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1-How To Arrive At One Date For Easter v5.docx
To all Church leaders,
and whom it concerns,
June 11, 2013
In humility I present to you a short summary, based on earlier
studies, on the matter of ‘how could the date of Easter/Pascha be
re-united?’.
Jesus prayed:
“Sanctify them in truth. Thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me
into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for them
do I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
And not for them only do I pray, but for them also who through
their word shall believe in me. That they all may be one, as thou,
Father, in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us: that
the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which
thou hast given me, I have given to them: that, they may be one, as
we also are one. I in them, and thou in me: that they may be made
perfect in one: and the world may know that thou hast sent me and
hast loved them, as thou hast also loved me.” (John
17:17-23[footnoteRef:1]) [1: Douay Rheims Bible.]
For the sake of union we need to unite the different dates of
Easter/Pascha. Only by the Grace of God such a re-union is
conceivable.
May the Love of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit re-unite us
in these times of troubles so the world, once more, perceives the
Will of God in His most beloved Son Jesus Christ, and His message
is heard by many, through the intercession of the most holy Mother
of God and our Mother in Heaven, Saint Mary.
Marcel van Raaij.
you can email me:
How to arrive at One Date For Easter?
A PROPOSAL TO ARRIVE AT ONE DATE FOR EASTER
§1.Introduction
There is a call in the Catholic&Orthodox Church to unite the
conflicting dates of Easter.
The different dating of the annual celebration of our Lord’s
Sacrifice and Resurrection in the Orthodox&Catholic Church,
keeps us divided. In a message to Vassula Ryden, well known
Greek–Orthodox mystic, given on May 31, 1994, Jesus reminds us of
His sufferings:
“…every Easter season I must drink from the cup of your division
since this cup is forced on Me; but you too, daughter, will drink
from it; you shall share with Me what is bitter - given by human
hand; the more time passes for them to unite the dates of Easter,
the more severe will be their sentence this generation will
receive…”.[footnoteRef:2] [2: http://tlig.org/en/messages/847/]
The difference in dating Pascha / Easter has a historical
ground. The reasons are known. In this article we’ll try to
consolidate these arguments and provide a possible solution. To do
so, we first must understand the causes of our different methods of
dating the Lord’s suffering.
An enlightened summary of the differences in dating Easter is
given by Lewis Patsavos, Ph.D., of the Holy Cross School of
Theology of the Greek-Orthodox Archdiocese of America, not only
explaining the differences between the Roman-Catholic&Orthodox
Churches, but also the position taken by national Orthodox Churches
vis-à-vis the Gregorian calendar.
§2.The problem: understanding the different dating
methods[footnoteRef:3] [3: from article by dr. Lewis Patsavos, Holy
Cross School of Theology, Greek-Orthodox Archdiocese of America, to
be found here: http://www.smart.net/~mmontes/ortheast.html.]
‘Within the Orthodox Church feast days and fast days are
reckoned according to two distinct calendars, the Julian Calendar
and the Gregorian Calendar. The first is attributed to the Roman
Emperor Julius Caesar, whose name it bears. It was later corrected
in the sixteenth century by Pope Gregory XIII due to the
ever-increasing discrepancy between calendar time and calculated
astronomical time. Thus, the Gregorian Calendar came into
being.
Inasmuch as the Julian Calendar had been in continuous use in
the Christian East and West throughout the centuries, the
subsequent introduction of the Gregorian Calendar in the West
created another anomaly in the deteriorating relations between the
two Churches.
The need for correction of the Julian Calendar was well
understood in the East and had even led some to devise a new
calendar themselves. Nevertheless, the Julian Calendar remained in
use throughout the Byzantine period and beyond.
Despite the efforts of the emissaries of Pope Gregory to
convince the Orthodox to accept the New (Gregorian) Calendar, the
Orthodox Church rejected it.
The main reason for its rejection was that the celebration of
Easter would be altered: contrary to the injunctions of canon 7 of
the Holy Apostles, the decree of the First Ecumenical Synod, and
canon 1 of Ancyra, Easter would sometimes coincide with the Jewish
Passover in the Gregorian calendar.
This is where the matter stood until the end of World War I.
