Christians Who Don't Celebrate Easter: What Do They Know?

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Christians Who Don't Celebrate Easter

What Do They Know?

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Every spring, the anticipation and excitement of Easter is electrifying for many people. Churches prepare elaborate Easter programs that illustrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Parents take time to color Easter eggs and hide them so their children can hunt for them.

If Easter isn't found in the Bible, where exactly did it come from? And just exactly what does the name Easter mean?

It's typical for TV movies this time of year to depict Easter as an enjoyable occasion of renewed happiness. Television advertisements and commercial businesses also get very involved with Easter as they offer colorful Easter baskets, Easter costumes and chocolate rabbits to celebrate this great religious event.

Many churches advertise outdoor Easter sunrise services, with any and all invited. Weather permitting, the Easter celebration is visually reinforced by watching the sun rise in the east.

But what do bunnies and colored eggs have to do with Jesus' resurrection?

And if this celebration is so important, why didn't Jesus teach His apostles and the early Church to observe it? The books of the New Testament were written over a span of decades after Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, yet nowhere do we see so much as a hint of any kind of Easter celebration.

So where exactly did Easter and its customs come from? Why do hundreds of millions of people celebrate the holiday today?

Can we find Easter in the Bible?

Easter is considered the most important religious festival in today's Christianity. "The Easter feast has been and still is regarded as the greatest in the Christian church, since it commemorates the most important event in the life of its Founder" (The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 1986, Vol. 2, "Easter"). Given its popularity, one would think that surely this observance is found in God's Word.

Some cite Acts 12:4 as authority for celebrating Easter. But there's a problem in that Easter isn't really mentioned there at all. The King James Bible translators substituted "Easter" for the Greek word Pascha, which means "Passover." "The word [Easter] does not properly occur in Scripture, although [the King James Version] has it in Acts 12:4 where it stands for Passover, as it is rightly rendered in RV" (ibid.).

The vast majority of Bible translations recognize this error in the King James Version and rightly translate the word as "Passover" in Acts 12:4. The truth is, "there is no trace of Easter celebration in the [New Testament]" (ibid.)

Where did Easter come from?

If Easter isn't found in the Bible, where exactly did it come from? And just exactly what does the name Easter mean?

It's important to review credible historical sources to understand the celebration's true history. For example, The Encyclopaedia Britannica tells us: "At Easter, popular customs reflect many ancient pagan survivals—in this instance, connected with spring fertility rites, such as the symbols of the Easter egg and the Easter hare or rabbit" (15th edition, Macropaedia, Vol. 4, p. 605, "Church Year").

In the ancient world of the Middle East, people were far more connected to the land and cycles of nature than we are today. They depended on the land's fertility and crops to survive. Spring, when fertility returned to the land after the long desolation of winter, was a much-anticipated and welcomed time for them.

Many peoples celebrated the coming of spring with celebrations and worship of their gods and goddesses, particularly those associated with fertility. Among such deities were Baal and Astarte or Ashtoreth, mentioned and condemned frequently in the Bible, whose worship typically included ritual sex to promote fertility throughout the land.

It was only natural to the peoples of the ancient Middle East to incorporate symbols of fertility—such as eggs and rabbits, which reproduce in great numbers—into those pagan celebrations for their gods. As The Encyclopaedia Britannica notes above, Easter eggs and the Easter rabbit are simply a continuation of these ancient spring fertility rites.

Nineteenth-century Scottish Protestant clergyman Alexander Hislop's work The Two Babylons is still considered a definitive work on pagan customs that survive in today's religious practices.

On Easter, he wrote: "What means the term Easter itself? It is not a Christian name. It bears its Chaldean origin on its very forehead. Easter is nothing else than Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the queen of heaven, whose name, as pronounced by the people of Nineveh, was evidently identical with that now in common use in this country. That name, as found by [early archaeologist Sir Austen Henry] Layard on the Assyrian monuments, is Ishtar" (1959, p. 103).

The name Easter, then, comes not from the Bible. Instead its roots go far back to the ancient pre-Christian Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar, known in the Bible as Astarte or Ashtoreth.

Ancient resurrection celebrations

What did worship of this goddess Ishtar involve? "Temples to Ishtar had many priestesses, or sacred prostitutes, who symbolically acted out the fertility rites of the cycle of nature. Ishtar has been identified with the Phoenician Astarte, the Semitic Ashtoreth, and the Sumerian Inanna. Strong similarities also exist between Ishtar and the Egyptian Isis, the Greek Aphrodite, and the Roman Venus.

