Our English language came to us from the Anglo Saxons who were pagans who worshiped many gods. This is why today the days of the week are still named after pagan deities. Sunday is named for the sun-god. Saturday for the god Saturn. Thursday for Thor's day and so on. Also half of the days of our months are named after pagan deities as well. January is named after Janus, in fact January through June are all references to pagan deities. I don’t like it, in fact I abhor it but that is the English language and fortunately there are not many who actually worship those deities. Also the spellings and pronunciation have changed so even though there is a vague connection to pagan deities in the ancient past the names of the days and months are virtually meaningless and very little about these deities and their worship has been retained at all. I wish that King James would have changed the names of the days of the week to Lord’s day, loves-day, Faiths-day, Patience-day, Friday should be temperance day to cut down on drunkenness on Friday night and Saturday ought to be Shalom day or Peace day. However , no one has asked me and I cannot change the language I have inherited. Suffice it to say that most of our English language is created by pagans and reflects pagan religions of the past in it’s etymology.
SO WHY DO CHRISTIANS CALL EASTER – EASTER? IS IT A CLOAKED ATTEMPT TO SUBSTITUTE THE PAGAN GODDESS EOSTRE?
Before the Anglo-Saxons were Christianized their months were determined by a lunar calender. The month in which “Easter” usually falls, our April was called Eostre. We know from St. Bedes history of the English language that Eostre was a pagan goddess and that is about all we know for sure because the Anglo Saxons did not have a written language at that time and there is absolutely no recorded history of the custom of Eostre worship. The idea that eggs and bunny rabbits were part of Eostre worship is simply conjecture based on what is known of pagan worship around the world considers eggs and rabbits to be symbols of fertility, life and regeneration.
Just try and pronounce “Eostre”. Do you suppose how the pagan Saxons pronounced it it would sound anything like Easter? I can guarantee you that you would not put two and two together if you heard them in their ancient dialect.
The word itself means Eastern or the rising in the east. It represents the month of springtime. The solstice did not always fall in this lunar month of Eostre but usually fell in the Anglo Saxon month of Hretha our month of March.
The application of the word Easter for the Christianized Anglo-Saxons represented the resurrection and this comes directly from the pages of Scripture that compares the rising of the sun and it’s healing power to bring new life in the springtime to the Son of God rising from the dead and bringing new life.
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness
arise with healing in his wings;
Malachi 4:2
The English word Easter is the best English word to describe in one word the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was not an attempt to paganize Christians but rather a Biblical example to make pagans understand the truth of the Gospel!
THE KING JAMES BIBLE
(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 word Easter in the Greek text is pavscha. Pasvscha was not an English word it was Greek and among the Jews it had different spellings and meanings. For the Gentile Christian this celebration meant the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ not the deliverance from slavery in Egypt.
King Herod had just killed the Apostle James and now wanted to execute Peter too but did not want to make the same mistake made a few years earlier by executing Christ during the Passover (Pasvscha). So to avoid marring the time of Jewish celebration, Herod wanted to wait until the Jewish holy week observances were over, then on to the dirty work.
The Gentile Christians considered Easter to be observed not only on the day of resurrection but for many days including the Last Supper and the Crucifixion, it was the entire passover celebration and having it’s culmination on Sunday.. the Lord’s day as he rose from the tomb. The best way to describe this time to the Christian English speaking world was to use the word Easter which was the Christian celebration of the Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ.
Easter, or the rising of the “sun of righteousness” eclipsed the Jewish passover.
By using the word Easter in translation to English it made a bold statement.
Something that King Herod did not evidently understand that by holding off the execution of Peter he was honoring Jesus Christ who is the fulfillment of the Passover.
To the early English speaking Christians Pascha and Easter WERE THE SAME HOLIDAY and represented more than Sunday morning. They understood that the Jewish Passover and the Christian holy week are inextricably linked but for the Christian the meaning of the whole thing is to be remembered by the sufferings of Christ and His resurrection.
In summary do not feel that you are attributing the Resurrection to a pagan goddess by calling the day of the Resurrection Easter. Quote Malachi 4:2.
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness
arise with healing in his wings;
Malachi 4:2
WHAT ABOUT EGGS?
ISN’T THAT PAGAN?
Eggs are not pagan. Pagans ate eggs but eating eggs is not Pagan.
Eggs are a marvel of the Creator, created by Jesus.
Pagans as well as Jews and Christians have recognized the symbolism of this marvelous creation. Just because Pagans use it does not make it a Pagan symbol. Christ himself used the egg as an example of a good gift from the Father in Heaven. (Luke 11:12) In Isaiah 10:14 the Scriptures compare God gathering His people to the gathering of eggs.
Eggs are a food staple that was readily accessible to all people everywhere. It is a teaching tool if used properly. The problem is that here in America it is not usually being used properly and in that case becomes a vain worldly tradition that detracts from the true message.
In the historical Christian context eggs represent the Lord Jesus sealed in the tomb. The search for the eggs represent the women seeking Jesus early in the morning. The cracking of the egg represented the opening of the tomb by the angel where Christ in all white emerges.
To add to the story Christians would die the eggs scarlet to teach the children of the suffering of Christ after his trial and scourging and execution on the cross. Some began dying the eggs different colors as a teaching tool the sad thing is that it is rarely used as a teaching tool today. If you do color eggs with your children it would be good to use it to teach truth. The yellow represents the sun of righteousness rising with healing in His wings. The red his blood which was shed for us. The blue of how Christ ascended to the Father and so on.
In the Jewish Seder the Afikomen (the middle matzot) is broken and hidden and after the passover dinner the children hunt for this bread. Jesus said of the Afikomen, “This is my body which is broken for you this do in remembrance of me. So we see even in the Jewish passover the custom of this hunt for the Son of God. Of course hunting for the Afikomen or for the eggs are simple illustrations that can teach profound truths.
Pastor Bill