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NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.



Around the world each year, many Christians observe a celebration which has become popularly known as "Holy Week". This much-anticipated occasion begins with "Palm Sunday", which commemorates Jesus Christ's entry into Jerusalem, and culminates seven days later with the joyous "Easter Sunday" mass, which celebrates our Lord's glorious Resurrection from the dead. In many households, Christian and non-Christian alike, this final day of celebration often includes the presentation of woven Easter baskets filled with chocolate rabbits, small toys and other assorted sweet goodies, to eager young children. The day's events may also include the traditional Easter egg hunt, during which time these same children scurry about looking for colorfully-painted chicken eggs, which have been hidden by their parents or by other family members and friends.

Year after year, parents and children perform these same rituals on "Easter Sunday", without giving the matter very much thought. Some Christian parents may even assume that these practices are based upon ancient Christian traditions; but I must ask you: Have you personally ever taken the time to investigate the actual origin of the Easter celebration, and some of the activities which have become associated with it? If you were to do this, and if you are a Christian, you would no doubt be very surprised, if not shocked, by what you would discover. Being as I am an inquisitive, analytical type of person, I have already done a lot of the work for you; and by way of this series, I would now like to share the results of my research with you. It will then be up to you to decide how you wish to proceed in coming years, each time that the Easter season arrives.

Let us begin by first examining the name of the celebration itself. Contrary to what you might expect, the actual word "Easter" is found only one time in the entire Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible; and that is in the following verses that are found in the twelfth chapter of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, where evil King Herod has just raised his hand against the Christians by killing the Apostle James, and then proceeds to throw Peter into prison as well, in order to win favor with his Jewish subjects:

"Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) 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."


In verse four above, the word "Easter" is substituted for the Greek word "pascha", which itself can be traced back to a word which is of Aramaic origin, as can be verified by the following explanation provided by Thayer's Greek English Lexicon. Please notice that I used the word "substituted", as opposed to the phrase "derived from", which is what I would normally use, if this were a literal translation or transliteration, which it most certainly isn't:

----- Begin Quote -----

3957 pascha {pas'-khah}

of Aramaic origin cf 06453; TDNT - 5:896, 797; n n

AV - Passover 28, Easter 1; 29

1) the paschal sacrifice (which was accustomed to be offered for the people's deliverance of old from Egypt)

2) the paschal lamb, i.e. the lamb the Israelites were accustomed to slay and eat on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan (the first month of their year) in memory of the day on which their fathers, preparing to depart from Egypt, were bidden by God to slay and eat a lamb, and to sprinkle their door posts with its blood, that the destroying angel, seeing the blood, might pass over their dwellings; Christ crucified is likened to the slain paschal lamb

3) the paschal supper

4) the paschal feast, the feast of the Passover, extending from the 14th to the 20th day of the month Nisan

----- End Quote -----

Upon examining the Old Testament, we discover that the word "Passover" is derived from the two Hebrew words "pecach", pronounced peh'-sakh, and "pacach", pronounced paw-sakh'. Following are the actual definitions of these two words, as found in the Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Hebrew Aramaic English Lexicon:

----- Begin Quotes -----

06453 pecach {peh'-sakh}

from 06452; TWOT - 1786a; n m

AV - passover 46, passover offerings 3; 49

1) passover
1a) sacrifice of passover
1b) animal victim of the passover
1c) festival of the passover

. . . . .

06452 pacach {paw-sakh'}

a primitive root; TWOT - 1786,1787; v

AV - pass over 4, halt 1, become lame 1, leap 1; 7

1) to pass over, spring over
1a) (Qal) to pass over
1b) (Piel) to skip, pass over
2) to limp
2a) (Qal) to limp
2b) (Niphal) to be lame
2c) (Piel) to limp

----- End Quotes -----

As you can see, a better English translation in Acts 12:4 would have been "Passover"; which, as the lexicons clearly explain, is the meal which was eaten on the night of the fourteenth day of the Hebrew month Nisan, in commemoration of the liberation of the children of Israel from the bondage of Egypt. This, of course, occurred following the terrible night of the final plague upon Egypt, during which all of the firstborn of the land, both human and beast, were slain by the Destroyer. We find the Lord giving instructions to Moses and Aaron regarding the Passover feast, in the twelfth chapter of the Book of Exodus, as we see here:

"And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread."


