Every year, as Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent begin, some voices claim that these practices have pagan roots—specifically linking them to the ancient Babylonian ritual of Weeping for Tammuz, which God condemns in Ezekiel 8:14. Others go further, arguing that the very words Easter and Lent have pagan origins and therefore render Christian observance of these traditions invalid.
This argument, however, is built on a misunderstanding of history, theology, linguistics, and the biblical doctrine of revelation. In this post, I will demonstrate that:
- Ash Wednesday and Lent do not originate from pagan rituals.
- Even if they did, God has the power to redeem and redefine practices for His purposes.
- Pagan myths like the Weeping for Tammuz actually arise from fallen misinterpretations of general revelation.
- The true heart of Lent is deeply biblical: preparing our hearts for the resurrection by acknowledging our sin.
Ash Wednesday and Lent Have No Connection to Tammuz
The claim that Ash Wednesday and Lent derive from the Babylonian Weeping for Tammuz is rooted in conspiracy-theory-style speculation, not historical evidence. The ritual of Weeping for Tammuz was a fertility cult that involved lamenting the death of the Mesopotamian god Tammuz, believed to have descended into the underworld. This practice was part of a broader system of pagan worship centered on seasonal agricultural cycles.
In contrast, Ash Wednesday and Lent are Christian observances that have no connection to fertility myths, agrarian cycles, or pagan deities. The origins of Lent are rooted in biblical fasting traditions and the early church’s preparation for Easter:
- The practice of fasting for 40 days is modeled after Moses (Exodus 34:28), Elijah (1 Kings 19:8), and Jesus (Matthew 4:1-2), all of whom fasted for 40 days.
- The use of ashes as a sign of repentance is thoroughly biblical (Genesis 18:27, Job 42:6, Jonah 3:6).
- The Lenten season developed in the early centuries of Christianity (long after Tammuz worship had faded) as a way to spiritually prepare for the celebration of the resurrection.
The notion that Ash Wednesday and Lent are “covertly pagan” is simply historically unfounded.
The Misuse of Linguistics: Words Do Not Retain All Their Past Meanings
Another flawed argument often made against Lent and Easter is that the words themselves have pagan connections—particularly the claim that Easter comes from the name of a pagan goddess (Eostre). However, this claim is based on the exegetical fallacy of illegitimate totality transfer—assuming that a word’s past associations must always define its present meaning.
- The word “Easter” in English has linguistic ties to older words, but in most languages, Easter is called Pascha (from the Hebrew Pesach, or Passover).
- The word “Lent” comes from an Old English term meaning “spring”, with no connection to pagan rituals.
- Language evolves, and just because a word had a different meaning in the past doesn’t mean that meaning carries over into Christian observance today. This is why the Christian use of the word “Easter” has nothing to do with its original etymology—it has been redefined by the resurrection of Christ. Words, like symbols, can be reappropriated and redefined, as we see in how God redeemed the Roman cross from an instrument of torture into the ultimate symbol of salvation.
Pagan Myths as Misinterpretations of God’s Truth
A deeper issue with the Tammuz argument is that it assumes that any similarity between pagan and Christian themes means Christianity borrowed from paganism. In reality, it is often the other way around—pagan myths are corrupted versions of the truth God has revealed in creation.
General Revelation: God’s Truth Revealed in Creation
Scripture teaches that God has always revealed Himself to all people through creation (Psalm 19:1-4, Romans 1:19-20). This means that even pagan cultures had a vague awareness of divine truth—but, because of sin, they misinterpreted that truth and distorted it into false religions.
Paul describes this process in Romans 1:21-23:
“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.”
In other words, pagans did not create their religions out of nowhere. Rather, they took truths about God and salvation and twisted them into myths.
Tammuz as a Distorted Longing for the True Gospel
The Weeping for Tammuz festival reflects this pattern. The basic idea of a god who dies and brings life is not inherently false—it is a misinterpretation of the real gospel. Ancient peoples sensed the reality that life comes through death, but apart from divine revelation, they turned this into a fertility ritual rather than seeing it as a foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection.
Thus, the presence of “dying and rising god” myths in paganism is not evidence that Christianity borrowed from them. Rather, it demonstrates that humanity has always longed for redemption but could not grasp it fully without God’s revelation.
This is why the Passover and Resurrection Sunday (Easter) serve as corrections to pagan distortions. While Tammuzwas a false idol based on human imagination, Jesus Christ is the real, historical fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan.
God Redeems Pagan Symbols for His Glory
Even if Lent had originated from a pagan practice (which it does not), God has always redeemed and repurposed human customs for His glory.
- The Roman Cross: A Symbol of Death Redeemed for Life. The cross was originally an instrument of brutal Roman execution—a terrifying symbol of oppression, cruelty, and humiliation. Yet, through Christ’s death, the cross became the ultimate symbol of love, redemption, and victory over sin. As Paul writes: “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14). God took what was once a symbol of death and transformed it into the means of salvation.
- The Unleavened Bread: A Symbol of Affliction Redeemed for Deliverance. In Deuteronomy 16:3, the unleavened bread is called the “bread of affliction” because it was eaten in haste during Israel’s escape from Egypt. Yet, in the New Testament, this same bread becomes the symbol of Christ’s body, broken for us: “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19)
God redeems symbols, redefines them, and uses them for His glory.
Thus, even if Lent had been associated with pagan practices (which, again, it was not), God has the power to redefine and repurpose human customs for His redemptive work.
The True Heart of Lent: Preparing for the Resurrection
The core of Lent is not about mourning a false god—it is about repentance and preparation to celebrate Christ’s victory over sin and death. The Bible teaches that recognizing our sin is essential to fully appreciating the resurrection:
- “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2)
- “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)
- “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
The 40 days of Lent help us step into the biblical story, recognizing that it was our sin that put Jesus on the cross. This is not a pagan idea—it is the very heart of the Gospel.
Conclusion: Lent is a Biblical, Christ-Centered Practice
The claim that Ash Wednesday and Lent originate from the Weeping for Tammuz is historically and theologically unfounded. The real origins of Lent are found in biblical fasting, repentance, and preparation for Easter, not in Babylonian myth.
Moreover, even if similarities existed, they would not invalidate Christian observance—because God redeems and redefines symbols for His glory, as He did with the cross.
Most importantly, pagan myths exist because fallen humanity distorts God’s general revelation, leading to false religion. The Weeping for Tammuz is not a precursor to Christianity; rather, the death and resurrection of Christ is the true fulfillment of what the world’s myths could only dimly perceive.
Lent, therefore, is not about pagan worship—it is about returning to the Lord in repentance and preparing our hearts to celebrate the victory of Christ over sin and death.
