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With Easter coming up soon, and therefore the most attended Roman Mass will take place, has anyone wondered where Easter actually comes from? It is distinct from the feasts of the Passover, the Unleavened Bread, and the First Fruits, which have already found their fulfillment, and there are no bunnies or anything of the sort in the Bible. And what is up with the "Holy Saturday" before the Easter Sunday Mass? If these things do not come from the Bible, then where do they actually come from?
This is going to be a two-parter (with the second part written in the comments), but to begin forming an answer, let us go to the official exoteric source of Roman teaching, the Catechism of the (Roman) Catholic Church (CCC):
(CCC) 81-82: Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit. And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching. As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, 'does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.'
So according to Rome, if their doctrine is not found in the Bible and ordained by God, then it must be of the tradition, which is put at an equal and even higher level than that of the Word, that is ordained by the church.
But God says:
But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Matthew 15:9
While the Saducees and the Pharisees had implemented a system of rites and traditions contrary to the teachings of the Bible, the system of Roman Catholicism have too implemented no fewer traditions and ceremonies in the place of the Word.
So we ask again, where do these traditions actually come from?
A Brief Exploration of the Easter Tradition
In 325 AD, Constantine convened the first ecumenical council of Rome. Named as the Council of Nicaea, here is where the date and observance of Easter was determined. 200 years prior, Pope Telesphorus, named after the Telesphorus of Greek mythology who was known as the "bringer of completion", established the celebration of Easter on Sunday. As an aside, Telesphorus (in mythology) was the son of Asclepius, the serpent god of healing that is still worshiped in the medical world of today. The mythology of Asclepius was created as a counterfeit to the representation of Jesus as the healing Serpent of brass (Numbers 21:9). Asclepius was worshiped in Pergamos, "where Satan dwelleth" (Revelation 2:12-13), and was revered as the son of Apollo. Interestingly enough, when Constantine had baptized paganism into Christianity, the statues and icons of Apollo were changed into the images of Jesus. Esoterically, business continued as usual.
Now the Easter festival that Telesphorus introduced was the continuation of the Festival of Ishtar from Babylonian times. Along with introducing symbols such as the Roman fasces, the earliest Romans derived their religious jurisprudence from the ancient Etruscans. The Etruscans, as earnest students of the Chaldeans (the diviners, magicians, astrologers, and "wise men" of ancient Babylon), were practitioners of the ancient Babylonian faith system.
The Festival of Ishtar was introduced as a yearly staple in the traditions of Rome before becoming adapted into the weekly Sunday which is today commonly called "The Lord's Day". When the Council of Nicaea formalized the tradition of Easter, they made the following rule:
In order to prevent the [Ishtar] festival from coinciding either with the Jewish Passover or with the celebrations of the Quartodecimans, special provision was made, should the full moon actually occur on a Sunday, to defer the celebration of Easter until the next Sunday.
Interestingly enough, this happened in 2001 when Pope John Paul II delayed the Feast of Easter from the Sunday of April 8 to the Sunday of April 15. This rule, along with their esoteric belief system, is very much alive today.
Just a short aside on the Roman fasces: it symbolizes the ordering of priestly functions into a single infallible sovereign, even as an autocrat who could require the life and limb of his subjects. If the fasces is entwined with laurel, like the pair on the wall of the United States House of Representatives, it signifies Caesarean military power. But as this is not a dive into the Roman take-over of the United States, let us continue with Easter and the Mass.
Now “Easter”, more aptly named as the Festival of Ishtar, is the largest celebration of the Roman Catholic Mass, even surpassing that of “Christ-Mass”. According to Richard Leonard, a Jesuit priest and worker of Catholic Action as director of the Australian Catholic Film Office, “Easter Sunday is the cornerstone of Christian theology”. Catholic Action, which was strengthened by the Papal encyclical Miranda Prorsus in 1957 and the Papal decree Inter Mirifica in 1963, called for the complete control
of the press, the cinema, radio, television, and others of a like nature [...] [of] journalists, writers, actors, designers, producers, exhibitors, distributors, operators, sellers, critics - all those, in a word, who are involved in the making and transmission of communications in any way whatever.
The control over all forms of communication was declared as the birthright of Rome "in order to steer economic, political, and artistic values in a way that will not conflict with the common good". The doctrines of the "common good" are the same Hellenistic, Gnostic teachings that formed the education of Telesphorus before making their way into the current social structure of Rome. All of present-day Holly-wood, for example, which is named after the Holly wood that is used to make the staves of witches, is the result of Catholic Acton.
