INTRODUCTION:

(Deuteronomy 4:2 [KJV])
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

(Proverbs 30:5, 6 [KJV])
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

(Isaiah 28:10 [KJV])
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

(Isaiah 28:13 [KJV])
But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

(2 Peter 1:20 [KJV])
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

All of the studies found here, whether book studies or topical studies, are done with research with mainly two things: The KING JAMES BIBLE and a plain old, 1828 Webster's Dictionary. Why? Outside of actually studying secular and Jewish history, archaeology, one needs nothing more. You do not need foreign, dead languages that no one speaks, nor lexicons, nor concordances, nor commentaries, because they differ not only with one another and with the KING JAMES BIBLE, they create division, confusion, debate, and unbelief, apostasy, and a falling away from God Himself. We do not need them. That Word of God written and preserved for us in our own language is supposed to be enough, like the Old Testament was for the Jews, and as the New Testament was for the early Christians in Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, German, etc.

There are studies within as tangents on words, subjects found within the two testaments, as to broaden the scope of the study, to learn more, deeper truths. This is not an intellectual site with PhDs, theologians, and no worldly wisdom.. Check everything out, everything. Not just here, but with everything you read and see and hear. Be Bereans:

(Acts 17:11 [KJV])
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

(1 Thessalonians 2:13 [KJV])
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Always research for yourself, use all of the context, and never privately interpret!

Start of study

ACTS 12:4: EASTER? OR PASSOVER?

HAPPY EASTER OR, IN THE GREEK, HAPPY PASCHA: "ΕΥτΥΧΙσμενος  πασχα"

Acts 12:1-4:
Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) 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.

Here we see yet another false charge, false accusation leveled against the KJV or, as they like to call it, a "problem" or an "unfortunate mistranslation" in the KJB is in Acts 12:4, where the Greek word "pascha" ("πασχα") is rendered "Easter" instead of "Passover". Although "Passover" is usually the correct translation, the context of Acts 12:1-4 demands fully that it is and has to be rendered as "Easter" here.

It must be understood that the word for "Easter" in Greek is "PASCHA", and all one has to do is speak Greek, go to Greece, speak to Greeks, go to a Greek diner, a Greek festival. The author did all of this, having many Greek friends growing up in New England. Tons of Greek diners, Greek festivals where people who are from Greece, recent immigrants, are here now. Ask them. I did. You can even ask them about Koine versus Classical Greek. They do not speak Koine Greek, here or in Greece. Ask them. I did, many of them, older ones, not just younger.

EASTER: IN A MODERN DICTIONARY

ORIGIN OF EASTER
before 900; Middle English ester,Old English ēastre; cognate with German Ostern; originally name of a goddess and her festival; akin to east

Webster's 1828 dictionary
Easter - A festival of the christian church observed in commemoration of our Savior's resurrection. It answers to the pascha or passover of the Hebrews, and most nations still give it this name, pascha, pask, paque.

American Heritage Dictionary of the English language 5th edition, 2011
Easter: Derivatives include East, Easter, aurora, aur - See page 2037. Easter, from Old English eastre, Easter, from Germanic austron - dawn. - the direction of the sunrise. 1.b. Ostmark - from the Old High German ostan, east. Both are from Germanic aust - eastern. 1. A Christian feast commemorating the Resurrection of Jesus. 2. The day on which this feast is observed, the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or next after the vernal equinox. --- Page 2037 aur - to shine (said especially of the dawn)

Merriam Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th edition.
Easter: Middle English estre, from Old English astre; akin to Old High German starun (plural) Easter, Old English ast east

Oxford English Dictionary
Easter: 1. The most important and oldest festival of the Christian Church, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ and held (in the Western Church) between March 21 and April 25, on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the northern spring equinox.

