Discovering Bible Truth » Church History

The Origin Of Xmas

Discovering Bible Truth — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:18:02 +0000

Have you ever been told that those who say or write Xmas are attempting to take Christ out of Christmas? I know I have. However, contrary to popular belief, [historically] saying Xmas instead of Christmas is NOT an attempt to remove Christ from Christmas nor minimize its religious meaning.

This practice can be traced back to the early 16th century. The Greek letter “chi” is the first letter of the word Christos (Christ), and is transliterated as X. “In the early days of printing when typesetting was done by hand and was very tedious and expensive, abbreviations were common. The church began to use the abbreviation “X” for the word “Christ” in religious publications. From there, the abbreviation moved into general use in newspapers and other publications, and “Xmas” became an accepted way of printing “Christmas.” (The Christmas Season, by Dennis Bratcher)

Although many businesses may think that they are removing Christ from Christmas, they are in reality doing the exact opposite. X stands for Christ, and Xmas and Christmas are the same word.

Posted in Church History

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Posted in Christian Living, Church History, Vocational Ministry

The Origin of Xmas

Discovering Bible Truth — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 13:00:00 +0000

I learned something this past week that I thought I would share. Contrary to popular belief, saying Xmas instead of Christmas is NOT an attempt to remove Christ from Christmas nor minimize its religious meaning. (historically)

This practice can actually be traced back to the early 16th century. The Greek letter “chi” is the first letter of the word Christos (Christ), and is transliterated as X. “In the early days of printing when typesetting was done by hand and was very tedious and expensive, abbreviations were common. The church began to use the abbreviation “X” for the word “Christ” in religious publications. From there, the abbreviation moved into general use in newspapers and other publications, and “Xmas” became an accepted way of printing “Christmas.” (The Christmas Season, by Dennis Bratcher)

Although many businesses may think that they are removing Christ from Christmas, they are in reality doing the exact opposite. X stands for Christ, and Xmas and Christmas are the same word.

Posted in Church History

The Story vs. The Meaning

Discovering Bible Truth — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 04:55:00 +0000

At our church we have spent a lot of time talking about the difference in the story of Christmas and the meaning of Christmas. It is easy to get caught up in the commercialism of the season and forget about the story of Christmas. To protect from this negligence many Christians will set out a nativity scene or read the Christmas story before opening their gifts, all in an effort to remember the “reason for the season”. (In reality all it is doing is easing their conscience.)

This, as valiant as an effort as it may be, is still not enough. It is not enough to simply remember the history of Christmas and to think about the story of the shepherds, wise men, Joseph, and Mary. We must take it a step farther and apply the story’s significance to our individual lives. Because of Christmas we have hope, we have salvation, we have forgiveness, we have comfort. Because of Christmas we can see God’s provision, His providence, and His sovereignty.

We often think about Christmas and Easter as two separate events, but in reality they are inseparable. Jesus is the only person ever born with the sole purpose of dying. And through that death we have all the things mentioned above. That is the meaning of Christmas.

The story of Christmas is memorable and enjoyable, but the meaning of Christmas is life-changing. Which is your focus?

Posted in Biblical Commentary, Church History