Now before the Babylonian lifting up of the host on “(Ishtar) Sunday”, there is a “Holy Saturday” (HS).
Traditionally, the HS is called a day of silence where worshipers are encouraged to wait silently for the resurrection, “as did Mary”. It is taught that on this day, Jesus was “in the realm of the dead freeing Adam, Eve, and all the imprisoned souls of the saints” before taking them to heaven. None of this is found in the Bible. Rather than having the focus be on Jesus, the focus of HS is turned towards the Roman Mary, and the day becomes about “spending time with her, waiting in silence with the expectation of hope of a victorious return”. For this reason, in the traditions of Rome, Mary has been attributed titles such as “Our Lady of Sorrows”. As an interesting aside, while the icons of Apollo were hidden under images of Jesus, the sign over the Pantheon indicating "To [the fertility goddess] Cybele and All the Gods" was re-written "To Mary and All the Saints." The "fertility bunnies" of Easter represent the type of worship that was associated with Cybele and performed in Pagan Rome, but like everything else affiliated with Rome, are only the continuation of the ancient Babylonian worship system.
Distinct from the Biblical Mary, the Roman Mary is the missionary adaptation, or in other words the modern representation, of the Sumerian Inanna (also known in the Babylonian Akkadian as Ishtar). The ancient Sumerian myth titled “Angalta”, meaning “From the Great Sky” and also written in the Akkadian as the “Descent of Ishtar into the Underworld”, is the true representation of the “Holy Saturday”.
In the legend involving profound themes of grief and sorrow, Ishtar descends into the “land of the dead” in order to overthrow its ruler. Having failed, but allowed to return to the “land of the living”, Ishtar is required to deliver another living human in exchange for her freedom. She exchanges Tammuz, and her life is returned. The people then "weep for Tammuz".
Now Tammuz, also involved in fertility worship, originated from the Sumerian “Dumuzid sipad”, or “Dumuzid the Shepherd”. He, as a wicked and evil shepherd whose name means "faithful son", stands as a stark contrast and counterfeit of the one Good Shepherd, being Jesus Christ.
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. John 10:11
So the “Holy Saturday”, as part of what Rome calls "the cornerstone of Christian theology”, is an esoteric representation and declaration of trading the life of God Himself, Jesus Christ, for the life of Tammuz and his theology as embodied in the system of Roman Catholicism. In the Angalta, as preserved in the Mithraic rites, this is represented as the "Handshake of Alliance" where the initiate shakes hands with his god in a gesture of unity and exchange of love. This exchange of Tammuz for Ishtar is celebrated before the Festival of Ishtar, but the exchange of Jesus for Tammuz is performed as part of the Mass when the host is lifted up.
In the ancient Assyrian religion, with a direct example found in the Vassal Treaties of Esarhaddon, this “trade” was called the “Ritual of the Substitute King”. In it, the “shar puni”, the “good man”, would act as the “puhi ameli”, the “substitute and sacrifice”, who received the curse placed on the king and perish in his stead, thus allowing the king to continue living as he did before.
And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Genesis 3:14-15 (KJV)
But both the exchange of Dumuzi and the sacrifice of the Shar Puni are rites and traditions claiming to have lifted this curse on the serpent, being Satan, and instead place it upon Jesus Christ. This is part of the reason why Papal Rome seems to only represent Jesus Christ as some emaciated form on the cross, just as mythology depicts of what happened to Ishtar in the underworld, or as some hapless babe on the knees of the Roman Mary, which is how the Egyptian Horus is commonly represented in relationship to his mother Isis. As the topic of this study is not to introduce the Egyptian aspects of Rome, let us continue with the first official English translation endorsed by Papal Rome and brought to the world through the efforts of the Jesuit Order:
I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel. Genesis 3:15 (Douay–Rheims Bible - DRA)
While the KJV references Jesus as the Seed of Salvation, the DRA references “she” and “her”, being the Roman Mary, as the victor in the battle being waged over the minds of man.
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; Ephesians 2:15 (KJV)
Making void the law of commandments contained in decrees; that he might make the two in himself into one new man, making peace; Ephesians 2:15 (DRA)
In order to justify the system of Roman Catholicism, the DRA replaces that which was abolished as “ordinances”, in this context being rites and tradition, for “decrees”, in this context being the moral law as contained in the Ten Commandments.
