HWA Plagiarized Herman Hoeh's 1955 Article on Easter

In Herbert W. Armstrong's 1973 booklet, The Plain Truth About Easter, the following passage may be found. There are a few differences. Some differences are stylistic. Some sections are removed. But for the most part this lengthy section of the 1973 booklet was largely plagiarized from Herman Hoeh's article, "The Astounding Truth About Easter" (Plain Truth, April 1955, pp. 3-6, 16).

Many sensational claims are made in this passage in order to make readers disillusioned with mainstream Christian churches which celebrate Easter in order to make such readers more susceptible into joining HWA's organization, the Worldwide Church of God. (Until January 1968 HWA's organization called itself the Radio Church of God.)

However neither HWA nor Herman Hoeh received professional teaching regarding the history of the Christian religion. It is well known that HWA plagiarized many of "his" ideas from other sources such as the Seventh Day Adventists and their various offshoots, the Jehovah's Witnesses and Alexander Hyslop's 1850s screed against Catholicism, The Two Babylons. And Hoeh was taught what he knew about religion by HWA in an unaccredited "college" led by HWA.

Furthermore HWA and Hoeh made made many false predictions that failed. From 1953 onward they taught that Christ would return in 1975 after the Great Tribulation would supposedly begin in 1972. There are many other failed predictions. These failed prophesies prove that God does not speak through them.

Therefore there is no need to listen to HWA and Hoeh self serving denunciation of mainstream Christian churches. It was an attempt to expand their own organization at the expense of mainstream Christian churches.

Below is the relevant section from the 1973 booklet, The Plain Truth About Easter, which listed HWA as the booklet's author without giving any credit to Herman Hoeh or making any mention of Hoeh's 1955 article.

The First Historical Records 

The early Church of God in New Testament times was taught that Jesus was in the grave three days and three nights -- that He arose at the close of the third day after the crucifixion. The crucifixion occurred upon a Wednesday, April 25, A.D. 31. 

The Passover was observed annually, on the eve of Christ's death, on Nisan 14 of God's Sacred Calendar. This New Testament practice was followed in the West universally until shortly after the death of the Apostle John. In the Eastern Roman Empire the true practice continued even longer. 

Here is what happened in the East! 

A calendar change occured during the middle of the second century A.D., after which new ideas began to be introduced into the professing Christian world. The true Christians who fled Jerusalem, "continued to use the Jewish cycle [God's method of reckoning the Passover in the Sacred Calendar] till the bishops of Jerusalem who were of the circumcision were succeeded by others who were not of the circumcision [unconverted Gentiles -- and]...they began to invent other cycles" (Bingham's Antiquities of the Christian Church, p. 1152). 

This same author continues: "We see, at this time [middle of second century] the Jewish calculation [determined by God's Calendar which the Jews had accurately preserved] was generally rejected by the...church, and yet no certain one agreed upon in its room [stead]...." 

This is how the Passover -- sometimes called Lord's Supper or Eucharist -- was gradually rejected. 

The Lord's Supper on Saturday! 

Remember that up to this point the Churches of God universally understood that Jesus rose after three days -- on Saturday evening shortly before sunset. 

With the rejection of God's Sacred Calendar by many in the professing Christian world, the many now began to do what seemed right to them. Not only did they begin to miscalculate the annual occurrence of the Passover, but in the East they began to observe the Passover weekly on Saturday, the Sabbath, believe it or not! Here is the proof: 

For over 200 years this custom was a universal practice of the Eastern churches. The church historian Socrates wrote in his Ecclesiastical History, book V, chapter 22: "While therefore some in Asia Minor observed the day above-mentioned [he means that some continued to observe the Passover on the 14th of Nisan as the apostles did] others in the East kept this feast on the Sabbath indeed...." By "Sabbath" all early writers meant Saturday! 

So universal was the custom of observing the "Lord's Supper" on Saturday that he continued to write: "For although almost all churches throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries on the Sabbath of every week, yet the Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient tradition, have ceased to do this." 

Did you catch the real significance of this quotation? 

The Passover was transformed from an annual memorial in memory of the death of Christ into a weekly memorial in honor of His resurrection, which occurred on Saturday. These weekly "Passovers" were called the "sacred mysteries." A part of those ancient mysteries was later the festival of Easter. 

But Easter did not enter suddenly. It entered slowly, under the pretext of being a Christian custom. 

Many faithful were still observing the practices of the original true Church. Others began to hold the "sacred mysteries" every Saturday to honor, as they thought, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But how were the false teachers going to alter the knowledge that Jesus was three days and three nights in the tomb? 

