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Excuse me, but what's Christian about the Easter Bunny?

Ever since the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D., Easter has been celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon after March 21st. Because of these early associations, hare hunting was once a common Easter activity in England and even today the Easter Bunny delivers eggs to children on Easter morning.

In many parts of the world Easter heralds spring as well as the resurrection of Christ. The nocturnal rabbit, signifying the moon who dies every morning and is resurrected every evening, also represents the rebirth of nature in spring. Both the moon and the rabbit were believed to die in order to be reborn. Therefore the hare is a symbol of immortality.

The rabbit's alertness and speed made it a Christian symbol of vigilance and the need to flee from sin and temptation. Like the lion, the hare was believed to be so vigilant that it slept with its eyes open. Its flesh was contaminated with wakefulness and could cause insomnia in its eater. Its speed was a reminder of the swift passage of life.

Tertullian compared the persecuted church to hunted hares, writing, "On us, as if we were hares, is the hunt focused." Unlike other animals, the rabbit has no strength or weapons with which to defend itself from attack. He, therefore, represents Christian trust and dependence on Christ's provision, protection, and mercy both in this life and in the next. The apostle Paul boasted of his infirmities, for in them the power of Christ was made perfect and plain (2 Cor 12:9-10). The saints in heaven are sometimes pictured as hares munching on grapes. The rabbit's burrow is a symbol of Christ's tomb.

The rabbit's trembling makes it a symbol of cowardice and timidity. However, Judeo-Christian writings recommend a holy trembling before the Lord (1 Chr 16:30; Ps 96:9; 99:1; 114:7; Is 19:1; 66:2; Jer 5:22; 33:9] The writer of Philippians warns Christians to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil 2:12). In Medieval times, cowardice was personified with drawings of an armed man running from a hare.