Until then, all Orthodox Churches had strictly abided by the Old
(Julian) Calendar, which at present is 13 days behind the New
Calendar long, since adopted by the rest of Christendom. In May of
1923, however, an "InterOrthodox Congress" was convened at
Constantinople by the then Ecumenical Patriarch, Meletios IV. Not
all Orthodox Churches were in attendance. The Churches of Serbia,
Romania, Greece, and Cyprus were; the Churches of Alexandria,
Antioch and Jerusalem, although invited, were not; the Church of
Bulgaria was not invited.
Several issues were under discussion at the congress, one of
which was the adoption of the New Calendar. No unanimous agreement
was reached on any of the issues discussed. Several of the Orthodox
Churches, however, did eventually agree, though not all at the same
time, to adopt the New Calendar. These were the Churches of
Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Greece, Cyprus, Romania,
Poland, and most recently, Bulgaria (1968); on the other hand, the
Churches of Jerusalem, Russia and Serbia, along with the
monasteries on Mount Athos, all continue to adhere to the Old
Calendar.
The determination of the date of Easter is governed by a
computation based on:
(a) the vernal equinox and (b) the phase of the moon.
According to the ruling of the First Ecumenical Synod in 325,
Nicaea, Easter Sunday should fall on the Sunday which follows the
first full moon after the vernal equinox.
If the full moon happens to fall on a Sunday, Easter is observed
the following Sunday. The day taken to be the invariable date of
the vernal equinox is March 21.
Herein lies the first difference in the determination of Easter
between the Orthodox Church and the other Christian Churches. The
Orthodox Church continues to base its calculations for the date of
Easter on the Julian Calendar, which was in use at the time of the
First Ecumenical Synod. As such, it does not take into
consideration the number of days which have since then accrued due
to the progressive inaccuracy of the Julian Calendar.
Practically speaking, this means that Easter may not be
celebrated before April 3 (Gregorian), which had been March 21 -the
date of the vernal equinox- at the time of the First Ecumenical
Synod. In other words, a difference of 13 days exists between the
accepted date for the vernal equinox then and now. In the West,
this discrepancy was addressed in the 16th century through the
adoption of the Gregorian Calendar, which adjusted the Julian
Calendar still in use by all Christians at that time. Western
Christians, therefore, observe the date of the vernal equinox on
March 21 according to the Gregorian Calendar.
The other difference in the determination of Easter between the
Orthodox and other Christian Churches concerns the date of Jewish
Passover. Jews originally celebrated Passover on the first full
moon following the vernal equinox. Christians, therefore,
celebrated Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon
following the vernal equinox.
After the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and the other
tragic events which gave rise to the dispersal of the Jews,
Passover sometimes preceded the vernal equinox. (..) As a
consequence, most Christians eventually ceased to regulate the
observance of Easter by the Jewish Passover. Their purpose, of
course, was to preserve the original practice of celebrating Easter
following the vernal equinox.
As an alternative to calculating Easter by the Passover,
"Paschal cycles" were devised. The Orthodox Church eventually
adopted a 19-year cycle, the Western Church an 84-year cycle. The
use of two different "paschal cycles" inevitably gave way to more
differences between the Eastern and Western Churches regarding the
observance of Easter. Consequently, it is the combination of these
variables which accounts for the different date of Orthodox Easter,
whenever it varies from the rest of Christendom.’[footnoteRef:4]
[4: by dr. Lewis Patsavos, published here:
http://www.smart.net/~mmontes/ortheast.html]
§3.Understanding the consequences of different dating
methods
One can visualise the 2 methods in dating the Pascha of Our Lord
Jesus Christ as follows:
Chart 1: Pascha after the 1st & 2nd Full Moon
With Gregorian calendar dates[footnoteRef:5] [5: one can find
the present Orthodox dates of Pascha here:
http://www.smart.net/~mmontes/OrthEasttbl.html#T1]
ROMAN CATHOLIC DATES[footnoteRef:6] [6: accepted by the Orthodox
Churches of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Greece, Cyprus,
Romania, Poland,Bulgaria, at present, in use by the Roman
Catholic&Protestant Churches; the Julian Calendar is still in
use by the Churches of Jerusalem, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Georgia,
Japan, China, Albania, Mount Athos&Athiopia.]
