| | What is the TRUE origin of
Easter and its symbols?
The Business of EasterAlthough Easter is considered a religious-based holiday, secular businesses have a vested interest in promoting its continuation and observance. Here are some fast facts about the celebration of Easter*: Internet shoppers in 2011 will spend an average of $225.43 on Easter candy, clothing and other related goods. This exceeds the $131.04 average adults will spend on Easter goods in typical brick-and-mortar stores. The total amount spent on Easter-related goods is expected to reach $14.6 billion in 2011. Of this total $2.1 billion will be spent on Easter candy. Easter is the second biggest candy-eating holiday of the year for Americans. Those in the U.S. will consume 7 billion pounds (3,175,146,590 kilograms) of candy in 2011. The most popular non-chocolate holiday related candy in the United States is Marshmallow Peeps. Easter is the fifth most popular holiday for sending holiday-related cards, with 57 million of them exchanged annually in the U.S. - The most popular chocolate egg worldwide is Cadbury's Creme Egg.
Americans consume 16 BILLION jellybeans at Easter. Ninety million chocolate Easter bunnies are produced each year. The largest Easter egg ever made weighed 8,968 lb (4,068 kilograms). The world's largest jar of jelly beans weighed 6,050 pounds (2,745 kilograms). The most famous decorated Easter eggs are those designed by Peter Fabergé. In 2007, a rare enamel-and-gold Fabergé egg sold at auction for $18.5 million.
How did we get from Passover to Easter Sunday? The history of how we got Easter is the history of how and why Christianity changed its foundational first century A.D. beliefs and practices to something entirely different. The early church's annual observance of the Christian Passover, instituted by Jesus himself to commemorate his death, was abandoned and in its place was put the celebration of his resurrection known as Easter Sunday. |
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| | | | Briefly, the introduction of Easter Sunday first began in Palestine after Roman Emperor Hadrian ruthlessly crushed a Jewish rebellion known as the Barkokeba revolt (132-135 A.D.). After his victory Hadrian rebuilt the ruins of Jerusalem and expelled from it Jews and Jewish-Christians. He also enforced a policy prohibiting the practice of anything that resembled the Jewish religion (e.g. the keeping of a Christian Passover, Sabbath on Saturday, etc.). Jerusalem's Jewish-Christian bishops and members were replaced, as Eusebius tells us, with Gentile members and leaders: "The Church there was now composed of Gentiles, the first one to assume the government of it after the bishops of the circumcision was Marcus." (Eusebius: The Church History 4,6,4; Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, second series, vol. 1, page 178)
The new leaders of the church changed the traditional date of the Christian Passover (Nisan 14) to SUNDAY in order to separate and distance themselves from Jews and Jewish-Christians. Soon, many Gentile-Christian churches, including the church at Rome, adopted keeping Passover on a Sunday. What does Easter mean? As the influence of Jewish Christians diminished in the church, the power of Gentile Christians increased. As they gained control of the church the Gentile Christians began to replace the Biblical symbols and ceremonies of Passover with pagan symbols and myths. Passover was soon renamed "Easter," which derives from Eastre, Eostre, Eostra and Ostara. In regard to the history of these words the book Passover: Before Messiah and After states:. "It is probable that Eostra / Ostara is the Anglo-Saxon version of Ishtar, the Sumerian goddess of love and war who in Canaan evolved into a moon goddess and wife of Baal. According to Sumerian lore, Ishtar was the wife of the Summerian god, Tammuz. Both are spoken of in the Bible – Tammuz in Ezekiel 8:14 and Ishtar, called Ashtoreth and Queen of Heaven, in Judges 2:13, Judges 10:6, Jeremiah 44:17, and elsewhere. "When Tammuz died, Ishtar followed him to the underworld, leaving the earth deprived of its fertility. She and Tammuz were rescued from death when the Queen of the Dead allowed a heavenly messenger to sprinkle them with the water of life. This allowed them to return to the light of the sun for six months of each year. For the other six they had to return to the land of death. "The worship of Ishtar as a nature goddess had spread throughout the ancient world. In Phoenicia and Syria her name had become Astarte. Her husband earlier called Baal, and known as Tammuz farther east, became Adon and Adonai in Phoenicia and Syria. In Greece, Ishtar and Tammuz became Aphrodide and Adonis; in Asia Minor they became Cybele and Attis. Diana of the Ephesians (Acts 19:27) probably traces to Ishtar." (Passover: Before Messiah and After, Donna and Mal Broadhurst, page 142, 156)
What makes these cults the forerunners of Easter is the fact that most of them had their annual festival at the vernal equinox, the Easter season, during which they celebrated the cycle of death and resurrection. In his book Alan W. Watts discusses the relationship of these pagan cults to Easter: "their universal theme – the drama of death and resurrection – makes them the forerunners of the Christian Easter and thus the first 'Easter services.' As we go on to describe the Christian observance of Easter we shall see how many of its customs and ceremonies resemble these former rites." (Easter: Its Story and Meaning, Alan W. Watts, page 58)
