Easter Versus Resurrection: Origins of the Festival
Easter.—This issue of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES is not an “Easter Number,” but a “Resurrection Number.” There is a wide difference between the two terms. “Easter” comes from the Anglo Saxon “Eostre,” Teutonic, “Austro,” goddess of Spring, worshiped with feasting and flowers, a pure nature worship, and while having many things about it beautiful, yet tending ever to the lower, sensuous life. The Passover was in the Spring. Our Lord’s resurrection occurred in the Spring. The heathen worshiped with special ceremony the goddess Eostre in the Spring. And the half-converted “fathers” of the early church who came from Paganism or were saturated with pagan philosophy thought that it would be a good stroke in heathen-winning to adopt as many heathen customs as possible. Easter was one of these customs in which name and character were transferred to the so-called “Christian” festival, but one wholly unscriptural. Sunday was another such; and the old Roman Saturnalia was another, transformed into our Christmas.