What Are the Real Origins of Easter?

Good News Magazine ^ | Spring 2006 | Jerold Aust

[DouglasKC]

What Are the Real Origins of Easter?

Millions assume that Easter, one of the world's major religious holidays, is found in the Bible. But is it? Have you ever looked into Easter's origins and customs and compared them with the Bible?

by Jerold Aust

Easter is one of the most popular religious celebrations in the world. But is it biblical? The word Easter appears only once in the King James Version of the Bible (and not at all in most others). In the one place it does appear, the King James translators mistranslated the Greek word for Passover as "Easter."

Notice it in Acts 12:4: "And when he [King Herod Agrippa I] had apprehended him [the apostle Peter], 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."

The Greek word translated Easter here is pascha, properly translated everywhere else in the Bible as "Passover." Referring to this mistranslation, Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible says that "perhaps there never was a more unhappy, not to say absurd, translation than that in our text."

Think about theses facts for a minute. Easter is such a major religious holiday. Yet nowhere in the Bible—not in the book of Acts, which covers several decades of the history of the early Church, nor in any of the epistles of the New Testament, written over a span of 30 to 40 years after Jesus Christ's death and resurrection—do we find the apostles or early Christians celebrating anything like Easter.

The Gospels themselves appear to have been written from about a decade after Christ's death and resurrection to perhaps as much as 60 years later (in the case of John's Gospel). Yet nowhere do we find a hint of anything remotely resembling an Easter celebration.

If Easter doesn't come from the Bible, and wasn't practiced by the apostles and early Church, where did it come from?

Easter's surprising origins

Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, in its entry "Easter," states:

"The term ‘Easter' is not of Christian origin. It is another form of Astarte, one of the titles of the Chaldean goddess, the queen of heaven. The festival of Pasch [Passover] held by Christians in post-apostolic times was a continuation of the Jewish feast . . . From this Pasch the pagan festival of ‘Easter' was quite distinct and was introduced into the apostate Western religion, as part of the attempt to adapt pagan festivals to Christianity" (W.E. Vine, 1985, emphasis added throughout).

That's a lot of information packed into one paragraph. Notice what the author, W.E. Vine—a trained classical scholar, theologian, expert in ancient languages and author of several classic Bible helps—tells us:

Easter isn't a Christian or directly biblical term, but comes from a form of the name Astarte, a Chaldean (Babylonian) goddess known as "the queen of heaven." (She is mentioned by that title in the Bible in Jeremiah 7:18 and 44:17-19, 25 and referred to in 1 Kings 11:5, 33 and 2 Kings 23:13 by the Hebrew form of her name, Ashtoreth. So "Easter" is found in the Bible—as part of the pagan religion God condemns!)

Further, early Christians, even after the times of the apostles, continued to observe a variation of the biblical Passover feast (it differed because Jesus introduced new symbolism, as the Bible notes in Matthew 26:26-28 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-28).

Moreover, Easter was very different from the Old Testament Passover or the Passover of the New Testament as understood and practiced by the early Church based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and the apostles.

And again, Easter was a pagan festival, originating in the worship of other gods, and was introduced much later into an apostate Christianity in a deliberate attempt to make such festivals acceptable.

Easter symbols predate Christ

How does The Catholic Encyclopedia define Easter? "Easter: The English term, according to the [eighth-century monk] Bede, relates to Eostre, a Teutonic goddess of the rising light of day and spring, which deity, however, is otherwise unknown . . ." (1909, Vol. 5, p. 224). Eostre is the ancient European name for the same goddess worshipped by the Babylonians as Astarte or Ishtar, goddess of fertility, whose major
celebration was in the spring of the year.

The subtopic "Easter Eggs" tells us that "the custom [of Easter eggs] may have its origin in paganism, for a great many pagan customs, celebrating the return of spring, gravitated to Easter" (ibid., p. 227).

The subtopic "Easter Rabbit" states that "the rabbit is a pagan symbol and has always been an emblem of fertility" (ibid.).

Author Greg Dues, in his book Catholic Customs and Traditions, elaborates on the symbolism of eggs in ancient pre-Christian cultures: "The egg has become a popular Easter symbol. Creation myths of many ancient peoples center in a cosmogenic egg from which the universe is born.

