Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1899-03-30
THE ANCIENT EASTER
HOW 1T WAS OBSERVED BEFORE THE
BIRTH OF CHRIST.

HOW IT WAS OBSERVED BEFORE THE
BIRTH OF CHRIST.
Spring Was Always a Time OF Fes-
tivities The Legend of Mithras.
The Festival In Phrygia and Greece.
The scandinavian Easter.
Even before the advent Of Christiani-
ty eastern nations had long observed the
Bpringtime by elaborate religious cere-
monies. These festival occasions uni
versally commemorated the god or saw
ior Of the people who held them.
In Persia Mithras, the savior and
mediator between God and man, was
believed to have risen from the dead,
and the mysteries connected with his
worship were celebrated in the latter
part Of March. The body Of a young
man apparently dead was exhibited to
be restored to life The priests watched
his tomb until midnight with loud cries
and in darkness, when all at once the
lights burst forth from all parts and the
priests cried: "Rejoice, O sacred ini-
tiatedi Your god has risenl His sdeath,
his pains, his sufferings, have worked
our salvation. I" These ceremonies were
accompanied by lighting the sacred
candle and amounting the image with
perfume. ~. 81.
The principal religious festivals of
the year not only in Egypt, but in
Syria, Phrygia and Greece, and, in
fact, throughout the east, were solem-
nized at the latter end of autumn and
again at the beginning of spring. Those
which occurred in spring were particu-
larly characterized by mirth and revel-
ry. The resurrection of Adonis, or
ThammuZ, was celebrated throughout
the east. julius Firmicus, in an oration
or address delivered to the Emperors
Constans and. Constantius, described
these rites in detail. The worshipers
laid an image upon bed and bewailed
in mournful songs. IS
After continuing these lamentations
for considerable time light was brought
into the room, and the mouths of the
mourners were anointed by the priests,
upon which the young man impersonat-
ing Adonis gently murmured: "Trust,
ye communicates. The god having been
saved, there shall be to us out of pain
salvation" In Alexandria the feast of
the resurrection Of Adonis was observed
on the 25th of March in very much the
same way as described by julius Fir
micus These festivals were observed in
Egypt as late as the year 412, and at
Antioch, the ancient capital Of the
Greek kings in Syria, as late as the
year 1858.
Adonis, or Thammuz, had his altar
even in the temple Of Jerusalem. Sew
eral Of the psalms Of David were parts
of the liturgical service employed in
his worship. With the same ceremonies
as in Egypt and elsewhere the Easter
rising of Adonis was commemorated at
Byblis, in Phoenicia. The ancient Greeks
also celebrated this festival in honor of
the resurrection of Adonis, in the course
of which a figure of him was produced
and the ceremony of burying, with
weeping and songs Of wailing, gone
through. After these joyful shout was
raised, ''Adonis lives and is risen
againl" Elsewhere in the east the
Easter festivities were of similar
character, and the priests addressed the
worshipers with the formula, ''Com-
fort yourselves, all ye who have been
partakers of the mysteries of the deity
thus preserved, for we shall now enjoy
some respite from our labors, to which
were added. these words: 81 have
escaped sad calamity, and my lot il
greatly mended." The people answered
by chanting the invocation, t'Hail te
the dove, the restorer of light!''
"The resurrection and reign over ar
eternal kingdom by an incarnate, medi
ating deity, born of virgin says
Professor Mahaffy, ''was the oldest re-
ligion of Egypt" Osiris was the pop
ular god of that country, pre-eminently
good and dear to the hearts of the peo
pie. His resurrection and ascension
were celebrated annually in early
spring, about the time known in Chris
tian countries as Easter The anniver.
sary of his death or disappearance ir
November Of each year was observed
with rites of mourning. Similar in ma
ture were ceremonies in other countries
at the same season, such as the Thesmo
phoria of the Athenians and the Etach.
the of the Beotians. Later on came
other observances describing the search
for Osiris, when professions bearing the
sacred chest and arks, with fresh water,
spices and costly perfumes, marched tt
the temples. The sacred cow was lee
around the temple seven times, which
indicated that the god did not complete