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Understanding the True Spirit of Christmas | Jordan B Peterson | YouTubeToText
YouTube Transcript: Understanding the True Spirit of Christmas
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Core Theme
The birth of Jesus is presented as a pivotal event that directly contrasts with and challenges the prevailing political and religious powers of the time, particularly the Roman Empire and its emperor, Augustus, signifying a new era of divine truth and peace.
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Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place
in this way. In those days a decree went
out from Caesar Augustus that all the
world should be taxed. This was the
first census taken while Corinius was
governor of Syria. All went to be
enrolled each to his own city. And
Joseph went up from Galilee out of the
town of Nazareth to Judea to the city of
David which is called Bethlehem because
he was of the house and lineage of David
to be enrolled with Mary his betrothed
wife who was great with child. And while
they were there, the time came for her
to be delivered. And she brought forth
her firstborn son, and wrapped him in
swaddling clothes, and laid him in a
manger, because there was no room for
them in the inn. Then Luke 2:8-20.
In the same region, there were shepherds
abiding in the fields, keeping watch
over their flocks. By night, and lo, an
angel of the Lord appeared to them, and
the glory of the Lord shone round about
them, and they were very afraid. But the
angel said to them, "Be not afraid, for
behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which will be for all the
people. For unto you is born this day in
the city of David, a Savior, who is
Christ the Lord. And this is how you
shall know him. You will find a babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying
in a manger."
All right. So
there's a variety of things happening
there. I'll unpack them briefly and then
we can discuss them. So the first is
that Christ is born under the dominion
of the state. That's the point of the
census and the forced movement of
people. The the state has a tyrannical
element. Every person even the savior of
the world is born into a situation where
they have to contend with the background
tyranny of the state. And then the next
part is that
>> and Augustus is the first god emperor.
It's important to understand.
>> Right. Right. So that's that's amplified
that fact, right? Because the Roman
state is also degenerating towards a
theocracy, right?
>> Isn't he called o because he's the son
of Julius Caesar son of the god.
>> Exactly. Right. So he would be on all
the coins you'd have >> deviing
>> deviing
part of the world the where the Roman
imperial cult the cult of the emperor
was very very strong. That's the
language that was used. So, we have the
genuine God being born at a time when
there's a false god who's emerged in the
tyrannical state. Classic. That's a
classic hero story. Okay. So, who's the
true god here? Well, it's a a babe,
right? So, is that every human baby with
the potential to be to participate in
the redemption of the world born in a
very lowly place? Well, that's a
biological reality as well because all
human infants are incredibly threatened,
right? We're our infants are extremely
dependent. They're very, very
vulnerable. We're born under the tyranny
of the state. Were born in relationship
to nature and even low nature and that's
associated with the manger. So, it's
it's the emergence of the highest and
the lowest as a counterposition to the
false highest that's Augustus. And then
that's reiterated to some degree with
the proclamation to the shepherds. It's
like, well, who who gets wind of this?
Well, it's not the people of the court.
It's it's the shepherds, right? And and
the shepherds are an interesting choice,
too, because of course shepherds there's
a kinship between the shepherd and the
prophet all the way through the Old
Testament. And that and that uh imagery
is replicated continually in the New
Testament. And shepherds take care of
the vulnerable. That's essentially what
they do. And they do that independently
and responsibly. And so even though
they're lowly, they're not because
they're types of something much greater.
And and even though they are low on the
socioeconomic totem pole, the fact that
Christ's birth is announced to them is
an indication of the universally
salvific nature of his birth and
mission. Right? So that's all happening
in those in those
>> the shepherds are also counter to city
like because they're they're the
opposite of civilization. They have
these flocks. They move around. They
don't stay in one place. They don't have
agriculture. They don't have all the
things all the tropes of of the city.
>> It's also an answer for the undeniable
in a way. It's the reversal of the cone.
Right. If a tree falls in a forest and
no one's there to hear it, does it make
a sound? If the son of God is born in a
manger and there's only shepherds
around, is he still the son of God? The
answer is yes.
>> Right. Right. just great things from
lowly beginning
>> just about Augustus and um as whether
fragile or or um endangered state of the
child. Augustus is also
um the emperor
in this period of extraordinary
stability for the Roman Empire. So it's
also a good time for Jesus to be born because
because
>> Pax Romano.
>> Exactly. Exactly. So I think there's the
the the tyrant element the false deity
but also it's auspicious
um and the second point about his
vulnerability but again the emphasis on David
David
>> right he's this is the Davididic house
so it's it's in a manger
uh there's no room in the inn but the
emphasis again this is the true
successor of of of David
>> yeah and I don't think Augustus is just
the tyrannical. Uh there's Augustus is
the ender ending of a civilizationwide
civil war. >> Yeah.
>> Yeah.
>> And and and I think there's I think
there's an attempt
>> to indicate something like a chairos
happening here. That's interesting.
