Merry Christmas 2023! The English word “Christmas” is a shortened form of “Christ’s Mass,” first recorded in the eleventh and twelfth centuries in old English. Christ is from the Greek Χριστός, a translation of the Hebrew שִׁיחַ, Messiah, meaning “the anointed one.” Mas is from the Latin missa, the celebration of the Eucharist. The Anglo-Saxons referred to this as “a Midwinter feast.” “Nativity,” meaning “birth,” is from the Latin nativitas. The canonical gospels of Luke and Matthew describe Jesus as being born in Bethlehem to the Virgin Mary, but the exact date of the birth of Jesus was not stated in the gospels or in any other historical sources. However, most biblical scholars generally accept a date of Jesus’ birth between 6 BCE and 4 BCE, the year in which King Herod died. The historical evidence is too incomplete to allow a more definitive dating, but within two years is not too bad. The origin of the Christmas Day celebration is not as certain, but it may be related to ancient pagan festivals that celebrated the winter solstice of the sun. In the early fourth century, when the Christian church dominated in the Roman Empire, the first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25 was in 336 CE, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine, who was a Christian. This corresponded to the traditional date of the winter solstice on the Roman calendar, exactly nine months after the Annunciation on March 25, also the date of the spring equinox. The December 25th date was first asserted officially by Pope Julius I in 350 CE. Most Christians celebrate on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar, which has been adopted almost universally in the civil calendars used in countries throughout the world. However, part of the Eastern Christian Churches celebrates Christmas on December 25 of the older Julian calendar, which currently corresponds to January 7 in the Gregorian calendar. For Christians, believing that God came into the world in the form of a man to atone for the sins of humanity, rather than knowing Jesus’ exact birth date, is the primary purpose in celebrating Christmas. The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving as well as Advent calendars and wreaths. There is also Christmas music and caroling. Other customs include Nativity plays and exchanging Christmas cards. The Christmas midnight Mass church service has been very popular. Sometimes there are special Christmas family meals. There are massive displays of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. A whole group of mythological figures have grown up around Christmas including Santa Claus, Father Christmas, and Saint Nicholas, who bring gifts to children at Christmas Eve. Gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity. This Christmas holiday season has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. Over the past few centuries, Christmas has had a steadily growing economic effect in many regions of the world. I call it the festival of consumption. What do you do on Christmas Day?
Exodus sources
Thank you! – 76
November 7, 2023
Thank you! – 76
Every time I finish commenting on a book of the Bible, I send a thank you blog. I have posted over 16,615 blogs about the individual paragraphs of all the 46 books of the Old Testament, plus the individual verses of all the 27 books of the New Testament. I have just finished commenting on the sources of the Book of Exodus, that has taken me four months, since I began earlier this year.
277 people follow this blog every day. Many people have visited this site. There have been over 97,000 hits on this blog since its inception. I just want to thank all of you.
I realize that some people have left comments, but I have not responded to them. Some of you might want to moderate my comments, which is fine with me. If you want to contact me directly, my email is efinne1540@gmail.com.
I want to thank all of you who have sent emails to me these past months, especially
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Peace – love – joy
Eugene Finnegan
The eighth, ninth, and tenth commandments
Here then is the explanation of the eighth, ninth, and tenth commandments from the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1992.
8) The eighth commandment is about living in the truth, to bear witness to the truth and offenses against truth. There must be respect for the truth in the use of the social communications media, as well as in beauty, and sacred art. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Christ’s disciples have “put on the new man, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Truth or truthfulness is the virtue which consists in showing oneself true in deeds and truthful in words, and guarding against duplicity, dissimulation, and hypocrisy. The Christian is not to be ashamed of testifying to our Lord in deed and word. Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith. Respect for the reputation and honor of persons forbids all detraction and calumny in word or attitude. Lying consists in saying what is false with the intention of deceiving the neighbor who has the right to the truth. An offense committed against the truth requires reparation. The golden rule helps one discern, in concrete situations, whether it would be appropriate to reveal the truth to someone who asks for it. The sacramental seal is inviolable. Professional secrets must be kept. Confidences prejudicial to another are not to be divulged. Society has a right to information based on truth, freedom, and justice. One should practice moderation and discipline in the use of the social communications media. The fine arts, but above all sacred art, of their nature are directed toward expressing in some way the infinite beauty of God in works made by human hands. Their dedication to the increase of God’s praise and of his glory is more complete, the more exclusively they are devoted to turning men’s minds devoutly toward God.
