Recommended Easter Reading to refute the Easter haters

[sparkman]

I'd like to recommend two books by Ralph Woodrow prior to Easter.

Ralph Woodrow once taught that both Christmas and Easter were irredeemably pagan in origin. This teaching is rampant amongst many Sabbathkeepers and those who attempt to discredit Christianity in general.

His former position was based on the works of Alexander Hislop. Hislop was a Scottish clergyman who tried to prove that Roman Catholicism (and by inference Protestantism) was basically related to the worship of Nimrod and his consort wife, Semiramis. Additionally, he claimed virtually all pagan gods and goddesses were in fact Nimrod and Semiramis. His work has since been discredited for nonsensical logic, making vague connections, and claiming things that were not true (for instance little is none about Semiramis and it does not appear at all as if she were a contemporary with Nimrod).

Much of what is taught by some groups of Sabbathkeepers, including Armstrongites (Herbert Armstrong's followers) and Hebrew Roots people, on this topic is based on Alexander Hislop's writings.

I'll be very straightforward in my view that much of Sabbathkeeping teachings and the attempts to discredit Sunday observance and Christmas and Easter observance is demonic in nature. Those who are perpetuating these arguments are likely deceived and sincere, but they are serving the cause of Satan. I was on this bandwagon myself as a former Armstrongite, and that is why I feel strongly about these topics. Some who hold these opinions try to frame me as a rock-chucker, but in reality I am calling out their rock-chucking for what it is, and they don't like me refuting their bad logic. They prefer to attack defenseless Christians who aren't aware of their logical fallacies.

Anyways, there's two books I'd like to recommend.

One of the recommendations is Three Days and Three Nights by Ralph Woodrow. It covers the "Three Days and Three Nights" issue. Anti-Easter people generally claim that Christ was crucified on Wednesday afternoon and rose Saturday. The origins of this argument come directly from Sabbathkeepers, who are attempting to refute the idea that Christ rose on Sunday.

I won't go into the details here, but I will state as an overview that the day of Christ's crucifixion was the preparation day. The preparation day is synonymous with Friday. Israelites prepared food prior to the Sabbath as they were not to cook on the Sabbath. The phrase "preparation day" was never used in reference to the annual festivals, though, so it cannot apply to the Days of Unleavened Bread, like anti-Easter people claim it does. In fact, it is SPECIFICALLY stated in the Torah that the Israelites were allowed to prepare food on the first day of unleavened bread (Exodus 12:16). To argue that the day of the Crucifixion was a preparation day prior to the first day of unleavened bread is simply not true. There was no preparation day for these holy days, because they were allowed to cook on them.

If anyone can produce a single verse that states that the day before a festival was called a preparation day, or that preparation involved anything other than food preparation, feel free to do so. I don't think you can do that. In addition, I'd like to see one that proves this in regards to the feast of unleavened bread, since Exodus 12:16 plainly says that they could prepare their food on these days.

In addition, I will clearly state that I was FULLY PERSUADED by this line of reasoning for at least 10 years as an Armstrongite, and even longer afterwards...so I realize what the points are. I know what points they would respond to, but they simply don't line up with the Bible and its testimony.

The strongest issue relates to the one Scripture, "three days and three nights", in Matthew 12:40. I will simply state that there is an idiomatic construct within the Hebrew language that refers to the phrase "in three days" as "the day after tomorrow". The wording in this ONE VERSE is a bit more difficult, but the wording in about 20 other verses is fully reconcileable with the construct I mentioned. I don't base my doctrine on a single verse, especially since the weight of church history is against this teaching. There are remarks by church fathers as early as the first century that are in alignment with the traditional position.

I strongly suggest getting Ralph's book and going through it. It decimates the arguments of Alexander Hislop and Herbert Armstrong. If you are conveying this sort of information to others, and casting dispersion upon the vast majority of Christianity, you had better be darn sure you are doing it for a good reason, as you will be judged for careless speech when you face your maker in the judgment. Most of those who hold such beliefs simply will not look at the possibility of their error, though, because they are too obstinate to question their worldviews. I know I was until God humbled me.