In the very next verses which follow the previous ones, we find Moses and Aaron dutifully carrying out the Lord's instructions regarding the Passover observance. Consider the following:

"Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you."


The Passover feast, as well as the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread, which immediately followed it, was later codified in the Levitical Law, as we see by these verses:

"In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread."


Based upon the previous verses, it should be clear to you then, that when Luke -- the assumed writer of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles -- wrote about the execution of James, and Peter's imprisonment by King Herod, he wanted to make sure that Theophilus -- who was the intended recipient of his report -- understood that these events occurred during the period which included the Passover feast, as well as the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread. To emphasize this point, please notice that in verse three, it is also written in parentheses, "(Then were the days of unleavened bread.)". From reading Luke's writings -- the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts -- I am given the impression that he was a very meticulous, careful writer, who was concerned about details. Given the fact that he was a physician by occupation, we shouldn't be surprised that giving attention to details was one of Luke's traits.

As I mentioned earlier, out of the twenty-nine times that this Greek word "pascha" is used in the New Testament, this single occurrence in the Book of Acts is the only time that it is translated as "Easter"; or to say it more accurately, substituted with the word "Easter". The twenty-six times that "pascha" is found in the four Gospels, it is correctly translated as "Passover"; and the two times that it is found in Paul's Epistles, it is likewise correctly translated as "Passover". In the Old Testament, we also see that the two Hebrew words are always correctly translated as "Passover", and not once as "Easter". Furthermore, you must remember that the Church was founded by Jews -- or Israelites if you prefer -- who observed holy days which had Hebrew names; and they most certainly did not ever celebrate a feast called "Easter". In addition to this, if you have a sharp eye, you will have undoubtedly already noticed that the word "Easter" is nowhere to be found in the definitions provided by the Hebrew and Greek lexicons either.

So we must ask ourselves: If "Easter" was not celebrated by our First Century spiritual forefathers, and if it's nowhere to be found in the Hebrew and Greek lexicons, where in the world did this strange word come from; how did it creep into this verse found in the Book of Acts; and how did it become associated with our Lord's Resurrection? If the word did not originate with the original writers of the New Testament, in my mind, that can only mean one thing: Somewhere between the First Century, and the early Seventeenth Century when the Authorized King James Version of the Bible was first printed, someone must have inserted the word. If we consider the fact that "Easter" is an English word, that narrows down our search for the truth considerably.

As the next step in my investigation, I looked in Easton's Bible Dictionary in order to determine if there were any entries for Acts 12:4, and there was. Upon reading the following explanation, you will quickly understand why the First Century Disciples would have never referred to the day of the Lord's Resurrection as "Easter". This entry states:

----- Begin Quote -----

Originally a Saxon word (Eostre), denoting a goddess of the Saxons, in honour of whom sacrifices were offered about the time of the Passover. Hence the name came to be given to the festival of the Resurrection of Christ, which occurred at the time of the Passover. In the early English versions this word was frequently used as the translation of the Greek pascha (the Passover). When the Authorized Version (1611) was formed, the word "passover" was used in all passages in which this word pascha occurred, except in Ac 12:4. In the Revised Version the proper word, "passover," is always used.

----- End Quote -----

As you can see, Eostre, or Easter, as it is spelled in the KJV, was a pagan goddess of the Saxons. Exactly who were the Saxons? Upon submitting this question to the Google search engine, I was provided with quite a few results, such as the following:


----- Begin Quotes -----

The word Saxon is used as a generic term for people from Germany. In fact, the Saxons are made up of three peoples from different parts of Germany. Saxons are people from northwest Germany, or Old Saxony as it is sometimes known. Angles are people from the Germany/Denmark border. Jutes are believed to originate from areas of Jutland and the Frisian coast. The Saxons settled in the south and west of England. The Jutes in Kent populated the area that now encompasses Sussex and Hampshire including London. The Angles predominantly occupied the midlands and the north.

