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Valentine’s Day—

Is It Christian, or Pagan?

By Herman J. Jacobs

Board of Elders

WE often hear people wishing others a “Happy Valentine’s Day” and others asking “Will you be my valentine?” This question is often asked by millions of people during February of each year. They give candies that are heart-shaped and they buy flowers and cards and give them to people. But, what’s it really all about? Why is there a day that is named like this after Saint Valentine? Is there even any real religious significance in it? We want you to know the REAL and the PRECIOUS TRUTH regarding this holiday that is celebrated the world over by many people.

So, when we start looking at this day, we want to find out first, just where is it that this holiday had its start.

You may very well think that teachers and educators would know the answer. You may think that the many ministers of the many differing churches might even know the answer—but you will be surprised that they do not even really know the truth behind this holiday. Then again, you are never even told by them the truth regarding some of the other “holidays” that you observe and that they are really indeed PAGAN!

You may also be shocked to learn that teachers are very often silent concerning the origins of many of the customs that they are required to teach in our schools. If they were to even speak up against them, they would lose their teaching jobs, and so they rather keep their money than to speak up concerning truth!

Today, we find that there is a time that is now needed for people to learn the precious truth regarding this holiday and know that this holiday each year is really a holiday of pure paganism.

Today, God’s people continue to stay away from those holidays and other things which are not sanctioned by the Almighty. We continue to see God’s Church continuing to shun paganism and things which have nothing to do with the Bible or which the Bible even condemns—for we are a God fearing people who strive to keep what the Bible tells us to keep—therefore, you will find no mention of pagan holidays being observed by true and real Christians anywhere!

Today, there are millions of money which are made by candy makers during the “Valentines” season. There are millions which are made by the card companies and manufacturers. They all advertise their “ideas” of love, when in reality; they are really advertising to get money from an unsuspected public.

Why? Where did these customs even get started at all? Where do we even find any real practice of them in the Bible? How did we come to inherit such customs?

Is It A Christian Custom?

Did you ever know that centuries before Jesus Christ, the pagan Romans had observed February 15 and the evening of February 14th as a very idolatrous and sensuous feast in honor of Lupercus, the “hunter of wolves”?

Most people never even heard of this today and thus, it is not a surprise to us if you never have heard that!

The Romans named this festival the “Lupercalis” and the custom of exchanging valentines and all the other traditions in honor of Lupercus—the very deified hero-hunter of Rome—was also directly linked with the pagan practice of teens “going steady.” It usually then led to great fornication—which the Eternal hates! Today, this custom is also thought very modern. It isn’t, however. It is merely a rebirth of a very old custom that is given to us from the Roman festival of the Lupercalia in celebration during the month of February, when the names of young women are put into a box and drawn out by men as chance directed it (Encyclopedia Americana, “St. Valentine’s Day).

When Constantine had made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, there had been some talk within the church circles of discarding this pagan free-for-all. But yet, the Romans did not want to hear of such talk! So, it had agreed that the holiday would therefore continue as it was, except for the more grossly sensual observances that were a part of it.

It wasn’t until the very reign of Pope Gelasius that this holiday became a “Christian” tradition. “As far back in 496, Pope Gelasius changed Lupercalia on February to St. Valentine’s Day on February 14th”—p. 172, Customs and Holidays Around the World by Lavinia Dobler.

But, just exactly how was it that this pagan day got the name of “St. Valentine’s Day”? Why is the little naked Cupid of the pagan Romans a part of it? Just why is it that little children and young people still cut hearts out and send them on a day in honor of Lupercus the hunter of wolves? Just why have we always thought that these pagan customs, in honor of a false god, are really Christian at all?

Just Who Was St. Valentine?

The name Valentine was a very common name in the Roman world. Parents would often given this name to their children in honor of the famous man that had first been called Valentine of antiquity. This famous man was Lupercus, the hunter. But, just who was he—why should he have also been called the name Valentine among the heathen Romans?

The Greeks had called Lupercus by the name of “Pan.” The Semites called Pan “Baal,” as to the Classical Dictionaries. Baal—so often mentioned within the Bible—was merely another name for Nimrod who was also “the mighty hunter” (Genesis 10:9). Nimrod was the Lupercus—or the very wolf hunter—of the very Romans. And St. Valentine’s Day was thus originally a day that was set aside by the pagans to honor him.

By why call Nimrod “Valentine” by the Romans? Why should this celebration of this day been anciently limited to the city of Rome before Pope Gelasius? What part did this site of ancient Rome play in the very life of Nimrod?

As we find, Valentine comes from the Latin word Valentinus, a proper name that is brought to us from valent which means “to be strong,” according to the Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary. It thus means “strong, powerful, mighty.” Is there any real connection then with Nimrod? We see in the Bible that he was the “mighty hunter” (Genesis 10:9). It was thus a common proverb of ancient time that Nimrod was “the mighty hunter before the Lord.” Nimrod was their very hero—their strong man—their valentine!

Now, just how plain is that that the original Valentine was Nimrod, the might hunter of wolves? Yet, another of his names was “Sanctus” or “Santa” which means “Saint.” It was thus a common title of any of the hero-gods. No wonder then that the Roman Lupercalia is named “Saint Valentine’s Day”!