9) The ninth commandment is about the purification of the heart and the battle for purity. Everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. The ninth commandment warns against lust or carnal concupiscence. The struggle against carnal lust involves purifying the heart and practicing temperance. Purity of heart will enable us to see God. It enables us even now to see things according to God. Purification of the heart demands prayer, the practice of chastity, purity of intention and of vision. Purity of heart requires the modesty which is patience, decency, and discretion. Modesty protects the intimate center of the person.
10) The tenth commandment is about the disorder of covetous desires of the spirit, the poverty of the heart that wants to see God. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The tenth commandment forbids avarice arising from a passion for riches and their attendant power. Envy is sadness at the sight of another’s goods and the immoderate desire to have them for oneself. It is a capital sin. The baptized person combats envy through good-will, humility, and abandonment to the providence of God. Christ’s faithful have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. They are led by the Spirit and follow his desires. Detachment from riches is necessary for entering the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the poor in spirit. “I want to see God” expresses the true desire of man. Thirst for God is quenched by the water of eternal life. Did you realize that your intentions have an impact on life?
The seventh commandment
Here then is the explanation of the seventh commandment from the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1992.
The seventh commandment is about the universal destination and the private ownership of goods, respect for persons and their goods. This includes the social doctrine of the Church, economic activity, and social justice, solidarity among nations, and love for the poor. You shall not steal. Neither thieves, nor the greedy, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. The seventh commandment enjoins the practice of justice and charity in the administration of earthly goods and the fruits of men’s labor. The goods of creation are destined for the entire human race. The right to private property does not abolish the universal destination of goods. The seventh commandment forbids theft. Theft is the usurpation of another’s goods against the reasonable will of the owner. Every manner of taking and using another’s property unjustly is contrary to the seventh commandment. The injustice committed requires reparation. Commutative justice requires the restitution of stolen goods. The moral law forbids acts which, for commercial or totalitarian purposes, lead to the enslavement of human beings, or to their being bought, sold, or exchanged like merchandise. The dominion granted by the Creator over the mineral, vegetable, and animal resources of the universe cannot be separated from respect for moral obligations, including those toward generations to come. Animals are entrusted to man’s stewardship. He must show them kindness. They may be used to serve the just satisfaction of man’s needs. The Church makes a judgment about economic and social matters when the fundamental rights of the person or the salvation of souls requires. She is concerned with the temporal common good of men because they are ordered to the sovereign good, their ultimate end. Man is himself the author, center, and goal of all economic and social life. The decisive point of the social question is that goods created by God for everyone should in fact reach everyone in accordance with justice and with the help of charity. The primordial value of labor stems from man himself, its author and beneficiary. By means of his labor man participates in the work of creation. Work united to Christ can be redemptive. True development concerns the whole man. It is concerned with increasing each person’s ability to respond to his vocation and hence to God’s call. Giving alms to the poor is a witness to fraternal charity. It is also a work of justice pleasing to God. How can we not recognize Lazarus, the hungry beggar in the parable, in the multitude of human beings without bread, a roof or a place to stay? How can we fail to hear Jesus: “As you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.”? Did you realize how complicated stealing is?
The fifth and sixth commandments
Here then is the explanation of the fifth and sixth commandments from the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1992.
5) The fifth commandment is about respect for human life, respect for the dignity of persons, and safeguarding peace. In God’s hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. Every human life, from the moment of conception until death, is sacred because the human person has been willed for its own sake in the image and likeness of the living and holy God. The murder of a human being is gravely contrary to the dignity of the person and the holiness of the Creator. The prohibition of murder does not abrogate the right to render an unjust aggressor unable to inflict harm. Legitimate defense is a grave duty for whoever is responsible for the lives of others or the common good. From its conception, the child has the right to life. Direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, is a “criminal” practice, gravely contrary to the moral law. the Church imposes the canonical penalty of excommunication for this crime against human life. Because it should be treated as a person from conception, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed like every other human being. Intentional euthanasia, whatever its forms or motives, is murder. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator. Suicide is seriously contrary to justice, hope, and charity. It is forbidden by the fifth commandment. Scandal is a grave offense when by deed or omission it deliberately leads others to sin. Because of the evils and injustices that all war brings with it, we must do everything reasonably possible to avoid it. The Church prays: “From famine, pestilence, and war, O Lord, deliver us.” The Church and human reason assert the permanent validity of the moral law during armed conflicts. Practices deliberately contrary to the law of nations and to its universal principles are crimes. The arms race is one of the greatest curses on humanity and the harm it inflicts on the poor is more than can be endured. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
6) The sixth commandment is about male and females, the vocation to chastity, the love of a husband and a wife, and offenses against the dignity of marriage. Love is the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being. By creating the human being man and woman, God gives personal dignity equally to the one and the other. Each of them, men, and women, should acknowledge and accept their sexual identity. Christ is the model of chastity. Every baptized person is called to lead a chaste life, each according to their state of life. Chastity means the integration of sexuality within the person. It includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery. Among the sins gravely contrary to chastity are masturbation, fornication, pornography, and homosexual practices. The covenant which spouses have freely entered entails faithful love. It imposes on them the obligation to keep their marriage indissoluble. Fecundity is a good, a gift and an end of marriage. By giving life, spouses participate in God’s fatherhood. The regulation of births represents one of the aspects of responsible fatherhood and motherhood. Legitimate intentions on the part of the spouses do not justify recourse to morally unacceptable means, for example, direct sterilization or contraception. Adultery, divorce, polygamy, and free union are grave offenses against the dignity of marriage. What do you think?
