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Easter Traditions in Light of the Bible
Introduction
I am not now, nor have I ever been much on traditions. This is a fact that can be verified by those who know me very well at all. Some traditions are ok. Mid-week Bible Study for churches is a tradition. There is not one Bible command to have a church service in the middle of a week, but I think this is a good practice. Many churches, including ours, observe the Lord’s Supper once a month. This is a tradition. Again, I think it is a good tradition. We are told to observe the Lord’s Supper but not how often.
Many of our “Christian” traditions are contrary to the Bible, and many of these unscriptural traditions surface on holidays. Think of the Christmas story as you know it and then find in the Bible where it tells us there were three wise men or that the wise men visited the Baby Jesus in the manger. You will find these to be Unscriptural Traditions. Easter is another holiday overrun with these unscriptural traditions, as we will see.
When you accept tradition that is contrary to the Bible you might as well take your Bible and throw it out. Mark 7:13 says “Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” I don’t care how many generations something has been taught, or what the “Historical Position” always has been if it is contrary to the Bible it is wrong. If it is wrong we should not teach it and teach our church members and our families what the Bible teaches.
My purpose in this writing is not to pick a fight with anyone, make anyone mad or make a name for myself. I simply want to avoid preaching the same messages every spring. In dealing with the Triumphal Entry, Christ’s arrest, trial, beating, crucifixion, burial, resurrection and post resurrection ministry, there is so much to cover that it cannot be exhausted.
The subjects that are covered in this booklet were dealt with from the pulpit of Open Bible Independent Baptist Church of Elkhart, IN during the “Easter” season of 2000, which was the first such season that the church existed. As I prepare for the “Easter” season of 2001 there are things that I want to cover that we did not get to last year but I also realize that there are people in the church that were not with us last year and may be unaware of the subjects covered in this booklet and others may show up on Easter Sunday expecting a Sunrise Service or an Easter Egg hunt for the kids and be disappointed when they don’t get what they expected.
It is my hope and prayer that we can use this booklet as a tool to explain why we do not hold to the Easter traditions that many other churches do and still be free to explore the abundance of Material that there is to cover during this wonderful season.
That being said let's dig in and explore Easter Tradition in light of the Bible.
Should the Bible read “Easter” or “Passover” in Acts 12:4?
Acts 12:1-5 “12:1 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.”
It is hard to believe that one little six letter word could cause such an uproar, but it has. For quite some time people have debated the translation of this word and those who feel that it is their duty in life to convince people that we don’t have a perfect Bible love to jump on Acts 12:4 and shout mistranslation, mistranslation.
I may not know much but I do know that God promised to preserve his word, and he also promised that his word is perfect. (Psalm 12:6,7 among other places). An examination of this passage will prove two things: 1) Easter is the correct translation and belongs right where God put it, and 2) the King James Bible is the only English Bible that has it correct. I will try to explain it as simply as I possibly can.
The Debate
The Word translated “Easter” in Acts 12:4 is the Greek word “Pascha” It is used 29 times throughout the New Testament. 28 of these 29 times it is translated “Passover” and the one other time (in Acts 12:4) the King James translators rendered the word “Easter”. The debate that has been going on for quite some time is simply this. Is the word “Easter” a mistranslation? I am of the belief that any “Mistranslation” that exists in the King James Bible exists only between the ears of the critic trying to prove the Bible wrong and we will be far better off if we will approach the Bible with an innocent until proven guilty approach instead of the other way around.
The Dilemma
Every other English Bible translation (That I am aware of) translates the word Passover in Acts 12:4 and most Commentaries and notes in KJV Study Bibles declare “Easter” to be a mistranslation. I have been criticized for my preference of plain text Bibles (just the text, no cross references or study notes) and my avoidance of commentaries. But my belief has been, and remains to be that with the Holy Ghost, a King James Bible, an exhaustive concordance, a good English dictionary and a good Bible dictionary you have all you need to understand and study your Bible. You also will avoid reading other peoples mistakes and misconceptions about the Bible.
The Bible Correctors love to point out this verse as proof of their so called errors in the King James Bible. So in short the question is, is “Easter” a mistranslation? Should our Bible read “Passover” like all the others? Looking at the Bible and comparing Scripture with Scripture will provide us with the answers we are looking for.
The Details
Easter is a pagan festival Also known as “Ishtar”. On the Subject of Easter the Encarta Encyclopedia says “it probably comes from Çastre, 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.”
Passover is a Annual Jewish feast which originated in Exodus 12 and was celebrated annually. Easter and Passover are two totally different things and there is no way you could confuse one with the other. So then the question we must try to answer is which of the two is the passage referring to? Consider the following Bible passages referring to Passover:
Exodus 12:13-18 13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.
