| Easter: Celebration or Pagan
"Therefore,
though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting, yet for
love’s sake I rather appeal to you." (Philemon 1:8,9)
I would like to preface the following article by saying I'm
absolutely convinced of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. I'm convinced that He
bodily rose from the dead, and was not found in corruption. I affirm, with all conviction
and prompting from the Holy Spirit, that we must reverence and uphold the truth of the
resurrection. This article is not about proving or disproving the resurrection—it's
about discovering the truth of a holiday that we have been deceived into believing is the
"actual day" our Lord Jesus rose from the dead.
We've been told, and believed for hundreds of years, that
"Easter" is a holiday celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Is
it wrong to celebrate the resurrection and call it Easter during this time? Yes. Is it
good to celebrate the resurrection? Yes.
Old Testament
In the Old Testament passages, looking forward to the
resurrection, and its teaching are found in: Job 19:26; Psalm 16:10, 49:15; Isaiah 26:19;
Daniel 12:2,13; Hosea 13:14; Ezekiel 37:1-10; typified in Isaac Genesis 22:13 with Hebrews
11:19; in Jonah 2:10 with Matthew 12:40. The resurrection, especially of Christ, was a
established fact in the Old Testament which had its fulfillment in the New Testament.
New Testament
Looking at the resurrection fulfilled in Christ, here are some
of the many scriptures: Matthew 22:29-32, 20:19; Mark 9:9, 16:19; Luke 14:14, 24:45,46;
John 5:28,29, 11:44, 2:19-22, 20:20; Acts 10:40, 13:33; Romans 4:25; 1 Corinthians
15:12-20.
The resurrection was fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ, and
established as a fact as presented in the New Testament. The true desire of all believers
should be obedience to our Lord and His Word. Without the Bible's guidance and instruction
we would be no example of the powerful transforming work of Christ in our lives. We're to
follow our Lord and adhere to His Word without question. In order to elucidate the topic
of Easter we must go back and research information—to gain a complete understanding
of it. For let it not be said we have not been thorough.
What's in a name?
The word "Easter" is used one time in the
Bible—in Acts 12:4:
"And when he had apprehended him, he put [him] in prison,
and delivered [him] to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to
bring him forth to the people."
The problem is clearly a bias on the part of the King James
translators in rendering the word as such. In the original Greek it reads.
The word used by the original author was pascha  . Which in 28 out of
the 29 times used in the New Testament it's translated "Passover." However, in
Acts 12:4 it's rendered "Easter" there is no good reason for this. We're not,
nor would we, ever say that God's Word is in error; only that the translators
"knew" it should have been "Passover"
and rendered it "Easter." In our King James Bibles it must read
"Passover" not Easter.
Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them
which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of
God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be
in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I
have bestowed upon you labour in vain. (Galatians 4:8-11)
The pagan year usually has four cardinal days, or periods, for
celebration—fall, midwinter, spring, and midsummer. The Vernal Equinox. This
is the day (or period of days) in spring when the days and nights are again of
approximately equal length. This is a time of celebrating new life, the resurrection of
nature from the dead, and it has typically featured fertility rites, merrymaking, and
usually centers on orgiastic sexual activities. In ancient times there was the sacrificing
of virgins, the worship of fertility gods and goddesses (Pan, Isis, Demeter, Ceres) and
worship of the phallus. "May poles" almost certainly had their origin as phallic
shrines around which orgiastic celebrants danced to honor the male sex organ. Such
practices are known to have been featured in spring festivals in ancient Egypt, Babylon,
Greece and among the Druids in Great Britain and Europe. Eggs, as symbols of fertility and
new life, have always been featured in such pagan festivals as have rabbits (symbols of
vigorous sexual activity and reproduction). Many of these practices continue today.
Since the Resurrection may have taken place in the Spring, and
since the pagans had for many centuries been celebrating new life, fertility and the
return of growing things each year at the same time (the Vernal, or Spring, Equinox when
day and night were of equal length). The old pagan practices eased their way into this
part of the life of the Church. There was no Easter celebration, as such, in the Church in
those early centuries. But the Springtime activities of paganism began to attach
themselves to the annual time of the Passover, and slowly Easter grew, being finally
embraced by the Church as an annual celebration of the Resurrection.
The name Easter is not Christian. One must remember it is
wrongly translated in our King James Bibles from "Passover" to
"Easter." According to the Venerable Bede, Christian historian and theologian,
writing in the 8th century, the name is from the festival of Oestre (sometimes spelled
"Estre"), pronounced "Eestruh", the Anglo-Saxon Goddess of Spring,
Fertility and New Life. It is easy to see how "Eastre time" became "Easter
time".
It bears a Chaldean origin on its very forehead. Easter is
nothing else than Astarte one of the titles of Beltis the queen of heaven whose name as
pronounced by the people of Nineveh, and was evidently identical with that now in common
use in monuments which is Ishtar. The worship of Bel and Astarte was very early introduced
into Britain along with the Druids--"the priests of the groves." Some have
imagined that the Druidical worship was first introduced by the Phenicians who centuries
before the Christian era traded to the tin-mines of Cornwall.
"The English name Easter is of uncertain
origin; the Anglo-Saxon priest Venerable Bede in the 8th century derived it from the
Anglo-Saxon spring goddess Eostre." (1994-1998 Online Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.)
"The term Easter… comes from the Old English easter
or eastre, a festival of spring; the Greek and Latin Pascha, from the
Hebrew Pesah, 'Passover.'" (ibid.)
"The name Easter comes from Eostre, an ancient Anglo-Saxon
goddess, originally of the dawn. In pagan times an annual spring festival was held in her
honor." (Compton's Encyclopedia and Fact-Index., Vol. 7., Chicago: Compton's Learning
Company, 1987, p. 41)
"It's called Easter in the English, from the goddess
Eostre, worshipped by the Saxons with peculiar ceremonies in the month of April."
(Encyclopedia Britannica., Vol. II., Edinburgh: A. Bell & C. Macfarquhar, 1768, p.