The third and fourth commandments
Here then is the explanation of the third and fourth commandments from the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1992.
The third commandment is about the Sabbath Day, the Lord’s Day. Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy. The seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. The Sabbath, which represented the completion of the first creation, has been replaced by Sunday which recalls the new creation inaugurated by the Resurrection of Christ. The Church celebrates the day of Christ’s Resurrection on the “eighth day,” Sunday, which is rightly called the Lord’s Day. Sunday is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church. On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass. On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to abstain from those labors and business concerns which impede the worship to be rendered to God, the joy which is proper to the Lord’s Day, or the proper relaxation of mind and body. The institution of Sunday helps all “to be allowed sufficient rest and leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social, and religious lives. Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands on others that would hinder them from observing the Lord’s Day.
The fourth commandment is about the family and society in God’s plan, the duties of family members and the Kingdom, as well as authorities in civil society. Honor your father and your mother. According to the fourth commandment, God has willed that, after him, we should honor our parents and those whom he has vested with authority for our good. The conjugal community is established upon the covenant and consent of the spouses. Marriage and family are ordered to the good of the spouses, to the procreation and the education of children. The well-being of the individual person and of both human and Christian society is closely bound up with the healthy state of conjugal and family life. Children owe their parents respect, gratitude, just obedience, and assistance. Filial respect fosters harmony in all of family life. Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children in the faith, prayer, and all the virtues. They have the duty to provide as far as possible for the physical and spiritual needs of their children. Parents should respect and encourage their children’s vocations. They should remember and teach that the first calling of the Christian is to follow Jesus. Public authority is obliged to respect the fundamental rights of the human person and the conditions for the exercise of his freedom. It is the duty of citizens to work with civil authority for building up society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom. Citizens are obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order. We must obey God rather than men. Every society’s judgment and conduct reflect a vision of man and his destiny. Without the light the Gospel sheds on God and man, societies easily become totalitarian. What do you think about the ten commandments?
The first two commandments of the Ten Commandments today
Moses’ Ten Commandments have become the ethical standard for most Americans. As one rabbi pointed out, they are the starting point for any morality, the minimum standard, not the highest standard. The Roman Catholic Church published its Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1992 under Pope John Paul II, and developed by Cardinal Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI. This catechism has four main parts, 1) creeds or beliefs, 2) sacraments, 3) life in Christ, and 4) prayer. In the third part there are two sections, one on human dignity and the second part is nothing other than the Ten Commandments that Yahweh gave to Moses. This book explains in details what each of these generic commandments mean. Here then is the explanation of the first two commandments.
The first commandment is that you that you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength. The first commandment summons man to believe in God, to hope in him, and to love him above all else. You shall worship the Lord your God. Adoring God, praying to him, offering him the worship that belongs to him, fulfilling the promises and vows made to him are acts of the virtue of religion which fall under obedience to the first commandment. The duty to offer God authentic worship concerns man both as an individual and as a social being. Men of the present day want to profess their religion freely in private and in public. Superstition is a departure from the worship that we give to the true God. It is manifested in idolatry, as well as in various forms of divination and magic. Tempting God in words or deeds, sacrilege, and simony are sins of irreligion forbidden by the first commandment. Since it rejects or denies the existence of God, atheism is a sin against the first commandment. The veneration of sacred images is based on the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word of God. It is not contrary to the first commandment.
The second commandment is that the name of the Lord is holy. You are not to take the name of the Lord in vain. In Baptism, you shall take a Christian name. The second commandment enjoins respect for the Lord’s name. The name of the Lord is holy. The second commandment forbids every improper use of God’s name. Blasphemy is the use of the name of God, of Jesus Christ, of the Virgin Mary, and of the saints in an offensive way. False oaths call on God to be witness to a lie. Perjury is a grave offence against the Lord who is always faithful to his promises. Do not swear whether by the Creator, or any creature, except truthfully, of necessity, and with reverence. In Baptism, the Christian receives his name in the Church. Parents, godparents, and the pastor are to see that he be given a Christian name. The patron saint provides a model of charity and the assurance of his prayer. The Christian begins his prayers and activities with the Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. God calls each one by name. What do you think about these first two commandments?
