Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Merry Christmas
- Thread starter snn
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Merry Christmas!
Cheers,
-Surge
Cheers,
-Surge
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i got a big toblerone
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trip I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. Thank you for loving me and accepting me unconditionally and providing me with undivided love and attention. You’ve been there for me through everything. Thank you for helping me grow into the man I have become. I love you so much more than just to the moon and back. You are the source of my joy, the center of my world and the whole of my heart. Every day and night, my mind is filled with thoughts of you. As long as the sun continues to shine, you can be sure that my heart will remain yours. I’ll never finish falling in love with you. You have inspired me to be the best version of myself. I am grateful for all the laughs we’ve shared and the great times we have had. You’ve always been my strength in tough times and the sunshine when it’s cloudy outside. You have brought so much light into my life. You make everything else feel meaningless because the only thing that matters is you. You’re my soulmate and I love you so much. You are love of my life. Without you, I don’t know what I would do. Together, we have created a beautiful world. Our souls become one when our eyes met each other. Seeing you is feeling everything is fine. You are my best friend, my soulmate and my lover. You mean the world to me and I will always love you! No relationship is perfect, ever. There are always some ways you have to bend, to compromise, to give something up in order to gain something greater … The love we have for each other is bigger than these small differences. And that’s the key. It’s like a big pie chart, and the love in a relationship has to be the biggest piece. Love can make up for a lot. I will always have this piece of my heart that smiles whenever I think about you. I vow to help you love life, to always hold you with tenderness and to have the patience that love demands. I vow to speak when words are needed and to share the silence when they are not. I vow to live within the warmth of your heart. Cutie pie, I want to thank you for existing. Thank you for being my partner. For being patient, forgiving, loving, genuine, and giving in a world full of selfish people, thank you for calling me gorgeous like it’s my name, thank you for not only making me your girl but for making me feel like the only girl In the world, thank you for never letting me forget I’m beautiful and loved, thank you for admiring my flaws and making me comfortable with myself, thank you for the many nights you stayed awake and took care of me and rubbed my back throughout the nights when I’ve had cramps, thank you for holding my hair why I throw up, thank you for putting up with my crazy jealousy ways, thanks for spoiling me and never telling me no! Thank you, my dear BOYFRIEND!!!! Thank you for waking me up in the morning to a billion kisses and hugs before you leave and for never letting me forget you are here. Thanks for never making me feel like I owe you in return and that I have nothing to be sorry for. thank you for giving me my way even if that means pouting and stomping my feet as you laugh and tell me I’m silly and still give me my way. Thanks for showing me a love I’ve never felt baby thanks for being you , I know you’re not perfect and I know we fight , sometimes it’s slammed doors and harsh words it’s sometimes wondering if we made the right choice , but despite that it’s the one person you look forward to coming home to every day all over again. You are my best friend, you’ve given me a reason to believe again and to believe miracles do happen, I admire your strength, your beauty, your drive, your goals, your soul, your big warm loving heart, the fact that you would give the shirt off your back to someone in need. I love the fact you are such a hard worker and by any means take care of home. You are an amazing daddy and it only makes me so much happier to bless you with a child of our own one day too, I often miss up the opportunity to tell you to thank you for our schedules and busy days. Sometimes it seems like we only get to sleep together but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love you with my all thoughts and feelings!
I love you boyfriend.
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Merry Christmas
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awww
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Alien,
Where do I start off. You have been my best friend for god knows how long. You have helped me with relationship advice. I might not be able to know everything about you, my dearest, because each day is another avenue for me to know you a bit more than before, to get to be closer to you and cherish you so much more than ever before. And I want you to know that one of the reasons I’m with you is knowing you much better. I adore you, my beautiful friend. Even though we don’t see each other every day, I will never stop cherishing our friendship. Even if we don’t hear from each other every time, I will never stop reminiscing about you and the beautiful moment we’ve had together. And even though the sun stops shining and the cloud doesn’t pour down rain on the earth, I will never stop being your sweet friend. I love you beyond the stars, my dearest friend. If we had to walk one thousand steps to be together again, I would walk nine hundred and ninety-nine steps so you could only take a step. If we had to drive ten miles across the city to see each other, I would drive nine miles so you could go for just a mile. I feel honored to be with an awesome friend like you, and I will always cherish our friendship. I love you so much more than you could ever imagine. Being with you motivates and inspires me. If I am to repay all that you have done for me all this while, I will need to break into the central bank because there is no money enough to pay you back. My heart will remain grateful and devoted to this friendship forever. Even if you are sometimes a pain in the a$$, I still value and respect you because nobody else can do what you do for me when I look around. My love for you is just unconditional. Have a great day, my friend. Lets play valorant and produce beats sometime... ME and my twizz only going up <3
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Merry christmas Mr. K ! you are my favorite task partner EVER !!! :3
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Merry CHRISTmas
"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever." – 1 Timothy 1:15-17
"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever." – 1 Timothy 1:15-17
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Revelation 22:15: “For without [are] dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”
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merry christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is preceded by the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many countries, is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians, as well as culturally by many non-Christians, and forms an integral part of the holiday season organized around it.