464)
"EASTER: This is from Anglo-Saxon Eostre, a pagan goddess
whose festival came at the spring equinox." (Dictionary of Word Origins, Shipley,
Joseph T., New York: Philosophical Library, MCMXLV., p. 131)
"EASTER: Old English Eastre, goddess of spring." (Funk
& Wagnal's Standard Desk Dictionary, New York: Funk & Wagnal, 1979)
"The word Easter comes from the Old English word eostre,
the name of a dawn-goddess worshipped in the Spring." (Oxford Junior Encyclopedia,
London: Odhams, 1957., p. 123)
"EASTER: from Old English eastre, name of a spring
goddess." (The Columbia Encyclopedia, Fifth Edition, Toronto: McClelland &
Stewart, 1995)
"Old English eastre, originally, the name of a dawn
goddess." (Gage Canadian Dictionary, Toronto: Gage Educational Publishing, 1983)
"The pagan festival held at the vernal equinox to honor
Eastre, the goddess of dawn, was called Eastre in Old English. Since the Christian
festival celebrating Christ's resurrection fell at about the same time, the pagan name was
borrowed for it when Christianity was introduced to England, the name later being changed
slightly to Easter." (The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins,
Hendrickson, Robert, New York: Facts on File, 1987., p. 177)
"EASTER: The name was derived from Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon
goddess of spring." (New Standard Encyclopedia, Vol. 6., Chicago: Standard
Educational, 1991. p. E-25-E-27)
"EASTER: West Germanic name of a pagan spring
festival." (Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield: G. & C.
Merriam Company, 1976)
"The English word Easter comes from the goddess Eastre,
whose festival was celebrated at the vernal equinox, and who presided over the fertility
of man and animals." (Celebrate the Sun, Nickerson Betty, Toronto: McClelland and
Stewart, 1969, p. 38)
"EASTER: Będe Temp. Rat. XV. derives the word from Eostre
(Northumb. spelling Éastre), the name of a goddess whose festival was celebrated at the
vernal equinox; her name . . . shows that she was originally the dawn-goddess." (The
Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989)
"Before Christ was born the people living in northern
Europe had a goddess called Eostre, the goddess of the spring. Every year, in spring the
people had a festival for her. The name of our spring festival, Easter, comes from the
name Eostre." (The Easter Book, Milan: Macdonald Educational, 1980, p. 5)
"Eostre Saxon and Neo-Pagan goddess of fertility and
springtime whom the holiday Easter was originally named after." (The Concise Lexicon
of the Occult, Dunwich, Gerina, New York: Citadel Press, 1990, p. 54)
"As with the other Christian holidays, there was also a
holiday in ancient times that was celebrated at about the same time. In this case, it was
the celebration of the vernal equinox-the tribute to the goddess of spring, Eastre. Eastre
was an Anglo-Saxon goddess who is reputed to have opened the gates of Valhalla for the
slain sun god, Baldrun, thereby bringing light to man. Easter also refers to the rising of
the sun in the east." (Encyclopedia of Superstition, Potter, Carole, London: Michael
O'Mara Books, 1983, p. 69)
"The origins of pre-Christian Easter festivals in pagan
cultures are well-known in history. In the ancient world, some of the greatest female
deities were the various incarnations of the great fertility goddesses known as Ishtar
(Babylonian), Astarte (Phoenician), Atargatis (Philistine), Ashtoreth (Hebrew),
Eastre(Anglo-Saxon), Ostara (German) and Aphrodite (Greek). These goddesses are regarded
as essentially the same deity due to the similarities of their names, mythologies, worship
and festivals. These factors are what define a deity as its worship moves between
cultures. The primary fertility festivals for these deities--and their associated male
gods--were in the spring, a time of renewal and birth." (1996, Global Church of God)
"Easter - originally a Saxon word (Eostre), denoting
a goddess of the Saxons, in honor of whom sacrifices were offered about the time of the
Passover. Hence the name came to be given to the festival of the Resurrection of Christ,
which occurred at the time of the Passover. In the early English versions this word was
frequently used as the translation of the Greek pascha (the Passover). When the
Authorized Version (1611) was formed, the word 'Passover' was used in all passages in
which this word pascha occurred, except in Act 12:4." (Easton's Bible
Dictionary)
"Easter middle English estre, from Old English Eastre;
akin to Old High German Ostarun (plural) Easter, Old English East." (Webster's
Dictionary)
"Thus much already laid down may seem a sufficient treatise
to prove that the celebration of the east of Easter began everywhere more of custom than
by any commandment either of Christ or any Apostle." ( Socrates, Hist. Ecclesiast.,
lib. v. cap., 22.)
Every one knows that the name "Easter" used in our
translation of Acts 12:4 refers not to any Christian festival, but to the Jewish Passover.
This is one of the few places in our version where the translators show an undue bias.
"Gieseler, speaking of the Eastern Church in the second
century, in regard to Paschal observances, says: " In it [the Paschal festival in
commemoration of the death of Christ] they [the Eastern Christians] eat unleavened bread,
probably like the Jews, eight days throughout…There is no trace of a yearly festival
of a resurrection among them, for this was kept every Sunday." (Gieseler, Catholic
Church, sect. 53, p.178, Note 35)
"We know of, " The Syrian goddess with her consort
Adonis whose death was mourned and resurrection celebrated each year…."
(Stambaugh, The New Testament in its Social Environment, p.136)
"The name, strangely enough, comes from the name of a
Teutonic goddess, Ostera, for whom a solemn feast was observed at about the same season of
the year…." (M.F. Essig, The Comprehensive analysis of the Bible, p.180)
Some will say, "so the Old Testament book of Esther is
named after a Jewish heroine who bore the name of the goddess Ishtar." True; however,
Esther was not her true name it was Hadassah (Esther 2:7) her Jewish
name. Most likely Esther was given to her in the same manner Daniel was changed to
Belteshazzar (Daniel 1:7).
Who is this figure, and what rites where
connected with her?