The second book recommendation is "Easter...Is It Pagan?" by the same author, Ralph Woodrow.

Regarding the other points concerning Easter, I don't think Easter eggs and bunny rabbits belong in the practices of regular Christians. Those things are pagan fertility symbols. That's definitely a matter of personal conscience though and I won't argue it.

Regarding the origin of the word "Easter", claiming it applies to the pagan goddess Ishtar is based on one monk's statement in the eighth century (Bede). In addition, it is the English speaking people who use the word Easter, and not the rest of the world's Christians. So, making this a big deal is juvenile and ethnocentric.

https://answersingenesis.org/holidays/easter/is-the-name-easter-of-pagan-origin/


I will likely be providing more information about this issue as we get closer to the Easter season. It would be a great thing if some would read these books prior to the season to produce a well-defined argument against the Easter haters, and to combat some of the misinformation.

You can buy Ralph's books in this regard at this website:

Ralph Woodrow Evangelistic Association

The way I see it, there are a few good points in regards to these topics that are genuine, and a MOUNTAIN of misinformation and slander that is perpetuated from demonic sources that are attempting to discredit Christianity in general. The Armstrongites are blatantly against the rest of Christianity, calling them unbelievers who are following a counterfeit form of Christianity, and are "so-called Christians". Many other non-Armstrongite groups are similar in nature, including some Hebrew Roots groups and individual rebels who have no church affiliation (in disobedience to Scripture), but pontificate on these topics. I don't doubt that they are sincere in their assertions, but they are simply acting as finger puppets for Satan in some of their endeavors and assertions.

There is also room for disagreement on this topic, so I don't claim that everyone who disagrees is demonically motivated, but there are definitely those who are. One test is whether the person is willing to consider the alternate view from a well-informed perspective, rather than the biased teachings of heretics.

 

[sparkman]

I didn't re-examine my position on this particular topic until more recently, but just avoided the Easter discussion as a peripheral issue.

However, now I can see that the anti-Easter view is full of logical holes, like the Sabbath, holy days, and clean/unclean meats issues.

I would highly suggest if you come into contact with groups that try to discredit Christianity, examine the other side of the argument from a well-informed perspective. Don't just ask your pastor and if he gives you a poor answer, automatically conclude that the rebel position is correct. He may not be an expert on that particular topic. Find out which sources are authorities for each side, and compare their positions biblically.

Also, realize that some of these rebel groups are good communicators, so they may come across as authoritative, but their reasoning is poor. Armstrong, for example, was an advertising man, and he was trained in how to manipulate people and to persuade. He has trained hundreds to be persuasive like he was. This is how false doctrine gets spread...through some seemingly solid information and a persuasive manner of delivery.

The weight of church history should also tell you something..these guys come along 1900 years after the apostolic era and claim that they are restoring "new truth"..watch out for them.

 

[sparkman]

Another interesting point I failed to mention is that Seventh Day Adventists, while holding the Sabbath position, DO NOT take the position that Christ rose on the Sabbath, because they know it isn't true. Regardless if a Sabbath resurrection would bolster the Sabbathkeeping position they hold, they don't teach this because it's obvious to them that it's not true.

 

[prove-all]

Re: read the bible

even Pope Benedict xvi, wrestles with the three-day time frame in his book about Christ’s last days.
According to the pope, “There is no direct scriptural testimony pointing to the ‘third day.’”


When it comes to the Easter sunrise service, however, there is no scriptural testimony
to observe that man-made holiday. The word “Easter” appears once in the Bible—
in Acts 12:4—and only in the King James Version. Hastings Bible Dictionary and other
translations of the Bible correctly render this word, pascha—as it is translated in every
other instance it appears in the Bible—as Passover.

The Bible says that Jesus Christ was crucified on Passover (Matthew 26:2).


When the Pharisees asked Christ for a sign as proof of His Messiahship, being in
the grave three full days and three full nights was the one and only sign Jesus gave.
He meant what He said. In another passage, He even referred to the daylight portion
of a day as including 12 hours (John 11:9).