The traditional Christmas narrative recounted in the New Testament, known as the "Nativity of Jesus", says that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in accordance with messianic prophecies. When Joseph and Mary arrived in the city, the inn had no room and so they were offered a stable where the Christ Child was soon born, with angels proclaiming this news to shepherds who then spread the word.Although the month and date of Jesus' birth are unknown, the church in the early fourth century fixed the date as December 25. This corresponds to the date of the winter solstice on the Roman calendar. It is exactly nine months after Annunciation on March 25, also the date of the spring equinox. Most Christians celebrate on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar, which has been adopted almost universally in the civil calendars used in countries throughout the world. However, part of the Eastern Christian Churches celebrate Christmas on December 25 of the older Julian calendar, which currently corresponds to January 7 in the Gregorian calendar. For Christians, believing that God came into the world in the form of man to atone for the sins of humanity, rather than knowing Jesus' exact birth date, is considered to be the primary purpose in celebrating Christmas.The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving; completing an Advent calendar or Advent wreath; Christmas music and caroling; viewing a Nativity play; an exchange of Christmas cards; church services; a special meal; and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Christkind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore. Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. Over the past few centuries, Christmas has had a steadily growing economic effect in many regions of the world.
There are those who have determined not only the year of our Lord's birth, but also the day; and they say that it took place in the 28th year of Augustus, and in the 25th day of [the Egyptian month] Pachon [May 20] ... Further, others say that He was born on the 24th or 25th of Pharmuthi [April 20 or 21]. Various factors contributed to the selection of December 25 as a date of celebration: it was the date of the winter solstice on the Roman calendar and it was nine months after March 25, the date of the vernal equinox and a date linked to the conception of Jesus (celebrated as the Feast of the Annunciation).Christmas played a role in the Arian controversy of the fourth century. After this controversy ran its course, the prominence of the holiday declined for a few centuries. The feast regained prominence after 800 when Charlemagne was crowned emperor on Christmas Day.
In Puritan England, Christmas was banned due to being associated with drunkenness and other misbehaviour. It was restored as a legal holiday in England in 1660, but remained disreputable in the minds of many people. In the early 19th century, Christmas festivities and services became widespread with the rise of the Oxford Movement in the Church of England that emphasized the centrality of Christmas in Christianity and charity to the poor, along with Washington Irving, Charles Dickens, and other authors emphasizing family, children, kind-heartedness, gift-giving, and Santa Claus (for Irving), or Father Christmas (for Dickens).
Early Christians celebrated the life of Jesus on a date considered equivalent to 14 Nisan (Passover) on the local calendar. Because Passover was held on the 14th of the month, this feast is referred to as the Quartodeciman. All the major events of Christ's life, especially the passion, were celebrated on this date. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul mentions Passover, presumably celebrated according to the local calendar in Corinth. Tertullian (d. 220), who lived in Latin-speaking North Africa, gives the date of passion celebration as March 25. The date of the passion was moved to Good Friday in 165 when Pope Soter created Easter by reassigning the Resurrection to a Sunday. According to the calculation hypothesis, the celebration of the Quartodeciman continued in some areas and the feast became associated with Incarnation.The calculation hypothesis is considered academically to be "a thoroughly viable hypothesis", though not certain. It was a traditional Jewish belief that great men were born and died on the same day, so lived a whole number of years, without fractions: Jesus was therefore considered to have been conceived on March 25, as he died on March 25, which was calculated to have coincided with 14 Nisan. A passage in Commentary on the Prophet Daniel (204) by Hippolytus of Rome identifies December 25 as the date of the nativity. This passage is generally considered a late interpellation. But the manuscript includes another passage, one that is more likely to be authentic, that gives the passion as March 25.In 221, Sextus Julius Africanus (c. 160 – c. 240) gave March 25 as the day of creation and of the conception of Jesus in his universal history. This conclusion was based on solar symbolism, with March 25 the date of the equinox. As this implies a birth in December, it is sometimes claimed to be the earliest identification of December 25 as the nativity. However, Africanus was not such an influential writer that it is likely he determined the date of Christmas.The treatise De solstitia et aequinoctia conceptionis et nativitatis Domini nostri Iesu Christi et Iohannis Baptistae, pseudepigraphically attributed to John Chrysostom and dating to the early fourth century, also argued that Jesus was conceived and crucified on the same day of the year and calculated this as March 25. This anonymous tract also states: "But Our Lord, too, is born in the month of December ... the eight before the calends of January [25 December] ..., But they call it the 'Birthday of the Unconquered'. Who indeed is so unconquered as Our Lord...? Or, if they say that it is the birthday of the Sun, He is the Sun of Justice."
