Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent in the Western Christian calendar, is known for its distinctive tradition of marking the foreheads of worshippers with ashes in the shape of a cross. This solemn ritual signifies repentance and mortality, reminding Christians of their sinfulness and the need to turn back to God. While the practice of using ashes dates back to biblical times, the specific customs associated with Ash Wednesday, including the marking of foreheads, have been influenced by various pagan traditions. One of the main pagan influences on Ash Wednesday can be traced back to the ancient Roman festival of Parentalia. Celebrated in mid-February, Parentalia was a time when Romans honored their ancestors and performed rituals to ensure the appeasement of spirits. One of these rituals involved priests making marks on people's foreheads with the ashes of sacrificed animals.
Lent was never observed by the Messiah or his apostles. He commanded his disciples to �Go you therefore, and teach all nations�teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you� (Matthew 28:19-20). And Lent or Easter was not one of them!
The purpose of Lent is to provide that purification by weaning men from sin and selfishness through self-denial and prayer, by creating in them the desire to do God s will and to make His kingdom come by making it come first of all in their hearts. Against the Heathen, Book V, Chapter 26 Orthodox Catholic apologist Arnobius died 330 warned against the type of fasts that pagans had and even seemed to warn about a Mardi Gras banquet followed by a fast.
One of these rituals involved priests making marks on people's foreheads with the ashes of sacrificed animals. These marks were believed to protect against evil spirits and bring good fortune. Another pagan influence on Ash Wednesday can be seen in the Germanic celebrations of Fasching or Carnival.
Pagan Influences on Ash Wednesday
Hope of Israel Ministries (Ecclesia of YEHOVAH):
The Paganism of Lent and Weeping for Tammuz!
by HOIM Staff
Let us say right up front that if you already know the origins of Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, the Forty days of Lent and Easter Sunday but still stubbornly insist on observing them, then you show yourself to be nothing but a nominal "Christian" like the Roman Catholics, the Church of England or any one of the majority of Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches who have a name that they live but are dead! (Revelation 3:1). [Note: Not all Baptists observe these pagan practices]
For those real Christian Brethren who have just come to know YEHOVAH God and the Messiah and are searching their Bibles diligently to find whether these things be so (Acts 17:11), we must tell you that you will not find them in the Bible. Neither the apostles nor the early church observed these things. So where do they come from?
Shrove Tuesday (or Mardi Gras as it is commonly known) literally means "Fat Tuesday" in French (called "Pancake Tuesday" in England) and is associated with the Roman Catholic custom of Lent. But is it taught in the Bible? Would YEHOVAH God want Christians to observe it?
The idea behind Mardi Gras or carnival celebrations is that people overindulge before giving up something for Lent, which begins the following day with Ash Wednesday. (Lent is the 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Easter observed by the Roman Catholic, Eastern and some Protestant churches as a period of penitence and fasting.)
Lent was a time of penance, of fasting, of abstinence. Folks abstained from all sorts a good stuff including meat. They also gave up eggs and dairy products. So on Tuesday, the day before the start of the Lenten fast, folks cleared out their cupboards of all the foods they could not have for the next 40 days. They cooked them up and ate like pigs. In essence they feasted before the fast.
Unlike New Year�s, Christmas, Halloween, St. Valentine�s Day and other pagan holidays that are celebrated by the secular, non-religious world, the Lenten season is observed by dedicated religious believers.
From Ash Wednesday to Easter, many solemnly mark their foreheads with ash, �fasting� (or abstaining from certain foods or physical pleasures) for 40 days. This is done to supposedly imitate the Messiah�s 40-day fast in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-2). Some give up smoking. Others give up chewing gum. Still others give up over-eating or cursing. People vow to give up anything, as long as it prepares them for Easter.
People who observe Lent may be religious, dedicated and sincere -- but they are sincerely wrong!
Let us examine Lent, its practices and customs, its historic and religious origins, and its true meaning from the Bible�s perspective, not from the �traditions of men� (Mark 7:7-9).
The Purpose of Lent
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia,
�the real aim of Lent is, above all else, to prepare men for the celebration of the death and Resurrection of Christ�the better the preparation the more effective the celebration will be. One can effectively relive the mystery only with purified mind and heart. The purpose of Lent is to provide that purification by weaning men from sin and selfishness through self-denial and prayer, by creating in them the desire to do God�s will and to make His kingdom come by making it come first of all in their hearts.�
On the surface, this belief sounds sincere. However, it does not agree with the Bible, YEHOVAH God�s holy Word -- the only source of true spiritual knowledge and understanding (John 17:17). YEHOVAH God, through the apostle Paul, commands Christians to �continue you in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing of whom you have learned them; and that from a child you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works� (II Timothy 3:14-17).