God’s days begin and end at sunset, the actual Passover ceremony that Jesus
observed with His disciples occurred Tuesday night—the beginning of
the 14th day of the first month on the Hebrew calendar.


On Tuesday afternoon, the disciples had asked Jesus about where to
make preparations for the service (Matthew 26:17).

That night, during the ceremony, Jesus changed the symbols,
explaining that He was now that Passover sacrifice (Matthew 26:26-28).

After that Passover service, they went out into the Mount of Olives (verse 30).
Christ spent much of the night praying while His disciples slept (verses 36-45).

Early Wednesday morning, while it was still dark (John 18:3),
Judas came with the multitude to arrest Christ (Matthew 26:47-50).

The crucifixion occurred later that same day

At the “ninth hour” of the 14th, Jesus cried out (Matthew 27:46-50; Mark 15:34-37;
Luke 23:44-46). This would have been at 3 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon.

That night, at sunset, marked the beginning of the first day of Unleavened Bread
—one of God’s holy days, as outlined in Leviticus 23 (see also Numbers 28:16-17).

The weekly Sabbath, of course, is on Saturday the 7th day of week.

But the first day of Unleavened Bread was the first of seven annual sabbaths instituted
by God. Since most people do not observe God’s holy days today, they do not know that
the Bible also refers to these days as sabbaths (see Leviticus 16:31; 23:24, 26-32, 39).


In John 19:30, Jesus bowed His head and said, “It is finished.” the very next verse:

“The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain
upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate
that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away” (verse 31).

Here is where so many scholars jump the track. [They assume] that because the day
of Christ’s crucifixion is referred to as [“the preparation”] prior to “the sabbath”
(Matthew 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54) that it must have been on Friday.

But as John points out, the preparation day was actually before a sabbath
that was a “high day”—an annual holy day.


John 19:32-42 explain what happened between Christ’s death and His burial.
42: “There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day;
for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.”

They buried Him late Wednesday afternoon, before sunset, because, according
to Jewish customs, all dead bodies had to be buried before the Sabbath,
whether weekly or annual. So Christ died on the afternoon of the 14th at 3 p.m.

He was buried later that afternoon before sunset. From that point, all we have
to do is count three days and three nights to know when He was resurrected.

the Gospel account in Matthew to continue following the course of events.

“Now the next day [after the Passover], that followed the day of the preparation,
the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember
that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again”
(Matthew 27:62-63).

Even these deceived Jews knew what Christ said! After three days and three nights
—not one day and two nights—“I will rise again”!


So Pilate set a watch on the sepulcher for three days and nights. The story
continues in the first verse of the next chapter.

“In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week,
came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre” (Matthew 28:1).

Here again is where so many trip up—mainly because of a poor translation.

The King James, along with just about every other Bible version, translates
the first part of this verse, “In the end of the sabbath” or “after the sabbath.”


But if you study the Greek text, you learn that the word for sabbath is
actually plural! “After the sabbaths,” it should read.

Jesus crucified on a Wednesday afternoon and buried later that evening,
before sunset. The next day, Thursday, was an annual sabbath. The day
after that, was preparation day for the regular weekly Sabbath.

The reason Matthew refers to sabbaths, plural, is because there were
two sabbaths that week! When Matthew says Mary came early Sunday morning,
before dawn, after one of the sabbaths, he is referring to the weekly Sabbath.



There is one more sequence of events that provides additional support for
the 72-hour time frame and the fact that there were two “sabbaths” this week.


Mark 16:1 says Mary Magdalene and her companions bought spices
“when the sabbath was past.” They were planning to prepare these
ointments and spices so that they might anoint the body of Jesus.

Yet Luke 23:56 says they prepared these spices and then rested on
the weekly Sabbath day. Compare these two texts carefully.



Christ inspired four different Gospel accounts to be written so that all the
important details of His life might be canonized. Mark said these women
bought the spices after the sabbath was past. Luke said they prepared
the spices before the Sabbath arrived.



Those who hold to the Good Friday-Easter belief must conclude that these
verses are a glaring contradiction. They are not! They complement each
other perfectly, if you understand that there were two sabbaths that week.



