Was Easter Derived From Paganism?
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, March 13, 2026 (Donate)
Introduction
Far too often in our modern secularized culture, the resurrection
of Jesus Christ comes under attack. One such attack is the common claim that
Easter, the name of the holiday that Christians used in the English-speaking
world, was born out of paganism.
In other words, the claim is that Christians are an
after-the-fact thief of a pagan goddess. But is this true? Not at all.
The claim that Easter is derived from a pagan holiday is
frequently debated among Christians. The core celebration of Easter is not
pagan in origin but is based solely in the biblical commemoration of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let’s dive into the details a bit more.
The Name “Easter”
The name Easter comes from an old English word
connected to the spring season. The 8th century historian Bede wrote
that the Anglo-Saxon month Eosturmonath (roughly April) was named after
a local figure called Eostre.[1]
But this is the earliest reference to the resurrection being called “Easter”.
Over time, English-speaking Christians used the word
associated with that month to refer to the celebration of Christ’s
resurrection. The etymology can be seen as: “Eostur Monath” to “Easter Month”.
Often months and weeks were named for people such as July,
Julius Caesar; August, Augustus Caesar, Wednesday, Woden/Oden’s day; Tuesday,
Tiwas/Tiras Day, etc. Thus, even if this month was named for someone who was later
falsely elevated as a “god” or “goddess, it is irrelevant.
The modern idea that Easter originated from a pagan
fertility goddess named “Eostre” or “Ishtar” is often overstated. Again, the
primary historical reference for a goddess named Eostre comes from Bede, who suggested that the Anglo-Saxon name for the month
may have been associated with a local goddess.
However, there is little archaeological or historical
evidence confirming that a widespread pagan festival honoring such a goddess
existed. Because of this limited evidence, many scholars view the connection as
uncertain.
Even so, most languages do not use Easter. Instead,
they use forms of Pascha, derived from the Hebrew Pesach (Passover),
such as Spanish Pascua, French Pâques, and Greek Pascha.
This shows the biblical connection between Jesus’ resurrection and the Passover
season. Jesus died on Passover as our ultimate and final Passover lamb (1 Corinthians
5:7).
The word Easter is primarily an English and Germanic
linguistic development tied to the name of a spring month, while the Christian
celebration itself historically comes from the Passover context of Christ’s
death and resurrection—long before the name Easter was ever used.
Early Debate By Christians When To Celebrate Easter
The earliest Christian observance associated with Easter was
the remembrance of Christ’s resurrection in the New Testament as a regular occurrence
with the Lord Supper. The yearly celebration immediately began and was
connected to the biblical Passover. The New Testament records that Jesus was
crucified during the Passover season and rose again on the third day—Sunday,
which is the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1–6 NKJV; Mark 16:9; Luke 24:1–7
NKJV).
Because of this timing, the earliest Christians connected
the celebration of the resurrection with the Passover period. Early believers,
many of whom were Israelites by heritage, celebrated the resurrection as the
fulfillment of the Passover lamb typology, since Christ is called “our
Passover” who was sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV).
Historically, the early church debated exactly when the resurrection should be celebrated. Some Christians in Asia Minor observed it on the same date as Passover (the 14th of Nisan), while others celebrated it on the following Sunday (see: Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History Book 5, Chapters 23–25).
This disagreement, known as the Quartodeciman
controversy, shows that the focus of the celebration was the resurrection
itself rather than any pagan festival. The Christian celebration historically
developed from the Passover via the context of Christ’s death and resurrection
rather than from pagan worship.
Because of calendar issues (we use a solar Gregorian calendar[2]
of about 365 days per year with an extra day every 4 years to correct it and the
Jewish/Babylonian calendar in the days of Christ was lunar 354 days with an
extra month about every few years to correct it), Easter moves around on solar calendars.
To make sure that Resurrection Sunday always comes after
Passover, it is calculated based on the timing of a full moon and the spring
equinox and a Sunday. In other words, Easter Sunday is always the first
Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. By this
reckoning, Easter is always after Passover (or may fall on Passover),
but it won’t be before it.
Customs
It’s true that some cultural customs associated with Easter,
such as eggs or rabbits, appeared much later in European traditions. These
symbols are sometimes connected with themes of spring or new life.
Bear in mind that these customs are cultural additions
rather than the basis of the Christian observance. The biblical focus of Easter
remains the resurrection of Christ, which Christians have celebrated since the 1st
century.
Conclusion
Easter itself is not derived from a pagan festival. Instead,
it developed from the early Christian remembrance of Jesus’ resurrection during
the Passover season. While some later cultural traditions may have been
incorporated over time, the primary basis and meaning of Easter in Christianity goes back historically to the biblical event of Christ rising from the dead.
Bodie Hodge, Ken
Ham's son in law, has been an apologist defending 6-day creation and opposing
evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as
a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers
News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.
Bodie
launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal
website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken
on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a
Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at
Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a
Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and
running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic
materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a
grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar,
Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science
was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one
year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and
scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over
25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.
