Why was June 24th chosen for the date of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist?
Upvote:-1
Question Why was June 24th chosen for the date of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist?
Short Answer:
Astrology, paganism, precedence and genealogy/chronology as interpreted through the bible.
- Astrology: June 24th was celebrated by the pre-Christian Romans as one of two solstices. The other Solstice occurs late December. Celebrated by the Romans on December 25.
- Paganism: Both solstices were already popular late Roman holidays, when the empire adopted Christianity. Their popularity with Rome lead to their adoption/rebranding as Christian holidays.
- Precedence: December 25th solstice Holiday was associated with several Roman Emperors and the Roman Army. The other solstice, also a popular holiday was associated with the poor. Naturally the former solstice would be associated with Jesus inarguable the most important figure in Christianity until the Reformation. Christmas.
- Genealogy/Chronology: Having associated the one solstice for Jesus's birth, Christians named the other solstices which chronologically preceded it, for John the Baptist whose ministry preceded Jesus's ministry. John the Baptist, Jesus's most famous male relative, his cousin in the bible.
Answer:
The origin's of June 24th and many Christian Holidays extend back to pagan times, especially from the highly influential pagan Romans on early Christianity. 4th century CE, as stated in the original question, is when everything changed between pagan Romans and Christians. 4th century CE corresponds to when Christianity was legalized by Emperor Constantine the Great. Emperor Theodosius (392 CE) would famously outlaw paganism all together making Rome legally at least a Christian country. However, while Theodosius outlawed Pagan rituals; he left intact the Pagan Holidays. He did this because the Pagan segment of his empire remained influential, and this was a compromise reflecting their importance.
Nativity of St. John the Baptist? June 24th for the Romans was the feast of Fortuna, the goddess of luck. A very popular holiday among the plebeians/poor of Rome. Sacrifices on this day were given in order to attract prosperity in the coming year. June 24th was possible attributed to John the Baptist when the holiday was "Christianized" because it like Dec 25th, Jesus's Nativity, were both Solstices. Therefore related, as Jesus was related to John the Baptist. They were cousins (second cousins in the bible Luke Chapter 1). Pagan holidays were rebranded as Christian and attributed with Christian relevance in order that the Pagan's could still celebrate their popular holidays under Theodosius.
Christianity and Paganism (see Theodosius ) pagan Roman holidays which were brought into Christianity as the pagan Romans were "converted". When Emperor Theodosius outlawed the rituals of paganism in Rome 392 CE, he permitted their holiday celebrations to continue. It was pubic relations to retain popular pagan holidays after they were re-attributed to some Christian event or meaning.
Many Christian holidays today have roots in pagan holidays especially Roman ones.
based upon: Seven Pagan Holidays still Celebrated Today
- Christmas(Romans celebrated Sol Invictus, the Unconquered Sun),
- New Years (Romans Celebrated New Years same day since 153 BC when the Senate moved new years day to Jan 1st because of the Second Celtiberian War,
Why the consular year began on January 1 was due to the Second Celtiberian War. In 154 BC, there was rebellion in Spain. Quintus Fulvius Nobilior was designated consul for the following year but could not assume office until the Ides of March. Given the military situation, the Senate decreed January 1 to be the start of the new civil year, which permitted Nobilior to be inducted and depart with his legions
- Halloween, Romans had many days dealing with reconnecting with the dead, one on Nov 2nd
- Easter, it's a Hodge podge of several holidays.
- The Jewish holiday Passover,
- Easter get's its name from the German celebration of Eostre, the goddess of Spring. Easter Eggs and the bunnies were borrowed from Eostre, symbols of rebirth and fertility.
- The Romans too had a kind of deprecated holiday on March 15th dealing with fertility and rebirth.
More post
- 📝 Does the expansion of the U.S federal government after 1865 support the argument that U.S civil war itself was about states' rights?
- 📝 How was law enforcement handled in large US cities before professional police?
- 📝 Recommended electronic versions of old public domain US history textbooks?
- 📝 Why did the Red Army change uniforms in 1943?
- 📝 Why did the UK allow India to be a republic rather than a democratic parliament under the British Monarch?
- 📝 Is this trebuchet based on a real historical model?
- 📝 How was the reichmarks to deutschmarks supported?
- 📝 How did Finland treat Jewish locals during WWII?
- 📝 What are some examples of Enlightenment works that would definitively not be Romantic?
