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Where did Christmas trees come from?

Nikud

Seasoned Member
Real Person
Male
December 24
Adam and Eve day was set aside for several centuries as a feastday and was often celebrated with a Paradise Play which told the story of humankind from the creation of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden up to the birth of Messiah in Bethlehem. The play featured a large evergreen tree called a Paradise Tree, with its branches laden with red apples. Eventually, small white discs were added representing communion wafers, the Christian sign of redemption.

The Paradise Tree was especially popular in Germany where it was brought into peoples' homes and was decorated with dried apples that had been kept in the root cellar for the winter. In 1880 glassmakers in Thuringia discovered how to make blown glass balls and bells which soon replaced the apples and resulted in what we all know as the traditional Christmas tree all over the world.

The apple has traditionally been the most popular symbol of the forbidden fruit mentioned in the Bible, which did not describe the specific fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil eaten by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. "And the L-rd G-d commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Genesis 1:16-17. There have been controversies over which fruit the Bible referred to with many scholars believing that the fruit was a pomegranate or a fig.

Most 19th-century Americans found Christmas trees an oddity. The first record of one being on display was in the 1830s by the German settlers of Pennsylvania, although trees had been a tradition in many German homes much earlier. The Pennsylvania German settlements had community trees as early as 1747. But, as late as the 1840s Christmas trees were seen as pagan symbols and not accepted by most Americans.

It is not surprising that, like many other festive Christmas customs, the tree was adopted so late in America. To the New England Puritans, Christmas was sacred. The pilgrims’s second governor, William Bradford, wrote that he tried hard to stamp out “pagan mockery” of the observance, penalizing any frivolity. The influential Oliver Cromwell preached against “the heathen traditions” of Christmas carols, decorated trees, and any joyful expression that desecrated “that sacred event.” In 1659, the General Court of Massachusetts enacted a law making any observance of December 25 (other than a church service) a penal offense; people were fined for hanging decorations. That stern solemnity continued until the 19th century, when the influx of German and Irish immigrants undermined the Puritan legacy.

In 1846, the popular royals, Queen Victoria and her German Prince, Albert, were sketched in the Illustrated London News standing with their children around a Christmas tree. Unlike the previous royal family, Victoria was very popular with her subjects, and what was done at court immediately became fashionable—not only in Britain, but with fashion-conscious East Coast American Society. The Christmas tree had arrived.

By the 1890s Christmas ornaments were arriving from Germany and Christmas tree popularity was on the rise around the U.S. It was noted that Europeans used small trees about four feet in height, while Americans liked their Christmas trees to reach from floor to ceiling.

The early 20th century saw Americans decorating their trees mainly with homemade ornaments, while the German-American sect continued to use apples, nuts, and marzipan cookies. Popcorn joined in after being dyed bright colors and interlaced with berries and nuts. Electricity brought about Christmas lights, making it possible for Christmas trees to glow for days on end. With this, Christmas trees began to appear in town squares across the country and having a Christmas tree in the home became an American tradition.
 
Here's a video I came across recently that talks a bit about this as well.


Btw, this is an excellent Christian History channel in genereal, created by a PhD of historical theology. I've watched some of his vids on the Middle Ages: such as Charlemagne, Al Andalus, the Great Schism, King Henry VIII, etc... Very detailed, and well-explained. I haven't gone through his Early Church or Reformation stuff yet. He's also got some stuff on Christian symbology in Tolkien. :)
 
Jeremiah 10 goes way back.. Is that the idol thing?

I think it is. Here's a link that might be of interest https://www.cbcg.org/twobaby/sect31.html . (That link has some but not all of the footnotes and at least some of the illustrations).

