Where did Easter come from?
Acts 12:1-5 KJV
1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)
4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.
5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
Act 12:4 1
And when he had apprehended him - When he had taken or arrested him.
He put him in prison - During the solemnities of this religious festival, it would have been deemed improper to have engaged in the trial of a supposed criminal. The minds of the people were expected to be devoted solely to the services of religion; and hence, Herod chose to retain him in custody until the Passover had ended.
To four quaternions of soldiers - A “quaternion” was a company of “four”; consequently the whole number employed here was sixteen. The Romans divided the night into four watches so that the guards could be relieved; those who were on guard occupying three hours, and being then relieved. Of the four who were on guard, two were with Peter in the prison Act_12:6, and two kept watch before the door of the prison. The utmost precaution was taken that he should not escape; and Herod thus gave the most ample assurance to the Jews of his intention to secure Peter, and to bring him to trial.
Intending after Easter - There never was a more absurd or unhappy translation than this. The original is simply after the Passover (μετὰ τὸ πάσχα meta to pascha. The word “Easter” now denotes the festival observed by many Christian churches in honor of the resurrection of the Saviour. But the original has no reference to that, nor is there the slightest evidence that any such festival was observed at the time when this book was written. The translation is not only unhappy, as it does not convey at all the meaning of the original, but because it may contribute to foster an opinion that such a festival was observed in the time of the apostles. The word “Easter” is of Saxon origin, and is supposed to be derived from “Eostre,” the goddess of Love, or the Venus of the North, in honor of whom a festival was celebrated by our pagan ancestors in the month of April (Webster). Since this festival coincided with the Passover of the Jews, and with the feast observed by Christians in honor of the resurrection of Christ, the name came to be used to denote the latter. In the old Anglo-Saxon service-books the term “Easter” is used frequently to translate the word “Passover.” In the translation by Wycliffe, the word “paske,” that is, “Passover,” is used. But Tyndale and Coverdale used the word “Easter,” and hence, it has very improperly crept into our King James Version.
To bring him forth to the people - That is, evidently, to put him publicly to death to gratify them. The providence of God in regard to Peter is thus remarkable. Instead of his being put suddenly to death, as was James, he was reserved for future trial; and thus an opportunity was given for the prayers of the church, and for his consequent release.
- msd
To break this down further, let’s look at v. 4 in the King James Version with the Strong’s numbers; in particular the word ‘Easter’ –
AndG2532 when heG3739 had apprehendedG4084 him, he putG5087 him inG1519 prison,G5438 and deliveredG3860 him to fourG5064 quaternionsG5069 of soldiersG4757 to keepG5442 him;G846 intendingG1014 afterG3326 EasterG3957 to bring him forthG321 G846 to theG3588 people.G2992
Acts 12:4 KJV+
G3957 – πάσχα pascha 2
pas'-khah
Of Chaldee origin (compare [H6453]); the Passover (the meal, the day, the festival or the special sacrifices connected with it): - Easter, Passover.
G3957 – πάσχα pascha 3
Thayer Definition:
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
Part of Speech: noun neuter
- msd
King James Concordance provides us with the occurrences of the Greek πάσχα pascha.
G3957 – πάσχα pascha4
Total KJV Occurrences: 29
passover, 28
Mat_26:2, Mat_26:17-19 (3), Mar_14:1, Mar_14:12 (2), Mar_14:14, Mar_14:16, Luk_2:41, Luk_22:1, Luk_22:7-8 (2), Luk_22:11, Luk_22:13, Luk_22:15, Joh_2:13, Joh_2:23, Joh_6:4, Joh_11:55 (2), Joh_13:1 (2), Joh_18:28, Joh_18:39, Joh_19:14, 1Co_5:7, Heb_11:28
easter, 1
Act_12:4
And the Hebrew definitions -
H6453 – פּסח pesach 5
BDB Definition:
1) passover
1a) sacrifice of passover
1b) animal victim of the passover
1c) festival of the passover
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H6452
Same Word by TWOT Number: 1786a
H6453 – פּסח pesach 2
peh'-sakh
From H6452; a pretermission, that is, exemption; used only technically of the Jewish Passover (the festival or the victim): - passover (offering).