"Associated with Ishtar was the young god Tammuz [mentioned in Ezekiel 8:14], considered both divine and mortal . . . In Babylonian mythology Tammuz died annually and was reborn year after year, representing the yearly cycle of the seasons and the crops. This pagan belief later was identified with the pagan gods Baal and Anat in Canaan " (Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 1995, "Gods, Pagan," p. 509).

Alan Watts, expert in comparative religion, wrote: "It would be tedious to describe in detail all that has been handed down to us about the various rites of Tammuz . . . and many others . . . But their universal theme—the drama of death and resurrection—makes them the forerunners of the Christian Easter, and thus the first 'Easter services.' As we go on to describe the Christian observance of Easter we shall see how many of its customs and ceremonies resemble these former rites" (Easter: Its Story and Meaning, 1950, p. 58).

He goes on to explain how such practices as fasting during Lent, erecting an image of the deity in the temple sanctuary, singing hymns of mourning, lighting candles and nighttime services before Easter morning originated with ancient idolatrous practices (pp. 59-62).

Another author, Sir James Frazer (1854-1941), knighted for his contributions to our understanding of ancient religions, describes the culmination of the ancient idolatrous worship this way: "The sorrow of the worshippers was turned to joy . . . The tomb was opened: the god had risen from the dead; and as the priest touched the lips of the weeping mourners with balm, he softly whispered in their ears the glad tidings of salvation.

"The resurrection of the god was hailed by his disciples as a promise that they too would issue triumphant from the corruption of the grave. On the morrow . . . the divine resurrection was celebrated with a wild outburst of glee. At Rome, and probably elsewhere, the celebration took the form of a carnival" (The Golden Bough, 1993, p. 350).

A new celebration with ancient idolatrous roots

In various forms, worship of this god under the names Tammuz, Adonis and Attis, among others, spread from the outer reaches of the Roman Empire to Rome itself. There a truly remarkable development took place: Early Catholic Church leaders merged customs and practices associated with this earlier "resurrected" god and spring fertility celebrations and applied them to the resurrected Son of God.

If Jesus were in the flesh today, would He celebrate Easter? The simple answer is No.

The customs of the ancient fertility and resurrection celebrations weren't the only ones morphed into a new "Christian" celebration, but they are among the most obvious. After all, many historians readily admit the origin of the name Easter and the ancient fertility symbolism of rabbits and decorated eggs (which you can verify yourself in almost any encyclopedia).

Frazer observes: "When we reflect how often the Church has skilfully contrived to plant the seeds of the new faith on the old stock of paganism, we may surmise that the Easter celebration of the dead and risen Christ was grafted upon a similar celebration of the dead and risen Adonis" (p. 345).

He goes on to note that the desire to bring heathens into the Catholic Church without forcing them to surrender their idolatrous celebrations "may have led the ecclesiastical authorities to assimilate the Easter festival of the death and resurrection of their Lord to the festival of the death and resurrection of another Asiatic god which fell at the same season . . . the Church may have consciously adapted the new festival [of Easter] to its heathen predecessor for the sake of winning souls to Christ" (p. 359).

Surprisingly, the celebration of Easter didn't finally win out until A.D. 325, nearly 300 years after Jesus Christ's death and resurrection!

As the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains in the section titled "The Liturgical Year," "At the Council of Nicaea in 325, all the Churches agreed that Easter . . . should be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon . . . after the vernal equinox" (1995, p. 332).

Up until this time, many believers had continued to commemorate Jesus' death through the biblical Passover as Jesus and the apostles had instructed (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Now, however, with the power of the Roman Empire behind it, the Catholic Church enforced its preference for Easter. Those who wished to continue to observe the biblical Passover had to go underground to avoid persecution.

Would Jesus Christ celebrate Easter?

The record of the New Testament is clear: The faithful members of the early Church continued to observe all that the apostles taught them, as they were taught by Jesus Christ. The record of history is equally clear: In later centuries new customs, practices and doctrines were introduced that were quite foreign to the original Christians, forming a new "Christianity" they would scarcely recognize.

So a key question is, should a Christian follow what Jesus taught or what later religious teachers taught?

It's always a good idea to ask the question, what would Jesus do?

If Jesus were in the flesh today, would He celebrate Easter? The simple answer is No. He does not change. "Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever," as Hebrews 13:8 tells us (emphasis added throughout). Jesus never observed Easter, never sanctioned it and never taught His disciples to celebrate it. Nor did the apostles teach the Church to do so.

