The Massacre of the Innocents (Childermass) on December 28

 

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Today in History: For some, and in ancient folklore, December 28 is considered the unluckiest day on the Christian calendar. This day is traditionally celebrated as the Massacre of the Innocents (Childermass), an incident in the nativity narrative of the Gospel of Matthew (2:16–18) in which Herod the Great orders the execution of all male children two years old and under in the vicinity of Bethlehem. 

According to Francis Kildale's 1855 Glossary of Yorkshire Words and Phrases, says of December 28 "that the day of the week on which it falls is marked as a black day for the whole year to come...No important affair is taken in hand on Childermass Day, and the sailors are heedful not to leave their port in the way of beginning a voyage under any consideration."

In Legends and Superstitions of the County of Durham by William Brockie (1886) warns, "it is very unlucky to begin any work whatever on this day." 

In Brand's Popular Antiquities of Great Britain, it is noted that "this day is of most unlucky omen. None ever marries on a Childermas Day."

In history, children fared badly on this of all days: "Up until the seventeenth century, it was believed that ritually beating a child with a stick at Childermass brought the beater good luck and reminded the child of both King Herod's viciousness and Jesus's suffering." Bad Santas and Other Creepy Christmas Characters by Paul Hawkins

This day held great meaning in the medieval world where most families had lost a child due to the very high rates of infant mortality. While it was customary to wear white through the whole Christmas season, on this one day you wore red. 

The day was considered incredibly unlucky, the most common superstition stating that anything begun on the day would never be finished or would go disastrously wrong – even doing something as innocent as laundry would be certain to result in a death in the family! "It is related of Louis XI. of France, that he would debate no state matter, and resented every attempt to trouble him with business, on the day of the Innocents." Robert Chambers 1847

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The Strange History of Christmas Customs by J. M. Wheeler 1890

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Old Christmas Customs by J. M. Wheeler 1890

As Christmas comes round, bringing delight, let us hope, to at least the younger portion of the community, some few may be curious to know the origin and meaning of our annual customs. Fashion is the most fluctuating, but custom is the most conservative of things. Students of comparative religion, that is, comparative mythology, are beginning to see that ritual is more enduring than legend, and that ancient customs gave rise to the stories rather than the stories to the customs. The Passover, for instance, did not arise from God having determined to kill all the firstborn of Egypt and pass over the Jews who sprinkled their doorposts with blood; but this legend was told because the old sacrifice of lambs at the spring season was called Passover, whether from the passing over of the sun or from the substitution, as a sacrifice, of first-born lambs instead of first-born children, or from whatever reason. So Christmas was not instituted to celebrate the birth of Jesus in Palestine at a time when shepherds could not watch their flocks by night; but Christ was said to have been born at this time ot the year because this was the old Pagan season for celebrating the rebirth of the sun.

There is little apparent connection between Jesus Christ and kissing under the mistletoe, or between indulging in goose and plum-pudding and partaking of the sacrament. The Puritans may be excused for denouncing Christmas as a Pagan custom opposed to the Christian conception of life, and more worthy of the worship of Bacchus than of Jesus. But Christmas endures as a Christian festival despite the Puritans, just because it goes back to the elements which Christianity has in common with paganism; because indeed, the religion that made its way under the name of Christianity was but a modified paganism.

To illustrate this fully is impossible in our limited space. One or two points may suffice. The custom of decorating houses with evergreens, evident symbols of life continued through the dead of winter, prevailed long anterior to Christianity. The Christian Father Tertullian, early in the third century affirmed it be "rank idolatry" to deck their doors "with garlands or flowers on festival days according to the custom of the heathen." Polydore-Virgil says, "the decorating of temples with hangings of flowers, boughs, and garlands, was adopted from the pagan nations, who decked their houses and temples in a similar manner." The Christmas tree, derived from our Scandinavian forefathers, with its fruit of good things for the little ones, is another sign of faith in returning spring and harvest. The mistletoe — I have recently given my opinion (Freethinker, Nov. 2)— was regarded by the Druids as the seed which carried over vegetable life from the old year to the new. Hence, to kiss and pluck a seed was a sign of union and fertility.

Mr. Foote points out that Christmas occurs at the period of the Roman Saturnalia. The Emperor Julian says in his fourth oration, "When the last month, which is sacred to Saturn, is nearly out, just before the beginning of the new year, we celebrate the most magnificent sports dedicated to Sol Invictus." The Saturnalia was a period of universal license and merrymaking. Temporary freedom was given to slaves. Everyone feasted, and presents were interchanged by friends. In the now extinct Lord of Misrule and schoolboys "barring out" may be traced a remnant of the Saturnalia.

But where does Jesus Christ come in? Just here. The infant Christ is as much a symbol of the returning year as the holly or the Christmas tree. The birthday of Christ is the birthday of the new year. Just as they now sing carols to the new-born king, so, in ancient times, they sang carols to the vegetation itself, of which Shakespeare's "Heigh-ho the holly" is a remnant. In the North they carry round the Christmas tree, so the southern Catholics carry round the infant Christ with his mother. In English villages this used to be the custom. In Yorkshire, girls carried a wax-doll in a box surrounded with evergreen and fruits. Whoever gave them money took a leaf which, carefully preserved, brought luck. This was good tidings of great joy, so that there was a proverb, "As unhappy as the man who has seen no advent images." So bakers would bake Yule-doughs or little images, with currants for eyes, which were presented to their customers. And this brings us to the great sacrament or feast, the central feature of Christmas, the dinner.

Man early learnt that a good feast was a capital thing to tide over tho wintry weather. In early religions we find feasting was as much a part of the religion as fasting—indeed more so, for the gods could also partake of the sacrifice and thus enter into the true communion of food with their worshippers. The word "holyday" had a real meaning. It was consecrated to the deities.

Formerly in England the Christmas dinner was opened with a boar's head, a sacred Scandinavian dish. The boar, with the lemon in his mouth, probably represented the spirit of vegetation. Mr. J. G. Frazer says:

"In Sweden and Denmark at Yule (Christmas) it is the custom to bake a loaf in the form of a boar-pig. This is called the Yule Boar. The corn of the last sheaf is often used to make it. All through Yule the Yule Boar stands on the table. Often it is kept till the sowing time in spring, when part of it is mixed with the seed-corn and part given to the ploughmen and plough-horses or plough-oxen to eat in expectation of a good harvest."