It was a custom of the Pagans to celebrate on the same 25 December the birthday of the Sun, at which they kindled lights in token of festivity. In these solemnities and revelries, the Christians also took part. Accordingly, when the doctors of the Church perceived that the Christians had a leaning to this festival, they took counsel and resolved that the true Nativity should be solemnised on that day.
In 1743, German Protestant Paul Ernst Jablonski argued Christmas was placed on December 25 to correspond with the Roman solar holiday Dies Natalis Solis Invicti and was therefore a "paganization" that debased the true church. However, it has been also argued that, on the contrary, the Emperor Aurelian, who in 274 instituted the holiday of the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, did so partly as an attempt to give a pagan significance to a date already important for Christians in Rome.Hermann Usener and others proposed that the Christians chose this day because it was the Roman feast celebrating the birthday of Sol Invictus. Modern scholar S. E. Hijmans, however, states that "While they were aware that pagans called this day the 'birthday' of Sol Invictus, this did not concern them and it did not play any role in their choice of date for Christmas." Moreover, Thomas J. Talley holds that the Roman Emperor Aurelian placed a festival of Sol Invictus on December 25 in order to compete with the growing rate of the Christian Church, which had already been celebrating Christmas on that date first. In the judgement of the Church of England Liturgical Commission, the History of Religions hypothesis has been challenged by a view based on an old tradition, according to which the date of Christmas was fixed at nine months after March 25, the date of the vernal equinox, on which the Annunciation was celebrated.With regard to a December religious feast of the deified Sun (Sol), as distinct from a solstice feast of the birth (or rebirth) of the astronomical sun, Hijmans has commented that "while the winter solstice on or around December 25 was well established in the Roman imperial calendar, there is no evidence that a religious celebration of Sol on that day antedated the celebration of Christmas". "Thomas Talley has shown that, although the Emperor Aurelian's dedication of a temple to the sun god in the Campus Martius (C.E. 274) probably took place on the 'Birthday of the Invincible Sun' on December 25, the cult of the sun in pagan Rome ironically did not celebrate the winter solstice nor any of the other quarter-tense days, as one might expect." The Oxford Companion to Christian Thought remarks on the uncertainty about the order of precedence between the religious celebrations of the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun and of the birthday of Jesus, stating that the hypothesis that December 25 was chosen for celebrating the birth of Jesus on the basis of the belief that his conception occurred on March 25 "potentially establishes 25 December as a Christian festival before Aurelian's decree, which, when promulgated, might have provided for the Christian feast both opportunity and challenge".
The pre-Christian Germanic peoples—including the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse—celebrated a winter festival called Yule, held in the late December to early January period, yielding modern English yule, today used as a synonym for Christmas. In Germanic language-speaking areas, numerous elements of modern Christmas folk custom and iconography may have originated from Yule, including the Yule log, Yule boar, and the Yule goat. Often leading a ghostly procession through the sky (the Wild Hunt), the long-bearded god Odin is referred to as "the Yule one" and "Yule father" in Old Norse texts, while other gods are referred to as "Yule beings". On the other hand, as there are no reliable existing references to a Christmas log prior to the 16th century, the burning of the Christmas block may have been an early modern invention by Christians unrelated to the pagan practice.In eastern Europe also, old pagan traditions were incorporated into Christmas celebrations, an example being the Koleda, which was incorporated into the Christmas carol.
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is preceded by the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many countries, is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians, as well as culturally by many non-Christians, and forms an integral part of the holiday season organized around it.
The traditional Christmas narrative recounted in the New Testament, known as the "Nativity of Jesus", says that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in accordance with messianic prophecies. When Joseph and Mary arrived in the city, the inn had no room and so they were offered a stable where the Christ Child was soon born, with angels proclaiming this news to shepherds who then spread the word.Although the month and date of Jesus' birth are unknown, the church in the early fourth century fixed the date as December 25. This corresponds to the date of the winter solstice on the Roman calendar. It is exactly nine months after Annunciation on March 25, also the date of the spring equinox. Most Christians celebrate on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar, which has been adopted almost universally in the civil calendars used in countries throughout the world. However, part of the Eastern Christian Churches celebrate Christmas on December 25 of the older Julian calendar, which currently corresponds to January 7 in the Gregorian calendar. For Christians, believing that God came into the world in the form of man to atone for the sins of humanity, rather than knowing Jesus' exact birth date, is considered to be the primary purpose in celebrating Christmas.The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving; completing an Advent calendar or Advent wreath; Christmas music and caroling; viewing a Nativity play; an exchange of Christmas cards; church services; a special meal; and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Christkind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore. Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. Over the past few centuries, Christmas has had a steadily growing economic effect in many regions of the world.