15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.
17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.
Numbers 28:16-18 16 And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD.
17 And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
18 In the first day shall be an holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work therein:
Deuteronomy 16:1-8 16:1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.
2 Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there.
3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction: for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.
4 And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning.
5 Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee:
6 But at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.
7 And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents.
8 Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work therein.
Ezra 6:19-22 19 And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month.
20 For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure, and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
21 And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat,
22 And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
It is clear from reading these passages that the Passover was on the 14th of the month (Numbers 28:16 Ezra 6:19 and others) and was then followed by seven days of unleavened bread, from the 15th to the 21st (Numbers 26:17,18 Exodus 12:14-16 and others). Again Passover occurred first followed by the days of unleavened bread.
Is Acts 12:4 referring to the Jewish Passover or the Pagan Easter? Looking at the passage in context gives us the answer: Acts 12:3 says “And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)” and verse 4 continues “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.” We see that Peter was arrested and thrown in Jail during the days of unleavened bread (vs. 3) and decided to put him before the people after Easter. As we have already stated Passover occurred before the days of unleavened bread so when Peter was Jailed, that year’s Passover had already occurred, but Easter (the pagan holiday) was still going on, as it was celebrated for the entire month.
By comparing Scripture with Scripture we see that Passover was the 14th and Peter was Jailed sometime between the 15th and 21st and Herrod decided to wait until the first of the next month (after Easter) to bring him before the People.
So not only is Easter the proper translation, the King James Bible is the only English Bible that has it right. Amen and Amen.
What about all of the Symbols and Traditions?
I stated in the previous section that Easter was a pagan festival. However it has come to be associated with the resurrection of Christ. The first entry under Easter in my dictionary says “day for celebrating Christ’s rising from the dead.” In the Encarta encyclopedia, which I quoted from before the beginning of the section on Easter begins “Easter, annual festival commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the principal feast of the Christian year.” In the mind of the vast majority of the world’s population Easter has become synonymous with the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
That being said we are forced to face an obvious question. What do bunnies, colored eggs and baskets with plastic grass have to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ? You could answer that question with another question. What do Lights and decorated trees and December 25th have to do with the Birth of Christ? The answer to both questions is the same, absolutely nothing. There is absolutely no connection between the symbols of the Easter season and the Resurrection of Christ. There have been some who have tried to make a connection and have looked quite silly doing so. I remember several years ago reading either a book or a newspaper article trying to tie these symbols to Christ. The explanation was offered that when Christ was on the way to Calvary, Carrying his cross, one of the onlookers was a lady carrying a basket of eggs. After Jesus passed by her and she started home, she noticed that all of the eggs in her basket had become colored. The problem with this “cute” little story is that it is not recorded in any of the gospel accounts of Christ’s crucifixion. There is just no way to find a connection between Christ’s resurrection and the Easter Symbols.
Let me ask another question about the Easter symbols. What do bunnies and eggs have to do with a pagan celebration of Ishtar or Astare? The answer here is lots. The encyclopedia entry from the above section tells us that this was a celebration of the goddess of fertility. We all know that bunnies have a close connection to fertility and reproduction. Eggs picture this as well. Simply put, the same thing happened with Easter that
happened with Christmas. Many years ago the powers that be decided to “Christianize” a pagan holiday. And when they did this much of the old practices remained.
In the Old Testament God led Israel to the Promised Land and he told them when they inhabited it to drive out all of the people that were there (Exodus 23, Joshua 9, etc). This was not done out of cruelty or hatred it was done to protect Israel from the idolatry and other practices of the land’s inhabitants. Israel chose not to do as God said and mingled with the people from the land and soon they had idolatry and many other problems because they did not do what God said.
This is why we have the symbols associated with Easter that we do. If you study the history of the Roman Catholic church you will find that Constantine basically tried to “Christianize” a Pagan religion. They did the same thing with Christmas and Easter. They chose two holidays that were celebrating other things and assigned one to the birth of Christ and the other to his resurrection. When this was done much of the pagan symbolism remained, hence the bunnies and eggs.
Why Does the Date Change?
One particularly odd thing about the celebration of the resurrection of Christ is that it falls on a different day every year. There is a date that Christ was born. Oddly enough no one is quite sure what date that is but we celebrate this on December 25 every year. I can assure you that just as there is a date on which Christ was born there is also a date on which he was crucified and three days and nights after that he resurrected. Why then does the date for Easter change every year.