The women bought the spices on Friday, after the annual sabbath on Thursday.
They prepared the spices that same day, before the weekly Sabbath,
and then rested on the Sabbath according to God’s command.

When Mary approached the tomb early Sunday morning, [before sunrise],
an angel nearby exclaimed, “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come,
see the place where the Lord lay” (Matthew 28:6).

There were no eyewitnesses to Christ’s resurrection,
and there is only one historical record: the Holy Bible.

Christ’s proof of His messiahship was singular:
the length of time He would be in the ground.

Yes indeed! He had already risen—the day before, just prior to sunset
at the end of the weekly Sabbath.

His death, burial and resurrection happened precisely the way
He prophesied it would happen.

 

[prove-all]

Re: Roman rite

The Origins of Easter
oragins of Easter sunrise service- from rome

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Rite

Antiquity of the Roman Mass

It is still redolent of that liturgy, of the days when Caesar ruled the world
and thought he could stamp out the faith of Christ, when our fathers
met together before dawn and sang a hymn to Christ as to a God.

Another result of the council was an agreement on when
to celebrate Easter which is simply stated:

We also send you the good news of the settlement concerning the holy pasch, namely
that in answer to your prayers this question also has been resolved. All the brethren
in the East who have hitherto followed the Jewish practice will henceforth observe

the custom of the Romans and of yourselves and of all of us (who from ancient times)
have kept Easter together with you.[13]


- was changed to easter to observe a roman custume that dates way before
Christ born of a virgin , they did everything they could to stamp out or
incorperate into roman ways and change Gods.


Because the celebration of Easter was tied to the spring equinox,


-the Roman Catholic Church considered this steady drift in the date of Easter undesirable
Roman calendar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Julian calendar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar.

Gregorian calendar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The calendar was a refinement in 1582 to the Julian calendar

The motivation for the reform was to bring the date for the celebration of Easter
to the time of the year in which the First Council of Nicaea had agreed upon in 325.

-The Phoenician name was Astarte, the wife of the sun god,
Astarte - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Baal, the worship of whom is continually denounced in
the Bible as the most abominable of all pagan idolatry 1 Kings 22:53;








new testament command -passover just started, after dark

22And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it,
and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.
23And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks,
he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.

24And he said unto them, This is my blood of [the new testament],
which is shed for many.
25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine,
until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.


-Jesus changed [the simbles] , not the passover holy day occurance.
we use wine now instead, we do not have to physicaly kill an animal.
still only happened once a year, no more sacrifices required, he is our priest.

1 Corinthians 5:7
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened.
For even [Christ] our passover is [sacrificed] for us:

-passover was once a year, because of this act of Christs

1 Corinthians 5:8
Therefore let us [keep the feast],


-bible tells use to keep [a feast], then he goes on to say how to keep it,
but he said to keep [a] feast day. this is the first day of unleavened bread.
another name is [the night to be most remembered] in the o.t.

not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness;
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and [truth].


-deciples keep [feast of unleavened bread] after Christs death

Acts 12:3 (KJV)
And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also.
(Then were the days of unleavened bread.)

Acts 20:6 (KJV)
And we sailed away from Philippi after (the days of unleavened bread),
and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.





-now [the feast] of unleavened bread, was [the night to be most remembered]


“Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them [pagan
religious customs] … and that thou inquire not after their gods

 

[prove-all]

-Nicolaism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolaism

Nicolaism (also Nicholaism, Nicolationism, or Nicolaitanism) is a Christian heresy,
first mentioned (twice) in the Book of Revelation of the New Testament, whose adherents
were called Nicolaitans, Nicolaitanes, or Nicolaites. According to Revelation 2, vv. 6 and 15,
they were known in the cities of Ephesus and Pergamum.


In this chapter, the church at Ephesus is commended for "hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans,
which I also hate" and the church in Pergamos is blamed "So hast thou also them that hold
the doctrine of the Nicolaitans".