The plum-pudding, like the earlier Christmas pie, is a compound of all good things originally taken sacramentally — that is, it was supposed to contain the spirit of the past year's products, partaking which would ensure prosperity for the ensuing year. Hence the saying, as many pieces of pudding or mince-pie are partaken, so many happy months. As the communion was originally taken by all the clan, to this may be traced the family re-unions at the present day.

Christmas, then, symbolising the re-birth of the sun, the entrance of a new year, the return of light and vegetation, is one of the old-world customs the new world will not willingly let die. Each fresh generation will delight in cheering the depth of winter with festivity, in twining the holly and kissing under the pearl-eyed mistletoe. Let, then, the older ones join the youngsters in celebrating the old pagan festival in its true spirit of sociality, hope and delight.

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Myths and Legends of Christmastide BY Bertha F. Herrick 1901

Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions by Thomas Doane 1882
"This shows that the heathen in those days, did as the Christians do now. What have evergreens, and garlands, and Christmas trees, to do with Christianity? Simply nothing. It is the old Yule-feast which was held by all the northern nations, from time immemorial, handed down to, and observed at the present day. In the greenery with which Christians deck their houses and temples of worship, and in the Christmas-trees laden with gifts, we unquestionably see a relic of the symbols by which our heathen forefathers signified their faith in the powers of the returning sun to clothe the earth again with green, and hang new fruit on the trees."

Cross-Examining Santa Clause in the Century Magazine 1922

Christmas & the Nativity of Mithras (Open Court) 1904

Bibliotheca Sacra - Religions and the New Testament 1908

The Christmas book: Christmas in the Olden Time, its Customs and their Origins 1859

The Religion of Mithra - Eclectic Magazine 1888

Primitive Culture: Researches Into the Development of Mythology, Philosophy, Religion, Language by Edward Tylor 1889 Volume 2 "Two other Christian festivals have not merely had solar rites transferred to them, but seem distinctly themselves of solar origin."

Origin of the Sabbath by Parish Ladd in the Free Thought Magazine 1899

The Book of Christmas by Hamilton Wright Mabie 1910

The Christmas Tree in Taylor Trott Magazine 1907

On the Origin of the Celebration of Christmas from the New Monthly Magazine 1821

Early Christmas Carols and Customs in the Bostonian 1896
"Coming at practically the same time as the Roman Saturnalia and the Northern feast of Yule, the respective heathen customs of these two old festivals at once became inculcated into that of Christmas, almost as they stood."

Traditions of Eden; or, Proofs of the Historical Truth of the Pentateuch by Henry Shepherd 1871
"And in pursuance of this idea, the Christmas festival of the Sun-god — identical with Nimrod, Tammuz or Adonis, and also with Bacchus — was celebrated in ancient Babylon for ages before the Christian era. It was identical with the Saturnalia of Rome, and kept with similar scenes of drunkenness and revelry. The wassailing bowl of Christmas, of the dark ages in Popish countries, had its precise counterpart in the Drunken festival of Babylon."

Religion, Theology and Morals By Harvey W Scott 1917
"But every custom and every doctrine of long standing has departed far from its original. The Christinas festival, in its main featiires, relates more to paganism, so-called, than to Christianity. The genesis of the Holy Trinity is traceable, through ecclesiastical and personal disputes, through politics and speculative philosophy, back to Philo and Plato; and the paganism of old Rome, transformed more or less, is still reflected through the Vatican."

The Galaxy Magazine 1878
Christmas brings us, with its religious ceremonies, festivities, and pleasant customs which, it is to be hoped that advancing rationalism will never cause to be forgotten. Yet it is worth while, at least for descendants of the Puritans, to remember that the 25th of December is probably not the date of Christ's birth; there being reason for believing that he was born in the Spring of the year, a fitting season it would seem for such an event; and that our festivities at Christmas are of pagan origin— the dressing of houses with greens being a Druidical custom, and the giving of gifts being a remnant of the Roman Saturnalia. The feast of Yule, now confounded with that of Christmas, was observed at the Winter solstice by all the Northern nations long before the introduction of Christianity.

Article on the pagan origins of Christmas in the Christian Review 1840

Yule and Christmas, their Place in the Germanic Year by Alexander Tille 1899 (searchable PDF)

Folk Lore/Superstitious Beliefs in Scotland with an Appendix Showing the Probable Relation of the Modern Festivals of Christmas, May Day, St. John's Day, and Halloween to Ancient Sun and Fire Worship 1879 by James Napier

Sun Lore of All Ages, a Collection of Myths and Legends Concerning the Sun by William Tyler Olcott (searchable PDF) 1914

The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge Vol. 12, 1912
"It has also been conjectured that the day was selected because of its significance in the Roman calendar, where it bore the name of dies invicti solia, "the day of the unconquered sun", since on this day the sun began to regain its power and overcame the night."

Sun Worship in Bihar - Calcutta Review 1904

Pagan & Christian Creeds: Their Origin and Meaning by Edward Carpenter 1920

The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop, excerpt: "It is in the last degree incredible, then, that the birth of Christ could have taken place at the end of December. There is great unanimity among commentators on this point. Besides Barnes, Doddridge, Lightfoot, Joseph Scaliger, and Jennings, in his "Jewish Antiquities," who are all of opinion that December 25th could not be the right time of our Lord's nativity, the celebrated Joseph Mede pronounces a very decisive opinion to the same effect. After a long and careful disquisition on the subject, among other arguments he adduces the following;--"At the birth of Christ every woman and child was to go to be taxed at the city whereto they belonged, whither some had long journeys; but the middle of winter was not fitting for such a business, especially for women with child, and children to travel in. Therefore, Christ could not be born in the depth of winter. Again, at the time of Christ's birth, the shepherds lay abroad watching with their flocks in the night time; but this was not likely to be in the middle of winter. And if any shall think the winter wind was not so extreme in these parts, let him remember the words of Christ in the gospel, 'Pray that your flight be not in the winter.' If the winter was so bad a time to flee in, it seems no fit time for shepherds to lie in the fields in, and women and children to travel in." Indeed, it is admitted by the most learned and candid writers of all parties * that the day of our Lord's birth cannot be determined, ** and that within the Christian Church no such festival as Christmas was ever heard of till the third century, and that not till the fourth century was far advanced did it gain much observance."

