By Dan Jenkins
It may come as quite a shock to some to learn that Easter does not find its beginning with the resurrection of Jesus. In fact, nowhere in the New Testament can you find any evidence at all that the festival called Easter was kept by the followers of Jesus. The idea that one special day each year should be reserved for celebration of His resurrection is unknown in the Bible and violates the principle of not adding to the word of God (Deu. 4:2; 12:32; Prov. 30:6; Rev. 22:28, 19).
Where did Easter come from if it is not of Christian origin? In various pagan societies were found many festivals connected with the advent of spring. Among the ancient Sumarian culture in Mesopotamia exists an early explanation of spring. According to this legend, Tammuz (whose name means “true son of the deep waters”) was married to Inanna (also called Ishtar) the “mother goddess”. When Tammuz died, Inanna followed him to the underworld. Due to the absence of Inanna, the earth lost its fertility, crops ceased to grow, all life was threatened. When EA, god of water and wisdom, sent a messenger to the underworld, they were allowed to return from the realm of the dead for six months each year, thus the advent of spring.
This ancient legend spread throughout the pagan world with only slight changes in the account and the names adapted to fit each culture. In Greece Tammuz was called Adonis, Inanna was called Aphrodite. In Asia Minor they were Attis and Cybele; in Egypt they were Osiris and Isis; in Syria they were Adon and Astarte.
Each culture gave something to this festival. The Egyptians added the aspect of Tammuz being brought back in an egg. When he emerged from the egg, spring had come. The Persians, too, used an egg in celebration of their spring festival. Chambers’ Encyclopedia states, “The ancient Persians, when they kept the festival of the solar new year in March, mutually presented each other with colored eggs.”
Among the Germans the practice was to have a bonfire before the advent of spring and then a sunrise service where all the people faced east to welcome the coming of spring. Others, because of its fertility, added the rabbit to their celebration. When the sun arose, a joyous day followed with various rites and games. A favorite game among the children was the finding of hidden colored eggs. Some of the eggs were given as an offering to the spring goddess and the others were eaten.
At its beginning, the spring goddess in Germany was known by the local name, Sunna. When people from the east moved to this area, they gave the name Ishtar to this deity. The Germans pronounced it slightly different. Eostre. As more and more people from the east moved into this part of Europe, the fesitval became more popular. This is the background of much that is commonly associated with Easter today.
As already noted, there is not one thing that would associate Easter with Christ in the early church. One must look to the beginning of the Catholic church to find Easter being a part of “Christian religion”. Following the death of the apostles, a gradual departure developed. In spite of repeated warnings by Christ and the apostles, the early Christians were to find their compromising spirit so polluted the pure religion of Jesus that within a few hundred years, little remained of the church begun by Jesus.
When “Christianity” spread with real force into Germany, the practice of celebrating a spring festival was centuries old. In fact, many of the rites associated with this festival are over 4,000 years old. As Judaism was a problem in the first century church and many wanted to adopt Judaistic practices into the infant church, so this pagan festival became a problem to the followers of Jesus in Germany. The first century church recognized that the religion of Jesus has Jesus as King, and not one thing could be added to the church begun by Jesus without taking Him from the throne and putting their own wishes there. Unfortunately, such a spirit did not prevail in Germany.
The practice of the apostate church was to be so concerned about numbers and growth that they tried to make the religion of Jesus more attractive to the masses by adapting local pagan customs in their own teaching. As the resurrection of Jesus and the advent of spring were almost at the same time of the year, they simply brought over into the “Christian” religion that which has no origin with Christ. At the sacrifice of truth, the bunny, the eggs, the sunrise service were simply accepted with only slight modification.
How tragic it is that the Protestant reformation lost sight of its original aim. There were many aspects of Catholicism that were rejected; there simply was no authority for them. How unfortunate it is that all that finds its origin in the apostate church was not laid aside. The truth of the matter is there is just as much authority for having Easter as there is for having the pope. The very reason one could give for rejecting an unauthorized pope could be given for rejecting the setting aside of one day to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.
Before you celebrate Easter as a religious day, I urge you to study the matter carefully. I know of no source that would indicate that Easter was celebrated by the first century church. The Encyclopedia Britannica states, “There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament or in the writings of the Apostolic Fathers.” Funk and Wagnalls says the following about Easter: “It embodies traditions of an ancient time ante-dating the rise of Christianity”. Later in the same article, it discusses the goddess Eastre. “Her festival was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, and traditions associated with the festival survive in the familiar Easter bunny, symbol of the fertile rabbit, and in the equally familiar colored Easter eggs, originally painted with gay hues to represent the sunlight of spring.”
To celebrate Easter as a religious festival is to follow a practice that began, not with the resurrection of Jesus, but with the goddess Eastre. Easter as a religious celebration is pagan in origin; it is not a “Christian Holy Day”. We need to honor Christ in the way He teaches on the day He authorizes and not follow the Catholic church in simply adapting pagan practices and calling them “Christian”.
Gal 4:8-11 But then, indeed, not knowing God, you served as slaves to those not by nature being gods. (9) But now, knowing God, but rather are known by God, how do you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements to which you again desire to slave anew? (10) You observe days and months and times and years. (11) I fear for you, lest somehow I have labored among you in vain.
–The Apostle Paul to the church at Galatia