First, understand that the �celebration of the death and Resurrection of Christ� to which the preceding quote refers is so-called �Good Friday� and �Easter Sunday� -- holidays deeply rooted in ancient paganism. They were instituted by mainstream Christianity in order to counterfeit and replace the Passover season.
Second, the Bible says that we are purified -- cleansed, set apart and made pure in YEHOVAH�s sight -- by the shed blood of Yeshua the Messiah (Hebrews 9:11-14, 22; 13:12). This, along with faith (Acts 15:9) and humbly submitting to and obeying YEHOVAH God (James 4:7-10) through His truth and prayer (John 17:17; I Timothy 4:5), makes us clean before YEHOVAH God. No amount of fasting, abstaining from physical pleasures or any other form of self-denial can purify us!
Pagan Origins of Lent
Lent was never observed by the Messiah or his apostles. He commanded his disciples to �Go you therefore, and teach all nations�teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you� (Matthew 28:19-20). And Lent or Easter was not one of them!
Alexander Hislop wrote in his book The Two Babylons:
�The festival, of which we read in Church history, under the name of Easter, in the third and fourth centuries, was quite a different festival from that now observed in the Romish Church, and at that time was not known by any such name as Easter�That festival [Passover] was not idolatrous, and it was preceded by no Lent. Lent was not observed by the first century Church! It was first addressed by the church at Rome during the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325, when Emperor Constantine officially recognized that church as the Roman Empire�s state religion. Any other form of Christianity that held to doctrines contrary to the Roman church was considered an enemy of the state."
Today, Lent is used for �fasting from sin and from vice�forsaking sin and sinful ways.� It is a season �for penance, which means sorrow for sin and conversion to God.� This tradition teaches that fasting and employing self-discipline during Lent will give a worshipper the �control over himself that he needs to purify his heart and renew his life.�
However, the Bible clearly shows that self-control -- temperance -- comes from having YEHOVAH�s holy spirit working in the life of a converted mind (Galatians 5:16, 17, 22). Fasting -- of and by itself -- cannot produce godly self-control.
Paul warned against using self-denial as a tool to rely on your own will. He called it �will worship.� �Wherefore if you be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are you subject to ordinances, (touch not; taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh� (Colossians 2:20-23).
YEHOVAH God did not design fasting as a tool for penance, �beating yourself up� or developing will power:
�Is it such a fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to deal your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out to your house? When you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you hide not yourself from your own flesh?� (Isaiah 58:5-7).
YEHOVAH�s people humble themselves through fasting in order to draw closer to Him -- so that they can learn to think and act like Him -- so that they can live His way of life in all things. Notice what the prophet Jeremiah wrote: �Thus says the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, says the LORD� (9:23-24). Fasting (and prayer) helps Christians draw closer to YEHOVAH God.
Coming from the Anglo-Saxon Lencten, meaning �spring,� Lent originated in the ancient Babylonian mystery religion. �The forty days� abstinence of Lent was directly borrowed from the worshippers of the Babylonian goddess�Among the Pagans this Lent seems to have been an indispensable preliminary to the great annual festival in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Tammuz� (The Two Babylons).
Tammuz was the false Messiah of the Babylonians -- a satanic counterfeit of Yeshua the Messiah!
The Feast of Tammuz was usually celebrated in June (also called the �month of Tammuz�). Lent was held 40 days before the feast, �celebrated by alternate weeping and rejoicing.� This is why Lent means �spring�; it took place from spring to early summer.
The Bible records ancient Judah worshipping this false Messiah: �Then He brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD�S house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz� (Ezekiel 8:14-15). This was a great abomination in YEHOVAH God�s eyes!
But why did the church at Rome institute such a pagan holiday?
�To conciliate the Pagans to nominal Christianity, Rome, pursuing its usual policy, took measures to get the Christian and Pagan festivals amalgamated, and, by a complicated but skillful adjustment of the calendar, it was found no difficult matter, in general, to get Paganism and Christianity -- now far sunk in idolatry -- in this as in so many other things, to shake hands� (The Two Babylons).
The Roman church replaced Passover with Easter, moving the pagan Feast of Tammuz to early spring, �Christianizing� it. Lent moved with it.
�This change of the calendar in regard to Easter was attended with momentous consequences. It brought into the Church the grossest corruption and the rankest superstition in connection with the abstinence of Lent� (The Two Babylons).
