Venerable Bede

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I am wondering if anyone one can verify this quote from Venerable Bede concerning Easter:

“Eosturmonath has a name which is now translated “Paschal month”, and which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honour feasts were celebrated in that month. Now they designate that Paschal season by her name, calling the joys of the new rite by the time-honoured name of the old observance.”

Did he really say that? It’s all over the internet, and I can’t believe the RC actually took the name of a pagan celebration to celebrate the risen Christ.

It is supposedly from “On the Reckoning of Time”, Chapter 15.

Thanks for your help,

Ginger
 
Yes, Bede did write that.

It wasn’t the RCC that used the name “Easter,” though. Only newly converted Germanic tribes (Angles, Saxons, Frisians, etc…) who previously honored the old goddess.

In other countries the name of the feast is some derivative of Pascha.

“Yuletide” = Christmas has pagan associations. As do the “Ember days,” though you won’t find them in the modern calendar.
 
The_Prodigal said:
Yes, Bede did write that.

It wasn’t the RCC that used the name “Easter,” though. Only newly converted Germanic tribes (Angles, Saxons, Frisians, etc…) who previously honored the old goddess.

In other countries the name of the feast is some derivative of Pascha.

“Yuletide” = Christmas has pagan associations. As do the “Ember days,” though you won’t find them in the modern calendar.
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I think you are mistaken. It is the pagans who imitate God, not the other way around.

I also believe Bede was mistaken. There is absolutely no evidence to support his claim and much to dispel it.

I find it astounding that in this one instance, where there is absolutely no supporting evidence, that people would assume Bede correct. Especially when they refute tons of evidence on mere basis they don’t want to believe it!

Can you provide a link to an English translation of “On the Reckoning of Time”?

Thanks for taking the time to respond,

Ginger
 
Ginger2 said:
I can’t believe the RC actually took the name of a pagan celebration to celebrate the risen Christ.
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Where did the Protestants get the name Easter?

Now that you know that the quote is real, would you have the name changed, and if so, what to?

I do not care where they got the name Easter. What I care about is that it pertains to our Lord and Savior’s death and resurrection. Names are meaningless. It is what those names represent that is important.
 
Well, actually Bede wrote that book in Latin, but the quotation is from a translation by Faith Wallis. It appears on page 54 of the book, which can be previewed here.

I really don’t see what is so surprising about it. It is well-known that Christian missionaries tried to wean people off their pagan festivities by getting them to substitute Christian celebrations at around the same time of year, and naturally some of the old names (and customs) stuck.
 
“Eostur-monath, qui nunc paschalis mensis interpretetur, quondam a dea illorum quae Eostre vocabatur, et cui in illo festa celebrabant, nomen habuit, a cuius nomine nunc paschale tempus cognominant; consueto antiquae observationis vocabulo gaudia novae solemnitatis vocantes,” here. Translation as in the original post.

If you want to claim that Bede was mistaken in this matter, you ought to be able to provide a plausible alternative origin for the name “Easter.”
 
Heath_Bar said:
Where did the Protestants get the name Easter?
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Here’s a link with some very interesting ideas on the subject.
christianitytoday.com/ch/bytopic/holidays/easterborrowedholiday.html
Heath_Bar said:
Now that you know that the quote is real, would you have the name changed, and if so, what to?
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Uh, Resurrection Sunday??? I often use that name interchangeably with Easter anyway.
Heath_Bar said:
I do not care where they got the name Easter. What I care about is that it pertains to our Lord and Savior’s death and resurrection. Names are meaningless. It is what those names represent that is important.
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To a degree, I agree.

However, I think it is inappropriate to name a celebration of our Lord and Savior after a pagan goddess, don’t you?

I absolutely reject the idea that Christians did such a stupid thing and it stuck. Christians have been known to be just as stupid as anyone else, from time to time, but by the grace of God, they eventually make amends and repair the errors.

Ginger
 
Thank you, The_Prodigal, for finding the original quotation, which does indeed match the translation…

I agree: I think it is fairly well established that “Easter” derives its name from a pagan festivity. Bede was not infallible, of course, but was a careful historian by the standards of his time. Some of the traditions surrounding Easter are obviously pre-Christian, as are some of the well-known Christmas customs (although the name “Christmas” is just what it looks like).
 
Besides, I couldn’t find any evidence that a goddess name Eostre was ever worshiped as part of any pagan belief system. Eostre simply doesn’t exist in any ancient mytholgy, whatsoever.

The closest thing to “evidence” for this myth from Venerable Bede in the 8th century and then nothing again until the Grimm Brothers wrote about eostre in the late 1700’s or early 1800’s.

Y’all know who the Grimm Brothers are, don’t you? LOL

They wrote some great fairytales!!! :rotfl:

Ginger
 
 
Ginger2, you seem to have a problem accepting the obvious. The brothers Grimm are still highly regarded in the world of philology. They did not “write” fairy stories, but collected and published traditional stories. In any case, if you bother to check their dictionary entry for Oster, you will find they are a little sceptical of Bede’s story:
auf diese ags. Eostre, die vielleicht nur eine erfindung BEDAS ist
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Bede was writing at a time only about 300 years after the Anglo-Saxon invasion of England, and importantly at a time when paganism had far from died out in England. And there is no doubt of the connexion between Easter and east, which seems to have little to do with Christianity in this context.
 
EpiskoposEridos said:
Ginger2, you seem to have a problem accepting the obvious.
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Without any supporting evidence, it is hardly obvious.
EpiskoposEridos said:
Bede was writing at a time only about 300 years after the Anglo-Saxon invasion of England, and importantly at a time when paganism had far from died out in England. And there is no doubt of the connexion between Easter and east, which seems to have little to do with Christianity in this context.
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You should read the link I posted. It gives several theories with plausible explanations as to their credibility - Much more believable then one man saying Christians thought it a good idea to name a Christian celebration after a pagan goddess. :rolleyes:

Ginger
 
Ginger2 said:
Aside from there being no supporting evidence?