. . . . .

Following the departure of the Romans in A.D. 410, and after the sacking of Rome, Britain was left unprotected. The distant dominion's frantic call to Rome went unheard. Mutiny spread through the ranks of the British defenders remaining who were now descendants of Roman stock. Britain, in desperation, declared independence from Rome and defended itself the best way it could. Despite this sudden change in fortune for Britain, the Roman lifestyle continued, if on a downward path for the next fifty years. The departure of the Romans did not go un-noticed by the Picts, Scots, and especially the Saxons, who saw Britain as a prosperous and plunderable asset.

----- End Quotes -----

If you would like more information regarding the bloody invasion and conquest of post-Roman Great Britain by the barbaric Germanic Angles, Jutes and Saxons, you can visit such websites as the following. Please note that I cannot guarantee that they will still be in operation at the time that you choose to visit them:

battle066.com
regia.org
campus.northpark.edu
anglo-saxon.demon.co.uk

To reiterate this key point, the name which has been given to one of the holiest days in the Christian faith, that is, "Easter", is derived from the name of an Anglo-Saxon -- or Germanic -- pagan goddess to whom sacrifices were made. This popular name, which has been on the lips of many Christians, has absolutely nothing to do with Biblical Christianity, and is therefore a very inappropriate name for the celebrated day of our Lord's Resurrection.

While in this article I have thus far emphasized this one Anglo-Saxon goddess, in order to show you how perverted this Christian holy day has become, you should also be made aware of the indisputable fact that Western culture has been inescapably entwined in paganism from the Old Continent, for a very long time. Let me also add that if you are under the impression that the Roman Empire is long gone and dead, you are sorely mistaken.

As an example, consider the structure of the government of the United States of America. Just as the first Roman Senate was comprised of precisely one hundred members -- although it was expanded later -- the U.S. Senate is also maintained at the very same number. Might this possibly be one reason regarding why there is so much resistance to adding a 51st state to the Union? Is it also merely a coincidence that just as the eagle -- which is a violent bird of prey which tears apart its victims -- was boldly displayed on Roman standards -- that is, flags -- the bald eagle is also the national bird of the United States of America? If you think that the intrusion of paganism into American government ends here, may I suggest that you also undertake a study of the rites of Freemasonry, and the design of Washington, D.C., its many statues and monuments, etc. Paganism, and according to some sources, outright satanic worship, is rampant there. Please also see my series "Gargoyles: Satan Loves Church Buildings!" for more details concerning the subject of Freemasonry.

Sadly, the infiltration of pagan beliefs and practices into so-called American Christian society does not end here. Even the names of the twelve months glorify ancient Roman gods, goddesses and some of their rulers. If you doubt my words, please carefully consider the following information:

Januarius	month of Janus	Roman god of gateways and doors
Februarius	Februus	Etruscan, (pre-Roman), god of the  underworld and purification which  was later adopted by the Romans
Martius	month of Mars	Roman god of war
Aprilis	month of Venus	Roman goddess of love and beauty  equivalent to Aphrodite, Greek  goddess of love. Aphro for short
Maius	month of Maia	Also known as Maiesta. Roman  goddess of honor and reverence  One of the seven daughters of  Atlas, (the Pleiades), by whom  Zeus had a son; Hermes. Also said  to have been married to Vulcan
Junius	month of Juno	Principle Roman goddess, wife  and sister of Jupiter, patroness  of marriage
Julius		month of Julius Caesar
Augustus		month of Augustus Caesar
September	septem	Seventh month
October	octo	Eighth month
Novembris	novem	Ninth month
December	decem	Tenth month

