Christianity Archives

Revisiting the “Knickerbocker” Origin Story of Santa Claus

by History Guild | Dec 16, 2024 | Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 6 minutes
In December 1953, Dr. Charles W. Jones, a University of California professor hailed as one of the world’s foremost scholars on St. Nicholas of Myra, gave a speech to the New-York Historical Society that was published the following year in the society’s quarterly under the title “Knickerbocker Santa Claus.” The premise of Jones’ speech was that author Washington Irving invented Santa Claus in an 1809 satire, A History of New York, that was purportedly written by a completely fictional Dutch historian, Diedrich Knickerbocker. “Without Irving there would be no Santa Claus,” Jones wrote. “Santa Claus was a parasitic germ until the Knickerbocker History in 1809; after 1809 Santa Claus spread like a plague which has yet to reach its peak.”

A story of legends, families and capitalism: a candid history of the Christmas tree

by History Guild | Dec 2, 2024 | Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 7 minutes
The Christmas tree is a modern invention. It is a largely secular symbol, having no basis in the Bible. There are many trees in the Bible, from the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life in Genesis to the reference to Christ’s cross as a “tree” in Acts. But there is no Christmas tree.

The Hiberno-Scottish Missions and the Roots of the Early Christian Church

by Michael Vecchio | Nov 4, 2024 | Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 6 minutes
A series of missions that spanned the 6th to 8th centuries would emerge as one of the most crucial periods for early Christianity in establishing its footing in the British Isles.

Pope Gregory XIII gave us the leap year – but his legacy goes much further

by History Guild | Jul 2, 2024 | Political and Economic History, Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 7 minutes
On this day, February 29, conversations the world over may conjure the name of Pope Gregory XIII – widely known for his reform of the calendar that bears his name.

The need for calendar reform was driven by the inaccuracy of the Julian calendar. Introduced in 46 BC, the Julian calendar fell short of the solar year – the time it takes Earth to orbit the Sun – by about 12 minutes each year.

The Curious Creation of the Crusader States

by History Guild | Mar 26, 2024 | Military History, Political and Economic History | 0

Reading time: 7 minutes
A major holy land for three of the world’s largest, most influential religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the area of the levant has long been hotly contested.
After several centuries of ownership and Christian domination under the Roman Empire and later the Byzantine Empire, the holy land of Jerusalem and the surrounding area fell into the hands of the Muslims in 969 AD under the Fatimids, and later the Seljuq Turks.

Feeling guilty about drinking? Well, ask the saints

by History Guild | Jan 24, 2024 | Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 6 minutes
Religious orders such as the Benedictines and Jesuits became expert winemakers. They stopped only because their lands were confiscated in the 18th and 19th centuries by anti-Catholic governments such as the French Revolution’s Constituent Assembly and Germany’s Second Reich.

Christmas History Quiz 2023

by History Guild | Dec 23, 2023 | History News | 0

1. Which Roman Festival was held on the 25th of December?
Try the full 10 question quiz.

THE POWER OF FRIGHT COMPELS: THE EXORCIST AT 50

by History Guild | Dec 18, 2023 | Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 8 minutes
The horror film genre has a long and celebrated history which now dates some 100 plus years yet for one film in particular has created a lasting legacy of genuine fright, unease, disturbance, controversy, and haunting imagery that has never been replicated.

When should we hang Christmas decorations?

by History Guild | Dec 6, 2023 | Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 4 minutes
December 6 is celebrated by the Christian churches as the feast day of St Nicholas. The saint is one of the historic figures on whom Santa Claus is based and so today is the closest the world gets to a Santa Claus Day.

Nicholas was the Bishop of Myra in the early fourth century at the time when Christianity entering into full flight under the Emperor Constantine as the imperial religion of the Roman Empire. Legends reveal him as a secret giver of gifts to the needy, whose charity was saintly because it brought no honour to the giver, only help to the recipient. His gift-giving is thus one of the Christian antecedents of the practice of disguising Christmas presents in stockings or wrappings.

Cave of Horror: fresh fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls echo dramatic human stories

by History Guild | Apr 24, 2023 | Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 6 minutes
In March 2021 news broke of the discovery of fresh fragments of a nearly 2,000-year-old scroll in Israel. The fragments were said to come from the evocatively named Cave of Horror, near the western shore of the Dead Sea.

The finds were announced with attention-grabbing headlines that these were new fragments of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls and some of our earliest evidence for the biblical books of Zechariah and Nahum.

How did we come to celebrate Christmas?

by History Guild | Dec 21, 2022 | Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 6 minutes
The western date for Jesus’ birth is quite arbitrary. It was chosen by Pope Leo I, bishop of Rome (440-461), to coincide with the Festival of the Saturnalia, when Romans worshipped Saturn, the sun god. This was the day of the solar equinox, the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, which officially marked the halfway point of winter.

The date of the feast varies within Christian denominations. Western Christians celebrate the Nativity on a fixed date, 25 December. Some Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate it on 6 January together with Epiphany, the revelation of the infant Jesus to three wise men. The Greek and Russian Orthodox celebrate Christmas on 7 January and Epiphany on 19 January.

Schnapps, whipping and sacks: how Christmas traditions evolved around the world

by History Guild | Dec 20, 2022 | Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 6 minutes
The celebration of Christmas has distinct variations around the world. Some of these local traditions are very interesting and arise from particular historical circumstances.

Tag: Christianity