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Among　the　gods　of　eastern　origin　who　in　the　decline　of　the　ancient　world　competed　against　each　other　for　the　allegiance　of　the　West　was　the　old　Persian　deity　Mithra。　The　immense　popularity　of　his　worship　is　attested　by　the　monuments　illustrative　of　it　which　have　been　found　scattered　in　profusion　all　over　the　Roman　Empire。　In　respect　both　of　doctrines　and　of　rites　the　cult　of　Mithra　appears　to　have　presented　many　points　of　resemblance　not　only　to　the　religion　of　the　Mother　of　the　Gods　but　also　to　Christianity。　The　similarity　struck　the　Christian　doctors　themselves　and　was　explained　by　them　as　a　work　of　the　devil；　who　sought　to　seduce　the　souls　of　men　from　the　true　faith　by　a　false　and　insidious　imitation　of　it。　So　to　the　Spanish　conquerors　of　Mexico　and　Peru　many　of　the　native　heathen　rites　appeared　to　be　diabolical　counterfeits　of　the　Christian　sacraments。　With　more　probability　the　modern　student　of　comparative　religion　traces　such　resemblances　to　the　similar　and　independent　workings　of　the　mind　of　man　in　his　sincere；　if　crude；　attempts　to　fathom　the　secret　of　the　universe；　and　to　adjust　his　little　life　to　its　awful　mysteries。　However　that　may　be；　there　can　be　no　doubt　that　the　Mithraic　religion　proved　a　formidable　rival　to　Christianity；　combining　as　it　did　a　solemn　ritual　with　aspirations　after　moral　purity　and　a　hope　of　immortality。　Indeed　the　issue　of　the　conflict　between　the　two　faiths　appears　for　a　time　to　have　hung　in　the　balance。　An　instructive　relic　of　the　long　struggle　is　preserved　in　our　festival　of　Christmas；　which　the　Church　seems　to　have　borrowed　directly　from　its　heathen　rival。　In　the　Julian　calendar　the　twenty…fifth　of　December　was　reckoned　the　winter　solstice；　and　it　was　regarded　as　the　Nativity　of　the　Sun；　because　the　day　begins　to　lengthen　and　the　power　of　the　sun　to　increase　from　that　turning…point　of　the　year。　The　ritual　of　the　nativity；　as　it　appears　to　have　been　celebrated　in　Syria　and　Egypt；　was　remarkable。　The　celebrants　retired　into　certain　inner　shrines；　from　which　at　midnight　they　issued　with　a　loud　cry；　The　Virgin　has　brought　forth！　The　light　is　waxing！　The　Egyptians　even　represented　the　new…born　sun　by　the　image　of　an　infant　which　on　his　birthday；　the　winter　solstice；　they　brought　forth　and　exhibited　to　his　worshippers。　No　doubt　the　Virgin　who　thus　conceived　and　bore　a　son　on　the　twenty…fifth　of　December　was　the　great　Oriental　goddess　whom　the　Semites　called　the　Heavenly　Virgin　or　simply　the　Heavenly　Goddess；　in　Semitic　lands　she　was　a　form　of　Astarte。　Now　Mithra　was　regularly　identified　by　his　worshippers　with　the　Sun；　the　Unconquered　Sun；　as　they　called　him；　hence　his　nativity　also　fell　on　the　twenty…fifth　of　December。　The　Gospels　say　nothing　as　to　the　day　of　Christ's　birth；　and　accordingly　the　early　Church　did　not　celebrate　it。　In　time；　however；　the　Christians　of　Egypt　came　to　regard　the　sixth　of　January　as　the　date　of　the　Nativity；　and　the　custom　of　commemorating　the　birth　of　the　Saviour　on　that　day　gradually　spread　until　by　the　fourth　century　it　was　universally　established　in　the　East。　But　at　the　end　of　the　third　or　the　beginning　of　the　fourth　century　the　Western　Church；　which　had　never　recognised　the　sixth　of　January　as　the　day　of　the　Nativity；　adopted　the　twenty…fifth　of　December　as　the　true　date；　and　in　time　its　decision　was　accepted　also　by　the　Eastern　Church。　At　Antioch　the　change　was　not　introduced　till　about　the　year　375　A。D。