As has been previously noted, Easter began as a pagan festival and it was dated the way many of their dates were, according to the lunar cycle. History tells us that it was Constantine that standardized the dating of the Easter celebration. The Encarta encyclopedia says this about it “Constantine the Great, Roman emperor, convoked the Council of Nicaea in 325. The council unanimously ruled that the Easter festival should be celebrated throughout the Christian world on the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox; and that if the full moon should occur on a Sunday and thereby coincide with the Passover festival, Easter should be commemorated on the Sunday following.” So the date that we remember our Lord’s resurrection is fixed by the lunar cycle as determined by Constantine in 325 AD. This seems to me to go right along with Deuteronomy 17:2-5 and II Kings 23:4,5. Much of what we associate with Easter, including the dating and the symbols we inherited from the Roman Catholic church and they brought them over from old pagan festivals.
What about Good Friday?
Last but not least I want to look at one of the biggest fairy tales that that has ever been told to Christians. The sad truth is that the majority of them have swallowed it hook, line and sinker. What I am talking about is the assumption that Jesus was crucified on Friday.
I remember as a new Christian setting in class in the Bible Institute I attended feeling dumb as a box of rocks, when the Instructor said “who can tell me what day Jesus was crucified?” I was excited about the fact that a question was asked that I knew the answer to so I raised my hand and said “Friday” and He said “if Jesus was crucified on Friday then we have some serious problems in the Bible.” He then proceeded to teach us some of what you will find here.
Why is it that most of the world assumes that Jesus was crucified on Friday? I would guess most would base their belief on Mark 15:42 where the Bible says “And now when the
even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,”. The Bible plainly tells us here that Christ was crucified the day before the Sabbath. I would guess that most Christians know that the Sabbath is Saturday, the seventh day of the week. It is not rocket science to look at a calendar and determine that the day before Saturday is Friday. Now the Bible tells us that Jesus was crucified on the day before the Sabbath. That is an indisputable fact. We also know that the day before Friday is Saturday, that is also an indisputable fact. So where is the conflict?
Jesus said in Matthew 12:40 “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” In John 2:19 he said, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The problem that exists is this, There is no way to get three days and three nights into the period of time between Friday and Sunday, it just does not work. Anyone who can do it deserves the Nobel prize in mathematics.
I guess this could be seen as another one of the so called contradictions in the Bible. In Matthew and John, Jesus said that he would be in the grave 3 days and in Mark we are told he was crucified the day before the Sabbath. There is a reason why we are told in II Timothy 2:15 to study. In studying and comparing Scripture with Scripture we find the answer to our supposed contradiction. John 19:31 is a parallel passage to Mark 15:42 but it sheds a little more light on the subject. It says “The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.” So the supposed contradiction does not exist. Yes, Jesus was crucified the day before the Sabbath, but not the day before the weekly Sabbath (Friday) Jesus was crucified the day before a special, or High Sabbath) A study of the Old Testament Law will reveal that there were several of these.
As if that wasn’t enough there is another problem with the Friday Crucifixion theory. The Bible is clear about the timing and order of events around the crucifixion. A study of Luke 22 and other passages will give us a clear timeline of these events. You will notice as you read that passage that the Passover was the evening before Christ’s Crucifixion. If He was crucified on Friday then the Passover was Thursday evening. John 12:1 says “Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.” Here we see that Jesus made a trip to Bethany six days before the Passover. Six days before Thursday is Saturday, which is the Sabbath. The Jewish laws regarding the Sabbath would have prevented this trip from being made.
At the end of this article there is a chart that lays out how I believe the events of the crucifixion week must have unfolded. The one thing we must realize in trying to sort everything out is that Jewish days did not run 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM as ours do. The Jewish day ran 6:00 PM to 5:59 PM. In Genesis 1:5,8,13 you read the phrase “And the evening and the morning were the first day.” That is how their days ran. This is why that they had to get Christ’s body down and into the tomb before evening because that was the start of the Next day, which we have already seen, was a High Sabbath.
On the chart you will see the Jewish days laid out with our days and how things must have come to pass. I know it is contrary to tradition and different from what many believe but remember 2 things:
1) When faced with a choice between tradition and the Bible, choose the Bible
2) The Majority is usually wrong Matthew 7:13,14
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, And many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth untolife, and few there be that find it.”
,“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter…”
Ecclesiastes 12:13
All that God has done he has done through his word. Over and over again in Genesis 1 you read “and God said” God has given us his word, he has inspired it, preserved it and he expects us to live by it “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” That is a tall order even when we are totally sure that every word is true, but many are not sure of that. One of the reasons for that is the unscriptural traditions which some still cling to. As I stated in the Introduction my aim has been to compare tradition with the Bible. I hope that is what I have done. May God give us the strength to base all that we do on his word and when we must chose between tradition and the Bible may we side with the Bible every time.