Origin - Old English astre; of Germanic origin and related to German Ostern and east

Excellent article on Easter from KJV Today.
http://www.kjvtoday.com/home/easter-or-passover-in-acts-124

The etymology, origin of the word "Easter", literally in no way pertains to "flocks" or springtime "animal fertility". "Easter" ("Ostern" in German) Germanic in origin, derived from the word "east" ("Ost" in German). Today, "east" is the direction from which we get our sunrise. The direction of "east" goes by that name because the Saxon word "east" meant "dawn" or "sunrise" or "morning". The etymology of "east" is as follows:

"Old English east "east, easterly, eastward," from Proto-Germanic *aus-to-, *austra- "east, toward the sunrise" (cf. Old Frisian ast "east," aster "eastward," Dutch oost Old Saxon ost, Old High German ostan, German Ost, Old Norse austr "from the east"), from PIE *aus- "to shine," especially "dawn" (cf. Sanskrit ushas "dawn;" Greek aurion "morning;" Old Irish usah, Lithuanian auszra "dawn;" Latin aurora "dawn," auster "south"), literally "to shine." The east is the direction in which dawn breaks." (Online Etymological Dictionary).

"Modern" "versions" of the English Bible translate this word "pascha" as "Passover" here and, by doing, rather than correcting an "unfortunate mistranslation", they actually inject one! “Easter” means “dawn”, not "Ishtar", and Pascha, pasqa, paska, mean "Easter" in way too many languages today and in its origin and history to deny this.

Now think about this one. The King James is the only actual English translation that actually exists anyways, and it has the correct word here, thereby making this error in the modern versions a glaring mistake. This sets the King James Bible far apart from and above all others. Even the forerunners to the KJV, the 1534 William Tyndale, the 1557 Geneva Bible, the 1539 Great Bible [Cranmer's], the 1568 Bishops' Bible as well as other pre-King James English versions also are translated "Easter" here.

Since so many reject their own English Scriptures that God gave them, wishing to run to a foreign, dead language they do not understand, read, speak, study in, teach or preach in, it is prudent to show here that, even then, words fail them.

That Greek word, "pascha" ("πασχα") is rendered "Easter" instead of "Passover" only in this one passage, out of twenty nine times translated. That is twenty eight times as "Passover"; once as "Easter". A bell ought to go off in one's head, saying, "Why on earth did they translate that as "Easter" here and no other place in Scripture that the Greek word "Pascha" appears? It never even occurs to them that the translators were correct! These brave men in 1611 knew, spoke and wrote Greek and Hebrew so well, that people often thought it was their first language. They intentionally chose "Easter" over "Passover". There was no Greek word for "Easter" at that time, so the Holy Spirit also chose "pascha" at Acts 12:4. Make no mistake, these men knew that he word "pascha" was most often translated as Passover, so it was not missed! They chose, specifically, to translate it as Easter, because it had to be, based upon the context. It simply could not be Passover.

In the image below, one can clearly see the direct translation, English to Greek and vice versa, that "Pascha" is "Easter" and that "Easter" is "Pascha", translated.

Floyd Nolen Jones Book, Which Version Is The Bible?

In verse three, says that the apostle Peter was arrested during the "days of unleavened bread". Any student of the Old Testament knows full well that the Passover was commanded to be slain on the 14th of Nisan, the seven days following were to be the feast of unleavened bread (specifically, Nisan 15th-21st). Passover was over, so to call it Passover here is to insert an error in doctrine, due to incorrect timing, due to personal interpretation. Many previous translations in various languages leading up to the King James agree with this translation as Easter as well.

Worse than this is two questions:

  1. How did the translators of the KJV know this?
  2. Worse, how do the people who corrupted this in the "modern" "versions" NOT know this?

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(2 Timothy 2:15)
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Timothy 3:1-9
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.

A TEXT WITHOUT A CONTEXT IS A PRETEXT

Before any clear, concise, and complete study can be done in God's Word, it must always, always be remembered that we need to do it the way God wants us to, the way those in the Bible itself did it, including Jesus. Not the way most mainstream Christians, pastors and authors do. The way God wants us to. This is only done by using the context of any word or verse to determine the meaning, and not allowing private interpretation. We are called to READ God's Word, not READ INTO it. Read it with the eyes of faith, not with pre-conceived notions, often gotten from others.