Christmas In Ritual and Tradition, Christian and Pagan by Clement A. Miles 1912

The Sacred Tree: Or, The Tree in Religion and Myth by J. H. Philpot, Isaline Philpot 1897

THE TRUTH ABOUT JESUS IS HE A MYTH? by M. M. Mangasarian
We can only offer a few additional remarks to what we have already
said elsewhere in these pages on the Pagan origin of Christmas. It
will make us grateful to remember that just as we have to go to the
Pagans for the origins of our civilized institutions--our courts of
justice, our art and literature, and our political and religious
liberties--we must thank them also for our merry festivals, such as
Christmas and Easter.

Christmas and the Saturnalia - Article from Bibliotheca Sacra and Theological Review 1855
"While, therefore, we would not say with Prynne, that all pious
Christians should abominate this festival, we do say that it has
neither the historic dignity, the moral significance, nor the sacred
associations, that every such institution should possess to command
the approval of the Christian world."

Observations on Popular Antiquities, Chiefly Illustrating the Origin of our Vulgar Customs, Ceremonies and Superstitions by John Brand Volume 1, 1813

Observations on Popular Antiquities, Chiefly Illustrating the Origin of our Vulgar Customs, Ceremonies and Superstitions by John Brand Volume 2, 1813

The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion by James George Frazer

The Star of the Wise Men - being a Commentary on the Second Chapter of St. Matthew by Richard Trench  1850

The Wise Men: Who They Were and how They Came to Jerusalem by Francis William Upham 1901

The Origins of Christianity by Charles Bigg, Thomas Banks Strong 1909 (Easter Controversy)

CHRISTMAS - ITS ORIGIN, CELEBRATION AND SIGNIFICANCE AS RELATED IN PROSE AND VERSE by ROBERT HAVEN SCHAUFFLER 1907
Excerpt: The pagan nations of antiquity always had a tendency to worship the sun, under different names, as the giver of light and life. And their festivals in its honor took place near the winter solstice, the shortest day in the year, when the sun in December begins its upward course, thrilling men with the first distant promise of spring. This holiday was called Saturnalia among the Romans and was marked by great merriment and licence which extended even to the slaves. There were feasting and gifts and the houses were hung with evergreens. A more barbarous form of these rejoicings took place among the rude peoples of the north where great blocks of wood blazed in honor of Odin and Thor, and sacrifices of men and cattle were made to them. Mistletoe was cut then from the sacred oaks with a golden sickle by the Prince of the Druids, between whom and the Fire-Worshippers of Persia there was an affinity both in character and customs."

CHRISTMAS: ITS ORIGIN AND ASSOCIATIONS, TOGETHER WITH ITS HISTORICAL EVENTS AND FESTIVE CELEBRATIONS DURING NINETEEN CENTURIES BY W. F. DAWSON 1902 (searchable PDF)

Esoteric Christianity, Or, The Lesser Mysteries: Or, The Lesser Mysteries by Annie Wood Besant 1913
"The relation of the winter solstice to Jesus is also significant. The birth of  Mithras was celebrated in the winter solstice with great rejoicings, and Horus was also then born: "His birth is one of the greatest mysteries of the [Egyptian] religion. Pictures representing it appeared on the walls of temples. . . . He was the child of Deity. At Christmas time, or that answering to our festival, his image was brought out of the sanctuary with peculiar ceremonies, as the image of the infant Bambino is still brought out and exhibited at Rome." On the fixing of the 25th December as the birthday of Jesus, Williamson has the following: "All Christians know that the 25th December is now the recognised festival of the birth of Jesus, but few are aware that this has not always been so. There have been, it is said, one hundred and thirty-six different dates fixed on by different Christian sects. Lightfoot gives it as 15th September, others as in February or August.

STUDIES IN THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SEX VOLUME I BY HAVELOCK ELLIS 1927 (searchable PDF)

"Frazer (Golden Bough, 2d ed., 1900, vol. iii, pp. 236-350) fully describes and discusses the dances, bonfires and festivals of spring and summer, of Halloween (October 31), and Christmas. He also explains the sexual character of these festivals."

Pagan Christs: Studies in Comparative Hierology by John Mackinnon Robertson 1903
"The Mithraic Christians actually continued to celebrate Christmas Day as the birthday of the sun, despite the censures of the Pope, and their Sunday had been adopted by the
supplanting faith. When they listened to the Roman litany of the holy name of Jesus, they knew they were listening' to the very epithets of the Sun-God...Others than
Mithraists, of course, would offend, Christmas being an Osirian and Adonisian festival also.

The UASV Bible and John 8:58

 

I recently found this interesting footnote in the Updated American Standard Version online at https://www.uasvbible.org/44-gospel-of-john#_ftn32

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was I am.

