Faithful Church of God in Laodicea: Christian Living

The Truth about Valentine’s Day
Frank Borg

Valentine’s Day is a celebration, or an event, that will cost US consumers alone almost 14 billion dollars. Records show that Valentine’s Day is the single busiest business day in the year for florists, the most popular day for weddings, and is one of the busiest days for restaurants. Many exchange gifts and cards as token of love on Valentine’s Day.

Of course, the press, peer pressure and so on, encourage the celebration of Valentine’s Day. But do people really know what this day is all about? Valentine’s Day seems like a harmless holiday, but where did Valentine’s Day come from? What is the origin of Valentine’s Day? Who was the original St. Valentine? How did the World come to inherit the practice of keeping Saint Valentine’s Day?

Meaning of Valentine

Let us begin by first of all looking at the meaning of the name “Saint Valentine”. The dictionary definitions of ‘Valentine’ are:

1) A sentimental card or message sent by one person to another on Valentine’s Day, sometimes anonymously

2) A written or artistic work, message or token expressing affection for something or someone.
3) A person singled out especially as one’s sweetheart on Saint Valentine’s Day
4) Valentine: A saint that died a Christian martyr in Rome

5) A male given name from the Latin ‘valentinus’ or ‘valens’ meaning ‘strong’

Notice the name ‘Valentine’ comes from the Latin name ‘Valentinus’, or ‘Valens’. The Latin dictionary gives the following definitions for this word:

1) Strong

2) Powerful

3) Mighty

4) Healthy

The Bible describes a man with an identical title:

“And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty^H1368 hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty^H1368 hunter before the LORD” (Gen. 10:8-9).

The word “mighty” is 1368 in Strong’s and could be translated as strong, powerful, mighty, valiant. Isn’t this identical to the Latin definition of ‘Valentinus’ or ‘Valens’? It should be plain to see that the original Valentine was Nimrod, spoken of in Genesis 10:8-9 and other places in the Bible. Nimrod was an individual who lived a life of rebellion and defiance against God. He turned the people away from God to himself, as he set himself up as a god.

In an article entitled “‘Happy Valentine’s Day’, Christian Custom? – or Pagan Pageantry”, which appeared in the Tomorrow’s World magazine in February 1970, the author wrote the following:

“Valentine was a common Roman name. Roman parents often gave the name to their children in honor of the famous man who was first called Valentine in antiquity. That famous man was Lupercus, the hunter. But who was Lupercus? And why should he have also had the name Valentine among the heathen Romans? The Greeks called Lupercus by the name ‘Pan’. The Semites called Pan “Baal”, according to the Classical Dictionaries. Baal – mentioned so often in the Bible – was merely another name for Nimrod, the ‘mighty hunter’ of Genesis 10. The hunter ‘Nimrod’ was the Lupercus, or the wolf hunter of the Romans. And Saint Valentines Day was originally a day set aside by the pagans in his honor!...Nimrod was their hero – their strong man – their Valentine!
How plain that the original Valentine was Nimrod, the mighty hunter of wolves. Yet, another of Nimrod’s names was ‘Sanctus’ or ‘Santa’, meaning ‘Saint’. It was a common title for a hero-god. No wonder that the Roman Lupercalia is called “Saint Valentine’s Day”!”

The meaning of the name ‘Saint Valentine’ gives us direct insight into the pagan origins of Valentine’s Day. It very clearly demonstrates, as does scripture, that the original Valentine was Nimrod, the son of Semiramis.

Cupid

One of the main symbols used for Valentine’s Day is the ‘cupid’ - the ‘baby’ figure on a heart holding a bow and an arrow. What does the ‘cupid’ symbol mean?

In a book entitled “Symbols and their meaning”, the author states the following on page 19:

“The Babylonian King Nimrod is represented by various symbols. On Valentine's Day he is CUPID, the winged god of love. Valentine's Day originated as a pagan festival honoring the birth of Nimrod under the name of LUPERCUS, meaning "hunter of wolves." CUPID, the winged-god of love is identified with Valentine's Day because Cupid is one of Nimrod's Roman names. The Valentine heart is associated with Valentine's Day because Nimrod was known in Babylon as "BAAL," which is a Chaldean word meaning "lord," and is a homonym of the Chaldean word "BEL" meaning "heart." The custom of exchanging valentines arose as a "name-drawing" ritual which led to matching couples for fornication during the Lupercalia festival.”

Evidently, the origin of Valentine’s Day has everything to do with a festival shrouded in lust and fornication! We read that it was “a ritual which led to matching couples for fornication”! This is the origin of Valentine’s Day! This is what is being celebrated on Valentine’s Day - lust and fornication! Cupid is another name for Nimrod and represents the god of love.

On this subject, the Encyclopedia Britannica states the following:

“‘Cupid’, or the Roman god of love, means ‘sexual love’ and the ‘desiring of someone’. Cupid is seen as a playful boy shooting arrows of passion. He also assumes the formidable qualities of an invincible warrior.”

In his day, Nimrod was a hero. He was a strong man, and a mighty hunter desired by many women. Even Nimrod’s mother desired him and went on to marry him!

In the Tomorrow’s World magazine which was referred to earlier in this article, the following is written:

“No wonder the pagan’s commemorated their hero-hunter Nimrod, by sending heart shaped love tokens to one another on the evening of February 14^th as a symbol of him. Nimrod was their Valentine – he was their strong and mighty hero!”

Why February 14^th?

Why is Valentine’s day celebrated on February 14^th and not some other day in the year? Why was February 14^th the chosen date to honor Nimrod? What is so special about February 14^th?

Any good encyclopedia will show that Nimrod was born during the winter solstice. The solstice was said to happen on January 6^th; this was Nimrod’s birthday [which was later changed to December 25^th]. Back in the Old Testament times, it was the pagan custom of the mother of a child to present herself as ‘purified’ on the fortieth day after the day that she gave birth. She wouldn’t appear in public till those forty days were over. Notice:

“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean…And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled” (Lev. 12:2, 4).

If we add the seven days mentioned in verse 2 and the three and thirty days mentioned in verse 4, we understand that forty days where needed for a mother of a child to be ‘purified’ before she could appear again in public. If we add forty days to January 6^th, (which was Nimrod’s original birth date), we come to the 15^th of February. In Old Testament time this pagan celebration began at sundown the evening before, or at sundown on February 14^th. On that evening of February 14^th, forty days after Nimrod was born, Semiramis (Nimrod’s mother) made her first public appearance, with her son Nimrod. Valentine’s Day commemorates this event!

The New Standard Encyclopedia, under the subheading ‘Valentine’, states this:

“Saint Valentine was an obscure martyr who by tradition was put to death by the Romans on February 14^th, about 269AD. This day was made a feast day by the Roman Catholic Church. The date of his death almost coincided with that of the Roman Feast of Lupercalia, or the day that Semiramis appeared in public with her son Nimrod 40 days after his birth. The celebration of the two occasions merged together as one!”

Notice that, not only is the 14^th of February the anniversary of the first day that Nimrod was shown to the public for the first time, but it turns out that it was also the date of his death! Satan has subtly blinded the eyes of those in the world to this truth – and for good reason. Without even realizing it, he has deceived mankind of the trith of Valentine’s Day and that it commemorates the date of the birth and death of Nimrod, the mighty hunter and god of love as inspired by Satan the Devil – the original and true Valentine!

coming soon...