An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

402. Christmas: Pagan or Christian?

December 25, 2023

Description

“The Church was anxious to draw the attention of its members away from the old pagan feast days, and the December date did this very well, for it coincided with the birthday of the invincible son...
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Books Referenced

The Da Vinci Code

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

Stonehenge, Neolithic Man and the Cosmos

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

The Stations of the Sun

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

The Golden Bough

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

Daily Life in Ancient Rome

Author: France Dupont

Context:

Described as 'a brilliant book on everyday life in the Roman Republic' - quoted regarding the nature of the Saturnalia festival

The Aeneid

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