By Alexander Pym Allison (אליסון פים אלכנסדר)
“In the end, what really counts is how we lived, not how or when we were born.” - Alexander Pym Allison (APA)
יהוה (YHWH)
#APA #אפא #ΑΠΑ #ALEXANDER #PYM #ALLISON #JW
My name’s Alexander Pym Allison. I was born on September 26th, 1987 (3 Tishri, 5748 {Jewish Calender}), but I do not Commemorate that day.
It’s not because I’m not sentimental. And it’s definitely not because I don’t like parties or I’m I anti-social.
It’s because a few years ago I noticed something remarkable in the Scriptures that made me rethink the whole idea of giving special significance to the day I was born.
There’s only one time in the entire Hebrew Scriptures that we read about a birthday party. The guest of honour, who in all probability planned it for himself? Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, whose birthday bash we read about in the book of Genesis 40: 20-22.
Another Birthday party was recorded in the Greek Scriptures and this time again, the host who planned it for himself was the infamous King Herod Antipas, the District ruler of Gal’i.lee. (Mr 6:14-17, 21-29; Mt 14: 6-11; Lu 3:1, 19, 20; 13:31, 32; 23:6-15; Ac 4:27; 13:1).
Aside from these pagan non-Jewish leaders, whose lifestyle certainly doesn’t deserve to be emulated by us, there isn’t a single mention of a birthday celebration by any ancient Jewish or Christian servant Of God in the Scriptures.
Why the strange neglect of what many would think is a significant day worthy of celebrating and rejoicing?
Why do the scriptures not record any birthday celebration of God’s servant, both in the Pre-Christian and Christian era?
What does the two birthday account in Both the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures Teach you?
The scriptures says, “on the testimony of two witnesses or on the testimony of three witnesses the matter should be established.” - De. 19:15; Mt. 18:16; Jn 8:17; 2 Co 13:1.
What does the account of the three witnesses, Moses, Matthew, and mark established about birthday parties?
- That both celebrants were pangs, that birthday celebration is a pagan feast and was popular among ancient pagans.
- Both accounts puts birthday celebration in a bad light thus, establishing the fact that such feasts were Ungodly.
How did early Christians and Jews of Bible times view birthday celebrations?
To see clearly why none of God’s ancient servants Both Jewish and Christian didn’t pay attention to the day they were born, let us see what history tells us about how they viewed the celebration of anyone’s birth.
“The notion of a birthday festival was far from the ideas of the Christians of this period in general.”—The History of the Christian Religion and Church, During the Three First Centuries (New York, 1848), Augustus Neander (translated by Henry John Rose), p. 190.
“The later Hebrews (Jews) looked on the celebration of birthdays as a part of idolatrous worship, a view which would be abundantly confirmed by what they saw of the common observances associated with these days.”—The Imperial Bible-Dictionary (London, 1874), edited by Patrick Fairbairn, Vol. I, p. 225.
“During the first two centuries of Christianity there was strong opposition to recognizing birthdays of martyrs or, for that matter, of Jesus,” states the Encyclopedia Britannica. Why? Christians viewed birthday celebrations as a pagan custom, something to be avoided altogether. In fact, no mention of the date of Jesus’ birth can be found in the Bible.
“The celebration of the anniversary of an individual’s birth, though customary among the ancients, was originally frowned upon by the Christians,” notes William S. Walsh in his book Curiosities of Popular Customs. Historian Walsh goes on to quote from early Christian writings on the subject, saying: “Thus Origen, in a homily on Leviticus xii 2, assures his hearers that ‘none of the saints can be found who ever held a feast or a banquet upon his birthday, or rejoiced on the day when his son or his daughter was born. But sinners rejoice and make merry on such days.”’
Where did early Christians get their distaste for birthdays? Partly from the Jews. “In the Bible there is no instance of birthday celebrations among the Jews themselves,” points out M’Clintock and Strong’s Cyclopædia, adding: “In fact, the later Jews at least regarded birthday celebrations as parts of idolatrous worship.”
Clearly, then, the festive celebration of birthdays does not find its origin in either the Hebrew or the Greek Scriptures. Additionally, M’Clintock and Strong’s Cyclopædia (1882, Vol. I, p. 817) says the Jews “regarded birthday celebrations as parts of idolatrous worship . . . , and this probably on account of the idolatrous rites with which they were observed in honour of those who were regarded as the patron gods of the day on which the party was born.”
The Day of Death
Which is better ? the Day of Birth or The Day of Death
While death is not part of God’s plan for the human family, the scriptures does indicate that the day of one's death is better than the day he was born, why?
Ecclesiastes 7:1,2,4 says, “A good name is better than good oil, and the day of death is better than the day of birth. 2 Better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting, for that is the end of every man, and the living should take it to heart... 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of the stupid is in the house of rejoicing.”
Not at birth, but during the full course of our life, does our “name” take on real meaning, identifying us as to what kind of persons we are. The person whose heart is, as it were, in a “house of mourning” is one who gives heartfelt consideration to the way he is living his life, regardless of how short it may be. He treats it as something precious. He does not reflect the shallow, reckless spirit characteristic of a place of revelry. Rather, he exerts himself to lead a meaningful, purposeful life and thereby contributes to the happiness and welfare of fellowmen.
It is then, with the passage of time, that we can reflect upon all that was accomplished by our departed as well as the legacy of their achievements. We have a right – as well as an obligation – to reflect on a life that we can now in retrospect acknowledge as having been well lived.
But birthdays link us only to the day of birth. When we are born, we have as yet accomplished nothing. We have no more than potential, alive to face the challenges that will confront us but with no assurance that we will overcome them successfully. Birthdays don’t really deserve applause because they commemorate nothing more than our first appearance on the stage of life. Voltaire put it well when he wrote, “God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.” How we play our role is the great test of our character.
We were born – but it remains for us to prove by the way we subsequently live our lives that that deserves rejoicing.