There are many theories as to the origin of the word Easter. One theory claims the pagan Saxon fertility goddess, sometimes referred to as Ä’ostre, Ostara, Eostre or Eastre, was celebrated at a festival in the springtime, around the time of the Passover, although no evidence of worship of such a goddess has been found, such as a shrine or physical documentation. Some believe that as pagans came into the church and converted to Christianity, Catholic church leaders saw no problem permitting customs from this pagan holiday that aligned with the Christian celebration of Jesus’ death and resurrection to be included in the customs that were observed.  

Easter bunnies – a pagan fertility symbol – and Easter baskets are not found in the Bible. Acts 12:4 in the King James Version mentions Easter, but the Greek word is actually pascha—Passover. Nearly all other translations correctly translate the word as “Passover.”

A second problem linked to this observance was that until the fourth century, the church strictly followed the Jewish calendar for the date of the memorial of Jesus’s death (antitypical Passover). This was the holiest season of the year.  We learn this from the History of Eusebius. However, in the fourth century the Catholic church decided it had the authority to change the calculation for the date from the Passover method (Exodus 12:1). The idea was to change the date so that the remembrance of the crucifixion would ALWAYS be on a Friday and the remembrance of the resurrection would ALWAYS fall on a Sunday.  

While we cannot support this change, any memorial of our Lord’s resurrection will always be precious to His people. To those who correctly appreciate the matter, every Sunday is an “Easter” Sunday, because every Sunday commemorates our Lord’s resurrection. 

During New Testament times, the early church would meet together on Sunday. Acts 20:7, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them…” It would only be natural to rehearse and celebrate the miraculous events of that Sunday when the disciples found Jesus’s tomb to be empty. Thus, the first day of the week became a traditional time for Christians to worship God.

However, the one celebration Jesus did establish and command his followers to keep was one that commemorated His death. Jesus instituted a memorial of his imminent death right after he and his disciples kept the Passover feast (see Matthew 26:26-28). The Apostle Paul further explained in 1 Corinthians 5:7, “Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” Jesus’ sacrifice as the antitypical Passover Lamb helps us to understand when and how frequently we are to drink the cup and eat the unleavened bread commemorating His death. Just as the typical Passover was celebrated yearly on the 14th of the Jewish month of Nisan, so Christians are to commemorate our Lord’s death as the antitypical Passover Lamb on the same day, after sunset.

Additional Resource:
Christian Questions Podcast
Episode #1224: “Why Should Christians Care About Israel’s Deliverance From Slavery?”
Absorbing the profound lessons Israel’s Passover teaches about Jesus
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