And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: Ephesians 2:16 (KJV)
And might reconcile both to God in one body by the cross, killing the enmities in himself. Ephesians 2:16 (DRA)
And to affirm the ritual of the Mass as being that of the Substitute King, the enmities go from “[being] slain”, a statement of the character of God being vindicated over that of the accusations of Satan, to “killing the enmities in himself”, which means that the cause for enmity becomes the Ten Commandments and the character of God. This makes Jesus Christ and His mindset, in the DRA, the “puhi ameli” for Satan and his mindset.
Let us even affirm this esoteric teaching of the Mass representing the substitution of the law of God, and therefore the substitution of Jesus as its Author, in official Roman doctrine:
Catechism of the (Roman) Catholic Church 2174-2177, 2188, 2189, 2190, 2192: “We all gather on the day of the sun [...] Sunday is expressly distinguished from the sabbath [...] The celebration of Sunday observes the moral commandment inscribed by nature in the human heart [...] The Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day andhis Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life. [...] In respecting religious liberty and the common good of all, Christians should seek recognition of Sundays and the Church's holy days as legal holidays. [...] ‘Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy’ (Deut 5:12). ‘The seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord’ (Ex 31:15). The sabbath, which represented the completion of the first creation, has been replaced by Sunday [...] Sunday [...] is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church (CIC, can. 1246 § 1). On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass (CIC, can. 1247).”
And in the apostolic letter "Dies Domini" written by Pope JPII (1998):
...the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist are so closely joined together that they form a single act of worship. The Eucharist is the full realization of the worship. [...] [the Moral Law written directly in stone by the finger of God] need[s] to be reinterpreted in the light of the theology and spirituality of Sunday: The Code of Canon Law of 1917 for the first time gathered this tradition into a universal law. The present Code reiterates this, saying that ‘on Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to attend Mass’. This legislation has normally been understood as entailing a grave obligation: this is the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, [...]Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.
This is nothing but the blending in of paganism and Christianity, just as was performed in ancient Babylonian times, and just as was accomplished by Constantine. The highest realization of this syncretism is then performed at the Easter Mass.
Thank you for this post. Very informative. I've always taken issue with "Easter" (named after Ishtar). So many Christian "holidays" have been formed around pagan holidays (so I was taught in a Bible college), which occurred in order to "bring in" pagans to Christianity. Christmas and the winter solstice is another example.
A year or so ago I recall that "Easter" occurred before PASSOVER. That completely contradicts the Gospels. I call it "Resurrection Sunday" and only recognize the Sunday after the "high passover" (which I have been taught was the high holy day of Passover, when Yeshua broke the bread and shared the wine and said, "Do this in remembrance of ME." -- Exchanging the traditional Passover lamb for the NEW Passover Lamb of God - Christ.). So our household celebrates Passover - as did Christ - He said he came to fulfill the law, not to change it. The Passover lamb was illustrative of the saving of the Hebrews from the Angel of Death if the lamb's blood was painted over the household doorway(s). When Yeshua proclaimed himself the new Passover Lamb, his blood also saved and saves us from eternal death.
JMO.
Yes, since we're far down the road since the Jewish and Christian calendars diverged, sometimes Passover is keyed to a different moon than Easter. Christians who celebrate Passover will do it shortly before Resurrection Day, beginning the first week after the first full moon of spring. Christians who celebrate Easter will celebrate Good Friday before that. And it's possible to keep both traditions at their traditional times, which I call assembling together all the more as you see the Day approaching!
Yes, I believe the high Passover is the 14th of the moon and the day Yeshua broke the (matzah) bread, just as all Jews did. The best reading of Leviticus 23 IMHO is that Resurrection Day is the first of the week ranging from the 16th to the 22nd of the moon.
I grew up in a covenantal church and then discovered all these Hebrew roots 25-30 years ago. Only recently I've been able to finally explain why the church (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant) has these other traditions and to put them in a proper place as well. They can be kept one with another. But in many eras people have neglected Rom. 14:5 and have judged each other for keeping of days. In the second century this came up twice and was correctly resolved, first by Anicetus and Polycarp, then by Victor and Irenaeus. Those feasting on the 14th of the moon and those feasting on the 1st of the week permitted each other and didn't argue. From the third century on, people ignored this testimony and started arguing, and they still do. Much could be said about it but let that suffice for now. Happy Passover!
