"The birthday of
Adonis (Tammuz) was celebrated on December 25, and this
celebration is mentioned by Tertullian, Jerome, and other early
Fathers of the Church, who agree that the ceremonies took
place in a cave"
- Secret of Regeneration, by Hilton
Hotema, p.131
"The Madonna and
child theme, which is universal or evident in hundreds of
religions down through the centuries, had its origin in Babylon.
Nimrod’s wife was Semiramis, the first deified queen of
Babylon. She is also known variously as Diana, Aphrodite,
Astarte, Rhea, and Venus. Her son was Tammuz, also called
Bacchus, Adonis, and Osiris. He was the supposed reincarnated
Nimrod. He came back to life when the dead yule log was cast
into the fire and the evergreen tree appeared as the slain
king-deity reborn at the winter solstice"
-The Two Babylons, by Alexander Hislop, p.
98