A Brief History of Easter

We explore the Jewish, pagan, and Christian roots of the holiday of Easter.  

Transcript

A History of Easter

April 2026

Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

Dawn and resurrection are synonymous. The reappearance of the light is the same as the survival of the soul.”

Victor Hugo

He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified, and on the third day be raised again.”

The Gospel of Luke

The history of Easter begins with the gospels, per the quote above from Luke’s.  But the timing of the celebration and the name by which we have applied owe, historically, to a combination of Jewish and pagan rituals.  We explore this history, but also note why Easter is so important.  

Because of the practice of gift-giving and the commercial opportunities it entails, Christmas gets all the press.  In the children’s book Santa Claustrophobia, jolly St Nick concludes that compared to the other holiday characters, such as the presidents, April Fool, and Easter bunny, upon taking over Christmas, make a mash of things, “I do more than the rest of you combined.”  

In terms of Christian religion, however, Easter is in tandem, as one of my ministers called it, the C and E crowd.  Yet for a practicing Christian, Easter is simply the thing.  The concept of having your sins forgiven, wiped away, a second chance, a rebirth, is the core of Christianity.   Pope John Paul noted on this day, “Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.” Easter is not just the Sunday of course, but Maundy Thursday of the last supper and when Jesus was taken, Holy Saturday in the expectation of Easter, and most of all Good Friday.  Of all major religious founders ranging from Buddha to Lao Tsu to Mohammad to Moses, only Jesus was brutally murdered while relatively young. Zoroaster and Mani were killed, but both at an advanced age, and there are not a lot of adherents around today.  This sufferance for our sins is as much about Easter as is the resurrection.  The richness, the lowest of lows and the highest of highs, pales the birth of a child, no matter how exalted.  

But alas, no gifts, no St. Nicholas morphed into Kris Kringle, transmogrified into Santa Claus.  And of course, what leftist secularities now term “Winter break.”  You get two weeks beginning in December.  You get a single week of spring break, but it’s often not even attached to Easter.  And the kiddie mythology is even more warped when pitted against Christmas.  On the one hand, a jolly, grandfatherly figure who gives toys.  On the other hand, a human-sized bunny forces kids to search for their treasure.  And does the booty consist of a doll, an action figure, or a video game?  No, it is a hard-boiled egg that tastes of wetted cardboard.  Sure, maybe a few jelly beans and chocolates, but that is standard in a candy dish the other 364 days of the year.  

And that human-sized bunny?  Before you can say Donnie Darko, little Susie has burst into tears because a six-foot all-creatures with sticking up ears, bug teeth, and dead eyes is staring her down.  I am a grown-ass man, and that sounds frightening.

Easter cannot compete commercially.  But as I subtly, and not so subtly, remind people, the history of these things is not the same thing as the current day 2026 realities.  And the value of Easter is in both its history and the meaning of its message.  

Paul of Tarsus, the greatest of all Christian evangelizers and second only to Jesus in terms of shaping the concept of Christianity, writes that, for those who trust in Jesus’s death and resurrection, “death is swallowed up in victory”. The First Epistle of Peter declares that God has given believers “a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”. Christian theology holds that, through faith in the working of God, those who follow Jesus are spiritually resurrected with him so that they may walk in a new way of life and receive eternal salvation, and can hope to be physically resurrected to dwell with him in the Kingdom of Heaven.” That sounds pretty cool.  

Yet like Christmas, historical Easter is rooted in earlier religions and even paganism.  Easter is linked to Passover and the Exodus from Egypt recorded in the Old Testament through the Last Supper, sufferings, and crucifixion of Jesus that preceded the resurrection.  According to the three Synoptic Gospels, Jesus gave the Passover meal new meaning: in the upper room during the Last Supper, he prepared himself and his disciples for his death. He identified the bread and cup of wine as his body, soon to be sacrificed, and his blood, soon to be shed. 

Paul states in his First Epistle to the Corinthians: “Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” This refers to the requirement in Jewish law that Jews eliminate all chametz, or leavening, from their homes in advance of Passover, and to the allegory of Jesus as the Passover lamb.  

Certain Christians of today wish to somehow separate Jesus’ Jewishness from the cosmic Christ celebrated mainly in John’s gospel. To do so is not only to deny the heart of the Christian religion, but the historical context of Jesus.  

“Spring festivals with the theme of new life and relief from the cold of winter became connected explicitly to Jesus having conquered death by being resurrected after the crucifixion,” states University of Sydney Professor Carole Cusack. “In the first couple of centuries after Jesus’s life, feast days in the new Christian church were attached to old pagan festivals.” 

The word “Easter” itself likely derives from Old English words Eostre or Eastre, referring to an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and dawn, or from Germanic words for dawn/east (Ostern). It was traditionally associated with the spring equinox, with the Venerable Bede (died 736 AD) linking the name to the month Eosturmonath. 

