Let the just rejoice, for their Justifict is born. Let the sick and infirm rejoice, for their Savior is born. Let the captives rejoice, for their Redeemer is born. Let slaves rejoice, for their Master is born. Let free people rejoice, for their Liberator is born. Let all Christians rejoice, for Jesus Christ is born.
[Saint Augustine the Hippo]
Notes
Quite a few things come to mind in looking at the picture above. Firstly, how Mary looks in pretty good nick for someone who's given birth not long before. :) Secondly, how good-natured Joseph must have been after his initial anger and distrust of how Mary got pregnant - he didn't even get a speaking part in the Bible either. Some women get the good husbands, don't they?
Also, the question is not whether Jesus was born - that was attested to, by definition, in the writings of Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius and Phlegon and Encyclopaedia Britannica had:
These independent accounts prove that in ancient times, even the opponents of Christianity never doubted the historicity of Jesus, which was disputed for the first time and on inadequate grounds by several authors at the end of the 18th, during the 19th, and at the beginning of the 20th centuries.
The only real doubt is whether He was resurrected and on that turns the whole issue, that being more properly gone into next Easter. If the odds were that He lived and therefore was born, then why shouldn't it be as Matthew described?
I've read the material which suggests Matthew was adopting tales from an earlier time and so on but in simple logic, there is no proof that it did not happen the way described in Matthew - he was a more contemporary source than modern revisionists who are just as much following an agenda as Matthew was.
Pascal's Wager seems a sound position to take.
Either way, may peace and harmony descend on you this night and all the way through the next few days. Have a raucously good time tomorrow.
Merry Christmas.
A little ditty by Michael Crawford to take us out this night:
[Saint Augustine the Hippo]
Notes
Quite a few things come to mind in looking at the picture above. Firstly, how Mary looks in pretty good nick for someone who's given birth not long before. :) Secondly, how good-natured Joseph must have been after his initial anger and distrust of how Mary got pregnant - he didn't even get a speaking part in the Bible either. Some women get the good husbands, don't they?
Also, the question is not whether Jesus was born - that was attested to, by definition, in the writings of Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius and Phlegon and Encyclopaedia Britannica had:
These independent accounts prove that in ancient times, even the opponents of Christianity never doubted the historicity of Jesus, which was disputed for the first time and on inadequate grounds by several authors at the end of the 18th, during the 19th, and at the beginning of the 20th centuries.
The only real doubt is whether He was resurrected and on that turns the whole issue, that being more properly gone into next Easter. If the odds were that He lived and therefore was born, then why shouldn't it be as Matthew described?
I've read the material which suggests Matthew was adopting tales from an earlier time and so on but in simple logic, there is no proof that it did not happen the way described in Matthew - he was a more contemporary source than modern revisionists who are just as much following an agenda as Matthew was.
Pascal's Wager seems a sound position to take.
Either way, may peace and harmony descend on you this night and all the way through the next few days. Have a raucously good time tomorrow.
Merry Christmas.
A little ditty by Michael Crawford to take us out this night:
Merry Christmas James- we may disagree about religion but there is lots in Christianity worth celebrating from turning the other cheek to letting the meek inherit the earth. Have a good christmas- and hope you enjoy the experience of a communal Christmas. As ever its a privilege to be a blogfriend- even if we disagree, I hope its with a smile!
ReplyDelete(If this post doesn't quite make sense- its because some Scrooge of a cold has come and infected me and I'm taking about a ton of lemsip!)
"Saint Augustine the Hippo": what did St Frederick the Rhino say?
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas Xx
ReplyDeleteNice post, thank you :-)
ReplyDeleteOnce again Happy Christmas.
And a merry Christmas to you too!
ReplyDeleteChrist is born, glorify him!
Though if you are in Russia, no doubt the celebrations will no doubt only be getting going in 13 days' time.
Hope it was good for you.
ReplyDeleteDearieme - I wondered who'd pick up on that. :)
ReplyDelete