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Question #2 -
QUESTION:
Isn't "Easter" in Acts 12:4 a mistranslation of the word
"pascha" and should it be translated as "passover"?
ANSWER: No, "pascha" is properly
translated "Easter" in Acts 12:4 as the following
explanation will show.
EXPLANATION: The Greek word which is translated
"Easter" in Acts 12:4 is the word "pascha".
This word appears twenty-nine times in the New Testament.
Twenty-eight of those times the word is rendered
"Passover" in reference to the night when the Lord
passed over Egypt and killed all the firstborn of Egypt (Exodus
12:12), thus setting Israel free from four hundred years of
bondage.
The many opponents to the concept of having a
perfect Bible have made much of this translation of "pascha".
Coming to the word "Easter" in God's
Authorized Bible, they seize upon it imagining that they have
found proof that the Bible is not perfect. Fortunately for lovers
of the word of God, they are wrong. Easter, as we know it, comes
from the ancient pagan festival of Astarte. Also known as Ishtar
(pronounced "Easter"). This festival has always been
held late in the month of April. It was, in its original form, a
celebration of the earth "regenerating" itself after the
winter season. The festival involved a celebration of reproduction.
For this reason the common symbols of Easter festivities were the rabbit
(the same symbol as "Playboy" magazine), and the egg.
Both are known for their reproductive abilities.
At the center of attention was Astarte, the female deity. She is
known in the Bible as the "queen of heaven" (Jeremiah
7:18; 44:17-25). She is the mother of Tammuz
(Ezekiel 8:14) who was also her husband! These
perverted rituals would take place at sunrise on Easter morning
(Ezekiel 8:13-16). From the references in Jeremiah and Ezekiel, we
can see that the true Easter has never had any
association with Jesus Christ.
Problem: Even though the Jewish passover was
held in mid April (the fourteenth) and the pagan festival Easter
was held later the same month, how do we know
that Herod was referring to Easter in Acts 12:4 and not the Jewish
passover? If he was referring to the passover, the translation of
"pascha" as "Easter" is incorrect. If he was
indeed referring to the pagan holyday (holiday) Easter, then the
King James Bible (1611) must truly be the very word and words of
God for it is the only Bible in print today which has the correct
reading.
To unravel the confusion concerning
"Easter" in verse 4, we must consult our FINAL
authority, THE BIBLE. The key which unlocks the
puzzle is found not in verse 4, but in verse 3. (Then
were the days of unleavened bread... ") To secure the answer
that we seek, we must find the relationship of the passover to the
days of unleavened bread. We must keep in mind that Peter was
arrested during the "days of unleavened
bread" (Acts 12:3).
Our investigation will need to start at the first
Passover. This was the night in which the LORD smote all the
firstborn in Egypt. The Israelites were instructed to kill a lamb
and strike its blood on the two side posts and the upper door post
(Exodus 12:4,5). Let us now see what the Bible says concerning the
first passover, and the days of unleavened bread.
Exodus 12:13-18: "And
the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye
are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the
plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land
of Egypt.
14 And this day shall
be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the
LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an
ordinance for ever.
15 Seven days shall
ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away
leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread
from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut
off from Israel.
16 And in the first day there shall be
an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in
them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of
you.
17 And ye shall observe the feast of
unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your
armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this
day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
18 In the first month, on the
fourteenth day of the month at even ye shall eat
unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at
even."
Here in Exodus 12:13 we see how the passover
got its name. The LORD said that He would "pass over"
all of the houses which had the blood of the lamb marking the
door.
After the passover (Exodus
12:13,14), we find that seven days shall be fulfilled in which the
Jews were to eat unleavened bread. These are the
days of unleavened bread!
In verse 18 we see that dates for the
observance were April 14th through the 21st.
This religious observance is stated more
clearly in Numbers 28:16-18: "And in the
fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD.
17 And in the fifteenth day of this
month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
18 In the first day shall be an holy
convocation;ye shall do no manner of servile work therein:"
In verse 16 we see that the passover is only
considered to be the 14th of the month. On the next morning, the
15th begins the "days of unleavened bread."
Deuteronomy 16:1-8: "Observe
the month of Abib (April), and keep the passover unto the LORD thy
God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth
out of Egypt by night.
2 Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the
passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the
place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there.
3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread
with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread
therewith, even the bread of affliction: for thou camest
forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember
the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the
days of thy life.
