Is Easter 'pagan'?

[historia]

In an earlier thread back in December I asked whether Christmas was 'pagan'. And while participants in that thread supplied a few references to non-experts repeating 19th Century speculation that Christmas celebrations are based in pagan practices, no one provided any historical evidence or contemporary scholarship to substantiate those claims.

With Lent nearly upon us, let me ask the same question about Easter:

Questions for debate:

(1) Is Easter 'pagan'?

(2) Should Christians celebrate Easter?

[bjs1]

(And have you given any thought to the fact that "Easter" is named after a pagan goddess? Have you looked up information about the name of "Easter?" Look up "Easter and the rites of Spring." There's some interesting information there on that website concerning the goddess Eostre.)

The name Easter seems to have come from the fact that it is usually celebrated in "Ēosturmōnaþ," the Anglo-Saxon name for the month of April. The name means "month of Ēostre."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%92ostre
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_Easter

Saying “"Easter" is named after a pagan goddess” is like saying “The Fourth of July is named after Julius Caesar.” Neither statement is accurate.

The month of July is named after Julius Caesar, and the American celebration of national independence falls during that month. The month of Ēosturmōnaþ was named after Ēostre, and the Christian celebration of Jesus’ resurrection usually falls during that month.

[historia]

In repeating these outdated and discredited claims, you are spreading misinformation.

I am not spreading misinformation.

Repeating debunked claims is the very definition of spreading misinformation.

You are merely asserting that various Easter traditions are "obviously" based on "pagan rites of Spring." But, just like in the earlier Christmas thread, you've offered zero historical evidence to support that claim.

No one here has any reason to think your claim is true -- especially after I just cited two scholars of religion, Andrew Henry and Dan McClellan, who have demonstrated that your claim is false!

Neither Henry nor McClellan are orthodox Christians, and so have no reason to defend Easter traditions. They are simply and dispassionately telling you what the historical evidence shows.

How ridiculous it all is, and you think it's just fine to equate Mary with rabbits.

No one is "equating" the Virgin Mary with rabbits. In Europe, the hare became a symbol for the Virgin Mary. That was based on an unscientific understanding of the reproductive habits of hares, to be sure. But that doesn't make it "pagan." This is a Christian symbol.

And have you given any thought to the fact that "Easter" is named after a pagan goddess?

(It took awhile, but Perspectivo finally got his wish.)

In English, we call the Solemnity of the Resurrection "Easter" because the month in which it is often celebrated (the fourth month of the year) was called "Eastermonath" by the Anglo-Saxons. Just like we call the day of the week on which Jesus was crucified "Friday" (after the god Frigg) because that was the Anglo-Saxon name for that day.

The fact that the Anglo-Saxons named their days and months after various pagan deities (and we continue to use many of those words in modern English) has absolutely nothing to do with the celebration of Jesus's death and resurrection by Christians. To suggest otherwise is, frankly, foolish.

Have you given any thought to the fact that, in virtually every other language on the planet, the Solemnity of the Resurrection is called "Pascha" (or some variant of that) after the Hebrew word for Passover? And that was the case long before the English language even existed?

Look up "Easter and the rites of Spring." There's some interesting information there on that website concerning the goddess Eostre.

It's not hard to find websites written by non-experts that repeat all kinds of false information -- on this as on many other topics. We should all be more discerning than that.

[onewithhim]

(And have you given any thought to the fact that "Easter" is named after a pagan goddess? Have you looked up information about the name of "Easter?" Look up "Easter and the rites of Spring." There's some interesting information there on that website concerning the goddess Eostre.)

The name Easter seems to have come from the fact that it is usually celebrated in "Ēosturmōnaþ," the Anglo-Saxon name for the month of April. The name means "month of Ēostre."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%92ostre
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_Easter

Saying “"Easter" is named after a pagan goddess” is like saying “The Fourth of July is named after Julius Caesar.” Neither statement is accurate.

The month of July is named after Julius Caesar, and the American celebration of national independence falls during that month. The month of Ēosturmōnaþ was named after Ēostre, and the Christian celebration of Jesus’ resurrection usually falls during that month.

Well, all I can say is that the people who wrote what I read online disagree with you. We'll just have to agree to disagree.

[JehovahsWitness]

What does Christ have to do with eggs, chickies and rabbits?

I'm glad you asked.

