If resurrection did not and does not mean physically/bodily rising from the dead, what could Paul, the Gospel writers, and the early Church have meant by that word? And what does it mean for us today?
propose that within the constellation of Easter stories, the primary event, the event that changed everything, was the crucifixion, not the commonly understood resurrection.
The naming of the celebration as “Easter” seems to go back to the name of a pre-Christian goddess in England, Eostre, who was celebrated at beginning of spring.
Easter is quite similar to other major holidays like Christmas and Halloween, which have evolved over the last 200 years or so. In all of these holidays, Christian and non-Christian (pagan) elements have continued to blend together.
Pope Francis denounced "oppressive regimes" in his Easter message on Sunday but in an apparent call for restraint urged world leaders to prevent the spread of conflicts, as tensions rose in North Korea and Syria.