Easter

  Greek: pascha (GSN-3957), the Passover, as translated in 26 other places
(Matthew 26:2-19; Mark 14:1-16; Luke 2:41; Luke 22:1-15; John 2:13,23; John 6:4;
John 11:55; John 12:1; John 13:1; John 18:28,39; John 19:14; 2 Cor. 5:7; Hebrews
11:28). This is an unfortunate and absurd translation, as Easter was a pagan festival
observed long before Christ. It is not a Christian name, but is derived from Ishtar, one
of the Babylonian titles of an idol goddess, the Queen of Heaven. The Saxon goddess
Eastre is the same as the Astarte, the Syrian Venus, called Ashtoreth in the Old
Testament. It was the worship of this woman by Israel that was such an abomination to
God (1 Samuel 7:3; 1 Kings 11:5,33; 2 Kings 23:13; Jeremiah 7:18; Jeremiah 44:18).
Round cakes, imprinted with the sign of the cross were made at this festival, the sign
being, in the Babylonian mysteries, a sign of life. Easter eggs which play a great part
in this day's celebration were common in all heathen nations. The fable of the egg
declares that "an egg of wondrous size fell from heaven into the river Euphrates; the
fish rolled it to the bank, where doves settled upon it and hatched it; and out came
Astarte, or Ishtar, the goddess of Easter." Easter, Christmas, Lady Day, Lent, and other
Babylonian festivals were all borrowed from this religion and were all observed
centuries before Christ. None of them have any relationship to Christ or Christianity.originally a Saxon word (Eostre), denoting a goddess of the Saxons, in honour of whom sacrifices were offered about the time of the Passover. Hence the name came to be given to the festival of the Resurrection of Christ, which occured at the time of the Passover. In the early English versions this word was frequently used as the translation of the Greek pascha (the Passover). When the Authorized Version (1611) was formed, the word "passover" was used in all passages in which this word pascha occurred, except in Act 12:4. In the Revised Version the proper word, "passover," is always used.