Today, Jesus would observe the biblical Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread as Scripture teaches and as He practiced and taught (John 13:15-17; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8). In fact, He specifically said that He anticipated observing the Passover with His true followers "in My Father's kingdom" after His return (Matthew 26:26-29).

The feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread have deep meaning to Christ's true disciples. They reveal aspects of God's plan for the salvation of humanity—commemorating the fact that Jesus died for us and lives in us and for us (1 Corinthians 11:26; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3-4).

Should you observe Easter?

If you want to be a true disciple of Christ Jesus, you need to carefully examine whether your beliefs agree with the Bible. It is not acceptable to God to merely assume that He approves of or accepts non-biblical celebrations, regardless of whether they are done for proper motives.

The fact is that God says, "Learn not the way of the heathen"—those who don't know God's truth (Jeremiah 10:2, King James Version).

His Word gives us explicit instructions regarding worshipping Him with practices adopted from pagan idolatry: "Do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.' You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods . . . Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it" (Deuteronomy 12:30-32).

Jesus Christ now commands everyone to repent of following all man-made religious traditions: "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30; compare Matthew 15:3).

Will you honor Christ's lifesaving instructions so that God can bless you? He said: "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor" (John 12:26).

God wants you and me to obey His life-giving Word. When we do, we can serve Christ as His ambassadors on earth. There is no greater calling on earth and throughout time. For your ongoing happiness and security, turn to God now and seek His complete and perfect way.


Why Some Christians Don't Observe Easter

Remarkably, there are thousands of Christians who don't celebrate Easter, yet they firmly believe in Jesus Christ, His sacrifice, and His resurrection. Why have they made this choice? Here they explain in their own words: 

An office manager from Australia wrote:

"I don't observe Easter because it has nothing to do with Christ, His sacrifice or the Bible. It derives its origins from pagan celebrations and rituals God tells us not to learn: 'Learn not the way of the heathen' (Jeremiah 10:2, KJV).

"God does not want us to learn the way of the heathen lest we start to do as the heathen do. What do the Easter bunny and colored eggs have to do with Christ and His dying for the sins of the world and being resurrected on the third day? They don't have anything to do with it at all. Christianity has adopted pagan festivals and called them Christian and, in doing so, has disobeyed God."

—A.H., Australia

A California high school principal shared the reasons he doesn't celebrate Easter:

"My wife and I, many years ago, discovered that Easter is a pagan custom and has nothing to do with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter was never observed by the early New Testament Church. Once we found out about its pagan origin, we stopped observing it.

"The Easter bunny, Easter eggs, Easter parade and all the customs of this holiday are not in the Bible and should not be observed. We do believe, however, in the New Testament Passover, as observed by the New Testament Church, and directed by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11, and we also believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

—D.S., California

An editor gave her feelings about Easter:

"As a wife and mother, I don't observe Easter because I realize that dressing up for Easter Sunday service in the latest fashion, sometimes including a hat, for myself and children has absolutely nothing to do with the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In fact, it appears to make a mockery of it.

"And to allow and teach youngsters to hide and hunt colored eggs and have stuffed rabbits or bunnies is not instructing them in the right principles God expects them to live by. There are so many marvelous godly principles that do that. I do not desire to mislead or deceive them."

—M.A., Texas

A university professor from Georgia gave several reasons that Easter shouldn't be celebrated:

"The only time the term Easter is mentioned in the Bible, it is a mistranslation of the godly ordained Passover (Acts 12:4). The term Easter is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. Its observance is not commanded elsewhere in the Bible and yet many other days are commanded and described as being kept.

"The events surrounding Christ's resurrection do not indicate that Christ rose at sunrise or even close to it. For example, John indicates that by the time Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb it was still dark—Christ had already risen. The etymology of the term Easter is traceable back to a false god of fertility and not the Bible."

P.A., Georgia

A North Carolina businessman offered his reasons as to why he doesn't participate in the Easter celebration:

"First of all, the holiday or celebration of Easter by the world's Christian community, is not an event, a celebration, or a worship service that can be found anywhere in the Bible. In fact, the name Easter is really the name of an ancient pagan goddess that has roots from ancient Babylonian times dating before the birth of Christ.

"Secondly, there is no teaching in the New Testament by either Christ or His apostles about Easter or any related specifics. The practice and observance of Easter came into the Church of Rome well after all the apostles were dead and the church that Christ established had been scattered.