Etymology
The English word "Christmas" is a shortened form of "Christ's Mass". The word is recorded as Crīstesmæsse in 1038 and Cristes-messe in 1131. Crīst (genitive Crīstes) is from Greek Khrīstos (Χριστός), a translation of Hebrew Māšîaḥ (מָשִׁיחַ), "Messiah", meaning "anointed"; and mæsse is from Latin missa, the celebration of the Eucharist.The form Christenmas was also used during some periods, but is now considered archaic and dialectal. The term derives from Middle English Cristenmasse, meaning "Christian mass". Xmas is an abbreviation of Christmas found particularly in print, based on the initial letter chi (Χ) in Greek Khrīstos (Χριστός) ("Christ"), although numerous style guides discourage its use. This abbreviation has precedent in Middle English Χρ̄es masse (where "Χρ̄" is an abbreviation for Χριστός).Other names
In addition to "Christmas", the holiday has had various other English names throughout its history. The Anglo-Saxons referred to the feast as "midwinter", or, more rarely, as Nātiuiteð (from Latin nātīvitās below). "Nativity", meaning "birth", is from Latin nātīvitās. In Old English, Gēola (Yule) referred to the period corresponding to December and January, which was eventually equated with Christian Christmas. "Noel" (or "Nowel") entered English in the late 14th century and is from the Old French noël or naël, itself ultimately from the Latin nātālis (diēs) meaning "birth (day)".Nativity
The gospels of Luke and Matthew describe Jesus as being born in Bethlehem to the Virgin Mary. In the book of Luke, Joseph and Mary traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census, and Jesus was born there and placed in a manger. Angels proclaimed him a savior for all people, and shepherds came to adore him. The book of Matthew adds that the magi followed a star to Bethlehem to bring gifts to Jesus, born the king of the Jews. King Herod ordered the massacre of all the boys less than two years old in Bethlehem, but the family fled to Egypt and later returned to Nazareth.History
The nativity sequences included in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke prompted early Christian writers to suggest various dates for the anniversary. Although no date is indicated in the gospels, early Christians connected Jesus to the Sun through the use of such phrases as "Sun of righteousness." The Romans marked the winter solstice on December 25. The first recorded Christmas celebration was in Rome on December 25, AD 336. In the 3rd century, the date of the nativity was the subject of great interest. Around AD 200, Clement of Alexandria wrote:There are those who have determined not only the year of our Lord's birth, but also the day; and they say that it took place in the 28th year of Augustus, and in the 25th day of [the Egyptian month] Pachon [May 20] ... Further, others say that He was born on the 24th or 25th of Pharmuthi [April 20 or 21]. Various factors contributed to the selection of December 25 as a date of celebration: it was the date of the winter solstice on the Roman calendar and it was nine months after March 25, the date of the vernal equinox and a date linked to the conception of Jesus (celebrated as the Feast of the Annunciation).Christmas played a role in the Arian controversy of the fourth century. After this controversy ran its course, the prominence of the holiday declined for a few centuries. The feast regained prominence after 800 when Charlemagne was crowned emperor on Christmas Day.
In Puritan England, Christmas was banned due to being associated with drunkenness and other misbehaviour. It was restored as a legal holiday in England in 1660, but remained disreputable in the minds of many people. In the early 19th century, Christmas festivities and services became widespread with the rise of the Oxford Movement in the Church of England that emphasized the centrality of Christmas in Christianity and charity to the poor, along with Washington Irving, Charles Dickens, and other authors emphasizing family, children, kind-heartedness, gift-giving, and Santa Claus (for Irving), or Father Christmas (for Dickens).
