logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2023
1h 20m

It's All Right, It's All True, It All Ha...

Spencer Klavan
About this episode

Is Christmas just a rebranded pagan holiday? Or does the rabbit hole go somewhat deeper? After last week's foray into hermeneutics, this week I take a closer look at the history of Christian allegory, and why this particular form of reading became so important to the early church--and why it's still essential for understanding the meaning of Christmas (and everything else).

Check out our sponsor, the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/youngheretics/

Sign up to be in the mailbag: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com/

Pick up my book, How to Save the West: https://a.co/d/9S57cfh

Up next
Aug 15
Augustus to Virgil: Are you Mad at Me? 🥺
It's time we finally talked about the elephant in the room: does Virgil actually like Augustus? Or is he just pretending? This doesn't seem to have been much of a question in the ancient world--the commentator Servius wrote quite bluntly that "Virgil's intention was to imitate Ho ... Show More
1h 8m
Aug 1
Is There Life Out There?
Everyone, everywhere, thinks about the afterlife. If you think you don't, you're wrong: you do. Because what you believe about life after death is an expression of how you think the universe is ordered, and whether you believe there's such a thing as ultimate justice. That in tur ... Show More
1h 6m
Jul 18
Do You Even Prophesy, Bro?
One of the West's great recurring characters, the Sibyl of Cumae, takes center stage today. Deranged, holy, prophetic, and apparently totally jacked, she guided Rome throughout its history and now teaches Aeneas what he must do to become the man who can found Rome. She may have b ... Show More
1h 7m
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2020
Let’s Nerd Out on Christmas
Transcribed highlights of the show can be found in our episode summaries. Believe it or not, Christmas is this week. Yup, even in a year that felt like it was always winter and that there could not ever be Christmas. And we need a little Christmas, right this very minute. Candles ... Show More
51m 56s
Dec 2023
402. Christmas: Pagan or Christian?
“The Church was anxious to draw the attention of its members away from the old pagan feast days, and the December date did this very well, for it coincided with the birthday of the invincible son of Mithraism…”Is Christmas as we know it merely an invention, created by plagiarisin ... Show More
1 h
Dec 2019
#11: The Book That Made Christmas, Christmas
  Episode #011 - English Learning for Curious Minds The Book That Made Christmas, Christmas**** Today we take a look at the book that is fundamental to our modern understanding of what makes Christmas, Christmas. No, it's not the Bible. It was written in Victorian London, and tel ... Show More
14m 26s
Dec 2019
Pour one out for my homeboy, Jesus - History of Christmas
YUUUULE! The true history of Christmas has been a mystery for us and on this episode we reveal the source of some of the Christmas traditions we know and love today. Don’t shoot the messenger, but documented history states that Christmas may not have had such a wholesome beginnin ... Show More
1h 6m
Dec 2020
Do Christians celebrate a pagan holiday? If so . . . WHY? [E189]
Merry Christmas . . . I've heard the argument that Christians are wrong to celebrate Christmas... and I can understand that view point given it's DARK pagan history (i.e. lawlessness, rape, human sacrifice) (Here is one of hundreds of links you can find on the origins of Christma ... Show More
9m 56s
Dec 2023
Aramaic, Greek and Latin: a linguistic history of Christmas
What connects Christmas, Christianity and languages? In this video I discuss the origins of Christianity, its global spread, and the languages spoken during its early days. 
5m 28s
Dec 2021
Ep 542 | Finding Christmas Joy Amidst the Chaos of our Age
Today, we start by talking about some of the big stories that have been happening over the past few weeks and months — namely COVID and the authoritarian power that the government and corporations have seized as a result. We're not just dealing with political tyranny here in Amer ... Show More
33m 6s
Dec 2019
Why do Christians celebrate a pagan holiday? (A Christmas Special) [E119]
I've heard the argument that Christians are wrong to celebrate Christmas... and I can understand that view point given it's DARK pagan history (i.e. lawlessness, rape, human sacrifice) (Here is one of hundreds of links you can find on the origins of Christmas and Saturnalia. http ... Show More
9m 38s
Dec 2022
The Surprising History of Christmas Gifts
Christmas Eve, 1913. For months, newspapers have been trumpeting an urgent message: Do your Christmas shopping early. It would be easy to assume this was the work of greedy department stores and slick ad companies. But it wasn’t – at least not at first. It started as the rallying ... Show More
32m 22s