"Thirdly, if Christ wanted us to observe and honor His resurrection through Easter, why didn't He give specific instructions to His disciples and Church leaders? You can't find any teaching anywhere in the New Testament to observe or honor His resurrection. There's no festival or ceremonies given or outlined.

"However, there are plenty of instructions and examples of Christ teaching us to honor, remember and observe His death by what we call the Passover. The Bible clearly gives such evidence of Christ being the Passover and the symbolism of this event. Then, following His death, the New Testament apostles and Church continued with the observance of the Passover, not Easter."

—J.B., North Carolina

A Texas businessman and farmer shared his view:

"There is no biblical command to observe Easter. Conversely, there is a command to memorialize Christ's death and sacrifice for all of mankind. The biblical command to keep the symbols of His sacrifice was given by Jesus himself and reiterated by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11.

"To get wrapped up in the symbols of Easter—bunnies, eggs, etc.—is a throwback to ancient pagan gods of fertility, as any good encyclopedia will clearly show. In several places, the Scriptures teach us to not learn the way of the heathen or to partake in the rudiments of this world."

—D.B., Texas

 

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Comments

  • Bread of Life

    Thank you for promoting the truth! So many “Christian” sites are either ignorant or refuse the truth. By blending pagan traditions with Christianity, the creation is what we have today: a church which is corrupt and propagates false teaching. As Paul said, “a little leaven leavens the whole lump.” Paul also said, “Let GOD be true and every man a liar!” I know I would rather stand alone with the truth than to join the crowd with a lie. GOD bless.

  • Jerold Aust

    Greetings Scott and thank you for receiving the truth of God that makes us free (John 8:32). You are already on your way to model God's truth, specifically in regards to Easter. The god of this world has tried to mimic God's Feasts and Holy Days by offering corrupting holidays that have fired the imaginations of human beings with touchy-feely substitutions such as Easter's two pagan symbols of a rabbit and brightly colored eggs. These symbols unwittingly represent promiscuous human reproduction. They have nothing to do with Christ's holy resurrection. Further, Easter Sunday morning is not based on Bible truth. Jesus' time of resurrection was at the very end of the weekly Sabbath (Matthew 12:40; three nights and three days in the tomb) during God's Feast of Unleavened Bread. Here well-meaning religions miss the mark again; they remain blinded "according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began" (Romans 16: 25b). I appreciate your stand-up comment to "stand alone for the truth than to join the crowd with a lie". All the best, jwa

  • saff0723

    This is my first time not celebrating easter. I have done my studies on it and come to the conclusion, it has nothing to do with Yeshua or His Death burial nor His resurrection. It is pagan and it is sad that many celebrate it. Now if we are goin to celebrate the actual passover, we should celebrate it the same time as the Jews. Which is not the same time as "easter." And if we are to be true believers, we should also stop using terms like "christianity." That is also not a biblical term. Christian is in the Scriptures. NOT christianity. That is also stated by man just like easter. God bless

  • Jerold Aust

    Thank you Terjean Saffold for your helpful comments about the fact that we shouldn't observe Easter because is is not of God, but of man. You're also right, the Passover is not the same time as Easter. Jesus, a Jew, instituted and observed the NT Passover on what we know as Nisan 14. That's the first month of God's sacred calendar. Many Jews, however, celebrated the Passover this year on Nisan 15, one day later than Jesus and His disciples observed it. The United Church of God observes it when Jesus did. The term Christianity is generally applied to all religions; it was first used by Emperor Constantine. The term Christian is found three times in the New Testament: Acts 11:26; Acts 26:28, and 1 Peter 4:16. Followers of Jesus Christ were first called “Christians” in Antioch (Acts 11:26). We hope you continue to read our free literature. In Christ's Service, Jerold Aust

  • perrssoncalif

    Hi: Les seemed upset that you all are discussing this topic with your various thoughts and ideas. I have found that people who get upset quickly, tend to be getting triggered by emotional responses to past upsets or traumas, or feeling convicted, or just not wanting to face some new realities that challenge current beliefs. This topic is essential to be discussed, and it's disheartening that most churches and its pastors are honoring the pagan rituals. Why do they? Maybe they're wanting to keep people attending their church and maybe need the money? Because many WILL LEAVE the church, if told they're violating God's Word! A truth that the pastors don't want to face, because it will make them feel bad. Something like that. As I am sharing what I've discovered about christmas and easter, I am being hated by people, because it is bringing up anger in them, just simply to hear that they may be doing something not right. They want to do what they want to do, and sleep comfortably at night, believing they are righteous in their rituals. So, do I just go along with the pagan rituals to avoid being persecuted, hated, and forsaken by them? Certainly not, but it is painful.

