JFJ Forums

Jesus died at Passover.

Perhaps if the event were remembered by Christians at Passover every year the church might have had more success in reaching Jews with the good news of their Messiah. In addition, the church would have been edified by understanding the roots of the faith and the riches of the grace of God in His purposes for Israel.

The Last Supper
by Leonardo da Vinci
Renaissance high art, mostly sponsored by the church, created a non-Semitic image of Jesus and the disciples in a European setting. This visual distortion of the truth affects the way many Christians think. It is no surprise that God said: “Make no graven image” [Exodus 20:4-5]Move
Close
Exodus 20:4-5
You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them ...
About 300 years after Jesus, Christianity changed from being the faith of an oppressed minority into the religion of a triumphant empire. The Roman Emperor Constantine became a Christian and the church moved to a place of partnership in the political order.

Soon after this a teaching developed that God had replaced Israel with the church. The Jews were no longer a chosen people, it seemed.

New festivals were decreed. Christmas was established as a date for the birth of Christ. In the mountains of the Bethlehem area it is too cold in late December to have flocks under the stars by night, as the New Testament relates, so this was certainly not the time of Jesus’ birth. The mid-winter date was selected to draw pagans away from their feasts – and symbols, such as Christmas trees and, later, Santa Claus, have pagan origins.

In like manner, Passover was rejected as a memorial date for the death and resurrection of Christ, precisely because it was Jewish. A new calendar around the worship of Aostre or Ishtar – hence Easter – was ordained. Modern-day elements, such as bunnies and eggs, are fertility symbols, again of pagan origin.

It is small wonder that the Bible says, about ritualistic observances:

“You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my time on you.”

~ Galatians 4:10-11
For these reasons the sooner true Christians do away with observing the rituals of Christmas and Easter the better. The birth of Christ and especially His death and resurrection should be celebrated daily in the heart of every believer.

Turning the annual Jewish Passover into a substitute for Easter is not an option, but understanding how Jesus fulfilled the types and shadows in the Passover is instructive.

Noah, Shalom.

Interesting, you are doing so well, until your last sentence.  You speak as if the Jewish Passover as if it is alien to what it is, the root of Christ's blood cleansing us, in Christianity.  Easter is a non holy day, but only by chance, happened on the feast of the First Fruits, in that year. Just a thought.

In Messiah, His Shalom, and Feasts.  Arley

It would also be beneficial; all this understanding; if the portrayal of all the events were done in truth and accurracy to the children.  Yes they deserve fun and play and delight and to know mom and dad give good gifts ....but knowing the truth and being told the truth do not have to be secondary/back burner events.  When I think about the book I once read as a child about the hungry hungry caterpillar it amazed me and it was truthful...the caterpiller does not eat the whole item in the story.  just a hole in each thing until the end.  Well, we are not raising caterpillars. And the rest of the apple may never be eaten, if we do not start by preparing it for our young each day.  I think they can digest the truth, simply stated, and experience true wonder of our G-d and King from the start!

I posted this in hope of helping Christions think a little of where these holiday's came from....From pagan Rome.

I know that when I was going to a Christion Church, we never thought about what Easter, Christmas and Halloween were all about. We never thought in a hundred years that all these Holiday's were nothing but a bunch of Roman Pagan lie's that were handed down to the protestant Church.

The word of Yeshua and the truth is spreading, more and more church's are having Passover and  Ha Shem appointed this blessed feast.

Easter has nothing to do with Yeshua!!

We, at the Baptist Church, I attend, are having our first Seder meal for a service, this year.  Our minister is really studying and preaching our Jewish roots.  Some resistance is being experienced, but so far we haven't had any 'flyers,' looking for a more traditional simple Easter service.  Pray for us.

In Messiah, His Shalom, and glory.  Arley

I do pray for you Navyblue;

That the truth be 'enough' wonder and awe; that we embrace the reality of the written word and do not long for play acting, philosophical renditions nor....make believing we are the 'characters' endowed by their creator with power over darkness.