The literal rendering is (Greek, ego' eimi') “I am.” However, the Greek to English grammatically correct rendering should be “… before Abraham came to be I have been in existence.” K. L. McKay, A New Syntax of the Verb in New Testament Greek (New York: Peter Lang, 1994), p. 42. Having [before Abraham / came to be / I am] as far as English word order is fine, but we are violating verb compatibility, mixing a present tense with a past tense, which is not grammatically correct. In both Greek and English, we would put or find our past tense first, followed by the present tense; logically reasoning that the past happened before the present. However, the adverb “before” affects this decision, for it informs us that the action expressed by our present tense verb (“am”) not only began in the past, but it was before our past tense verb (“came to be”), and up unto our past tense verb and still in progress at the time this clause was uttered. The other translations have been following the grammar rule known as PPA, the Present of Past Action still in progress in several other places in John’s Gospel (14:9; 15:27, etc.), wherein a present indicative (“I am” or “you are”), which is accompanied by an adverbial expression (“so much time” or “from the beginning” or "before"), is rendered with the perfect tense of “have been.” The PPA is describing an action that began in the past and has run up unto the time of writing or speaking. The question is, do we find the context of John 8:58 as being in harmony with our grammar. Well, let us look at the verse(s) that come before and after our verse. In verse 57, the Jews ask a question in reference to Jesus' statement in verse 56: “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” Thus, they reasonably ask, “You are not yet fifty years old and have you seen Abraham?” It is all too clear that we have a question that is based on age, not Jesus’ identity. Our historical-cultural question is addressed in verse 59, where we find the Jews seeking to stone Jesus for his response. What was there about Jesus’ response that would result in their attempt to stone him? First, to claim to have been in existence since before Abraham and up unto this point; would mean Jesus was/is a divine person. Bible scholar Kenneth L. McKay wrote: “to claim to have been in existence for so long is in itself a staggering one, quite enough to provoke the crowd’s violent reaction.” – McKay: The Expository Times, 1996, p. 302.

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The Trinity a "Foolish and Unscriptual Doctrine"

 

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The Trinity a "Foolish and Unscriptual Doctrine"

From The Doctrine of the Trinity Examined 1885 (Published by John B. Day)

Spurious churches have long been bewildering themselves with the foolish and unscriptual doctrine, that a Trinity of Persons constitute the One God, —a pagan doctrine forced upon the ignorant people in early Christian times against their common sense, at an epoch when superstition, false legends, and nonsense everywhere were rife, —the spurious priests miscalling their great credulity “Faith,” thereby deceiving the well-disposed into giving blind credence and blindly accepting as the foundation of their Christianity the monstrous lie —that Three Persons constitute the One God. 

How is this great error known to be untrue? 

1. It is more in accordance with the absurd mythology of the Greeks and Romans living in the days of the early Christians, many of whom were Greeks and Romans, than with the common sense of mankind.

2. God has many times declared that there is no other God than Himself. 

3. The Scriptures nowhere mention a Trinity of persons as constituting One God. 

4. The absurd doctrine was utterly unknown to the Israelites before the crucifixion, and to the twelve Apostles.

 

5. The utterance of the Prophets concerning the Messiah alluded to him as a holy being, wholly distinct in person from God. 

 

6. The blessed mother of Christ, her husband Joseph, and the Apostles, although believing that Christ was truly the long-promised Messiah, accounted him in accordance with the prophecies as an angel who came from heaven, and being born out of the Virgin Mary became man, who through God's almighty power, in some way (inexplicable to them until after the resurrection) would save the souls of mankind from being shut out everlastingly from heaven. After the resurrection they fully comprehended, through the teachings of Christ, the mighty plan of God, and clearly understood that his birth out of a pure virgin, his attempted destruction by Herod, the flight of his mother and Joseph with him into Egypt, his great wisdom, his teaching, his great and many miracles, the testimony of John the Baptist, his peculiar public entry into Jerusalem, his betrayal, his crucifixon, his resurrection, the testimony of the angels at his tomb, and his teachings after his resurrection, were in exact accordance with the prophecies concerning the Messiah. Being convinced that he was really the long-promised Messiah they deeply reverenced him as the Messiah, but did not worship him as they worshipped God—they taught the people after the ascension of Christ, that when upon earth with them he was simply a man like to themselves, giving him the highly reverential spiritual name of Lord; but giving to his God alone the far higher reverential name of God. 

7. The utterances of the Apostles, which speak of God and of Christ as two distinct holy beings—the son not equal in power to his Father, but subservient to his Father in all things, the son so obedient as to have no will of his own, but accepting the will of his Father as his own will. 

8. The utterances of Christ himself, who ever spoke of God as a Holy Being, wholly distinct from himself, teaching his disciples and the people to pray to God his Father, beseeching Him, praising Him, singing to Him, and giving Him thanks, never accounting himself to be God-plainly saying that God is greater than himself, but calling himself the son of God. 

The unwise, idolatrous, early Christian priests, in their admiration of Christ, exalted him in their imagination to be God Himself, forgetting the Creator God, and exalting in their foolish imagination his blessed mother as the mother of God - folly that has been widely perpetrated down to these days. Oh, foolish churches, how great has been your folly, how widely you have departed from the truth; therefore how little you have been able to cope with the wicked heart of man!

In like manner as the Israelites, from the crucifixion down to these days, have erred in disbelieving the Messiahship of Christ, 80 the spurious Churches have, during many ages, exalted Christ in their imagination to be God. The Israelites and the spurious churches being equal in their great error-the one refusing to acknowledge him as the long promised Messiah, the other exalting him in their imagination as being the Messiah, the Holy Ghost, and God the Creator also; the Israelites refusing to give any glory to Christ, the spurious Churches madly rushing, in their ancient antagonism towards the Jews, to the opposite extreme, by robbing, in their imagination, God the Creator of His Glory, and giving all glory to the Messiah, to the great grief of the Messiah.

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The Baptism - Immersion Debate, 50 PDF Books to Download

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Contents:

Debate on Baptism - embracing mode and subjects by JA Harding 1886

Debate on Baptism and the Book of Mormon by WH Cooper 1894 (poor quality scan)

Debate on baptism and the work of the Holy Spirit by Moody/Harding 1819

A Debate on Baptism and the Witness of the Holy Spirit by Terrell/Pritchard 1848

A Debate on the Action of Baptism by Blenus/Archibald 1879

Campbell-Rice Debate on Christian Baptism

The History of Sprinkling by Louis C Wilson 1895

Scriptural view of the Mode of Baptism 1832

Lectures on Baptism by William Shirreff 1845

A Plain and Scriptural View of Baptism by Daniel Baker 1853

The Practices of the early Christians Considered by Henry Bannerman 1840

Christian Baptism Scripturally considered by Benjamin Nankeville 1844

Did they Dip? An examination into the act of baptism as practiced by the English and American Baptists before the year 1641 by John T Christian 1896