EASTER&PASCHA DATES UNTIL >2025:
SPRING
EQUINOX
A. FIRST
FULL
MOON
= Paschal
Moon
B.SECOND
FULL
MOON
= in 2nd
month
black arrows: date in spring month (following 1st full
moon).
red arrows: date too late (=2nd month, following the 2nd full
moon after the spring equinox). [Gregorian dating]
March 21
02/05
05/05
01/05
28/04
21/04
20/04
04/04
31/03
27/03
<./..>
2016
2013
2021
2025
2024
2019
2019
2016
2021
2013
2025
2024
According to Nicaea: correct
According to
Nicaea: not correct
Dating by:
Cath.
Cath.
Cath.
Cath.
Cath.
Orth.
Orth.
Orth.
Orth.
Orth.
year
(=Nisan)
(=Iyyar)
marcelvanraaij/11.10.2012.
Understanding the problem
From this survey it follows:
1.In 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, the Julian Date (Orthodox)
for the celebration of Pascha
falls AFTER the 2nd full moon following the spring equinox. De
facto this means:
Pascha is celebrated not in the 1st month (Nisan), but in the
2nd month (Iyyar).
2. In 2019, the Western Church likewise celebrates Easter AFTER
the 2nd full moon of the
19th of April, with the spring equinox occurring at
20/03/2019/23h58m32s, and the 1st full moon at
21/03/2019/03h42m53s. Clearly, Passover Sunday=24/03/2019.
Reason?
The Jewish Calendar inserts a VeAdar (09/0306/04/2019), with 14
Nisan=20 April 2019?
3.In all other years Pascha/Easter is celebrated in the FIRST
month of the Spring Year,
as the Thorah&the Council of Nicaea prescribe.
§4.Towards a Solution, foundation: The Nicaean Creed
How could this conflict be solved?
In the year 1997, the World Council of Churches tried to bring
this division in the Church to an end by proposing a solution (see
appendix A, for the entire Proposal).
The basis for a solution –according to this Proposal– is to be
found in being 100% faithful to the decrees of the First Ecumenical
Council of Nicaea.
The Church Council of Nicaea has in 325AD developed a simple
method to date the Pascha of Our Lord Jesus Christ every year, as
follows.
The Fathers present at the Council issued an agreement, in
short:
1. Pascha is to be celebrated after the Spring Equinox, then
March 21,
2.Pascha is to be celebrated after the Full Moon, following
March 21,
3.Pascha is to be celebrated on the Sunday, following this Full
Moon.
This decree could be visualized as follows:
Chart 2: Dating Easter/Pascha by the Nicaean Decree (in AD325
Julian=Gregorian calendar).
Nicaean formula:
“Pascha=the 1st Sunday, after the 1st Full Moon, after the
Spring Equinox/March 21.”
(Or: 1, 2, 3).
1:SPRING EQUINOX
Old Moon
3:SUNDAY
Easter Sunday
2:FULL MOON
Pascal Full Moon
New Moon
April 22
Nisan 30
April 9
Nisan 17
April 7
April 6
Nisan 15
Nisan 14
e.g.
March 24
Nisan 1
March 21
[… = movable date in sun calendar [relates to the moon]
[“New Moon”: before/after spring equinox]
[“Full Moon”: always after the spring equinox]
This was the rule for determining the date of Pascha. The
Council left the details for the calculation of the date of Pascha
to the Church of Alexandria, Egypt. Why Alexandria?
Saint Bede (673–735) explains:
“Now the time when the days and nights are equal (i.e. the
equinox) after the opinion of those in the Orient (Middle East),
and especially the Egyptians[footnoteRef:7], which bear the prize
for computation before all other teachers, customably comes on the
12th day before the first of April (March 21), as also we ourselves
prove by inspection of the means of measuring time.”
[footnoteRef:8] [7: Vassula Ryden is from Egypt; God calls her
“daughter from Egypt”, e.g. http://tlig.org/en/messages/821/] [8:
Letter to Naitan, 5:21.]
If things are this clear, why is there überhaupt a difference in
dating Christian Pascha?
This is due to the development of the Julian Calendar.