"Good Friday-Easter Sunday" Tradition 

Let's notice! From the Syriac Didascalia, composed shortly before the time of Constantine, we have a record of what happened in those early days. False teachers began to interpret the three days and three nights in the following clever fashion: 

They claimed Jesus suffered on the cross, supposedly on Friday, for about six hours. The daylight hours from nine in the morning to noon they counted as one day. The hours from noon to three o'clock -- when the land was darkened -- they reckoned as the first night. Then the time from three o'clock to sunset was reckoned as the second day. Friday night to Saturday morning became the second night; the daylight of Saturday, the third day; and Saturday night to Sunday morning, the third night. 

A very clever argument -- and it deceived a great many people! Those false ministers twisted the truth that Jesus was in the grave three days and three nights. 

For the first time the idea of a Sunday resurrection was injected into the churches. Now observe what happened. 

Easter Sunday Begins Earlier at Rome 

In commenting on those who did not observe the Passover in accordance with the practice of the apostles, Irenaeus, who lived toward the close of the second century, wrote to Bishop Victor of Rome, "We mean Anicetus, and Pius, and Hyginus, and Telesphorus, and Xystus. They neither observed it [the true Passover on the 14th of Nisan] nor did they permit those after them to do so"(Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, Vol. I, p. 243). 

Who were these men? -- bishops of the church at Rome! Here is the first record, by a Catholic, of the fact that the Roman bishops no longer observed the Passover at the correct God given time, but on a Sunday! 

It was Bishop Xystus (his name is also spelled Sixtus) who was the first recorded individual to prevent the proper observance of the Passover, and to celebrate the sacred mysteries annually on a Sunday. Irenaeus speaks further of him, declaring that his doctrine was in direct "opposition" to the practice of the remainder of the churches. Bishop Sixtus was living at the beginning of the second century, just after the Apostle John died. 

Notice, too, that Easter Sunday did not begin with Peter or Paul in the 60's A.D., but with Sixtus in the second century! 

Here you have the astounding origin of Easter Sunday in the Western churches. Together with this practice, the "sacred mysteries" were also observed every Sunday! 

The Romans Divided 

The introduction of this custom naturally divided the Christians at Rome. The Catholic historian Abbe Duchesne wrote: "There were many Christians of Asia in Rome at that time [remember that the Church of God at Rome was founded by those who came from Asia Minor where Paul preached] and the very early Popes, Xystus and Telesphorus, saw them every year keep their Pasch [the true Passover] the same day as did the Jews. They maintained that was correct. It was allowed to pass...though the rest of Rome observed a different use" (The Early History of the Church, Vol. I, p. 210). 

These are startling facts, but they are true! It is time we knew about them! 

Irenaeus wrote even more regarding the observance of Easter at Rome and elsewhere as follows: "But Polycarp also was not only instructed by the apostles, and acquainted with many that had seen Christ, but was also appointed by apostles in Asia, bishop of the Church of Smyrna.... He also was in Rome in the time of Anicetus [bishop of Rome, A.D. 155-166] and caused many to turn away from the...heretics to the Church of God, proclaiming that he had received from the apostles this one and sole truth..." While at Rome, Polycarp discussed the matter of Easter with the Roman bishop. 

Irenaeus continued: "For neither could Anicetus persuade Polycarp not to observe it [the Passover] because he had always observed it with John the disciple of our Lord, and the rest of the apostles, with whom he associated; and neither did Polycarp persuade Anicetus to observe it, who said that he was bound to follow the customs of the presbyters before him" (Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History, book V, chapter 24, quoted in Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1, p. 244). 

Counterfeit Vision 

Shortly after Polycarp left, there appeared an amazing letter -- said by many scholars to have been a deliberate forgery. This letter states: "Pope Pius, who lived about 147, had made a decree, That the annual solemnity of the Pasch [Pasch is the Greek word for Passover] should be kept on the Lord's day [Sunday] and in confirmation of this he pretended, that Hermes [Hermas], his brother, who was then an eminent teacher among them, had received instruction from an angel, who commanded that all men should keep the Pasch on the Lord's day" (Joseph Bingham, Antiquities of the Christian Church, pp. 1148-1149). 

Of this same hoax, we read in Apostolical Fathers, by James Donaldson, page 324: "One of the letters forged in the name of Pius, where one Hermas [Hermes] is mentioned as the author; and it is stated that in his book a commandment was given through an angel to observe the Passover on a Sunday." 

If this letter was a deliberate forgery, it was invented after Polycarp's time in an effort to lend weight to the custom of Anicetus, bishop of Rome, who maintained the Sunday observance of the Eucharist or Passover. If it was not a forgery, then Pius himself was the author of this deceptive letter. (Pius died just prior to the visit of Polycarp to Rome.) 

Constantine -- the Man of Power 

Constantine then convoked the first general council of the Christian professing world. The Council of Nicaea decided, under his authority, that Easter must be celebrated on Sunday and that the Passover must be forbidden! 

Without regard to these decisions, many continued faithful. For this reason Constantine issued an edict declaring: "We have directed, accordingly, that you be deprived of all houses in which you are accustomed to hold your assemblies...public or private" (Life of Constantine, book III). 

Easter Still Observed on Different Sundays 

Though everyone was now forced to observe Easter or flee the urban areas of the Roman Empire, the churches were still divided over the exact Sunday for Easter. Here is how confusing matters became: 

"But notwithstanding any endeavors that could be used then, or afterwards, there remained great differences in the church about it for many ages. For the churches of Great Britain and Ireland did not accord with the Roman church in keeping Easter on the same Sunday, till about the year 800. Nor was the Roman way fully received in France, till it was settled there by the authority of Charles the Great..." (Bingham's Antiquities of the Christian Church, p. 1151). 

These are startling facts -- but they ought to make you wake up to the truth! It is high time we learned exactly what has happened to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to the practices of the New Testament Church of God these past 1900 years!

For comparison here is the relevant section from Herman Hoeh's 1955 article (pp. 3-6, 16). The highlighted passages indicate that which HWA plagiarized into "his" 1973 booklet, The Plain Truth About Easter. He gave no acknowledgement that these words were authored by Herman Hoeh but HWA deceptively presented these passages as though he had written them. Herbert Armstrong stole the credit for these words that belonged to Herman Hoeh.

The First Historical Records

The early Church of God in New Testament times was taught that Jesus was in the grave three days and three nights--that He arose at the close of the third day after the crucifixion. The crucifixion occurred upon a Wednesday, April 25, 31 A.D. This historical date of the passover is demonstrated by seven irrefutable proofs which we published in The PLAIN TRUTH two years ago. Thursday, in 31 A.D., was an annual sabbath. This is demonstrated from the Bible in Mr. Armstrong’s FREE booklet on the “Resurrection,” already mentioned.  

The practice of the New Testament Church of God was to observe an annual memorial of the death of Jesus Christ. This memorial was called the passover--commonly misnamed the “Lord’s Supper.” There is not sufficient space in this article to mention the many scriptures which clarify this little-understood practice of the apostles (I Cor. 5: 7-8). 

If you want the proof, write for the FREE booklet “How often should we partake of the LORD’S SUPPER?” which explains the New Testament practice in entirety.  

The Passover was observed annually, on the eve of Christ’s death, on Nisan 14 of God’s Sacred Calendar. You can find this information in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, or even in the “World Almanac” in your town Library. This New Testament practice was followed universally until shortly after the death of the apostle John.  

Here is what happened!

A calendar change occurred in 104 A.D., after which new ideas began to be introduced into the Church. The Christians who fled Jerusalem in 69 A.D. “continued to use the Jewish cycle”-- God's method of reckoning the passover in the sacred calendar--”till the bishops of Jerusalem who were of the circumcision were succeeded by others who were not of the circumcision”-unconverted Gentiles-and ‘‘ . . . they began to invent other cycles” (p. 1152 of Bingham’s Antiquities of the Christ& Church).

Yes, Easter began as the invention of men--who exchanged the God-given paschal festival for the pagan Easter Sunday.  

This same author continues: “We see, at this time the Jewish calculation”--God’s inspired method of determining the passover which the Jews had accurately preserved--“was generally rejected by the . . . church, and yet no certain one agreed upon in its room. . .”  

This is how the passover--incorrectly called Lord’s Supper or Eucharist--was gradually rejected.

The Lord’s Supper on Saturday!

Remember that up to this point the churches of God universally understood that Jesus rose after three days--on Saturday evening shortly before sunset. Many now began to do what seemed right to them. Not only did many begin to miscalculate the annual occurrence of the Passover, but they began to observe the passover weekly on Saturday, the Sabbath, believe it or not! Here is the proof:

For over 200 years this custom was a universal practice of the apostatizing churches! The Catholic church historian, Socrates, wrote: “While therefore some in Asia Minor observed the day abovementioned”--he means that some faithfully observed the passover on the 14th of Nisan as the apostles did--“others in the East kept THIS FEAST ON THE SABBATH INDEED . . . ” By “sabbath” all early writers meant Saturday!

So universal was the custorn of observing the “Lord’s Supper” on Saturday that he continued to write: “For although almost all churches throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries on the sabbath of every week, yet the Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient tradition, have ceased to do this.” You may find this amazing testimony in Vol. 2 of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, pp. 131-132, from the Ecclesiastical History of Socrates, book V, chapter 22.

Did you catch the real significance of this quotation?

The passover was transformed by false teachers from an annual memorial in memory of the death of Christ into a weekly memorial in honor of His resurrection, which occurred on Saturday. These weekly “passovers” were called the “sacred mysteries”! What did Paul say about the sacred mysteries?  

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come”-- the day of Christ’s return--“except there come a falling away first”--an apostasy, a falling into error. “For the MYSTERY OF INIQUITY doth already work” (I1 Thess. 2:3, 7). The practices of the pagan sacred mysteries were already creeping into the local congregations of the Church of God in Paul’s day. A part of those ancient mysteries was the festival of Easter!
But Easter did not enter suddenly. It entered slowly, under the pretext of being a Christian custom. 

Though many faithful were still observing the practices of the original, true church, many congregations began to hold the “sacred mysteries” every Saturday to honor, as they thought, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But how were the false teachers going to alter the knowledge that Jesus was three days and three nights in the tomb?

“Good Friday-Easter Sunday” Tradition

Let’s notice! From the Syriac Didascalia, composed shortly before the time of. Constantine, we have a record of what happened in those early days. False teachers began to interpret the three days and three nights in the following clever fashion:

They claimed Jesus suffered on the cross, supposedly on Friday, for about six hours. The daylight hours from nine in the morning to noon they counted as one day. The hours from noon to three o’clock--when the land was darkened--they reckoned as the first night. Then the time from three o’clock to sunset was reckoned as the second day. Friday night to Saturday morning became the second night; the daylight of Saturday, the third day; and Saturday night to Sunday morning, the third night!  

A very clever argument--and it deceived a great many people! Those false ministers twisted the truth that Jesus was IN THE GRAVE three days and three nights.

For the first time the idea of a Sunday resurrection was injected into the churches. Now observe what happened.

Easter Sunday Begins at Rome

In commenting on those who did not observe the passover in accordance with the practice of the apostles, Irenaeus, a Catholic living toward the close of the second century wrote to bishop Victor of Rome, ”We mean Anicetus, and Pius,and Hyginus, and Telesphorus, and Xystus. They neither observed it”--the true passover on the 14th of Nisan”-- “nor did they permit those after them to do so.”

Who were these men?--bishops of the church at Rome! Here is the first record, by a Catholic, of the fact that the Roman bishops no longer observed the passover on the correct God-given time, but on a Sunday!

It was bishop Xystus (his name is also spelled Sixtus) who was the first recorded individual to prevent the proper observance of the passover, and to celebrate the sacred mysteries annually on a Sunday. Irenaeus speaks further of him, declaring that his doctrine was in direct “opposition” to the practice of the remainder of the churches. Bishop Sixtus was living at the beginning of the second century, just after the apostle John died.

Here you have the astounding origin of Easter Sunday in the churches. Together with this practice, the “sacred mysteries” were also observed every Sunday!

The Romans Divided

The introduction of this custom naturally divided the Christians at Rome. The Catholic historian, Abbé Duchesne, wrote: “There were many Christians of Asia in Rome at that time”--remember that the Church of God at Rome was founded by those who came from Asia Minor where Paul preached-“and the very early Popes, Xystus and Telesphorus, saw them every year keep their Pasch”-the true passover--“the same day as did the Jews. They maintained that was correct. It was allowed to pass . . . though the rest of Rome observed a different use” (Vol. I, p. 210, of The Early History of the Church).  

I know these are startling facts, but they are true! It is time we knew about them!

Irenaeus wrote even more regarding the observance of Easter at Rome and elsewhere as follows: “But Polycarp also was not only instructed by the apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church of Smyrna . . . He it was who, coming to Rome in the time of Anicetus”- bishop of Rome around 154 A.D.- “caused many to turn away from the . . . heretics to the Church of God, proclaiming that he had received this one and sole truth from the apostles . . . ” While at Rome, Polycarp discussed the matter of Easter with the Roman bishop.