"In ancient Egypt and Persia friends exchanged decorated eggs at the spring equinox, the beginning of their New Year. These eggs were a symbol of fertility for them because the coming forth of a live creature from an egg was so surprising to people of ancient times. Christians of the Near East adopted this tradition, and the Easter egg became a religious symbol. It represented the tomb from which Jesus came forth to new life" (1992, p. 101).

The same author also explains that, like eggs, rabbits became associated with Easter because they were powerful symbols of fertility: "Little children are usually told that the Easter eggs are brought by the Easter Bunny. Rabbits are part of pre-Christian fertility symbolism because of their reputation to reproduce rapidly" (p. 102).

What these sources tell us is that human beings replaced the symbolism of the biblical Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread with Easter eggs and Easter rabbits, pagan symbols of fertility. These symbols demean the truth of Christ's death and resurrection.

Easter substituted for Passover season

But that's not the entire story. In fact, many credible sources substantiate the fact that Easter became a substitute festival for the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. (To learn more about what this Feast represents, see "What Does the Feast of Unleavened Bread Mean for Christians?".)

Notice what The Encyclopaedia Britannica says about this transition: "There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the apostolic Fathers . . . The first Christians continued to observe the Jewish festivals, though in a new spirit, as commemorations of events which those festivals foreshadowed . . .

"The Gentile Christians, on the other hand, unfettered by Jewish traditions, identified the first day of the week [Sunday] with the Resurrection, and kept the preceding Friday as the commemoration of the crucifixion, irrespective of the day of the month" (11th edition, p. 828, "Easter").

Easter, a pagan festival with its pagan fertility symbols, replaced the God-ordained festivals that Jesus Christ, the apostles and the early Church observed. But this didn't happen immediately. Not until A.D. 325—almost three centuries after Jesus Christ was crucified and resurrected—was the matter settled. Regrettably, it wasn't settled on the basis of biblical truth, but on the basis of anti-Semitism and raw ecclesiastical and imperial power.

As The Encyclopaedia Britannica further explains: "A final settlement of the dispute [over whether and when to keep Easter or Passover] was one among the other reasons which led [the Roman emperor] Constantine to summon the council of Nicaea in 325 . . . The decision of the council was unanimous that Easter was to be kept on Sunday, and on the same Sunday throughout the world, and ‘that none should hereafter follow the blindness of the Jews'" (ibid., pp. 828-829).

Those who did choose to "follow the blindness of the Jews"—that is, who continued to keep the biblical festivals kept by Jesus Christ and the apostles rather than the newly "Christianized" pagan Easter festival—were systematically persecuted by the powerful church-state alliance of Constantine 's Roman Empire .

With the power of the empire behind it, Easter soon became entrenched as one of traditional Christianity's most popular sacred celebrations. (You can read more of the details in our free booklet Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Keep? )

Christianity compromised by paganism

British historian Sir James Frazer notes how Easter symbolism and rites, along with other pagan customs and celebrations, entered into the established Roman church:

"Taken altogether, the coincidences of the Christian with the heathen festivals are too close and too numerous to be accidental. They mark the compromise which the Church in the hour of its triumph was compelled to make with its vanquished yet still dangerous rivals [the empire's competing pagan religions].

"The inflexible Protestantism of the primitive missionaries, with their fiery denunciation of heathendom, had been exchanged for the supple policy, the easy tolerance, the comprehensive charity of shrewd ecclesiastics, who clearly perceived that if Christianity was to conquer the world it could do so only by relaxing the too rigid principles of its Founder, by widening a little the narrow gate which leads to salvation" ( The Golden Bough, 1993, p. 361).

In short, to broaden the appeal of the new religion of Christianity in those early centuries, the powerful Roman religious authorities, with the backing of the Roman Empire, simply co-opted the rites and practices of pagan religions, relabeled them as "Christian" and created a new brand of Christianity with customs and teachings far removed from the Church Jesus founded.

The authentic Christianity of the Bible largely disappeared, forced underground by persecution because its followers refused to compromise.

Easter does not accurately represent Jesus Christ's suffering, death and resurrection, though it appears to do so to those who blindly accept religious tradition. In fact, it distorts the truth of the matter. Easter correctly belongs to the Babylonian goddess it is named after—Astarte, also known as Ashtoreth or Ishtar, whose worship is directly and explicitly condemned in the Bible.

