Origin of Easter Question

[deanarrca]

Hi Guys, I need some help. Once upon a time I ran across a very good article explaining that Easter was not derived from pagan sources and the term “Easter” was not derived from the name ofthe pagan Goddess Oestre. It explained that Easter came from Germanic /English languages for East and that in other languages ie: the latin languages such as French, Italian and Spanish the term is Pasche or Paschal. Anyway I can’t find the article or sources. So do you guys have any good sources for the arguments that Easter is not Pagan but truly Christian in origin. I use to be in the other camp and use to believe even my old Protestant denomination shouldn’t use the term Easter. Now I have changed my mind. This is just for my own info and to add to my own personal studies. Thanks in advance Deana

 

[mchale]

Well, I think it is a rather open case regarding the source of the name Easter in the English Language. The link to the name of a germanic pagan goddess cannot really be disproven since the only historical reference to how Easter came to be called Easter does in fact refer to such a goddess. However the author, Bede, was writing after any worship for such a goddess had already died out. Its pretty much impossible to determine how much of his account was based on what he knew and how much on speculation made by either himself or others. It should also be noted that the only historical reference to this goddess was the same reference referred to above. There is a later reference to her in Grimm’s fairytales, but this was almost certainly derived from Bede.

That being said, the name is not the important fact surrounding the Holiday. It is clear that in the rest of the world, the term passover (or its local equivalent) is the proper term for Easter. The proper celebration is not pagan, but decidedly Christian. What difference does the name make? Further the dating is set so as to ensure it normally coincides with the Jewish Passover (though as this year shows, there can occasionally be a big difference in the observance).

–
Bill

 

[Joe_5859]

Perhaps this article will help:

Was Easter Originally a Pagan Holiday?

 

[epostle]

Most Catholic Bibles don’t have the word “Easter” at all, and neither does it appear in any ancient texts. As Joe’s article points out, the term wasn’t used until after the 4rth century.

But it’s found in the King James Version.

 

[ricko]

The idea that the Catholic Church is based on pagan things has been around for sometime. As Joe’s link pointed out the name Easter is from some goddess. If your friend has a problem with that then I guess he has a problem with wedding rings, throwing rice at weddings, the names of the planets (Mars, Jupiter…), the stars and the constellations, the names of the week and so on, all of which are pagan. Pagans were and are a part of our history and many of their customs we have adopted to our present society. No big deal as they are no longer considered pagan. Anyone who believes such nonsense needs to study history and get a life.