Thank you for taking the time to read and to comment.
You are absolutely right; as persecution failed to snuff out the Light of Jesus, the Pagan system of Rome changed their method of destruction to that of infiltration as they slowly transitioned themselves into Papal Rome. At first, they used the persecution of the small rebellious Jewish population to corral, as a shepherd does his sheep, the converted Hebrews, first called a people of "the Way" (Acts 9:2) before being called Christians by the pagans in Antioch (Acts 11:26), into a system which appeared Christian but was, and still is, verily of Satan.
If you are interested, there are a couple of small, related studies written in this comment. You might enjoy reading them as well!
Notice how the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, being the theology of the Nicolaitanes, began to creep in during the period of the very first church.
Stephen, as part of that first church, was full of the faith of Jesus and the power of the Holy Ghost. He was named first and his actions were the fruit of his love, faith, and obedience towards Jesus. In contrast to Stephen, Nicolas was named last. Being named last typically denotes an inferiority of character in some way, such as in Genesis 5:32 when Ham was listed after Shem despite Shem being younger than Ham. The name "Nicolas", from "nikolaos" meaning "victor of the people", was put in contrast to Stephen, whose name means "crowned (of God)". Nicolas represents the desires of the people, while Stephen represents the will of God.
As a proselyte and new convert from Antioch, the primary capital of the Seleucid Empire of Greece, Nicolas brought along with him the same teachings of Gnosticism and syncretism that Telesphorus was inundated with. Nicolas also brought with him antinomianism, which, in contrast to what you so rightly said, taught that the law was changed, even done away with, for the favouring of creeds and traditions.
By the time we get to the prophetic period of the third church of Pergamos, which takes place between 313-538 AD, we see that not only has the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes found its foothold in Christianity, but so too has it evolved into the doctrine of Balaam. Interestingly enough, the Easter Mass represents the exact things spoken against here, being the eating of things sacrificed unto idols and the committing of fornication (physical and spiritual for both applications).
And you are so right about Christmas! Among the many heathen traditions that it represents, Christmas is also a celebration of the birth-date in Mithra as noted in the follow-up comment (if you were interested in learning a little about that as well).
Lastly, when you mention the "high passover", perhaps what you were taught was the High Sabbath? When the Feast Day happened to occur on the seventh-day Sabbath, the Sabbath was then considered as a High Sabbath. When Jesus had rested in the grave on the Sabbath day, He not only re-affirmed the position of His Sabbath and His law (Matthew 12:8), but He did so on a High Sabbath. And just as you so rightly said, He did so as the Lamb of God.
Bible study is so beautiful!
Have this one more related thing that you may enjoy reading.
The ancient Greeks used white and black stones to vote in trials. Black meant guilty (receive judgment), white meant innocent (receive mercy). The manna was also another re-affirmation of Jesus establishing His law.
Now being given a white stone is on the condition of overcoming through the faith of Jesus that is made evident only through the fruits of His work (James 2:18). With the white stone there is a pronouncement of mercy, even a declaration of complete pardon to the extent that not even one sin is remembered, on behalf of the accused. But that white stone can only be given through faith that the blood of the Lamb has received the black stone on behalf of the accused.
In the time of the Exodus Passover, the household names were written on the lintel, which is the the part above the household doorway that you mentioned. In those times, when a slave was freed, his name would be changed to represent his freedom. In the painting of the blood upon the lintel, a new name was symbolically offered, even a name that could be eternally washed clean with the blood of the Lamb.
Thank you so much - Blessings to you and all your readers!
No, no evidence for Mithra original on Dec 25.
At first I accepted that Dec 25 might be a pagan date, but as I researched I was shocked to discover that Luke 2 is evidence that Simeon connected Jesus's conception with Haggai 2 (to which he refers about 10 ways), where the date of 24 Kislev corresponds to an annunciation, visitation, incarnation, conception, and "nativity" on 25 Dec of 5 BC. This aligns with several other chronological points and agrees with the first Christian mentions of 25 Dec.
No, High Sabbath was the day after Passover, i.e. the 15th when it fell on Sabbath.
I appreciate your studying to be approved, but there is much you're taking from sketchy sources with biases. I've only written a few notes to indicate redirection, much more could be added. I welcome discussion with those who are not closed-minded.