In AD325, at the time of the Nicaean Church Council, the spring
equinox –which is the start of the Spring Season– fell on March 21
(as today).
But by 1582, that date had moved back to March 11 due to a
surplus of leap days in the Julian Calendar. By now March 21 was 10
days after the equinox (our present March 31). Therefore, Pope
Gregory XIII ordered a calendar reform and set the Spring Equinox
back to its original position in the calendar by omitting 10 days:
October 5, 1582 was followed by October 16.
This calendar reform is known as “The Gregorian Reform”.
In the Western Church, this reform was after many years accepted
by all.
In the East, the Old Julian Calendar was held in esteem, and in
Orthodox Churches Pascha continues to be determined by the
out-of-season 21 March date of the Julian Calendar, which today
falls on April 3, not only of the Gregorian Calendar, but also in
comparison to the Julian Calendar at the time of the Council in 325
(!).
Today the Julian Calendar is 13 days out of sync with the
original date, set in Nicaea, and that is why in certain years
Orthodox Pascha is even celebrated on the Sunday following the 2nd
Full Moon after the spring equinox.
This, according to the Nicaean decree, should be the 1st Full
Moon after the equinox[footnoteRef:9]. [9: See Appendix B for an
important addition to this issue.]
§5.Referring to the Easter Dates of today: When to celebrate
Pascha/Easter?
Nevertheless, in certain years, the Sanhedrin rules may have
permitted Pascha to be celebrated on the 2nd Full Moon after the
equinox, naming the 2nd month Nisan. Likewise, today Orthodox
Pascha is in certain years celebrated on the Sunday following the
2nd Full Moon, due to the continuous use of the Old Julian
Calendar.
In the WCC-Proposal a complete list is given of the paschal
dates of the Catholic&Orthodox Church for the years
2001-2025.[footnoteRef:10] In it we see how the discrepancy in the
Old Julian Calendar with the 21st of March 13 days after the Spring
Equinox, leads to a celebration of Pascha in the years 2013, 2016,
2019, 2021 and 2024, after the 2nd Full Moon. This means de facto:
contrary to the Nicaean Instruction, in these years Pascha is
celebrated not in the Spring Month (of Aviv/Nisan), but in the 2nd
Jewish month (of Ziv/Iyyar). [10: Appendix A, on the last page of
this essay.]
In the Gregorian Calendar, the same problem arises in the year
2019.
In the Last Year of Jesus, Pascha might have occurred at this
late date as well, due to the Sanhedrin rules. In this sense, all
Churches might still be within the boundaries of a possible
historical Pascha Date of Jesus final Passover.[footnoteRef:11]
[11: This is within the boundaries set by the pre-70AD Sanhedrin
rules for setting the Jewish Passover month.]
But present day Easter dating conflicts with the Nicaean Formula
of dating Resurrection Sunday always on ‘the first Sunday after the
first Full Moon after the Spring Equinox’.
Here, the Churches are not (fully) obeying the canons of the
Nicaean Council of AD325.[footnoteRef:12] [12: Which in
East&West are honoured as Divinely inspired canons.]
§6.Saint Bede’s doctrine on dating Easter
Let us investigate the way Church Fathers solved this
question:
A very enlightened explanation on how to correctly date Pascha
was given by an English– Benedictine monk, the Venerable Bede, who
lived from AD673 to AD735:
“Now the time when the days and nights are equal (i.e. the
equinox) after the opinion of those in the Orient (Middle East),
and especially the Egyptians (Alexandria) which bear the prize for
computation before all other teachers, customably comes on the 12th
day before the first of April (March 21st), as also we ourselves
prove by inspection of the means of measuring time.
