Putting the rabbits, eggs, and chocolates aside (yes, they are all very delicious), what is Easter really? The obvious answer is the time to commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which took place during a Passover in the early 1st century. But why “Easter”? What’s so “east” about it?
The name “Easter” has a somewhat mysterious origin. Historians don’t have a consensus on this so I will not entertain any theories. Interestingly, many other languages have names for Easter that do a much better job of reflecting its significance. In Chinese, we say 復活節, which literally means “Resurrection Festival”. In Greek, it’s called πάσχα (Pascha), which means “Passover”, quite adequately. Latin faithfully follows Greek and uses Pascha as well, leading to similar adaptation in many Romance languages such as Pâques for French.
Now back to English. Christ’s death and resurrection mark the climax of all four Gospels. You can’t miss them. These events were fast-paced and densely packed, involving many prominent figures, and covering many significant locales. You know what that means: new words. Here’s a short rundown of them, which is kind of indispensable if you want to tell or interpret an Easter story.
Caiaphas [KAHY-uh-fuhs]
該亞法 {gai1-ya4-fa3}. The High Priest that year. He was the “utilitarianist” who proposed it was better to kill Jesus than to risk their entire race.
Pilate [PAHY-luht] (sounds like “pilot”)
彼拉多 {bi3-la1-duo1}. He was the governor of Judea who desperately tried to let Jesus go but failed to change anything due to his political entanglement. John 18-19 contains a series of dramatic exchanges between him and Jesus, which shine much light on the truth of power and the power of truth.
Herod [HE-ruhd]
希律 {xi1-lv4}. King of Judea. Jesus came from Nazareth, which was in Herod’s jurisdiction. As a result, Pilate tried to excuse the hot case to Herod instead. Didn’t work.
Barabbas [buh-RA-buhs]
巴拉巴 {ba1-la1-ba1}. Pilate regularly pardoned a Jewish prisoner during each Passover. Barabbas was a rebel and murderer who was released at the people’s request instead of Jesus.
Gethsemane [geth-SE-muh-nee]
客西馬尼 {ke4-xi1-ma3-ni2}. A garden where Jesus prayed before His arrest. Take it slow, otherwise, you might accidentally bite your tongue.
Golgotha [GOL-guh-thuh]
各各他 {ge4-ge4-ta1}. A Hebrew name, which literally means “Place of Skull”, where Jesus was crucified. It’s also known as calvary, not to be confused with cavalry (騎兵).
Nazarene [na-zuh-REEN]
拿撒勒人 {na2-sa4-le4-ren2}. Name given to the people from Nazareth [NA-zuh-ruhth]. It’s often referring to Jesus.
Cyrene [sahy-REE-nee]
古利奈 {gu3-li4-nai4}. A city in the Greco-Roman Empire. Simon, who helped Jesus carry His cross, came from Cyrene.
Having Said That…
Knowing these words goes a long way to help us recount Jesus’s last days on this blue planet, which is great. It will be far more meaningful though, to peel away the layers of literature and reach almost tangibly the gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, and heaven-rending sacrifice of Jesus Christ, especially during Easter, if not always.
This is not just a story. It’s practically the essence of our faith. We can leave it on the pages of the Bible and stages of Passion Plays, or allow it to percolate and soften our hearts, so that we may find it progressively more natural and rewarding to follow Jesus, not out of guilt or obligation, but finally out of love.