Isaiah 28:10:
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

Isaiah 28:13:
But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Deuteronomy 4:2:
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Revelation 22:18, 19:
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

The above verses clearly state that the context of any verse in God's Word determines it's meaning, in any area of study. It further states that we must not add or subtract to that which is there, which we are given, neither with pen and paper nor with our mind. Failure to grasp this leads always to error.

THE CONTEXT

2 Peter 1:20:
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

Etymology Online

Easter (n.)
Origin and meaning of Easter
Old English Easterdaeg, from Eastre (Northumbrian Eostre), from Proto-Germanic *austron-, "dawn," also the name of a goddess of fertility and spring, perhaps originally of sunrise, whose feast was celebrated at the spring equinox, from *aust- "east, toward the sunrise" (compare east), from PIE root *aus- (1) "to shine," especially of the dawn.

Bede says Anglo-Saxon Christians adopted her name and many of the celebratory practices for their Mass of Christ's resurrection. Almost all neighboring languages use a variant of Latin Pascha to name this holiday (see paschal).

Easter egg is attested by 1825, earlier pace egg (1610s). Easter bunny is attested by 1904 in children's lessons; Easter rabbit is by 1888; the paganish customs of Easter seem to have grown popular c. 1900; before that they were limited to German immigrants.

If the children have no garden, they make nests in the wood-shed, barn, or house. They gather colored flowers for the rabbit to eat, that it may lay colored eggs. If there be a garden, the eggs are hidden singly in the green grass, box-wood, or elsewhere. On Easter Sunday morning they whistle for the rabbit, and the children imagine that they see him jump the fence. After church, on Easter Sunday morning, they hunt the eggs, and in the afternoon the boys go out in the meadows and crack eggs or play with them like marbles. Or sometimes children are invited to a neighbor's to hunt eggs. [Phebe Earle Gibbons, "Pennsylvania Dutch," Philadelphia 1882]

paschal (adj.)
"of or pertaining to Passover or Easter," early 15c., from Old French paschal (12c.) and directly from Late Latin paschalis, from pascha "Passover, Easter," from Greek pascha "Passover," from Aramaic (Semitic) pasha "pass over," corresponding to Hebrew pesah, from pasah "he passed over" (see Passover). Pasche was an early Middle English term for "Easter" (see Easter), and the older Dutch form of the word, Paas, was retained in New York.



                          PAAS, or EASTER!


The Greek word, "πασχα (pascha)", is correctly translated as "Passover" 28 times in the New Testament in the KJV. For this reason, some critics say that the KJV's isolated instance of translating the word as "Easter" in Acts 12:4 is an error. These critics agree with "modern" "versions" such as the ESV, NIV, NASB, NKJV, RSV, CEB and many, in fact most others. which have "Passover" in Acts 12:4. This article explains why the KJV is correct in translating "Pascha" as "Easter" in Acts 12:4. To begin with, we must set the record straight that "Easter" is not a pagan word. We do this by studying the origin of the actual word.

THE PASSOVER

(Exodus 12:6-25 [KJV])
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. Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread. Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.

Deuteronomy 16:1-8:
Observe the month of Abib (April), and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there. Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction: for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the 0days of thy life.
And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning. Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee: But at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt. And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents. Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work therein.

II Chronicles 8:13:
Even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles.

II Chronicles 30:l5,21:
Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month: and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought in the burnt offerings into the house of the LORD. And the children of lsrael that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness: and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, singing with loud instruments unto the LORD.

  1. On the 14th of April the lamb was killed. This is the passover. Nothing after the 14th is ever referred to as the passover.
  2. On the morning of the 15th, the days of unleavened bread , or the feast of unleavened bread, start.

ACTS 12:3: THEN WERE THE DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD

This is not complicated, with a carfeul, simple study of God's Word, in either language, Greek or English. A simple word origin (etymology) check reveals the same answer, no matter how you want to look at it.

Even a simple, quick check on a Jewish calendar tells you the order ofevents makes it impossible for this to be the Passover. Acts 12:3,4:
And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) 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.

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