Whatsoever moon, therefore, is at full before the day and night
be of one length, being to wit 14 or 15 days old, that moon
pertains to the last month the year before, and therefore is not
meet for keeping Passover. But the moon which is at full after the
day and night be of equal length or in the very point of that
equality, in that doubtless (because it is the full moon of the
first month) we must understand both that the ancients were wont to
keep the Passover …
Therefore as first the sun coming forth from the midst of the
east made by that his rising the equality of day and night in the
spring; and after, the moon (the sun going down at evening)
followed itself also at the full from the midst of the east; so
every year the same first month of the moon must be observed after
the same order, so that she should be at the full, not before the
day and the night be of one length, but either on the very day of
that equality, as was done in the beginning[footnoteRef:13], or
when it is past. But if the full moon go but one day before the day
and night be of one length, the aforesaid reason proves that this
moon must be assigned not to the first month of the year beginning,
but rather to the last month of the year that is past; and for that
consideration is not meet for the celebration of the Paschal
Festival.”[footnoteRef:14] [13: Bede is referring to the first
Passover in Egypt, the night before the Day of the Exodus (Abib
15). Obviously, he believes the First Passover took place the night
of the Full Moon on the very day of the Spring Equinox.] [14: Bede,
5:21, Letter to Naitan.]
The Venerable Bede is the same person as Saint Bede, with whom
Jesus appeared to Vassula, June 18, 1991:[footnoteRef:15] [15: See:
http://www.tlig.org/en/messages/630/]
“ I am Yahweh; flower, Saint Bede is by your side;
Who is he?”
Saint Bede
Who is Saint Bede?[footnoteRef:16] [16: Saint Bede was
proclaimed Doctor of the Church in 1899 [Roman-Catholic].]
Saint Bede was one of the Fathers in the Church, who was truly
instrumental in unifying the date of Pascha for the 8th to 16th
century, in East&West, through his work on chronology in ‘De
Temporibus’ and the longer ‘De Temporum Ratione’, the latter
published in 703. In 725, he gave a solution for the use of Paschal
Tables in the Western Church, in full agreement with the
Alexandrian tables, building upon the work of St. Dionysius.
Dionysius Exiguus (c.470–544) was an Orthodox Abbas in Rome, who
prepared a table of future dates of Easter, and a set of arguments
explaining their calculation, and presented these to Pope John
I.[footnoteRef:17] [17: See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionysius_Exiguus for the life and
works of this saint.]
“Dionysius Exiguus constructed an Easter table in AD525 for the
years 532–626. He obtained it from an Easter table attributed to
Patriarch Cyril of Alexandria for the years 437–531. The latter was
constructed around the year 440 by means of extrapolation from an
Alexandrian Easter table constructed around the year 390 by
Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria.”[footnoteRef:18] [18: Text:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionysius_Exiguus’_Easter_table, w.
sources.]
“Dionysius’ table was published in 525 and shortly thereafter
accepted by the church of Rome, which from the 3rd century up till
then had given preference to go on using her own, relatively
inadequate,Easter tables. From this time all controversy between
Alexandria and Rome as to the correct date of Easter ceased, as
both churches were now using identical tables.
In the year 616, an anonymous extended Dionysius Exiguus' Easter
table to an Easter table covering the years 532 up to 721inc..
In 725 St. Bede published a new extension of Dionysius’ Easter
table to a great Easter cycle, which is periodic in its entirety
and in which consequently not only the sequence of dates of
Alexandrian paschal full moon but also the sequence of dates of
Alexandrian Easter Sunday is periodic. Bede’s Easter cycle contains
lunar cycles (of 19 years) as well as solar cycles (of 28 years),
and therefore it has a period of 532 years.
In the Byzantine empire thanks to Annianos’ Easter cycle at all
times the churches were acquainted with the date of the next Easter
Sunday. It is Beda Venerabilis’ Easter cycle by means of which also
the churches in the part of Europe outside the Byzantine empire got
that possibility.”[footnoteRef:19] [19: Text:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beda_Venerabilis’_Easter_cycle, w.
sources.]
Concluding,
it is not hard to see, why the Middle East Council of Churches,
advising the World Council of Churches, while communing in
Aleppo-Syria (a city&country hit so hard by the evils of war
today) moved to propose a solution to the Pascha/Easter date
conflict, along the lines of the original agreement realised at the
First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea.[footnoteRef:20] [20: See
Appendix A for the entire Proposal of the World Council Of
Churches.]
It seems the only viable option.
May the desire of the Heart of Jesus to unite the Date of Easter
be soon fulfilled.
4th of October 2012, adapt./090613/210418.