Eggs are connected to Lent.... The hare -- in America it became a rabbit -- was a symbol for the Virgin Mary

oK, so now all we need is proof the above is connection to Christ as in, credited documentation of his commanding, endorsing or participation in a religious rite that involved the above during his earthly ministry.

[bjs1]

What does Christ have to do with eggs, chickies and rabbits?

I'm glad you asked.

Eggs are connected to Lent.... The hare -- in America it became a rabbit -- was a symbol for the Virgin Mary

oK, so now all we need is proof the above is connection to Christ as in, credited documentation of his commanding, endorsing or participation in a religious rite that involved the above during his earthly ministry.

It depends on what you mean by “need.”

Is this something we need for the poster JehovahsWitness to accept rabbits as a part of an Easter celebration? Yes, credited documentation of Jesus commanding, endorsing or participating in a religious rite is needed.

Is this something we need to establish that associating rabbits with Easter is NOT pagan? No, being able to trace the origin of the rabbit tradition to Lent and its association with the Virgin Mary is sufficient evidence to say that this tradition is not pagan.

The fact that Jesus did not mention a specific symbol does not make that symbol pagan.

[JehovahsWitness]

What does Christ have to do with eggs, chickies and rabbits?

I'm glad you asked.

Eggs are connected to Lent.... The hare -- in America it became a rabbit -- was a symbol for the Virgin Mary

oK, so now all we need is proof the above is connection to Christ as in, credited documentation of his commanding, endorsing or participation in a religious rite that involved the above during his earthly ministry.

It depends on what you mean by “need.”

The point I was responding to was : What does Christ have to do with eggs, chickies and rabbits?


So obviously by definition, verifiable historical evidence (not just presumption or circumstantial) has to to be established between the recorded actions and/or words of the subject (namely the person Jesus of Nazaeth) and the {quote} "eggs, chickies and rabbits".


(I haven't mentioned the word "pagan" so you might like to take that discussion up with someone that has)



JW

[bjs1]

What does Christ have to do with eggs, chickies and rabbits?

I'm glad you asked.

Eggs are connected to Lent.... The hare -- in America it became a rabbit -- was a symbol for the Virgin Mary

oK, so now all we need is proof the above is connection to Christ as in, credited documentation of his commanding, endorsing or participation in a religious rite that involved the above during his earthly ministry.

It depends on what you mean by “need.”

The point I was responding to was : What does Christ have to do with eggs, chickies and rabbits?

Historia did an admirable job of answering that in post 9.

(I haven't mentioned the word "pagan" so you might like to take that discussion up with someone that has)

The topic of this thread is "Is Easter pagan?" If that is not what you want to debate, then perhaps you should start a different thread.

[rstrats]

Originally it was a festival of the Christian church, observed in commemoration of our Savior's resurrection. It occurs on a Sunday, the third day after Good Friday.

What would the first day after Good Friday be?

[JehovahsWitness]

Historia did an admirable job of answering that in post 9.

Historia did an admirable job of connecting eggs and rabbits with the Catholic tradition if lent and early "church" traditions. I see absolutely no attemt to link those traditions directly to the teaching or the person of Christ as recorded in the bible canon.

I await historical evidence that this can be done.

If that is not what you want to debate, then perhaps you should start a different thread.

I will be happy to consider doing so upon the invitation of the original poster (to whom I was responding). Thank you however for you most aimable and constructive contribution.

I wish you a most agreable day,

Jehovah's Witnesses

[onewithhim]

What does Christ have to do with eggs, chickies and rabbits?

I'm glad you asked.

Eggs are connected to Lent.... The hare -- in America it became a rabbit -- was a symbol for the Virgin Mary

oK, so now all we need is proof the above is connection to Christ as in, credited documentation of his commanding, endorsing or participation in a religious rite that involved the above during his earthly ministry.

It depends on what you mean by “need.”

Is this something we need for the poster JehovahsWitness to accept rabbits as a part of an Easter celebration? Yes, credited documentation of Jesus commanding, endorsing or participating in a religious rite is needed.

Is this something we need to establish that associating rabbits with Easter is NOT pagan? No, being able to trace the origin of the rabbit tradition to Lent and its association with the Virgin Mary is sufficient evidence to say that this tradition is not pagan.

The fact that Jesus did not mention a specific symbol does not make that symbol pagan.

That tradition of the rabbits being extremely fertile and in association with the Virgin Mary is exactly why we can see that Easter is pagan. How can Jesus be associated with such balderdash? It is not only slapping Jesus in the face, but Mary is dishonored by this as well.