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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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