As we are now halfway through December, anticipating Christmas, I would like to put the minds of many of you to rest over the widespread use of what looks like shorthand for the word 'Chistmas'.
When I was a child. I was told that to write Xmas instead of Christmas was not appropriate. It was un-Christian and bad. “Xmas” was, the teachers said, an unbeliever's way of having "Christmas" but leaving Christ out.
Today, many children carry home the same woeful tale. Guess what! It isn't true!
For one thing the X in Xmas isn't really an X. X is the Greek letter Chi. It is pronounced like the letters 'ki' is in the word kite. The Greek letter X then represents the Greek word Khristos, which is Christ.
So X-mas is really Khristmas or Christmas.
Just to confirm what I have said, (and perhaps to lend a bit more authority!!) I looked it up on the internet, and found that Wikipedia says the following:
"The use of "Χ", derived from Chi, the Greek alphabet initial, as an abbreviation for Christ (most commonly in the abbreviation "Χmas is often misinterpreted as a modern secularization of the term. Thus understood, the centuries-old English word Χmas, is actually a shortened form of CHmas, which is, itself, a shortened form for Christmas. Christians are sometimes referred to as "Xians", with the 'X' replacing 'Christ'
IXTHUS
Speaking of Greek, do you know what IXTHUS means? It is the Greek word for fish. So what!? Well, now you may understand why a fish is a well-known symbol of Christianity.
Here is why: the first letter of the Greek word for fish is the first letter of the Greek word for Jesus, (I) Iesus. The second letter X, stands for the word Xristos (Christ). The two letter TH stand for THEOS (GOD). The U stands for the Greek word for Son (Uios). The final letter S stands for the Greek word Savior (soterios).
Put it all together and the letters of the word give this message:
Jesus
Christ
God's
Son
Savior
So it makes total sense as to why IXTHUS (FISH) is a symbol of Christianity,
And . . . now everyone can rest easy about seeing the word XMAS written in so many places, and to perhaps even use that spelling themselves!
I love your all.
Merry Xmas
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