Easter
Easter is the most sacred holy day in the Christian calendar. It commemorates the resurrection of Jesus—His victory over life and death. In the biblical account, Jesus celebrated the Jewish feast of Passover shortly before his arrest. He was sentenced to death by crucifixion. Because his death is likened to that of the sacrificial lambs of the first Passover—the blood of which was shed to save the “Children of God”—Jesus is often depicted as the “Lamb of God.”
At sunrise of the third day after Jesus’ death, some of his followers went to the sepulcher where Jesus’ body had been lain. They found the tomb empty, but several times that day, and for weeks afterward, Jesus appeared to his devotees. He spoke to them, empowered them, ate food with them, and even allowed them to touch him to prove that he was not a vision but had full power to manifest physical form.
” ‘Peace be unto you. As my Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said, ‘Receive ye the Holy Spirit.’ “
~John 20: 21-22.
An interesting interpretation of Jesus’ resurrection is seen in the beliefs of a sect known as the Gnostic Christians. In the second century, orthodox Christians denounced them as heretics, though they had much to offer. In one Gnostic gospel, Treatise on Resurrection, the anonymous author writes to a student, “Do not suppose that resurrection is an apparition (fantasy). It is not an apparition; rather it is something real. Instead, one ought to maintain that the world is an apparition, rather than resurrection.” Like a Buddhist master, the author goes on to explain that ordinary human existence is spiritual death–and resurrection is the moment of enlightenment. “lt is… the revealing of what truly exists…and a migration into newness.” Whoever grasps this becomes spiritually alive. This means, he declares, that you can be “resurrected from the dead” right now. He asks, “Are you—the real you–mere corruption? …Why do you not examine your own self and see that you have arisen?”
The word Easter is derived from the Saxon goddess of springtime, Easter, and the ancient festival held in her honor. Second Century Christian missionaries, spreading out among the Teutonic tribes north of Rome, realized that this centuries-old “pagan” festival was held at about the same time each year as their own observance of the miracle of the resurrection of Christ. The rebirth and new life of spring—coming out of winter’s stillness and “death”—was a perfect allegory for Jesus’ own mastery over death. In time, the ancient Easter rite of spring was transformed into the sacred Easter observance.
It was not until after the Civil War, with its legacy of death and destruction, that Christian America as a whole began a widespread observance of Easter as a holiday celebration. The story of resurrection and new life was a great source of inspiration and hope for millions of bereaved Americans.
The Easter bunny can be traced back to the goddess Easter, who was worshipped by the ancient Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the hare. The custom of the Easter hare came to America with Germans who immigrated to Pennsylvania in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
The springtime exchanging of eggs is an ancient custom, predating Easter by many centuries. From earliest times, and in most cultures, the egg symbolized birth and resurrection. The Egyptians buried eggs in their tombs, and the Greeks placed eggs on their graves. Thus, in the second century, when the church started to celebrate the resurrection, they didn’t have to look far to find a popular and easily recognizable symbol.
~Jonah Roll
District of Columbia, USA
