www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Pascha or Easter?

In most languages - including English, and including most European languages - the correct term for the Feast of Feast which we are celebrating today is Pascha. This term has its roots in the Old Testament, and refers also to the Hebrew Feast of Passover, which is why the Church sings in the Ninth Ode of the Canon "Christ is the New Pascha, the Living Sacrifice, the Lamb of God . . . "

"Easter" is a German word which passed into English via Anglo-Saxon, and refers to a minor Teutonic goddess name "Oestre". This goddess was celebrated in a spring festival, such as one finds in many nations; the term has no Judeo-Christian connection or referent.


Then again, for the russophiles among us, one may ask why the Church sings so much about Pascha, but nothing about the Kulich! That would be a different discussion!

Kalo Pascha! CHRIST IS RISEN!

Fr. Serge

Very interesting, Father! Our priest mentioned something about this last night.

THank you!

HE IS TRULY RISEN!

Gordo

And the rabbit is a symbol of oestre.

What about the egg?

Khrystos Voskres!

Xpucmoc Bockpec!

There is a whole "baba" theology about Pysanky-Easter Eggs!

It amazed me how my baba used the pysanka to teach faith and life.

Z Bohom
Xpucmoc Bockpec!

Nycholaij

As to the rabbit, I remember a once-famous rhyme attributed to Jimmy Carter:

I don't want a bunny-wunny in my widdle wow-boat,
In my widdle wow-boat in da pond.
Cause da bunny might be cwazy, and he bite me in my fwoat
In my widdle wow-boat in da pond!

Tom Paxton made it into one of his more delightful songs.

Fr. Serge

< eyes wide open >

I believe that has been disproved as a theory for where the word "Easter" derives from, and in fact may be the other way around as I believe Christmas has been shown to be. I can't remember where I ran across that though.

In my parish we had an Easter Bazaar and pretty much everyone refers to the feast with this name. I can't say I really have a strong feeling one way or another. I have run in to some converts who adopt the "we don't celebrate Easter, we celebrate Pascha!" mantra as part of their new faith life. I find that tiring personally.

Reverend Keleher's post makes sense. Where does word "Easter" have a precedent in the Bible? Did the Jews celebrate Easter/Ishtar or did they celebrate Pascha/Pesach?

thank you Reverend Keleher. Eddie

The problem, AMM, is that you consider the necessity of the topic based on your feelings. I would think those who keep pushing the mantra Jesus is our friend surely misses the boat too. Jesus is MORE than our friend. He is Lord God. Jesus' intimate connection with the Pascha of the Jews carried more weight than his connection with Easter - whatever the Germans had to do with the Lord's passion and resurrection. Bunny of no bunny.

SInce you claim that Reverend Keleher's theory has been debunked, can you forward to us now how it was debunked and what theory has replaced it? I am interested in learning about it. Please educate.

Eddie H.

Perhaps this would help.

http://www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/EASTPAG.htm

Hope everyone had a good Easter btw.

There was an interesting article in the Lawrence Journal World about the "easter rabbit." According to modern scholars, the easter rabbit is actually an easter "hare" and refers to the German hare which buries itself deep in the ground and then emerges. To the early German Christians, it was thus a symbol of Christ's resurrection. So (at least in the eyes of the scholars quoted in the article) those who reject the "easter bunny" because it is non-Christian fail to appreciate the Christian roots for the symbolism.

Ironic, isn't it?

AMM,I am always interested in theories or better yet, the best academic guesses. Thearticle you linked has "according to", "seems to", "if this is", "another possibility", "may be". none of these are certain. Just more theories.

I belive you byzcaths used to observe Christmas and Epiphany as one church holiday if I guess right.

Eddie

it is ironic that Christians will find more symbolic value in animals and other man-made objects than their faith in the resurrection of Jesus.doe sanyone really care anymore about the story? Can't the resurrection faith stand on its own without help from rascally wabbits? What did the evangelists write in the Gospels? What words did they select?

Eddie

Then, why do we need St. Patrick's Shamrock or a Pysanky?

Why would we need any metaphores or similies to describe any thing in theology?

Your argument proves too much.