Shining a light on the weekly Bible Lessons published in the Christian Science Quarterly®
Doctrine of Atonement
The term Easter derives from Ēastre, the name of an ancient pagan holiday. It appears in the King James Bible only in Acts 12:4, as a translation of the Greek term for Passover (paskha). In many modern languages, a derivative of paskha is used for Easter and Passover alike.
Early Christians who were raised in the Jewish faith honored both the Jewish Passover (commemorating their people’s deliverance from Egypt) and the Christian observance of Jesus’ resurrection. As the two religious traditions separated over the centuries, Easter became the Christian commemoration.
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Resources cited in this issue
Cit. 3: Rydelnik, M., and Vanlaningham, M.G. The Moody Bible Commentary. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2014; Bryant, Beauford H., and Mark S. Krause. The College Press NIV Commentary, John: Joplin, MO, 1998.
Cit. 8: Barker, Kenneth L., John R. Kohlenberger, Verlyn Verbrugge, and Richard Polcyn. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004.
Cit. 12: Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary Collection. Vol. 19, Luke. Macon, Georgia: Smyth & Helwys, 2000–2016.
Copyright
Scriptural quotations marked Good News Translation are taken from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version—Second Edition, copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scriptural quotations marked New Century Version® are taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scriptural quotations marked International Children’s Bible® are taken from the International Children’s Bible®. Copyright © 1986, 1988, 1999 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scriptural quotations marked Common English Bible are taken from the Common English Bible, copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible.
Scriptural quotations marked Contemporary English Version are taken from the Contemporary English Version, copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
© 2025 The Christian Science Publishing Society. The design of the Cross and Crown is a trademark owned by the Christian Science Board of Directors and is used by permission. Bible Lens and Christian Science Quarterly are trademarks owned by The Christian Science Publishing Society. Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptural quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