Symbolic numbers
According to Exodus the Israelites numbered “about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children.” If you added in women and children you would come to over two million people. At the traditional time-setting for this event, Egypt’s population has been estimated to be in the range of three to four and a half million people. No evidence has been found that Egypt ever suffered the demographic and economic catastrophe such a loss of population would represent. Pharaoh’s fear that the Israelites might ally themselves with foreign invaders seems unlikely in the context of the late second millennium, when Canaan was part of an Egyptian empire. They would have been escaping from Egypt to go to Egyptian territory. The chronology of the Exodus narrative is symbolic. The biblical Mount Sinai was identified in Christian tradition with Jebel Musa in the south of the Sinai Peninsula, but this association dates only from the 3rd century CE, and no evidence of the Exodus has been found there. The Book of Numbers, the fourth book of the Pentateuch or the Torah, further states that the number of Israelite males aged 20 years and older in the desert during the wandering were 603,550, including 22,273 first-borns, which modern estimates put at between 2,500,000 and 3,000,000 total Israelites, a number that could not be supported by the Sinai Desert through any natural means. How could they fit in the courtyard or tabernacle? How could Moses communicate with them, since they had no microphones, TVs, or iPhones? Have you ever estimated the size of a crowd?
Building the tabernacle
Exodus has a series of instructions on how to build the sanctuary which housed the Ark of the Covenant, containing the covenant treaty between Yahweh and Moses. Yahweh was very precise when he gave Moses these instructions about how big things were to be and what kind of covering and materials should be used. These priestly details concern the kind of clothing that Aaron and his sons should wear as they exercised their role as priests. Incidentally, Moses and his sons were not considered as priests, only Aaron and his sons and the other Levites. After getting these instructions, there was another section which repeated the instructions of how to do things, while saying that things were done exactly the right way. They took up a great collection where they got too much stuff. Special artisans were assigned to complete these tasks as Yahweh had spoken to Moses. The details are almost mind boggling with exact sizes and specific mention of acacia wood, gold, silver, bronze, yarns, and linens. Finally, all was completed and the sanctuary established in the desert. Yahweh took possession of the sanctuary put together by Moses and the various artisans. Clearly Moses was the central figure, the mediator and the intercessor between Yahweh and his people. Moses personally consecrated the new tabernacle since Aaron fell out of favor as a leader. Yet Aaron became more important as the worship leader or high priest. The completion of the sanctuary meant that Yahweh could be with the Israelites as a cloud by day and in the fire by night. This was an attempt to show how Yahweh had set up prescriptions for how the temple should be built. The priestly writers were trying to justify their position within the Israelite society. Have you ever tried to build a holy place?
The Exodus story
Exodus presents the story of how Moses and Aaron performed wonders, tricks, or miracles to convince the hard-hearted Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave Egypt. They generally used a magic staff to show what they are doing. Yahweh protected them and showed his mighty hand in the ten plagues that occurred to the Egyptians, as the Israelites were exempt from these plagues. However, the last plague became the Passover of the Israelites. Yahweh killed all the first-born Egyptian children and livestock, all those who did not have blood on their door post. Finally, Pharaoh and his officials told the Israelites to leave. However, the Pharaoh changed his mind, as usual, and went after them until he overtook them before they got to the Red Sea. The great Yahweh-Mosaic miracle was the parting of the Red Sea to let the Israelites pass through the dried-up water. When the Egyptians tried to follow, they were wiped out by the water as they tried to cross the Red Sea. The Israelite victory chant set the stage for things to come. They headed southeast until they reached Mount Sinai. There Moses received the Ten Commandments and the “Mosaic Law” from Yahweh. At one point, Moses spent forty days and forty nights on the mountain top with Yahweh as they became better friends. There were a series of laws that outlined what they were to do and what was wrong in society. Various sins offended God and their neighbors. There was a long list of cultic elements about the Ark of the Covenant, and the tabernacle. After a few misunderstandings, Aaron, the brother of Moses, created a golden calf so that the Israelites could worship something, while Moses was with Yahweh at the top of the mountain. Moses and Yahweh both got angry. Moses convinced Yahweh to save the children of Israel. Anyway, Moses broke the tablets of the covenant. Yahweh rewrote the covenant on both sides of new tablets. Moses came down and wrote all the ordinances for the people. The Israelites all agreed to follow these laws. However, Aaron began to take on a lesser role as Joshua seemed to be more involved in things. Nevertheless, Aaron and his sons took on a major role in the cultic worship as chief priests. Are you familiar with the story of how the Israelites left Egypt?
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 