A question for Jehovah's Witnesses about Pharoah's cook and the birthday party?

Question

I just read an answer from a JW that in the Bible, Pharoah's cook was an innocent man, but he was put to death at a birthday party. I re-read the story, and I'm wondering why he would be considered an 'innocent' man, since Genesis 40:1 says that he was in prison already because he had committed a sin against Pharoah. Couldn't he have met the same fate, even if there was no birthday party, or if it was any other type of party?

Also, in reading the account, doesn't it seem that the "birthday" aspect of the party is totally irrelevant? If it had been an anniversary party with excessive drinking, etc., would Jehovah's Witnesses also take such a dim view of anniversary celebrations?

Just curious.

Whatif

Exactly!! And it's the cupbearer - not the baker - that is the central character in this story and the reason for it being included in the Bible in the first place. The fact that it was Pharoah's birthday is merely a point of detail - a statement of fact - that is only incidental to the recounting of events. JW's seem to overlook the fact that this incident is recorded because of it's historical importance in recounting how the Israelites came to be in slavery in Egypt. This incident wouldn't have even been included in the Bible, were it not for the fact that the cupbearer was NOT beheaded, and eventually brought Joseph to Pharoah's attention.

Bambi

I was happy to see that you actually addressed the question I asked, which no one else seemed to do.

But then I read your answer.

You said you didn't do any research, and it's obvious you didn't research the account of Pharoah's birthday party in the Scriptures. You seem to be under the impression that the BIBLE says that the cook was an innocent man.

The opposite is true. The Bible says he had sinned against the king, so he wasn't innocent.

Suzette R is the one who said he was an innocent man, in an answer to a previous question about whether or not it would be proper to give a birthday present to someone who doesn't celebrate birthdays.

Adam's Rib

No, I didn't know that some - or even one - first century Christian was killed for not celebrating a birthday. Could you provide some specific documentation for such a statement? Something written in the first or second century, preferably.

keiichi (and Bambi)

Thanks for quoting Origen. It's so seldom anyone actually goes back and quotes the early Christians/early Catholics directly.

I noticed though neither of you quoted the part where Origen says that the saints not only don't celebrate their birthday, they curse the day of their birth. Is that your feeling also?

Adam's Rib

No, I didn't know that some - or even one - first century Christian was killed for not celebrating a birthday. Could you provide some specific documentation for such a statement? Something written in the first or second century, preferably.

keiichi (and Bambi)

Thanks for quoting Origen. It's so seldom anyone actually goes back and quotes the early Christians/early Catholics directly.

I noticed though neither of you quoted the part where Origen says that the saints not only don't celebrate their birthday, they curse the day of their birth. Is that your feeling also?

Answer 1

This one scripture is not the only reason why JWs do not celebrate birthdays.

“The later Hebrews looked on the celebration of birthdays as a part of idolatrous worship, a view which would be abundantly confirmed by what they saw of the common observances associated with these days.”—The Imperial Bible-Dictionary (London, 1874), edited by Patrick Fairbairn, Vol. I, p. 225.

Origen of Alexandria, in 245 A.D., wrote in a dissertation on Leviticus:

“. . . none of the saints can be found who ever held a feast or a banquet upon his birthday, or rejoiced on the day when his son or daughter was born. But sinners rejoice and make merry on such days.

DOWN TO THE FOURTH CENTURY CHRISTIANITY REJECTED THE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AS A PAGAN CUSTOM.”—Schwäbische Zeitung (magazine supplement Zeit und Welt), April 3/4, 1981, p. 4.

Answer 2

I didn't go and research, the answer so I'll be working from memory. Besides I read the great answer already, given by. I'd like to answer ur Q's more directly.
Since the reading said he was innocent, then he was.
Perhaps his time was served already and he was lingering in prison. Perhaps his sentence was commuted; it could be that his punishment did not fit the crime.
Most likely......the fact that God saw it righteous to pronounce him as innocent; it is written, recorded in the Bible as so, and so who are we to q what God sees fit to pronounce. We can go and research more about this man, but if its not important/ relevant, God wouldn't have had it recorded.

And that being said...the facts are: that it was a birthday festival, celebration. He was innocent, as the Word of God says so. And he was murdered.

The Bible makes direct reference to only 2 b-day celebrations, those of Pharoah of Egypt (18th cent.,B.C.E.)
and Herod Antipas (1st cent.,C.E.).
These 2 accounts are similar in that both occasions were marked w/ great feasting and granting favors; both are remembered for executions, the hanging of Pharoah's chief baker in the 1st instance, the beheading of John the Baptizer in the latter.------
Ge40:18-22; 41:13; Mt14:6-11; Mr6:21-28.

