Is Easter a Pagan Holiday or Not? You Decide

So how about the Jews? They do celebrate Passover. But do they celebrate Easter?  Let's find out.

Do Jewish people celebrate Easter?

Jews do not observe Easter. Easter is a Christian holiday commemorating Jesus' awakening from the dead and victory over death and evil. Jews do not celebrate this memorial because they do not acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah or believe in the narratives of his resurrection.

However, the Christian holiday of Easter frequently coincides with Passover, a prominent Jewish celebration. They overlap because, as a Jew, Jesus commemorated the Passover dish with his disciples during the final night of his life. He had arrived in Jerusalem one week before the Jewish celebration and had assembled for the Passover feast with the rest of the Jews.

What is the Jewish equivalent of Easter?

What do Jewish people celebrate on Easter? Passover, known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread, is one of Judaism's three pilgrimage carnivals. The other two are Shavuot or Pentecost, also referred to as the Feast of Weeks, which overlaps with the Christian commemoration of Pentecost, and Sukkot, also recognized as the Feast of Tabernacles.

Throughout these carnivals, all Jews who could afford it would journey to Jerusalem to commemorate at the Temple. During Passover, Jews tell the tale of their slavery to the Egyptians and God's deliverance. The narratives of Moses' confrontations with Pharaoh and the ten plagues are told repeatedly.

Today, Jews observe Passover with the Seder, an extremely ritualized family repast with recommended liturgical readings, favorite foods, and prayers. It has a fixed date based on the Jewish lunar calendar. It always starts on the 15th of Nisan, the Jewish calendar's seventh month. 

(Credit: https://yen.com.gh/.)

We know that Israel is God's chosen people from the Bible. And so, the next question I have is what kind of festivals or holidays do they celebrate. We will look at those next time. I do plan to be back tomorrow for that post.

Disclaimer: Please note that these posts on the Jewish Holidays and Easter are for educational purposes only. I am not trying to give false information, nor am I gaining anything for them. 

In the meantime, thanks for spending a few minutes with me today. May God richly bless you this Easter Season.

Is Easter a Pagan Holiday or Not? You Decide

 What has Jesus (and therefore Easter) got to do with this person Zoroaster. Well, good question. Let me tell you about Zoroasterism. 

Easter and Zoroastrianism

The earliest reference we have to a similar holiday comes to us from Babylon, 2400 BCE. The city of Ur apparently had a celebration dedicated to the moon and the spring equinox which was held sometime during our months of March or April. On the spring equinox, Zoroastrians continue to celebrate “No Ruz,” the new day or New Year. This date is commemorated by the last remaining Zoroastrians and probably constitutes the oldest celebration in the history of the world.  (Credit: Austin Cline)

Going on to gotquestions.org, this is what we find there:

What is Zoroastrianism?

Zoroastrianism is based on the teachings of Zoroaster, a 6th-century BC Iranian prophet and philosopher. Zoroastrianism is almost identical with Mazdaism (the worship of Ahura Mazda, the supreme deity exalted by Zoroaster). Zoroastrianism survives today in isolated areas of the Middle East, primarily Iran, but more prosperously in India, where the descendants of Zoroastrian Persian immigrants are known as Parsis, or Parsees. In India the religion is called Parsiism. As with all false religions, Zoroastrianism is incompatible with Christianity.

For one thing, the claim that Zoroastrianism is perhaps the oldest monotheistic religion and that it had an influence on Judaism, Christianity, or Islam is simply not true. While Zoroastrianism is said to have had its origins in the 6th century BC, it only enters recorded history in the 5th century BC. This is in contrast to the Bible, where most historians and scholars put the writing of the Pentateuch (Genesis-Deuteronomy written by Moses) between 1446—1406 BC during Israel’s wanderings in the desert. This means the Old Testament pre-dates the Avesta (official religious text of Zoroastrianism) by close to 900 years.

While it is not surprising to see antagonists of Christianity on the internet and in books try to discredit Christianity by claiming the Zoroastrian influence on it, it is clear that the concept of one God and the need for a Savior was established much earlier by the Hebrew people. Even the prophet Isaiah spoke of the virgin birth of Christ and recorded it around 701 BC, which still precedes Zoroastrianism by 100 years.

Zoroastrianism states that active participation in life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay. There are various religious rituals that must be observed and a variety of deeds to be performed to ensure salvation. This is in stark contrast to Christianity, which teaches that Christ is the only way to salvation (John 14:6) and that our salvation cannot be earned (Ephesians 2:8–9). This is the difference between Christianity and all false religions. In Christ, salvation is a free gift from God apart from works, which save no one (Romans 3:20, 28). All other religions require works of some kind to appease God. Thankfully, our Bible is crystal clear on salvation, how to receive it, what is true, and what is not.