Several of the early church fathers, including Irenaeus, Hippolytus,[2] Epiphanius, and Theodoret
mentioned this group, and stated that the deacon Nicolas was the author of the heresy and the sect
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catego...istian_martyrs


The root of the word Nicolaitans comes from Greek nikao, to conquer or overcome,
and laos, which means people and which the word laity comes from.

The two words together especially means the destruction of the people and refers
to the earliest form of what we call a priestly order or clergy which later on in
church history divided people and allowed for leadership other than those led
by the spirit of the risen Lord.

A good translation of Nicolaitan would be "those who prevail over the people."
This clerical system later developed into the papal hierarchy of priests and clergy
lording over the flock.

The Council of Trent stated, "If anyone shall say that there is not in the Catholic Church
a hierarchy established by the divine ordination, consisting of bishops, presbyters
and ministers, let him be anathema."

 

[prove-all]

Re: Recommended reading the bible

Vicar of Christ
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicar_of_Christ

a vicar is of "earthly representative of God or Christ"
person acting as parish priest in place of Christ.
like the pope now used in Catholicism to refer to the bishops,
more specifically to the Bishop of Rome .



The whole population of Samaria gave earnest heed to Simon.
All those in Samaria, from the least to the greatest, believed him!

In fact, the people worshiped him as the “great power of God.”
They believed he was God in the flesh.

This man is known in secular history as Simon Magus.
The surname “magus” reveals that he was a member of the priestly caste of ancient Persia.
this Simon was a priest of the Babylonian mystery religion.

The sin of simony, or paying for position and influence in the church, is named for Simon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simony

 

[prove-all]

Re: Recommended reading the bible

You can buy Ralph's books in this regard at this website:

Ralph Woodrow Evangelistic Association

.

13. No unauthorized advertising or soliciting or recruiting.

Please come to our chat rooms and forums for fellowship,
not to try to advertise anything (not even in private messages to our chat room visitors)

or recruit people for anything. By "anything" we mean anything -- web sites,
chat rooms, forums, facebook groups, churches, groups, doctrine, etc.

 

[prove-all]

Re: Recommended reading the bible

The weight of church history should also tell you something..

yes the lost century in church history

as Edward Gibbon wrote in
The History of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire
"The scanty materials of ecclesiastical history seldom enable us to dispel
the cloud that hangs over the first age of the church .

Jesse Lyman Hurlbert in
The story of the christian church
the age just after the book of acts he calls "..the age of shadows.."

"of all the periods in the churches history, it is the one about which we know
the least about. For fifty years after St. Paul's life a curtain hangs over the church,
through which we strive vainly to look;


William McLaughlin in
The Course of Christian History

"But Christianity itself had been in the process of transformation as it progressed
and at the close of the period was in many respects quite different from the apostolic
Christianity."


Samuel G. Green in
A handbook of church History

"The thirty years which followed the close of the New Testement canon and the
destruction of Jerusalem, are in truth the most obscure in the history of the church.
When we emerge in the second century, we are to a great extent in a changed world."


William fitzgerald in
lectures on ecclesiastical History

"over this period of transition, which immediatly succeeds upon
the era properly called apostolic, great obscurity hangs."


Philip Schaff in
History of the Christian Church

"The remaining thirty years of the first century are involved in mysterious darkness,
illuminated only by the writings of John. This is a period of church history about which
we know least and would like to know most."

"Simon Magus unquestionably adulterated Christianity with pagon ideas and practices
and gave himself out for an emanation of God."

"This heresy in the second century spread over the whole church, east and west,
in the various schools of agnosticism."

--Satan was doing everything he could to destroy the Work of God, and in
little more than two decades, God’s people were turning to another gospel.

-this was the time of the Roman Empire , and in around 117 AD, at its greatest extent.
streched from Britian clear to modern day Turkey, and it ruled with the rod of iron.


-


I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you
into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years
I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

 

[JesusIsAll]

I would offer another viewpoint. Who cares and why should we? The world is full of controversy. Message boards often go for scores of pages, straining at some gnat. What is the point of trying to turn Easter into a grand controversy, when one can simply be reminded of the love and glorious salvation of the risen Lord Jesus and celebrate the season, which includes some wonderful services, across the land? I don't see the point nor the spirituality in turning everything into a bickerfest, spending all this time worrying about what some Jew-lite Christian cult is doing or raging over Constantine, who died almost seventeen centuries ago.

