Passover continued
PASSOVER OR EASTER
Pesach/Passover is celebrated on the variable day of Nisan 14th; now, Easter always takes place on a Sunday, the first after the full moon following the vernal equinox. But this was not always the case. In the earliest church Easter was kept on 14th Nisan, same as Passover and was continued in minority groups known as quartodecimans. From the mid-4th century the new date took affect thus, severing the link with its Jewish roots forever.
Easter was celebrated at the same time as Passover until 325 A.D. (Council of Nicaea), making it effectively an annual last supper event commemorating Passover through crucifixion and resurrection. It was changed because they felt the Jewish lunar calendar was inappropriate for Christians.
The name Easter is said to be derived (according to the 8th century English church historian, Bede) from the pagan goddess of spring, Eostre. The Anglo-Saxons named this month Eastermonath after the Goddess Eostre. Bede said that the name "Easter" was derived from the Teutonic goddess of spring, Eostre, Ostra, Eostur, Eastur, Ostara, and Osta.
The same root is found in the name for the place where the sun rises (East, Ost). The word Easter, then, originally may have meant the celebration of the spring sun, which had its birth in the East and was said to have brought new life upon earth.
The move away from a more Jewish Passover to Easter began in the 2nd century (or earlier). Towards the end of the 2nd century Tertullian wrote that it was not fitting to feast on the day on which the bridegroom was taken away. This meant the Jewish High Sabbath.
It is also noteworthy how absent the 'lamb' is from modern western Easter celebrations. In Europe, in countries like Poland and Italy, a lamb is still a part of the feast, but elsewhere it is all but forgotten.
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PASSOVER OR EASTER
Pesach/Passover is celebrated on the variable day of Nisan 14th; now, Easter always takes place on a Sunday, the first after the full moon following the vernal equinox. But this was not always the case. In the earliest church Easter was kept on 14th Nisan, same as Passover and was continued in minority groups known as quartodecimans. From the mid-4th century the new date took affect thus, severing the link with its Jewish roots forever.
Easter was celebrated at the same time as Passover until 325 A.D. (Council of Nicaea), making it effectively an annual last supper event commemorating Passover through crucifixion and resurrection. It was changed because they felt the Jewish lunar calendar was inappropriate for Christians.
The name Easter is said to be derived (according to the 8th century English church historian, Bede) from the pagan goddess of spring, Eostre. The Anglo-Saxons named this month Eastermonath after the Goddess Eostre. Bede said that the name "Easter" was derived from the Teutonic goddess of spring, Eostre, Ostra, Eostur, Eastur, Ostara, and Osta.
The same root is found in the name for the place where the sun rises (East, Ost). The word Easter, then, originally may have meant the celebration of the spring sun, which had its birth in the East and was said to have brought new life upon earth.
The move away from a more Jewish Passover to Easter began in the 2nd century (or earlier). Towards the end of the 2nd century Tertullian wrote that it was not fitting to feast on the day on which the bridegroom was taken away. This meant the Jewish High Sabbath.
It is also noteworthy how absent the 'lamb' is from modern western Easter celebrations. In Europe, in countries like Poland and Italy, a lamb is still a part of the feast, but elsewhere it is all but forgotten.
Return to Did You Know | Previous Page | Next Page