The prophet Zoroaster supposedly received what he recorded in the Avesta from a vision of Vohu Manah (moral enlightenment, possibly an angel of sorts) while drawing water from the Daiti River. Zoroaster is the sole author. This method of “enlightenment” is similar to that claimed by the prophet Mohammed of Islam, who received a vision from the angel Gabriel. His message was passed down for about three centuries by word of mouth before being recorded by scribes in the Qu'ran. Still, the source is only one man, and a person should question the accuracy of the recitations over a long period such as that.

Compare these “revelations” with Bible: 40 authors of 66 books over a span of 1,600 years (55 generations), and most of the authors were not acquainted with one another. They came from different backgrounds (judge, prophet, king, priest, shepherd, scribe, soldier, fisherman, physician) and different locations (tents, palaces, dungeons, cities, deserts), and they wrote under different circumstances in three different languages (Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic). Yet they ALL convey the same common theme about God. Their writings are accepted as the inerrant, true, and inspired Word of God recorded through men (2 Timothy 3:16). The accuracy of the original texts has been verified over and over each time an ancient biblical manuscript has been discovered, the Dead Sea Scrolls being among the most recent.

It is abundantly clear that Zoroastrianism is yet another religion where salvation is works-based. There is no evidence of any divine influence in their religious writings, and it is clearly not impacting the world and changing lives today the way our relevant, living, all-powerful God is doing. The Bible, which could not possibly exist and claim the things it does unless it truly IS the inspired Word of God, has the power to change lives on a massive scale. From a Christian perspective, we hope and pray that the few who still do follow the teachings of Zoroaster would be exposed to the truth of Christ and realize that the salvation they seek to achieve by their good deeds is actually a free gift through Him. (Credit: gotquestions.org)

And so, there is the answer to the question: What has Jesus (and therefore Easter) got to do with Zoroaster?

Nothing. Nothing that is if we believe the Bible and the truth about Jesus. 

• 1 Corinthians 8:6 — yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

I don't know about you, but I choose to believe what God's Word tells me. And in these above answers that I have given you, I find nothing about Easter at all. Perhaps there would be in some other teaching that we could find. There are some in Pinterest that may give a more in-depth study, if we wanted to look at them. 

However, it's enough for me to have just read the above articles. I do not need to know any more because I do believe in the Bible. 

But what about you? Is Easter a pagan holiday? You decide.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. Until next time, have a blessed day!

Easter: Pagan or Not? You Decide

 

I will just continue to touch on these different aspects of Easter that people celebrate. But then if you are interested on reading more about them, you can do so. The graphic today does offer a site where you can learn about the Spring Equinox if you choose to go there. What follows is just a small part of that.  Notice below what groups celebrate these holidays. 

And it is their right to do that.

But what about us?

Spring Equinox

Pagan roots of Easter lie in celebrating the spring equinox, for millennia an important holiday in many religions. Celebrating the beginning of spring may be among the oldest holidays in human culture. Occurring every year on March 20, 21, or 22, the spring equinox is the end of winter and beginning of spring. Biologically and culturally, it represents for northern climates the end of a “dead” season and the rebirth of life, as well as the importance of fertility and reproduction.

Ostara, Eostre, and Easter

Currently, modern Wiccans and neo-pagans celebrate “Ostara,” a lesser Sabbat on the vernal equinox. Other names for this celebration include Eostre and Ostara and they are derived from the Anglo-Saxon lunar Goddess, Eostre. Some believe that this name is ultimately a variation on the names of other prominent goddesses, like Ishtar, Astarte, and Isis, usually a consort of the gods Osiris or Dionysus, who are depicted as dying and being reborn.

credits: Austin Cline

Who doesn't want to celebrate the coming of warm weather after a cold winter? Nothing wrong with that, is there?

No. Unless we celebrate it the way the above holidays describe. As born-again Christians, we do not want to participate in this kind of celebrations because they believe in goddesses etc.

  1Timothy 2:5 tells us:

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus

As believers, we can't have it both ways. These are Pagan celebrations, and we should never take part in them. 

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. I apologize for not getting here for a couple of days. But I sure pray that God blesses you. Until next time...have a wonderful rest of your day in Jesu

Pagan or Not? You Decide

As with most Christian holidays, this can be a touchy subject for some people. It can be a legalistic matter in some churches that say we should not celebrate it with bunnies, baskets and the like.