Before giving up personal sins and vices during Lent, the pagans held a wild, �anything goes� celebration to make sure that they got in their share of debaucheries and perversities -- what the world celebrates as Mardi Gras today.
Pagan Abomination Masked as Christianity!
YEHOVAH God is not the author of confusion (I Corinthians 14:33). He never instituted Lent, a pagan observance connecting debauchery to the supposed resurrection of a false Messiah.
YEHOVAH God commands His people to follow Him -- not the traditions of men. YEHOVAH�s ways are higher, better than man�s (Isaiah 55:8-9). Men cannot determine for themselves right from wrong or how to properly worship YEHOVAH God. Why? Because �the heart [mind] is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked� (Jeremiah 17:9), and �the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps� (10:23). YEHOVAH God designed us and gave us life. He knows how we are supposed to worship Him.
To be a Christian and properly serve YEHOVAH God, you must live �by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God� (Matthew 4:4), recognizing that His holy Scriptures �cannot be broken� (John 10:35).
YEHOVAH God commands Christians to flee from the pagan traditions and customs of this world (Revelation 18:2-4), currently led and deceived by Satan the devil (II Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 12:9).
Lent may seem like a sincere, heartfelt religious observance. But it is deeply rooted in pagan ideas that counterfeit YEHOVAH�s plan.
YEHOVAH God hates all pagan observances (Jeremiah 10:2-3; Leviticus 18:3, 30; Deuteronomy 7:1-5, 16). They cannot be �Christianized� or made clean by men. That includes Lent.
If you are a true Christian you would say with David -- �Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way�! (Psalm 119:104).
33 The observance of Pesach should never be changed
to fit the traditions of man and a man-made religion. Never Change!
These pre-Lenten festivities, which took place in the weeks leading up to Lent, involved the wearing of masks and the indulgence in excessive feasting and revelry. As Christianity spread throughout Europe, the Church incorporated elements of these pagan celebrations into its own liturgical calendar. Thus, the wearing of ashes on Ash Wednesday can be seen as a way of embracing a Christian interpretation of the pagan traditions of masking and feasting. While these pagan influences are evident in the rituals and customs associated with Ash Wednesday, it is important to note that Christians have given them new meaning within the context of their faith. The marking of foreheads with ashes now symbolizes not only repentance and mortality but also the desire to imitate Christ's sacrifice and seek His mercy and forgiveness. Additionally, the period of Lent that follows Ash Wednesday is a time of fasting, prayer, and self-reflection, which helps Christians prepare for the celebration of Easter. Overall, while Ash Wednesday incorporates elements of pagan traditions, it is ultimately a Christian observance that carries deep spiritual significance. The use of ashes and the marking of foreheads serve as a visual reminder of the need for repentance and the impermanence of life. As Christians participate in this ancient ritual, they are called to reflect on their own mortality and their relationship with God, seeking His forgiveness and grace as they begin the journey of Lent..
Reviews for "Delving into the Pagan Traditions Integrated into Ash Wednesday"
1. Jennifer - 2 stars
I was disappointed with "Pagan influences on Ash Wednesday". I was expecting a thorough exploration of the topic, but instead, it felt like a shallow overview. The author barely scratched the surface of the subject and failed to provide any substantial evidence or concrete examples to support their claims. It left me unsatisfied and wanting more.
2. Michael - 1 star
This book was a complete waste of my time and money. The title promises an in-depth analysis of the pagan influences on Ash Wednesday, but all I got was a few vague references and unsubstantiated theories. The author seemed more interested in pushing their own agenda rather than providing well-researched information. I do not recommend this book to anyone seeking a comprehensive understanding of the topic.
3. Sarah - 2 stars
"Pagan influences on Ash Wednesday" fell short of my expectations. As someone looking for a detailed examination of the topic, I was disappointed by the lack of depth in this book. The author presented some interesting ideas, but they were not backed up with significant evidence or scholarly research. It felt more like a collection of personal opinions rather than a well-supported analysis. I was left wanting more thorough analysis and factual evidence.
4. John - 1 star
I was highly disappointed with "Pagan influences on Ash Wednesday" as it lacked substance. The author failed to provide any solid evidence or credible sources to support their claims. Instead, they relied on conjecture and personal beliefs, leaving the reader questioning the validity of the information presented. This book would benefit from more thorough research and a more balanced approach to the subject matter. I would not recommend it to anyone seeking a comprehensive understanding of the topic.