4 And there shall be no leavened bread
seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there
any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at
even, remain all night until the morning.
5 Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover
within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee:
6 But at the place which the LORD thy
God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice
the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season
that thou camest forth out of Egypt.
7 And thou shalt roast and eat it in the
place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in
the morning, and go unto thy tents.
8 Six days thou shalt eat unleavened
bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the
LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work therein."
Here in Deuteronomy we see again that the
passover is sacrificed on the first night
(Deuteronomy 16:1). It is worth noting that the passover was to be
celebrated in the evening (vs.6) not at sunrise
(Ezekiel 8:13-16).
In II Chronicles 8:13 we see that the feast of
unleavened bread was one of the three Jewish feasts to be kept
during the year.
II Chronicles 8:13: "Even
after a certain rate every day, offering according to the
commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and
on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast
of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast
of tabernacles."
Whenever the passover was kept, it always
preceded the feast of unleavened bread. In II Chronicles 30 some
Jews who were unable to keep the passover in the first
month were allowed to keep it in the second. But the dates
remained the same.
II Chronicles 30:l5,21: "Then
they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of
the second month: and the priests and the Levites were ashamed,
and sanctified themselves, and brought in the burnt offerings into
the house of the LORD. And the children of lsrael that were
present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days
with great gladness: and the Levites and the priests praised the
LORD day by day, singing with loud instruments unto the
LORD."
Ezra 6:19,22:
"And the children of the captivity kept the passover
upon the fourteenth day of the first month. And kept the
feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the
LORD had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of
Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the
house of God, the God of Israel."
We see then, from studying what the BIBLE
has to say concerning the subject that the order of events went as
follows:
(1) On the 14th of April the lamb was killed. This
is the passover. No event following the 14th is ever referred to
as the passover.
(2) On the morning of the 15th begins the days
of unleavened bread, also known as the feast of unleavened bread.
It must also be noted that whenever the
passover is mentioned in the New Testament, the reference is always
to the meal, to be eaten on the night of April 14th not
the entire week. The days of unleavened bread are NEVER referred
to as the Passover. (It must be remembered that the angel of the
Lord passed over Egypt on one night, not
seven nights in a row.
Now let us look at Acts 12:3,4:
"And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded
further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened
bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and
delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him;
intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people."
Verse 3 shows that Peter was arrested
during the days of unleavened bread (April 15-2 1). The Bible
says: "Then were the days of unleavened
bread." The passover (April 14th) had already come
and gone. Herod could not possibly have been referring to
the passover in his statement concerning Easter. The next Passover
was a year away! But the pagan holiday of Easter
was just a few days away. Remember! Herod was a
pagan Roman who worshipped the "queen of heaven". He was
NOT a Jew. He had no reason to keep the Jewish
passover. Some might argue that he wanted to wait until after the
passover for fear of upsetting the Jews. There are two grievous
faults in this line of thinking.
First, Peter was no longer considered a Jew. He
had repudiated Judaism. The Jews would have no reason to be upset
by Herod's actions.
Second, he could not have been waiting until
after the passover because he thought the Jews would not kill a
man during a religious holiday. They had killed Jesus
during passover (Matthew 26:17-19,47). They were also excited
about Herod's murder of James. Anyone knows that a mob possesses
the courage to do violent acts during religious
festivities, not after.
In further considering Herod's position as a
Roman, we must remember that the Herods were well known for
celebrating (Matthew 14:6-11). In fact, in Matthew chapter 14 we
see that a Herod was even willing to kill a man of God during one
of his celebrations.
It is elementary to see that Herod, in Acts 12,
had arrested Peter during the days of unleavened bread, after
the passover. The days of unleavened bread would end on
the 21st of April. Shortly after that would come Herod's
celebration of pagan Easter. Herod had not killed Peter during the
days of unleavened bread simply because he wanted to wait until Easter.
Since it is plain that both the Jews (Matthew 26:17- 47) and the
Romans (Matthew 14:6-11) would kill during a religious
celebration, Herod's opinion seemed that he was not going to let
the Jews "have all the fun ". He would wait until his
own pagan festival and see to it that Peter died in the
excitement.
Thus we see that it was God's providence which
had the Spirit-filled translators of our Bible (King James) to
CORRECTLY translate "pascha" as "Easter". It
most certainly did not refer to the Jewish passover. In fact, to
change it to "passover" would confuse the reader and
make the truth of the situation unclear.
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