Easter goddess

Easter goddess: Back in the late 1980s, I was asked to do a radio interview with an announcer about a scripture mistranslation found in the book of Acts 12:4. The discussion was about the use of the pagan goddess, Easter in Scripture references. My argument was that the King James committee made an erroneous decision to replace the Jewish feast of Passover with the name of an idol image as part of Church history. The radio announcer seemed offended and asked for remarks from the listeners to refute my teaching. Another similar situation occurred during a college professor’s lecture on the scripture, Acts 12:4. When he referred to the name, Easter, I again questioned the use of the word and his reply was “just leave that along.”

There is good news for Christians who do not want to mix their faith with paganism. The New King James Version Bible has finally removed the word, Easter from Acts 12:4 and it has been replaced with the correct translation, Passover.

The Greek meaning πάσχα pascha {pas’-khah} Passover is the commemoration of God’s protection for the Hebrews when the death angel passed through Egypt. God’s people would remain alive if they smeared the blood of a lamb on the door posts of their houses. Even though they deserved death because of sin, simply by their obedience of placing the blood of the lamb on their doors; the death angel had to pass over them without causing harm. Those Israelites who disobeyed died with the Egyptians.

3957 πάσχα pascha {pas’-khah}

Meaning: 1) the paschal sacrifice (which was accustomed to be offered for the people’s deliverance of old from Egypt) 2) the paschal lamb, i.e. the lamb the Israelites were accustomed to slay and eat on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan (the first month of their year) in memory of the day on which their fathers, preparing to depart from Egypt, were bidden by God to slay and eat a lamb, and to sprinkle their door posts with its blood, that the destroying angel, seeing the blood, might pass over their dwellings; Christ crucified is likened to the slain paschal lamb 3) the paschal supper 4) the paschal feast, the feast of the Passover, extending from the 14th to the 20th day of the month Nisan.

This act of God’s grace and mercy became the prototype for believers who shared their faith with non-believers. The historical event was the starting point of people’s references to the Blood of the Lamb. And, I feel that the body of Christ must understand that if Christ was here in the earth today, He would explain that Passover was symbolic of the ransom which had to be paid so that sinners could go free. This sacrificed ransom was Himself, the Lamb of God,

Yeshua (Jesus Christ). God, the Father offered up His only begotten Son so that the world could be saved.

2Co 5:18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.

2Co 5:19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.

πάσχα does not translate as Easter. This is a direct attack on the doxology of God. Words containing an ascription of praise to God, the metrical formula beginning “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.”

Easter is not the God of the Jews, nor is it the Son of God.

Easter does not carry any doctrinal liturgy as formularies for public worship, to bear witness to; certify; declare to be correct, true, or genuine; declare the truth of, in words or writing, especially affirm in an official capacity: to attest the truth of a statement.

“Easter” originally a Saxon word (Eostre), denoting a goddess of the Saxons, in honour of whom sacrifices were offered about the time of the Passover. Hence the name came to be given to the festival of the Resurrection of Christ, which occurred at the time of the Passover. In the early English versions this word was frequently used as the translation of the Greek pascha (the Passover). When the Authorized Version (1611) was formed, the word “passover” was used in all passages in which this word pascha occurred, except in Act 12:4. In the Revised Version the proper word, “passover,” is always used.

Word Origin and History for Easter Expanded

Old English Easterdæg, from Eastre (Northumbrian Eostre), from Proto-Germanic *Austron, a goddess of fertility and spring, probably originally of sunrise whose feast was celebrated at the spring equinox, from *austra-, from PIE *aus- “to shine” (especially of the dawn). Bede says Anglo-Saxon Christians adopted her name and many of the celebratory practices for their Mass of Christ’s resurrection. Ultimately related to east. Almost all neighboring languages use a variant of Latin Pascha to name this holiday (see paschal ). Easter egg attested by 1825, earlier pace egg (1610s). Easter bunny attested by 1904 in children’s lessons; Easter rabbit is by 1888; the paganish customs of Easter seem to have grown popular c. 1900; before that they were limited to German immigrants.

By leaving this awful translation in the Bible, it caused many believers to accept as truth that the apostles were participating in this pagan celebration. Where once the Jews and the Gentile converts worshipped together in the synagogue, they had now become barely recognizable as being one original religious system.

God’s plan to reconcile the world to Himself included new converts (the Church) to become a faithful group of people who demonstrated their love for God in such a way that Israel would take notice and return to their original responsibility. They would lead and teach the world how to worship and relate to the Most High.

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American Psychological Association (APA):

easter. (n.d.). Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary. Retrieved March 26, 2016 from Dictionary.com website http://www.dictionary.com/browse/easter

Chicago Manual Style (CMS):

easter. Dictionary.com. Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary. http://www.dictionary.com/browse/easter (accessed: March 26, 2016).

Modern Language Association (MLA):

“easter”. Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary. 26 Mar. 2016. <Dictionary.com http://www.dictionary.com/browse/easter>.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE):

Dictionary.com “easter,” in Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary. Source location: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/easter. Available: http://www.dictionary.com/. Accessed: March 26, 2016.