Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-05-03
The Easter Controversy.

1ofors hennebee Journal:
=" sp1e OF the protestations of Pascha.
~ho' oy opening the foed-gates of his knoxl-
edge, has covered with darkness a fast;v.,
"hose origin Is as clear as light, it is eyiden,
from the American, Chambers. Globe and
BRITANNICA Encyclopedias, and from Wedge
WOODS Dictionary of English Etymology. tha,
Easter Is derived from Ostera or Eostre. and
Is a remnant Of Teuton:c mythology. Instead
OF quoting from the latest authorities pascha
quotes from those who are too antiquated to
possess much critical Importance. How can
the authors he quotes he the --latest whom
hlngham's An'iq. were published in I,os
Caves Lives of the Fathers in l6sa. Rlunt,s
History of the Church in 1856 and R,,bert.
sons History in 1853: In quoting writer's
whose authority Is not now recognized by
scholars, he has overlooked all that modern
scholarship has brought to light Bnt il is
the custom with MANY To notice only those
things which reflect credit on their own dog.
mas. and 10 neglect everything acain.t them
and thus they are Only half informed. and no
matter how convincing the evidence alduced
they will not change their ideas because they
are predetermined against other opinions.
The early Church was not lin love with
heathenism' but in the second century there
was everywhere disturbance of the eanilib
rum. and Christianity modified to suit
the times. Among the Jewish Christians the
Easter Observance grew out of the old habit
of observing the Passover hut the many pagan
converts had from their infancy been accus
TONED to celebrate Easter in connection with
their resurrected deities. Krishna Rudda.
Atys. Las-kiun, Osiris, Frey, Adonis and
Nithras, were all supposed to have risen
from the dead. That the Romans had a fes
tival at the same time as the Passover was
observed is very evident from the writings of
Dionysius, Halicarnass. could fill the
Journal with pagan rites introduced by the
Christians into their services. but it is need
less. since so eminent Churchman AS Dean
Stanley has said in his Ecclesiastical History.
'There are also institutions. customs cere-
monies, even vestures and forms of ritual
in which. though originally pagan or secular.
Christian ideas have now become fixed so as
to be inseparabe from them" Dean Mill
man in his History of Christianitv,' after
speaking of the conflict of Christianity with
paganism says, Though later when Chris
tianitv was in the ascendant, it might expel
the deities of paganism, from some of the
splendid temples, and convert them to its
usages of the heather worship crept into the
more gorgeous and imposing ceremonial of
triumphant Christianity, though even many
Of the vulgar superstitions Incorporated
themselves with the sacred Christian asso-
Citations, etc. Surely these are higher au-
thorities than Pascha, though he is ''later
than the latest Gbbon says 1.-THE most
respectable bishops had persuaded themselves
that the ignorant rustic would more cheer
fully renounce the superstitions of paganism
if they found some resemblance in Chris
tianitv." MoSheim says: "There is good
reason to suppose that the Christian bishops
purposely multiplied sacred rites for the sake
of rendering the Jews and the pagans more
friendly to them" And again: ''There was
little difference in these times between the
public worship of the Church and that of the
Greeks and Romans Is Pascha ignorant
of the fact. that the Apostle Paul quotes ap-
prov inglv from pagan poets: DOES he know
that in the works of pagans who lived before
Christ. parallel passages can be found to
every sentence in the ''Sermon on the
Mount Does he know that the Golden
Rule was announced by Confueius.
Thales, Socrates and Hillel? Does he
know that the Fatherhood of God and the
brotherhood of man were taught in
the Rig-Veda hy Hesiod, Homer. Philo
Eplctetus. terence anu DF Leno. W nv
does he disparage pagan thought? A diamond
is a diamond whether it lies concealed in a
dust heap. or glistens in monarchs crown.
All truth is of tod whether found among
pagans or Christians.
notwithstanding Paschas statement to the
contrary, though the keeping of the first day
of the week dates from the beginning of
Christianity. there can be no doubt that 1t is
not only identical with the Roman dies soils.
but was also adopted by the converted pagans
in honor of that dav. The Christians worked
on Sunday as on other DAYS, until the fourth
century. though they held religious services
in the morning. Every student of history
knows that the Church decided in the fifth
century on the 25th of December as the time
of the birth of Jesus. in order to supplant a
heather festival which occurred at that time
Not only the Saturnalia of the pagans, but
also the nataiis SOILS fnricti of the Romans
was celebrated December 18th. and the Celts
held their greatest festivities at this season.
Pascha has evidently made some very ram
dom statements which he cannot suhstantiate
OsTEEN.