Thoughts on the Feast of The Resurrection

It is believed that the word Easter derives from a Saxon Goddess who, if I remember correctly, was the Goddess of Goddesses. The time of Easter was also a celebration of the Goddess of Fertility, which is pragmatic as we see nature being "reborn" in spring. The theme of nature "being born again" makes it also convenient to celebrate the "rebirth" of Christ during this time of year.

Three out of the four gospels show the Last Supper took place during the Passover Seder. Thus we calculate the date for Easter from the Jewish Passover.

Holidays in the Christian calendar, like most religious holidays, owe the majority of their characteristics to a perpetuation of customs that precede them, we usually label these pagan customs. For instance the rabbit and egg were used in pagan rituals and customs celebrating the Goddess of Fertility before Chrisitaniy became the official religon of Rome. These characteristics were adapted to the new celebration of Christ's rebirth. Additionally, again if I remembering correctly, most early Christians in the Roman Empire did not abandon their previous Gods when Christianity became the official relgion but added Christ to the list of Gods they worship.

The characteristics of these holidays are at worst corporate, at least entertainment and at best symbolic of a generally peaceful message. Regardless of the characteristics special time is taken each year to remember :


1. The world deserves our humility.


2. For us to be fulfilled nothing of this world deserves anything short of our compassion.