  • Les covington

    You folks do have a time with it dont you?
    May i humbly suggest you stay out of Biblical Scholarship conversations as you are highly unqualified. Why do i say this? You have not demonstrated an ability to use an authority to define your position except your own.
    There is an Infallible, Inerrant, Plenary all inspired scripture obviously you are not aware of this.
    You do realize that the pagan influence of the late second century onward through the Catholic inclusions obliterate your position.
    The word Easter and its celebration is the celebration of the pasha that is completed in the death and resurrection of the LORD JESUS!!!!! The ability to cause confusion is not a ministry it is a spot and blemish in the body of Christ. This is the reason that our witness is failing and those in need of salvation view the institution of American Christianity as something that has no direction, no authority, no power and a joke.
    And we stand around attacking one another. Compromising our faith and our commission.
    To get caught up in these type of discussions is absolutely fruitless and unprofitable. PERIOD.
    Take a stance, promote the Word and live a life for Jesus.

  • AVZ

    Marc, you are correct to quote Romans 14, which on face value reflects the real freedoms we have to regard any day as we wish. BUT here's the caveat. We might observe a day . . . (notice this is the weaker brother who is doing so. Remember how Paul is discouraged that they are observing days, and weeks and months out of their ignorance of the freedom in Christ. As if observing a day brings us closer to God?) but Easter is not JUST a private observance. It is a highly promoted ritual observance by whole churches, where people are made to feel less holy than holy if they do not participate. Remember what happened in Matthew 15 and Mark 7? Jesus said that their traditions had become so engrained in their fake worship to God, that their observances had become simple men's rules. He condemned these practices that caused others to loom down on those who just wanted to be free from the trappings of religious invention (he cites many examples and says that they have a lot of this kind of stuff going on, and He was unhappy about it). What Easter has led to is all the trappings like Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, etc. etc. I'd say more but I'm limited. I wish you well. Speak truth!

  • Just Call Me Paul

    One person regards one day as better [or more important] than another, while another regards every day [the same as any other]. Let everyone be fully convinced (assured, satisfied) in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord. He who eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; while he who abstains, abstains for the Lord and gives thanks to God. None of us lives for himself [for his own benefit, but for the Lord], and none of us dies for himself [but for the Lord]. If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. So then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For Christ died and lived again for this reason, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But you, why do you criticize your brother? Or you again, why do you look down on your [believing] brother or regard him with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God [who alone is judge]. For it is written [in Scripture], “As I live , says the Lord , every knee shall bow to Me , And every tongue shall give praise to God .”

  • Drummer

    I been doing searching on Easter and have indeed found it to be a pagan celebration, to my surprise and disappointment. Disappointing because I always used to argue with the Jehovah's Witnesses over this, and come to find out that they were right, as far as it being pagan, was bothering to me because they are absolutely in left field when it comes to scripture. I thought this to be a good article and will share it with others. I do agree that if this has to do with pagan rituals and mans traditions, it should be avoided at all costs. Especially from Christians who follow the true Word of God. Idolatry of any form is forbidden by the Almighty, as written of all over the old testament, not to mention the first and second commandment. If Jesus himself did not teach this, then we as believers should not either.

  • revbud

    Thanks for this article. I am currently teaching on Christ in the Passover celebration in my church. I get a bit weary every year when I get the inevitable questions about what I am "doing" for easter at church and the reaction like I am a horrible pastor when I say I do not observe Easter. I am praying that God moves my congregation and I towards a better understanding of who He is.

  • Theo Walker

    I was about to put my 2 cents worth into correcting you on this post about easter being mistranslated, but I see many already did...

  • simsm7
    your high day is off 1 or 2 days. depending on when Jesus's body could be preped. Jesus had to be in the gtomb before sunrise Jewish Customs. Thursday morning. thurs. to fri. morn.= 24 hrs or day 1 fri. to sat. morn.= 24 hrs or day 2 and sat. to sun. morn before sunrise = 24 hrs or day 3. the Math Has To Balance. God did not alter the time in any way. Jesus had to be in the tomb for 72 hrs or the scriptures are not true. He was risen on the first day of the week.Sunday Morning. He was laid in the tomb 72 Hours earlier. Johah was in the belly of the whale 72 hours. Thank you mel sims.
  • Just Call Me Paul

    You forget the possibility, that Friday may have been a Sabath day also.
    Also there is no word in the original language for partial days. Part of Friday equals 1 day, as does part of Sunday. I don't believe that scripture states categorically that Jonah was in the belly of the whale for 3 24 hour days. Personally, I believe He was crucified on Thusday not Friday, but I wasn't there. The fact remains that He is risen!

