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The Tradition of Easter Eggs: Second-century Christian missionaries encountered people in the North with pagan celebrations and evangelized to them using the symbols familiar to that culture. Christianity changed the pagan symbolism of the egg (nature’s rebirth) and linked it to the empty tomb – to Christ’s Resurrection and His victory over death.
Lore that has developed around the decoration of Easter Eggs includes a tale about the mother of Jesus at the foot of the cross and Mary Magdalen’s visit to Jesus's tomb. Mary is said to have given eggs to the soldiers at the cross so that they would be less cruel. Her tears fell upon the eggs, spotting them with dots of brilliant color.
Another tale explains that when Mary Magdalen went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus, she had with her a basket of eggs. Upon arriving at the tomb she discovered the eggs had taken on a rainbow of colors.
These stories are not biblical but are useful examples of how Christians in the past took advantage of secular symbols to share the Gospel with the world around them. The prize found in today’s Easter Eggs can be an opening to describe the prize won for us through Christ’s work.
The Tradition of Easter Eggs: Second-century Christian missionaries encountered people in the North with pagan celebrations and evangelized to them using the symbols familiar to that culture. Christianity changed the pagan symbolism of the egg (nature’s rebirth) and linked it to the empty tomb – to Christ’s Resurrection and His victory over death. Lore that has developed around the decoration of Easter Eggs includes a tale about the mother of Jesus at the foot of the cross and Mary Magdalen’s visit to Jesus's tomb. Mary is said to have given eggs to the soldiers at the cross so that they would be less cruel. Her tears fell upon the eggs, spotting them with dots of brilliant color.
Another tale explains that when Mary Magdalen went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus, she had with her a basket of eggs. Upon arriving at the tomb she discovered the eggs had taken on a rainbow of colors.
These stories are not biblical but are useful examples of how Christians in the past took advantage of secular symbols to share the Gospel with the world around them. The prize found in today’s Easter Eggs can be an opening to describe the prize won for us through Christ’s work.