The rebirth of the sun is particularly

dramatic in the high northern latitudes,

as here in Alaska.....

The Meaning of Easter
 by Acharya S
 

From: "Acharya S" <acharya_s@yahoo.com>

> Whenever the Easter season is upon us, I am requested to emphasize the
> true meaning of the holiday.  During the past nearly two thousand
> years, the traditional impression has been that Easter signifies the
> death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of God,
> who died for our sins.  In reality, rather than representing the
> one-time historical death of a Jewish son of God, Easter has for
> thousands of years stood for the end of winter and the beginning of
> spring.  Indeed, the gospel tale reflects the annual "crossification"
> of the sun through the vernal equinox, at which time it is
> "resurrected" as day begins to become longer than night.
>
> As mythologists have known for centuries, and archaeology has in recent
> times confirmed, much of the Bible represents myth, not history.  Of
> late, books such as "The Bible Unearthed" have appeared, as have
> attendant articles, such as a recent spate that includes "New Torah for
> Modern Minds" or "As Rabbis Face Facts, Bible Tales are Wilting" by
> Michael Massing (New York Times, 3/9/02), and "False Testament:
> Archaeology refutes the Bible's claim to history" by Daniel Lazare
> (Harper's, 3/02).  For decades and centuries, in fact, the knowledge
> has been accepted among the intelligentsia that major Old Testament
> fables, for example, are mythological, not historical.  As Massing
> says:
>
> "Abraham, the Jewish patriarch, probably never existed. Nor did Moses.
> The entire Exodus story as recounted in the Bible probably never
> occurred. The same is true of the tumbling of the walls of Jericho. And
> David, far from being the fearless king who built Jerusalem into a
> mighty capital, was more likely a provincial leader whose reputation
> was later magnified to provide a rallying point for a fledgling
> nation." 
>
> Lazare also states:
>
> "Abraham, Isaac, and the other patriarchs appear to have been spliced
> together out of various pieces of local lore.  The Davidic Empire,
> which archaeologists once thought as incontrovertible as the Roman, is
> now seen as an invention of Jerusalem-based priests in the seventh and
> eighth centuries B.C. who were eager to burnish their national
> history...
>
> "...we now know that Moses was no more historically real than Abraham
> before him....
>
> "...Abraham, Isaac, and the other tribal founders depicted in the Book
> of Genesis were no more real than the heroes of Greek or Norse
> mythology."
>
> Many of these salient points are made in my book "The Christ
> Conspiracy," which also demonstrates that the New Testament likewise is
> not "history" but represents a mythical archetype.
>
> In actuality, instead of reflecting the misadventures of a historical
> Jesus, the story of Easter is that of the sun, nature, spring and
> rebirth.  Long before Christianity was conceived, the sun was perceived
> to be annually sacrificed and resurrected at Easter - frequently
> depicted in the form of a man.  Indeed, a number of cultures portrayed
> the sun as a man of their own cultural heritage, dying and being reborn
> at the time of Easter, the vernal equinox.  After this period, the day
> begins to become longer than the night; hence, it was said that the
> sun, "crossified" at the equinox, was reborn in strength.  With him -
> the sun of God - came the rebirth of spring.  Thus, the sun was said to
> renew life and to be the savior of mankind. In reality, the Sun of God
> was the Light, Life and Resurrection.
>
> Easter is "Pessach" in Hebrew, "Pascha" in Greek and "Pachons" in
> Latin, derived from the Egyptian "Pa-Khunsu," Khunsu being an epithet
> for the sun god Horus.  The story of Easter as a reflection of the
> death and rebirth of Isis's son, Horus, is related by Gerald Massey:
>
> "The infant Horus...sank down into Hades as the suffering sun to die in
> the winter solstice and be transformed to rise again and return in all
> his glory and power in the equinox at Easter."
>
> Along with Horus are Adonis, Attis, Heracles/Hercules, Mithra,
> Quetzalcoatl and Tammuz as some of the gods who were celebrated at
> Easter.  Many of these gods died and were reborn at springtime, as they
> too are personifications of the sun. 
>
> In Anglo-Saxon, Easter or Eostre is goddess of the dawn, corresponding
> to Ishtar, Astarte, Astoreth and Isis, the Babylonian, Syrian and
> Egyptian titles of the Goddess, who represented fertility and
> fecundity, aspects of spring.  The word "Easter" shares the same root
> with "east" and "eastern," the direction of the rising sun.
>
> In the gospel tale, there are two dates for the crucifixion: the 14th
> and the 15th of the month of Nisan, and within Christianity the date
> for Easter was debated for centuries.  Indeed, there continue to be two
> dates for Easter:  the Western Catholic and Eastern Orthodox, thus
> demonstrating that this holiday is not the historical date of the
> actual crucifixion of a particular man.  The dates are, in fact,
> astronomical or astrological.
>
> In explaining this roving date, one "distinguished churchman," as
> Christian historian Eusebius calls him, Anatolius, reveals the meaning
> of Easter and of Christ, as well as the fact that astrology was a known
> and respected science used in Christianity.  Says Anatolius:
>
> "On this day [March 22] the sun is found not only to have reached the
> first sign of the Zodiac, but to be already passing through the fourth
> day within it.  This sign is generally known as the first of the
> twelve, the equinoctial sign, the beginning of months, head of the
> cycle, and start of the planetary course. . . .  Aristobolus adds that
> it is necessary at the Passover Festival that not only the sun but the
> moon as well should be passing through an equinoctial sign.  There are
> two of these signs, one in spring, one in autumn, diametrically opposed
> to each other . . ."
>
> Rather than representing a "Christian" holiday, Easter celebrations
> date back to the remotest times and are found globally, as a reflection
> of the strengthening of the sun and the blossoming of spring.  This
> life-renewing time of year was profoundly welcomed by the ancients, as
> it can be by all of us today.  Happy Easter!
>
> Acharya S
> Author, "The Christ Conspiracy:  The Greatest Story Ever Sold" and
> "Suns of God:  Krishna, Buddha and Christ Unveiled."
> http://www.truthbeknown.com/christ.htm
> http://www.truthbeknown.com/sunsofgod.htm
>
> "New Torah/Rabbis" -
> http://query.nytimes.com/search/abstract?res=F20E1EFE35540C7A8CDDAA0894DA404482
>
> "False Testament" - http://www.harpers.org/
>
> "The Bible Unearthed" -
> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684869128/truthbeknownfounA/
>
> Thank you for your enthusiasm and support