Originally Published: MARCH 24, 2016
Beth Allison Barr courtesy photo
Contact: Terry Goodrich
WACO, Texas (March 24, 2016) – The approach of Easter each year marks many things: an annual resurgence of bunnies, eggs and pastel colors, the beginning of spring and the end of Lent, to name a few. Most importantly, of course, the Easter holiday serves as a reminder of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
However, there are people who insist the Easter holiday was not created to celebrate Christ's sacrifice but rather that it has roots in ancient pagan tradition, specifically Babylonian.
Misunderstandings about the changing date of the Easter holiday, the historical timeline, where the name Easter comes from and even the use of eggs and rabbits in modern-day celebrations all contribute to this misconception.
"Christians have always celebrated the resurrection of Christ," said Beth Allison Barr, Ph.D., associate professor of history. "First-century Christians celebrated weekly on Sundays, as both biblical evidence, such as Acts 20:7, and extra-biblical evidence, such as the Didache, suggest."
D.A. Carson, research professor of the New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, said that the early biblical church likely chose Sunday as their day of worship because they connected it with the Lord's resurrection.
The Bible says that Jesus' death and resurrection occurred around the time of the Jewish Passover that year, which is celebrated on the first full moon following the vernal equinox (the Last Supper was on the first day of Passover, and Christ's crucifixion occurred on the second day, resulting in today's recognition of "Holy Thursday" and "Good Friday"). Therefore, Christians today celebrate Easter on the Sunday following the first full moon on or after the spring equinox.
This system for choosing the day on which Easter is celebrated was established at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. The shifting date of the Easter holiday is merely a reflection of the
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