The Historical Origin of Easter
http://www.themarcusgarveybbs.com/board/msgs/10408.html
by Adib Rashad (RashadM@...)
The name "Easter" is merely a slight change from the
English spelling of the name of the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian goddess
Ishtar. it comes to us from old Teutonic mythology where it is known as
Ostern. The Phoenician name of this goddess was Astarte, consort of Baal, the
sun God, whose worship is denounced by God in the Bible as the most abominable
of all pagan idolatry.
Easter is one of those pagan days Paul warned Gentile
converts they must not return to observing (Gal. 4:9-10).
The Chaldean Origin of Easter Easter, as Alexander Hislop states in his "The Two
Babylons," p. 103, "bears its Chaldean origin on its very forehead. Easter is
nothing else than Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the queen of
heaven...." The ancient gods of the pagans had many different
names. while this goddess was called Astarte by the Phoenicians, it appears on
Assyrian monuments atNineveh as Ishtar(Austen H. Layard, "Nineveh and
Babylon, Vol. II, p. 629).
In the ancient Chaldean idolatrous sun-worship, as practiced by the
Phoenicians, Baal was the sun-God; Astarte, his consort or wife. Furthermore,
Astarte is the same as Ishtar, or the English "Easter." Hilsop states the
following: "The festival, of which we read in Church history, under the name
Easter, in the third or fourth centuries, was quite a different festival from
that now observed in the Romansh and Protestant Church, and at that time was not
known by any such name as Easter.
It was called Pascha, or the Passover, and was very early observed by many
professing Christians. That festival agreed originally with the time of the
Jewish Passover, when Christ was crucified. That festival was not idolatrous,
and it was preceded by Lent" (The Two Babylons, p. 104).
Other chapters in the Bible which condemn the worship of Astarte as abominable
are (Ezekiel 8:13-18) and hot cross buns, (Jeremiah 7:18-20/44:19)Easter is a
pagan festival that changes every year and at times, so does the month. Easter
is connected to sun-worship and has absolutely nothing to do with Jesus Christ.
The pagans commemorated the alleged Friday death and Sunday resurrection of
Nimrod, a pagan savior. On page 46 of "The Council of Nicea," it is stated
that the bishops at Nicea so abhorred anything they thought to be Jewish
that they "decided that Easter Day should always be on a Sunday, but never
at the same time as the feast of the Jews. For instance, if the 14th Nisan
fell on a Sundaym, Easter Day was transferred to the following Sunday."
Constantine proclaimed, "could we who are Christians possibly keep the
same day as those wicked Jews?" On page 38 of "Arian Controversy," by
Gwatkin,Easter is exposed in the above mentioned books. So strong was
the anti-Jewish feeling that pork or ham--an abomination to theoriginal
Jews--was deliberately eaten on Easter to show contempt for anything Jewish.
Easter was forced on Christians "by violence and bloodshed" according to the
book, "The Two Babylons," page 107. Most major Encyclopedia will inform those
who are seeking truth that Easter is a pagan festival, long antedating
Christianity. The eggs, and rabbits represent a sexual connection. Furthermore,
the history of Rome and Babylon, with regard to the vernal equinox, clearly
shows the practice of licentiousness, permissiveness, and orgiastic activities
that took place on Easter. Another explanation of Easter comes from Greek
mythology and custom. It states that Eastre was a spring female sex goddess who
made herself available to all male gods, for their sexual gratification during
the spring season. During the early, ancient Roman period, rituals were carried
out by women in which they became nude, painted their bodies, and ran and hid
themselves, imitating the goddess Eastre.
After the women hid themselves, the men looked for them with a pregnant
rabbit. When the woman was found, the two would have excessive sex for
days or months until the rabbit had its babies. The historical connection
or symbol is the egg, which is painted and hidden for the Easter hunt.
Another symbol is the sexual playboy bunny, the Easter bunny and the
Easter rabbit are one and the same thing. It should be crystal clear why the
rabbit is a part of one of America's most popular pornographic magazines,
"Playboy."
The hunting ritual was the Greeks' concept of new life. The ritual was
often by the phallic feast of promiscuous intercourse, and reflected a time
of carefree, indiscriminate sexual orgies. Another aspect of Easter that comes
out of the role of women is the concept of Estrus, which describes the natural
cycle of female mammals. Easter is during the spring season which is a time
when light and seasonal changes release certain sex hormones, which take
mammals to what is characterized as "heat, sexual excitement and spring
fever."
The Judeo-Christian History of Easter:
The Christian celebration of Easter is linked to the Jewish celebration
of the Passover. Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were observed
by the ancient Israelites early in each new year. (The Jewish people
followed the Persian/Babylonian calendar and started each year with the Spring
Equinox circa March 21). "Equinox" means "equal night," on that date of the
year, the night and day are approximately equal. The name "Passover" was
derived from the actions of the angel of death as described in the book of
Exodus.