If somebody doesn't like Easter or any other legalistic tempest in a teapot, you known something? Not my problem, nor any reason to make it mine. Go lay it off on some poor soul who wants to hear it. Also, holiday and anti-holiday threads are like noxious preset alarms on message boards, "here we go again," another pretext for people who enjoy scratching each others eyes out, because it's not about information. Otherwise, you'd just go look up all the other ad nauseam, repetitive threads on the same subject and see all the useless arguing and canned arguments there's no need to rehash like trained parrots.

My vote is that nobody here tells me what to do on any holiday or day, nor I you. This is everybody's Christian prerogative. Just put a sock in it. Let everybody enjoy their Easter or weep and gnash your teeth in private, if just for one Easter. Give peace a try. Fair enough?

Romans 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

Galatians 4:9-11 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

Somebody once asked the crazy man why he keeps beating his head against the wall. He said, "Because it feels so good when I stop."

 

[Buzzard]

I'd like to recommend two books by Ralph Woodrow prior to Easter.

Ralph Woodrow once taught that both Christmas and Easter were irredeemably pagan in origin. This teaching is rampant amongst many Sabbathkeepers and those who attempt to discredit Christianity in general.

His former position was based on the works of Alexander Hislop. Hislop was a Scottish clergyman who tried to prove that Roman Catholicism (and by inference Protestantism) was basically related to the worship of Nimrod and his consort wife, Semiramis. Additionally, he claimed virtually all pagan gods and goddesses were in fact Nimrod and Semiramis. His work has since been discredited for nonsensical logic, making vague connections, and claiming things that were not true (for instance little is none about Semiramis and it does not appear at all as if she were a contemporary with Nimrod).

Much of what is taught by some groups of Sabbathkeepers, including Armstrongites (Herbert Armstrong's followers) and Hebrew Roots people, on this topic is based on Alexander Hislop's writings.
.

Well maybe and maybe not, as Cardinal Newman Says

John Henry Newman


"The phenomenon, admitted on all hands,
is this:
That great portion of what is generally received as Christian truth is,
in its rudiments or in its separate parts,
to be found in heathen philosophies and religions.
For instance,
the doctrine of a Trinity is found both in the East and in the West;
so is the ceremony of washing; so is the rite of sacrifice.

The doctrine of the Divine Word is Platonic;
the doctrine of the Incarnation is Indian;
of a divine kingdom is Judaic;
of Angels and demons is Magian;
the connexion of sin with the body is Gnostic;
celibacy is known to Bonze and Talapoin;
a sacerdotal order is Egyptian;
the idea of a new birth is Chinese and Eleusinian;
belief in sacramental virtue is Pythagorean;

and honours to the deadare a polytheism.
Such is the general nature of the fact before us;

Mr. Milman argues from it,
These things are in heathenism, therefore they are not Christian:'
we, on the contrary, prefer to say,
'these things are in Christianity, therefore they are not heathen.

• And of this he is correct;
• for the christianity he speaks of is nothing but
• "Baptized" Heathenism and Paganism

That is, we prefer to say,
and we think that Scripture bears us out in saying,
that from the beginning the Moral Governor of the world
has scattered the seeds of truth far and wide over its extent;
that these have variously taken root,
and grown as in the wilderness, wild plants indeed but living;
and hence that, as the inferior animals have tokens of an immaterial {381} principle in them,
yet have not souls, so the philosophies and religions of men have their life in certain true ideas,
though they are not directly divine.
What man is amid the brute creation,
such is the Church among the schools of the world;
and as Adam gave names to the animals about him,
so has the Church from the first looked round upon the earth,
noting and visiting the doctrinesshe found there.
and then sojourned among the Canannites,
and went down into Egypt, and thence passed into Arabia,
till she rested in her own land.
Next she encountered the merchants of Tyre,
and the wisdom of the East country,
and the luxury of Sheba.
Then she was carried away to Babylon,
and wandered to the schools of Greece.
And wherever she went, in trouble or in triumph, still she was a living spirit,
the mind and voice of the Most High;
sitting in the midst of the doctors,
both hearing them and asking them questions;'
claiming to herself what they said rightly,
correcting their errors, supplying their defects,
completing their beginnings,
expanding their surmises, and thus gradually
by means of them enlarging the range and
refining the sense of her own teaching.

