Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-04-30


? With reference to the communication of
easter. in your Thursdays edition, we would
say, that We have not disputed the fact that the
I Saxon fathers worshipped the goddess Oester.
though We did state on the authority of J.
d. Blunt, and Robertson's History of the
Christian Charch, that later philologists have
derived the word from ..prsfaa" to rise.
and ''UrsfaRd' the resurrection We also
acknow ledge that the ancient Saxons observed
festival about the time of the vernal equi-
nox sacrifices, with a view of good harvest
And We are further cognizant of
the fact that certain popular observ-
ances. especially in England. connected
with Easter, came of later pagan sources
such, for example, as Easter eggs Nor do
we doubt for a moment that in all ma
tons there has been an instructive expecta-
ton Of some revelation concerning the life to
come. ami that this longing has found APP
propriate symbolism in nature. All thi. we do
not dispute. Our criticism was, however
directed first, to. the statement which made
the Saxon name coincident with, and ex-
day. 1t is one thing to say that an nsttu-
ton has an appropriate name: il is quite an
other thing to make the name (which in this
case is subsequent to the institution to
count for the origin OF the Institution. And.
further, We maintain, that the statement
that Easter was properly and originally
heather festival which was appropriated by
the Church and applied to the resurrection"
is gross msstatement of fact. We say
this. as We have said what have said be-
fore, not AS ''seif-constituted authority"
not in any marrow sectarian sense" but on
the authority of plain and full historical evil
dence. on the testimony of early writers, and
well-known students of Christian antiquities"
These authorities show US that the anniyer-
sary of the Resurrection, and the Lords day,
as the weekly commemoration of that event,
were distinctively Christian in their origin
and associations. They show us likewise that
in the observance of these days, as with other
festivals of the Church, great strictness was
observed in retaining from all secular EN-
Payments, and from all alliance with,
or imitation of heather rites
or customs. In his apology to the heather,
Justin Martyr says, I'VE all meet together on
Sunday. on which Jesus Christ rose from the
Dead" and Tertullian answering the OBJ
lection made by the heather that the
Christians worship the Sun, says indeed
| they made Sunday day of jOv, but for
other reasons than to worship the Sun, which
was no part of their religion Such protest
concerning the Lords Dav, applies with
equal force to anything like adopting a
heather precedent in the observance of the
anniversary of the Resurrection. Gothotred,
An author of the 18th century. gives a full
list OF heather festivals, existing at the time
of the coming of Christianity into the Roman
Empire. So far, however, from any of these
being identified with Christian commemora-
tons. they are the subjects ''Of frequent
| invectves in the writings of the ancients.
| And, again, "Feasting with the heather
on their proper Festivals whether in
temple or out of a temple, was precisely
forbidden under the notion of COM
municating with them in their mpiety."
The same authority (Bing. Antiq goes on
to say Even in st. Augustine's time. the
heather were SO insQlent in Africa. as to
compel the Christians to observe their festi-
vals of which the African fathers, in the
| fifth Council of Carthage were forced to COM
plain to the Emperor Honorius, none #
which has the appearance of \ heather festi
| walls being appropriated, &C. That statements
of this latter kind should be found in enclv-
clopadas is not greatly to be wondered at.
The Byitaniea is, perhaps. of equal value
with Chambers and the Giobe, but the BRITANNICA
falls into an egregious blunder in saying that
''thereis no trace of Easter as Christian Fest-
val in the writings of the Apostolic Fathers"
As a matter of fact. which can be found in any
ecclesiastical history, and which the Britannica
itself goes on to mention, Polycarp, who
was a disciple of st. john the Apostle
and Evangelist, went to Rome IN the year
| 50 to mediate upon the question then in
dispute as to the time Of keeping Easter. Per-
haps this one instance is sufficient to show
that when one crticises statements, gathered
even from weighty Encyclopedias. they are
not, necessarily speaking, as a "self-constitut-
ed authority or in marrow sectarian
sense" We should indeed be sorry il any
one sect were to have or to claim "a patent
right upon Easter We do not think that
such claim will ever be presented. The
Feast was neither originated by not for the
exclusive use of any sect though sects have
hitherto ignored it. We hope they will d. so
no more. And we also as fervently trust that
the observance of the Easter Feast, or any
other Christian institution. may not be made
the occasion or the plea, in this Christian
land and age, of encouraging any one to re-
tire within the shadowy phiosophizing Of
what has not been inaptly called the Neo pa
ganism of the nineteenth century.
PAsCHA.
.Bingham's Antiquities of the Christian
Church, in which will be found authorities