Many detractors of the King James Bible will point to Acts 12 and argue that it should be “Passover” instead of Easter, based on the original Greek. Because of the Greek word “Pascha,” (Pascha is Greek for Passover) they accuse the King James Version of teaching paganism!
Where does the word “Easter” occur in the Bible?
Acts 12:4: “And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.”
How do we know the King James Bible is still correct, even with the knowledge of the word Pascha?
If you look at all the Greek lexicons, you will find ones that will show the word for Easter instead of Passover. These detractors are picking and choosing which word they want to use to further their argument. But that’s not right. If we look at the Oxford Greek Dictionary, we’ll get the word for Easter instead of Passover.
In the book The Two Babylons, the author, Alexander Hislop describes how “Pascha” can also be known as Easter Sunday! The author of that book was diving into ancient sources, so we can trust what he says.
If we type “Pascha” in the online Greek dictionary, it will also give us Easter.
This means that the King James Bible is accurate. To determine how the word is to be used, all you have to do is look at the context.
The context
Acts 12:3: “And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)”
Looking at the context, we see that the days of unleavened bread precede Easter. Abib, the first month on the Jewish calendar, starts somewhere between March and April.
Exodus 12: “And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.”
This is the Passover! Is this what we do at Easter? Absolutely not! This is not what God’s Word is talking about in Acts 12.
Acts 12:3 said the days of unleavened bread were done, then it was “Pascha.” Well, it couldn’t have been Passover, because as we see clearly in Exodus twelve, Passover takes place BEFORE the days of unleavened bread! But Acts 12:3 tells us the days of unleavened bread had already passed. So, the King James Version is correct in translating “Pascha” as Easter.
What is Easter?
According to Webster 1828, easter is a festival of the Christian church observed in commemoration of our Savior’s resurrection (Jesus Christ). It answers to the pascha or passover of the Hebrews, and most nations still give it this name, pascha, pask, paque.
However, Easter occurs in the spring equinox, is also related to pagan celebrations, related to the goddess of spring and symbols of fertility e.g. eggs and rabbits. Today, although church service is being held and it’s taken as a Christian celebration, it has an uncertain origin, with only one thing we are sure about, there is no origin/recommended to celebrate in the Bible.