The angel "passed over" homes of the Jews which were marked with the blood
obtained from a ritual animal sacrifice. In conclusion, Passover was the most
important feast of the Jewish calendar, celebrated at the first full moon after
the vernal equinox. The equinox typically occurs on March 20, 21, 22. All four
Gospels of the Christian Scriptures relate that Jesus Christ was executed and
buried just before the beginning of Passover on Friday evening. Easter
Traditions:
The following are primarily from pagan traditions at
Easter time:
Hot Cross Buns: At the feast of Eostre, the Saxon fertility goddess, and
an ox was sacrificed. The ox's horns became a symbol for the feast. The word
bun is derived from the Saxon word boun which means the "sacred ox." Later, the
symbol of a symmetrical cross was used to decorate the buns; the cross
represented the moon, the heavenly body associated with the goddess and
its four quarters.
Easter Rabbit and Eggs:
The symbols of the Norse goddess Ostara were the hare and the egg. Both
represented fertility. From these, we have inherited the customs and symbols of
the Easter egg and Easter rabbit. Dyed eggs also formed part of the rituals of
the Babylonian mystery religions. Eggs were sacred to many ancient
civilizations and formed an integral part of religious ceremonies in Egypt and
the Orient. Dyed eggs were hung in Egyptian temples, and the egg was
regarded as the emblem of regenerative life proceeding from the mouth of the
great Egyptian God.
Easter lilies:
The so-called Easter lily has long been revered by pagans of various
lands as a holy symbol associated with reproductive organs. It was considered a
phallic symbol.
Easter Sunrise Service:
This custom can be traced back to the ancient pagan custom of welcoming
the sun God at the vernal equinox when daytime is about to exceed the
length of the nighttime. It was a time to celebrate the return
of life and reproduction to animal and plant life. Moreover, as
was stated earlier, worship of the sun God at sunrise may be the religious
ritual condemned by God as recorded in Ezekiel 8: 16-18.
Easter Candles:
These are sometimes lit in churches on the eve of Easter Sunday. Some
scholars believe that these can be directly linked to the pagan customs
of lighting bonfires at this time of year to welcome the rebirth or
resurrection of the sun God. Finally, Easter Sunday can fall on any date from
March 22 to April 25. The year-to-year sequence is so complicated that it takes
5.7 million years to repeat. Eastern Orthodox churches sometimes celebrate
Easter on the same day as the rest of Christendom. However, if that date
does not follow Passover, then the Orthodox churches delay their
Easter--sometimes by over a month.
*=====
Adib Rashad (RashadM@...) is an education
consultant, education
program director, author, and historian. He has lived
and taught in
West Africa and South East Asia.
http://www.themarcusgarveybbs.com/board/msgs/10408.html
by Adib Rashad (RashadM@...)
The name "Easter" is merely a slight change from the
English spelling of the name of the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian goddess
Ishtar. it comes to us from old Teutonic mythology where it is known as
Ostern. The Phoenician name of this goddess was Astarte, consort of Baal, the
sun God, whose worship is denounced by God in the Bible as the most abominable
of all pagan idolatry.
Easter is one of those pagan days Paul warned Gentile
converts they must not return to observing (Gal. 4:9-10).
The Chaldean Origin of Easter Easter, as Alexander Hislop states in his "The Two
Babylons," p. 103, "bears its Chaldean origin on its very forehead. Easter is
nothing else than Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the queen of
heaven...." The ancient gods of the pagans had many different
names. while this goddess was called Astarte by the Phoenicians, it appears on
Assyrian monuments atNineveh as Ishtar(Austen H. Layard, "Nineveh and
Babylon, Vol. II, p. 629).
In the ancient Chaldean idolatrous sun-worship, as practiced by the
Phoenicians, Baal was the sun-God; Astarte, his consort or wife. Furthermore,
Astarte is the same as Ishtar, or the English "Easter." Hilsop states the
following: "The festival, of which we read in Church history, under the name
Easter, in the third or fourth centuries, was quite a different festival from
that now observed in the Romansh and Protestant Church, and at that time was not
known by any such name as Easter.
It was called Pascha, or the Passover, and was very early observed by many
professing Christians. That festival agreed originally with the time of the
Jewish Passover, when Christ was crucified. That festival was not idolatrous,
and it was preceded by Lent" (The Two Babylons, p. 104).
Other chapters in the Bible which condemn the worship of Astarte as abominable
are (Ezekiel 8:13-18) and hot cross buns, (Jeremiah 7:18-20/44:19)Easter is a
pagan festival that changes every year and at times, so does the month. Easter
is connected to sun-worship and has absolutely nothing to do with Jesus Christ.
The pagans commemorated the alleged Friday death and Sunday resurrection of
Nimrod, a pagan savior. On page 46 of "The Council of Nicea," it is stated
that the bishops at Nicea so abhorred anything they thought to be Jewish
that they "decided that Easter Day should always be on a Sunday, but never
at the same time as the feast of the Jews. For instance, if the 14th Nisan
fell on a Sundaym, Easter Day was transferred to the following Sunday."