Introduction
Christmas does not appear on the lists of festivals given by the early Christian writers Irenaeus and Tertullian. Origen and Arnobius fault the pagans for celebrating birthdays, which suggests that Christmas was not celebrated in their time. Arnobius wrote after AD 297. The Chronograph of 354 records that a Christmas celebration took place in Rome eight days before the calends of January. This section was written in AD 336, during the brief pontificate of Pope Mark.In the East, the birth of Jesus was celebrated in connection with the Epiphany on January 6. This holiday was not primarily about the nativity, but rather the baptism of Jesus. Christmas was promoted in the East as part of the revival of Orthodox Christianity that followed the death of the pro-Arian Emperor Valens at the Battle of Adrianople in 378. The feast was introduced in Constantinople in 379, in Antioch by John Chrysostom towards the end of the fourth century, probably in 388, and in Alexandria in the following century.Solstice date
December 25 was the date of the winter solstice in the Roman calendar. A late fourth-century sermon by Saint Augustine explains why this was a fitting day to celebrate Christ's nativity: "Hence it is that He was born on the day which is the shortest in our earthly reckoning and from which subsequent days begin to increase in length. He, therefore, who bent low and lifted us up chose the shortest day, yet the one whence light begins to increase."Linking Jesus to the Sun was supported by various Biblical passages. Jesus was considered to be the "Sun of righteousness" prophesied by Malachi: "Unto you shall the sun of righteousness arise, and healing is in his wings."Such solar symbolism could support more than one date of birth. An anonymous work known as De Pascha Computus (243) linked the idea that creation began at the spring equinox, on March 25, with the conception or birth (the word nascor can mean either) of Jesus on March 28, the day of the creation of the sun in the Genesis account. One translation reads: "O the splendid and divine providence of the Lord, that on that day, the very day, on which the sun was made, March 28, a Wednesday, Christ should be born".In the 17th century, Isaac Newton, who, coincidentally, was born on December 25, argued that the date of Christmas may have been selected to correspond with the solstice.Conversely, according to Steven Hijmans of the University of Alberta, "It is cosmic symbolism ... which inspired the Church leadership in Rome to elect the southern solstice, December 25, as the birthday of Christ, and the northern solstice as that of John the Baptist, supplemented by the equinoxes as their respective dates of conception."Calculation hypothesis
The calculation hypothesis suggests that an earlier holiday held on March 25 became associated with the Incarnation. Christmas was then calculated as nine months later. The calculation hypothesis was proposed by French writer Louis Duchesne in 1889. In modern times, March 25 is celebrated as Annunciation. This holiday was created in the seventh century and was assigned to a date that is nine months before Christmas, in addition to being the traditional date of the equinox. It is unrelated to the Quartodeciman, which had been forgotten by this time. Forgotten by everyone except the Jews, of course, who continued to observe Passover; also a Quartodeciman feast.Early Christians celebrated the life of Jesus on a date considered equivalent to 14 Nisan (Passover) on the local calendar. Because Passover was held on the 14th of the month, this feast is referred to as the Quartodeciman. All the major events of Christ's life, especially the passion, were celebrated on this date. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul mentions Passover, presumably celebrated according to the local calendar in Corinth. Tertullian (d. 220), who lived in Latin-speaking North Africa, gives the date of passion celebration as March 25. The date of the passion was moved to Good Friday in 165 when Pope Soter created Easter by reassigning the Resurrection to a Sunday. According to the calculation hypothesis, the celebration of the Quartodeciman continued in some areas and the feast became associated with Incarnation.The calculation hypothesis is considered academically to be "a thoroughly viable hypothesis", though not certain. It was a traditional Jewish belief that great men were born and died on the same day, so lived a whole number of years, without fractions: Jesus was therefore considered to have been conceived on March 25, as he died on March 25, which was calculated to have coincided with 14 Nisan. A passage in Commentary on the Prophet Daniel (204) by Hippolytus of Rome identifies December 25 as the date of the nativity. This passage is generally considered a late interpellation. But the manuscript includes another passage, one that is more likely to be authentic, that gives the passion as March 25.In 221, Sextus Julius Africanus (c. 160 – c. 240) gave March 25 as the day of creation and of the conception of Jesus in his universal history. This conclusion was based on solar symbolism, with March 25 the date of the equinox. As this implies a birth in December, it is sometimes claimed to be the earliest identification of December 25 as the nativity. However, Africanus was not such an influential writer that it is likely he determined the date of Christmas.The treatise De solstitia et aequinoctia conceptionis et nativitatis Domini nostri Iesu Christi et Iohannis Baptistae, pseudepigraphically attributed to John Chrysostom and dating to the early fourth century, also argued that Jesus was conceived and crucified on the same day of the year and calculated this as March 25. This anonymous tract also states: "But Our Lord, too, is born in the month of December ... the eight before the calends of January [25 December] ..., But they call it the 'Birthday of the Unconquered'. Who indeed is so unconquered as Our Lord...? Or, if they say that it is the birthday of the Sun, He is the Sun of Justice."
