LITTLE NOTES ON CHRISTMAS (2)

So why is there a difference between the Christmas Day of Western Church (Roman and Protestant) and the Eastern Church? Actually, setting of the holiday feasts of the Church for the first time accurately counted in Egypt by an astronomer from the Coptic Church, his name is Batlimeus, which at the end of the second century AD make careful calculations on the order of al-Baba Dimitri, who served as Patriarch of Alexandria from the year 199-232 AD

Batlimous perform calculations based on the appearance of Siriuz star (Egyptian calendar was recognized by UNESCO as the most accurate calendar than any other calendar that never existed). At that time, the Roman Empire in the region use the Julian calendar (the renewal of Sosigenes, who came from Alexandria, Egypt) is calculated based on 700 years of the founding of Rome. At a later date (1582 AD), Pope Gregory of Rome modifying the Julian calendar which is called the Gregorian calendar in effect in the Western Church until now, but in the Eastern Churches still use the Julian calendar.

New problems that arise is the fact that the two calendars (Julian and Gregorian) BASED ON THE circulation of the Sun. Then there differences in the implementation of the calculation of Easter feast. Western Church who follow the Jewish Passover customs determined that the time of the celebration of Easter is right on the full moon in spring. In fact, the Jewish calendar is clearly different from the Gregorian calendar. Jewish calendar, which is BASED on the Moon circulation, has a number of days is only 354 days a year, so the difference with the Gregorian calendar by 10 days.

Therefore it on October 5, 1582 AD, the Gregorian calendar moved forward 10 days, then one day be eliminated in 1700, 1800 and 1900 AD to follow the rising full moon at Passover, as Jewish tradition. What happens then is the total difference in the celebration of Easter between the Western Church with the Eastern Churches to 13 days. This happens because the Eastern Church does not follow the tradition of the full moon at Easter. Eastern Church determined that the celebration of Passover always occurs on Sunday, does not care whether it occurs during a full moon or not, for guiding the Eastern Church is no longer the Jewish Passover, but Jesus himself, as recorded in 1 Corinthians 5:7, και γαρ το πασχα ημων εθυθη χριστος kai gar to pascha hēmōn etuthē Christos, “for Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”

As mentioned earlier, the Egyptian calendar was made by Batlimous has set the birth of Jesus occurred on the 29th at Khiahk month, or on the 25th of the month Tebeth (Jewish calendar); then later on the basis of thirteen-day difference between the Western and Eastern Churches Easter celebration, then the Eastern Church has set a Christmas celebration for the Eastern Church was held on January 7, the difference is thirteen days from the date of December 25, which is Christmas Day for the Western Church.

Tenoo oasht emmok o piekhristos nem pekyot en aghathos nem pi epnevma ethowab je akee ak soati emmon nai nan
We worship You O Christ with Your Good Father and the Holy Spirit, for You have come and saved us.

READING LIST

* Iris Habib al-Misri, The Story of the Copts (Cairo: The Middle East Council of Churches)
* Markus Aziz Khalil, The Coptic Orthodox Church (Montreal, Canada: The Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate)
* The Modern Science of Astrology (London: UNESCO, 1966)

LITTLE NOTES ON CHRISTMAS (1)

We just passed in December and for all human beings just passed the Christmas celebration. Most Christians celebrate Christmas Day on December 25, while others celebrated on January 6/7, for anyone to celebrate on January 13 (Armenia). The question that arises, why is there a difference on the celebration of Christmas?

Must be recognized that the determination of when the date of the birth of Jesus is certainly very difficult to do if not impossible. This is because in the canonical Gospels are not mentioned for sure, even when the apostles were still alive, they also never set a date of birth of Jesus much less to celebrate. That's why can be understood about the rejection of Christmas celebrations conducted by several parties (for example: Jehovah's Witnesses).

There is no clear trace of the Christmas festival before the fourth century; partly because the feast of the Epiphany (In general, this feast was the feast of the appearance of Christ in the flesh, and particularly of the manifestation of Jesus' Messiahship by His baptism in the Jordan River, the festival at once of His birth and His baptism. This feast spread from the East towards the West but when the East adopted from the West the Christmas festival, Epiphany was restricted to the celebration of the baptism of Christ, and made one of the three great reasons for administration of baptism.) in a measure held the place of it; partly because of birth of Christ, the date of which at any rate was uncertain, was less prominent in the Christian mind than His death and resurrection. It was of the Western (Roman) origin, and found its way to the East after the middle of the fourth century for John Chrysostom, in a Homily which was probably preached December 25, 386 AD, speaks of the celebration of the separate day of the Nativity as having been recently introduced in Antioch.

In the Bible, noted that the Angel Gabriel to meet Mary at 6 month after Elizabeth began to contain John the Baptist (Luke 1:26). As mentioned earlier, the historical record of the birth of John the Baptist announced by the angel, we just got in 386 AD from the writings of Church Fathers, John Chrysostom. According to Chrysostom, John the Baptist's birth notification occurs on the Feast of Tabernacle Tabernacle (Yom Kippur), which took place on the 10th of the month Tishri, when the priest Zechariah of the group's Abijah served in the Temple, Jerusalem.

Jewish calendar on the count of certain years have months to 13, so the month after the month of Tishri six may fall in the month Adar Syeni or Nisan. Therefore, the turn of service in the Temple by the priests as defined in the Torah to be shifted each year. This is very difficult and can not be used as a benchmark. But if we look at the Syrian Church traditions originating from the Mar Ephraim the Syrian, stated that the notice of the Angel Gabriel to Mary falls in the month of Nisan.

Church tradition is consistent with the record of John Chrysostom which calculates according to the Syro-Macedonians chronicle, that Mary received good news from the angel Gabriel (Annunciation of Christ) took place on March 25 (Syro-Macedonians: Xanthikos). Based on these calculations and then we get the birth of Jesus is on the 29th of the month Khiahk (this is recorded in the Coptic Didascalia Apostolorum, Khiahk is the fourth month of the Egyptian calendar), which is parallel to the 25th of the month Tebet (Tebet is the ninth month on the calendar Jew), or on December 25 in AD

READING LIST

* Jack Finegan, Handbook of Biblical Chronology (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1964)
* Mar Ignatius Zakka I 'Iwas, At-Taufat ar-Ruhiyyat fii Ash-Shalat al-Fardhiyyat (Allepo: Dar Ar-Raha lin Nasyr, 1990)
* Markus Aziz Khalil, The Coptic Orthodox Church (Montreal, Canada: The Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate)