Even the most heathen among us could likely recount the seminal moments of the Christian Easter story. It is the foundational event in Christianity and arguably a more important holiday than Christmas. Like Christmas, modern Easter celebrations have coalesced out of disparate bits of various Christian, pagan and other cultural venerations. Anyone who has ever tried to explain to an eight year-old how the Easter Bunny fits into things knows how quickly the waters deepen.
The ideal that Easter represents is basic and beautiful: a sacrifice so great and a transcendence so profound that they pave the way for all of humanity to follow. Central to this story is the concept of rebirth itself.
In its embrace of “rebirth” Christianity is hardly alone. The canons of many world religions contain similar stories. Hinduism is often reduced to a crude pastiche in Western culture, but that tradition’s story is similar in its primary goal. Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates on Earth until it reaches a state of perfection and reunites with the creator. Yes, the journey and the mechanism are vastly different, but the object of reunion with the divine is much the same.
One need not talk of religion to see the potency of the rebirth metaphor. For example, one might consider the European Renaissance in the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The term “Renaissance” itself comes from the French word, “rinascere,” literally “to be reborn.” The intellectual and cultural movement we now know as the Renaissance was sparked by a revival of interest in the Greek and Latin cultures of antiquity. This renewed curiosity occurred as a result of the formation of vast Latin dominions in the Eastern Mediterranean after the 4th Crusade. Starting in Italy, it represented a revolt against the general intellectual stagnation and staidness of the Medieval age, favoring instead a climate of intellectual freedom.
Arguably, Petrarch (1304-1374) was the first true poet of the Renaissance. His poems were written in Latin hexameter and followed classical models of poetry. He is known to have traveled extensively, a perspective reflected in his work. More importantly, he and his disciple, Boccaccio, are said to have “rediscovered” Greek, which had been lost to the western world for 600 years. Boccaccio translated Homer into Latin, thus ushering both ancient Greece and Rome deep into Medieval Europe.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
This proved to swing wide the floodgate of cultural exchange. Scholars from Byzantium and Constantinople communed with new colleagues in Europe. This is turn spawned a new age of school and library construction in Rome, Mautua, Verona, and many other towns all over the continent.
This in itself yields a metaphor. One dedicated person can bring light to an otherwise dark place. Through perseverance they can show others the treasures they may have lost while in the darkness.
Just as Boccaccio’s translations gave access to intellectual and artistic riches once lost, each of us has an opportunity to inspire and enliven those around us. Naturally, the Easter season will lead many to share their faith with others. Those of more secular proclivities may find other mechanisms: a new coat of paint; a good cleaning; or tight rows of plump seedlings.
Yes, in this Easter season, we are reminded of sacrifices, of redemption and rebirth. As winter becomes evermore distant in our memory, hope does “spring” eternal.