Here’s a link.

[christianitytoday.com/ch/bytopic/holidays/easterborrowedholiday.htm"]http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/bytopic/holidays/easterborrowedholiday.html"]http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/bytopic/holidays/easterborrowedholiday.htm](http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/bytopic/holidays/easterborrowedholiday.html)
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From the above:

“One theory for the origin of the name is that the Latin phrase in albis (“in white”), which Christians used in reference to Easter week, found its way into Old High German as eostarum, or “dawn.” There is some evidence of early Germanic borrowing of Latin despite that fact that the Germanic peoples lived outside the Roman Empire—though the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes were far very removed from it. This theory presumes that the word only became current after the introduction of either Roman influence or the Christian faith, which is uncertain. But if accurate, it would demonstrate that the festival is not named after a pagan goddess.”

Problem with the theory: the semantics does not match. In albis refers to the garments worn by the newly baptized during Easter week. That has nothing to do with “dawn.”

Alternatively, as Hutton suggests, Eosturmonath simply meant “the month of opening,” which is comparable to the meaning of “April” in Latin. The names of both the Saxon and Latin months (which are calendrically similar) were related to spring, the season when the buds open.

Problems with this theory:

  1. *]That Aprilis and aperire “to open” share the same root is questionable.
    *]That Aprilis would have had the meaning of “opening” to Latin and Germanic speakers at the time of contact between those two populations is also questionable. If Aprilis is indeed related to aperire, the relationship between the two words is hardly transparent.
 
Well, as the brothers Grimm said, Bede may have made up the whole thing about the goddess, but the evidence of spring fertility rites is overwhelming.

I did read the link, and was underwhelmed. The guy offers no evidence other than assertion, and nothing that is said by or about him says he has any credentials as a Germanic philologist or historian. Rather, he seems to specialize in Islam and the Middle East. He may be a huge expert in that field, but his suggestions as to the origins of the word Easter are naïve. There were early Germanic borrowings from Latin, but the words changed a lot more than his explanation supposes, due to the operation of sound-change laws (such as Grimm’s Law…).
 
EpiskoposEridos said:
I did read the link, and was underwhelmed.
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:rolleyes:

Where do you think I said the evidence was “overwhelming”?

It seems to me I said, “…some very interesting ideas on the subject.” and “**theories **with plausible explanations”

There is no absolute proof, but Bede’s story is absurd. Why would Christian name a celebration after a pagan goddess? Why would they mix Christianity with paganism?

That is strictly forbidden in Scriptures. Christians are not to compromise the faith - not even to persuade others to become Christian.

But hey, if you are that desperate to believe you have a festival with its roots founded in paganism and named after a pagan goddess, that’s your choice. 🤷

When I celebrate the resurrection it’s all about Jesus.

Have a great weekend and thanks for verifying the quote. 🙂

Ginger
 
St. Bede the Venerable said:
“Eosturmonath has a name which is now translated “Paschal month”, and which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honour feasts were celebrated in that month. Now they designate that Paschal season by her name, calling the joys of the new rite by the time-honoured name of the old observance.”
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All St. Bede is saying is, that Eostumonath was originally named for an old Teutonic goddess. Did you know Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were also named after old Teutonic gods? So Good Friday is named after an old Teutonic God. gasp :rolleyes:
 
Ginger2 said:
I am wondering if anyone one can verify this quote from Venerable Bede concerning Easter:

“Eosturmonath has a name which is now translated “Paschal month”, and which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honour feasts were celebrated in that month. Now they designate that Paschal season by her name, calling the joys of the new rite by the time-honoured name of the old observance.”

Did he really say that? It’s all over the internet, and I can’t believe the RC actually took the name of a pagan celebration to celebrate the risen Christ.

It is supposedly from “On the Reckoning of Time”, Chapter 15.

Thanks for your help,

Ginger
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What’s the problem? It’s just a name, and it’s not used by most Catholics (only those who speak English).
 
Ginger2 said:
There is no absolute proof, but Bede’s story is absurd. Why would Christian name a celebration after a pagan goddess? Why would they mix Christianity with paganism?
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I’m sorry, but the practice of paganism does not consist in using certain words. Words, when their meaning changes, are simply collections of letters. No one who celebrates this season in any way associates it with paganism, regardless of where the name English-speakers use came from.
 
EpiskoposEridos said:
Well, as the brothers Grimm said, Bede may have made up the whole thing about the goddess, but the evidence of spring fertility rites is overwhelming.

I did read the link, and was underwhelmed. The guy offers no evidence other than assertion, and nothing that is said by or about him says he has any credentials as a Germanic philologist or historian. Rather, he seems to specialize in Islam and the Middle East. He may be a huge expert in that field, but his suggestions as to the origins of the word Easter are naïve. There were early Germanic borrowings from Latin, but the words changed a lot more than his explanation supposes, due to the operation of sound-change laws (such as Grimm’s Law…).
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Wait now, hold on…if there is no goddess “Eoster”, then Easter cannot be named after her!

Now as for you being underwhelmed with his lack of evidence, methinks that puts you two at a tie. :rolleyes:

I agree that “in albis” becoming “eostrum” is basically impossible. The two words don’t even share any consonants, aside from , but that’s just a declension in the Latin. So actually, the words changed a lot less than he must suppose. I’m not sure what you mean by bringing Grimm’s Law into this, other than as a clever name-drop, since that sound change occurred long before Christ, and so any Christian-related borrowings from Latin to Germanic would not be phonologized anyways.
 
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