But, why is it that then that we associate hearts with a day of honor to Nimrod—the very Baal of the Phoenicians and Semites?

The very real, and yet shocking answer to this is that the pagan Romans had acquired the symbol of the heart from the Babylonians. In the Babylonian tongue, the very word heart was “bal” (refer to Young’s or Strong’s Concordance). The very heart—bal—was merely a symbol of Nimrod—the Baal or Lord of the Babylonians!

Put To Death in Rome

Nimrod, the very original St. Valentine, was also called Saturn, the Roman-Babylonian god who had hid from the people who had been seeking him in a secret place. The Latin word Saturn is gotten from the Semitic-speaking Babylonians. It thus means “be hid,” hide self,” “secret,” “conceal.” The original Hebrew word, from which the Latin Saturn is gotten from is used 83 times in the Old Testament (refer to Young’s Concordance under “Sathar,” also sethex”).

According to the ancient tradition, Saturn had fled from those seeking him to Italy. The Apennine mountains of Italy were anciently named the mountains of Nembrod or Nimrod. Nimrod hid shortly out in the site where Rome was later built. The ancient name of Rome before it had been rebuilt in 753 B.C., had been Saturnia—the site of Saturn’s (Nimrod’s) hiding out. There, he had been found and was killed for the crimes which he had committed. Later, Christians in the time of Constantine had made Nimrod—the St. Valentine of the heathen—a Saint of the church and continued to pay homage to him under the name of a Christian martyr.

But Why Choose the 14th of February? 

Another thing that many people fail to ever consider is the choosing of dates. For a history of these pagan days, we need to look at why the dates are also chosen. So then, why is it that the Romans should have chose the evening of February 14th and February 15th to keep this holiday of Nimrod? We want you to keep in mind that first off, days at that time began at sunset—unlike modern time when people mark the beginning of days at midnight which is quite un-biblical!

Remember, Nimrod (Baal) or the sun god of the ancient pagans—was always said to have been born during the winter solstice on December 25th. In ancient times, this solstice also began on January 6 and his birthday was then observed on January 6 with it later being changed to December 25 and then now becoming the time that many observe Christmas. It was further a custom of antiquity for the mother of the male children to give herself for purification on the fortieth day after January 6—thus taking us right to February 15th, remember January 6 was the original date of birth for Nimrod! Yet, this day for the sacrifice began on February 14th at sunset—the Lupercalia or St. Valentine’s Day.

Also, keep in mind that on this day in February, Semiramis, the very mother of Nimrod, was said to have been purified and was said to have appeared for the very first time in pulic with her son as the original “mother and child.”

The Roman month of February, indeed is given its name from the februa which the Roman priests had used in their rites which they observed on St. Valentine’s Day. The februa were thongs made from the very skins of animals used as sacrifices during the rites of purification on the evening of February 14th.

So Then the Truth about Cupid

Another name that is given to the child Nimrod is “Cupid”—meaning “desire” (refer to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “Cupid”). It is then said that when Nimrod’s mother had seen him, she then had lusted after him—desiring him complete to be her companion. Nimrod then became her “cupid”—her desired lover—and later became her very Valentine! So evil was his mother that it is said that she also had married Nimrod! It is inscribed on the monuments of ancient Egypt that Nimrod (Egyptians calling him Osiris) was “the husband of his mother.” How gross can this really get? We see that this was also the breaking of God’s very laws and that God himself would definitely shun such an act of insist! It is something we are cautioned against doing by the very Creator—from marrying any sister or mother of our own!

As Nimrod then grew up, he became the child-hero of many women who had desired him. He was then their cupid and in Daniel, we find that he is called the “desire of women”—Daniel 11:37. The Moffatt translation uses the word as Tammuz—a Babylonian name of Nimrod. He then provoked so many women to become jealous that an idol of him was often creation (Ezekiel 8:5) being an idol of jealousy! Nimrod, the hunter, was also their Valentine—their strong and mighty hero! No wonder those pagans commemorated their hero-hunter Nimrod, or Baal, by sending out heart-shaped things during the evening of February 14th as a symbol of him and their passion for him.

Nimrod who was the mulatto son of Cush, the Ethiopian, was later the embarrassment to the pagans in Europe. They never wanted any African to worship him. In direct consequence, they thus substituted a supposed son of Nimrod, a white child who was named Horus, born after Nimrod’s death. This child then became the “fair cupid” or European traditions.

Finally we now have learned the PRECIOUS TRUTH of this pagan day. Isn’t it about time that we learned the truth of these pagan days and see that we need to quit practicing such foolishness? Remember, we are not honoring God when we honor pagan days and we are doing what God has told us not to do—“do not learn the way of the heathens!”

Therefore, we need to stop observing these pagan and false traditions and start getting back to what God wants us to learn—HIS holy days and his TRUE Sabbaths! PTM

FREE LITERATURE

The Church of God (Sabbath Day) publishes many free pieces of literature in the public interest and below are just some of those pieces of literature for which we recommend as additional learning tools:

The Precious Truth About Halloween

Easter—Would Jesus Keep It?

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