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Easter

10 Episodes

Easter is the Christian celebration of Jesus’s resurrection, historically tied to Passover and later surrounded by layered naming and seasonal customs that developed differently across languages and regions. In scholarly discussion, it often becomes a test case for separating real historical connections from oversimplified claims about pagan borrowing, dying-and-rising gods, and the origins of eggs, hares, and springtime symbolism.

Why this topic matters

Easter matters in this project because it gathers several recurring themes into one place: Christian origins, Jewish context, the use and misuse of comparative religion, and the persistence of internet myths dressed up as historical certainty. It is one of those topics where a familiar holiday becomes a compact lesson in how scholars weigh evidence, chronology, and analogy.

Easter is especially useful for showing the difference between superficial resemblance and historical dependence. Discussions under this topic often move quickly from resurrection traditions to calendars, etymology, and medieval custom, all while testing whether a popular explanation actually fits the evidence.

Where to start

Start here for the best in-depth listening on Easter: featured segments, featured episodes, and the episode with the most mentions.

Quotes from the Data

“Ishtar wasn't pronounced Easter. The deity Ishtar has absolutely no relationship whatsoever to Easter.”

Dan McClellan Episode 5

“The idea that Jesus's death and resurrection is patterned after this template doesn't really have much data to support it.”

Dan McClellan Episode 5

“The name Easter, which these days really only exists in English and in German, was most likely taken from the month in which it was celebrated.”

Dan McClellan Episode 5

“This is an adaptation of the Passover, taking the Passover celebration and reorienting it toward the celebration of the Resurrection.”

Dan McClellan Episode 5

Top episodes

Ranked by mentions of Easter across the transcript. Start with the top mention above, then keep going here.

All episodes

Every episode currently tagged with Easter.