The ancient religious practices and fertility symbols associated with her cult existed long before Christ, and regrettably they have largely replaced and obscured the truth of His death and resurrection.

When confronted with these facts about Easter, many professing Christians might raise this question to justify its continuance: With hundreds of millions of well-meaning Christians observing Easter, doesn't this please Jesus Christ? Yet He has already answered this question in Matthew 15:9: "In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." How will you choose to worship Him—in spirit and in truth, or in fraud and in fable? GN

[Quester]

Explain to me Y'shua's command during the Feast of Booths to all of his followers:

John 7:24 "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

I would say that the statement is fairly self-explanatory.

Jesus is encouraging His listeners to make their personal life judgements ... not according to to the appearance (as is the way of man), ... but with righteous judgement (i.e. according the heart ... because this is the way of God).

1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

Have a Blessed Passover season.

And you, as well, my brother.

[Quester]

I notice that you used only two scriptures in your reply to DouglasKC, ...

Then ... you have missed a lot that was said.

Scroll up the thread ... to get a fuller sense of the conversation.

[DouglasKC]

Where in the NT does it say "Thou only hast to do what it says to do in the old testament if it is remphasized in the the new testament"?
The Jerusalem council is a prime example.

Not an answer. You have a theory that you only have to do things in the old testament if they are re-emphasized in the new testament. Where is the scripture that supports that theory?

Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

That says the opposite. Paul is telling Christians not to let people judge them in HOW they are keeping God's feasts. It's another scripture that affirms that early Christians were keeping the feasts of the Lord. I feel like saying "duh" after making that statement because it's so obvious that they were.

I've taken a look at the context of these verses, ... and it is clear that Paul is speaking on keeping one's life pure from sin, and full of the characteristics that God calls us to (i.e. sincerity and truth).
The context does not speak to physical feasts.

What you mean is that it doesn't fit your context so you have to explain it away with some weird explanation where Paul tell his followers to keep the feast, yet don't keep it. I've covered this already in a previous post.

The phrase "keep the feast" is a translation of:

heortazo
heh-or-tad'-zo
From G1859; to observe a festival: - keep the feast.
Thayer Definition:
1) to keep a feast day, celebrate a feast

This is a verb form of:

heorte
heh-or-tay'
Of uncertain affinity; a festival: - feast, holyday.

In the new testament, heorte always, always, refers to nothing but the holy days created by God.

It is used in the following NT passages: Mat_26:5, Mat_27:15, Mar_14:2, Mar_15:6, Luk_2:41-42 (2), Luk_22:1, Luk_23:17, Joh_2:23, Joh_4:45 (2), Joh_5:1, Joh_6:4, Joh_7:2, Joh_7:8 (2), Joh_7:10-11 (2), Joh_7:14, Joh_7:37, Joh_11:56, Joh_12:12, Joh_12:20, Joh_13:1, Joh_13:29, Act_18:21,Col_2:16

So Paul is clearly and unmistakebly telling his followers to observe a feast of God. You're just closing your ears and eyes and refusing to see the truth. That's exactly right because feast keepers have not yet been commanded to come to Jerusalem to keep the feast.
And the church has not been commanded to keep these feasts.

It's in the bible Quester. You just refuse to believe it. Jesus Christ kept the feasts because he created them. Paul kept the feasts. Paul told the former gentiles in the churches under his pastorship to keep the feasts. The only ones NOT keeping the feasts were those who worshipped false Gods.

You are looking at scripture through the eyes of tradition and culture and placing that tradition and culture OVER scripture. When it comes to this issue, you have made an idol out of tradition and culture and are worshipping it instead of God.

[Quester]

You are looking at scripture through the eyes of tradition and culture and placing that tradition and culture OVER scripture. When it comes to this issue, you have made an idol out of tradition and culture and are worshipping it instead of God.

That's your judgement ... which you're entitled to, I suppose.

