Is Easter based on a pagan tradition?

[Minimalist]

Mouse speaks about the "jew society"

There was a "jew society" ( I'm guessing this is what he means and hoping for the best from him on this one ) in Judaea until 135 and the bar Kochba revolt. There was a significant Jewish enclaves in Alexandria but the culture of the place was decidedly Greco-Roman. Throughout all of this there remained a large Jewish community in Babylon.

Jews evicted from Judaea by Hadrian settled in these places and Galilee ( we begin to see synagogues in the archaeological record shortly after this time) as Judaism evolved from a cult based on temple sacrifice to reading their silly book and incessant praying to the rather worthless god who had so singularly failed to protect them. One wonders why they bothered?

But it is a silly argument to say that individual groups do not maintain some sense of shared history. We have the example of the gypsies in Europe and even today, the "Palestinians" are a stateless people.... for better or worse.

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I might add that the only reason was succeeding was that the Byzantines and Persians had just called it a draw after a long series of expensive wars where they lost way too many of their combat age men to effectively resist.

True, Mouse, but you also have to factor in this observation....

nervos belli, pecuniam infinitam.

--Marcus Tullius Cicero

"Endless money forms the sinews of war."

In addition to the bloodshed they had bankrupted themselves and devastated the area they were fighting over. Easy pickings, indeed!