They believe that those things have nothing to do with the death, resurrection and the fact that Jesus did arise from the grave. 

And of course, they would be right on about that. 

But is a pagan holiday or not? And if it is, should we as Christians celebrate it with all of the fun stuff that goes along with that?

So let's take a look at some of both sides to come to our own conclusions about it.

Question: Is Easter a Pagan Holiday?

Easter is the oldest Christian holiday, but how much of the most public and common celebrations of Easter today remain Christian in nature? Many people go to church -- far more than go the rest of the year -- but what else? Easter candy isn’t Christian, the Easter bunny to isn’t Christian, and Easter eggs aren’t Christian. Most of what people commonly associate with Easter is pagan in origin; the rest is commercial. Just as American culture secularized Christmas, Easter has become secular.  (credit: Austin Cline)

This is one view of Easter. But there is more to this person's post as they go into the origins of some of the Easter celebration. And I will share them tomorrow. As for today, I want to give another perspective from gotquestions.org as well. Please read on:

No, Easter is not a pagan holiday. Easter is the Christian celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Christians believe that Jesus, the Son of God, died for our sins on a Roman cross, was buried, and rose to life again “on the first day of the week, very early in the morning” (Luke 24:1).

Why then, the controversy about it?

Good question. Why is it really a concern as to whether it is pagan and is it sinful to celebrate it or not?

Come back tomorrow and let's look into the origin of it to get a better understanding of whether it is pagan and what we should do about it in our own celebrations. 

Thanks for coming by, Friends. Have a blessed day in Jesus! 

So Should We?

 

Today's question is: As Christians, should we celebrate Passover? Before I get into that, we can go to Pinterest to find all kinds of information about celebrating it, from recipes to making decorations in order to celebrate Passover and more. I can't tell you without doing a really deep dive, on how many of these come from actual Jewish celebrations or those that are practiced in homes that are not Jewish. 

And that is not my intention. 

My intention is just to answer the question of whether Christians should celebrate it. And as is my usual, I go to find the answer at gotquestions.org. So here is what they say about it. And I will say, I agree with them.

The celebration of Passover is in remembrance of the time in Israel’s history when the Lord moved through Egypt destroying the firstborn of all people and animals (see Exodus 11 and 12.) This was the final of the ten plagues God visited upon Egypt designed to force Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave the country and their captivity. The Israelites were commanded by God to take the blood of a male lamb—one without blemish—and smear it on the doorposts of their houses. When the Lord saw the blood, He would “pass over” that house. This is a foreshadowing of the spotless Lamb of God, Jesus, whose blood would cover the sins of those who believe in Him, causing God’s judgment to pass over them. Ever since that night, Jews have celebrated the Passover in remembrance of God’s grace to them.

There has been an explosion of interest in adapting the Passover festival to Christianity. Various organizations, such as Jews for Jesus, have long promoted Christian Passover services as a means for Messianic Jews to retain their cultural heritage while professing their Christian faith. They have also used the Christian Passover as a means to communicate to Christians the Jewish religious heritage that they value. Many of the rituals associated with the Passover Seder have application to the Christian faith, and a Christian celebration of the Passover provides a unique way to bring the story of salvation to the ceremony.

Whether or not a Christian celebrates Passover would be a matter of conscience for the individual Christian. Like all the Old Testament Jewish Feasts, the Passover Feast was a foreshadowing of Christ’s atoning work on the cross. Colossians 2:16-17 tells us that we should “let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ” (NKJV). Christians are no longer bound to observe the Passover feast the way the Old Testament Jews were, but they should not look down upon another believer who does or does not observe the Passover or other special Jewish days and feasts (Romans 14:5).

While it is not required for Christians to celebrate the Passover, it is beneficial to study it and could be beneficial to celebrate it if it leads to a greater understanding and appreciation for Christ’s death and resurrection. The Passover is a wonderful picture of Christ’s atonement for His people and His deliverance of us from the bondage of sin. That is something we should celebrate every day of our lives. (credit: gotquestions.org)

Personally speaking, I have never known anyone that are born again Christians, that celebrate Passover. But I know there are those that do. 

However, many churches do observe The Last Supper (Communion) which Jesus took with His disciples before His death. Some churches do this a few times a year. Last week, the Pastor of my church preached on His death, and then we partook of the Last Supper. 

During this time, it is a very serious time for those that are Christians to think on what Jesus did for us on that cross so many years ago. 