[kerryusama04]

A question for Tenn2005 and Quester:

What is the end of the road for your theologies? Those of us who regard the Bible as a linear and complete guidebook for Holy livin' generally agree that the two resurrections are literal and are judgement days. One resurrection for the faithful Commandment keeping believers in Jesus and one for the wicked. If the Commandments are gone, what standard will Jesus use to judge? Do you guys believe in a resurrection? How does one display Holy livin'? How is one to be a light to others?

[Diego1618]

By the way....I never heard back from you on the proof of the Early Church keeping the Passover well into the 3rd century in my post # 174.

[Quester]

What is the end of the road for your theologies? Those of us who regard the Bible as a linear and complete guidebook for Holy livin' generally agree that the two resurrections are literal and are judgement days. One resurrection for the faithful Commandment keeping believers in Jesus and one for the wicked. If the Commandments are gone, what standard will Jesus use to judge? Do you guys believe in a resurrection? How does one display Holy livin'? How is one to be a light to others?

I believe that faithful believers will resurrected to life, ... while all others are resurrected to face God's wrath.

John 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

If the Commandments are gone, what standard will Jesus use to judge?

On the basis of affiliation with the Son ... and the outworking of His (Godly) love.

1 John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

Matthew 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

How does one display Holy livin'? How is one to be a light to others?

By our love for one another.

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

[kerryusama04]

Curiously absent from your post is Love for God:

Mat 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment. Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Love for God is #1. Love for your Neighbor is #2. #1 = Commandments 1-4, #2 = Commandments 5-10. I guess 60% is a passing grade.....

Another question, Quester. Who wrote the 10 Commandments?

[Uri’el-2012]

......

Mat 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

.......

248 posted on 04/14/2006 7:54:27 AM MDT by kerryusama04 (Isa 8:20)

I prefer this event from the lips of Peter through the pen of Mark

Mar 12:29 Jesus answered, "The foremost is,
'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD;

Mar 12:30 AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART,
AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.'
[Deut. 6:4,5]

Mar 12:31 "The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'[Lev. 19:18]
There is no other commandment greater than these."

Mar 12:32 The scribe said to Him, "Right, Teacher; You have truly stated
that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM;

Mar 12:33 AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH
ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH,
AND TO LOVE ONE'S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF,
is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

Mar 12:34 When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him,
"You are not far from the kingdom of God."

Blessed Passover season.

b'shem Y'shua

[Quester]

Curiously absent from your post is Love for God:

Not so curious ... unless you are set upon accusing your brother.

I simply quoted Jesus ... from a couple of different occasions in His teaching ministry.

Of course, I didn't know that it was required that I cite everything that was ever said.

Another question, Quester. Who wrote the 10 Commandments?

Why ... God, of course.

[Quester]

Mat 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.

Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Love for God is #1. Love for your Neighbor is #2. #1 = Commandments 1-4, #2 = Commandments 5-10. I guess 60% is a passing grade ...

Salvation under the Law requires a 100% grade.

Thank God that we are not saved by the Law ...

Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

[kerryusama04]

me: Another question, Quester. Who wrote the 10 Commandments?

you: Why ... God, of course.

Jesus Christ wrote the 10 Commandments Here is my scripture to back it up, but I betcha Xenia can thrown down some of that funky Hebrew and make the case better than I:

1Co 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 1Co 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 1Co 10:3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 1Co 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

Joh 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Exo 20:2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Salvation under the Law requires a 100% grade.

Indeed, but look at what Paul also said:

Rom 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Paul is saying that obedience to the Law is a product of true faith, but faith is not a product of obedience to the Law. Had Paul actually preached the end to the Law, they would have crucified him, too. Recall that the Pharisees were trying to get Jesus to break the Law so they could stone Him here:

Mat 12:1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were hungry, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. Mat 12:2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day

Know we all know the outcome here, the Sabbath was still the Sabbath before and after this exchange, but what was clarified was what to do on the Sabbath, not whether or not to keep it.

... unless you are set upon accusing your brother.

There is no need for going there. If your answer to the previous question is accusing, consult the author.

Regarding your theology, it is quite rare to see such a display of moral relativism here on FR. Is it OK for two men to be married in a Christian Church and thus consumate that relationship all in the name of the Lord? Heck, as long as it is done "in the spirit (of truth)", it must be OK, huh?

