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Advent
For one to understand the origins of Advent, it is important to trace briefly
the origins of Christmas itself. In part, Christmas was an attempt to counter
pagan festivities connected with the winter solstice in the time of the early
church. In the western portion of the Roman Empire, the date for observing the
birthday of the sun was December 25 (in the East, January 6). This date was set
as early as 274, sixty-two years before there is any solid evidence that
Christians in Rome celebrated this same date as Christmas. Indeed, it was during
the reign of the Emperor Constantine in the 4th century that the Church, at
Constantine's encouragement, adapted the celebration and practice of sun-worship
into the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The popularity of this association
was undoubtedly aided by the numerous Christological controversies of the fourth
century and the need to challenge them (in particular, the need to refute
Arianism, a school of thought which challenged the notion that Jesus was truly
divine).
The season of Advent developed in the western portion of the Roman Empire,
probably in 4th century Gaul. Originally, it was a three-week period of
preparation before Epiphany, which was celebrated on January 6 (the celebration
of Christ's nativity, his baptism, and his first miracle at Cana). A parallel
development occurred in Rome, as Advent there grew out of a single day's fast
before Christmas. Gradually, the preparatory period before Epiphany in Gaul
combined with the pre-Christmas fasting motif of Rome, and Advent became a
period of penitence and preparation before Christmas. In subsequent centuries,
Advent incorporated the theme of the Second Coming in addition to the birth of
Jesus. Pope Gregory the Great (6th century) was the first to fix its length at
four-week, which is the same length of time which western Christianity observes
in modern times.
Advent literally means "coming" or "arrival" in Latin. The
season of Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical year in the western
churches which observe the liturgical calendar. In modern times, Advent is a
season of preparation, a time when Christians ready themselves both for the
coming of the Messiah at Christmas and his return as Judge and Redeemer at the
end of history. Indeed, leading up to Advent in the liturgical year is a growing
emphasis on the consummation of history, which comes to a climax on the final
Sunday of the liturgical year, a Sunday known as Christ the King. Following
Christ the King Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. On this Sunday, there is
always an emphasis on the final parousia (the return of Jesus at the end of
history). The second and third Sundays of Advent
focus on the John the Baptist's promise of the Messiah's coming. The fourth
Sunday of Advent tends to highlight the annunciation, when the angel, Gabriel,
announces to Mary that she will bear a child who will be the Son of God. Advent
concludes with the celebration of Jesus' actual birth on Christmas Eve and
Christmas Day. Thus, in the four Sundays which constitute Advent, there is a
marked shift from the expectation of the consummation of history to the
preparation for the incarnation and nativity of Jesus the Messiah. As a result,
it is in the season of Advent that the beginning and end times meet, and we as
Christians remember that the roots and the destiny of human history is firmly
embedded in the Sovereign One, whom we call Immanuel, "God with us."
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