Easter

Holidays have become a big part of all religions, including Christianity. In Romans 14 Paul taught we should be tolerant of people's personal days. They should not be forced into the church or made binding on Christianity as a whole. We are not to use personal days as a reason for separation or excommunication.

Rom 15:7  Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

Catholics practice an extreme where those not keeping Christmas and Easter are excommunicated. Some versions of their catechism made both holidays mandatory. This violates Romans 14 where keeping days and years are to be optional. In the 2nd through the 4th century the Catholics transitioned to a dogmatic approach to holidays. They became more like Judaism with a set yearly system of holidays and fasts. This was not simply personal choice but became a set format for public worship, enjoined upon all

This practice started very early in Christianity but was denounced on some grounds by Paul. Actually the Holy Spirit corrected it through Paul.

Gal 4:10  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.

Gal 4:11  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

Col 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:

Col 2:17  Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Keeping set holidays, whether Jewish or Roman, does not bring us closer to God than Christ can , but we do have the freedom to keep holidays if not idolatrous and if it reflects truth. It cannot become law in the church. No one can judge others if they do not keep the holiday.

Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Whatever we choose to do it must reflect the truth. So does Easter reflect the truth? Does Christmas reflect the truth? They reflect some truth but teach some false ideas.

1. Easter tradition falsely teaches Easter and the Passover were the same holiday. This is false.

2. Easter tradition changes the date of Passover and skews the Gospel record.

3. Easter dogmatism made some holidays and their dates requirements vs optional.

4. Some were killed, imprisoned, persecuted, or excommunicated over keeping the holidays or not keeping them as Rome prescribed, which was hate and murder.

So, if forced holy days violates the Holy Spirit's direction, how did it all get started and implemented?

It started with some ignorance and several assumptions in my opinion. Church leaders forwarded the assumption Passover and Easter were the same holiday which led to fighting over the day to be observed. This could be because they were in the same month and close to the same time of the month. It could also be because the timing of finding Christ's tomb empty occurred close to dawn and the Goddess Eostre, the Goddess of Easter, was the goddess of dawn. There were enough similarities to draw the two holidays together.

What we do know is there were calendar terms that became interchangeable. Month of Eostre was at the same time as Month of Pasach. It wouldn't be difficult to confuse them since they reflected the same month. People simply assumed they were the same holiday just practiced in different languages and cultures. I believe each society wanted to show themselves connected to God. Some were monotheistic so that they could claim to worship the same God. This was a deception, even though societies might know of and honor the same God as Israel, it does not mean God spoke to all societies.

Psa 147:19  He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.

Psa 147:20  He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the LORD.

It is pretty certain God did not give Passover and a like holiday in another country and culture. There was the possibility of Jewish proselytes, but there is no record of that. Nevertheless, I see no chance they were the same holiday.

They were never the same holiday. Easter was Roman/Celtic and Passover was Jewish. They were based upon different events. It wasn't until the Church at Rome combined the two as if they were the same holiday that disputes occurred. Passover was 14th-21st of Nisan on the Jewish calendar, Easter was the Sunday after the full moon associated with the Spring equinox. Passover was based upon a lunar calendar and Easter based upon a solar/Lunar calendar.

At some point someone began to assume they were connected. The first argument was between Anicetus of Rome and Polycarp. Polycarp correctly argued Passover began 14 Nisan as given by John the Apostle, it seems Anicletus inferred they were the same holiday and argued Easter was observed Sunday as taught by other Apostles, and sought to make Passover a Sunday observance.

Both groups of Apostles would be correct if different Holidays and not confused. Easter could be Sunday and Passover did begin on the 14th Nisan. The problem is both Easter and Passover were personal choices, and not the same Holiday. Anicletus arguing Easter was Sunday added nothing to the argument, because they were never the same holiday.

Paul made it clear Jewish holidays were optional for Jewish Christians and not to be enjoined upon all. If Easter was Passover, then Easter could not be made law either.

In Europe the Easter holiday was for the goddess Eostre, though this was denied by Catholics for years, archeological discoveries have confirmed such a goddess existed. It seems she was a sun Goddess, either of the Dawn or of the Sun in general. It is the word whereby we get the word East. Of course Catholics changed all the symbolist to only reflect the Gospel, such as eggs representing the tomb of Christ, so not done in idolatry anymore, but it did confuse holidays and it did change dates of known dates.

It certainly gave Christian enemies ammunition to cast doubt on the truthfulness of Christianity in general.

Anicetus argued the Apostles of Palestine and Egypt stated Easter was on Sunday, which would be correct,  but it does not mean the apostles saw Easter and Passover as the same holiday. Nor does it prove the Apostles kept Easter. This assumption was supplied by Anicetus. By assuming they were the same holiday and that Easter was sunday,  he carried his argument among Romans that Passover and Easter were Sunday. This would be offensive to Jews in general and led to Christianity becoming a gentile religion. Jews were highly offended by the changes as well as those friendly to Jews, who knew their traditions.

Easter and Christmas actually led to the rise of Islam, as Christians were discredited by many inconsistencies..

The Roman changes were either by ignorance or deception, one thing we do know is they persecuted those who questioned them..

The assumption of Easter and Passover being the same also allowed them to assume the Apostle John kept Easter, when the evidence only showing him to keep Passover on the 14th, likely as a Jew, and not binding Passover or other Jewish feasts upon all Christians.

There is no evidence, except hearsay, that any Apostle kept Easter, they may have tolerated Easter. This is debateable. They may have taught Easter fell on Sunday, but no where taught Passover fell on Sunday.

Easter is mentioned only in Acts 12 in the New Testament, that is likely an assumption of the name, the Greek word translated Easter is Passover, thus later translators assumed they were the same and took the liberty to substitute Easter for Passover. The same word is translated 28 times as Passover and once as Easter.

This leads to the next point, with many deceptions over holidays, are we sure Jesus died Friday, so that good Friday accurately reflects the Gospel? The answer is Jesus may have died Wednesday or Thursday. In my opinion Thursday.

What happens and who is responsible when people were excommunicated over a day that was wrong.