The Origin of the Feast of the Nativity in the Patristic Perspective
Summary
Excerpt
Table Of Contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- About the author
- About the book
- This eBook can be cited
- Table of Contents
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- The State of Research: Existing Hypotheses and Theories
- When and Where Do Nativity and Epiphany Originate?
- Why Did There Appear New Holidays?
- Work’s Structure
- Part I: “Preparation” for Two New Feasts (Up to A.D. 325): Interpretations of the Earliest Patristic Testimonies
- The First Dating of Jesus’s Birth and Methods of Determining It
- The Spring Dates in Clement of Alexandria
- The Dating of Birth as Part of the Paschal Calculatio: Hippolytus and the Computist of A.D. 243
- The Main Earliest Keys to Calculate the Date of Jesus’s Birth
- Jesus’s Nativity on the Sixth Day
- The December 25 Dating Unknown Until A.D. 325
- The First Dating of Jesus’s Baptism and the Epiphany
- Basilidian and “the Other” Date: January 10 and January 6
- January 10 in the Gnostic Tradition
- January 6 in the Ecclesiastical Sources
- Background of the Epiphany Day of January 6
- The Year 325: Borderline Date for Setting the Nativity and Baptism Feasts
- The First Council of Nicaea and the Issue of Epiphany Beginnings
- Did Constantine the Great Introduce the New Feasts?
- Did the Old Nativity in Bethlehem Exist?
- Part II: The Origins of the Bethlehem Epiphaneia and Roman Natale
- The Bethlehem Epiphany on January 6
- Basilica above the Nativity Grotto and Foundation of the Feast
- The Epiphany as the Celebration of Jesus’s Birth
- Three Other Forms of the Epiphany in the East
- Roman Feast of the Nativity on December 25
- Oldest Testimonies from Rome
- First Nativity or Epiphany in the West: Debatable Issues
- Part III: The Patristic Explanations of the Origins of the Nativity and Epiphany
- Explanations Based on the Biblical and Liturgical Background
- The Date of John the Baptist’s Conception
- The Biblical Symbolism of Light and Sun
- References to the Christian Tradition
- Apostolic Origin of the Feasts
- Historical and Apocryphal Justifications
- References to the Pagan Cults in the Early Writings on the Nativity and Epiphany
- Weak Traces of Competition Against the December Solar Cult
- Exceptional Theories by Epiphanius of Salamis
- Criticism of Solar Cults Not Related to the Winter Solstice
- General Conclusions
- The Cut-off Date: 325
- The Period of Preparation for New Holidays
- When and Where Were Christmas and the Epiphany Established?
- The Development of Both Holidays
- The Beginnings of Christmas in the Eyes of the First Generation of Witnesses
- Bibliography
- Index of Names
- Series Index
Bibliographic Information published by the Deutsche
Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in
the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic
data is available online at http://dnb.d-nb.de.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A CIP catalog record for this book has been applied for at
the Library of Congress.
ISSN 2192-1857
ISBN 978-3-631-67261-7 (Print)
E-ISBN 978-3-653-06828-3 (E-PDF)
E-ISBN 978-3-631-71057-9 (E-PUB)
DOI 10.3726/b21911
© 2024 Peter Lang Group AG, Lausanne
Published by Peter Lang GmbH, Berlin, Deutschland
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This publication has been peer reviewed.
About the author
Jozef Naumowicz is a member of the Committee of Historical Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He is the author and editor of many publications in the field of ancient Christianity and patrology, as well as the editor of the Library of the Church Fathers series.
About the book
The book investigates the origins of Nativity and Epiphany, exploring when, where, and why these feasts were introduced in the Church. Given the scarcity of sources, the book explores various hypotheses to understand the origins of Nativity and Epiphany. Methodological questions are raised, exploring the influence of Constantinian Christianity versus the theology and culture of the primitive Church. The intertwined histories of Nativity and Epiphany are discussed, emphasizing the prevailing view that Epiphany appeared before Nativity. The study also delves into debates on where these holidays first appeared, with suggestions for North Africa and the East.