Symbols commonly associated with Easter, such as eggs and rabbits, likely have pre-Christian origins. Eggs have long symbolized new life and rebirth, while rabbits, known for their fertility, became a natural emblem of springtime renewal. Over time, these symbols were incorporated into Christian celebrations, blending religious and cultural meanings.

During this period after Christ’s death, Christians disagreed about when Easter should be celebrated. Some observed it on the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan (the date of Passover), regardless of the day of the week. Others insisted that Easter should always fall on a Sunday, the day of Jesus’ resurrection.

This disagreement was resolved in 325 AD at the First Council of Nicaea, convened by the Roman emperor Constantine I, who, for several reasons, not least of which was his tolerance of Christianity, would earn the epithet the Great. 

Christians, the Council decided, should abandon the custom of relying on Jewish informants and instead do their own computations to determine which month should be styled Nisan.  They wished to set Easter within this independently computed, Christian Nisan, which would always locate the festival after the equinox. They justified this break with tradition by arguing that, in fact, the contemporary Jewish calendar had broken with tradition by ignoring the equinox, and that in former times the 14th of Nisan had never preceded the equinox. Others felt that the customary practice of relying on the Jewish calendar should continue, even if the Jewish computations were in error from a Christian perspective.

The controversy between those who argued for independent computations and those who argued for continued reliance on the Jewish calendar was formally resolved by the Council, which endorsed the independent procedure that had been in use for some time at Rome and Alexandria, both of which happened to contain powerful Christian bishoprics. Easter was henceforward to be a Sunday in a lunar month chosen according to Christian criteria—in effect, a Christian Nisan—not in the month of Nisan as defined by Jews. This formula is still used today in most Christian traditions, although differences between Western and Eastern churches persist due to calendar variations.

During the Middle Ages, Easter became the central celebration of the Christian year. It followed the solemn period of Lent, a 40-day time of fasting and penance. The week leading up to Easter, known as Holy Week, included important observances, such as Good Friday, which commemorates the crucifixion.  

The earliest known depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus is the Alexamenos graffito, a piece of Roman graffiti from the late 2nd to early 3rd century AD (circa 200 AD) found on Rome’s Palatine Hill. It shows a donkey-headed figure on a cross, intended as a mockery of Christian beliefs.

The earliest mainstream, artistic representations in churches, such as the wooden doors of Santa Sabina in Rome, date to about 420–430 AD.  Crucifixions were rarely depicted in the first three centuries of Christianity, likely because it was seen as a shameful, humiliating form of execution for criminals.  Only with the fall of the Western half of the Roman Empire in the 5th century did depictions begin, not just because of the criminality, but also because of the barbarity and horrific nature.  Crucifixion is simply a way to torture to death in the most vile manner possible.  The Romans were nothing if not brutally efficient.  After Marcus Crassus crucified 6,000 members of Spartacus’ slave army, large-scale slave risings in Italy ceased.  The more one understands the practice, the more the sacrifice of Jesus takes on greater import.  After Jesus, both Paul and the Apostle Peter were murdered, but Paul, being a Roman citizen, had a simple execution. Peter was crucified.

Medieval Church services during the Easter period were elaborate and deeply symbolic. Feasting, music, and public celebrations marked the end of Lent’s austerity. In many parts of Europe, local customs began to emerge, including processions, mystery plays, and festive meals.

As Christianity spread across Europe and later to other continents, Easter traditions diversified. In Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Easter (often called Pascha) remains the most important religious holiday, celebrated with midnight services and elaborate rituals.

In Western countries, especially after the Reformation, Easter traditions continued to evolve. In places like the United States, the holiday took on a more family-oriented and secular dimension alongside its religious significance. Customs such as Easter egg hunts, the aforementioned Easter Bunny (if often terrifying in his many incarnations), and festive meals became widespread.

Today, Easter is celebrated by billions of Christians worldwide, each bringing their own cultural traditions to the holiday. For some, it remains a deeply spiritual observance centered on church services and reflection. For others, it is also a time of community gatherings, festive foods, and seasonal traditions.

Despite its evolution, the core meaning of Easter—renewal, hope, and resurrection—has remained remarkably consistent. Whether viewed through a religious or cultural lens, Easter continues to symbolize new beginnings and the enduring power of life over death.

Do I believe that a human was murdered and came back alive three days later?  I share much of my life online, but I will keep those core beliefs to myself.  But history is a series of stories that impart messages for posterity.  The message here, for me, is one of renewal.  

A message that says a person is never truly lost.  This thought has cheered me on those many sad days, the price we pay for our lives and humanity. Episcopal Priest and Rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Floyd Tomkins, concludes, “Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair to strength and beauty and happiness.”