History of religions hypothesis
The rival "History of Religions" hypothesis suggests that the Church selected December 25 date to appropriate festivities held by the Romans in honor of the Sun god Sol Invictus. This cult was established by Aurelian in 274. An explicit expression of this theory appears in an annotation of uncertain date added to a manuscript of a work by 12th-century Syrian bishop Jacob Bar-Salibi. The scribe who added it wrote:It was a custom of the Pagans to celebrate on the same 25 December the birthday of the Sun, at which they kindled lights in token of festivity. In these solemnities and revelries, the Christians also took part. Accordingly, when the doctors of the Church perceived that the Christians had a leaning to this festival, they took counsel and resolved that the true Nativity should be solemnised on that day.
In 1743, German Protestant Paul Ernst Jablonski argued Christmas was placed on December 25 to correspond with the Roman solar holiday Dies Natalis Solis Invicti and was therefore a "paganization" that debased the true church. However, it has been also argued that, on the contrary, the Emperor Aurelian, who in 274 instituted the holiday of the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, did so partly as an attempt to give a pagan significance to a date already important for Christians in Rome.Hermann Usener and others proposed that the Christians chose this day because it was the Roman feast celebrating the birthday of Sol Invictus. Modern scholar S. E. Hijmans, however, states that "While they were aware that pagans called this day the 'birthday' of Sol Invictus, this did not concern them and it did not play any role in their choice of date for Christmas." Moreover, Thomas J. Talley holds that the Roman Emperor Aurelian placed a festival of Sol Invictus on December 25 in order to compete with the growing rate of the Christian Church, which had already been celebrating Christmas on that date first. In the judgement of the Church of England Liturgical Commission, the History of Religions hypothesis has been challenged by a view based on an old tradition, according to which the date of Christmas was fixed at nine months after March 25, the date of the vernal equinox, on which the Annunciation was celebrated.With regard to a December religious feast of the deified Sun (Sol), as distinct from a solstice feast of the birth (or rebirth) of the astronomical sun, Hijmans has commented that "while the winter solstice on or around December 25 was well established in the Roman imperial calendar, there is no evidence that a religious celebration of Sol on that day antedated the celebration of Christmas". "Thomas Talley has shown that, although the Emperor Aurelian's dedication of a temple to the sun god in the Campus Martius (C.E. 274) probably took place on the 'Birthday of the Invincible Sun' on December 25, the cult of the sun in pagan Rome ironically did not celebrate the winter solstice nor any of the other quarter-tense days, as one might expect." The Oxford Companion to Christian Thought remarks on the uncertainty about the order of precedence between the religious celebrations of the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun and of the birthday of Jesus, stating that the hypothesis that December 25 was chosen for celebrating the birth of Jesus on the basis of the belief that his conception occurred on March 25 "potentially establishes 25 December as a Christian festival before Aurelian's decree, which, when promulgated, might have provided for the Christian feast both opportunity and challenge".
Relation to concurrent celebrations
Many popular customs associated with Christmas developed independently of the commemoration of Jesus' birth, with some claiming that certain elements have origins in pre-Christian festivals that were celebrated by pagan populations who were later converted to Christianity. The prevailing atmosphere of Christmas has also continually evolved since the holiday's inception, ranging from a sometimes raucous, drunken, carnival-like state in the Middle Ages, to a tamer family-oriented and children-centered theme introduced in a 19th-century transformation. The celebration of Christmas was banned on more than one occasion within certain groups, such as the Puritans and Jehovah's Witnesses (who do not celebrate birthdays in general), due to concerns that it was too unbiblical.Prior to and through the early Christian centuries, winter festivals were the most popular of the year in many European pagan cultures. Reasons included the fact that less agricultural work needed to be done during the winter, as well as an expectation of better weather as spring approached. Celtic winter herbs such as mistletoe and ivy, and the custom of kissing under a mistletoe, are common in modern Christmas celebrations in the English-speaking countries.The pre-Christian Germanic peoples—including the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse—celebrated a winter festival called Yule, held in the late December to early January period, yielding modern English yule, today used as a synonym for Christmas. In Germanic language-speaking areas, numerous elements of modern Christmas folk custom and iconography may have originated from Yule, including the Yule log, Yule boar, and the Yule goat. Often leading a ghostly procession through the sky (the Wild Hunt), the long-bearded god Odin is referred to as "the Yule one" and "Yule father" in Old Norse texts, while other gods are referred to as "Yule beings". On the other hand, as there are no reliable existing references to a Christmas log prior to the 16th century, the burning of the Christmas block may have been an early modern invention by Christians unrelated to the pagan practice.In eastern Europe also, old pagan traditions were incorporated into Christmas celebrations, an example being the Koleda, which was incorporated into the Christmas carol.