H6452 - פּסח pâsach 5
BDB Definition:
1) to pass over, spring over
1a) (Qal) to pass over
1b) (Piel) to skip, pass over
2) to limp
2a) (Qal) to limp
2b) (Niphal) to be lame
2c) (Piel) to limp
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive root
Same Word by TWOT Number: 1786, 1787
- msd
One mistranslation has developed into a national frenzy; an economic juggernaut, a misleading, deceptive entrapment and enslavement; perhaps, the first exposure to paganism for children.
"Easter, a Christian festival, embodies many pre-Christian traditions. The origin of its name is unknown. Scholars, however, accepting the derivation proposed by the 8th-century English scholar St. Bede, believe it probably comes from Ēastre, the Anglo-Saxon name of a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility, to whom was dedicated a month corresponding to April. Her festival was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox; traditions associated with the festival survive in the Easter rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in colored easter eggs, originally painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring, and used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as gifts."6
"Such festivals, and the stories and legends that explain their origin, were common in ancient religions. A Greek legend tells of the return of Persephone, daughter of Demeter, goddess of the earth, from the underworld to the light of day; her return symbolized to the ancient Greeks the resurrection of life in the spring after the desolation of winter. Many ancient peoples shared similar legends. The Phrygians believed that their omnipotent deity went to sleep at the time of the winter solstice, and they performed ceremonies with music and dancing at the spring equinox to awaken him. The Christian festival of Easter probably embodies a number of converging traditions; most scholars emphasize the original relation of Easter to the Jewish festival of Passover, or Pesach, from which is derived Pasch, another name for Easter. The early Christians, many of whom were of Jewish origin, were brought up in the Hebrew tradition and regarded Easter as a new feature of the Passover festival, a commemoration of the advent of the Messiah as foretold by the prophets."6
- msd
How they get ‘Easter’ out of the Hebrew Pesach or the Greek pascha is beyond me… even from the English Passover it is absurb. Perhaps this minor mistranslation is purely Satan’s attempt to mislead the elect from the truth; although minor to many Messianic believers and of no importance, it is a leaven, a corruption, in our doctrine and theology; just as the false pretences of Christmas.
Ēastre does seem to have similarities to Easter; but there is another possibility which even pre-dates Ēastre or Eostre; and that is Ishtar of ancient Babylonia.
"Ishtar, chief goddess of the Babylonians and the Assyrians and the counterpart of Astarte, a Phoenician goddess. The name appeared in different forms in every part of the ancient Semitic world; thus it was Athtar in Arabia, Astar in Abyssinia (now Ethiopia), and Ashtart in Canaan and Israel. The sex of the divinity also varied: Athtar and Astar were male deities. Ishtar of Erech (in Babylonia) was a goddess worshiped in connection with the evening star, but Ishtar of Akkad (also in Babylonia) was a god identified with the morning star. As a goddess, Ishtar was the Great Mother, the goddess of fertility and the queen of heaven. On the other hand, her character had destructive attributes; she was considered, especially by the Assyrians, a goddess of hunting and war and was depicted with sword, bow, and quiver of arrows. Among the Babylonians, Ishtar was distinctly the mother goddess and was portrayed either naked and with prominent breasts or as a mother with a child at her breast. As goddess of love she brought destruction to many of her lovers, of whom the most notable was her consort Tammuz, the Babylonian counterpart of Adonis."7
- msd
All pagan deities and none connected with Yahweh Elohim.
If you are a Christian you must keep YAHWEH’s commandments and Passover was the first to the new nation of Yahweh; although not the first to man. Observation, man seems to fail miserably.
Beware of the traditions of man.
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