>> Right. Right. You've got I I I'm not
denying the tyranny of the Roman
emperor, but you know, Augustus, many
con many historians consider him maybe
the the greatest emperor, right? And
>> if God had to choose any period in
history to leave his authenticating
signature on the world in a way that
would disseminate and distribute that
message as quickly as possible. It's
hard to pick a better time than >> than
>> than
it's like if you introduce it. It's
almost like an enzyme like what what's
the state in which this action can be
most fruitful. And so in a time when
everything's filled with sin, he sends
the flood in a time when things are have
a level of stability and there needs to
be foundations through which to even to
rise up to condemn him. because in utter
chaos, you can't have so cleanly that
the temple and the government like every
aspect of the culture fails him. So they
have to be in place in order to render
that judgment.
>> It's hard to imagine the Christian
message spreading with the astonishing
speed that it does from say the early
30s AD to the point where well by 64
there are enough Christians in Rome for
Nero to be able to scapegoat the
Christians as a distinct group from from
the Jews. Um yeah so all the you know
the conditions are
>> but there is a there is a desire to
create a foil though I I think you know
because even if we talk about the pacana
we haven't gotten to the right after
that when the angels announce they say
glory to God and the highest peace on
earth of of men of goodwill right it's
basic it's trying to say it is I think
it is creating a foil to the Roman rule
which is here's the great emperor uh
without maybe not necessarily
criticizing but here's the great emperor
here's this this piece But now here's
the true emperor that's hidden at the
bottom of the world in a cave in a
manger and the and that and that this is
through this that that the true peace
will be found.
>> It's the language of that's the language
of an imperial edict. And in fact
actually it's worth pointing out that
the word the Greek word for good news or
gospel is evangelon which is the word
that emperors would send out often the
emperor's birthday. Yeah,
>> you would send the evangelion to the,
you know, towns and villages that that
worshiped him. And this was particularly
in this part of the world.
>> And this was the good news, the good
news of the emperor of of, you know,
Caesar's birthday. So there's a clearly,
I think, a a semic-conscious
aping and mimicking of the language of
the imperial cult to assert that
>> Jesus is Lord and therefore Caesar is.
>> In the beginning, God created the
heavens and the earth.
>> You will pay the piper. It's going to
call you out of that slavery into
freedom. Even if that pulls you into the desert,
desert,
>> that we need God is is a given.
[music]
>> Remember the Sabbath day to keep it
holy. The thing you value enough to make
sacrifices for of any sort. That's your goal.
goal.
>> Love [music] God. Love your neighbor.
>> That's a fundamentally religious idea.
The death of Christianity [music]
frightens me.
>> Why bother with this strange old book at
all? You know, turns out that a book is
more durable than than stone. [music]
>> I think [snorts] it's a formula in some
way sums up the whole Bible. You know,
glory to God in the highest and peace
among us. That's how it works. When you
give glory to something other than God,
then violence breaks out and division
breaks out. But if you really give glory
to the sum bonum appropriately, then
peace will obtain among us. So the
angelic message is
>> is that's the whole Bible.
>> It's the whole Bible. That's the whole
Bible. I totally agree.
>> And some of that's associated with the
glorification of the infant
>> as a as a as a center of attention,
which is a proper center of attention. Yeah.
Yeah.
>> Right. But it also has to be like for it
to be the fullness you also have to have
these extremes where the angels appear
above and these singing angels right the
the music of the spheres and then the
lowest aspect of reality being connected
together so that you say oh this is the
fullness of God's revelation the
fullness of God's presence in the world
represented by these two extremes with
the angels up above
>> but what's what is the Greek again for
the we say host or we say company of
angels but it's like something with army
like stratias or to The Hebrew is army.
>> Pardon me.
>> The Hebrew is army.
>> Yeah. So, and I what I find so
fascinating, so Caesar can dominate the
world because he's got this big human
army, but in fact, the baby king has the
real army. It's an angelic army of these
fearsome supernatural realities. So,
who's going to win this battle? The baby
king's going to win.
>> So, Bishop, I have a question which I
know a lot of people watching this will
have, but I have it too. Yes,
>> I agree 100%.
If we all acknowledge the God of the
Bible, it it would be a much better
world, even a peaceful world.
>> So, how do you explain because it's it's
a very real question for all of us.
>> Not just uh people who claimed to
believe in God who did horrible things,
but horrible things to other people who
believed in God.
the the uh the the Christian wars in
Europe probably precipitated the
rejection of religion ultimately.
>> Yeah, I agree with that. Yeah.
>> So, I'm just curious and I really am
curious. It's not a provocative
question. It's in fact
the first book I wrote is called the
nine questions people ask about Judaism.
And one of the quest of the nine
questions is if religion specifically
Judaism is supposed to make people good,
how do you account for unethical
religious Jews? It's one of the nine
questions I asked in my first book. The
question of people who believe in God
who do bad, I mean the God of the Bible,
I it's all I'm talking about is a very
real one.
