Why do you believe the things you believe, and do the things you do? The chances are you never stopped to ask yourself that question. You have been taught since childhood to accept Easter as the chief of the Christian holidays.
You have supposed it is part of the true Christian religion to observe Lent, "Holy Week," "Good Friday," to buy hot cross buns at he bakery, to have colored eggs, to dress up and go to Church Easter Sunday, perhaps to attend an Easter sunrise service!
Because of the "sheep" instinct in humans, most of us believe a lot of things that are not true. Most of us do a lot of things that are wrong, supposing these things be right, or even sacred!
ISHTAR, the PAGAN GODDESS
What is the meaning of the name "Easter"? You haven been led to suppose the word means "resurrection of Christ." For 1600 years the western world has been taught that Christ rose from the dead on Sunday morning. But that is merely one of the fables the apostle Paul warned readers of the New Testament to expect. The resurrection did not occur on Sunday! For the astonishing proof setting forth the exact time of the Resurrection, write for our free booklet, "The Resurrection."
The name "Easter" is merely the slightly changed English spelling of the name of the ancient Assyrian goddess Ishtar, pronounced by the Assyrians exactly as we pronounce "Easter." The Babylonian name of this goddess was Astarte, consort of Baal, the Sun god, whose worship is denounced by The Almighty in the Bible as the most abominable of all pagan idolatry.
Look up the word "Easter" in Webster's dictionary. You will find: "AS. (Anglo-Saxon), from name of an old Teuton goddess of spring".
In the large volume Hastings Bible Dictionary, only six lines are given to the name "Easter" because it occurs only once in the Bible and that only in the King James translation. Says Hastings: "Easter, used in Authorized Version as the translation of 'Pascha' in Acts 12:4, 'intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people'. Revised Version has substituted correctly 'the Passover.'"
APOSTLES OBSERVED PASSOVER
The World Almanac, 1950 edition, page 704, says: "In the second century, AD., Easter Day was, among Christian in Asia Minor" (that is, in the Churches at Ephesus, Galatia, etc... the so-called "Gentile" churches raised up by the Apostle Paul) "the 14th of Nisan, the seventh month of the Jewish calendar." In other words, the 14th day of the first month of the sacred calendar, and it was not then called by the name of the pagan deity "easter", but by the BIBLE name "PASSOVER".
Passover, the days of unleavened bread, Pentecost, and holy days God had ordained forever were all observed by Jesus, and the early apostles, and converted Gentile Christians (Acts 2:1; 12:3; 20:6; 18:21; 1Co 5:7-8; Acts 20:16; 1Co 16:8). Passover, is a memorial of the crucifixion of Christ. Passover, observed by the early true Church, occurred not on Sunday or any fixed day of the week, but a calendar day of the year. The day of the week varies from year to year.
Easter is one of the pagan days Paul warned Gentile converts they must not return to observing.
How, then, did this pagan festival enter into and fasten itself upon a professing Christianity? That is a surprising story, but first, notice the true origin and nature of Easter.
Full article here:
http://www.albatrus.org/english/festivals/easter/is_easter_pagan.htm
Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:05 pm