Easter comes from the pagan Oestre (Estre) and other names as we
will see. She was believed to be the goddess of Spring, etc. The pagan Festival of Oestre
(Estre) coincided each Spring with the time of Passover. It isn't difficult to see how
these pagan beliefs and customs eased into the life of The Church and replaced the
Passover. In that pagan story, there was a great bird who intensely desired to be a
rabbit. The goddess Oestre (Estre) graciously turned the bird into a rabbit, and in
gratitude the rabbit (who could still remember how to lay bird eggs) came each Spring,
during the Festival of Oestre (Estre), and laid beautiful eggs for the benevolent goddess.
This is exactly how we got a supernatural, egg-laying rabbit god in the Easter tradition.
Easter is not a Christian name. It bears a Chaldean origin
on its very forehead. Easter is nothing else than Astarte one of the titles of Beltis the
queen of heaven whose name as pronounced by the people of Nineveh, and was evidently
identical with that now in common use in monuments is Ishtar. The worship of Bel and
Astarte was very early introduced into Britain along with the Druids--"the priests of
the groves." Some have imagined that the Druidical worship was first introduced by
the Phenicians who centuries before the Christian era traded to the tin-mines of Cornwall.
It will not be difficult to believe that his consort Astarte was
also adored by our ancestors, and that from Astarte, whose name in Nineveh was Ishtar the
religious solemnities of April, and as now practiced are called by the name of Easter.
That month, among our Pagan ancestors having been called Easter-monath. The festival, of
which we read in Church history, under the name of Easter in the third or fourth centuries
was quite a different festival from that now observed in the Romish Church, and at that
time was not known by any such name as Easter.
The Pagan Easter enforced by Rome at the time of its enforcement
was a whole month, and it was only by violence and bloodshed, at last, that the Festival
of the Anglo-Saxon or Chaldean goddess came to supersede that which had been held in honor
of Christ. At Easter popular customs reflect many ancient pagan survivals--in this
instance, connected with spring fertility rites. The Anglo-Saxons had little girls
performing dances at Easter in which a phallus was carried in front of them.
"Many of the customs associated with Easter are derived
from various spring fertility rites of the pagan religions which Christianity
supplanted." (Encyclopedia International, China: Lexicon Publications, 1973, P.190)
"Easter is connected in many ways with early pagan rituals
that accompanied the arrival of spring." (Merit Students Encyclopedia, New York: P.
F. Collier, 1983, pp.167-68)
"Both of these festivals [Easter and Christmas] have roots
in old pagan rituals that they have superceded." (Dictionary of Religion and
Philosophy, MacGregor, Gedded, New York: Paragon House, 1991, p.207)
"Even though it [Easter] has stood for over fifteen hundred
years as the symbol of the resurrection of Jesus to members of the Christian Church, it is
not entirely a Christian festival. Its origins go far back into pagan rites and
customs." (Easter Idea Book, Adams, Charlotte, New York: M. Barrows and Company,
1954, p.11)
"Many of the customs associated with Easter originate in
pagan celebrations of spring." (New Standard Encyclopedia, Vol., 6, Chicago: Standard
Educational, 1991, pp. E-25-E-27)
"There is no indication of the observance of the Easter
festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the [so-called] apostolic Fathers.
The sanctity of special times was an idea absent from the mind of the first
Christians." (The Encyclopędia Britannica, 11th ed., Vol. VIII, Cambridge: The
University Press, 1910, p.828)
"Around the Christian observance of Easter as the climax of
the liturgical drama of Holy Week and Good Friday, folk customs have collected, many of
which have been handed down from the ancient ceremonial and symbolism of European and
Middle Eastern pagan spring festivals brought into relation with the resurrection
theme." (The New Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th ed., Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica,
1992, p.333)
"When Christians first spread across Europe, believers in
the new faith changed many of the older rites and ceremonies, adapting them to fit with
the life and teaching of Jesus. They did not try to stop people from having a great spring
festival for their old pagan goddess, Eostre." (Easter, Fox, Julian, Vero Beach:
Rourke Enterprises, 1989, p.11)
"Thus, throughout the customs associated with Easter, there
is a blending or interplay of symbols of spring with the religious significance of the
resurrection." (The Encyclopedia Americana, International Edition, Danbury: Grolier,
1991, p.561)
The origins of pre-Christian Easter festivals in pagan cultures
are well-known in history. In the ancient world, some of the greatest female deities were
the various incarnations of the great fertility goddesses known as Ishtar (Babylonian),
Astarte (Phoenician), Atargatis (Philistine), Ashtoreth (Hebrew), Eastre
(Anglo-Saxon), Ostara (German) and Aphrodite (Greek).
These goddesses are regarded as essentially the same deity due
to the similarities of their names, mythologies, worship and festivals. These factors are
what define a deity as its worship moves between cultures. The primary fertility festivals
for these deities--and their associated male gods--were in the spring, a time of renewal
and birth.
"Aphrodite is primarily a descendant of the Mesopotamian
Goddess Inanna-Ishtar, who became Astarte in Phoenicia and was called Atargatis by the
Philistines, and Ashtoreth by the Hebrews. Inanna's consort, Dumuzi, and Ishtar's Tammuz
became, in the Greek tradition, Aphrodite's Adonis, the dying and resurrected son-lover of
the goddess in a new form." (Church of God)
Easter - originally a Saxon word (Eostre), denoting a
goddess of the Saxons, in honor of whom sacrifices were offered. Over 2000 years ago,
before the time of Christ, people decorated eggs believing that great powers were embodied
in the egg. To them, eggs symbolized the release of the earth from the shackles of winter
and the coming of spring with its promise of new hope, new life, and prosperity.
"The aphrodite Urania (celestial) of the Greeks was no
other than the Phoenician celestial goddess, Astarte, held in special reverence at
carthage, where the Romans called her the Virgo Coelestis." (Salomon, Orpheus, A
History of Religions, p.42)
"Adonis the beloved of, Astarte (Easter, Ishtar), was
killed and bemoaned by his mistress…and after a few days celebrated his
resurrection…the true sacred name of Adonis was Thamuz, the husband of the babylonian
Ishtar" (Ibid.)