What　considerations　led　the　ecclesiastical　authorities　to　institute　the　festival　of　Christmas？　The　motives　for　the　innovation　are　stated　with　great　frankness　by　a　Syrian　writer；　himself　a　Christian。　The　reason；　he　tells　us；　why　the　fathers　transferred　the　celebration　of　the　sixth　of　January　to　the　twenty…fifth　of　December　was　this。　It　was　a　custom　of　the　heathen　to　celebrate　on　the　same　twenty…fifth　of　December　the　birthday　of　the　Sun；　at　which　they　kindled　lights　in　token　of　festivity。　In　these　solemnities　and　festivities　the　Christians　also　took　part。　Accordingly　when　the　doctors　of　the　Church　perceived　that　the　Christians　had　a　leaning　to　this　festival；　they　took　counsel　and　resolved　that　the　true　Nativity　should　be　solemnised　on　that　day　and　the　festival　of　the　Epiphany　on　the　sixth　of　January。　Accordingly；　along　with　this　custom；　the　practice　has　prevailed　of　kindling　fires　till　the　sixth。　The　heathen　origin　of　Christmas　is　plainly　hinted　at；　if　not　tacitly　admitted；　by　Augustine　when　he　exhorts　his　Christian　brethren　not　to　celebrate　that　solemn　day　like　the　heathen　on　account　of　the　sun；　but　on　account　of　him　who　made　the　sun。　In　like　manner　Leo　the　Great　rebuked　the　pestilent　belief　that　Christmas　was　solemnised　because　of　the　birth　of　the　new　sun；　as　it　was　called；　and　not　because　of　the　nativity　of　Christ。

Thus　it　appears　that　the　Christian　Church　chose　to　celebrate　the　birthday　of　its　Founder　on　the　twenty…fifth　of　December　in　order　to　transfer　the　devotion　of　the　heathen　from　the　Sun　to　him　who　was　called　the　Sun　of　Righteousness。　If　that　was　so；　there　can　be　no　intrinsic　improbability　in　the　conjecture　that　motives　of　the　same　sort　may　have　led　the　ecclesiastical　authorities　to　assimilate　the　Easter　festival　of　the　death　and　resurrection　of　their　Lord　to　the　festival　of　the　death　and　resurrection　of　another　Asiatic　god　which　fell　at　the　same　season。　Now　the　Easter　rites　still　observed　in　Greece；　Sicily；　and　Southern　Italy　bear　in　some　respects　a　striking　resemblance　to　the　rites　of　Adonis；　and　I　have　suggested　that　the　Church　may　have　consciously　adapted　the　new　festival　to　its　heathen　predecessor　for　the　sake　of　winning　souls　to　Christ。　But　this　adaptation　probably　took　place　in　the　Greek…speaking　rather　than　in　the　Latin…speaking　parts　of　the　ancient　world；　for　the　worship　of　Adonis；　while　it　flourished　among　the　Greeks；　appears　to　have　made　little　impression　on　Rome　and　the　West。　Certainly　it　never　formed　part　of　the　official　Roman　religion。　The　place　which　it　might　have　taken　in　the　affections　of　the　vulgar　was　already　occupied　by　the　similar　but　more　barbarous　worship　of　Attis　and　the　Great　Mother。　Now　the　death　and　resurrection　of　Attis　were　officially　celebrated　at　Rome　on　the　twenty…fourth　and　twenty…fifth　of　March；　the　latter　being　regarded　as　the　spring　equinox；　and　therefore　as　the　most　appropriate　day　for　the　revival　of　a　god　of　vegetation　who　had　been　dead　or　sleeping　throughout　the　winter。　But　according　to　an　ancient　and　widespread　tradition　Christ　suffered　on　the　twenty…fifth　of　March；　and　accordingly　some　Christians　regularly　celebrated　the　Crucifixion　on　that　day　without　any　regard　to　the　state　of　the　moon。　This　custom　was　certainly　observed　in　Phrygia；　Cappadocia；　and　Gaul；　and　there　seem　to　be　grounds　for　thinking　that　at　one　time　it　was　followed　also　in　Rome。　Thus　the　tradition　which　placed　the　death　of　Christ　on　the　twenty…fifth　of　March　was　ancient　and　deeply　rooted。　