This eBook can be cited
This edition of the eBook can be cited. To enable this we have marked the start and end of a page. In cases where a word straddles a page break, the marker is placed inside the word at exactly the same position as in the physical book. This means that occasionally a word might be bifurcated by this marker.
Table of Contents
The State of Research: Existing Hypotheses and Theories
When and Where Do Nativity and Epiphany Originate?
Why Did There Appear New Holidays?
The First Dating of Jesus’s Birth and Methods of Determining It
The Spring Dates in Clement of Alexandria
The Dating of Birth as Part of the Paschal Calculatio: Hippolytus and the Computist of A.D. 243
The Main Earliest Keys to Calculate the Date of Jesus’s Birth
Jesus’s Nativity on the Sixth Day
The December 25 Dating Unknown Until A.D. 325
The First Dating of Jesus’s Baptism and the Epiphany
Basilidian and “the Other” Date: January 10 and January 6
January 10 in the Gnostic Tradition
January 6 in the Ecclesiastical Sources
Background of the Epiphany Day of January 6
The Year 325: Borderline Date for Setting the Nativity and Baptism Feasts
The First Council of Nicaea and the Issue of Epiphany Beginnings
Did Constantine the Great Introduce the New Feasts?
Did the Old Nativity in Bethlehem Exist?
Part II: The Origins of the Bethlehem Epiphaneia and Roman Natale
The Bethlehem Epiphany on January 6
Basilica above the Nativity Grotto and Foundation of the Feast
The Epiphany as the Celebration of Jesus’s Birth
Three Other Forms of the Epiphany in the East
Roman Feast of the Nativity on December 25
First Nativity or Epiphany in the West: Debatable Issues
Part III: The Patristic Explanations of the Origins of the Nativity and Epiphany
Explanations Based on the Biblical and Liturgical Background
The Date of John the Baptist’s Conception
The Biblical Symbolism of Light and Sun
References to the Christian Tradition
Apostolic Origin of the Feasts
Historical and Apocryphal Justifications
References to the Pagan Cults in the Early Writings on the Nativity and Epiphany
Weak Traces of Competition Against the December Solar Cult
Exceptional Theories by Epiphanius of Salamis
Criticism of Solar Cults Not Related to the Winter Solstice
The Period of Preparation for New Holidays
When and Where Were Christmas and the Epiphany Established?
The Development of Both Holidays
The Beginnings of Christmas in the Eyes of the First Generation of Witnesses
Abbreviations
AChW |
Ancient Christian Writers: The Works of The Fathers in Translation, ed. Johannes Quasten et al., Newman Press/Paulist Press, [et al.] 1946 |
ANF |
The Ante-Nicene Fathers: Translations of the Writings of the Fathers down to A.D. 325, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, vol. 1–10, 1885–1887. |
CCL |
Corpus Christianorum. Series Latina, Turnhout: Brepols 1953 |
CPG |
Clavis Patrum Graecorum, ed. M. Geerard, vol. 1–5, Brepols, Turnhout 1983–1987. |
CPL |
Clavis Patrum Latinorum, ed. E. Dekkers, A. Gaar, Steenbrugge 19953. |
CSCO |
Corpus scriptorum christianorum orientalium, Paris (Louvain) 1903 |
CSEL |
Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum, Vienna 1866 |
FCh |
The Fathers of the Church. A New Translation, Washington: Catholic University of America Press 1947 |
GCS (NF) |
Details
- Pages
- 222
- Publication Year
- 2024
- ISBN (ePUB)
- 9783631710579
- ISBN (PDF)
- 9783653068283
- ISBN (Hardcover)
- 9783631672617
- DOI
- 10.3726/b21911
- Language
- English
- Publication date
- 2024 (April)
- Keywords
- Biblical Studies Feasts of Jesus Christ Epiphany Religious Syncretism Ecclesiastical History Patristics Liturgical Evolution
- Published
- Berlin, Bruxelles, Chennai, Lausanne, New York, Oxford, 2024. 222 pp.
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