>> Dennis, let's let let's let that hang
and get that back into that when we talk
about the Pharisees.
I'm not sure they're the best example
what they've done. [laughter] >> No.
>> No.
>> Well, well, but but I think the the
question is specifically addressed in in
some of in some of the stories of
Christ's conflict, let's say, with
religious authorities, per se. And I
think we should address that
>> has to do with hypocrisy. >> Yeah.
>> Yeah.
>> The idea of of of saying one thing and
doing another like that's the opposite
of the incarnation, right? It's like
it's this disjining of heaven and earth
where you have a word and a and a being
that aren't connected. You say things,
you you think something, you say
something and then you do another thing
where Christ is saying no, heaven and
earth have to be united. That is what
the incarnation is trying to show.
>> We'll spend a whole session on that
question in in some ways. Okay. So, I'm
going to go through the leadup to the
baptism here and we'll conclude with
that. So what happens in the next few
stories essentially and I'll compress
them is that Mary and Joseph and the
people around Christ are presented with
evidence of various sorts that something
particularly special is going on here.
So we have we we first of all have the
uh the naming and events in the temple
when when Jesus is presented in the
temple and there's a prophetist there
who describes his eventual destiny and a
a prophet there too Simeon and so he
tells Mary um that her son is destined
to do spectacular things and then after
that we have the gifts of the magi and
these are magicians magi from the east
who have seen who have analyzed the
patterns of the stars in heaven because
they're astrologers and have determined
that an old age has ended and that would
be the age of the ram and a new age
Pisces is about to begin and so there's
there's signs in the stars so to speak
that something new is about to be born
and the magi come and find Christ and
represent and and regard him as the
fulfillment of their prophetic
intuition. And so that's another and
then we have the parallel this is a this
is a old testament parallel with the
flight into Egypt and massacre of the
innocents. Do you want to speak about that?
that?
>> Sure. I mean, what the interesting thing
about the flight into Egypt and the
massacre of the innocents is, you know,
the story of Jesus is always smashing
the Old Testament references together,
bringing them together in a way that is
absolutely crazy. And so what happens is
when Jesus goes to Egypt, they're he's
doing the flight and return from Egypt
at the same time. That is when Joseph
goes to Egypt, he flees his brothers
trying to kill him. when Moses leaves
Egypt with the with the Israelites, he's
fleeing the the the Pharaoh that tried
to kill the children of Israel. And so
in in this in this version, the two come
together in one story. And there's a
third element too, which is also King
David fleeing King Saul, who the the
true king fleeing the king that is there
at this moment. >> [snorts]
>> [snorts]
>> So you have this wild image where you
know the the Christ goes into Egypt in
order to in order to flee the the the
king in both ways like fleeing his own
brother but then also fleeing the the
tyrant Pharaoh. It's a it's a it's hard
even to say it because all the images
kind of come together. But this is we
talked about this in Exodus. It's a
difficult It's a difficult situation
because in some ways it has to do with
the problem of the one and and it's
right it has to do with the problem of
the of the concentration of a generation
into one person. Uh it's a little
scandalous to talk about it but I think
that that is part of what is happening.
>> So the magi tell Herod that a king will
arise and Herod determines to kill all
the all the
>> all the all the babies
>> right all the babies. And so that's
that's equivalent to what happens in
Moses' time. And it's another echoing of
the idea.
>> And also Joseph like Joseph leaving his
brothers that want to kill him into
Egypt, but then also Moses leaving Egypt
into the promised land. Those two get
smashed into one image.
>> There's also I mean there's there's
extra biblical reference. They're magi.
They're plausibly from there's Ooastrian,
Ooastrian,
>> right? And so and there's been an
ongoing relationship between Israel and
Persia and Persia figures very I mean I
I believe I read somewhere that cirus
was actually the first one of the first
people called messiah in the old
testament and king of kings and so
there's also that relationship to and
and and you know and zoro zoroastrianism
is you know is the idea that there is um
there's a that the future has an
openness to it And we are a moral
battleground in which that openness can
be decided. And I think by having the
magi there, there is a recognition of
that. So
>> yeah, but there's also the intimation
that's been presented right from the
beginning and it will be continually
presented which is that it it is related
to the story of Joseph something like
the the stranger will recognize him
first like the the that this will move towards
towards
>> the strangers
>> but but it see it's the opposite also of
the Old Testament because the Persians
send the Jews but now the Persians come
>> right it's it's a it's also an inversion
which is trying to say I think there's
something happening about the
relationship to uh in to the Zoroastrian
tradition that's being talked about here
in an important way and they are magi
and that that's like that's really important.
important.
>> It's deeply Israelite that Israel is
chosen but not for their own sake but
chosen for the sake of the nations. To
your earlier point that I mean
ultimately that the whole world's come
to Torah. Well, that's you find in the
Psalms, you find in Isaiah. From a
Christian standpoint, here's the
beginning of it. That as Christ comes,
the other nations get into foreigners
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