St. Francis of Assisi,
Marcel van Raaij. For responses, just mail me at:
Appendix A
World Council of Churches
A worldwide fellowship of 349 churches seeking unity, a common
witness and Christian service
Towards a Common Date of Easter
World Council of Churches/Middle East Council of Churches
ConsultationAleppo, Syria, 5-10 March 1997
"Christ, our paschal lamb,has been sacrificed.Let us
thereforecelebrate the festival."1 Cor. 5:7-8.
· Towards a Common Date of Easter
· I. The Issues
· II. Two recommendations
· Participants
· Table for finding Easter/Pascha dates
I. The Issues
Background to this consultation
1. In the 20th century the churches have rediscovered a deep
concern for Christian unity.
They have expressed this in their efforts to find common ground
on theological issues that have long divided them. They have
learned to give common witness in a variety of ways.
But despite this progress towards visible unity, many challenges
remain. One very sensitive issue, with enormous pastoral
consequences for all the Christian faithful, has taken on growing
urgency: the need to find a common date for the celebration of
Easter, the Holy Pascha, the feast of Christ's resurrection. By
celebrating this feast of feasts on different days, the churches
give a divided witness to this fundamental aspect of the apostolic
faith, compromising their credibility and effectiveness in bringing
the Gospel to the world.
This is a matter of concern for all Christians. Indeed, in some
parts of the world such as
the Middle East, where several separated Christian communities
constitute a minority in the larger society, this has become an
urgent issue. While there has been some discussion of this
question, it still has not been given the serious attention that it
deserves.
2. While the question of a common date for Easter/Pascha has
been addressed at different times since the earliest Christian
centuries, a renewed discussion of this issue has arisen in the
present century in the churches of both East and West. It also has
emerged in significant ways in the secular world. The question was
put to the wider Christian world in a 1920 encyclical of the
ecumenical patriarchate of Constantinople and addressed in a 1923
Pan-Orthodox congress, whose decision to revise their calendar
unfortunately led to several schisms within the Orthodox churches.
Around the same time, discussion was beginning in secular circles
especially in Western Europe concerning the possibility of
establishing a fixed day for Easter, such as the Sunday following
the second Saturday in April, so as to facilitate commercial
planning and public activities. In addition, proposals for
introducing a new fixed calendar were being advanced, for similar
utilitarian reasons. After World War II the context for dis–cussion
of such issues changed in several ways. International secular
initiatives received little support. The churches were especially
opposed to any calendar reform which would break the cycle of the
seven-day week. On the other hand, many churches continued to
express interest in the idea of a common day, whether movable or
fixed, for the celebration of Easter/Pascha. The Orthodox returned
to the paschal question from 1961 onwards, in the context of
prepara–tions for the Great and Holy Council of the Orthodox
Church; the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second
Vatican Council (1963) gave renewed impetus in the Roman Catholic
Church to discussion of this issue; and since 1965 the World
Council of Churches has taken up the subject on a number of
occasions.
3. In recent years, concrete steps have been taken in the Middle
East, where Christians of
so many traditions live closely together in a largely
non-Christian society. The Middle East Council of Churches has been
particularly active in encouraging and facilitating the
celebra–tion of Easter/Pascha on a common day. Two recent WCC
consultations have taken up this concern. A consultation on
"Christian Spirituality for Our Times" (Iasi, Romania, May 1994)
proposed that "a new initiative be taken towards the common
celebration of Easter." Even more striking are the conclusions
reached by a consultation "Towards Koinonia in Worship"
(Ditchingham, England, August 1994):
Besides the work already done on baptism, eucharist and
ministry, the churches need to address the renewal of preaching,
the recovery of the meaning of Sunday and the search for a common
celebration of Pascha as ecumenical theological concerns. This last
is especially urgent, since an agreement on a common date for
Easter - even an interim agreement - awaits further ecumenical
developments. Such an agreement, which cannot depend on the idea of
a "fixed date of Easter", should respect the deepest meaning of the
Christian Pascha, and the feelings of Christians throughout the
world. We welcome all initiatives which offer the hope of progress
in this important area." (T.F. Best/D. Heller, eds., So We Believe,
So We Pray: Towards Koinonia in Worship, Faith and Order Paper No.
171, WCC Publications, Geneva 1995, pp. 9-10.)
