An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List
402. Christmas: Pagan or Christian?
December 25, 2023
Description
Books Referenced
Author: Dan Brown
Context:
Explicitly mentioned as a book containing Christmas-themed claims by the character Sir Lee Teabing about Christian icons being derived from pagan traditions
Author: John North
Context:
Explicitly described as 'a book' that Tom was reading in preparation for a court case about the Stonehenge Tunnel, containing claims about the church drawing attention away from pagan feast days
Author: Ronald Hutton
Context:
Described as Ronald Hutton's 'great book' - a history of the ritual year in Britain, cited for its discussion of Christmas and the December 25th date
Author: James Fraser
Context:
Mentioned as a classic example of 19th century scholarship about universal religious themes of death and resurrection, and later referenced regarding Lord of Misrule traditions
Author: France Dupont
Context:
Described as 'a brilliant book on everyday life in the Roman Republic' - quoted regarding the nature of the Saturnalia festival
Author: Virgil
Context:
Referenced as 'the great poem that is written by Virgil to celebrate the origins of Rome' - quoted regarding Saturn's role in bringing civilization to Rome