Is Easter a Pagan Holiday?

WWUTT

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:03

Is Easter a pagan holiday? No, it's a Christian holiday, celebrating the resurrection of our

00:08

Lord Jesus Christ from the grave. So it's very much not a pagan holiday. Right, but doesn't it replace a pagan holiday?

00:15

No, Easter celebrations in the early church were associated with Passover since that was the season in which

00:20

Jesus was crucified and risen. In 325, the Council of Nicaea decided that a Christian Passover would be held on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, independent of the

00:31

Jewish Passover. Fine, but isn't the name Easter from a pagan goddess? No, the claim that Easter comes from the pagan goddess

00:38

Oostra was made up by 8th century English monk Beatty, but no traditions for such a goddess exist.

00:44

The name is probably taken from the Anglo -Saxon word for the spring equinox. Alright, but aren't Easter eggs a pagan tradition?

00:51

No, they come from German Lenten traditions, though some would have you believe that the Easter egg originates with Nimrod's egg -laying wife.

00:57

Okay, but the Easter bunny, that's pagan, right? Actually, no. The Easter hare was made up by German Lutherans as a

01:03

Santa Claus -like character awarding children for good behavior, which has its own set of theological problems.

01:09

So again, Easter isn't pagan. Now while there's nothing in the Bible about celebrating Easter, it does say not to quarrel over opinions about days.

01:17

If someone wants to celebrate Easter Sunday, they're not doing anything pagan. And if someone doesn't, they're not doing anything unchristian.

01:24

Let us as believers rejoice together in our risen Lord every day when we understand the text.