John 17:17, “Sanctify them in the truth your word is truth.”

John 8: 32 “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

2 Peter 3:17-18 “Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”

How Did Christians Come to Celebrate the Passover, Days of Unleaven Bread, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ as “Easter”?

This is a brief study of the history of the meaning behind the mythology of the pagan goddess of many names, Ishtar (Babylonian) or Astarte (Chaldean) or Asherah, Eastre (Saxon) or Easter (Anglo), Ostara (German), and the origin of Easter eggs, Easter Bunny, and Easter candies. 

1.  How did the pagan Easter become intermingled with Christian traditions?

The history of Easter exposes deep co-mingling of the Christian faith with the seemingly unrelated practices of the ancient pagan religions. The history and traditions of Easter today in American culture evolved from the pagan symbols of Easter eggs and the Easter bunny. The symbols originate from the ancient Babylonian goddess Ishtar translated into English as “Easter”.  History shows that “Easter” was substituted for the Passover by Emperor Constantine in 325 CE (AD) at the Council of Nicaea.  Constantine imposed his view that all the various congregations of the Church of Rome (Roman Catholic) should observe Easter on Sunday.  Constantine was a sun worshiper, so naturally, he would pick Sunday. Constantine disregarded truth and in his opposition to the Jews, whom he blamed for the death of Jesus.  These huge deviations from what is taught in the Bible and practiced during the time of the Apostles are glaring.  The Roman Catholic Church leaders were interested in embracing pagan customs as a way of gaining new converts. Their distain for anything which they deemed as being Jewish is evident as well.  They chose to disregard the fact that Jesus, the Messiah, and all the Apostles were Jewish. The Passover is linked to Judaism, so they choose to go the way of paganism and rejected it. They had forgotten what Jesus told the Samaritan woman in John 4:22, “You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.” 

TRUTH:  The Jewish 24 hour day follows the pattern set by GOD at creation, "It was evening and it was morning, one day." The Jewish day is measured from sundown to sundown. Jesus was tried in an illegal hearing and trial on Tuesday after sundown; He was crucified on Tuesday morning, completed the work of the cross until He said, “It is finished.”, died, and was buried (put into the tomb) that evening Tuesday at sundown; He was in the tomb (earth) from sundown Tuesday until 24 hours later on Wednesday (Day 1); He was in the tomb from sundown Wednesday to sunset Thursday (Day 2), and from sundown Thursday until sundown Friday (Day 3); His resurrection occurred while it was still dark on Saturday.  He had to be in the earth (tomb) for three days to fulfill His Word. 

TRUTH: Matthew 12: 40 “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.”

Historically, Passover was at the time of the vernal equinox, the day in the spring when the sun crosses the equator and day and night is of equal length.  It is the heavenly sign of the sacrificial substitutionary death of Jesus Christ. Passover was the Old Testament believers’ picture of The Savior (Messiah). The only appearance of the word “Easter” is found in the King James Version of the Greek text of the New Testament Scriptures where in Acts 12: 4.  Pascha, the ordinary Greek word for Passover is mistranslated “Easter”.  The LORD-GOD ordained the observance of Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread to point towards the salvation that comes through His Son. By dying on Passover day and being resurrected during the Days of Unleavened Bread, these feast days of the LORD-GOD fulfill their intended meaning by establishing Jesus as the Savior of mankind. 

TRUTH: 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 “Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover (Pascha) was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”   1 Corinthians 23-26 “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; ²⁴ and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” ²⁵ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me. ²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.”  This is why we observe the Eucharist or Communion to remember the Word of Jesus Christ and His Resurrection.

Even though truth has been distorted by the pagan name Easter, this day is one the most important of the Christian holy days.  It celebrates Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead following his death, a rebirth that is commemorated around the vernal equinox.  Historically it is a time of pagan traditions and celebrations that coincides with the arrival of spring and symbolizes the arrival of light and the awakening of life around us. 

TRUTH:  Jesus, the creator of all light, life and seasons, proclaimed His victory over Satan and satanic pagan rites and rituals.  1Pet.3:18-20; 4:6 “For Christ also suffered for sins, the just for the unjust ones, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in/by the Spirit [reference to resurrection]; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah...(Gen.6) For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may now live in/by the spirit [their future resurrection]; ...according to the will of God”; cp. 2Pet.2:4 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment...”.

2.  Who or what is Easter, goddess of spring and dawn?

Easter is named for a Saxon mythical goddess who was known by many other names, Ishtar, Astarte, Asherah, Beltis, Oestre or Eastre, Eostre or Estre, and in Germany by the name of Ostara. In paganism she is a goddess of the dawn, light, and the spring.  Our words for the “female hormone” estrogen derive from the name Estre.  The myth says Easter was deemed the pagan fertility goddess (phallic cult). Bringing in the end of winter, with the days brighter and growing longer after the vernal equinox, Easter had a passion for new life. Her presence was felt in the flowering of plants and the birth of babies, both animal and human. The rabbit (well known for its propensity for rapid reproduction) was her sacred animal.  

Easter is not a Christian name, it is of Chaldean origin. Easter is nothing else than Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the queen of heaven, whose name, as pronounced by the people Nineveh, was evidently identical with that now in common use in this country. That name found on the Assyrian monuments is Ishtar. The worship of Bel (Baal) and Astarte (Asherah) was introduced into Britain, along with the Druids, "the priests of the groves (a part of the phallic cult)." Some have imagined that the Druidical worship was first introduced by the Phoenicians, who centuries before the Christian era, traded to the Anglo-Saxons. But the unequivocal traces of that worship are found in regions of the British islands where the Phoenicians never penetrated, and it has everywhere left indelible marks of the strong hold which it must have had on the early British mind. From Bel, the 1st of May is still called Beltane in the Almanac and we have customs still lingering at this day among us, which prove how exactly the worship of Bel (Baal) or Moloch (both titles belonged to the same mythical god) had been observed even in the northern parts of this island.  

