Moderns excitedly point out that the holidays marking the birth and resurrection of Christ peepsoccur at times of the year that are of spiritual and ritual significance to many other traditions, particularly those that predate Christianity. Apparently it follows from this that if pre-Christian Europe held festivals during the winter solstice and the advent of spring, then Christian holidays are held at those times because of older traditions, not because they reflect the true timeline of the savior’s life.¹’² This in turn suggests that the origins of Christianity are mundane rather than divine.

But this is circular reasoning, because it makes a big assumption at the outset: that Christ is not the son of God. If Christ is the son of God, then it would make the most sense that his birth and resurrection did occur at spiritually and metaphysically significant times of the year. If anything, the fact that these times of the year are significant to other traditions is an argument in favor of the divine origin of Christianity. All truth is God’s truth, and all authentic traditions have their origins in Him. When a tradition has grown decadent and is replaced by a healthier tradition with stronger divine contact, syncretism occurs because there are symbols in both traditions that have the same metaphysical orientation. The incarnation and the winter solstice point to the same metaphysical truths, as do the resurrection and the advent of spring.

sapling

Also of importance is the consideration that Easter does not fall on the same date each year. This could imply that even if the resurrection did occur in the spring, by only celebrating it on a Sunday, Easter would likely not fall on exactly the same day as the event itself. This overlooks the fact that the date of the resurrection has double significance, in both the time of the year and the time of the week in which it took place. The divisions of both the year and the week have spiritual significance. The resurrection occurred during the spring, the time when the natural world enjoys new life, and also occurred on the sabbath, obviously the holiest day of the week for the Christian tradition. Celebrating it on a sunday at around the same time of year best captures and preserves this double significance.

The material world is one of time and change, change that often appears to us to be chaotic. But at a higher level, all material existence and change is bound by divinely ordained cycles. These cycles are many and are of varying degree, from a single day to the life of a man or the life of the cosmos. Within the cycles there are natural points of demarcation and division. That God’s manifestation on earth coincided with these points should not cause any difficulty.

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¹McDougall, Heather. “The Pagan Roots of Easter.” TheGuardian.uk. 3 Apr. 2010. Web. 04 Apr. 2010. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/apr/03/easter-pagan-symbolism>.

²Carlson, Royce. “The Pagan Origins of Easter.” Zenzibar.com. 1 Apr. 2001. Web. 4 Apr. 2010. <http://www.zenzibar.com/articles/easter.asp)>.