HD Remington wishes you Happy Easter
Where does the term Easter come from?
Anyone interested in the origin and meaning of the term Easter will find various explanations in the literature:
Whether French (Pâques), Italian (Pasqua), Dutch (Pasen) or Danish (Paske): In numerous European languages there is a connection between the word Easter and Passover.
In Christian doctrine, the derivation of Easter seems to come from the East. This is because the women, who first stood before Jesus' empty tomb, looked east towards the rising sun (Latin for "dawn").
Presumably, the word Easter also goes back to Ostara, the name of a Germanic goddess of spring. A pagan spring festival is said to have been named after her. However, if language experts are to be believed, this never existed.
A more recent explanation is provided by naming expert Jürgen Udolph. He establishes a connection with a family of North Germanic words. In Old Norse, "ausa" means something like "get water out, pour", austr "water". Consequently, in pre-Christian times it was customary to pour water on children and thereby bless them, which was called vatni ausa. Christianity adopted its name, as baptism was an essential part of the early Easter celebrations.
What exactly do we celebrate at Easter?
At Easter, Christians celebrate the victory of life over death with the resurrection of Jesus and therefore the central event of their religion. Already the great ecclesiastical teacher Augustine said: "Take away the resurrection and destroy Christianity". While the birth of Jesus in the stable is, according to researchers, only a pious legend, Easter represents a "historical" Christian holiday, which the Bible also reports in detail.
Easter in the New Testament
According to the Gospels, which mainly report the Easter event, only God raised his Son from the dead. However, the Bible does not describe exactly how the resurrection occurred. The New Testament also does not name any eyewitnesses of this miracle. Furthermore, in the Gospels we read stories of the empty tomb, the proclamation of the resurrection by an angel, appearances of the risen Lord and the confessions testifying to this belief. Through his resurrection, Jesus was able to remember his disciples by their faith and commission them with a world mission. The Gospels offer a different reflection on the paschal event, with each evangelist providing a different focus.
Relation to Passover
What connects the Christian Easter and the Jewish Passover? At that time Jesus did not celebrate Easter with his disciples, but the Jewish Passover. The holiday commemorates the liberation of the people of Israel from Egyptian slavery. Sacrificial animals were slaughtered in the temple in Jerusalem, reminiscent of the slaughter of lambs in Egypt. At the same time, the lamb was offered as a sacrifice to save the people from plagues. Each Easter pilgrim took home a piece of meat. Seder (Hebrew for "order") was also what Jesus shared with his disciples and what Christians celebrate today as the "Last Supper" on Maundy Thursday.
