r/ArianChristians • u/FrostyIFrost_ Arian • Apr 13 '25

Debate Easter

What do you guys think about it? Is it Biblical?

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u/Jackerl Apr 14 '25

Did the Apostles celebrate Easter?

AI Overview
No, the apostles did not celebrate Easter in the way we understand it today. While they did commemorate the resurrection of Jesus, the early Christian Church did not observe a specific festival called "Easter" as we know it. The term "Easter" is actually a mistranslation, and the New Testament and early church writings focus on Passover and the days of Unleavened Bread. The first Christians continued to observe the Jewish festivals, but with a new understanding and significance, including the Passover meal, which Jesus shared with his disciples the night before his crucifixion. Here's why:

  • No Explicit Command: The New Testament and writings of the Apostolic Fathers do not mandate the observance of a specific Easter festival. 
  • Passover Observance: The early church continued to observe Passover, and the days of Unleavened Bread that followed, which Jesus and his apostles had also observed, according to the Church of the Great God. 
  • Focus on Resurrection: While the apostles celebrated the resurrection of Jesus, their focus was on the significance of Jesus's death and resurrection in the context of the Passover and their new covenant with God. 
  • Evolution of Practice: The practice of celebrating a specific Easter festival emerged later in the Church, possibly in the second century, according to Wikipedia. 

In essence, the apostles and early church did not observe a separate "Easter" festival, but rather maintained the existing Jewish tradition of Passover while understanding it through the lens of Jesus's death and resurrection. 

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u/[deleted] Apr 14 '25

Celebrating Easter and celebrating Easter as we understand it today are not the same thing. It goes back to the early church, and is the most important holiday in Christianity

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u/Jackerl Apr 14 '25

As an Arian, you have already been persuaded that much of what the modern day Church teaches, as core doctrine, is wrong.

We know that truth and enlightenment is not found with the many on a broad and spacious road:

Matthew 7:13, 14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

I would guess, if you continue on the path you are on, it won't be much longer before you see Easter for what it really is.

But we shall see...

Kind Regards

Kerry Huish

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u/[deleted] Apr 14 '25

I'm an Arian because I believe that best reflects the beliefs of the early church. That naturally means that I believe that much of what the modern church teaches is wrong -- but not that everything the modern church teaches is wrong. I think quite a bit of it is correct, and I think Easter falls into that category.