The name Easter is derived from that of the Teutonic goddess Eastre, whose festival was celebrated in the spring. Eggs have long been used as symbols of the renewal of life so wonderfully evident at this time of year in much of the world. It is hardly surprising, then, that the giving of eggs at the Easter season to symbolize the resurrection of Christ Jesus is an old Christian custom.
Symbols, however, need thought if they are to yield their deeper meanings. Bearing this in mind, a student of Christian Science one day found herself reconsidering what the gaily decorated Easter eggs then appearing in the shops meant to her. Did an egg really express the thought of the resurrection? A study of the Bible narratives and the writings of Mrs. Eddy was enlightening. She found herself seeing more clearly the contrast between the material view of existence, epitomized in an egg, and the spiritual truth of being, explained and proved by the life of our Master, which shone triumphantly forth in his resurrection.
People generally subscribe to explanations of the origin and development of life in the universe based upon matter and the physical forces and laws governing it. In such theories, the egg, or ovum, plays a foundational part. But these theories leave unexplained the animus behind the apparent evolutionary and reproductive power of matter. Since matter is essentially nonintelligent, it cannot be self-acting, nor can it operate to become a controlling law itself. A deeper explanation is necessary.
