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Isn't Easter a pagan holiday?
by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
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By no means! Easter is the primary Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Lord.
However, the English word "Easter" may have pagan connotations. The Anglo-Saxon priest Venerable Bede in the 8th century derived it from the Anglo-Saxon spring goddess Eostre.
Of course, our days of the week, too, spring from the names of pagan gods:
|
Sunday |
Sun god |
|
Monday |
Moon god |
|
Tuesday |
Tiu, Germanic god of war |
|
Wednesday |
Odin, Norse supreme god |
|
Thursday |
Thor, Norse god of thunder, weather, and crops |
|
Friday |
Frigga, wife of Odin and Norse goddess of married love and of the hearth |
|
Saturday |
Saturn, Roman god of agriculture |
And the names of the months, similarly are deeply infected with the names of pagan gods:
|
January |
Janus, Roman god of doors and gates |
|
February |
Februus, ancient Italian god, and festival of purification |
|
March |
Mars, Roman god of war |
|
April |
Aprilis, Roman republican calendar month, considered by the Romans as sacred to Venus |
|
May |
Maia, Roman goddess of spring |
|
June |
Juno, Roman goddess of women and marriage |
|
July |
Julius Caesar, defied Roman emperor |
|
August |
Augustus Caesar, defied Roman emperor |
|
September |
Seventh (month of early Roman calendar) |
|
October |
Eighth (month of early Roman calendar) |
|
November |
Ninth (month of early Roman calendar) |
|
December |
Tenth (month of early Roman calendar) |
You see, the NAMES that we use -- indeed, our entire vocabulary -- is filled with pagan references of Anglo-Saxon, Norse, Germanic, and Roman gods and goddesses, since the vocabulary developed before Christianity came to England. But the CONTENT of Easter -- at least as true Christians practice it -- is a celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The old pagan celebrations of Easter are for those who don't know Jesus. But a meditation on Jesus' cross, his death, and his glorious resurrection are to be the focus of Christians.
Don't get hung up on the name "Easter." But focus on the joy we celebrate when we recall Jesus' rising from the dead on that Sunday morning, that "Easter" morning, 20 centuries ago.
Articles and stories about the Christian Easter
Copyright © 1985-2010 Ralph F. Wilson. <pastor
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