Zero i had a blast going around the richest neighborhoods in california and carolling with u
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2020
- Messages
- 234
"A brother is a friend God gave to you; a friend is a brother your heart chose for you."
Many of you don't know, but pastor zero is actually my big brother.
If you've grown up with an older brother like I have, you know the life long love and struggles that come with him. As a younger sibling, we tend to always look up to our older brother.
They become our role models, our go to person and best friend. With years and years I have discovered that my hero does not wear a fancy cape but carries a heart of gold that I hold so dearly. Even though at times he may seem like you are the biggest pain in his life, you are his biggest joy.
Time after time you have done countless things to annoy him, things that drive him off the wall, but he fights daily to protect and love you. Other than a parents love, I feel that there is no greater bond in love than there is between siblings. A lot of the things my brother has done for me goes unnoticed and at times i'm sure he has felt unappreciated by his gestures because my lack of gratitude. We all tend to take the smallest things for granite, especially those we love. Because I know I haven't told him lately, here is the thank you letter that all older brothers deserve every once in a blue moon.
Dear Brother,
I want to first off thank you for being my life long playmate and best friend. Even when I ripped every toy you had apart and busted your favorite things, you returned to me hours later with a smile. You've held my hand when I've fallen and kissed my boo boo's since day one.
When mommy would put me in time out, you'd defend me and blame yourself to get me out of trouble. You've taken up for me when I was wrong and never questioned me over anything you know I wouldn't do. From the time I've been in piggy tails till now, you've kept me safe, you've kept me close. Without your guidance through my earliest years in this hateful world, i'm afraid I would not be who I am.
Thank you for reminding me always that I matter. You've always been able to tell if there is something wrong and bring me back into my happiest place. Whether it be from teasing me till I pee or making funny faces till I crack a smile, you've always found a way. You bring me back down a level of understanding when I do not see things clearly. You've also reminded me in times, that I am not the only one that matters. you've kept me straight and given me a reality check when I needed it most. You've given me hope in your goofy ways, when I feel that there is no hope left. You've always seen the bigger picture.
Thank you for setting great expectations. Without being the man you have become I could not strive to be better. You've given me a sense of pride to call you my brother with all your achievements and drive to out do the limits that those set in front of you. You seen this life early than I did and have encountered so much.
That is why I take each wise word and lesson you give to heart. I sit back in amazement at your ability to give so much in life, without taking. You've set such great examples of what a person should be and for that I will always be forever grateful.
Thank you for showing me what I can and cannot get away with. Although I've made it hard and not always made the best of decisions, you've given me the greatest lesson in right and wrong. I may have stubbed up and not talked to you for hours for ratting me out to mom and dad, but looking back i'm thankful you did. Without those moments of your honesty, I would not have learned some of my greatest lessons. You've taught me that with everything I do, there is a consequence whether I know it or not. For this I have become more grounded in my choices and appreciated your judgment even though I didn't understand it at the time.
And while i'm thanking you, I would also like to throw in a apology for the times I've let you down, hurt you, or over looked just how much you do as my brother. My favorite part of being your brother has always been how you can take with great pride the thank you I didn't give but know I meant.
As your baby brother, just so you know, I will never be less annoying… but please know that no one would possibly love you more than I do. Even if I show it in ways you may not understand fully.
You've given me the best life a girl could ask for, even if it did involve a lot of worms, dirt and Tonka trucks at times. I've been blessed with every moment God has give me with you. I could spend every waking moment with you and still not feel like I've had enough time with you because you teach me something new with every day to come.
I appreciate you, I'm proud of you and most importantly I love you with all my heart. Thank you for being my big brother and holding me in both your hands with the up most love. While people may come and go, you will be in my heart for a lifetime. You’re the best brother anyone could ask for. I’m lucky to have you in my life.
When everyone gave me the cold shoulder, you told me to lean on you and forget the bad things. Love you, brother.
God sent you as my guardian angel. Thank you, brother, for your consistent support.
I don’t believe in superheroes from fantasy cause I live with one, and that’s you, my brother. I love you.
I may not be your perfect brother. But to me, you are the perfect brother of this world. I love you!
You always motivate me whenever I feel down and hopeless. You are the best brother in my world.
The best thing about having a brother is, you can always count on him when life gets hard. I am forever thankful to you.
I let you win cause mom and dad picked you from the garbage. However, I love my adopted brother.
I never liked the idea that babies grow up one day. That’s why no matter how older you get; I always like to think that you are still my baby brother.
You are the cutest brother in this world. Always were and always will be!