What most Christians are ignorant of is that the adoption of Easter Sunday to replace the Christian Passover was initiated and driven more by hatred for the Jews than by the love for Jesus Christ. The move to Easter, as with many other changes that took place in the church (e.g. the Bible Sabbath to Sunday), came out of expediency rather than obedience to God's commandments. | Jesus replaced by the Easter bunny | | | | | The influence of non-Christian religious practices on the church can also be seen in the replacement of the Passover symbolism of the lamb with that of the Easter hare. The Easter hare was once a bird which the goddess Eostre changed into a four-footed creature. The hare, or rabbit, became a symbol of fertility, presumably because rabbits are notably prolific. The hare laid eggs which became the symbol of the abundant new life of spring. Thus, the Easter egg is the production not of some mystical bird but of a rabbit or hare. The origin of the Easter egg is traced back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Babylon, Phoenicia, and Greece, where the universe is said to have been born from a mighty world egg: "The ancient peoples of Egypt, Persia, Greece, Rome, and China exchanged eggs at their spring fertility festivals. In Babylonia, eggs were presented to the goddess of fertility, Astarte (Eostre)." (Passover: Before Messiah and After, Donna and Mal Broadhurst, page 156)
| |  1903 Peter the Great Fabergé Egg
made for the last Tsar of Russia. |
|  Egg from a White
House Easter egg roll | | Christians adopted eggs for their Easter celebration because the egg was a popular pagan symbol of death and life. It was a symbol of death because the shell is like a tomb that imprisons the life-germ inside. It was a symbol of life insofar as it contains the source of a new creature. Innumerable European folk customs are found in connection with Easter eggs. Eggs were elaborately painted with symbols, often Roman crosses and swastikas. Egg hunting in gardens was a favorite Easter game for children. With the advent of the industrial era, Easter eggs were transformed into chocolate and sugar, wrapped in tin foil, or even trimmed with real gold and jewels, as was the custom among the wealthy in czarist Russia. In the United States, the annual White House Easter Egg Roll event is held the first Monday after Easter Sunday. The event, which began in 1878 A.D., is held each year on the White House lawn. The Egg Roll itself is a race, where children push an egg through the grass with a long-handled spoon. | | | | | | Are Easter Sunrise Services TOO LATE? Sunrise services are a tradition in parts of Europe and America. In the North of Scotland it was supposed that the sun would dance on Easter morning for joy that the savior was risen. One of the major problems with celebrating Jesus' resurrection on a Sunday morning, however, is that it is TOO LATE! Jesus was, according to the Bible, resurrected near Sunset on a SATURDAY. He stated that he would be "in the heart of the earth" or grave for exactly three days AND three nights: "But He answered and said to them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS in the heart of the earth.'" (Matthew 12:39-40, NKJV throughout)
Since He was put in the earth (buried) on a Wednesday at sunset (as a careful reading of a correct translation of Mark 12:1, Luke 23:56 and Matthew 28:1 reveals), He must have been resurrected three days and three nights later at sunset on the end of the weekly Sabbath --- Saturday --- at the same time the wavesheaf was being cut (Leviticus 23:10-11). This sheaf would be offered to God the following morning. When the women arrived at Christ's tomb towards dawn on Sunday, He had ALREADY risen the day before (Mark 16:2-6)! When Jesus met Mary Magdalene a little later in the garden (presumably after sunrise) He had still not ascended to His Father (John 20:17). Sun worship was one of the earliest religions. In ancient Babylonia the sun was personified as Tammuz, the returning lover of Ishtar. It was at dawn that the Egyptian Osiris rose to join the sun god in the sky. Even today in Britain Druids hold sunrise services on the summer solstice. Sunrise has long been the traditional time for sun worship, and Ezekiel 8:16 describes such a service. As if to clarify the season, verse 14 tells us that the women were weeping for Tammuz. We know, therefore, that these things occurred at the time of the death and resurrection of Tammuz; that is, at what we now call Easter. | | Symbols and
Traditions of Easter | | | | Candy
Candy is a relatively recent Easter tradition. Chocolate eggs, the most popular Easter candy, were first made in Europe in the early 1800s. | Easter Basket
The Easter Basket tradition has its roots in German folklore. Germans believed a white hare would leave brightly colored eggs for all good children on Easter morning. German settlers brought the tradition to the United States in the 18th century. | Easter Bonnets
Easter Bonnets are a throw back to the days when the people denied themselves the pleasure of wearing fine clothes for the duration of Lent. | Jellybeans