Baptist Misrepresentations on Baptism by John Bethune 1876

The Origin, History and Doctrine of Baptisms - deduced from Holy Scripture, and other authentic writings by Jacob Post 1851

The Doctrine of Baptisms by George D Armstrong 1857

A Candid Discussion of Christian Baptism by Daniel Clark 1854

Is the Mode of Christian Baptism Prescribed in the New Testament? by Moses Stuart 1855

Scripture Baptism - its Mode and Subjects by Ashbel G Fairchild 1858

Bible Baptism 1900

Immersion not Baptism by John H Beckwith 1858

Bible Baptism Never Immersion by George C Bush 1888

Baptism - an Explanation of all the Principal Passages on Baptism in the Word of God by William Arrows 1873

Baptism as taught in the Scriptures by Rhys R Lloyd 1895

WATER BAPTISM A PAGAN AND JEWISH RITE, BUT NOT CHRISTIAN PROVEN BY SCRIPTURE AND HISTORY CONFIRMED BY THE LIVES OF SAINTS WHO WERE NEVER BAPTIZED WITH WATER By James H. Moon 1902

Immersion proved to be not a scriptural mode of baptism, but a Romish Invention: and immersionists shewn to be disregarding divine authority in refusing baptism to the infant children of believers (1880)

Modern Immersion not Scripture Baptism (1831) by William Thorn

Rhantism versus Baptism or Infant Sprinkling against Christian Immersion by Ellison Seacome 1835

A Question in Baptist History - Whether the Anabaptists in England Practiced Immersion Before the year 1641 By William Heth Whitsitt 1896

A Vindication of Trine Immersion as the Apostolic Form of Christian Baptism by James Quinter 1886

The Evils of Infant Baptism by Robert Boyte Crawford Howell 1854

Evils of Dr. Howell's Book on the "Evils of Infant Baptism.": A Review by E. McMillan 1855

The Emphasized New Testament by Joseph Bryant Rotherham 1897 (refers to John the Baptist as "John the Immerser")

The Baptismal Question: A Discussion of the Baptismal Question by Joseph Hardy Towne, Parsons Cooke, William Hague 1842

Why Friends (Quakers) Do Not Baptize with Water by James H. Moon 1909

The History of infant-baptism by William Wall 1707

The Word Baptizo Defined - and the mode of baptism proved from the scriptures (1840) by John H. Hall

Baptist Dishonesty: misquotations and other gross misrepresentations in the recent pamphlet on baptism of the Baptist minister, Rev. A.A. Cameron, of Ottawa (1876) by John Bethune

The New Testament of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: the Common English version (1865) American Bible Union Version by American Baptist Publication Society - Baptist Bible version so it uses IMMERSION instead of BAPTISM.

A Concise History of Foreign Baptists - taken from the New Testament, the first fathers, early writers, and historians of all ages, chronologically arranged, exhibiting their distinct communities, with their orders in various kingdoms, under several discriminative appellations from the establishment of Christianity to the present age, with correlative information, supporting the early and only practice of believers' immersion, also observations and notes on the abuse of the ordinance, and the rise of minor and infant baptism thereon (1838) by George Orchard

PedoBaptist and Campbellite Immersions by A.C. Dayton 1858

Cambellism Exposed 1860

A history of Anti-pedobaptism from the rise of pedobaptism to A.D. 1609 by Albert Newman 1897

The Baptism of Infants, a reasonable service, founded upon Scripture, and undoubted Apostolic tradition 1753 by Micaiah Towgood

A General History of the Baptist Denomination in America by David Benedict 1848

The First Colored Baptist Church in North America: Constituted at Savannah GA by James Meriles Simms 1888

The Baptists in America: A Narrative by Francis Augustus Cox, James Hoby 1836

Baptist Doctrines by Charles Augustus Jenkens 1880

A Question in Baptist History: Whether the Anabaptists in England Practised Immersion Before 1641. by William Heth Whitsitt 1896

Baptist Confessions of Faith by William Joseph McGlothlin 1911

The Struggle for Religious Freedom in Virginia: The Baptists by William Taylor Thom 1900

A History of the Baptists in New England by Henry Sweetser Burrage 1894

A Short History of the Baptists by Henry Clay Vedder 1907

Problem of Hell on Wikipedia

 

Wikipedia has an interesting entry on the Problem of Hell at 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_of_Hell

"Criticisms of the doctrines of Hell can focus on the intensity or eternity of its torments, and arguments surrounding all these issues can invoke appeals to the omnipotence, omniscience, and omnibenevolence of God. If one believes in the idea of eternal Hell, unending suffering, or the idea that some souls will perish (whether destroyed by God or otherwise), author Thomas Talbott says that one has to either let go of the idea that God wishes to save all beings, or accept the idea that God wants to save all, but will not 'successfully accomplish his will and satisfy his own desire in this matter.'"

There is also this from the North American Review 1881:

"It was only in a cruel age that the doctrine of hell-fire could have acquired that hold upon men's minds which it had acquired in the Middle Ages. In recent times the doctrine has become almost universally discredited throughout the more enlightened portions of Christendom. Even those who maintain a belief in some kind of endless punishment, no longer insist literally upon the lake of brimstone and the fire that is never quenched. Now, the doctrine of hell-fire has become thus universally discredited, not because it has been scientifically disproved, for science has neither data nor methods whereby to disprove such a doctrine; nor because it has been exegetically shown to be unsupported by Scripture, for the ingenuity of orthodox exegesis has always been equal to the task of making Scripture mean whatever is required; it has been discredited simply because people have become milder in their manners and less used to enduring and inflicting physical pain. The doctrine shocks people's feelings, and so they refuse to believe it, no matter how the logic of the case may stand. The sermons of Theodore Parker on the popular theology well illustrate the change of mood that has come over men's minds with reference to the justice of God: the whole burden of these discourses is the argument that the infliction of endless suffering on the creature is incompatible with infinite justice on the part of the Creator."

Bible Hoaxes, Frauds and Forgeries - 40 Books to Download

Only $5.00 -  You can pay using the Cash App by sending money to $HeinzSchmitz and send me an email at theoldcdbookshop@gmail.com with your email for the download. You can also pay using Facebook Pay in Messenger

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Books are in the public domain. I will take checks or money orders as well. 

