Dean Anderson

Since you have said that you are looking for evidence of a pagan influence on the origins of Christianity - I am confident that you will get a much better response to this in BC&H.

Sorry about the repeated moving of the thread...

Peter Kirby

Here's something I wrote about the term for the resurrection day. It was posted long ago without reply:

http://www.iidb.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=34048

best,
Peter Kirby

lulay

There is no doubt the pagan origins of the whole myth of Jesus. where the latter differed for plotical reasons was its historicizing of a myth which is supposed to be diectly experienced.

what has happend however is the birth of words words words concepts theologizing, cerebriality. when really it is EXPERIENCE that is the key. actually 'you' experiencing spirituality
in the Jesus myth Jesus like all the god'men before him go onto the 'underworld'/'spiritworld' and then 'return'...their sense of reality geatly expanded from realzing their Depth........what the writers of the christian myth did though--aprt from historicizing it was denigrate human-ness...all things physical, and have their character 'ascend' to a 'heaven'. and they deify 'him' thus cutting the reader off from the deeper meaning of it applying to her/him in actual experience.....which CAN be had from hallucingenic inspiration, and other means. though the former is THE most easiet means.....why go on a Donkey when you can go on a Mere?

Magdlyn

Peter,

What I glean from the long post you cite, is, the anti-Nicene fathers called it Pasca (Greek for passover or Pesach), and later translators changed this term to Easter willy-nilly.

(BTW on your post, I had a hard time understanding which words were quotes and which your own comments, if any.)

My understanding is: resurrection day was celebrated on Pesach (Nisan 14th), or the first Sunday after the first spring full moon, and it was called Pesach or Pasca. This would be fine as Jesus was considered the paschal lamb in GJohn. This was the "new" Pesach, as Xtians were the "new" Israel.

Later, as Xtianity made its way north, it came into contact with the Nordic celeration of Oestre or Ostara's day in the spring. (These names may have an etymological root in the name of the Goddess Ishtar/Astarte/Asherah/Isis/Ashteroth but that would be from centuries earlier). The name Easter was then adopted for resurrection day to appeal to nordic "Pagans" unfamiliar with the Israelites' myth of Pesach.

DaninGraniteCity

http://home.earthlink.net/~pgwhacker/ChristianOrigins/

Berthold

It was not my intention to link Jesus directly with Mithras ( nor, for that matter, Mary with Artemis ). These examples just show that there are images shared by different religions, whereas Christians assert that their religion is unique. The one thing that may be highly unusual ( though probably not unique, too ) about Christianity is theophagy.

Magdlyn

Lo and Behold the Greek Orthodox Church still calls Easter: Pasca Lambri.

http://www.faliraki-info.com/susie/s...randitions.htm

spin

While Ishtar, Astarte and Ashteroth are the same name, the first being Akkadian, the second being a Greek transliteration, and the third being Canaanite form (think of Zeus, Jove and Tiw -- who gave his name to Tuesday --, all from the same linguistic source), neither Asherah nor Isis has anything to do with the rest. At Ugarit Asherah existed alongside Ashteroth. Ishtar has lost the final "t", but retains the medial "t" which is a clear distinguisher from Asherah and Isis.

Easter, interestingly is derived from "east", the direction of the dawn, Greek Eos, Easter was the goddess of light and spring, the season when the light picked up. Easter is a good Indo-European word, made from common Germanic parts and has nothing to do with Ashteroth.


spin

MadMez

Russian for Easter is Pasxha, now I know why. Thanks Magdlyn!

Magdlyn

Thanks, spin. What about the Ostara goddess? Or Oestra, related to the word for egg (os, estrus), not "east?" Eos does not sound like Easter, missing the T you mention. Or are east and easter related to both dawn and egg, as symbols of new life?