"Artemis, like Astarte, was celebrated in the worship of
trees and sacred pillars…" (Salomon, Orpheus, A History of Religions, p. 82)
"The great goddess Ishtar…was a female deity. goddess
of love and fertility…she could be address with prayers and votive offerings. In
astrology she is linked with the evening and morning star (venus)." (Parrinder, World
Religions, p.117)
"The Phoenicians[called her] earth-mother goddess called
Ashtart…with her son Adonis whose yearly death and resurrection reflected the annual
cycle of the seasons…young children were sometimes killed, evidently by cremation, to
satisfy the deities." (Time-Life, TimeFrame 1500-600 B.C., pp. 106,107)
What does God's Word say about this practice, and its
continuation cloaked under the guise of a "Christian" holiday?
"Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen ,
and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them." (Jeremiah
10:2)
"And they shall teach my people [the difference] between
the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean."
(Ezekiel 44:23)
"Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto
them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are
known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire
again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of
you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain." (Galatians 4:8-11)
"Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the
nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the
hills, and under every green tree: And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their
pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their
gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. Ye shall not do so unto the LORD
your God...take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they
be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did
these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. (Deuteronomy 12:2-4,
30,31)
"If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which
the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of
the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant, and hath gone and served other gods, and
worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not
commanded; and it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and,
behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel:
Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked
thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till
they die." (Deuteronomy 17:2-5)
"Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity
and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the
flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD." (Joshua 24:14)
"And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If
ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and
Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and
he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." (1 Samuel 7:3)
"And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me,
Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou
serve." (Luke 4:8)
"But I [say], that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice,
they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship
with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be
partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to
jealousy? are we stronger than he?" (1 Corinthians 10:20-22)
"Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,
but rather reprove them." (Ephesians 5:11)
"When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the
nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take
heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from
before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations
serve their gods? I also will do likewise.' You shall not worship the LORD your God in
that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods;
for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command
you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it." (Deuteronomy
12:29-32)
"This people honors Me with their lips, but their
heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the
commandments of men.' For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of
men." (Mark 7:6-8)
c.f. Deuteronomy 18:9-13; Joshua 7:11-13; 24:15; John 2:6;
14:23,24; 1 Corinthians 10:20,21; 2 Corinthians 6:17, 7:1; Titus 2:12; 1 Peter 4:1-3; 1
John 2:6.
God speaks volumes of warning to His people not to be involved
in any pagan practices, and also commands them not to become idol worshippers of any kind!
He told Israel to destroy the "groves"--asherah, asheyrah, groves (for
idol worship) a Babylonian (Astarte)-Canaanite goddess (of fortune and happiness), the
supposed consort of Baal. Remember we traced, easily I might add, the name of asherah,
astarte, and so on, to Easter? It all ties in. God says,
"But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and
cut down their groves: For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name [is]
Jealous,[is] a jealous God." (Exodus 34:13)
"But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their
altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven
images with fire. For thou [art] an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God
hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that [are] upon the
face of the earth." (Deuteronomy 7:5,6)
"And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the
LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves." (Judges
3:7)
c.f. 1 Kings 14:15,23; 18:19; 2 Chronicles 17:6; 24:18; 33:3;
Jeremiah 17:2; Micah 5:14, and so on.
How did it spread?
We must understand the very early Church was never instructed
to celebrate "Easter." There is no command to celebrate such a holiday in
the Scriptures. Observe and remember Jesus' death and resurrection, yes. However, Easter
and all its festivities? No.
"The term Easter, commemorating the Resurrection of Christ,
comes from the Old English easter or eastre, a festival of spring; the Greek
and Latin Pascha, from the Hebrew Pesah, "Passover." The earliest
Christians celebrated the Lord's Passover at the same time as the Jews, during the night
of the first (paschal) full moon of the first month of spring (Nisan 14-15). By the middle
of the 2nd century most churches had transferred this celebration to the Sunday after the
Jewish feast. But certain churches of Asia Minor clung to the older custom, for which they
were denounced as "Judaizing" (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, Book V,
chapters 23-25). The first ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325 decreed that all churches
should observe the feast together on a Sunday. Yet many disparities remained in the way
the several churches calculated the date of Easter. Today the Eastern churches follow the
Julian calendar, the Western churches its correction by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, so that
in some years there may be a month's difference in the time of celebration."
(1994-1998, Encyclopędia Britannica, Inc.)
"In 679 he was elected abbot of Iona, the ninth in
succession from St. Columba, the founder. While on a visit to Northumbria, he adopted the
Roman rules on the tonsure and for determining the date of Easter that had been
accepted for England at the Synod of Whitby in 663/664. He failed, however, to enforce the
changes at Iona. He then traveled much in Ireland to promote the observance of the Roman Easter,
but he was never able to persuade his own community." (Saint Adamnan)
"Most of the churches decided to observe the Lord's
Passover (Easter) always on a Sunday, after the Jewish feast was over." (1994-1998,
Encyclopędia Britannica, Inc.)
"A new focus of celebration, to commemorate the birthday of
Christ, the world Redeemer, was instituted at ancient winter solstices (December 25 and
January 6) to rival the pagan feasts in honor of the birth of a new age brought by the
Unconquered Sun." (1994-1998, Encyclopędia Britannica, Inc.)
"It is called Easter in the English, from the goddess
Eostre, worshipped by the Saxons with peculiar ceremonies in the month of April."
(Encyclopędia Britannica, Vol. II., Edinburgh: A. Bell & C. Macfarquhar, 1768, p.464)
"At the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, it was agreed that
Easter would be linked to the full moon on or following the spring equinox." (The
Macmillan Compact Encyclopedia, Aylesbury: Market House Books, 1994, p.175)
"…a view commonly held among modern, secular
historians that there was a significant continuity in "Christianized" Gentile
cultures with their pagan past. They had a tendency, over time, to superimpose Christian
themes as a veneer over their existing pagan practices, which were already deeply
ingrained in their societies and psyches. They are saying that in history, the Christian
version of Easter as a memorial to Christ's resurrection is essentially a modification of
an earlier pagan resurrection festival. The practice did not originate in Christianity.