Contents of Download (created on a Windows computer):

The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ by Nicolas Notovitch 1894
(Claims Jesus went to India - was exposed by Edgar Goodspeed as a hoax)

The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ by Levi Dowling 1911
Not one for accuracy, the book depicts Jesus as visiting the cities of Lahore, Pakistan, and Persepolis in Persia. Lahore did not exist during the period in question, and Persepolis had already been destroyed by Alexander the Great.

The Crucifixion, by an Eye-witness 1911

A Holy, Sacred and Divine Roll and Book from the Lord God of Heaven Volume 1 1843

A Holy, Sacred and Divine Roll and Book from the Lord God of Heaven Volume 2 1843 (otherwise known as the Shaker Bible)

OAHSPE - A NEW BIBLE IN THE WORDS OF JEHOVIH AND HIS ANGEL EMBASSADORS 1882
"Some two years ago, Oahspe was mechanically written through my hands by some other intelligence than my own."

The Gospel According to the Hebrews 1879

The Lost Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles from the Sonnini Manuscript

The Occult Life of Jesus of Nazareth
This work is attributed not to written sources, but to "spirits who were contemporary mortals with Jesus while on the earth."

The Sorry Tale - a story of the Time of Christ 1917
Its notoriety came from author Pearl Curran's story of receiving dictation of poetry and historical tales from the spirit of a "Puritan spinster" called Patience Worth.

The New Gospel of Peace, according to St. Benjamin 1877

The Letter from Heaven - supposedly written by Jesus 53 years after his death.
"Whosoever shall have a copy of this letter and keep it in their house, nothing shall hurt them, and if any  woman be in child-birth and put her trust in me, she shall be delivered of her child.  You shall hear no more of me but by the Holy Spirit until the Day of Judgment."

Scriptural Imitations and Theological Forgeries in
The Oriental herald and journal of general literature, Volume 13 1827

Some articles on The Unknown Life of Christ in Magazines of the time.

Gleanings for the curious from the harvest-fields of literature (1890)
Contains THE DEATH WARRANT OF JESUS CHRIST

The Gospel of Barnabas 1907
This work should not be confused with the surviving Epistle of Barnabas. Neither should it be confused with the surviving Acts of Barnabas.

Three Days in the Temple by Jakob Lorber
Paul's Letter to the Laodiceans by Jakob Lorber
Jakob Lorber (1800-1864) was a Styrian Christian mystic who referred to himself as the "God's scribe". He wrote that he began hearing an 'inner voice' from the region of his heart and thereafter transcribed what it said.

The Reports, Letters and Acts of Pontius Pilate 1880

Meditations on the Supper of Our Lord 1875

Contemplations of the Dread and Love of God by Richard Rolle (Middle Ages)

The Fifth Gospel or, The Gospel According to Paul by Charles Roads 1897

The Gospel of the Childhood of Our Lord Jesus Christ 1904

Ante-Nicene Christian Library Volume 20 1881
This has a section called DUBIOUS OR SPURIOUS WRITINGS:
A Sectional Confession of Faith
A Fragment of the same Declaration of Faith, accompanied by
Glosses
Fragment from the Discourse on the Trinity
Twelve Topics on the Faith
Topical Discourse on the subject of the Soul
The Four Homilies Of Gregory Tiiaumaturgus
On the Annunciation to the Holy Virgin Mary
A Fragment on the Gospel according to Matthew
A Discourse on all the Saints

A Memoir of the controversy of the 3 Heavenly Witnesses by Ezra Abbot 1875 (about the Comma Johaneum, 1 John 5:7,8, the most famous spurious passage in the Bible)

The Holy Gospels Translated from the Original Greek, the Spurious Passages Expunged, the Doubtful Bracketed by GW Brameld 1863

Jesuit Juggling, Forty Popish Frauds Detected and Disclosed by Richard Baxter 1835

Frauds and Follies of the Fathers by Joseph Wheeler 1882
"To make testimonies out of forgeries and spurious books to prove the very foundation of the Christian revelation, was a method much practised by some of the Fathers, especially Justin Martyr, Clemens Alexandrinus, and Lactantius."

The Life of Jesus Christ, including His Apocryphal History, from the Spurious Gospels 1818

Universalism Unmasked: Or the Spurious Gospel Exposed by James Davis 1837

Frauds of Papal Ecclesiastics by Gilbert Burnet 1835

A Book of Tracts Containing the Origin and Progress, Cruelties, Frauds, Superstitions, Miracles of the Church of Rome 1856

The Book of Jasher 1829

On this disk you also have these books by Moses Gaster, a scholar who found and collected strange ancient manuscripts:

Jewish folk-lore in the middle ages 1887

The Sibyl and the Dream of 100 Suns: an Old Apocryphon

An Unknown Hebrew Version of the History of Judith

The Chronicles of Jerahmeel 1899
 gdixierose

The Absurd Language of the Trinity by John Wilson

 
This book, "The Impersonality of the Holy Spirit by John Marsom" is available on Amazon for only 99 cents. See a local listing for it here; Buy The Absurdity of the Trinity on Amazon for only 99 cents by clicking here - see a local listing for this here

With regard, then, to the unscriptural words used to set forth the doctrine of the Trinity, there is only one alternative, - either to acknowledge that they have no import, and should never be employed; or to allow that they are representatives of ideas, and should be clearly defined or explained. According to the former admission, the dogma of a tripersonal Deity is barren, unintelligible, unmeaning; consisting of words devoid of thoughts, or involved in sounds without any signification. Agreeably to the latter, in keeping with which “hypostasis," "person," and other terms, are explained so as to be understood, the same dogma is, as we have previously shown, resolvable only into one of two principles, — Tritheism or Sabellianism; three Gods or three relations; a Trinity of eternal beings, either equal or unequal, either self-existent, or, as respects two of the agents, derived and dependent, - or a sort of Unitarianism, which, while adhering essentially to the tenet of God's oneness, would annihilate, by its mysticism, the clear distinction made everywhere in the Christian Scriptures between the universal Father and his only-begotten or best-beloved Son.