Constantine proclaimed, "could we who are Christians possibly keep the
same day as those wicked Jews?" On page 38 of "Arian Controversy," by
Gwatkin,Easter is exposed in the above mentioned books. So strong was
the anti-Jewish feeling that pork or ham--an abomination to theoriginal
Jews--was deliberately eaten on Easter to show contempt for anything Jewish.
Easter was forced on Christians "by violence and bloodshed" according to the
book, "The Two Babylons," page 107. Most major Encyclopedia will inform those
who are seeking truth that Easter is a pagan festival, long antedating
Christianity. The eggs, and rabbits represent a sexual connection. Furthermore,
the history of Rome and Babylon, with regard to the vernal equinox, clearly
shows the practice of licentiousness, permissiveness, and orgiastic activities
that took place on Easter. Another explanation of Easter comes from Greek
mythology and custom. It states that Eastre was a spring female sex goddess who
made herself available to all male gods, for their sexual gratification during
the spring season. During the early, ancient Roman period, rituals were carried
out by women in which they became nude, painted their bodies, and ran and hid
themselves, imitating the goddess Eastre.
After the women hid themselves, the men looked for them with a pregnant
rabbit. When the woman was found, the two would have excessive sex for
days or months until the rabbit had its babies. The historical connection
or symbol is the egg, which is painted and hidden for the Easter hunt.
Another symbol is the sexual playboy bunny, the Easter bunny and the
Easter rabbit are one and the same thing. It should be crystal clear why the
rabbit is a part of one of America's most popular pornographic magazines,
"Playboy."
The hunting ritual was the Greeks' concept of new life. The ritual was
often by the phallic feast of promiscuous intercourse, and reflected a time
of carefree, indiscriminate sexual orgies. Another aspect of Easter that comes
out of the role of women is the concept of Estrus, which describes the natural
cycle of female mammals. Easter is during the spring season which is a time
when light and seasonal changes release certain sex hormones, which take
mammals to what is characterized as "heat, sexual excitement and spring
fever."
The Judeo-Christian History of Easter:
The Christian celebration of Easter is linked to the Jewish celebration
of the Passover. Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were observed
by the ancient Israelites early in each new year. (The Jewish people
followed the Persian/Babylonian calendar and started each year with the Spring
Equinox circa March 21). "Equinox" means "equal night," on that date of the
year, the night and day are approximately equal. The name "Passover" was
derived from the actions of the angel of death as described in the book of
Exodus.
The angel "passed over" homes of the Jews which were marked with the blood
obtained from a ritual animal sacrifice. In conclusion, Passover was the most
important feast of the Jewish calendar, celebrated at the first full moon after
the vernal equinox. The equinox typically occurs on March 20, 21, 22. All four
Gospels of the Christian Scriptures relate that Jesus Christ was executed and
buried just before the beginning of Passover on Friday evening. Easter
Traditions:
The following are primarily from pagan traditions at
Easter time:
Hot Cross Buns: At the feast of Eostre, the Saxon fertility goddess, and
an ox was sacrificed. The ox's horns became a symbol for the feast. The word
bun is derived from the Saxon word boun which means the "sacred ox." Later, the
symbol of a symmetrical cross was used to decorate the buns; the cross
represented the moon, the heavenly body associated with the goddess and
its four quarters.
Easter Rabbit and Eggs:
The symbols of the Norse goddess Ostara were the hare and the egg. Both
represented fertility. From these, we have inherited the customs and symbols of
the Easter egg and Easter rabbit. Dyed eggs also formed part of the rituals of
the Babylonian mystery religions. Eggs were sacred to many ancient
civilizations and formed an integral part of religious ceremonies in Egypt and
the Orient. Dyed eggs were hung in Egyptian temples, and the egg was
regarded as the emblem of regenerative life proceeding from the mouth of the
great Egyptian God.
Easter lilies:
The so-called Easter lily has long been revered by pagans of various
lands as a holy symbol associated with reproductive organs. It was considered a
phallic symbol.
Easter Sunrise Service:
This custom can be traced back to the ancient pagan custom of welcoming
the sun God at the vernal equinox when daytime is about to exceed the
length of the nighttime. It was a time to celebrate the return
of life and reproduction to animal and plant life. Moreover, as
was stated earlier, worship of the sun God at sunrise may be the religious
ritual condemned by God as recorded in Ezekiel 8: 16-18.
Easter Candles:
These are sometimes lit in churches on the eve of Easter Sunday. Some
scholars believe that these can be directly linked to the pagan customs
of lighting bonfires at this time of year to welcome the rebirth or
resurrection of the sun God. Finally, Easter Sunday can fall on any date from
March 22 to April 25. The year-to-year sequence is so complicated that it takes
5.7 million years to repeat. Eastern Orthodox churches sometimes celebrate
Easter on the same day as the rest of Christendom. However, if that date
does not follow Passover, then the Orthodox churches delay their
Easter--sometimes by over a month.
*=====
Adib Rashad (RashadM@...) is an education
consultant, education
program director, author, and historian. He has lived
and taught in
West Africa and South East Asia.