- 📝 Is there historical evidence linking medieval forest clearences in Europe with the Medieval Warm Period?
- 📝 What was the first "fashion trend"?
- 📝 Broad and deep historical causes of gang violence in Mexico and El Salvador
- 📝 In the Soviet Union, why was the Cheka renamed so many times?
- 📝 Presidents of the French Tribunate from 1799 to 1807
- 📝 What was the first battle in history fought by vast-majority-% "distance-shooting" non-mechanized force?
- 📝 Did a unit of 40 men hold off Rommel's "ghost division" for 18 days?
- 📝 Did Ancient China use lead in their food/water industry as much as the Romans?
- 📝 Is the Persian name or title Khosrow related to the name Caesar?
- 📝 Can anyone identify this early 20th century uniform?
- 📝 Why does the King of Spain still claim defunct titles like the King of Hungary?
- 📝 Was there a British Royal tradition associated with the name Elizabeth?
- 📝 Did it really take until 1990 for "Europe"/UK to switch from glass bottles of milk to cartons?
- 📝 Do most of today's democratic nations with two-party system exhibit a civil war in recent past?
- 📝 Has any country ever had 2 former presidents in jail simultaneously?
- 📝 What access did people in the Warsaw pact countries have to Western television and radio?
- 📝 When did Silesia become a part of the Holy Roman Empire?
- 📝 How long might the campaigning season in the Caucasus have lasted for the Germans?
- 📝 Did German win any victories between Normandy and Bulge?
- 📝 Did the Celts come to England from France and Belgium?
- 📝 How did public debt financing through annuities work in the States General of the Netherlands?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Why was June 24th chosen for the date of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist?
- 📝 Why was the "first Monday in December" originally chosen as the default meeting date for Congress?
- 📝 Why was the area now known as Liberia chosen as the location for repatriation of African slaves in the US?
- 📝 Why was Villa Gaggia chosen as the setting for Hitler & Mussolini's July 1943 meeting?
- 📝 Why was Seattle chosen for the site of Expo 62?
- 📝 Why was Basel, Switzerland chosen for the First Zionist Congress?
- 📝 If the Ch’in dynasty was so short-lived, why was China named for it?
- 📝 Why was the bald eagle chosen as the national bird of the United States?
- 📝 Why was Stalin surprised by the German attack in June 1941?
- 📝 Constantine the Great created the Chi-Rho from the Greek word for "Christ". Why choose Greek over Latin, even though he was Roman?
- 📝 Why was the swordsman of Calais chosen as Anne Boleyn's executioner?
- 📝 Did the date of 9/11 have significance, or was it chosen randomly?
- 📝 Why was the Halifax death penalty reserved for thefts of at least 13½ pence?
- 📝 Why was the date moved by 10 days instead of 9 during Gregorian calendar reform?
- 📝 Why was an SS commander dismissed and charged for the mistreatment of Jewish prisoners?
- 📝 Why was the Me262 not suited for a bomber role?
- 📝 Why was the BEF so ill-prepared for WW1?
- 📝 Why was "Caesar" borrowed for the imperial title in German rather than "Augustus"?
- 📝 Why did the Australian IOC deny that Peter Norman was excluded from the 1972 Olympics for supporting racial equality?
- 📝 Why was the C-pennant chosen as the flag of ships from Allied-occupied Germany?
- 📝 Why was the movement for Austro-German unity less successful than that of Italian unity?
- 📝 Why was only the Silver medal awarded for music at the 1932s Olympics?
- 📝 Why did Uesugi Kenshin never marry? Was it common practice for Japanese Buddhists of the time?
- 📝 Why was Stalin chosen as the First General Secretary in 1922?
- 📝 Why was the German system of interlocking plates not used after WWII for armored vehicle construction?
- 📝 Why was Nixon never tried for treason for allegedly sabotaging the 1968 Peace Talks?
- 📝 Why was the Tea Horse Route through Tibet less prevalent than the Silk Road route through Tarim Basin, for contact between China and India?
- 📝 Why was the Nihonmachi sector of Seattle selected for the Yesler Housing Project of the 1930s?
- 📝 Was John S. Mosby the model/motivation/template for John Carter?
- 📝 Why was the requirement for Impeachment set at simple majority for House of Representatives, but supermajority (2/3) for a trial at the Senate?