We would not oppugn the motives of our Trinitarian brethren, or question the sincerity of their professions. With all her absurdities, Orthodoxy has held in her ranks many great and excellent men, some of them an honor to their race. But the wisest and the best often deceive themselves; and which, though inconsistent with reason, are hallowed by tradition or by early and pious associations. An assent may therefore be given to propositions expressing the dogma of a Triune God, from a feeling, that, though unintelligible or contrary to common sense, they may be true; but assuredly there can be no real, unqualified, rational conviction of their truth. If a man says that there are three somewhats, distinctions, or diversities in one God, but has no conception of the meaning of the terms employed, he cannot be said to believe this proposition, any more than he could be said to believe it, if, without previous concert, he heard it announced in a language of which he was ignorant. If he states that there are three intelligent, infinite, equal persons in one infinite, intelligent, supreme being, and is unable, as we have proved, to attach any other signification to the word “person," with its qualifying epithets, than to the word "being,” he virtually affirms that three beings are only one, – which is an absurdity. And if, varying again the expression, he asserts that there are three names, relatives, characters, or impersonations in the one God, this he may indeed believe; but, so soon as he declares that one of these names, relatives, characters, or impersonations, addressed the others, or sent them into the world, either as equals or subordinates in the divine nature, he employs terms which are either nonsensical, or have no meaning.

Buy: And the Word was a god: A New Book on the Most Disputed Text in the New Testament - John 1:1  and The Dark History of the Trinity, is now available on Amazon by clicking here...and both are only 99 cents

Over 100 Lost, Hidden, & Strange Books of the Bible to Download (Gnostics, Gospels)

Only $5.00 -  You can pay using the Cash App by sending money to $HeinzSchmitz and send me an email at theoldcdbookshop@gmail.com with your email for the download. You can also pay using Facebook Pay in Messenger

Books Scanned from the Originals into PDF format - For a list of all of my disks, with links click here

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Books are in the public domain. I will take checks or money orders as well.

Contents of Upload (created on a Windows computer):

Akkadian Genesis - the influence of early Babylonian religion on the language and thought of Genesis by Edward G King 1888

The Chaldean account of Genesis - containing the description of the creation, the deluge, the Tower of Babel, the destruction of Sodom, the times of the Patriarchs, and Nimrod; Babylonian fables, and legends of the gods; from the Cuneiform inscriptions bt George Smith 1880

The Life of Jesus Christ- His apocryphal history by William Huttmann - 1818 (poor quality)

The Antediluvian History and narrative of the flood as set forth in the early portions of the Book of Genesis by Elias De La Roche Rendell 1851

Fragments of the age of Methuselah 1829

The Gnostic Crucifixion by GRS Mead 1907

Biblical Legends of the Mussulmans by Dr G Weil 1846

The Conflicts of the Holy Apostles: an apocryphal book of the early Eastern Church by Solomon Malan 1871

Corpus Ignatianum - a complete collection of the Ignatian epistles, genuine, interpolated, and spurious 1849

Extracts from the Flying Roll, a series of sermons addressed to the lost tribes of the house of Israel 1879, Volume 1

Extracts from the Flying Roll, a series of sermons addressed to the lost tribes of the house of Israel 1879, Volume 2

The Babylonian and the Hebrew Genesis by Heinrich Zimmern 1901

Legends of Babylon and Egypt in relation to Hebrew tradition by LW King 1918

The Truth of the English translations examined by Thomas Ward 1824

The Book of God - the Apocalypse of Adam-Oannes by Edward V Kenealy 1867

The Missing Fragment of the Fourth Book of Ezra by Robert Bensly 1875

Daniel, with its Apocryphal additions by Leicester Ambrose Sawyer 1864

The Writings of Irenaeus, Volume 1 1868

The Writings of Irenaeus, Volume 2 1868

The Apocryphal and Legendary Life of Christ being the whole body of the Apocryphal gospels and other extra canonical literature which pretends to tell of the life and words of Jesus Christ including much matter which has not before appeared in English by James De Quincey Donehoo, 1903

The life of Jesus according to extra-canonical sources by Bernhard Pick 1887

The Epistle of Jude and the Prophecy and Assumption of Moses, article in The Theological review 1868

Philochristus - Memoirs of a disciple of the Lord by Edwin Abbott 1878

Paralipomena: remains of gospels and sayings of Christ By Bernhard Pick 1908

The Gospel According to Jesus by Edward Mason 1888 (not really an apocrypal work, but sermons)

The true gospel of Jesus Christ asserted by Thomas Chubb 1738

Did Jesus write his own gospel? A study in gospel origins by William Pitt MacVey 1912

The Gospel of Jesus, critically reconstructed from the earliest sources by Clayton Bowen 1916

New sayings of Jesus and fragment of a lost gospel from Oxyrhynchus by Bernard Grenfell 1904

The Akhmim fragment of the Apocryphal Gospel of St. Peter by Henry Barclay Swete 1893

Echoes from the Gnosis by GRS Mead, Volume 1, 1907

Echoes from the Gnosis by GRS Mead, Volume 2, 1907

Echoes from the Gnosis by GRS Mead, Volume 4, 1907 (The Hymn of Jesus)

Echoes from the Gnosis by GRS Mead, Volume 7, 1907 (The Gnostic Crucifixion)

Echoes from the Gnosis by GRS Mead, Volume 10, 1907

Fragments of a Faith Forgotten, some short sketches among the Gnostics mainly of the first two centuries - a contribution to the study of Christian origins based on the most recently recovered materials by GRS Mead, 1906

The Gnostics and their remains by CW King 1887

The Writings of Clement of Alexandria, Volume 1, 1867

The Writings of Clement of Alexandria, Volume 2, 1867

The Lost and Hostile Gospels: an essay on the Toledoth Jeschu, and the Petrine and Pauline gospels of the first three centuries of which fragments remain by S Baring Gould 1874

Apocryphal Gospels, Acts, and Revelations by Alexander Walker 1870 (which has):