So far then from her creed being of doubtful credit because it resembles foreign theologies,
we even hold that one special way in which Providence
has imparted divine knowledge to us has been by enabling her
to draw and collect it together out of the world,
and, in this sense, as in others,
to 'suck the milk of the Gentiles and to suck the breast of kings.'


John Henry Newman​

​

[HR][/HR]
​

Confiding then in the power of Christianity to resist the infection of evil, and to transmute the very instruments and appendages of demon worship to an evangelical use, and feeling also that these usages had originally come from primitive revelations and from the instinct of nature, though they had been corrupted; and that they must invent what they needed, if they did not use what they found; and that they were moreover possessed of the very archetypes, of which paganism attempted the shadows; the rulers of the Church from early times were prepared, should the occasion arise, to adopt, to imitate, or sanction the existing rites and customs of the populace, as well as the philosophy of the educated class.
"(Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, John Henry Newman, a cardinal by Pope Leo III in 1879, 1878, p351-353)
​

 

[John146]

Acts 12:3-4, "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 quarternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people."

Peter was taken during the days of the unleavened bread which was after Passover. Passover was a one day, 24 hour remembrance. The days of unleavened bread was a seven day remembrance after the Passover day.

People can celebrate resurrection day, but I believe it would be an error to use the Acts 12 passage.

 

[sparkman]

I will simply note that prove-all is an Armstrongite who claims that he is going to be a God, on the same level with God the Father and Jesus Christ, in the resurrection. He holds the same views that I held as an Armstrongite.

A lot of his posts are cut and pasted from Armstrongite sites. I have reported him many times about it.

I don't read his posts (blocked), therefore I don't respond to him. He usually responds to just about every thread I post that involves this sort of thing.

It is funny that a Mormon or Jehovah's Witness would be banned from here immediately, but he still stays around. Armstrongism is basically a religion that combines the worst theologies from Seventh Day Adventism, Mormonism, and Jehovah's Witnesses into one. They deny the Trinity, teach that the Sabbath/festivals/clean and unclean meat laws are requirements of salvation, deny the bodily resurrection, and claim that they are the true church and the rest of Christianity is a pagan counterfeit teaching a false gospel.

 

[prove-all]

I will simply note that prove-all is an Armstrongite who claims that he is going to be a God, on the same level with God the Father and Jesus Christ, in the resurrection. He holds the same views that I held as an Armstrongite.
A lot of his posts are cut and pasted from Armstrongite sites. I have reported him many times about it.

again you lie and slander me, this lie you spread even though you
where told the truth,seems you are the rock thrower.
please show where I ever made this claim of yours?

you sir again are a lier and a slander and can not produce one post
that I said this but you keep posting anyway.

but I will proclaim there is not one verse in the bible,
that changes the holy sabbath to sunday.

you will not answer because there is none.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.



funny how I post bible verses, you post links to sell books,
by the way is againest the forum rules.

 

[prove-all]

If anyone can produce a single verse that states that the day before a festival was called a preparation day, or that preparation involved anything other than food preparation, feel free to do so.

so I post verses to refute your claim , and show a preperation day.



what do you do? attack my character but not the bible verses posted.

notice everytime you post, you have to drag someone or a group under the bus,

and slander them to make your story look more true.

 

[prove-all]

Acts 12:3-4, "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 quarternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people."

Peter was taken during the days of the unleavened bread which was after Passover. Passover was a one day, 24 hour remembrance. The days of unleavened bread was a seven day remembrance after the Passover day.

People can celebrate resurrection day, but I believe it would be an error to use the Acts 12 passage.

celebrate resurrection day? where in the bible does it say this.