The Christmas tree, now so common among us, was equally common in Pagan Rome and Pagan Egypt. In Egypt that tree was the palm-tree; in Rome it was the fir; the palm-tree denoting the Pagan Messiah, as Baal-Tamar, the fir referring to him as Baal-Berith.

fig27.jpg
The mother of Adonis, the Sun-God and great mediatorial divinity, was mystically said to have been changed into a tree, and when in that state to have brought forth her divine son. If the mother was a tree, the son must have been recognised as the "Man the branch." And this entirely accounts for the putting of the Yule Log into the fire on Christmas-eve, and the appearance of the Christmas-tree the next morning. As Zero-Ashta, "The seed of the woman," which name also signified Ignigena, or "born of the fire," he has to enter the fire on "Mother-night," that he may be born the next day out of it, as the "Branch of God," or the Tree that brings all divine gifts to men.
 
And this entirely accounts for the putting of the Yule Log into the fire on Christmas-eve,
It was originally a Nordic tradition.Yule is the name of the old Winter Solstice festivals in Scandinavia.
 
I'm not sure where it came from, but I put one up in my house every year.

There are TONS of things in our daily lives that have links to pagan beliefs and rituals. It's just like the currency we use every day. I see the pagan images, I just choose to use that money for godly purposes.
 
It was originally a Nordic tradition.Yule is the name of the old Winter Solstice festivals in Scandinavia.

Extract from Two Babylons:
Note L—The Identity of the Scandinavian Odin and Adon of Babylon
1. Nimrod or Adon or Adonis of Babylon, was the great war-god. Odin, as is well known, was the same.
2. Nimrod, in the character of Bacchus, was regarded as the god of wine, Odin is represented as taking no food, but wine.

Another one:
In reference to a similar belief among the Mexicans, we find Humboldt saying that, ‘The serpent crushed by the great spirit Teotl, when he takes the form of one of the subaltern deities, is the genius of evil—a real Kakodaemon.’226 In almost all cases, when the subject is examined to the bottom, it turns out that the serpent destroying god is represented as enduring hardships and sufferings that end in his death. Figure 23
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Thus, the god Thor, while succeeding at last in destroying the great serpent, is represented as, in the very moment of victory, perishing from the venomous effluvia of his breath.228 The same would seem to be the way in which the Babylonians represented their great serpent destroyer among the figures of their ancient sphere. His mysterious suffering is thus described by the Greek poet Aratus, whose language shows that when he wrote, the meaning of the representation had been generally lost, although, when viewed in this light of Scripture, it is surely deeply significant:

If the Scandinavian gods can be traced to the culture of the nations that the OT prophets opposed, it would follow that there may also be similarities between the false teachings and practices.

This is a better link if anyone wants to do a quick search on the whole book as it includes pics and has a better layout. http://www.seedofabraham.net/The Full Hislop-2012-04-14.pdf
(A quick search reveals 8 references to Scandinavian and 20 to Odin).

I can only think the book provides evidence for the Bible record of the flood. Nations spread out all over the world taking the history of the flood tradition with them, but they also took elements of the early Bible with them, and also the Nimrod's corruption as well which is more popular and appeals more to the majority. Hislop does a good job of tracing the similarities of the links between nations, and there are plenty between Europe and the Ancient Near East.

Writing 170 years ago had some disadvantages, but there was a lot more folklore about then that has been suppressed and lost by our day. So there are some advantages for us as well.
 
Writing 170 years ago had some disadvantages, but there was a lot more folklore about then that has been suppressed and lost by our day. So there are some advantages for us as well.

Definitely agree. A lot of my reading in old/ancient docs that some would call extra biblical is motivated by the thought of discovering nuggets through 1st and 2nd century (and earlier) normalcy bias'
 
A lot of my reading in old/ancient docs that some would call extra biblical is motivated by the thought of discovering nuggets through 1st and 2nd century (and earlier) normalcy bias'

It can throw up some very useful stuff. But isn't the danger we cherry-pick the bits we want? In secular writing, we don't have to bother about the opinions we don't agree with, but if God says something we don't agree with, that is something that should bother us.