In view of the concerns expressed at these consultations, the
Executive Committee of the WCC, meeting in Bucharest, September
1994, recommended that Unit I, "especially the Ecclesial
Unity/Faith and Order stream and the Worship and Spirituality
stream, give renewed attention to the subject of the common
celebration of Easter, keeping in mind that
in the year 2001, the dates of Easter according to both Eastern
and Western calendars coincide."
4. The present consultation, meeting in Aleppo, Syria, March
5-10, 1997, comes in response to this request. Sponsored jointly by
Unit I of the WCC and by the Middle East Council of Churches
(MECC), it brings together representatives of a number of
communions which participate in the annual meeting of the
Conference of Secretaries of Christian World Communions,
representatives of the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches,
representatives of the MECC, and invited experts and staff.
Together participants in the consultation enjoyed the hospitality
of the Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese of Aleppo and experienced
first-hand the commitment to unity of the Chritsian communities of
this city. At a meeting with members of these communities, they
listened to a call for removal of the painful sign of separation
which differing dates for Easter/Pascha constitute. In an
atmosphere of prayer and common study, participants considered the
problem of a common day for the celebration of Easter/Pascha from
various perspectives - theological, historical, liturgical,
catechetical and pastoral. The consultation offers to all the
churches the following observatuins and recommendations.
Christ's resurrection, basis of our common faith
5. The apostolic faith of the Church is based on the reality of
the resurrection of Christ.
As St. Paul says: "Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from
the death, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the
dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not
been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, then our
proclamation has been in vain and your faith is in vain." (1 Cor.
15:12-14) Viewed as the ultimate victory over the powers of sin and
death, the resurrection of the Lord is not only an historical event
but also the sign of God's power over all the forces which can keep
us from his love and goodness. It is a victory not only for Christ
himself but also for all those united with him (1 Pet. 1:3f). It is
a victory which marks the beginning of a new era (Jn 20:17). The
resurrection is the ultimate expres–sion of the Father's gift of
reconciliation and unity in Christ through the Spirit. It is a sign
of the unity and reconciliation which God wills for the entire
creation.
6. As the apostles began their missionary activity, the
resurrection was at the heart of their preaching (1 Cor. 15: 1-17,
Acts 2:22-36, 1 Pet 1:3), and as the evangelists began to record
aspects of the Lord's teachings and ministry, the resurrection
comes as the culminating event in their gospels. In every aspect of
her life, the early Church was first and foremost the com–munity of
the resurrection. Thus the early Church's life of worship focused
on God's recon–ciling love as manifested in the saving passover of
Christ's death and resurrection. The first day of the week became
the preeminent day of the Christian assembly because it was the day
on which the Lord rose from the dead (Jn 20:1, Acts 20:7). At the
same time, this came to be known as the "eighth day," a day of new
creation and ultimate fulfillment. Each year too, Christians both
remembered and experienced the continuing power of Christ's passion
and resurrection in a single but multifaceted celebration. This
celebration also became the occa–sion for baptism, in which
Christians shared in Christ's passage from death to life, dying to
sin and rising to new life in him. Therefore the behavior of
Christians was rooted in their relation-ship with the risen Lord
and reflected the new reality inaugurated by him (Col. 3:1-11).
Historical background to the present differences
7. The New Testament indicates that Christ's death and
resurrection were historically associated with the Jewish passover,
but the precise details of this association are not clear.
According to the synoptic gospels, Jesus' last supper was a
passover meal, which would place his death on the day after?
passover, while according to John his death occurred on the day
itself, indeed at the very hour, when the paschal lambs were
sacrificed. By the end of the 2nd century some churches celebrated
Easter/Pascha on the day of the Jewish passover, regardless of the
day of the week, while others celebrated it on the following
Sunday. By the 4th century, the former practice had been abandoned
practically universally, but differences still remained in the
calculation of the date of Easter/Pascha. The ecumenical council
held at Nicaea in 325 AD determined that Easter/Pascha should be
celebrated on the Sunday following the first vernal full moon.
Originally passover was celebrated on the first full moon after the
March equinox, but in the 3rd century the day of the feast came to
be calculated by some Jewish communities without reference to the
equinox, thus causing passover to be celebrated twice in some solar
years. Nicaea tried to avoid this by linking the principles for the
dating of Easter/Pascha to the norms for the calculation of
passover during Jesus' lifetime.
