There are book references, and I remember seeing these and other references when my step-father was a Christian minister back in the 1970s. Nearly all of the Christian festivals were originally pagan festivals that were adopted and Christianized by the early Church Fathers into "nicer" things so that the Christian converts could keep on doing their original festivals while looking like they were Christians. The early Church Fathers hated Jews so much that they purposely made these festivals to be as "counterpoints" to the Biblical feasts that the Jews celebrated and as proof that the Church was so much "better" than the Jews and the synagogues. It was also during this time that the Church began to kill Jews and other "non-believers", which lasted for many centuries.
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"Easter is a word of Saxon origin, and imports a goddess of the Saxons, or rather, of the East, Estera, in honor of whom sacrifices being annually offered about the Passover time of the year (spring), the name became attached by association of ideas to the Christian festival of the resurrection, which happened at the time of the Passover .... So the present German word for Easter, Ostern, is referring to the same goddess, Estera or Ostera."
-- Excerpted from Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature
P. S. It should also be noted that the early Church Fathers also brought in the Mediterranean festivals of the fertility goddesses, such as Ishtar and Asthoreth, to coincide with the new Christian festival of Easter.
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"Originally the spring festival in honor of the Teutonic goddess of light and spring known in Anglo-Saxon as Eastre. As early as the 8th century the name was transferred by the Anglo-Saxons to the Christian festival designed to celebrate the resurrection of Messiah. In A.V. (authorized Version) it occurs once (Acts 12:4), but is a mistranslation."
-- Excerpted from The Westminster Dictionary of Bible
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" The word Easter is of Anglo origin, and is supposed to be derived from
Eostra, the goddess of love, or the Venus of the North in honor of whom a festival was celebrated by our pagan ancestors in the month of April."
-- Excerpted from Barnes' Notes
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"Although Easter is a Christian festival, it embodies traditions of an ancient time antedating the rise of Christianity. The origin of its name as lost in the dim past; some scholars believe it is probably derived from Eastre, Anglo-Saxon name of a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility, to whom was dedicated Eastre month, corresponding to April. Her festival was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, and traditions of the festival survive in the familiar Easter bunny, symbol of the fertile rabbit, and in the equally familiar colored Easter eggs originally painted with gay hues to represent the sunlight of spring.
Such festivals, and the myths and legends which explain their origin, abounded in ancient religions. The Greek myth of the return of the earth-goddess Demeter from the underworld to the light of day, symbolizing the resurrection of life in the spring after the long hibernation of winter, had its counterpart, among many others, in the Latin legend of Ceres and Persephone.... The universality of such festivals and myths among ancient peoples has led some scholars to interpret the resurrection of Christ as a mystical and exalted variant of fertility myths."
-- Excerpted from Funk and Wagnalls Standard Reference Encyclopedia, vol. 8, 1970
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"PASCHA (Greek letters), mistranslated "Easter" in Acts 12:4, A.V., denotes the Passover (R.V.). The phrase "after the Passover" signifies after the whole festival was at an end. The term Easter is not of Christian origin. It is another form of Astarte, one of the titles of the Chaldean goddess, the queen of heaven. The festival of Pasch held by Christians in post-apostolic times was a continuation of the Jewish feast, but was not instituted by Christ, nor was it connected with Lent."
From this Pasch the Pagan festival of Easter was quite distinct and was introduced into the apostate Western religion, as part of the attempt to adapt Pagan festivals to Christianity. See PASSOVER.
-- An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, W.E. Vine, 1966, pp.14-15
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See the image of the rabbit in the moon (a commonality to many cultures of a sacred animal to the moon deity, such as in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East)
http://www.calendersign.com/en/am_hare_hedgehog.php
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How the early Church purposely separating Christianity from their Biblical Hebrew / Jewish roots:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartodecimanism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_controversy
See how the World Council of Churches still follows the timing of a full moon, which early Christians from paganism originally practiced for spring fertility festivals.
