Not having been taught in any Christian tradition, I have just recently noticed the parallel between spring - with all the new growth, the emergence of plants that seemed dead, the blossoming of all of nature,etc. - and the story of resurrection, i.e. Easter. It can’t be a coincidence that these two phenomena happen at the same time of year. Did the people who wrote the new testament create this overlap? What’s the straight dope on how this came to be?
Nah, I’m pretty sure it’s because the New Testament says that Jesus was executed during the Jewish Passover observance.
Which has its roots in the Spring Equinox celebrations.
The official position of Christians would be “it’s that time of year because that’s the time of year that Jesus’s passion happened”. Now, of course non-Christians don’t believe large parts of the story of Jesus, but it’s probably at least true that he existed and that he ended up getting executed by the Romans, and there had to have been some time of year when that happened.
Of course, a lot of the imagery and symbolism we associate with Easter, like bunnies and eggs, are because of the springtime association. And if one wanted to get really religious about it, one might say that God planned the whole thing so that it would take place in the spring, in the time of rebirth.
Sure but knowing that he probably existed and was executed for sedition and also knowing that it was a time of unrest in the area, it wouldn’t be a stretch to have had the arrest during the Passover season when the theme of freedom from bondage was in the air.
Also keep in mind that, in the Middle East, “springtime” (or other seasons) isn’t nearly as significant as it is in temperate climates. That’s why, for instance, the Muslims are able to get away with a calendar that shifts relative to the solar year.