How and When did Passover become Easter?

[Blik]

In the earliest church, most converts to Christianity had spent a lifetime in idol worship. Most of the world’s population where still idol worshippers.

All cults celebrated the equinox in the spring at almost the same time that Passover was celebrated, it was natural to combine the two. Idol worship made it a time of celebrating fertility.

By the year 323, the Roman Emperor (Constantine) had decided to make Christianity the state religion, but he hated the Jews. Constantine brought about 300 Christian ministers to Rome to decide on the doctrines of the Christian Church, they debated for three years. All their expenses were paid by Rome. The one instruction they were given was: 'Let us, then, have nothing in common with the Jews, who are our adversaries...Therefore this irregularity must be corrected, in order that we may no more have anything in common with the parricides and murderers of our Lord'"

In the first 100 years of Christianity, scripture was part of worship. People like James, the brother of Christ, had headed the church and gentiles were told to learn about God in scripture. The NT wasn’t heard of, yet. Now, those Christian people had been killed in the wars when Rome won so triumphantly. So the newly converted to Christianity people did not know scripture. enough to know how to keep paganism away from Christian worship.

Another factor that worked for letting paganism into Christianity was that we were given the Holy Spirit to replace rituals to lead us to holy living. Instead of being led by the Holy Spirit they simply labeled all God's directions as rituals to be disposed of.

With Christians in the minority to pagans, with being told Jews were terrible, with laws made against scripture by Constantine, with God being swept aside as only Christ as God the traditions of our church were established.

I think it is time to inspect all the decisions made so long ago to be sure they are of God and not of pagans.

 

[Dino246]

There's a lot of history summarized in your post, but little of it has to do with your thread title.

Yes, there are many pagan influences in the cultural celebration of "Easter"; no argument there. However, the cultural celebration is not the Christian celebration. My church remembers the suffering and death of Jesus, and we celebrate the resurrection. Every church I've attended did the same.

 

[crossnote]

Antisemitism amongst the Early Church Fathers even before Constantine did not help either, as it pushed for a further divide between the Church and it's own Jewish roots...


Ignatius Bishop of Antioch (98-117A.D.) – Epistle to the Magnesians
For if we are still practicing Judaism, we admit that we have not received God’s favor…it is wrong to talk about Jesus Christ and live like Jews. For Christianity did not believe in Judaism, but Judaism in Christianity.

"Epistle of Barnabas" Chapter 4vs 6-7 (between 130A.D. and 138 A.D.)
Take heed to yourselves and be not like some piling up you sins and saying that the covenant is theirs as well as ours. It is ours, but they lost it completely just after Moses received it.

Justin Martyr - Dialogue with Trypho (Between 138A.D. and 161 A.D.)
We too, would observe your circumcision of the flesh, your Sabbath days, and in a word, all you festivals, if we were not aware of the reason why they were imposed upon you, namely, because of your sins and the hardness of heart.
The custom of circumcising the flesh, handed down from Abraham, was given to you as a distinguishing mark, to set you off from other nations and from us Christians. The purpose of this was that you and only you might suffer the afflictions that are now justly yours; that only your land be desolated, and you cities ruined by fire, that the fruits of you land be eaten by strangers before your very eyes; that not one of you be permitted to enter your city of Jerusalem. Your circumcision of the flesh is the only mark by which you can certainly be distinguished from other men…as I stated before it was by reason of your sins and the sins of your fathers that, among other precepts, God imposed upon you the observence of the sabbath as a mark.

Origen of Alexandria (185-254 A.D.) – A ecclesiastical writer and teacher who contributed to the early formation of Christian doctrines.
We may thus assert in utter confidence that the Jews will not return to their earlier situation, for they have committed the most abominable of crimes, in forming this conspiracy against the Savior of the human race…hence the city where Jesus suffered was necessarily destroyed, the Jewish nation was driven from its country, and another people was called by God to the blessed election.

John Chrysostom (344-407 A.D.) – One of the "greatest" of church fathers; known as "The Golden Mouthed." A missionary preacher famous for his sermons and addresses.
The synagogue is worse than a brothel…it is the den of scoundrels and the repair of wild beasts…the temple of demons devoted to idolatrous cults…the refuge of brigands and dabauchees, and the cavern of devils. It is a criminal assembly of Jews…a place of meeting for the assassins of Christ… a house worse than a drinking shop…a den of thieves, a house of ill fame, a dwelling of iniquity, the refuge of devils, a gulf and a abyss of perdition."…"I would say the same things about their souls… As for me, I hate the synagogue…I hate the Jews for the same reason.
From "The Roots of Christian Anti-Semitism" by Malcolm Hay

St. Augustine (c. 354-430 A.D.), Confessions, 12.14
How hateful to me are the enemies of your Scripture! How I wish that you would slay them (the Jews) with your two-edged sword, so that there should be none to oppose your word! Gladly would I have them die to themselves and live to you!