  • Lena VanAusdle

    Actually, His body needed to be in the tomb before sunset. If His body was interred by sunset on Wednesday He would have been in the grave from Wednesday at sunset to Thursday at sunset (24 hours); Thursday at sunset to Friday at sunset (24 hours); Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset (24 hours). Meaning He would be resurrected around sunset on Saturday for a full 72 hours. You might find this graphic helpful http://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/easter-the-rest-of-the-story/three-days-and-three-nights

  • mickymicky002
    A previous comment of mine saying that la Pâque was the term in French for both Passover and pagan Easter was inaccurate. Rather, "la Pâque" is the term for Passover and "les Pâques" is the term for Easter. Baal worshipping is mentioned in the Bible on various occasions; but that does not mean the Bible approves of Baal worshipping. Likewise, Easter is mentioned in the KJV in Acts 12:4, it does not mean that the editors or translators of the KJV approved of pagan Easter, it only highlights the fact that Herod was a pagan. The KJV is not the careless bible that people think it is; rather, it is the most accurate bible ever. I agree with UCG elsewhere that the KJV might have misplaced the comma in Luke 23:43 because Jesus and the other person were not going to paradise on that same day that they were crucified. However, do bear in mind that all the other bibles made the same mistake too. In Acts 12:4, however, the KJV was chronologically right, Peter was arrested after the Passover, during the Days of Unleavened Bread and Herod was to bring Peter forth to the people after Easter, not Passover. Herod did not have the time machine to go back in time. You can trust the KJV.
  • mickymicky002
    In my earlier post, I have pointed out that KJV did not mention pagan Easter to justify its celebration as most people would believe, but because Peter was arrested during the Days of Unleavened Bread, King Herod could not go back in time to the Passover to bring Peter forth to the people. Hence the mentioning of pagan Easter (Herod was a pagan). In most languages there would only be one word for both Passover and pagan Easter (like Pâque in French). In English however, it is possible to distinguish between God's Passover and the pagan's Easter. The article I have cited below will clarify the issue. Acts 12:4 KJV and LSG 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. 4 Après l'avoir saisi et jeté en prison, il le mit sous la garde de quatre escouades de quatre soldats chacune, avec l'intention de le faire comparaître devant le peuple après la Pâque. Does the King James Bible have an Error - "Easter" - in Acts 12:4? **Link removed to comply with comment policy**
  • mickymicky002
    We all agree that real Christians should celebrate Passover and not Easter. I believe that the translators of the King James Bible knew that too. Why then did they use the word "Easter" instead of "Passover"? Let us look at Acts 12:3-4 here: King James Version 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. We can see that Peter was arrested during the Days of Unleavened Bread and Herod intended to do something to Peter afterwards. If we look at the UCG Holy Day Calendar, Passover is before the Days of Unleavened Bread, not after. With the chronological sequence in mind, we can construct a timeline here: Passover - Peter's arrest - Days of Unleavened Bread - Easter - Peter brought forth to the People Now we know that the King James Version is the only version of the Bible that tells us Herod was a pagan and he celebrated Easter with the pagans.
  • brian.numerick

    I've read that in those times the Jews commonly referred to the entire period of Passover & Unleavened Bread as "Passover". Further, the "people" that Herod was aiming to "please" were the Jews (Pharisees and their followers), who I'm confident did not celebrate heathen Easter.

  • Dave Gatehouse
    Excellent article. Traditions of men die hard. Bishop John Robinson of the UK in the 1960's wrote a book called The Conspiracy of Silence during the death of God movement. The title says it all -many pastors, priests etc study the differences of Easter and Passover for example, but practice 'silence' when it comes to their congregations for numerous reasons: not wanting to unset the apple cart, not wanting to shake peoples faith, no wanting to spend time and effort to correct error, 'not my battle and so on. Some 'reasons' are simple excuses, others while perhaps being well meaning are mislead. Romans 6:1 says, "What then shall we say -do you think we should continue sinning so that God will give us even more grace? No, absolutely not!" Jack Kelley at **Link removed to comply with comment policy** says the bible specifically forbids observing or compromising pagan holidays, but that it is a good thing that we are covered by grace. But once we know better, what should we do? The right thing of course. The truth -and the truth shall set us free. The biblical Feasts of the Lord have deep meaning and blessings for those who follow them.
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