Week: A Manger Mix-up

 Fun Fact #559

A Manger Mix-Up

In the first Century AD, Inns were still relatively new and would take several hundred years to break out of major king's roads throughout The Roman Empire. Worse yet for the Jews, these were inaccessible because Inns of the day often were dedicated to gods of the roman pantheon. So... what were most travelers to do? The answer was simple, head to the nearest town center or square and sit asking locals if they'd house you (take you in) Better yet If you knew the route you were taking, you could stop off at the home of a family member in which case not pay or work was usually needed. 

Model of a 4-Room-House with the Guest room being and added Fifth room on the roof)

    From 11th Century BC until the 6th Century AD, Israelite homes were built in what is now known as "The Four-Room House" Style. This style put everyone on the same hierarchal level unlike most other homes of the period by having one central "room" (Often a courtyard) lead to the other 3 rooms meaning you didn't have to enter through another person's space. This was largely practical as it allowed people to keep their animals safe from robbers at night in one room, while the family slept very close nearby. Only the third room was different, often using an exterior staircase to a second story room for use by visitors.         

Yet if a visitor was going to give birth, the positions would flip so the expecting family was on the bottom floor and the homeowners and those who wished to remain Kosher used The Guest room (you had to be Kosher to visit the Temple where census among other things were taken.). The reason why is ..erm.. well giving birth is quite a messy affair and by letting the expecting family have an indoor room for the privacy without the need of stairs, it was easier on mothers. Yet this had one glaring drawback, The room next door and sometimes even the courtyard was where the family's animals were kept and thus could wander in if a gate was not placed in the way. Worse yet, If a crib was unavailable often a manger was used until a proper crib could be located or built.

Fun Fact #560

Pin the day on December.

    Christmas has a long and storied past but if you ask most people today you're likely to hear about how "Christmas was placed on December 25th to replace a Pagan Holiday yet this is just not true. 

    While the first Generation of Christians did not Celebrate Christmas, we do know that if began being speculated about shortly afterwards for the intention of celebrating it with the first recorded celebrations happening in the 2nd century AD (100-200ad), with the first recorded outside the church happening in 220ad. We also know from writings from The Church of Ephesus how they came to the conclusion of December 5th. At the time it was believed that all prophets died on the day they were conceived. Taking this reasoning they counted 9 months after that year's Good Friday resulting in Christmas in December. Being tied to easter like this, Christmas would move in correlation to easter every year until Emperor Constantine in 336AD decided this roaming Holiday business was too confusing and chose The most common Christmas date used around that time (December 25th) to become the permeant day for it which is still honored to this day. 

           So... bearing this in mind where does the idea of a Pagan origin come from? In short Mostly due to similarities with where the timing of holidays wound up at. The Best example of this is of Sol Invictus --The Roman Holiday of the Sun God-- whose holiday wandered around August, October and even early December until the 4th century when amidst Roman Temple Decline Roman Emperor Aurelian moved the Holiday to December 25th in a Senate meeting to force people to choose between the Roman Pantheon and Christ Worship. What about Saturnalia and The Romania (2week long) feast? That runs from late November and ends on the Roman Winter Equinox: December 17th so that's not it either. Then some of the other usual suspects include Tamumuz (Babylonian), Horus (Egyptian),  Ahora Mazda (Iranian), Mithra (Iranian Sun God), Attis (Phyrigian),  and Dionisius (Greek) all didn't start having their celebrations until the 5th and 6th century. In truth there is little to no evidence to establish that Christmas was intended to supplant a pagan Holiday, as the Theory wasn't even proposed until halfway through the 12th century (1150 ad) almost a millennium after Christmas was established.