Easter

[Baptistsenior]

Prior to Christs death, Rome had a holiday called Easter - what was this holiday about for the Romans 

[SureWord]

1 hour ago, Baptistsenior said:

Prior to Christs death, Rome had a holiday called Easter - what was this holiday about for the Romans 

The Romans never celebrated pagan Easter as we know it today which is an Old Saxon celebration.

ALL the English versions of the bible before the KJV used the word Easter for "pascha". People are retroactively apply our understanding of the pagan origins of Easter to the KJV therefore assuming the translators made a mistake and somehow all overlooked this mistake.

To this day the Greeks use the word "pascha" for Easter.

Many pagan words were adopted into our language and changed meaning over time usually because there was no equivalent for the word in our language. 

Even the word hell has the same roots as name of the Norse pagan goddess Hel just like Greek equivalent hades has the same roots as the pagan god Hades.

I think the translators left the word pascha as Easter in this instance because it was referring to the holiday of Christ's resurrection and the Christian name for it unlike in other passages where the word passover was used because it was not referring to the actually holiday on the so-called Christian calendar. In a sense I think the KJV translators were retroactively applying the name of this Christian holiday to that time.

My guess is Herod delayed killing Peter because there would have been a lot of Christians in Jerusalem at that time and he didn't want to stir up trouble, like Pilate was afraid of doing among the Jews, thus attracting the ire of Caesar.

 

[Ukulelemike]

"Pascha" is the Hebrew word translated as "Passover," coined, I believe, by William Tyndale, if I remember correctly. 

To this day there is a lot of discussion and disagreement why it was translated as "Easter" in the one account referring to Herod-most believe it was because Herod probably didn't celebrate Passover, (though really, it was after Passover and was during the feast of unleavened bread, sometimes lumped together as part of Passover, but really, when given by the Lord, they were two separate feasts.) Instead it is believed he wouldn't have celebrated the pagan Spring feast which the Catholics took to calling Easter. I seriously doubt Herod was celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, and I doubt ANYONE celebrated a yearly remembrance of his resurrection, because the whole reason the early church began to meet on the first day was as a weekly remembrance of the event.

So, I suspect all the earlier English Bibles used the term Easter to recognize that it wasn't believed that Herod was celebrating the resurrection of Christ, OR Unleavened Bread-though he may have, to keep peace.

[John Young]

Ten Years after the resurrection of Christ we find that the church in Jerusalem is prospering and the Jews are becoming more and more jealous of the popularity of Christ. This was particularly felt during the Passover week (days of unleavened bread), as the Christians focused less on the Exodus aspects of Passover and more on the Christian aspects culminating with Easter (sunrise) morning Resurrection on the first day of the week after.

On this tenth anniversary of the crucifixion Herod wanted to please the Jews by harassing the church by taking Apostle James and executing him. Seeing this pleased the Jews, Herod took Peter to hold him in prison until after the resurrection anniversary the church was going to observe. However, God confounded Herod's efforts similar to the attempts of the Jews at the tomb of Christ by freeing Peter form the prison and guards.

Being embarrassed by his failure, Herod leaves town and dies a year latter (probably on Passover day) attempting to take the Glory of God for himself. In this sermon we note that Easter and Herod are not Pagan.

Easter refers to the Christian events of the Passover Week and the Resurrection at sunrise in particular. We also note how Herod sought to please the Jews and how he is a type of the Anti-Christ.

 

Edited April 1, 2021 by John Young

[Baptistsenior]

On 3/31/2021 at 12:57 PM, SureWord said:

The Romans never celebrated pagan Easter as we know it today which is an Old Saxon celebration.

ALL the English versions of the bible before the KJV used the word Easter for "pascha". People are retroactively apply our understanding of the pagan origins of Easter to the KJV therefore assuming the translators made a mistake and somehow all overlooked this mistake.

To this day the Greeks use the word "pascha" for Easter.

Many pagan words were adopted into our language and changed meaning over time usually because there was no equivalent for the word in our language. 

Even the word hell has the same roots as name of the Norse pagan goddess Hel just like Greek equivalent hades has the same roots as the pagan god Hades.

I think the translators left the word pascha as Easter in this instance because it was referring to the holiday of Christ's resurrection and the Christian name for it unlike in other passages where the word passover was used because it was not referring to the actually holiday on the so-called Christian calendar. In a sense I think the KJV translators were retroactively applying the name of this Christian holiday to that time.