I admit to liking Two Babylons because it conforms to my understanding of a theme that runs from Genesis to Revelation (via Zech 5:5-11). But my same understanding would stop me appreciating all that the church fathers wrote.

Regarding Jer 10 specifically though, we have the challenging phrase "for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Rev 19:10, very much in the context of the destruction of Babylon.)
It isn't possible to develop our understanding of prophecy without knowing some history.
 
It gets interesting when the biblical text itself references extra-biblical literature...
 
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (Mat 5:5)
The elect shall possess light, joy and peace, and they shall inherit the earth. (Enoch 5:7 {6:9})

the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the son (John 5:22).
the principal part of the judgment was assigned to him, the Son of man. (Enoch 69:27 {68:39})

shall inherit everlasting life (Mat. 19:29)
those who will inherit eternal life (Enoch 40:9 {40:9})

"Wo unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. (Luke 6:24)
Woe to you who are rich, for in your riches have you trusted; but from your riches you shall be removed. (Enoch 94:8 {93:7}).

Ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Mat. 19:28)
I will place each of them on a throne of glory (Enoch 108:12 {105:26})

Woe unto that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he had not been born. (Mat. 26:24)
Where will the habitation of sinners be . . . who have rejected the Lord of spirits. It would have been better for them, had they never been born. (Enoch 38:2 {38:2})

between us and you there is a great gulf fixed. (Luke 16:26) by a chasm . . . [are] their souls are separated (Enoch 22: 9,11{22:10,12})

In my Father's house are many mansions (John 14:2) In that day shall the Elect One sit upon a throne of glory, and shall choose their conditions and countless habitations. (Enoch 45:3 {45:3})

that ye may be called the children of light (John 12:36) the good from the generation of light (Enoch 108:11 {105: 25})

the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:14) all the thirsty drank, and were filled with wisdom, having their habitation with the righteous, the elect, and the holy. (Enoch 48:1 {48:1})

Jude 1:14-15, quoting Enoch 1:9 {2:1} [1]

"And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
"To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches, which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

The Book of Jasher (also, Jashar) or the Book of the Upright or the Book of the Just Man


2 Samuel 1:18

To teach the Sons of Judah the use of the bow; behold it is written in the Book of the Upright (per haYYāšār; Hebrew: עַל־סֵפֶר הַיׇּשׇׁר‬; literally, "upon the Book of the Upright").

Joshua 10:13

And the Sun stood still, and the Moon stayed,until the people had avenged themselves on their enemies.Is this not written in the Book of the Upright (per haYYāšār)?
 
I think we have to allow for an ironic use in scripture, (for instance the 10 plagues are against the gods of Egypt, darkness against the sun god Ra etc. ).

Just because the pagans remembered that God would have a son does not mean pagan literature can add to our knowledge of Christ.
 
A grafted in branch bears the same fruit it would have originally borne.

A branch from a tree with a sick root grafted into a healthy stock will not bear the fruit of the stock, but it will bear its own fruit more abundantly.

And so the old Gaelic and Germanic pagan celebrations and pagan virtues grafted into the the root of Christ gives us fruit of Christian Europa with its values, celebrations, and cultures gives us all the good fruit of those cultures not in a withered, poorly grown form but fully bearing their in sweet, succulent fruit. Christmas is the more fully developed, more joyful, more beautiful Yule, the eastermonth celebration doesn't merely celebrate the return of the sun and the hope for food and life for another year, but celebrates the living bread of Christ and the eternal salvation forevermore.
 
I chose for my family to celebrate Christmas and Easter in a way that resembles thanksgiving. Our family gathers around a meal that we prepared together we read the relevant scripture for Christmas or Easter. We talk about it why we're celebrating it. We say why the holiday is important to us, then we pray and eat. We use to do the whole deck the halls and hide the eggs thing but for me it just took away from the focus. It was hard on the kids but for my family I think it's best.
 
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