Have you watched the man who invented Christmas’ movie? Many people who watch the movie ask whether or not it’s a true story.
I think what people might miss before watching the movie is that the movie doesn’t deal with a man inventing Christmas but an important tool used in the season of Christmas.
The movie The Man Who Invented Christmas, released on November 22, 2017, took its setting from the year 1843. It was about the invention of a Christmas carol by a man called Charles Dickens. The story goes that Author Dickens had financial challenges and journeyed to the eventual revival of the holiday called Christmas with the production of a life-changing novel, A Christmas Carol.
However, the movie doesn’t deal with the weight of its title, and that is what we will be covering in this article, The Man Who Invented Christmas. So, let’s get into it.
Was There A Man Who Invented Christmas?
As you may know, the story of the man who invented Christmas is littered with fictitious details around a real figure. But was there really a man who invented Christmas? If you say yes and mention Charles Dickens, you would most likely be in the wrong. Why? The reason is simple.
In a previews discussion I titled, A History of Christmas, we traced Christmas far back to the 4th century CE, when the bishop of Rome, Julius 1, officiated Christmas as a holiday for Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Therefore, I concluded that the church in Rome invented what we know today as Christmas celebration.
But there was something I did not emphasize. That was a prominent figure who must have greatly influenced and enforced the successful invention of Christmas across the Roman Empire. While you can make assumptions right away, permit me to tell you a story.
The Man Who Invented Christmas
There were two powerful men who were related by marriage, but the struggle for power over an empire led to the relatives becoming enemies at war. This is the story about the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. It was a fight between Constantine and Maxentius, his inlaw and former emperor over North Africa.
Constantine 1, popularly known as Constantine the Great, was born on February 27, 272 AD, in the city of Naissus, Moesia. While the dating differs, Constantine the Great is said to have been born between 272 and 280 AD.
When his father, Constantius Chlorus, an emperor of Rome, died around 306, his army declared his son, Constantine the Great, as the new emperor of Rome.
Around 312 A.D., Constantine the Great went to war against Emperor Maxentius. It is generally accepted that prior to the war, Constantine had a vision where he saw the appearance of a cross, interpreted and attributed to the Christian God, Christ. He was told that by that symbol he would win the war.
So Constantine commanded his army to paint the symbol he saw on their shields. But was it a cross or a chi-rho, also called a christogram? And how true was this vision? Well, the good news was that he went to war against Maxentius and was victorious. Therefore, he converted to Christianity. However, was the God he appealed to Christ or Apollo, or did he see the two as the same God?
There have been differing opinions about what God Constantine really believed in at the time, since there were many gods. But his acceptance of Christianity led to the establishment of the Christian religion in Rome, and the invention of Christmas became a thing. More doors were open for the spread of Christianity, and the observation of Christmas grew among the people.
So was Constantine the Great the man who invented Christmas? I don’t think there was one man who invented Christmas, but if one were to be credited for the invention of Christmas, it would be the emperor, Constantine the Great. Actually, there could be people out there who believe that he did. So? Let me know what you think.