Jellybeans did not become an Easter tradition until the 1930s. They were probably first made in America by Boston candy maker William Schrafft, who ran advertisements urging people to send jellybeans to soldiers fighting in the American Civil War (1861-1865 A.D.). The favorite jellybean flavors of children are cherry, strawberry and grape. | Pretzels
The twists of a pretzel were thought to resemble arms crossed in prayer. | |
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| | | | | But, does it MATTER?Most of the Internet sites that offer historical information about Easter and its symbols freely admit to their non-Christian (pagan) origins. Many who keep Easter understand that at least some of the holiday's trappings (Easter eggs, rabbits, easter baskets, etc.) have no Biblical basis whatsoever. So, why do people still celebrate Easter even after they "know the facts?" It all comes down to one simple question: DOES IT MATTER? Does it matter that an ancient festival used to worship FALSE gods was adopted by the church and used to worship the God of the Bible? Does it matter to GOD what customs and symbols are used to worship and honor Him as long as those who do them are sincere and have a good attitude? How can we determine if Easter matters to GOD?It's true. The Bible doesn't contain an explicit statement saying, "Thou shalt not celebrate Easter." However, the Bible also does not have a text specifically condemning the use of heroin, cocaine or marijuana. Yet most Bible believers would condemn drug abuse by (at some level) using the principle that since the Bible condemns drunkenness from alcohol, it also condemns getting high from drugs. God did not create the Bible to be a detailed listing of every possible situation or circumstance man could find himself in and what was His view on each of them. Although the Bible does contain specific commandments and laws, it also is full of examples and general principles that convey God's overall will for man. One day a lawyer came up to Jesus and, trying to trick him, asked what was the GREATEST commandment in the Bible. Jesus did not answer with a specific commandment such as "You shall not steal." (Exodus 20:15) but instead gave two broad principles that summed up ALL of God's law: "Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 'Teacher, WHICH IS THE GREAT COMMANDMENT IN THE LAW?' "Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang ALL the Law and the Prophets." " (Matthew 22:35-40)
Are there any principles in the Bible that can be applied to the observance of a holiday like Easter? Are there any Biblical examples that show us God's will regarding how he wants or DOES NOT want to be worshipped and which we can apply to Easter? Does God accept ANYTHING used to worship him?The book of Exodus has one of the best Biblical examples of what God thinks about being worshipped using any of the customs and practices found in the worship of false or pagan gods. We pick up the story right after God has used Moses and Aaron to free the children of Israel from Egyptian slavery. The Israelites are temporarily camping near Mount Sinai, waiting for Moses to return after God commanded him to go up the mountain (where Moses would receive the Ten Commandments engraved in stone). As time passes without the appearance of Moses, the Israelites grow a little restless . . . "Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." "And Aaron said to them, "Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." . . . And he (Aaron) received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, "This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!" "So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, "Tomorrow is a FEAST TO THE LORD." Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." (Exodus 32:1-2, 4-6, NKJV)
Note one very critical, but easy to overlook, fact concerning the above account. The Israelites, through Aaron's leadership, adapted the symbols (e.g. the idols) and ceremonies (uncontrolled revelry and orgies - verse 6) used to worship Egyptian gods to worship the TRUE God! The Bible does NOT state the Israelites used pagan practices to celebrate a festival to Baal, Molech or even any of the false Egyptian gods. In their minds the children of Israel were having a "feast TO THE LORD!" Now, what did GOD think about the Israelites "borrowing" pagan symbols and ceremonies to use to worship HIM?: "And the Lord said to Moses, "Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, 'This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!'" "'Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them AND I MAY CONSUME THEM . . . '" (Exodus 32:7-8, 10, NKJV)
God does NOT want to be worshipped in the same way man worships false gods! God reserves the right to dictate how He is to be worshipped and the symbols and ceremonies man uses to honor Him. God does not like or approve of bunnies, eggs, sunrise services and alike used to serve or celebrate Him. Easter and its symbols are rooted in the worship of false gods and has no Biblical basis. Those who celebrate Easter and consider themselves believers in the God of the Bible need to take a prayerful look at no longer observing the holiday. | | | Compiled and Edited by: Biblestudy.org Web site
Excerpts taken from God's Festivals in Scripture and History: Part 1, by Sam Bacchiocchi |
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