Easter is Not in the Bible

The Easter holiday is right around the corner and millions of people around the world will be celebrating it as the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, what they will be celebrating unknowingly is a pagan festival that has nothing to do with Jesus at all. A matter of fact the only time the word Easter is used in the Bible is in Acts 12:4 and it is a mistranslation. So for centuries people have been celebrating a day that is not even Biblical.

How did we get here? A better question is how do we stay here after reading our scriptures for ourselves? How do we follow blindly something we’ve never studied before? When does it occur to us that the word Easter is only used once in the entire Bible, while Passover is mentioned over and over again and yet, we celebrate Easter as if it’s the day God chose for us to remember?

My first prayer is that you will read this with a teachable mindset. My second prayer is that after you have read it you will do your own study of the subject and when you find out the truth, you will stop celebrating this day altogether. Now let’s look at the only scripture that uses the word Easter and try to figure this out.

The word “Easter” used in the King James Version, which has been the most popular version for centuries, is mistranslated. The Greek word used here is “pascha” and it is used 27 times in the New Testament. Twenty-six (26) times “pascha” is translated  as “Passover.” However, in Acts 12:4 the word is translated as “Easter.”

I heard the reason for this is because King Herod celebrated Easter verses Passover and since this portion was talking about King Herod the word was translated Easter. Even with this reason the mistranslation doesn’t make sense. You can’t translate a word 26 times the same way and then suddenly decide to call it something else.

KJV Verse Count

Matthew	4	Passover
Mark	4	Passover
Luke	7	Passover
John	9	Passover
Acts	1	Easter
1 Corinthians	1	Passover
Hebrews	1	Passover
Total	27

I know some people may say, “But I don’t know Greek. How would I have known it was Passover verses Easter?” All the reader has to do is read verse 3, which clearly talks about the days of unleavened bread. These days are talked about repeatedly throughout the scriptures. After reading verse 3 the next question should be, “What does the days of unleavened bread have to do with Easter?” If you can’t figure that out then there has to be something wrong with the term “Easter.”

Passover Defined

Let’s look at the Greek word used for Passover and see how it is defined. According to the Greek Lexicon “pascha,” which is of Aramaic origin (06453), means:

• the paschal sacrifice (which was accustomed to be offered for the people’s deliverance of old from Egypt)
• 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
• the paschal supper
• the paschal feast, the feast of the Passover, extending from the 14th to the 20th day of the month Nisan

As you can see from the above definition Passover has to deal with Yahweh delivering his people from Egypt. Israel took the blood of a lamb and smeared it over the door posts to protect them from the death angel. All of this was a foreshadowed to what Yeshua would have to endure in order to protect and deliver his people from sin and reconcile them back to Yahweh. Therefore, Passover is Biblically grounded.

Easter Defined

Easter, on the other hand, is different. As you can see from the above definition, none of the descriptions even mention the word Easter. Let’s see how the dictionary defines Easter.

Eas·ter [ee-ster]; noun

• An annual Christian festival in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, observed on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal (spring) equinox, as calculated according to tables based in Western churches on the Gregorian calendar and in Orthodox churches on the Julian calendar.
• Also called Easter Sunday, the day on which this festival is celebrated.
• The Easter season; the week following Easter.

Origin: before 900; Middle English ester, Old English ēastre; cognate with German Ostern; orig. name of a goddess and her festival; akin to east.

As you can see the definition of pascha and Easter differs greatly. The dictionary actually tells you the origin of the word Easter comes from the name of a goddess and her festival. So the celebration of Easter started out as a celebration to a goddess and what she wanted. It had nothing to do with Yeshua/Jesus Christ dying on the stake or YHVH bringing his people out of Egypt. Yet, this day is celebrated every year for something it is not and Passover is overlooked by many Christians as if it is a dirty word.

The first definition of Easter actually details the exact time the goddess’ festival was to take place – on the first sun day after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. This was long before Yeshua was even born so how could this be the day he was resurrected? How can we make Friday the day he died and Sunday the day he rose and still get 3 days and 3 nights? We can’t because it never happened like this. Easter belongs to another god and shouldn’t be celebrated as if it did.

The Early Church Fathers

The Christian church didn’t always celebrate Easter. Instead they kept Passover just like their Jewish counterparts. Here is one quote from Ante-Nicene Fathers, volume 8. It is as late as the 3rd and 4th century.

