Our Pagan World : The Easter Myth Exposed! : Part 1

OUR PAGAN WORLD -- THE EASTER MYTH EXPOSED! : PART 1

Copyright 1994 - 2009 Endtime Prophecy Net

Published On : April 19, 2000

Last Updated : January 3, 2009

Holy Week, Easter Traditions, Easter In The KJV, Passover In
Old And New Testaments, Origin Of Word 'Easter', Defining The
Anglo-Saxons, Modern Roman Empire, Freemasonry, Pagan Months
Of The Year, Pagan Days Of The Week, Guilt Of Roman Catholic
Church, Paganism Throughout Astronomy, God Of Gods, Trapped

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 others.

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 did, and if you are a Christian, you would 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 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 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." Acts 12:1-4, KJV

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 my Greek 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 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 -----

Moving to 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 my Hebrew 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:

"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." Exodus 12:1-20, KJV

In the very next verses following the previous ones, we see
Moses and Aaron dutifully carrying out the Lord's
instructions regarding the Passover:

"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." Exodus 12:21-23, KJV

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 here:

"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." Leviticus 23:5-6, KJV

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 regarding James' execution, and
Peter's imprisonment by King Herod, he wanted to make sure
that Theophilus, (the intended recipient of his report),
understood that these events occurred during the period
which included the Passover feast, and 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 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.

So we must ask ourselves: If 'Easter' was not celebrated by
our First Century spiritual forefathers, and if it is no-
where 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 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 published,
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 to see if
there were any entries for this verse, (Acts 12:4), in my
Easton's Bible Dictionary. Sure enough, there was. Once you
read 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 web sites as the following:

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

To reiterate then, the name 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 likewise maintained
at the very same number. Might this possibly be 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, (a bird
of prey which tears apart its victims), was boldly displayed
on Roman standards, or 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 outright
satanic worship, is rampant there. Please also see my series
'Gargoyles: Satan Loves Church Buildings!' for more details
on the topic 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 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	Ango-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
'Gargoyle' series), this insidious corruption of our faith
is due in large part to the founders of institutionlized
Christianity, (or organized and legalized religion, if you
prefer); that is, the founders of the Roman Catholic Church;
who gained control of the 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 these pagan ideas have
had on this 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 given to some of
man's exploratory space vehicles and missions are likewise
derived from the names of these false gods and goddesses.
Need I mention Mercury, Apollo, etc.? So while many people
believe that the Roman Empire has been long gone and buried,
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." Psalms 19:1b, KJV

Through his naming scheme, sinful man has stolen the glory,
honour and credit which belongs to God alone, and 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:

"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;"
Exodus 20:2-5, KJV

"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:" Deuteronomy 10:17, KJV

"O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth
for ever." Psalms 136:2, KJV

"[A Psalm of Asaph.] God standeth in the congregation of
the mighty; he judgeth among the gods." Psalms 82:1, KJV

"Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord;
neither are there any works like unto thy works."
Psalms 86:8, KJV

"For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all
gods." Psalms 95:3, KJV

"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."
Psalms 96:4-5, KJV

"Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast
themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods...For thou,
LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far
above all gods." Psalms 97:7, 9, KJV

"For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is
above all gods." Psalms 135:5, KJV

"O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth
for ever." Psalms 136:2, KJV

"The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is,
that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a
revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this
secret." Daniel 2:47, KJV

"Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth:
for I am God, and there is none else." Isaiah 45:22, KJV

"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there
is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,"
Isaiah 46:9, KJV

So as you can see, whether we are talking about the names of
the months, or the days of the week, or the names of the
planets, moons and other celestial phenomena, even though we
are Christians, we are forced to indirectly pay tribute to
these false gods and goddesses of the past, every time we
mention one of their names. It is inescapable. How could we
even communicate, or make schedules and appointments without
referring to these antichristian names? We can't. Whether
we like it or not, for the time being, we are trapped in a
pagan world with no way out. Truly, we live in worldwide
spiritual Babylon; and you will see how true this is as we
continue this discussion in the next part of our series.

In part two, we will discover the close association between
the words Easter, Ester, Eastre, Eostre, estrus, Oestrus,
Oistros, Ostara and Eos. We will also discover that 'Easter'
was a sex and fertility goddess, and that she is responsible
for the tradition of the 'Easter Bunny' and colored eggs. In
addition, we'll examine the lives and work of John Wycliffe,
William Tyndale, Erasmus and Johann Gutenberg. Also to be
discussed will be Roman Catholic persecution, the martyrdom
of William Tyndale, Tyndale's 'Ester' and 'Easterlamb' in
his New Testament, and other Pre-KJV English Bibles. We will
conclude part two by showing a clear link between the many
manifestations of the 'Easter' goddess. I trust that you
will join me, as the story is far from being told.

Go To Part Two . . .