WHAT DOES ‘EASTER’ MEAN? WHAT ARE ITS ORIGINS?  

As with almost all “Christian” holidays, Easter has been secularized and commercialized.  The dichotomous nature of Easter and its symbols, however, is not necessarily a modern fabrication. Since its conception as a ‘holy’ celebration in the second century by the Roman Catholic Church, Easter still has its non-religious side. In fact, Easter is, originally, a pagan festival.  The ancient Saxons celebrated the return of spring with an uproarious festival commemorating their goddess of offspring and of springtime, Eastre (or Astarte). When the second-century Christian missionaries encountered the tribes of the north with their pagan celebrations, they attempted to convert them to Christianity. They did so, however, in a clandestine manner. It would have been suicide for the very early Christian converts to celebrate their holy days with observances that did not coincide with celebrations that already existed. To save lives, the missionaries cleverly decided to spread their religious message slowly throughout the populations by allowing them to continue to celebrate pagan feasts, but to do so in a Christian manner. As it happened, the pagan festival of Eastre occurred at the same time of year as the Christian observance of the Resurrection of Christ. It made sense to them, therefore, to alter the festival itself, to make it a Christian celebration as converts were slowly won over.  The early name, Eastre, was eventually changed to its modern spelling, Easter.  Overall, the Easter celebration should not be observed by the true follower of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Most churches today even teach that Jesus rose on Easter Sunday and now it is the day of the week we must worship Him.  

“…Easter was originally the celebration of Ishtar, the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility and intercourse.  After Constantine the Great decided to convert the Roman Empire to Christianity, Easter was changed to represent Jesus…”

WHEN IS EASTER CELEBRATED?  

Let’s look at some of the familiar customs of Easter and examine their significance.  

Taking only a small selection of the many familiar traditions, it is an assurance that these few are true of all of the customs of Easter, and I encourage you to check them all out in any encyclopedia.  

Take for instance the very date of Easter. Prior to A.D. 325, Easter was variously celebrated on different days of the week, including Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In that year, the Council of Nicaea was convened by emperor Constantine. It issued the Easter Rule which states that Easter shall be celebrated on the first Sunday that occurs after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox.  

However, a caveat must be introduced here.  The “full moon” in the rule is the ecclesiastical full moon, which is defined as the fourteenth day of a tabular lunation, where day one (1) corresponds to the ecclesiastical New Moon. It does not always occur on the same date as the astronomical full moon. The ecclesiastical “Vernal or Spring Equinox” is always on March 21. Therefore, Easter must be celebrated on a Sunday between the dates of March 22 and April 25. 

“…Easter was originally the celebration of Ishtar, the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility and intercourse.  After Constantine the Great decided to convert the Roman Empire to Christianity, Easter was changed to represent Jesus…” 

DID JESUS RISE ON ‘EASTER SUNDAY’?  IF NOT, THEN WHEN DID HE RISE FROM THE DEAD?  

According to Jesus himself in Matthew 12: 38-40, he was supposed to be in the sepulcher for three days and three nights.    

“…For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”  

Also, according to prophecy, the Messiah (Jesus) was supposed to die “…in the midst of the week…” which is Wednesday.   

“…And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off…..and he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease …” — Daniel 9: 27-28   

Remember, each FULL day has two parts, day and night (see Gen. 1: 2-5). According to Matthew 27: 57-60 and John 19: 38-42, Jesus was placed in the tomb before sunset. Now, we have the first night and we can count from there:  

Wed. NIGHT, ThursDAY, Thurs. NIGHT, FriDAY, Fri. NIGHT, SaturDAY. ..  

As you can see, Jesus was right !!! He rose on the Sabbath day before the sun went down in order to fulfill scripture; this clearly explains why our Lord states that He is “…Lord of the Sabbath…”. People are confused due to the fact that in Matthew 28, it states that Mary and Mary Magdelene came to the sepulcher on the first day of the week and assume that is the time that Jesus rose from the dead … which is incorrect. Jesus created the Sabbath day, rose from the grave on the Sabbath day, and will rule and reign in His Kingdom on THE Sabbath day, the 1000 year millennial rest (see Rev. 20: 1-6).  

WHAT IS LENT AND WHAT ABOUT THE CROSS?  

Lent is the forty-six day period just prior to Easter Sunday. It begins on Ash Wednesday.  Mardi Gras (French for “Fat Tuesday”) is a celebration, sometimes called “Carnival,” practiced around the world, on the Tuesday prior to Ash Wednesday. It was designed as a way to “get it all out” before the sacrifices of Lent began. However, if the true Christian really examines this pagan practice, you will realize this: If Jesus was tempted for forty days and nights by Satan in the wilderness and then delivered to Pilate immediately after his temptation to be killed, then what amount of time does that leave for Him to preach to the people? NONE…according to tradition. Now, is that biblical? To the true follower of Christ, the Cross is the symbol of crucifixion, death, and horror, as opposed to the Resurrection.   

However, at the Council of Nicaea, in A.D. 325, Constantine decreed that the Cross was the official symbol of Christianity. The Cross is not only a symbol of Easter, but it is more widely used, especially by the Catholic Church, as a year-round symbol of their faith.    

In conclusion, as the true followers of Christ, we must continue to show ourselves approved through the study of God’s Word.  Easter and all of its traditions are not of God….they are traditions of men.  

Peace in Jesus’ name.