Peter the Venerable – known as "the meekest of men, a model of Christian charity"
Yes, you Jews. I say, do I address you; you, who till this very day, deny the Son of God. How long, poor wretches, will ye not believe the truth? Truly I doubt whether a Jew can be really human… I lead out from its den a monstrous animal, and show it as a laughing stock in the amphitheater of the world, in the sight of all the people. I bring thee forward, thou Jew, thou brute beast, in the sight of all men.
From "The Roots of Christian Anti-Semitism" by Malcolm Hay

http://www.yashanet.com/library/fathers.htm

 

[Blik]

Antisemitism amongst the Early Church Fathers even before Constantine did not help either, as it pushed for a further divide between the Church and it's own Jewish roots...


Ignatius Bishop of Antioch (98-117A.D.) – Epistle to the Magnesians
For if we are still practicing Judaism, we admit that we have not received God’s favor…it is wrong to talk about Jesus Christ and live like Jews. For Christianity did not believe in Judaism, but Judaism in Christianity.

"Epistle of Barnabas" Chapter 4vs 6-7 (between 130A.D. and 138 A.D.)
Take heed to yourselves and be not like some piling up you sins and saying that the covenant is theirs as well as ours. It is ours, but they lost it completely just after Moses received it.

Justin Martyr - Dialogue with Trypho (Between 138A.D. and 161 A.D.)
We too, would observe your circumcision of the flesh, your Sabbath days, and in a word, all you festivals, if we were not aware of the reason why they were imposed upon you, namely, because of your sins and the hardness of heart.
The custom of circumcising the flesh, handed down from Abraham, was given to you as a distinguishing mark, to set you off from other nations and from us Christians. The purpose of this was that you and only you might suffer the afflictions that are now justly yours; that only your land be desolated, and you cities ruined by fire, that the fruits of you land be eaten by strangers before your very eyes; that not one of you be permitted to enter your city of Jerusalem. Your circumcision of the flesh is the only mark by which you can certainly be distinguished from other men…as I stated before it was by reason of your sins and the sins of your fathers that, among other precepts, God imposed upon you the observence of the sabbath as a mark.

Origen of Alexandria (185-254 A.D.) – A ecclesiastical writer and teacher who contributed to the early formation of Christian doctrines.
We may thus assert in utter confidence that the Jews will not return to their earlier situation, for they have committed the most abominable of crimes, in forming this conspiracy against the Savior of the human race…hence the city where Jesus suffered was necessarily destroyed, the Jewish nation was driven from its country, and another people was called by God to the blessed election.

John Chrysostom (344-407 A.D.) – One of the "greatest" of church fathers; known as "The Golden Mouthed." A missionary preacher famous for his sermons and addresses.
The synagogue is worse than a brothel…it is the den of scoundrels and the repair of wild beasts…the temple of demons devoted to idolatrous cults…the refuge of brigands and dabauchees, and the cavern of devils. It is a criminal assembly of Jews…a place of meeting for the assassins of Christ… a house worse than a drinking shop…a den of thieves, a house of ill fame, a dwelling of iniquity, the refuge of devils, a gulf and a abyss of perdition."…"I would say the same things about their souls… As for me, I hate the synagogue…I hate the Jews for the same reason.
From "The Roots of Christian Anti-Semitism" by Malcolm Hay

St. Augustine (c. 354-430 A.D.), Confessions, 12.14
How hateful to me are the enemies of your Scripture! How I wish that you would slay them (the Jews) with your two-edged sword, so that there should be none to oppose your word! Gladly would I have them die to themselves and live to you!

Peter the Venerable – known as "the meekest of men, a model of Christian charity"
Yes, you Jews. I say, do I address you; you, who till this very day, deny the Son of God. How long, poor wretches, will ye not believe the truth? Truly I doubt whether a Jew can be really human… I lead out from its den a monstrous animal, and show it as a laughing stock in the amphitheater of the world, in the sight of all the people. I bring thee forward, thou Jew, thou brute beast, in the sight of all men.
From "The Roots of Christian Anti-Semitism" by Malcolm Hay

http://www.yashanet.com/library/fathers.htm

Do you think that God considers the feast days that celebrate our salvation is a ritual that the Holy Spirit has replaced? If so, please give a reason for this decision.