By the time of Christ and the early Christian Church, the
Gentile cultures of Asia Minor and the Mediterranean already had ancient cultural roots
involving spring festivals associated with fertility, rebirth and resurrection. These
fertility festivals occurred around the time of the Passover when the paschal lamb was
sacrificed by Jews as a memorial of the Exodus. But when Christ instructed His followers
to keep the Passover with a new, Christian meaning, it became a memorial to His
sacrifice as the Lamb of God--not a memorial to His resurrection. Christ
avoided confusing the meaning of His memorial with the well-known pagan customs of His
time and antiquity.
The Roman church, which advocated the observance of Easter,
labeled those who continued the practice of observing a Christian Passover on Nisan 14 as
"Quartodecimans"--from the Latin for "four and ten." The eastern or
Asiatic churches, however, insisted on continuing in the faith delivered to them by the
apostles.
Polycarp, a disciple of the Apostle John and Bishop of Smyrna,
debated the issue with Pope Anicetus (c. 155 A.D.) and asserted that he had been
personally taught the proper observance by the Apostle John.
Later, "an attempt by Pope Victor I (189-198 A.D.) to
impose Roman usage [Easter] proved unsuccessful in the face of a determined opposition led
by Polycrates, Bishop of Ephesus [a church founded by the Apostle Paul].... All accepted
the Roman practice except the Asiatic bishops.
When Victor attempted coercion by excommunication, St. Iranaeus
of Lyons intervened to restore peace (Eusebius, History Ecclesiastical, 5. 23-25).
During the 3rd century Quartodecimanism waned; it persisted in some Asiatic communities
down to the 5th century" (New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967, vol. 5, p.8; vol.
12, p.13)." (Church of God web-site)
"Easter is of Saxon origin, Eastra, the goddess of
spring,…by the 8th century Anglo-Saxons had adopted the name to designate
the celebration of the resurrection." (Unger's Bible Dictionary, p. 283)
"..used in the Germanic languages to denote the festival of
the vernal equinox." (New Bible Dictionary, p. 294)
"..derived by Bede (8th century) from the name
of a goddess whose feast was celebrated at the vernal equinox." (Hoad, English
Etymology, p. 140)
"In England and Wales the Saxon invaders gradually won the
upper hand. The British Christians became divided…by the end of the sixth century the
pagan kingdom of Kent, with its capitol at Canterbury, dominated most of England south of
the Humber…but it was an evident practical necessity that the Celtic and Saxon
churches inhabiting the same island should be in harmony with one another and with the
continent on so important a matter as Easter." (Chadwick, The Early Church, p.256)
"Later the monk "Bede" (8th century)
derived the name, Easter, of a goddess whose feast was celebrated at the vernal equinox.
This from a man that believed, "The British Isles…can remain united in itself
only with the leadership from St Peter's successor in Rome…." (Chadwick, The
Early Church, p. 257)
We hold to what Scripture teaches us; not what a heathen
Romanist teaches.
"Easter is not a Christian term but is of Chaldean origin.
The name of Easter is found on Assyrian monuments as Ishtar. In Phoenicia it is the
goddess Astarte which was one of the titles of Beltis, the Queen of Heaven. The worship of
Astarte and Bel was introduced into Briton very early along with the Druids. The Druids
were the priests of the groves. The Easter egg was one of the symbols of
Astarte…." (Author Unknown)
Easter Customs?
"Many of the customs associated with Easter are derived
from various spring fertility rites of the pagan religions which Christianity
supplanted." (Encyclopedia International, China: Lexicon Publications, 1973, p.190)
"Easter is connected in many ways with early pagan rituals
that accompanied the arrival of spring." (Merit Students Encyclopedia, New York: P.
F. Collier, 1983, pp.167-68)
"Both of these festivals [Easter and Christmas] have roots
in old pagan rituals that they have superceded." (Dictionary of Religion and
Philosophy, MacGregor, Gedded, New York: Paragon House, 1991, p.207)
"Even though it [Easter] has stood for over fifteen hundred
years as the symbol of the resurrection of Jesus to members of the Christian Church, it is
not entirely a Christian festival. Its origins go far back into pagan rites and
customs." (Easter Idea Book, Adams, Charlotte, New York: M. Barrows and Company,
1954, p.11)
"Many of the customs associated with Easter originate in
pagan celebrations of spring." (New Standard Encyclopedia, Vol. 6, Chicago: Standard
Educational, 1991, pp. E-25-E-27)
"There is no indication of the observance of the Easter
festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the [so-called] apostolic Fathers.
The sanctity of special times was an idea absent from the mind of the first
Christians." (The Encyclopędia Britannica, 11th ed., Vol. VIII, Cambridge: The
University Press, 1910, p.828)
"Around the Christian observance of Easter as the climax of
the liturgical drama of Holy Week and Good Friday, folk customs have collected, many of
which have been handed down from the ancient ceremonial and symbolism of European and
Middle Eastern pagan spring festivals brought into relation with the resurrection
theme." (The New Encyclopędia Britannica, 15th ed., Chicago: Encyclopędia
Britannica, 1992, p.333)
"When Christians first spread across Europe, believers in
the new faith changed many of the older rites and ceremonies, adapting them to fit with
the life and teaching of Jesus. They did not try to stop people from having a great spring
festival for their old pagan goddess, Eostre." (Easter, Fox, Julian, Vero Beach:
Rourke Enterprises, 1989, P.11)
"Thus, throughout the customs associated with Easter, there
is a blending or interplay of symbols of spring with the religious significance of the
resurrection." (The Encyclopedia Americana, International Edition, Danbury: Grolier,
1991, p.561)
Easter eggs
"Eggs were a primitive symbol of fertility; but Christians
saw in them a symbol of the tomb from which Christ rose, and continued the [pagan]
practice of coloring, giving, and eating them at Easter." (New Age Encyclopedia, Vol.
