a click-able link to the scanned 1611 KJV Bible at the Schoenberg Center for Electronic Text and Image (SCETI).

Epistle Dedicatorie. This is the dedication which begins "To the Most High and Mightie Prince, James by the grace of God, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, defender of the Faith." On the second page, at the bottom of the first paragraph, I noted the epistle reads "...by caring for the Church as a most tender and loving nursing Father." Interesting, The KJV translators refer to James as Father with a capital "F". So much for "call no man Father" (Matthew 23:9). Seemingly, the KJV translators interpret Matthew 23:9 with a different meaning than many Protestants in this day and age.

The Translators to the Reader. This eleven page section of the KJV Bible is among the most interesting as it gives the background and thoughts by the translators on how the KJV Bible came to be. On page 7, the second paragraph starts with "Nay, we affirm and avow that the meanest translation of the Bible in English is the word of God." By meanest, the translators are saying the poorest. So the KJV translators considered even the worst translation of the Bible in English to be the word of God. Anyone with a smattering of Bible history knows that by 1611 there were dozens of English translations of the Bible. The KJV translators recognized all those translations as the word of God. So much for most of the King James only (KJO) arguments of many modern Christian sects.

The Liturgical Calendar. The Calendar consists of twelve pages with one page dedicated to each month. Each page provides the time the suns rise and falls and a listing of the corresponding readings for morning and evening scriptures and psalms for those praying the Minor Hours. Each calendar page also lists the Principal Feasts and Principal Holy Days, Festivals, and Lesser Festivals. One of the most interesting entires is on the December calendar which clearly list the 8th day as the Conception of Mary. Mary is also listed on August 15th. The translators of the King James Bible obviously had great honor for Mary and went to obvious efforts to ensure that the Mother of our Lord received the honor due her on her feastivals.

An Almanac for 39 Years. The inclusion of the almanac is interesting. It seems 39 years was chosen to provide liturgical dates until 1650, a mid-point for the century. The almanac provides the dates for Septuagesima, the first day of Lent (Ash Wednesday), Easter, Ascension Day, Whitsunday (Pentecost), and the first Sunday of Advent. The almanac also provides the Golden number and Epact for each year.

The Names and Order of all the Books. The list of all the books includes a list of "The Books called Apochrypha".

The Genealogies of Holy Scripture.

The Alphabetical Table of Canaan. This several page table cross-references names found in the Old Testament to their location in the 1611 KJV Bible.

Map of the Holy Land. The map is a beautiful two page print illustration that is located in the middle of the Alphabetical Table of Canaan.

Apochrypha. While many modern KJV Bibles omit the Septuagint writings known as Apochrypha, the original 1611 KJV Bible retained these writings. The Apochrypha continued to appear in the KJV Bible until around 1825, when both the British and American Bible Societies refused to pay publishers for KJV Bibles unless the Apochrypha was removed. The Apochrypha is making a come back and several modern KJV publishers include these books. One final note, the Apochrypha is not considered canon by just Roman Catholics, but also by the Greek, Slavonic/Russian, Coptic, Ethiopian, Syrian, and Armenian Churchs. Kevin P. Edgecomb of Biblicalia blog has published a Chart of Old Testament Biblical Canons.

Margin Notes. The translators included margin notes all through the 1611 KJV Bible. Sometimes the notes are about alternative meanings. Other margin notes are cross references to related scripture. For example, the title of this paragraph links to a magnified view of a margin note from Wisdom 2:1, an Apochryphal text. Note that the translators cited Wisdom 2:1 as being related to Matthew 22:23 and 1Cor 15:32. All three passages speak to the doctrine of the resurrection. Interesting. Finally, the hundreds of margin notes are in opposition to a modern KJO myth that the 1611 KJV Bible did not include margin notes. The photographic evidence is overwhelmingly against the myth.

I hope the above descriptions of materials that were once part of the 1611 King James version of the Bible, will inspire you to spend some time getting acquainted with this historic book. Perhaps some of you will recover the Minor Hours, observe Lent, or celebrate the festival of a favorite saint.

Source: 1611 KJV Bible

1611 King James Bible

Being an online apologist, I have been slowly acquiring various Bibles and denominational books for my reference. One of the Bibles I have been most interested in is a reproduction of the 1611 King James Bible. The main reasons I'm interested in this version of the KJV are that allegedly this Bible contains margin notes from the KJV translators and that it is a "complete" Bible. In the centuries following 1611, more and more of the original material in the KJV was ommitted by publishers, including whole books of the Old Testament.

Prior to committing to an online purchase. I thought I'd see if a copy was available locally. So, the wife and I visited our local Lifeway. My wife promptly busied her self among Lifeway's selection of "graven images". (They're starting to look more and more like a Catholic gift shop.) I headed off to the shelves and shelves of Bibles. After a fruitless search, an employee confirmed by computer that there were two copies of the 1611 KJV somewhere in the store. Many minutes later I found a copy. Apparently there is not a historical shelf with Geneva, Vulgate and other such translations. Baptists seem to love their Bibles, but not their Bible history.

Thumbing through the 1611 reprint I was both surprised and disappointed:

1) The margins do contain "notes", but these consist merely of a single Bible passage and the quantity of cross references is sparse. Many pages have only one passage in the margins.

2) The margins of the deuterocanonicals (1 & 2 Maccabees, Tobit, etc.) do contain corresponding passages in the New Testament. However, checking the corresponding NT pages shows that the 1611 translators did not make the margin notes two-way. You can follow the margin passages from Tobit to Matthew, but once in Matthew, you won't find a single passage note back to Tobit.

3) The introductory materials include a table of the Liturgy of the Hours giving all the feast days of the Saints and the Marian observances. December 8 clearly reads Conception of Mary. (Pulse starts to race. Blood pressure rises.)

4) Browsing the included Liturgy of the Hours, it appears that deuterocanonicals like Esdras were read and prayed by the early English Protestants. (Feeling light headed. May faint.)

Being mentally confused by the long search and the discovery of the "Catholic" contents of the original 1611 KJV, I shelved the 1611 KJV Bible until I could mull things over for a few days. The little woman was sitting over in the graven images section. Seems she was disappointed not to find Saint Patrick among the many knick-knacks.

Source: 1611 King James Bible