It　is　all　the　more　remarkable　because　astronomical　considerations　prove　that　it　can　have　had　no　historical　foundation。　The　inference　appears　to　be　inevitable　that　the　passion　of　Christ　must　have　been　arbitrarily　referred　to　that　date　in　order　to　harmonise　with　an　older　festival　of　the　spring　equinox。　This　is　the　view　of　the　learned　ecclesiastical　historian　Mgr。　Duchesne；　who　points　out　that　the　death　of　the　Saviour　was　thus　made　to　fall　upon　the　very　day　on　which；　according　to　a　widespread　belief；　the　world　had　been　created。　But　the　resurrection　of　Attis；　who　combined　in　himself　the　characters　of　the　divine　Father　and　the　divine　Son；　was　officially　celebrated　at　Rome　on　the　same　day。　When　we　remember　that　the　festival　of　St。　George　in　April　has　replaced　the　ancient　pagan　festival　of　the　Parilia；　that　the　festival　of　St。　John　the　Baptist　in　June　has　succeeded　to　a　heathen　midsummer　festival　of　water：　that　the　festival　of　the　Assumption　of　the　Virgin　in　August　has　ousted　the　festival　of　Diana；　that　the　feast　of　All　Souls　in　November　is　a　continuation　of　an　old　heathen　feast　of　the　dead；　and　that　the　Nativity　of　Christ　himself　was　assigned　to　the　winter　solstice　in　December　because　that　day　was　deemed　the　Nativity　of　the　Sun；　we　can　hardly　be　thought　rash　or　unreasonable　in　conjecturing　that　the　other　cardinal　festival　of　the　Christian　churchthe　solemnisation　of　Eastermay　have　been　in　like　manner；　and　from　like　motives　of　edification；　adapted　to　a　similar　celebration　of　the　Phrygian　god　Attis　at　the　vernal　equinox。

At　least　it　is　a　remarkable　coincidence；　if　it　is　nothing　more；　that　the　Christian　and　the　heathen　festivals　of　the　divine　death　and　resurrection　should　have　been　solemnised　at　the　same　season　and　in　the　same　places。　For　the　places　which　celebrated　the　death　of　Christ　at　the　spring　equinox　were　Phrygia；　Gaul；　and　apparently　Rome；　that　is；　the　very　regions　in　which　the　worship　of　Attis　either　originated　or　struck　deepest　root。　It　is　difficult　to　regard　the　coincidence　as　purely　accidental。　If　the　vernal　equinox；　the　season　at　which　in　the　temperate　regions　the　whole　face　of　nature　testifies　to　a　fresh　outburst　of　vital　energy；　had　been　viewed　from　of　old　as　the　time　when　the　world　was　annually　created　afresh　in　the　resurrection　of　a　god；　nothing　could　be　more　natural　than　to　place　the　resurrection　of　the　new　deity　at　the　same　cardinal　point　of　the　year。　Only　it　is　to　be　observed　that　if　the　death　of　Christ　was　dated　on　the　twenty…fifth　of　March；　his　resurrection；　according　to　Christian　tradition；　must　have　happened　on　the　twenty…seventh　of　March；　which　is　just　two　days　later　than　the　vernal　equinox　of　the　Julian　calendar　and　the　resurrection　of　Attis。　A　similar　displacement　of　two　days　in　the　adjustment　of　Christian　to　heathen　celebrations　occurs　in　the　festivals　of　St。　George　and　the　Assumption　of　the　Virgin。　However；　another　Christian　tradition；　followed　by　Lactantius　and　perhaps　by　the　practice　of　the　Church　in　Gaul；　placed　the　death　of　Christ　on　the　twenty…third　and　his　resurrection　on　the　twenty…fifth　of　March。　If　that　was　so；　his　resurrection　coincided　exactly　with　the　resurrection　of　Attis。

In　point　of　fact　it　appears　from　the　testimony　of　an　anonymous　Christian；　who　wrote　in　the　fourth　century　of　our　era；　that　Christians　and　pagans　alike　were　struck　by　the　remarkable　coincidence　between　the　death　and　resurrection　of　their　respective　deities；　and　that　the