6, China: Lexicon Publications, 1973, p.190)
"The Persians and Egyptians colored eggs and ate them
during their new year's celebration, which came in the spring." (The New Book of
Knowledge, Danbury: Grolier, 1991, p.44)
"Since man's earliest time, the egg, symbolizing the
universe, figures in creation mythologies including those of China, Japan, Finland,
Siberia and parts of Africa. . . . When today's children hunt for Easter eggs they are
re-enacting one of man's oldest rituals." (Celebrate the Sun, Toronto: Nickerson,
Betty, McClelland and Stewart, 1969, p.38)
"The exchange of Easter eggs, which symbolize new life and
fertility, is one of the oldest traditions. Rabbits and flowers are also pagan fertility
symbols." (New Standard Encyclopedia, Vol. 6, Chicago: Standard Educational, 1991,
pp. E-25-E-27)
Easter bunny rabbits
"Nobody seems to know precisely the origin of the Easter
bunny except that it can be traced back to pre-Christian fertility lore. It has never had
any connection with Christian religious symbolism." (Easter the World Over, Sawyer,
Priscilla, and Daniel J. Foley, Philadelphia: Chilton Book Company, 1971, p.104)
"The Easter hare was no ordinary animal, but a sacred
companion of the old goddess of spring, Eostre." (Easter, Fox, Julian, Vero Beach:
Rourke Enterprises, 1989, p.11)
"Like the Easter egg, the Easter hare, now an accepted part
of the traditional Easter story, came to Christianity from antiquity. The hare is
associated with the moon in the legends of ancient Egypt and other peoples."
(Encyclopędia Britannica, Vol. 7, Chicago: Encyclopędia Britannica, 1955, p.859)
"The hare, the symbol of fertility in ancient Egypt, a
symbol that was kept later in Europe, is not found in North America. Its place is taken by
the Easter rabbit, the symbol of fertility and periodicity both human and lunar,
accredited with laying eggs in nests prepared for it at Easter or with hiding them away
for children to find." (The New Encyclopędia Britannica, 15th ed., Chicago:
Encyclopędia Britannica, 1992, p.333)
"The white rabbit of Easter, beloved of small Americans,
comes hopping down to us from eras when the sun and the moon were gods to men." (The
Book of Religious Holidays and Celebrations, Ickis, Marguerite, New York: Dodd, Mead &
Company, 1966, p.133)
Easter fires
"Pagan festivals celebrating spring included fire and
sunrise celebrations. Both later became part of Easter celebrations." (The New Book
of Knowledge, Danbury: Grolier, 1991, p.44)
"The Easter Eve bonfires predate Christianity and were
originally intended to celebrate the arrival of spring." (Merit Students
Encyclopedia, Vol. 6, New York: P. F. Collier, 1983, pp. 167-68)
"Fire, once part of the pagan spring festival, is now a
Christian Easter symbol." (The New Book of Knowledge, Danbury: Grolier, 1981, p.41)
"Spring fire rites to honor the sun god were forbidden
until the year 752 A. D. By that time the pagan fires had changed into Easter fires."
(Lilies, Rabbits, and Painted Eggs: The Story of the Easter Symbols, Barth, Edna, New
York: Seabury Press, 1970, p.15)
"Bonfires on Easter Eve are particularly common in Germany,
where they are lighted not only in churchyards but upon hilltops, where the young people
gather around and jump over them, dance, and sing Easter hymns. These are remnants of
pagan and sacrificial rites in which quantities of tar-soaked barrel staves, branches and
roots of trees were burned." (Easter the World Over, Sawyer, Priscilla, and Daniel J.
Foley. Philadelphia: Chilton Book Company, 1971, p.103)
Sunrise services
"The custom of a sunrise service on Easter Sunday can be
traced to ancient spring festivals that celebrated the rising sun." (The New Book of
Knowledge, Danbury: Grolier, 1981, p.41)
Easter parades & wearing of new clothes
"The Easter Parade which is held after church services in
many cultures is another survival from long ago. Before there were courtiers or fashion
pages there was a lively superstition, dear to princesses and peasant maidens alike, that
a new garment worn at Easter meant good luck throughout the year." (The Book of
Religious Holidays and Celebrations, Ickis, Marguerite, New York: Dodd, Mead &
Company, 1966, p.133)
"For centuries, even in pagan times, it had been the custom
to put on new clothes for the spring festival." (Easter the World Over, Sawyer,
Priscilla, and Daniel J. Foley. Philadelphia: Chilton Book Company, 1971, p.134)
Hot-cross buns
"The hot-cross bun, for example, is pagan in origin. The
Anglo-Saxon savages consumed cakes as a part of the jolity that attended the welcoming of
spring. The early missionaries from Rome despaired of breaking them of the habit, and got
around the difficulty at last by blessing the cakes, drawing a cross upon them." (The
Book of Religious Holidays and Celebrations, Ickis, Marguerite, New York: Dodd, Mead &
Company, 1966, p.134)
Lent
"The celebration of Lent has no basis in Scripture, but
rather developed from the pagan celebration of Semiramis's mourning for 40 days over the
death of Tammuz (cf. Ezek 8:14) before his alleged resurrection-another of Satan's
mythical counterfeits." (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: 1 Corinthians,
MacArthur, John Jr., Chicago: Moody, 1984)
"The word Lent is of Anglo-Saxon origin, meaning
spring." (The Book of Religious Holidays and Celebrations, Ickis, Marguerite, New
York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1966, p.114)
Easter, Passover, which?
1998 4/12; 1999 4/4; 2000 4/23; 2001 4/15; 2002 3/31; 2003 4/20?
The so-called date for Easter never falls at the same time.
"Western Christians celebrate Easter on the first
Sunday after the full moon (the paschal moon) that occurs upon or next after the vernal
equinox (taken as March 21). If the paschal moon, which is calculated from a system of
golden numbers and epacts and does not necessarily coincide with the astronomical full
moon, occurs on a Sunday, Easter day is the succeeding Sunday. Easter, therefore,
can fall between March 22 and April 25." (1994-1998, Encyclopędia Britannica, Inc.)