Some of my reasons for thinking it is not is, first the rituals all led to obedience of a God principle. The feasts do not. All of the feasts celebrate and praise
God for His plan of salvation for us.

Another reason is that for all the feasts we are told in scripture that they apply to all Christians forever. In biblical language "for all generations".

 

[JaumeJ]

Judaism is an invention of men which did not exist in the first Israel. Think about it! It takes very little efffort to understand. W

When our Savior came to us He taqught how the traditions of men, rabbinical thinking, waqs being taught as commandment of God.

No that is calle Judaism and it is the umbrella for many sects within thaqt umbrella just as Christianity, which did not exist untilmen named the followers of Jesus so, is the umbrell for many sects called Christian.

All who believe were taught by Jesus to have the faith of Abraham making them children of Abraham...…..not neurosurgery, not rocket science. All is in the Word when we read it all.

 

[Miri]

Passover became Easter when Jesus died on the cross.
Up to that point Passover was in remembrance of what happened at Exodus.
Now it’s much more powerful and we understand Passover was a vague picture
of the true work of salvation.

Also a new remembrance was given, the bread and wine to do as often
as needed. Rather than once a year.

 

[JaumeJ]

Jon, the baptist, declared upon sighting Jesus, Yeshua, "Behold the Lamb of God Who taqkes away the sin of the world." If this is not a direct reference to the Lamb of Passover, nothiing is but believers must understand the connection and the imagery of the first Passover or Pesach. It was the Blood of the lamb of Passover that saved the Israel people in Egypt.

The last supper was a pPassaover celebrastion...

Easter with its eggs and all was given to the masses by the churc h when it wanted to assure keeping the apgans who celebrated and worshippe Oestra, the goddess of fertility, within the onfines of their powr.

Passover will never be easter though many unknowingly celebrate the Lamb of God and Passover calling it by that abomination.

 

[gb9]

it baffles me how you judeaizers can look at us get up , have a sunrise service celebrating the Resurrection , then have a church service to praise and worship Jesus , and tell us we are worshiping pagan gods.
amazing.


but, a lot of you believe in the silly conspiracy that Jesus rose on the Sabbath. so I guess you just let yourself believe whatever....

 

[FollowHisSteps]

Jon, the baptist, declared upon sighting Jesus, Yeshua, "Behold the Lamb of God Who taqkes away the sin of the world." If this is not a direct reference to the Lamb of Passover, nothiing is but believers must understand the connection and the imagery of the first Passover or Pesach. It was the Blood of the lamb of Passover that saved the Israel people in Egypt.

The last supper was a pPassaover celebrastion...

Easter with its eggs and all was given to the masses by the churc h when it wanted to assure keeping the apgans who celebrated and worshippe Oestra, the goddess of fertility, within the onfines of their powr.

Passover will never be easter though many unknowingly celebrate the Lamb of God and Passover calling it by that abomination.

If people celebrate Jesus dying and rising again, is this not a good thing?
Yes there are other aspects to easter which come from other faiths etc or ideas, but not in my life time.

Does not Christs victory and hope overwhelm all these other considerations?

 

[JaumeJ]

If people celebrate Jesus dying and rising again, is this not a good thing?
Yes there are other aspects to easter which come from other faiths etc or ideas, but not in my life time.

Does not Christs victory and hope overwhelm all these other considerations?

No, for this is just part of the long history of non.Hebrews assuming traditions of man that pull away from our Hebrew beginnings in Abraham.

Of cousrse all who are commemorating the Triumph of Jesus, Yeshua, are indeed celebrating the Passover, but to continue after knowing th e tradition of the eggs stems from Oestra, goddess of fertility, to continue in thast vein is just hatred of one's own beginnings in the Hebrew roots of all believers of jesus, Yeshua.

 

[FollowHisSteps]

No, for this is just part of the long history of non.Hebrews assuming traditions of man that pull away from our Hebrew beginnings in Abraham.

Of cousrse all who are commemorating the Triumph of Jesus, Yeshua, are indeed celebrating the Passover, but to continue after knowing th e tradition of the eggs stems from Oestra, goddess of fertility, to continue in thast vein is just hatred of one's own beginnings in the Hebrew roots of all believers of jesus, Yeshua.

Easter eggs can also be seen as a celebration of new life, the giving birth to faith and overcoming.
A symbol is just a shape, it has the meanings whatever one wants it to mean. In Jesus I am not bound
to anything. Paul went so far as to say food is food, whether someone has cut it up in a temple before
a god or not, he will eat any food because it is sustenance blessed by God.