I wish I could go back to childhood and had those awesome fights and arguments with you. Only this time I would let you win some.
Only you can make me smile a million times with the same joke. My little brother, why are you so cute?
Thank you, brother, for holding me up every time I fall. Thank you for making me strong and love above all. You’re the best.
I can pretty much see your face right now as you start to read this. Probably at your desk listening to the new Nas obviously. I think somewhere along the way I stopped telling you how much I look up to you in almost every single way. I bet it gets old sometimes, always wearing a red cape in my eyes, as if you could never do anything wrong. But you’re human and I forget that sometimes. I need to tell you some things I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while. We both know I’m a better writer than verbalizer. You probably don’t remember (because you have the memory of a goldfish) but one time you said you wanted to get a degree in communications or journalism. You are an accountant so clearly you didn’t do that but I have a degree in communications. When I was deciding what I wanted to do with my life, your love of sports came into my mind. As someone who always liked playing sports, I never imagined a life in which I worked for a baseball team. But in the end I did (and loved every second of it) because I really wanted you to think I was cool. Hell I joined a fantasy baseball league so we’d have even more in common. Mostly though it was so I could beat the boys.
IM PROUD OF YOU.
I am so proud to claim you as my brother. I get a weird pride feeling when people ask me if I’m your brother. Also the person that I’ve watched you turn into, a loving boyfriend and successful professional, makes me realize and hope that anything is possible in my own life. You’re pretty awesome.
I HATE IT WHEN MY FRIENDS CALL YOU HOT
Sure you’re a good looking guy. I mean we’re cut from the same cloth and I’m pretty good looking myself so it’s bound to happen that a few of my girlfriends will make comments on your looks. I hate it. Thanks for never dating any of my friends.
YOURE SO FUNNY
Sometimes it takes me a second to get your jokes because they’re always witty and smart. As soon as I do get them the same thought goes through my brain, “How the hell did he think of that?” When someone calls you quiet, I laugh because I know that as soon as you open up, everyone around you is going to want to hear the hilarious one liners you have. Especially the ones about mom. One of mom’s friends one time asked me why I talked about you like you walked on water. It’s because in my mind you do. You always have. There was a time when I wondered if we were going to be the kind of siblings that just stop talking. But we talk almost every day whether in the form of cute puppy pictures or songs that we need to tell each other about. It’s the best part of my day.
It’s true. Every time I go to leave to travel back to my new hometown, I almost tell you but there is something holding me back. Must have something to do with my need to always look tough. But I love you so much.
My life wouldn’t be anywhere near to what it is if you didn’t exist. I’m almost scared to wonder what would have happened to me if you weren’t there helping me pave my way. So thank you for reading my articles, listening to my boy troubles and for being my big brother. I’d be so lost without you.
I never tell you how much you actually mean to me. Of course, each family has their own story and dynamic, but ours is my favorite. Every little brother has a different experience with their older brothers, some feel protected right from the beginning or others aren’t as lucky as me and don’t even feel close to their brothers at all. Although we got a little bit of a late start, I am forever thankful for the friendship we have.
I remember when I got my heart broken for the first time. I think that's when I really knew I mattered to you. I remember acting as dramatic as always, and being so upset over this. You were so mad at this boy, and promised you wouldn’t let a boy hurt me again. And despite having no real control over this situation, you have been able to always help me up from these hurts and taught me to brush it off.
You were the tough, body-building, cool, older brother. I lived under your legacy at high school, and the constant OH, you’re his little brother. I always wanted to be able to be as witty and easy going as you, but some of us aren’t as blessed (please note the sarcasm).
When our parents separated, you were my shield and protector. You took on the role of dad, and made me feel comfortable with all the new changes going on. You taught me how to be brave, even when I didn’t feel brave.
You never gave up on me when I felt unlovable, and always made sure I had my life together. You taught me how important studying was and always led by example. I am so proud of all the academic accomplishment you had at Virginia Tech and all the future ones you will accomplish at medical school.
When our family faced hardships, you were the person I turned to. You always give me tough love, and tell it how it is, even when I really just could use a hug. You encourage me to be a better version of myself, just by always believing in me. Even if you really don’t think I can do something you always give me the encouragement to try anyways.
Thank you for all the lessons you’ve taught me and even if you will never admit it, I have you right in the palm of my hand. Thank you for always protecting me, and also letting me fall but being there to pick me up. You are the best big brother, and I am so blessed to get the chance to be your little brother. Thank you for setting a strong example for me to follow, and for rarely letting me down. Getting to go to college together for a year was such a special thing, and I love that we both love being Hokies! I love you bubba.
Love always,
your rotten little brother!
18 years of my life down with you, a million more to go
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