But of course, we know, that the best is yet to come, when he did not stay dead in a cold tomb!  Still, it is the whole reason for this celebration, no matter if we are Jew or Gentiles. God sent His Son, to forgive all of our sins. 

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

And so, the celebration of Passover is not a requirement for us as born-again Christians that are not Jewish. However, it might be interesting to observe it at some point in our walk with the Lord.  

Thanks for stopping by today, Friends. May God Bless you during this Easter Season. Til next time,,,

The Passover Meal: What does it Include?

 

There are two Passover Foods left n our list. They are Hardboiled or Roasted Eggs, and Wine. These foods are described as follows on gotquestions.org.

Hard-boiled or Roasted Egg (Baytzah) – Traditionally, hard-boiled eggs were eaten by mourners, and the egg is eaten during the Seder to remind participants that they are always in mourning for the loss of their temple. The fact that the egg is roasted evokes the roasting of the sacrifice on the altar of the temple.

There are also four cups of wine used at various points during the Seder. Each of these glasses of wine has a name: the first glass is the “cup of sanctification.” The second is the “cup of judgment.” The third is the “cup of redemption.” And the fourth is the “cup of praise.” At the Last Supper, Jesus took the first cup and promised His disciples that the next time He drank the fruit of the vine with them would be in the kingdom (Luke 22:17). Later in the Seder, Jesus took the third cup—the cup of redemption—and used that cup as a symbol of the New Covenant in His blood (Luke 22:20). Thus Jesus fulfilled the Passover symbolism and infused the whole feast with a new meaning.

They go on to finish with the following statement:

In Exodus 6:6, the Lord God promised His people that He would save them from slavery: “I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.” The phrase “with an outstretched arm” is repeated throughout the Old Testament in connection with Passover remembrances: Deuteronomy 4:34; 7:19; 9:29; 26:8; 2 Kings 17:36; Psalm 136:12; Jeremiah 32:21. Can it be coincidence that, in the New Testament, the Messiah had both of His arms outstretched as He freed us from sin and brought us salvation?

💘💘💘💘

So after reading about the Passover Meal that Jews celebrate, is this something that we as non-Jews should also partisipate in? There are groups that do. On Thursday, I will look at some questions having to do with that. Until then my friends, thanks for coming by and God bless you!

The Passover Meal: What Did it Include?

 

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I am referencing the next two foods in the Sedar meal because there wasn't as much information about them to be given separately without a deeper dive which you can do if you are interested. 

The next one mentioned after Karpas is Bitter Herbs. And this is what is said about them on gotquestions.org:

Bitter Herbs (Maror) – The eating of “bitter herbs” is commanded in Exodus 12:8. In modern times, this is usually horseradish, one of the bitterest herbs. The maror reminds the Jews that they were unable to offer sacrifice and worship to God, and that was bitterer than the slavery of Egypt.

And then after that is something called Charoset (pictured above) which is a mixture of apples, nuts, wine, and spices. It represents the mortar the Israelites used in the constructing buildings during their slavery to the Egyptians. Of all the elements of the Seder, charoset alone is sweet, and this is a reminder of the hope of redemption.

Underneath the picture of it on Pinterest, it is said to be 'Traditional Charoset for Passover'.

However, there are quite a few recipes given there using these fruits etc, that you can look at, if you choose to. I wonder if modern day Jews that celebrate, use it the traditional way, or do they use a recipe? 

You might notice as I did, that there is no Biblical reference to the Charoset. So, I did a bit of digging and this is what I found:

• Charoset is the only element of the Seder plate that is not mentioned in the Torah; it is from the Talmud, where the link between charoset and mortar is established. Additionally, R. Jacob gives detailed instructions on how to make charoset properly in Hilchot Pesach. Of course, this is not the required prescription (as evidenced by the plethora of charoset recipes accessible on this website). (Credit: jamiegeller/holiday)

Looking at the foods that God's people ate at that time, makes me wonder about what life had been like for them. They were fleeing their enemy after all those years of being held captive. God had promised them they would be released after some 400 hundred years. Can we even imagine that? No doubt they had prayed for an "early release program" and yet God held off until as he promised, the day came that they would be free. 

Sometimes, we get so upset with God, that He does not answer or our prayers or deliver us from the situations that we find ourselves in. But when things do not happen the way we think they should, we raise our fists to him and some walk out on Him. 

But there are always reasons for what He does and how He does them. And He calls us to just trust Him because He will always bring good to whatever we are going through. Romans 8:28

And we can take Him at His Word!!!!

Thanks for stopping by today, Friends. Have a glorious evening. I hope the winter weather is giving way to spring wherever you are. God bless!