Irenaeus continued: “For neither could Anicetus persuade Polycarp not to observe it”--the passover--“because he had always observed it with John the disciple of our Lord, and the rest of the apostles, with whom he associated; and neither did Polycarp persuade Anicetus to observe it, who said that he was bound to follow the customs of the presbyters before him” (Quoted from Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, book V, chap. 24, in the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1 ).  

Notice that bishop Anicetus had no scriptural grounds--he determined to follow the “customs” of men!--Easter Sunday!  

A Fake Vision from God  

Shortly after Polycarp left, there appeared an amazing letter--said by many scholars to have been a deliberate forgery. This letter states: “Pope Pius, who lived about 147, had made a decree, That the annual solemnity of the Pasch [Pasch is the Greek word for Parsouer] should be kept only on the Lord’s day”--Sunday--“and in confirmation of this he pretended, that Hermes, his brother, who was then an eminent teacher among them, had received instruction from an angel, who commanded that all men should keep the Pasch on the Lord’s day.” (From pp. 1148-1149 of Bingham’s Antiquities of the Christian Church.)  

Of this same hoax we read in Apostolical Fathers, by Donaldson, p. 324, “One of the letters forged in the name of Pius, where one Hermas is mentioned as the author; and it is stated that in his book a commandment was given through an angel to observe the Passover on a Sunday.”

If this letter was a deliberate forgery, it was invented after Polycarp’s time in an effort to lend weight to the custom of Anicetus, bishop of Rome, who maintained the Sunday observance of the eucharist or passover. If it were nor a forgery, then Pius himself was the author of this deceptive letter. (Pius died just prior to the visit of Polycarp to Rome. )
But the Easter controversy did not end here!  

Within 35 years it broke out vehemently between Polycrates of Asia Minor and Victor of Rome, who attempted to “cut off whole churches of God, who observed the tradition of an ancient custom”--the true passover. 

Here is a part of the forthright answer given by Polycrates to Victor, vindicating the uuth of God.  

“As for us, then, we scrupulously observe the exact day, neither adding nor taking away. For in Asia great luminaries have gone to their rest, who shall rise again in the day of the coming of the Lord . . . I speak of Philip, one of the twelve apostles . . . John, moreover, who reclined on the Lord’s bosom . . . Then there is Polycarp . . . THESE ALL KEPT THE PASSOVER ON THE FOURTEENTH DAY OF THE MONTH, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GOSPEL, WITHOUT EVER DEVIATING FROM IT, BUT KEEPING TO THE RULE OF FAITH.”  

This remarkable letter is preserved in Vol. 8 of the Ante-Nicene Fathers, pp. 773-774. 

Polycrates came from that area in which Paul spent most of his time--in Asia Minor, near Ephesus. This is also where John spent his last days. Here we have many Christians still remaining true to the faith!  

Here is proof that both the apostles to the circumcision and Paul, the special apostle to the Gentiles, taught the observance of the passover on the 14th of the first month of God’s sacred calendar. Chrysostom, who wrote several centuries after the apostles admitted that “formerly it [the passover] prevailed also at Antioch” from where Paul began many of his apostolic journeys.  

Now, what happened to stamp out the true observance of the passover from the popular churches? 

Constantine--the Man of Power

Constantine then convoked the first general council of the Christian-professing world. The Council of Nicaea decided, under his authority, that Easter must be celebrated on Sunday and that the passover must be forbidden!

Without regard to these decisions, many continued faithful. For this reason Constantine issued an edict declaring: “We have directed, accordingly, that you be deprived of all houses in which you are accustomed to hold your assemblies . . . public or private.” (From the Life of Constantine, book 111.)

Easter Still Observed on Different Sundays

Though everyone was now forced to observe Easter or flee the confines of the Roman Empire, the churches were still divided over the exact Sunday for Easter. Here is how confusing matters became:

“But notwithstanding any endeavours that could be used then, or afterwards, there remained great differences in the church about it for many ages. For the churches of Great Britain and Ireland did not accord with the Roman church in keeping Easter on the same Sunday, till about the year 800. Nor was the Roman way fully received in France, till it was settled there by the authority of Charles the Great . . . ” (p. 1151).

I know these are startling facts--but they ought to make you wake up to the TRUTH! It is high rime we learned exactly what has happened to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to the practices of the New Testament Church of God these past 1900 years!

And that ends Herman Hoeh's 1955 article.

What a fraud Herbert Armstrong was. He presented these words authored by Herman Hoeh as though they were written by himself. This makes Herbert Armstrong a thief.

There is no need to listen to a thief like Herbert Armstrong.