Origins of the name "Easter":
Origins of the name "Easter":
The name "Easter" originated with the names of an ancient Goddess and God. The Venerable Bede, (672-735 CE.) a Christian scholar, first asserted in his book De Ratione Temporum that Easter was named after Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). She was the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe. Similarly, the "Teutonic dawn goddess of fertility [was] known variously as Ostare, Ostara, Ostern, Eostra, Eostre, Eostur, Eastra, Eastur, Austron and Ausos." Her name was derived from the ancient word for spring: "eastre." Similar Goddesses were known by other names in ancient cultures around the Mediterranean, and were celebrated in the springtime. Some were:
Aphrodite from ancient Cyprus
Ashtoreth from ancient Israel
Astarté from ancient Greece
Demeter from Mycenae
Hathor from ancient Egypt
Ishtar from Assyria
Kali, from India
Ostara a Norse Goddess of fertility.
An alternative explanation has been suggested. The name given by the Frankish church to Jesus' resurrection festival included the Latin word "alba" which means "white." (This was a reference to the white robes that were worn during the festival.) "Alba" also has a second meaning: "sunrise." When the name of the festival was translated into German, the "sunrise" meaning was selected in error. This became "ostern" in German. Ostern has been proposed as the origin of the word "Easter".
There are two popular beliefs about the origin of the English word "Sunday." It is derived from the name of the Scandinavian sun Goddess Sunna (a.k.a. Sunne, Frau Sonne).
It is derived from "Sol," the Roman God of the Sun." Their phrase "Dies Solis" means "day of the Sun." The Christian saint Jerome (d. 420) commented "If it is called the day of the sun by the pagans, we willingly accept this name, for on this day the Light of the world arose, on this day the Sun of Justice shone forth."
Thanks, BBB, I was just coming to ask that very question.
Also, does anyone know the origins of how Good Friday came to be called 'Good'?
JB
J_B wrote:Thanks, BBB, I was just coming to ask that very question.
Also, does anyone know the origins of how Good Friday came to be called 'Good'?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter - origin of "Good Friday"
Thanks, but I didn't see where the 'Good' was chosen over the use of 'Holy Friday' of the Eastern and Orthodox religions. I know it's a celebration of the crucifixion, just wondering when and how the term 'Good Friday' came into being.
Out of curiosity... Would any Christian here crucify themselves for one hour like some Philipinno Christians do?
Good Friday, or Holy Friday
Good Friday, or Holy Friday
Friday of Holy Week has been traditionally been called Good Friday or Holy Friday. On this day, the church commemorates Jesus' arrest (since by Jewish customs of counting days from sundown to sundown it was already Friday), his trial, crucifixion and suffering, death, and burial. Since services on this day are to observe Jesus' death, and since Eucharist is a celebration, there is traditionally no Communion observed on Good Friday. Also, depending on how the services are conducted on this day, all pictures, statutes, and the cross are covered in mourning black, the chancel and altar coverings are replaced with black, and altar candles are extinguished. They are left this way through Saturday, but are always replaced with white before sunrise on Sunday.
There are a variety of services of worship for Good Friday, all aimed at allowing worshippers to experience some sense of the pain, humiliation, and ending in the journey to the cross. The traditional Catholic service for Good Friday was held in mid-afternoon to correspond to the final words of Jesus from the cross (around 3 PM, Matt 27:46-50). However, modern schedules have led many churches to move the service to the evening to allow more people to participate. Usually, a Good Friday service is a series of Scripture readings, a short homily, and a time of meditation and prayer. One traditional use of Scripture is to base the homily or devotional on the Seven Last Words of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel traditions.
Father, forgive them . . . (Luke 23:34)
This day you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43)
Woman, behold your son . . .(John 19:26-27)
My God, my God . . . (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34)
I thirst. (John 19:28)
It is finished! (John 19:30)
Father into your hands . . . (Luke 23:46)
Some churches use the Stations of the Cross as part of the Good Friday Service. This service uses paintings or banners to represent various scenes from Jesus' betrayal, arrest, trial, and death, and the worshippers move to the various stations to sing hymns or pray as the story is told . There is a great variety in how this service is conducted, and various traditions use different numbers of stations to tell the story (see The Fourteen Stations of the Cross).