-passover was once a year, because of this act of Christs

1 Corinthians 5:8
Therefore let us [keep the feast],

-bible tells use to keep [a feast], then he goes on to say how to keep it,
but he said to keep [a] feast day. this is the first day of unleavened bread.



this is not easter sunrise service.

 

[DP]

And what's also remarkable, is that the word Easter is not even in God's Holy Writ. (the Greek word which the KJV translators translated to Easter in Acts 12:4 is actually the word 'pascha' which means 'passover').

 

[prove-all]

Re: easter and sun worship

Sun worship infects ancient Israel


In the ancient world, ‘sun worship’ was one of the most common forms
of pagan idolatry. Immediately after Israel left Egypt,

God warned His people against being “driven to worship ... the sun.”
Deuteronomy 4:19.

Yet Israel later yielded to temptation, compromised with the nations around
them, and dedicated their “horses ... to the sun.” 2 Kings 23:11.

During a time of revival, King Josiah purged much of Israel and
“burned the chariots of the sun with fire.” 2 Kings 23:11.

Before the Babylonian captivity, many Israelite leaders rejected their Creator,
yielded again to idolatry, and “worshipped the sun toward the east.” Ezekiel 8:16.

At the same time, God declared that they “hid their eyes from My Sabbaths.”
Ezekiel 22:26.

Thus ancient Israel shifted from Sabbath keeping to sun worship.
In 1 Corinthians 10:1-11, Paul warned the Church against repeating
the sins of ancient Israel.

Sun worship, “the day of the sun,” and “Sunday”

The Romans called the sun god “Mithra” and “Apollo,” and they especially worshiped
the sun on “the first day of the week,” also called “Dies Solis” (Latin), which means,
“day of the sun.” The name “Sunday” was adopted “because this day was anciently
dedicated to the sun, or to its worship. The first day of the week.”
Webster’s Dictionary; 1929 edition.

 

[John146]

It must be noted that whenever the passover is mentioned in the New Testament, the reference is always to the meal, to be eaten on the night of April 14th not the entire week. The days of unleavened bread are NEVER referred to as the Passover. (It must be remembered that the angel of the Lord passed over Egypt on one night, not seven nights in a row.

Acts 12:3, 4: "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."

Verse 3 shows that Peter was arrested during the days of unleavened bread (April 15-21).

The Bible says: "Then were the days of unleavened bread." The passover (April 14th) had already come and gone. Herod could not possibly have been referring to the passover in his statement concerning Easter. The next Passover was a year away! But the pagan holiday of Easter was just a few days away. Remember! Herod was a pagan Roman who worshipped the "queen of heaven". He was NOT a Jew. He had no reason to keep the Jewish passover.

It is easy to see that Herod, in Acts 12, had arrested Peter during the days of unleavened bread, after the passover. The days of unleavened bread would end on the 21st of April. Shortly after that would come Herod's celebration of pagan Easter. Herod had not killed Peter during the days of unleavened bread simply because he wanted to wait until Easter.

Again, the KJV is right in translating the word Easter.

 

[RachelBibleStudent]

Regarding the other points concerning Easter, I don't think Easter eggs and bunny rabbits belong in the practices of regular Christians. Those things are pagan fertility symbols. That's definitely a matter of personal conscience though and I won't argue it.

the deception of the anti easter faction is even more extensive than you think...

easter eggs and the 'easter bunny' did not arise as 'pagan fertility symbols' at all...they originated in consequence of far more mundane things...

the egg became associated with easter celebrations because eggs were not eaten during the lenten fast...on easter it was finally permitted to eat them again and so they were eaten in a rather celebratory manner...it was sort of like a reverse shrove tuesday... the eggs eaten on easter were often dyed red to symbolize the blood of christ...over time additional colors and later elaborate designs were added to make the 'easter basket' more attractive...

the 'bunny' which was actually a hare became associated with easter via the egg because plover birds often made their nests in abandoned hare dens in the spring time...making it appear to the more whimsically minded that the hare had something to do with the appearance of the eggs... this notion did not appear until post reformation times and took hold mainly in the countries where this unusual natural wonder occurred...