This nonsense that one must not Judge is ludicrous. Paul seems to be rather judgmental right here:

1Co 5:1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. 1Co 5:2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. 1Co 5:3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed. 1Co 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 1Co 5:5 To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

[Quester]

Paul is saying that obedience to the Law is a product of true faith, but faith is not a product of obedience to the Law.

I do not entirely disagree ... but I would pose the question ...

What of the Law should be the outcome of faith ?

The whole Law ... including ...

... animal sacrifice ?

... circumcision ?

... the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem ?

... the stoning of insolent children ?

Regarding your theology, it is quite rare to see such a display of moral relativism here on FR. Is it OK for two men to be married in a Christian Church and thus consumate that relationship all in the name of the Lord? Heck, as long as it is done "in the spirit (of truth)", it must be OK, huh?

I believe that this issue is addressed in the NT.

Noone who follows the NT would be considered a moral relativist.

This nonsense that one must not Judge is ludicrous.

I think that we'd agree that Jesus wasn't just making smalltalk when He taught about not judging one's brother.

The question would be ... what did He mean ?

Jesus clearly says that we should, in love, try and apply correction to our brother's errors.

What Jesus did not say ... was that we can make any claim to judge the motivations and intents of anyone's heart ... simply because such is beyond our calling.

Only God knows the heart ... and, therefore, only He will judge the heart rightly.

Jesus also said that, frequently, those that are prone to judge ... have much deeper moral failings ... than those they choose to target.

Matthew 7: Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

[kerryusama04]

What of the Law should be the outcome of faith ?

Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Mat 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The whole Law ... including ... ... animal sacrifice ? ... circumcision ? ... the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem ? ... the stoning of insolent children ?

This does not deserve a response.

Jesus clearly says that we should, in love, try and apply correction to our brother's errors.

Post 110 was the loving post. You continue publicly post a theology that plainly contradicts scipture. Jesus would likely judge me harsher if I did not post what I know to be true. Your antinomian theology has already been tried and condemned:

2Th 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already working, only he is now holding back until it comes out of the midst. 2Th 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the breath of His mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming, 2Th 2:9 whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 2Th 2:10 and with all deceit of unrighteousness in those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, so that they might be saved. 2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, 2Th 2:12 so that all those who do not believe the truth, but delight in unrighteousness, might be condemned.

[Quester]

Oh well ...

[bornacatholic]

Plase take me off your ping list. Me and my fellow Pagans just had a great easter. We had easter eggs and whatnot. I cooked a dead animal (lamb) on the grille - after it had marinated in red wine, garlic, rosemary, sage etc for 24 hours.

Oh, just one thing...where in the New Testament does Jesus tell others to adhere to Levitical statutes?

[SunkenCiv]

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	Antiquity Journal  & archive  Archaeologica  Archaeology  Archaeology Channel  BAR  Bronze Age Forum  Discover  Dogpile  Eurekalert  Google  LiveScience  Mirabilis.ca  Nat Geographic  PhysOrg  Science Daily  Science News  Texas AM  Yahoo  Excerpt, or Link only?	Note: this topic is from April 2006. Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, in its entry "Easter," states: "The term ‘Easter' is not of Christian origin. It is another form of Astarte, one of the titles of the Chaldean goddess, the queen of heaven. The festival of Pasch [Passover] held by Christians in post-apostolic times was a continuation of the Jewish feast . . . From this Pasch the pagan festival of ‘Easter' was quite distinct and was introduced into the apostate Western religion, as part of the attempt to adapt pagan festivals to Christianity" ...The subtopic "Easter Eggs" tells us that "the custom [of Easter eggs] may have its origin in paganism, for a great many pagan customs, celebrating the return of spring, gravitated to Easter"... The subtopic "Easter Rabbit" states that "the rabbit is a pagan symbol and has always been an emblem of fertility" ... "In ancient Egypt and Persia friends exchanged decorated eggs at the spring equinox, the beginning of their New Year. These eggs were a symbol of fertility for them because the coming forth of a live creature from an egg was so surprising to people of ancient times. Christians of the Near East adopted this tradition, and the Easter egg became a religious symbol. It represented the tomb from which Jesus came forth to new life" ... "Rabbits are part of pre-Christian fertility symbolism because of their reputation to reproduce rapidly"... Blast from the Past. Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.
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