In the 1st century, Christians did not celebrate Christmas. To underline the miraculous character of the incarnation of Jesus, it was necessary to draw from a vast repertoire of pagan myths, some of which were perfectly sunk in their new mold.
by Laurent Testot (with Gaétan Supertino)
It is an ordinary crèche, with its Santons de Provence. The baby Jesus, on the straw, his radiant mother, his father as putative as it is thoughtful, a donkey on the right and/or an ox on the left, a star in the firmament … far from being a historical report of the first days of the divine child , this crèche tells us about forgotten religions because defeated, symbols that have changed meaning. It whispers the history of Christmas metamorphoses, pagan celebration that has become Christian.
Originally, at the i er century AD, Christians, then a Jewish sect among others, do not celebrate Christmas. The question of the date of birth of Jesus does not arise. It is a pagan custom to celebrate a birthday, underlines the Christian theologian Origen (around 185-253), in III e century. What is above all right to celebrate is the passion of Christ, which took place at Easter.
Let us examine in more detail the animals present in the crèche. Sheep, donkey and beef are attested as biblical animals. The sheep are the metaphor of the people of Christ “good pastor”, the donkey is the mount of the prophets, and the cattle finds the justification of its presence thanks to the prophecies of Isaiah, which associate it with the donkey as belonging to A master to come, the Messiah – “An ox knows its owner, and a donkey the master who gives him food. But Israel wants to know nothing, my people does not understand anything” (Isaiah 1, 3).
Mithra, the rival of Christ
The fact remains that beef is also a very revered animal in the East and in Europe, because it has embodied wealth for several millennia. And this cattle also reminds of the bull, the animal symbol of the best known of the rivals of Christ, Mithra, in the religious competition which rages in Rome.
Mithra (this Vedic name means “friend”) is an Indo-European deity, which appeared in Persia or India, imported into the Roman Empire at the very beginning of our era. This god, in Rome, is the subject of a mysteries cult, on the model of certain Greek religions – also called “initiatory cults”, because they require for their believers successive initiations, allowing them to better unravel the ‘History and the secrets of their divinity. The sources, fragmentary, evoke impetrants brought into an obscure cave. A bull would then be slaughtered there and we would spray them with his blood. From this emerging initiation of followers considered to be resurrected.
Some (late) stories give birth to Mithra in a cave, others near a sacred source, under a tree. In adulthood, he would have killed a bull from which grass, plants, wheat and wine, participating in the miracle of life, immediately came out. Mithra then perishes, resuscitating to fly to the sky in a carriage of fire.
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