Which holiday is more Christian: Passover or Easter? Why do Christians celebrate a holiday called Easter?
Passover Origins of the name “Easter”: The name “Easter” originated with the names of an ancient Goddess and God. The Venerable Bede, (672-735 CE.) a Christian scholar, first asserted in his book De Ratione Temporum that Easter was named after Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). She was the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe. Similarly, the “Teutonic dawn goddess of fertility [was] known variously as Ostare, Ostara, Ostern, Eostra, Eostre, Eostur, Eastra, Eastur, Austron and Ausos.” 1 Her name was derived from the ancient word for spring: “eastre.” Similar Goddesses were known by other names in ancient cultures around the Mediterranean, and were celebrated in the springtime. Some were: Aphrodite from ancient Cyprus Ashtoreth from ancient Israel Astarté from ancient Greece Demeter from Mycenae Hathor from ancient Egypt Ishtar from Assyria Kali from India Ostara a Norse Goddess of fertility. An alternative explanation has been suggested. The name given by the Frankish church
Passover is a Jewish holiday, Jesus was a Jew, his family celebrated Passover. Passover is mentioned in the Bible, Easter is not. Jesus’ followers during his lifetime were mostly Jews, and continued to observe Jewish practice. Paul was a Jew who did not meet Jesus, and Peter was the ‘rock’ on which Jesus said he would build his church. However, the tax collector Saul claimed a meeting with Jesus and became the more powerful builder of the early Christian church. It was Paul who began proselytizing non-Jews. Jesus welcomed everyone, but spoke to Jewish people, his people. Jesus was born in the spring – lambing season – but the Christian calender was designed to place Christian holidays in season to replace pagan/pre- Christian holidays, so that new followers would not fall away during celebrations. Easter is a form of Eostre, Esther, Star, Ishtar. The symbolism of eggs also precedes Christianity. Because of Paul (born Saul), Christianity became a syncretic religion, with elements added