From His Epistle to Victor and the Roman Church Concerning the Day of Keeping the Passover.

As for us, then, we scrupulously observe the exact day, neither adding nor taking away. For in Asia great luminaries have gone to their rest, who shall rise again in the day of the coming of the Lord, when He cometh with glory from heaven and shall raise again all the saints. I speak of Philip, one of the twelve apostles, who is laid to rest at Hierapolis; and his two daughters, who arrived at old age unmarried; his other daughter also, who passed her life under the influence of the Holy Spirit, and reposes at Ephesus; John, moreover, who reclined on the Lord’s bosom, and who became a priest wearing the mitre, and a witness and a teacher-he rests at Ephesus. Then there is Polycarp, both bishop and martyr at Smyrna; and Thraseas from Eumenia, both bishop and martyr, who rests at Smyrna. Why should I speak of Sagaris, bishop and martyr, who rests at Laodicea? of the blessed Papirius, moreover? and of Melito the eunuch, who performed all his actions under the influence of the Holy Spirit, and lies at Sardis, awaiting the visitation from heaven, when he shall rise again from the dead? These all kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month, in accordance with the Gospel, without ever deviating from it, but keeping to the rule of faith.

Moreover I also, Polycrates, who am the least of you all, in accordance with the tradition of my relatives, some of whom I have succeeded – seven of my relatives were bishops, and I am the eighth, and my relatives always observed the day when the people put away the leaven – I myself, brethren, I say, who am sixty-five years old in the Lord, and have fallen in with the brethren in all parts of the world, and have read through all Holy Scripture, am not frightened at the things which are said to terrify us. For those who are greater than I have said, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”

Ecclesiastical History, Book 5

For the parishes of all Asia, as from an older tradition, held that the fourteenth day of the moon, on which day the Jews were commanded to sacrifice the lamb, should be observed as the feast of the Saviour’s passover. (1)

Unfortunately, there were some who preferred to keep the traditions of men verses the path Yahweh had setup.

And when the blessed Polycarp was at Romein the time of Anicetus, and they disagreed a little about certain other things, they immediately made peace with one another, not caring to quarrel over this matter. For neither could Anicetus persuade Polycarp not to observe what he had always observed with John the disciple of our Lord, and the other apostles with whom he had associated; neither could Polycarp persuade Anicetus to observe it as he said that he ought to follow the customs of the presbyters that had preceded him. (2)

Follow YHVH or Follow Tradition?

We have been following tradition for a long time, even during the New Testament days. The scriptures say,

• “But he answered and said unto them, ‘Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?’” Matthew 15:3 (KJV);
• “And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.” Mark 7:9 (KJV); and
• “Thus, with your tradition which you had handed down to you, you nullify the Word of God! And you do other things like this.” Mark 7:13 (CJB)

Now that you know the truth it is up to you whether to obey it or not. I know it may be hard to break years of tradition, but the choice comes down to who do you love more – YHVH or family tradition?

Let us stop following traditions that don’t bring YHVH any glory and start following the scriptures, which is what YHVH wants us to do. The bottom line is, is following the traditions of man worth more than following YHVH?

If you want more information, there is a list of resources below for you. I encourage you to research this topic for yourself and study the scriptures from front to back to get a proper understanding.

Version Comparisons Acts 12:1-4

“And about that time Herodes the sovereign put forth his hands to do evil to some from the assembly. And he killed Yaʽaqoḇ the brother of Yohanan with the sword. And seeing that it was pleasing to the Yehuḏim, he proceeded further to arrest Kĕpha as well – and they were the Days of Unleavened Bread. So when he had seized him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to watch over him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.” (The Scriptures 1998+)

“About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.” (English Standard Version)

“It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.” (New International Version)

“About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church. He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword. When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish leaders, he arrested Peter during the Passover celebration and imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod’s intention was to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover.” (New Living Translation)

“It was around this time that King Herod began arresting and persecuting certain members of the Messianic community; and he had Ya’akov, Yochanan’s brother, put to death by the sword. When Herod saw how much this pleased the Judeans, he went on to arrest Kefa as well. It was during the Days of Matzah, so when Herod seized him, he threw him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each, with the intention of bringing him to public trial after Pesach.” (Complete Jewish Bible)

Resources

• Christmas, Easter, and Halloween – Where did they come from?
• Ante-Nicene Fathers
• Easter: History and Traditions
• Easter