My guess is Herod delayed killing Peter because there would have been a lot of Christians in Jerusalem at that time and he didn't want to stir up trouble, like Pilate was afraid of doing among the Jews, thus attracting the ire of Caesar.

 

They celebrated the goddess estra (sp)   Was resurrection Sunday even called Easter in 1611

[Ukulelemike]

Spoiler

 

Personally, I believe the great lack of reliable information, and the confusion caused by the entire subject, as well as knowing how integrally the Catholic church is involved in the veneration of Easter and the various pagan aspects of it, we ought to soundly reject it and all its traditions, and seek to Christ and his resurrection, based upon the timing of Passover, nor Easter, which changes according to the seasons, unlike Passover, which, by the Hebrew calendar, doesn't change. 

To get down to brass tacks, it really doesn't matter why the word was used in the KJV, when there is controversy as to what the origin even is. This is from the Britannica Encyclopedia page:

"The English word Easter, which parallels the German word Ostern, is of uncertain origin. One view, expounded by the Venerable Bede in the 8th century, was that it derived from Eostre, or Eostrae, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility. This view presumes—as does the view associating the origin of Christmas on December 25 with pagan celebrations of the winter solstice—that Christians appropriated pagan names and holidays for their highest festivals. Given the determination with which Christians combated all forms of paganism (the belief in multiple deities), this appears a rather dubious presumption. There is now widespread consensus that the word derives from the Christian designation of Easter week as in albis, a Latin phrase that was understood as the plural of alba (“dawn”) and became eostarum in Old High German, the precursor of the modern German and English term. The Latin and Greek Pascha (“Passover”) provides the root for Pâques, the French word for Easter.

The date of Easter and its controversies

Fixing the date on which the Resurrection of Jesus was to be observed and celebrated triggered a major controversy in early Christianity in which an Eastern and a Western position can be distinguished. The dispute, known as the Paschal controversies, was not definitively resolved until the 8th century. In Asia Minor, Christians observed the day of the Crucifixion on the same day that Jews celebrated the Passover offering—that is, on the 14th day of the first full moon of spring, 14 Nisan (see Jewish calendar). The Resurrection, then, was observed two days later, on 16 Nisan, regardless of the day of the week. In the West the Resurrection of Jesus was celebrated on the first day of the week, Sunday, when Jesus had risen from the dead. Consequently, Easter was always celebrated on the first Sunday after the 14th day of the month of Nisan. Increasingly, the churches opted for the Sunday celebration, and the Quartodecimans (“14th day” proponents) remained a minority. The Council of Nicaea in 325 decreed that Easter should be observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox (March 21). Easter, therefore, can fall on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25."

 So really, the Catholics chose to celebrate it according to the spring equinox, while before that, (and probably after that, outside of them), it was always celebrated either exactly after Passover, or on the Sunday following Passover, as is done today. 

[SureWord]

45 minutes ago, Baptistsenior said:

They celebrated the goddess estra (sp)   Was resurrection Sunday even called Easter in 1611

If by "estra" you mean Eostre the Romans didn't celebrate that since it's Old Germanic.

The closest Roman equivilant you can find to Easter is their celebration of Venus which apparently took place during April 1st. The problem is that Christians of 1611 would no doubt know what Easter meant and it didn't mean a pagan holiday. Most people today still know what it means when  we say "Happy Easter".

Yes, they called it Easter. As far back as the 2nd century historians have found the word used in relation to Resurrection Day.

 

Edited April 1, 2021 by SureWord

[Baptistsenior]

Being a staunch KJVer, I believe the word Easter in the Bible is exactly how God wanted it, and I've always been told it was a Roman holiday and did not refer to the Passover    Was it not the Romans that wanted him off the Cross before Easter, and they did not celebrate Passover so why care if He was down before then 

[Ukulelemike]

44 minutes ago, Baptistsenior said:

Being a staunch KJVer, I believe the word Easter in the Bible is exactly how God wanted it, and I've always been told it was a Roman holiday and did not refer to the Passover    Was it not the Romans that wanted him off the Cross before Easter, and they did not celebrate Passover so why care if He was down before then 

Actually it was the Pharisees that wanted them down before the first day of unleavened Bread, which was a sabbath day, a day they did no servile work, so they had to all be dead and down and the bodies disposed of before 6pm/Sunset.

John 19:31 "The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. "

1 hour ago, SureWord said:

If by "estra" you mean Eostre the Romans didn't celebrate that since it's Old Germanic.

The closest Roman equivilant you can find to Easter is their celebration of Venus which apparently took place during April 1st. The problem is that Christians of 1611 would no doubt know what Easter meant and it didn't mean a pagan holiday. Most people today still know what it means when  we say "Happy Easter".