With the introduction of Christianity the viewpoint toward b-day celebrations did not change. Jesus inaugurated a binding Memorial, not of his birth, but of his death, saying:
"Keep doing this in rememberance of me." (Lu22:19)
If early Christians did not celebrate or memoralize the birthday of their Savior, much less would they celebrate their own day of birth.
Historian Augustus Neander writes: "The notion of a b-day festival was far from the ideas of the Christians of this period." (The History of the Christian Religion and Church, During the Three First Centuries, translated by H.J. Rose,1848,p. 190)
"Origen [ a writer of the 3rd centC.E.]....insists that 'of all the holy ppl in the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his b-day.
It is only sinners (like Pharoah & Herod) who make great rejoicings over the day on which they were born into this world below.' "---The New Catholic Encyclopedia,1913, Vol. X, p 709.
Clearly, then, the festive celebration of b-days does not find its origin in Hebrew or Grek Scriptures.
Additionally, M'Clintock & String's Cyclopedia
(1882,Vol.1, p 817) says the Jews "regarded b-day celebrations as parts of idolatrous worship....and this probably on account of the idolatrous rites w/ which they were observed in honor of those who were regarded as the patron gods of the day on which the party was born."

Answer 3

I noticed you again ignored the honest, truthful answers provided, and agreed with those who agreed with you.

I've seen a pattern Paul warned against at

2 Tim 4:3 For there will be a period of time when they will not put up with the healthful teaching, but, in accord with their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves to have their ears tickled;

You ignored the fact that Jesus as a faithful Jew celebrated NO birthdays.

You ignored the fact that 1st century Christians (YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS) didn't celebrate birthdays.

You ignored the fact that only two birthdays are mentioned in the bible, both celebrated by Pagans.

Are you saying Jesus was wrong because he didn't celebrate birthdays?

Are you saying your first century brothers and sisters were wrong for not celebrating birthdays?

What response do you think you would get if you lived in the first century and invited Christ to your birthday party?

How hurt would you be when he refused to go?

.

Answer 4

You can not sit and reason with someone who wants to argue and dismiss truth. Your mind is shut and your eyes are closed to what is truth. Ask yourself if the bible mentions any birthday celebrations for people who believed in THE ONE AND ONLY GOD. Why was Jesus never mentioned of having such a party or any of the other righteous people that are mentioned in the bible.
I am not hurting anyone by not celebrating birthdays, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, ect.... This is my belief, it is a Pagan celebration, not Godly. God created marriages and therefore approves of the celebration. He does not however approve of a drunken state. So if you are celebrating a anniversary, but are doing it by getting drunk, God would not approve of the drinking and getting drunk.

Answer 5

Yes, if the bible mentioned exactly two anniversary celebrations and both of them were associated with debauched enemies of God, then it seems almost certain that Jehovah's Witnesses would not celebrate wedding anniversaries. Of course, there is no such hypothetical example in the bible, and true Christians (such as Jehovah's Witnesses) are guided by bible principles rather than human philosophies.


Regarding birthday celebrations, bible students are encouraged to consider:
: 0% of faithful biblical Jews celebrated birthdays
: 0% of first century Christians celebrated birthdays
: 100% of birthdays celebrated in the bible were by debauched enemies of God (See Mark 6:17-29; Gen 40:19-22)

Bible historians (M'Clintock, Strong, and others) have noted that faithful Jews of the bible did not celebrate birthdays, and that ancient pagan birthday celebrations were at least partially intended to honor the patron gods of the particular day.

By comparison with such paganisms, the bible does not even tell us the birthdates of Jesus or ANY of his apostles!


Since such celebrations are not required in true worship, and can easily become a distraction, so Jehovah's Witnesses focus their attention elsewhere. In particular, they are focussed on the preaching work which *IS* a requirement for Christians:

(Luke 10:1-17) [Jesus] the Lord designated seventy others and sent them forth by twos in advance of him into every city and place to which he himself was going to come. 2 Then he began to say to them: “The harvest, indeed, is great, but the workers are few. Therefore beg the Master of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/20050101a/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/rq/index.htm?article=article_11.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20001215/article_01.htm

Answer 6

The Witnesses fail to see that something good happened on the birthday as well. The cup bearer was restored. I never see them mention that part either.

JWS - If what Pharoah did not his birthday is not relevant, then why is that used so often when objecting to celebrating birthdays.

Answer 7

Pharoah's actions are not relevant to our not celebrating anniversaries of one's birth.

The reason we don't celebrate them is because Jesus and the Christians did. So are you saying that you are better than them?

Answer 8

Many of Jehovah’s Witnesses observe wedding anniversaries. A birthday is an anniversary of when you were born. So why celebrate wedding anniversaries and not birthday anniversaries?

Frankly, there is no need for a Christian to celebrate either. Still, that does not mean that the two are equal in import or that Christians must view the former (wedding anniversaries) as they do birthday celebrations.

As noted, it can be said that both are anniversaries because an “anniversary” is ‘the annual recurrence of a date marking some event.’ It could be an anniversary of any event—the day you had an automobile accident, saw an eclipse of the moon, went swimming with your family, and so on. It is clear that Christians do not turn every “anniversary” into a special day or have a party to commemorate it. One should consider the aspects of an event and decide what is fitting.

