*Facts about the Church’s usages of:*

*LENT for the Paschal Great Fast, and*

*EASTER for the Paschal Resurrection Feast*
By Venerable Dr. Ifechukwu Ibeme
Websites: http://www.scribd.com/ifeogo ; http://priscaquila.6te.net ;
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According to Encyclopedia Britannica 2000, “Since apostolic times a

period of preparation and fasting has been observed before the Easter
festival. It was a time of preparation of candidates for baptism and a
time of penance for sinners. In the early centuries fasting rules were
strict, as they still are in Eastern churches. One meal a day was
allowed in the evening, and meat, fish, eggs, and butter were
forbidden. The Eastern church also restricts the use of wine, oil, and
dairy products. In the West these fasting rules have gradually been
relaxed. The strict law of fasting among Roman Catholics was
dispensed during World War II, …. However, the emphasis on
penitential practice remains.”

The 40 days of Lenten Fast is a time the Church devotes to

penitent Prayer and Fasting in fervent Sanctity and Charity.

To be sure, usage of the words EASTER and LENT did not originate
from Rome or Constantinople, as many peddle and hype today out of
recent endemic susceptibility to historical misrepresentations,
scrupulous conjectures and unfounded superstitions. The Latin
(Roman) and Greek (Byzantine) Churches have always used and still
use “Pascha” (derived from the Jewish Passover Season) to refer to
the Great Fast and the Resurrection Feast. The word “PASSOVER” is
PESAH in Hebrew and PASHA in Aramaic is also translated as PASCHA
in Greek and Latin.

“The season of the year during which the Death and Resurrection of
Christ occurred was the Pasach/Passover season or Unleavened
Bread season for the Jews, the Azumos season for Greeks, the

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 Pascha season for Romans and Greeks, and the Easter season for
the ancient English (Anglo-Saxons). Because of this seasonal
coincidence or correspondence, the Church’s Feasts celebrating the
Death and Resurrection of Christ have come to be popularly called
the Pascha Festivities (or simply Pascha) in the European Continent
or the Easter Feasts (or simply Easter) in the British Isle. These
have spread to the rest of the world today. It is important however,
to note that the Church is neither doing Jewish Passover/Pascha nor
English Easter season, but celebrating the Death and Resurrection
of Christ which occurred during the Passover or Easter [i.e. March-
April] season of the year (Act 12:4 KJV).”

Therefore, “EASTER” and “LENT” are neither Latin words from Rome
nor Greek words from Constantinople, but old English words used by
the old English people and old English Church. The English word
EASTER originated from ancient word “OESTER” (i.e. Anglo-Saxon
word derived from Paschal season of *Easterly wind*). It was also
known to be used in referring to a goddess of East wind. The English
word LENT originated from ancient word “LENTIN” or “LENCTEN” (i.e.
old English derived from Paschal season of *lengthening days*
which begins from the Winter Solstice toward the Vernal Equinox).
Both words referred to the same Paschal season which began since
14th century to be called SPRING (i.e. new English derived from
*springing up* of leaves and flowers after Winter). As from 8th
century, the time of Saint Bede in the British Isles, “EASTER” was
tagged to the *day of the Paschal Feast* of Christ’s Resurrection.
But from the 13th century, “LENT” was tagged to the *period of the
Paschal Fast* for the Church’s penitence which lasted 40 DAYS and is
therefore called QUARESIMA in Latin and Italian till today (not the
English LENT).

Even the customs of decorating Easter Eggs which originated recently

in the 18th century, hunting of Easter rabbits and Easter hares and
slaughtering of Easter lambs to provide meat for the Feast after these
had been forbidden during the Lenten Fast, had nothing to do with any
earlier pagan practice as often speculated.

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The lamb, egg, rabbit, or hare serve only the purpose of restoration of
their use in the kitchen as source of protein after the abstinence of the
Lenten fast. It is true that pagans used everything they had for daily
life as well as for worship rituals, but that does not make all things to
belong to pagan idols or demons. Although the Easter lamb may be
connected to the Passover Lamb or Christ as the Lamb of God (John
1:29, 36; 1Cor 5:7), yet it could only be meant for meat during the
feast since the Church has no slaughtering rituals.
1Cor 5:7-8
(7) Purge out therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new
lump, as you are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is
sacrificed for us:
(8) Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither
with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the
unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

In any case, if putting on clothes, feasting with meat, eggs and good
food, or sharing joy and gifts are all idolatrous rites, then even fasting
and all things would also be idolatrous! These unfounded conjectures
are simply ridiculous scruples to which many easily and childishly
succumb. *But what matters is that we RETREAT to be provoked
to REPENT of our sins, RECEIVE Christ into our lives and live the
life of Christ's RESURRECTION power always.*

Below is a typical graphic illustration of various themes and practices associated with
Lent and Easter in some Churches from ancient times through the ages.

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 Updated March 10, 2020
by Ven. Dr. I. U. Ibeme
Copyright © PriscAquila Publishing, Maiduguri, Nigeria.
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