Yes, they called it Easter. As far back as the 2nd century historians have found the word used in relation to Resurrection Day.

 

We must remember, for all we appreciate about the KJV translators, they were, mostly, of the church of England, under direction from King James, the head of that church, and they were basically Catholic, light-all the traditions, without the Pope, so they celebrated Easter, and would have associated it with the resurrection.

That doesn't mean that they necessarily were wrong, I still believe it was there for a reason.

Edited April 1, 2021 by Ukulelemike
Added scripture

[SureWord]

1 hour ago, Baptistsenior said:

Being a staunch KJVer, I believe the word Easter in the Bible is exactly how God wanted it, and I've always been told it was a Roman holiday and did not refer to the Passover    Was it not the Romans that wanted him off the Cross before Easter, and they did not celebrate Passover so why care if He was down before then 

You could be right, bro. I know whatever the reason Easter is in the passage it's not a mistake.  

[1Timothy115]

4 hours ago, Baptistsenior said:

Being a staunch KJVer, I believe the word Easter in the Bible is exactly how God wanted it, and I've always been told it was a Roman holiday and did not refer to the Passover    Was it not the Romans that wanted him off the Cross before Easter, and they did not celebrate Passover so why care if He was down before then 

It was the Jews who wanted Christ off the cross...

The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. [John 19:31]

[1Timothy115]

I dislike the possible origin of this day and the continuing commercialism as much as anyone else. For many here Easter is a name, its just a name. 

We need to be concerned with eternity, not the name of a day. A lot of lost people, including the 2-day a year religionists, will attend an Easter service. Hopefully they will hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ on that morning, they will probably not attend a second service that day. It is doubtful they will hear the truth any other time or place either. So call it what they will, we need to seize another opportunity to share and preach the Gospel. The goal is not how we feel about the name of a day, it's who comes to receive Jesus as Savior.

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. [John 6:37]

[robycop3]

  First, Herod didn't intend to kill Peter; he planned to let the Jewish leadership do it if they wished, but he knew the Jews wouldn't mess with Peter during Passover Week, which was then ongoing.

  And Easter, the observance/celebration of Jesus' resurrection, actually occurred on Wednesday, Mar. 31, the 4th day of passover this year. (Jesus was resurrected on the 4th day of passover, 27 AD.)

  He was ALREADY RESURRECTED when the women went to His tomb early Sunday morn. I believe He was resurrected just before sunset Saturday.  The RCC moved Easter to Sundays for their convenience in the 300s AD. (I don't observe Lent, Ash Wednesday, etc. or any of the other observances invented by the RCC for Easter season.)

[SureWord]

8 hours ago, robycop3 said:

  First, Herod didn't intend to kill Peter; he planned to let the Jewish leadership do it if they wished, but he knew the Jews wouldn't mess with Peter during Passover Week, which was then ongoing.

  And Easter, the observance/celebration of Jesus' resurrection, actually occurred on Wednesday, Mar. 31, the 4th day of passover this year. (Jesus was resurrected on the 4th day of passover, 27 AD.)

  He was ALREADY RESURRECTED when the women went to His tomb early Sunday morn. I believe He was resurrected just before sunset Saturday.  The RCC moved Easter to Sundays for their convenience in the 300s AD. (I don't observe Lent, Ash Wednesday, etc. or any of the other observances invented by the RCC for Easter season.)

I knew you'd show up for this one "steelmaker".

No way Herod would have delivered Peter to the Jews to be killed as that would have been illegal according to Roman law. This is why the Jews brought Jesus to Pilate. Ultimately, it would have been Herod that murdered him incurring the favor of the Jews.

Edited April 2, 2021 by SureWord

[Martyr_4_FutureJoy]

On 3/31/2021 at 10:05 AM, Baptistsenior said:

Prior to Christs death, Rome had a holiday called Easter - what was this holiday about for the Romans 

For this ,  just now,  I went and searched online for what the Romans did or had historically , and

the first site that came up concerning the ancient origins

and the first page on that site

had a sinful picture of "spring goddess", 

followed by a relatively long detailed page with

perhaps dozens of references to many 'easter' idolatries and false gods

as practiced (before and during and after Christ's time on earth) by Rome and several or many other countries/nations.

I did not read it intently at all,  and don't expect to - (for what purpose?) -

and did not see in perusing the page just what the roman soldiers or centurions or general population/citizens of rome themselves did concerning easter.