Likewise, the days of the week are a clear reflection, as well as a continuation, of the adoration and glorification of ancient pagan gods and goddesses. Just as "Easter" was named after an Anglo-Saxon goddess, these very same people adopted the gods and goddesses of the Romans, and gave them names of their own. In an article which was published in the April 1999 edition of "History Today" magazine, researcher Robert Garland wrote the following:

----- Begin Quote -----

The days themselves were named after the seven regularly moving celestial bodies that were visible to the ancients viz. the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. These also happened to be the names of Roman gods, and in Britain they were replaced by the names of Anglo-Saxon gods. Thus Dies Martis, or Mars' day, became Tiw's day, Dies Mercurii, or Mercury's day, became Woden's day, and so forth. France on the other hand retained the original Roman names (mardi, mercredi, etc.)

----- End Of Quote -----

So as you will see by the table below, the names of the days of the week have absolutely nothing to do with our Christian heritage; they are pagan through and through:

Sunday	Sunne	Day of the Sun
Monday	Mona	Moon's day
Tuesday	Tiu	Anglo-Saxon god of war - Roman Mars
Wednesday	Woden/Odin	Chief Germanic / Norse god - Roman Mercury
Thursday	Thor	Norse god of thunder - Roman Jupiter
Friday	Freya	Norse goddess of love/beauty - Roman Venus
Saturday	Saturn	Roman god of agriculture

As I explain in other articles -- such as the aforementioned "Gargoyles: Satan Loves Church Buildings!" series -- this insidious corruption of our Christian faith is due in large part to the machinations of the Fourth Century founders of institutionalized Christianity, or organized and legalized religion, if you prefer. I am referring to the founders of the Roman Catholic Church, who gained control of the Holy Scriptures several hundred years after the establishment of our Church by Jesus Christ and His original followers. During the formative years of the Roman Catholic Church, its leaders seriously compromised Christian doctrines and beliefs, in order to remain friends with the pagan world, and thus spread their sphere of power and influence throughout the Roman Empire; and they have continued this practice to this very day. The "one true faith" -- as Roman Catholics like to call their religion -- is rife with pagan ideas and beliefs. Again, please see the aforementioned series for some clear examples of this.

As you will probably have noticed from the previous table, some of the scientific disciplines -- the field of astronomy in particular -- have been greatly influenced by ancient mythology. In fact, astronomy is so replete with the names of pagan gods and goddesses, that it would take me pages and pages to list them all here. But, just to give you a small example of the degree of influence that these pagan ideas have had on this particular field, please consider the following planetary chart which shows both Roman and Greek names:

Mercury	Roman god of commerce, travel, thievery Greek Hermes
Venus	Roman goddess of love and beauty - Greek Aphrodite
Mars	Roman god of war - Greek Ares
Jupiter	Supreme Roman god - Greek Zeus
Saturn	Roman god of agriculture - Greek Cronus
Uranus	Greek supreme god of the sky, followed by Cronus and Zeus
Neptune	Roman god of the sea - Greek Poseidon
Pluto	Roman god of the dead and underworld - Greek Hades

As you will realize, some of the names of the moons which revolve around these planets, as well as the names of many constellations, stars, star clusters, asteroids, etc., also derive their names from this very same pagan background. In fact, as you will already know, the names which are assigned to some of man's exploratory space vehicles and missions are likewise derived from the nomenclature of these same false gods and goddesses. Need I mention Mercury, Apollo, etc.? So while many people may erroneously assume that the ancient Roman Empire is long gone and buried, it seems that the truth of the matter is that it is still here in a very subtle and very powerful way, even if we don't consciously realize it. None of these things glorify the one true God of Heaven and Earth. What a far cry from the praises of King David of old who once wrote:

". . . The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork."


Through his naming scheme, sinful man has stolen the glory, honour and credit which belongs to God alone, and has given it to a pantheon of false pagan gods and goddesses. What a shame! The Bible has much to say about this topic. Please consider the following verses:

"I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;"


"For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:"


"O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever."


"[A Psalm of Asaph.] God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods."


"Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works."


"For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods."


"For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens."


Please go to part two for the continuation of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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