TRUTH:  Astarte (Asherah) and Baal were two of the most reprehensible idols that the Israelites worshiped when they rejected the true GOD. In 1 Kings Chapter 18, the story of the Prophet Elijah and his competition with the priests of Baal and Asherah shows how serious a threat they were to the true worship of the LORD-GOD. Ancient Israel’s proclivity for leaving the worship of the LORD-GOD for the reprehensible worship of Baal and Asherah continues in our time with Easter. 

3.  What does rabbits, eggs, and chicks have to do with the Bible or Christianity? 

Easter bunnies and Easter eggs both featured in the spring festivals of Easter initially held during the feasts of the goddess Ishtar. In paganism eggs are an obvious symbol of fertility and the newborn chicks an adorable representation of new growth. Brightly colored eggs, chicks, and bunnies were used during the festival time to express adoration and appreciation for the pagan goddess’ gift of abundance.  

The pagan myth of goddess Easter feeling guilty about arriving late one spring decided to pacify her guilt by saving the life of a poor bird whose wings had been frozen by the snow. She made it her pet or, as some versions have it, her lover (Bel, Baal, or Molech). Filled with compassion for the bird, since it could no longer fly (in some versions, it was because she wished to amuse a group of young children), Easter turned it into a snow hare (rabbit) and gave it the gift of being able to run with incredible speed so it could protect itself from hunters.   In remembrance of its earlier form as a bird, she also gave it the ability to lay eggs in all the colors of the rainbow, but only on one day out of every year.  Eventually the hare (rabbit) managed to anger the goddess and she cast it into the skies where it would remain as the constellation Lepus, The Hare, forever positioned under the feet of the constellation Orion, The Hunter. It was allowed to return to earth once a year, but only to give away its eggs to the children attending the Easter festivals that were held each spring. It is well known that these festivals were a part of the phallic cult and that a child or children were sacrificed to Bel, Baal, Molech, (the Easter Bunny).  The tradition of the Easter Bunny began and continues to this very day.

The Easter eggs as a symbol of new life should come as no surprise. The notion that the Earth itself was hatched from an egg was once widespread and appears in pagan creation stories ranging from Asian to Ireland.  Eggs, in ancient times in Northern Europe, were a potent symbol of fertility and often used in pagan rituals to guarantee a woman’s ability to bear children. The charm is passed through dyed eggs given as gifts in many cultures. Decorated eggs bring with them an allure of the prosperity and abundance during the coming year.  Folklore also suggests that Easter egg hunts arose in Europe during the ousting of the pagans.  Instead of giving the eggs as gifts the adults made a game of hiding them, gathering the children together and encouraging them to find the eggs. Some believe that the authorities seeking to find occult worshippers would follow or bribe the children to reveal where they found the eggs so that the property owner could be brought to justice. 

Chocolate Easter bunnies and eggs, marshmallow chicks in pastel colors, and candy of all sorts all have pagan origins as well. The ancient pagan belief that by eating something we take on its characteristics formed the basis for the earliest “rites” before meals. Shaping candy Easter eggs and bunnies out of candy to celebrate the spring festival was a way to celebrate the symbols of the goddess and the season, while laying claim to the strengths (vitality, growth, and fertility).  Easter bunnies, eggs, chicks, and candies are not a part of Biblical teaching. 

TRUTH:  Christians are instructed to put on the image of Christ, not the images of paganism.   2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory just as from the LORD, the Spirit.”

4. How is it that mainstream Christianity has left the truth to follow the fables of ancient paganism?

TRUTH:  The Apostle Paul warns Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 

The facts are clear; the Easter celebration has more to do with pagan fertility rites (phallic cult) than it does with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this secular world Easter eggs, the Easter bunny, Easter candies, and the Easter egg hunt, all come together to distract from the truth of the salvation work of Jesus Christ, His life, His redeeming work on the cross, His death, and most importantly, His Resurrection, Ascension and Session as KING of Kings and LORD OF Lords.  As Christians we are challenged to teach our children Biblical TRUTH rather than promote myths and rites of paganism.  Only the GRACE OF GOD through the teaching of godly parents, grandparents, and the members of the local church family will children know The Way, The Truth of the Word of GOD, and the light of life.

TRUTH:  Psalm 127: 3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward.  Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he shall not depart from it.” 

We must teach our children the Word and Ways of God; otherwise, they will be forgotten. 

TRUTH:  Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest [minister] for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your GOD [that you may keep your own traditions], I also will forget your children.

As Christians, Resurrection Day is the day we celebrate Jesus Christ’s victory over death.  Easter is the lie, the counterfeit, invented by Satan to distract and deceive the very elect of GOD.

TRUTH:  Matthew 24:24 ²⁴ “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”  The word Christ means Messiah or “chosen one”; false gods and goddesses are false christs, false messiahs.  Do not be deceived, do not be ignorant. There is only one Way to salvation. 

TRUTH:  1 Corinthians 15:20-23, “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.”

May we all, who believe on the LORD Jesus Christ, The True GOD, have a meaningful and purpose filled Resurrection Day remembrance in the year of our LORD, 2011, and if the LORD wills, for many prosperous years to come in the LORD.

Reference Note:  Much of the information given in this essay can be found in the Catholic Dictionary, and in the accounts of Chaldean, Babylonian, Assyrian, Phoenician, and Hebrew history.  Much of the information has been gleaned from others who have studied the Origin of Easter.  Any Biblical commentary or reference resource is a great aide as well as any study Bible.  All Bible verses are from the New King James Version or New American Standard Version of the Bible.  There is one reference from the King James Version. 

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