So if for you, easter eggs are idolatry, then avoid it. To me they have always been chocolate and gifts
on easter day, something relating to kids and my liking of chocolate. Yum.
God bless you

16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a
religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.
17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
Col 2

 

[JaumeJ]

Easter eggs can also be seen as a celebration of new life, the giving birth to faith and overcoming.
A symbol is just a shape, it has the meanings whatever one wants it to mean. In Jesus I am not bound
to anything. Paul went so far as to say food is food, whether someone has cut it up in a temple before
a god or not, he will eat any food because it is sustenance blessed by God.

So if for you, easter eggs are idolatry, then avoid it. To me they have always been chocolate and gifts
on easter day, something relating to kids and my liking of chocolate. Yum.
God bless you

16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a
religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.
17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
Col 2

What you purport is smply confusion………… The Blood of Christ, its power canot be compared to a hasrd boiled egg. The resurrection cannot be compated to an egg or even to a pregnancy…… The new life is spiritual, and keeping individual' attention pegged to thing material, eggs etc. is just not being spititual, it is leaqding aqway from spsisritual.

A¨lso you ar giving the nod to leading all away from our beginnings to new way thinking……...I cannot accept this at any angle.

God bless you. Learn the Word..ll what you are saying is not containe in it...I do not believ.e

 

[Miri]

Over here there has been a move in recent years, to sell “ real Easter eggs”.

Chocolate eggs with the Easter story on the box. Many outlets and super markets now stock them.

https://meaningfulchocolate.co.uk/collections/real-easter-egg

 

[Miri]

Psst Easter eggs are a way of spreading the gospel.

 

[JaumeJ]

The grace of GÇod has alwaqys been the only manner of spreading the Good News, that is by His Holy Spirit, just as you and all have received It.

 

[crossnote]

Do you think that God considers the feast days that celebrate our salvation is a ritual that the Holy Spirit has replaced? If so, please give a reason for this decision.

Some of my reasons for thinking it is not is, first the rituals all led to obedience of a God principle. The feasts do not. All of the feasts celebrate and praise
God for His plan of salvation for us.

Another reason is that for all the feasts we are told in scripture that they apply to all Christians forever. In biblical language "for all generations".

Christians are free to celebrate their salvation any day and should...

Colossians 2:16-17 NASBS
[16] Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day- [17] things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.

 

[crossnote]

Psst Easter eggs are a way of spreading the gospel.

I grew up in an atheistic household, so for me Easter eggs, bunnies and Santa Claus conveyed nothing but feed n greed...I knew no Gospel through them, if anything they were a smokescreen to the Gospel.

 

[Blik]

Easter eggs can also be seen as a celebration of new life, the giving birth to faith and overcoming.
A symbol is just a shape, it has the meanings whatever one wants it to mean. In Jesus I am not bound
to anything. Paul went so far as to say food is food, whether someone has cut it up in a temple before
a god or not, he will eat any food because it is sustenance blessed by God.

So if for you, easter eggs are idolatry, then avoid it. To me they have always been chocolate and gifts
on easter day, something relating to kids and my liking of chocolate. Yum.
God bless you

16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a
religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.
17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
Col 2

All through history the truth of the Lord has been copied by the occult, then they say they came before God came. So the occult says eggs are for Christianity, but eggs are used by the occult not by God.

All through the OT it tells of the Hebrews living in a world like we have today, full of what isn't of God, and we are asked to hold ourselves apart from that and keep to what God tells us of. We are asked to do this just as God asked it of the Hebrews in the OT.

 

[Blik]

Christians are free to celebrate their salvation any day and should...

Colossians 2:16-17 NASBS
[16] Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day- [17] things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.

Christian, through the work of Christ, are free to live a life without sin. If you choose to still go back to being bound by sin, God lets you do that, but it is a poor choice. What isn't of God is against God. You can't serve the devil and God at the same time.

 

[FollowHisSteps]

All through history the truth of the Lord has been copied by the occult, then they say they came before God came. So the occult says eggs are for Christianity, but eggs are used by the occult not by God.

All through the OT it tells of the Hebrews living in a world like we have today, full of what isn't of God, and we are asked to hold ourselves apart from that and keep to what God tells us of. We are asked to do this just as God asked it of the Hebrews in the OT.

Chocolate eggs are chocolate eggs. I eat real eggs for food. I have meringue and omelettes.
I am sure people of many faiths and none also lay claim to these foods, but for me they are just food.

Most religions try to take over symbols and claim them as their own, and if you have such a symbol
you follow their way of thinking. Jesus declares it is love and His Kingdom that reigns and we are
free from any and all such associations.