With Easter coming up on Sunday, I thought it would be interesting to review the entry from the Bible Dictionary.
This word occurs only once in the Bible (Acts 12:4) and then would be better translated “Passover.” The word Easter is from Eastre, a Norse goddess whose pagan festival was observed at the spring equinox. The association of this pagan goddess with the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ was only by adaptation and synthesis. There is no real connection. Jesus, being the Lamb of God, was crucified at Passover time and is the true Passover (see1 Cor. 5:7). He was raised from the grave on the third day thereafter. It thus became a springtime anniversary and has come to be called Easter in the Christian world.
Is anybody else surprised that the Bible Dictionary includes information about a Norse goddess, and that Christians have adapted Easter for their own purposes?