NOTE: I Catherine as the author wrote the additional words on my own other than those from the quoted sources, and I wrote previously for other public reviews, letters to editors, and other public blogs in the past. There are NO copyrights by the author on the words in this post. FALSE accusers will be dealt with by my Lawyer
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"Easter is a word of Saxon origin, and imports a goddess of the Saxons, or rather, of the East, Estera, in honor of whom sacrifices being annually offered about the Passover time of the year (spring), the name became attached by association of ideas to the Christian festival of the resurrection, which happened at the time of the Passover .... So the present German word for Easter, Ostern, is referring to the same goddess, Estera or Ostera."
-- Excerpted from Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature
P. S. It should also be noted that the early Church Fathers also brought in the Mediterranean festivals of the fertility goddesses, such as Ishtar and Asthoreth, to coincide with the new Christian festival of Easter.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Originally the spring festival in honor of the Teutonic goddess of light and spring known in Anglo-Saxon as Eastre. As early as the 8th century the name was transferred by the Anglo-Saxons to the Christian festival designed to celebrate the resurrection of Messiah. In A.V. (authorized Version) it occurs once (Acts 12:4), but is a mistranslation."
-- Excerpted from The Westminster Dictionary of Bible
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" The word Easter is of Anglo origin, and is supposed to be derived from
Eostra, the goddess of love, or the Venus of the North in honor of whom a festival was celebrated by our pagan ancestors in the month of April."
-- Excerpted from Barnes' Notes
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"Although Easter is a Christian festival, it embodies traditions of an ancient time antedating the rise of Christianity. The origin of its name as lost in the dim past; some scholars believe it is probably derived from Eastre, Anglo-Saxon name of a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility, to whom was dedicated Eastre month, corresponding to April. Her festival was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, and traditions of the festival survive in the familiar Easter bunny, symbol of the fertile rabbit, and in the equally familiar colored Easter eggs originally painted with gay hues to represent the sunlight of spring.
Such festivals, and the myths and legends which explain their origin, abounded in ancient religions. The Greek myth of the return of the earth-goddess Demeter from the underworld to the light of day, symbolizing the resurrection of life in the spring after the long hibernation of winter, had its counterpart, among many others, in the Latin legend of Ceres and Persephone.... The universality of such festivals and myths among ancient peoples has led some scholars to interpret the resurrection of Christ as a mystical and exalted variant of fertility myths."
-- Excerpted from Funk and Wagnalls Standard Reference Encyclopedia, vol. 8, 1970
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"PASCHA (Greek letters), mistranslated "Easter" in Acts 12:4, A.V., denotes the Passover (R.V.). The phrase "after the Passover" signifies after the whole festival was at an end. The term Easter is not of Christian origin. It is another form of Astarte, one of the titles of the Chaldean goddess, the queen of heaven. The festival of Pasch held by Christians in post-apostolic times was a continuation of the Jewish feast, but was not instituted by Christ, nor was it connected with Lent."
From this Pasch the Pagan festival of Easter was quite distinct and was introduced into the apostate Western religion, as part of the attempt to adapt Pagan festivals to Christianity. See PASSOVER.
-- An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, W.E. Vine, 1966, pp.14-15
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
See the image of the rabbit in the moon (a commonality to many cultures of a sacred animal to the moon deity, such as in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East)
http://www.calendersign.com/en/am_hare_hedgehog.php
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
How the early Church purposely separating Christianity from their Biblical Hebrew / Jewish roots:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartodecimanism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_controversy
See how the World Council of Churches still follows the timing of a full moon, which early Christians from paganism originally practiced for spring fertility festivals.
NOTE: I Catherine as the author wrote the additional words on my own other than those from the quoted sources, and I wrote previously for other public reviews, letters to editors, and other public blogs in the past. There are NO copyrights by the author on the words in this post. FALSE accusers will be dealt with by my Lawyer