Another common service for Good Friday is Tenebrae (Latin for "shadows" or "darkness"). Sometimes this term is applied generally to all church services on the last three days of Holy week. More specifically, however, it is used of the Service of Darkness or Service of Shadows, usually held in the evening of Good Friday. Again, there are varieties of this service, but it is usually characterized by a series of Scripture readings and meditation done in stages while lights and/or candles are gradually extinguished to symbolize the growing darkness not only of Jesus' death but of hopelessness in the world without God. The service ends in darkness, sometimes with a final candle, the Christ candle, carried out of the sanctuary, symbolizing the death of Jesus. Often the service concludes with a loud noise symbolizing the closing of Jesus' tomb (see The Empty Tomb). The worshippers then leave in silence to wait.
Some churches observe communion on Good Friday. However, traditionally Eucharist is not served on Good Friday since it is a celebration of thanksgiving. Good Friday is not a day of celebration but of mourning, both for the death of Jesus and for the sins of the world that his death represents. Yet, although Friday is a solemn time, it is not without its own joy. For while it is important to place the Resurrection against the darkness of Good Friday, likewise the somberness of Good Friday should always be seen with the hope of Resurrection Sunday. As the well- known sermon title vividly illustrates: "It's Friday. But Sunday's a'comin'!"
Lightwizard,
I am going to assume that you are making a joke with that comment about walking on water. Being a Christian doesn't mean being Christ. It means being Christ-like.
Human beings do not walk on water. (Peter did with Christ there doing it through him.) So, no, I haven't raised anyone from the dead either, curled a lame man, etc.
Whether Easter is actually from pagan roots or not I can't say. What I can say is that to me, Easter is a special weekend set aside where I celebrate His gift of death, burial, and resurrection.
It's like a birthday. We celebrate a person's life always because we love them but we have one day a year set aside as extra special for them.
To me, the intent is what is important.
I don't believe in the Easter Bunny. I think a lot of people don't believe in the Easter Bunny.
Easter bunnies, easter baskets, etc. are for the children. If anyone would make something pagan out of that, then I think that's their problem. I don't think I've ever even heard of anyone doing anything that would make easter baskets, easter egg hunts, etc., pagan or a sin in God's eyes.
It just feels like more non-Christian rhetoric devised and put out there to make Christianity look bad. If that's what it is, fine. God will take care of it. If that's not what it is, He'll take care of that too. :wink:
Good Friday is termed thus because even though Jesus was crucified on that day, it was through his suffering that we are given the opportunity for eternal life (in Christian teaching), and that is why it is "good" for us, though undoubtedly not so good for Christ himself.
The common designation of Friday as the day Christ was crucified is incorrect.
Since Christ rose 'early on the first day of the week' and He was to have laid 3 days and 3 nights in the grave, the correct day would be Wednesday.
real life,
How could that be possible if he was crucified the day before the Sabbath? They took him off of the cross before nightfall because that was the beginning of the sabbath, and they couldn't leave him there throughout the night. It was against Jewish law. If he had been crucified on a Wednesday, it wouldn't have mattered.
1
Jesus was executed on the Passover. That would be Nisan 14, according to the Jewish calendar.
Our modern system not only reckons the weeks and months differently, but also the beginning and ending of the day. That is why the date of the Passover (and Easter) varies from year to year.
EyeMSum1 wrote:real life,
How could that be possible if he was crucified the day before the Sabbath? They took him off of the cross before nightfall because that was the beginning of the sabbath, and they couldn't leave him there throughout the night. It was against Jewish law. If he had been crucified on a Wednesday, it wouldn't have mattered.
1
He was crucified on Passover eve (Wednesday). Passover (Thursday) was a holy day. Friday, some of the women prepared spices and ointments to anoint his body. They rested on the Sabbath (Saturday) , and when they came to the tomb Sunday with the spices they had prepared , they found the tomb empty.
The general outline, in Luke 23
53And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.
54And that day was the preparation (Wed), and the sabbath (Passover, on Thursday) drew on.
55And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
56And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.
Some would say that the women had time to prepare the spices and ointments the same day before the Sabbath started at sunset that day.
This is doubtful since He died and was buried hurriedly late in the afternoon. (The reason that particular tomb was chosen was due to the late hour and the tomb was nearby the place of crucifixion.) The women traveling on foot would have had to get back into Jerusalem, purchase the required spices and ointments at market , carry them home and prepare them before sunset.
I just think it was a brilliant idea to hold the crucifixion on the Easter long weekend.
Maximum crowd !!
Real Life,
I think you need to check your Jewish calendar again. The Sabbath and Passover are 2 different events.
sum1
I'm late here.
I don't think it is appropriate to wish someone (anyone) a happy Good Friday. It's the lowest, darkest point of the Christian year.
Eorl - killer comment