"Hebrew Pesah, 'Passover.' The earliest Christians
celebrated the Lord's Passover at the same time as the Jews, during the night of the first
(paschal) full moon of the first month of spring (Nisan 14-15). by the middle of the 2nd
century most churches had transferred this celebration to the Sunday after the Jewish
feast. But certain churches of Asia Minor clung to the older custom, for which they were
denounced as 'Judaizing' (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, Book V, chapters
23-25). The first ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325 decreed that all churches should
observe the feast together on a Sunday." (1994-1998, Encyclopędia Britannica, Inc.)
"In the Christian Church, disputes concerning the correct
date for observing Easter (Greek Pascha). The earliest controversy was over
the question of whether Easter should always be celebrated on a Sunday or on the
actual day of the Jewish lunar month (14th of Nisan) on which the Paschal lamb was
slaughtered. The latter practice, followed by the church in the Roman province of Asia,
was generally condemned at the end of the 2nd century because it meant celebrating Easter
when the Jews were keeping Passover." (1994-1998, Encyclopędia Britannica, Inc.)
Notice, in the following quote, how the date and easiness of
changing it proves it was not commanded by our Lord. " In the West the subject has
ceased to be a matter of dispute, and the Second Vatican Council stated in 1963 that there
was no objection in principle to observing Easter on a fixed Sunday (probably early
in April)." (1994-1998, Encyclopędia Britannica, Inc.)
"The churches of Asia Minor continued to celebrate Easter
on the same date (the 14th of Nisan) as the Jews celebrated Passover, whereas the Roman
Church maintained that Easter should always be celebrated on a Sunday (the day of the
Resurrection of Christ)." (1994-1998, Encyclopędia Britannica, Inc.)
"The establishment of Christianity as a state religion,
following the conversion [so called]of the emperor Constantine (AD 312), brought new
developments. The Paschal season was matched by a longer season of preparation Lent. [The
celebration of Lent has no basis in Scripture, but rather developed from the pagan
celebration of Semiramis's mourning for 40 days over the death of Tammuz (cf. Ezek
8:14)]" (1994-1998, Encyclopędia Britannica, Inc.)
"At the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, it was agreed that
Easter would be linked to the full moon on or following the spring equinox." (The
Macmillan Compact Enclopedia, Aylesbury: Market House Books, 1994, p.175)
"The Julian calendar year of 365.25 days was too long,
since the correct value for the tropical year is 365.242199 days. This error of 11 minutes
14 seconds per year amounted to almost one and a half days in two centuries, and seven
days in 1,000 years. Once again the calendar became increasingly out of phase with the
seasons. From time to time, the problem was placed before church councils, but no action
was taken because the astronomers who were consulted doubted whether enough precise
information was available for a really accurate value of the tropical year to be obtained.
By 1545, however, the vernal equinox, which was used in
determining Easter, had moved 10 days from its proper date; and in December, when the
Council of Trent met for the first of its sessions, it authorized Pope Paul III to take
action to correct the error. Correction required a solution, however, that neither Paul
III nor his successors were able to obtain in satisfactory form until nearly 1572, the
year of election of Pope Gregory XIII Gregory found various proposals awaiting him and
agreed to issue a bull that the Jesuit astronomer Christopher Clavius (1537-1612) began to
draw up, using suggestions made by the astronomer and physician Luigi Lilio (also known as
Aloysius Lilius; died 1576).
The papal bull appeared in March 1582. First, in order to bring
the vernal equinox back to March 21, the day following the Feast of St. Francis (that is,
October 5) was to become October 15, thus omitting 10 days. Second, to bring the year
closer to the true tropical year, a value of 365.2422 days was accepted. This value
differed by 0.0078 days per year from the Julian calendar reckoning, amounting to 0.78
days per century, or 3.12 days every 400 years. It was therefore promulgated that three
out of every four centennial years should be common years, that is, not leap years; and
this practice led to the rule that no centennial years should be leap years unless exactly
divisible by 400. Thus, 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not leap years, as they would have been
in the Julian calendar, but the year 2000 will be. The bull also laid down rules for
calculating the date of Easter." (1994-1998, Encyclopędia Britannica, Inc.)
Was that confusing or what? How silly and carnal to go through
all these gymnastics to determine a holiday. It's ridiculous and confusing at best, and
God's Word says.
"For God is not [the author] of confusion, but of peace, as
in all churches of the saints." (1 Corinthians 14:33)
Let me outline some things to help us understand. When Israel
was in Egypt, and the plagues were about to end, deliverance was at hand. God was going to
"Passover" those that placed the blood of a lamb on the door posts.
"And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the
same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the
evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike [it] on the two side posts and on
the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it." (Exodus 12:6,7)
God called this "Passover."
"And thus shall ye eat it; [with] your loins girded, your
shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it [is] the
LORD'S passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all
the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt
I will execute judgment: I [am] the LORD." (Exodus 12:11,12)
The institution of the Passover was to take place on the night
of what God called the 14th day of the first month.
"And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the
same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the
evening." (Exodus 12:6)
"Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his
appointed season. In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his
appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies
thereof, shall ye keep it." (Numbers 9:2,3)
"And in the fourteenth day of the first month [is] the
passover of the LORD." (Numbers 28:16)
The first month was originally called "Abib."
"And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in
which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the
LORD brought you out from this [place]: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. This day
came ye out in the month Abib." (Exodus 13:3,4)
"Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt
eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month
Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty."
(Exodus 23:15)
"Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the
LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by
night." (Deuteronomy 16:1)
Later it was called "Nisan."
"In the first month, that [is], the month Nisan, in the
twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that [is], the lot, before Haman from day
to day, and from month to month, [to] the twelfth [month], that [is], the month
Adar." (Esther 3:7)
The naming of "Nisan" remained through Jesus' time
until the present. When Jesus had the last supper it was the first month (Jewish calendar)
Nisan the 14th day. The fact that the Passover is celebrated on the 14th
day of the first month Nisan has never changed. We know Jesus kept the Passover as
appointed—the 14th day of the first month Nisan (Abib).