I pray we become empowered over darkness, accept the Holy Spirit indwelling our very being, and obey the VOICE of the LORD today, while it is still called today!

be encouraged He has overcome death and the grave.  

bye for now,
kimberly

Some people are questioning if the word Easter was borrowed and is a compromise to Christianity. This has provoked a response by the magazine, (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/bytopic/holidays/easterborrowedholiday.html)

The text in question by Bede is translated :

Eosturmonath has a name which is now translated "Paschal month", and which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honour feasts were celebrated in that month. Now they designate that Paschal season by her name, calling the joys of the new rite by the time-honoured name of the old observance ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eostre )

Now people will read what Bede wrote, “Now they designate that Paschal season by her name, calling the joys of the new rite by the time-honoured name of the old observance” and then they’ll read the explanation given by articles like the one in CT which comes to the conclusion that Bede is actually saying “they did NOT designate that the Paschal season by her name and did NOT call the joys of the new rite by the time-honoured name of the old observance”

Confusing isn’t it? Seeing there's no reference of a bunch of ex pagan saying, "HEY!!! this festival is just like our old one, why don't we just call it by the same name!" Another web page dealing with the linguistics’ side of the argument probably shows why there is this lack of consensus today.

“In the older languages the word was ambiguous between referring to the event and referring to the goddess thereof.” (http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Talk/talk.origins/2005-12/msg06657.html )


But there is another issue that the free flow of information boosted by the internet has done. There are historical references of the The Apostolic Fathers involving Polycarp and Anicetus :  “Anicetus conceded to Polycarp in the Church the celebration of the Eucharist”   (http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.ix.viii.iii.html)

Where later Polycrates replied to Victor “All these observed the fourteenth day of the passover according to the Gospel, deviating in no respect, but following the rule of faith”
(http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iii.x.xxv.html)

Easter or Passover, are they the same?

Just read in a book published by Moody, Constantine changed the dates
that the holiday Easter would not coincide with Passover due basically to christian anti-jewish sentiments.

If anyone wants the footnotes, would be glad to indulge.

Now I can see that the wall between Jewish believers in Messiah and Gentile believers in Messiah is being demolished, I feel we as believers can participate in any gathering knowing the realities associated with the deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, and the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.


Good Friday is the 10th of April, the commemorative date of Christ's crucifixion
for our sins.

Confusing isn’t it? Seeing there's no reference of a bunch of ex pagan saying, "HEY!!! this festival is just like our old one, why don't we just call it by the same name!" Another web page dealing with the linguistics’ side of the argument probably shows why there is this lack of consensus today.

Not really, Jews have been remembering the meaning of Passover for thousands of years because it is a commandment from Ha Shem. The Roman Church interjected a counterfeit HolyDay to overshadow Passover and used a Pagan fertility godess ( Eastre ) to this end.


The name “Easter” has its roots in ancient polytheistic religions (paganism). On this, all scholars agree. This name is never used in the original Scriptures, nor is it ever associated biblically with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For these reasons, we prefer to use the term “Resurrection Sunday” rather than “Easter” when referring to the annual Christian remembrance of Christ's resurrection.

Ancient origin
Most reference books say that the name “Easter” derived from the Eastre, the Teutonic goddess of Spring. Although this relationship exists, in reality, the origin of the name and the goddess are far more ancient - going all the way back to the Tower of Babel. The origin begins not long after the biblical Flood.

Eastre has nothing to do with Yeshua!!!!!

I agree with that, but as you've seen in the CT article, there's a movement to establish the origin of that name under another context. To claim the name is only coincidence linguistically and has in no way been adopted from the pagan festival. It's a fairly strong arguement and gives enough legitimacy that those who wish to hang on to it a sense of being in the right.

It's fairly safe to assume the world of Christianity is not going to suddenly drop the term, nor will they adopt the 14th as being the date for their Passover observance. That is unless someone greater than Charlemagne comes along, to change the masses of the world and how they worship. And the only one who has that kind of authority is Yeshua.

We here are left with the discussions of "no it isn't"-"yes it is"-"no it isn't"-"yes it is"... That's not to imply any attempt is fruitless, many thoughtful ideas pop up. Perhaps some people may even be persuaded, but in essence the 'no it isn't'/'yes it is', is what it all boils down to most of the time.