The Protevanqelium of James

The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew

The Gospel of the Nativity of Mary

The History of Joseph the Carpenter

The Gospel of Thomas

First Greek Form : The Infancy of the Lord

Second Greek Form : The Childhood of the Lord

The Boyhood of Jesus

The Arabic Gospel of the Infancy of the Saviour

The Gospel of Nicodemus

The Acts of Pilate

The Descent of Christ into Hell

The Letter of Pontius Pilate, which he wrote to the Roman Emperor concerning our Lord Jesus Christ

The Report of Pilate the Procurator concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, sent to Rome to Tiberius Caesar

The Giving up of Pontius Pilate,

The Death of Pilate,

The Narrative of Joseph of Arimathea,

The Avenging of the Saviour,

The Acts of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul

The Story of Perpetua,

The Acts ok Paul and Thecla

The Acts of Barnabas

The Acts of Philip

The Acts of Philip when he went to Upper Hellas,

The Acts and Martyrdom of the Holy Apostle Andrew

The Acts of Andrew and Matthias in the City of the Man-eaters

The Acts of Peter and Andrew

The Acts and Martyrdom okf Matthew the Apostle

The Acts of the Holy Apostle Thomas

The Consummation of Thomas the Apostle

The Martyrdom of the Holy and Glorious Apostle Bartholomew

The Acts of the Holy Apostle Thaddeus

The Acts of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John

The Revelation of Moses

The Revelation of Esdras

ThE Revelation of Paul

The Revelation of John

The Book ok John concerning the Falling Asleep of Mary

The Passing of Mary

Contributions to the apocryphal literature of the New Testament, collected and edited from Syriac manuscripts in the British Museum by William Wright 1865:

Letter of Herod

Letter of Pilate

History of the Virgin Mary

The Obsequies of the Holy Virgin

The Gnostic Heresies of the First and Second Centuries by Henry Longueville Mansel 1875

The Wedding-song of Wisdom by GRS Mead 1908

The Oracles ascribed to Matthew by Papias of Hierapolis by 1894

History of early Christian literature in the first three centuries by Gustav Kruger 1897

The genuine epistles of the Apostolical Fathers - St. Clement, St. Polycarp, St. Ignatius, St. Barnabas, the Pastor of Hermas and an account of the martyrdoms of St. Ignatius and St. Polycarp written by those who were present at their sufferings being together with the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament, a complete collection of the most primitive antiquity for about a hundred and fifty years after Christ by William Wake 1846

Primitive Christianity its writings and teachings in their Historical Connections, Volume 1 by Otto Pfeiderer 1906

Primitive Christianity its writings and teachings in their Historical Connections, Volume 2 by Otto Pfeiderer 1906

Primitive Christianity its writings and teachings in their Historical Connections, Volume 3 by Otto Pfeiderer 1906

Primitive Christianity its writings and teachings in their Historical Connections, Volume 4 by Otto Pfeiderer 1906

Morbid Psychology: Studies on Jesus and the Gospels by Jules Soury 1881

The Five Books of Maccabees in English by Henry Cotton 1832

The Epistles of St. Ignatius, Volume 1 1910:

Epistle to the Ephesians

Epistle to the Magnesians

Epistle to the Trallians

The Epistles of St. Ignatius, Volume 2 1910:

Epistle to the Romans

Epistle to the Philadelphians

Epistle to the Smyrnaens

Epistle to Polycarp

New Testament Apocryphal writings by James Orr 1903 (poor quality scan)

The Apocryphal gospels and other documents relating to the History of Christ, translated from the originals in Greek, Latin, Syriac, etc, with notes, Scriptural references by BH Cowper 1874

Contains: The Gospel of the Nativity of Mary

The History of Joseph the Carpenter

The Gospel of Thomas

The Arabic Gospel of the Infancy

The Letter of Abgar to Jesus

The Letterf of Jesus to Abgar

The Letter of Lentulus

Prayer of Jesus, Son of Mary

The Story of Veronica

The Syriac Gospel of the Boyhood of our Lord Jesus

Legends of the patriarchs and prophets and other Old Testament characters from various sources by S Baring-Gould 1881

A True History of Jesus the Christ, being a detailed account of the manner of His birth, and of all that He did and suffered up to the time of His crucifixtion, dictated by himself 1874

The Book of Ratramn - the priest and monk of Corbey, commonly called Bertram, on the body and blood of the Lord to which is added an appendix, containing the Saxon homily of Ælfric 1843

Apollonius of Tyana - the pagan Christ of the third century by Albert Reville 1866

A sketch of the life of Apollonius of Tyana or the first ten decades of our era by Daniel Redwell 1886 (many point to striking similarities between Appolonius and Christ)

Sepher Toldoth Jeshu: Book of the Generation of Jesus - Jewish Life of Christ by GW Foote 1879

Folk-lore in the Old Testament; studies in comparative religion, legend and law by James Frazer 1918 (which has):

Two different accounts of the creation of man in Genesis . 

The Priestly and the Jehovistic narratives 

The Jehovistic the more primitive 

Babylonian and Egyptian parallels 

Greek legend of the creation of man out of clay . 

Australian and Maori stories of the creation of man out of clay 

Tahitian tradition - creation of woman out of man's rib . 

Similar stories of the creation, of woman in Polynesia 

Similar Karen and Tartar stories 

Other stories of the creation of man in the Pacific 

Melanesian legends of the creation of men out of clay 

Stories of the creation of man in Celebes 

Stories told by the Dyaks of Borneo 

Legend told by the natives of Nias 

Stories told by the natives of the Philippines 

Indian legends of the creation of man 

Cheremiss story of the creation of man 

African stories of the creation of man 

American stories of the creation of man . 

Our first parents moulded out of red clay 

Belief of savages in the evolution of man out of lower animals 

American Indian stories of the evolution of men out of animals 

African and Malagasy stories of the evolution of men 

Evolution of men out of fish in Africa and Borneo 

Descent of men from trees and animals in the Indian Archipelago 

Descent of men from animals in New Guinea 

Descent of men from fish and grubs in the Pacific 

plus much more