"Now the first [day] of the [feast of] unleavened
bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for
thee to eat the passover? And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him,
The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my
disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the
passover." (Matthew 26:17-19)
c.f Mark 14:12-14; Luke 22:7-11; John 13:1,2.
We know after this Passover He endured suffering and
crucifixion. According to scripture, Jesus rose from the dead on the day following
Passover. See Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:1-3, Luke 23:56-24:3, and John 20:1. That is the day
after the Jewish Passover which is 14 Nisan on the Jewish calendar. No one in ancient
times denied that the Resurrection took place.
To simplify, Jesus kept the Passover on the 14th day
of the Jewish first month Nisan (Abib).
"Now notice on what day of the Hebrew calendar these events
took place. It is important to note that by Israelite reckoning, a day begins at sunset
and ends with sunset the next day.
The Jewish Passover, which is a high day and a Sabbath, falls on
Nisan 15 of the Hebrew calendar and begins at the evening ending Nisan 14 (Lev. 23:5-6).
In the time of Christ, the Jews killed the Passover lamb the afternoon of Nisan 14 at
about the hour Christ, the Lamb of God, died at the hands of the Romans.
Christ's last supper took place at the beginning of Nisan
14, on the evening before the crucifixion. That night He was betrayed by Judas,
denied by Peter and beaten before the high priest (Matt. 26:30-75; John 18:1-27).
The following morning--still Nisan 14--He was tried by Pilate,
condemned, scourged and crucified (Matt. 27; John 18:28-40). Notice in John 19:31 that
Christ had to be buried before evening "because it was the Preparation Day, that the
bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high
day)." These scriptures show conclusively that the Passover memorial that Christ
ordained was on the evening that began Nisan 14. This was the evening before the
Jewish Passover celebration, which was held in the evening beginning Nisan 15."
(Global Church of God web site)
So if we desire to reckon a day for Jesus' resurrection its like
this. Last supper (Passover) on the evening of the 14th, is arrested, tried,
and crucified and dies on the morning and late morning of the 14th, is buried
the afternoon of the 14th, is in the grave that evening the day of the 15th
and resurrects on the day of the 16th. The day of the resurrection is a fixed
day no matter what the date.
"In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the
first [day] of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the
sepulchre." (Matthew 28:1)
This year, 1999, the 14th Nisan falls on a Wednesday
the 31st of March. The 16th (the day Jesus would have rose) falls on a Friday.
The point is, it's impossible to correctly observe the "actual" date Jesus rose.
What we do know is, He rose 2000 years ago the Jews' 16th Nisan. Moreover, the
most exciting part is the fact that He did raise from the dead conquering death and giving
us justification (Romans 4:25).
He rose on the 16th. In Biblical numbers 1 is the
number of God, and 6 is the number of man, what this means is that the "Godman"
(theanthropos) rose from the dead! Three times we are told that the Passover
belonged to the "Jews" –in John 2:13; 6:4; 11:55. Some have suggested we
keep Nisan 14 every year in observance of Jesus' last supper. However, seeing the Passover
is "a feast of the Jews" and Jesus said He would build His Church (Matthew
16:18) and were not to continue Judaism we would not observe this holiday. But a new table
of the Lord. Jesus, by His work and sacrifice, built something new—His Church in
which He is the "new" Passover Lamb:
"Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new
lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore
let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and
wickedness; but with the unleavened [bread] of sincerity and truth." (1
Corinthians 5:7,8)
Jesus said His work was, "…my blood of the new
testament, which is shed for many." (Mark 14:24) We're told not to just keep the
supper of memorial on the 14th Nisan, but "as often as we drink and
eat" the supper.
"For I have received of the Lord that which also I
delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the [same] night in which he was betrayed took
bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake [it], and said, Take, eat: this is my body,
which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also [he
took] the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this
do ye, as oft as ye drink [it], in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread,
and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come." (1 Corinthians
11:23-26)
This "often" when would that be?
"Now in this that I declare [unto you] I praise [you] not,
that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when ye
come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly
believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be
made manifest among you. When ye come together therefore into one place, [this] is not to
eat the Lord's supper." (1 Corinthians 11:17-20)
And what day would this be?
"And upon the first [day]of the week, when the disciples
came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and
continued his speech until midnight." (Acts 20:7)
"Upon the first [day]of the week let every one of you lay
by him in store, as [God] hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I
come." (1 Corinthians 16:2)
What do we say to these things?
We discovered Easter is pagan and heathen.
God would not have us practice such holidays, and the things that go along with it.
"Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and
be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them." (Jeremiah
10:2)
"Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto
them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are
known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire
again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of
you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain." (Galatians 4:8-11)
"And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for
ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in
[them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from
among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I
will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:16-18)
"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in
respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]: Which are a shadow of
things to come; but the body [is] of Christ." (Colossians 2:16,17)
To try and "date" this pagan holiday is confusing and
silly. We must flee from such a practice. We're to honor Christ and His resurrection
"as often" as we would. Some say that celebrating Easter in honor of Christ
makes it ok. God's Word says no!
"When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from
before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in
their land; Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that
they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying,
How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so
unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done
unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to
their gods. What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto,
nor diminish from it." (Deuteronomy 12:29-32)
"He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias
prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with [their]
lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching [for]
doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the
tradition of men, [as] the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye
do." (Mark 7:6-8)
"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to
obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto
righteousness? (Romans 6:16)
"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is
this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself
unspotted from the world." (James 1:27)
Our council? Stop observing this heathen holiday and honor
Christ everyday.
For more information on heathen holidays, and how it crept into
the church, we recommend the following books:
"The Two Babylons" by
Alexander Hislop, Loizeaux Brothers, 1916.
"Babylon, Mystery Religion" by
Ralph Woodrow, 1966.
May God bless your obedience to Him, and may His grace come to
you.
Comments or Questions? E-mail
us
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