For example, God specifically instructed the Israelites to celebrate annually the day when his angel passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and the resulting exodus of his people in 1513 B.C.E. (Exodus 12:14) When Jews, including Jesus, subsequently commemorated the anniversary of that event, it was in obedience to God’s direction, and they did not do so with a party or with gift-giving. The Jews also treated as special the anniversary of the rededication of the temple. Though commemorating this historical event was not commanded in the Bible, John 10:22, 23 suggests that Jesus was not critical of its being done. Finally, Christians have a special meeting on the anniversary of Jesus’ death. Of course, this is done out of obedience to a clear command found in God’s Word.—Luke 22:19, 20.

What about wedding anniversaries? In some lands it is common for husband and wife to take note of the anniversary of their entering the marital state, an arrangement that God originated. (Genesis 2:18-24; Matthew 19:4-6) Certainly, the Bible does not put marriage in a bad light. Jesus both attended a marriage celebration and contributed to the pleasure of the occasion.—John 2:1-11.

It thus would not be strange that a couple might on their wedding anniversary take time to reflect on the joyfulness of that event and on their resolve to work for success as a couple. Whether they focus on this happy occasion in private, just as a couple, or they have a few relatives or close friends with them would be for them to decide. The occasion should not become a mere excuse for a large social gathering. On this occasion Christians would want to be guided by the principles that apply every day of their lives. So whether one takes note of a wedding anniversary or not is a personal matter.—Romans 13:13, 14.

What, though, about taking special note of a birthday? Do we have any indications from the Bible about such an anniversary?

Well, early in this century, Bible Students, as Jehovah’s Witnesses were then known, did take note of birthdays. Many of them kept small books called Daily Heavenly Manna. These contained a Bible text for each day, and many Christians put a tiny photograph on the pages corresponding to the birthdays of fellow Bible Students. Also, The Watch Tower of February 15, 1909, related that at a convention in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.A., Brother Russell, then president of the Society, was ushered onto the platform. Why? He was given a surprise birthday present of some boxes of grapefruit, pineapples, and oranges. That gives us a glimpse of the past. To put matters in their context, recall that during that period, Bible Students also commemorated December 25 as the anniversary of Jesus’ birth, or birthday. It was even customary to have Christmas dinner at the Brooklyn headquarters.

Of course, since then God’s people have grown spiritually in many respects. In the 1920’s increased light of truth enabled them to see the following:

Jesus was not born on December 25, a date linked to pagan religion. The Bible directs us to commemorate the date of Jesus’ death, not the anniversary of his or anyone else’s birth. Doing so accords with Ecclesiastes 7:1 and the fact that how a faithful person’s life turns out is more important than the day of his birth. The Bible has no record that any faithful servant celebrated his birthday. It records birthday celebrations of pagans, linking these occasions with cruel acts. Let us get the background of those birthday anniversaries.

The first is the birthday of the Pharaoh in Joseph’s day. (Genesis 40:20-23) In this regard, the article on birthdays in Hastings’ Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics begins: “The custom of commemorating the day of birth is connected, in its form, with the reckoning of time, and, in its content, with certain primitive religious principles.” Later, the encyclopedia quotes Egyptologist Sir J. Gardner Wilkinson, who wrote: “Every Egyptian attached much importance to the day, and even to the hour of his birth; and it is probable that, as in Persia, each individual kept his birthday with great rejoicings, welcoming his friends with all the amusements of society, and a more than usual profusion of the delicacies of the table.”

Another birthday celebration mentioned in the Bible is Herod’s, at which John the Baptist was beheaded. (Matthew 14:6-10) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979 edition) provides this insight: “The pre-Hellenistic Greeks celebrated the birthdays of gods and prominent men. G[ree]k genéthlia designated these celebrations, while genésia meant a celebration commemorative of the birthday of a deceased important individual. In 2 Macc[abees] 6:7 we find reference to a monthly genéthlia of Antiochus IV, during which the Jews were forced to ‘partake of the sacrifices.’ . . . When Herod celebrated his birthday he was acting in accord with a Hellenistic custom; there is no evidence for the celebration of birthdays in Israel in pre-Hellenistic times.”

Admittedly, true Christians today are not preoccupied with the roots and possible ancient religious connections of every practice or custom, but neither are they inclined to ignore pointed indications that do exist in God’s Word. This includes that the only birthday celebrations of Biblical record are of pagans and linked to instances of cruelty. Hence, the Scriptures clearly place birthday celebrations in a negative light, a fact that sincere Christians do not disregard.

Consequently, while it is entirely a private matter if Christians choose to take note of their wedding anniversary, there are good reasons why mature Christians abstain from celebrating birthdays.

Answer 9

Danger Will Robinson, this question may not compute.

Answer 10

God question!!! I would like their response.