8. While certain differences in the mechanics of determining the
date of Easter/Pascha remained even after Nicaea, which
occasionally resulted in local differences, by the 6th century the
mode of calculation based on the studies of Alexandrian astronomers
and scholars had gained universal acceptance. By the 16th century,
however, the discrepancy between this mode of calculation and the
observed astronomical data was becoming evident. This led to the
calendar change introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. Since that
time, western Christians have come to calculate the date of Easter
on the basis of this newer Gregorian calendar, while the eastern
churches generally have continued to follow the older Julian
calendar. While calendrical changes in some of the Orthodox
churches in 1923 affected fixed-date feasts, the calculation of the
Easter date remained linked to the Julian Calendar. Our present
differences in calculation of the date of Easter thus may be
ascribed to differences in the calendars and lunar tables employed
rather than to differences in fundamental theological outlook.
9. In its study of the mechanics of the paschal calculation, the
consultation took note of the fact that both the current eastern
(Julian) and the current western (Gregorian) calculations diverge
in certain respects from the astronomical data as determined by
precise scientific calculation. As is well known, the Julian
calendar at present diverges from the astronomical by thirteen
days; the Gregorian at present does not diverge significantly,
though it will in the distant future. Less well known is the fact
that both Julian and Gregorian calculations rely upon conventional
tables for determining the lunar cycle. For both modes of
calculation, these tables at times give results that diverge from
the astronomical data.
The continuing relevance of the Council of Nicaea
10. In the course of their deliberations, the participants in
the consultation came to a deeper appreciation of the continuing
relevance of the Council of Nicaea for the present discussion. The
decisions of this council, rooted as they are in scripture and
tradition, came to be regarded as normative for the whole
Church.
(a) Despite differences in the method of calculation, the
principles of calculation in the churches of both East and West are
based on the norms set forth at Nicaea. This fact is of great
significance. In the present divided situation, any decision by one
church or group of churches to move away from these norms would
only increase the difficulty of resolving outstanding
differences.
(b) The Council of Nicaea's decisions are expressive of the
desire for unity. The council's aim was to establish principles,
based upon the scriptural data concerning the association of the
passion and resurrection of Christ with the passover, which would
encourage a single annual observance of Easter/Pascha by all the
churches. By fostering unity in this way, the council also
demonstrated its concern for the mission of the church in the
world. The council was aware that disunity in such a central matter
was a cause of scandal.
(c) The Nicene norms affirm the intimate connection between the
biblical passover (cf. especially Exod. 12:18, Lev. 23:5, Num.
28:16, Deut. 16:1-2) and the Christian celebration of "Christ our
paschal lamb" (1 Cor. 5:7). While the council rejected the
principle of dependence on contemporary Jewish reckoning, it did so
on the grounds that this had changed and become inaccurate, not
because it regarded this connection as unimportant.
(d) In the course of their discussions the consultation also
gained a deeper appreciation for the wealth of symbolism which the
Nicene norms permit. In the worship of many of the churches,
especially in the biblical readings and hymnography of the paschal
season, Christians are reminded not only of the important link
between the passover and the Christian Easter/Pascha but also of
other aspects of salvation history. For example, they are reminded
that in Christ's resurrection all creation is renewed. Some early
Christian sources thus linked the Genesis account of the seven days
of creation with the week of Christ's passion, death and
resurrection.
(e) The Council of Nicaea also has an enduring lesson for
Christians today in its willingness make use of contemporary
science in calculating the date of Easter. While the council sought
to advance the concrete unity of the churches, it did not itself
undertake a detailed regulation of the Easter calculation. Instead
it expected the churches to employ the most exact science of the
day for calculating the necessary astronomical data (the March
equinox and the full moon)
II. Two recommendations
First recommendation
11. In the estimation of this consultation, the most likely way
to succeed in achieving a common date for Easter in our own day
would be
(a) to maintain the Nicene norms (that Easter should fall on the
Sunday following the first vernal full moon), and
(b) to calculate the astronomical data (the vernal equinox and
the full moon) by the most accurate possible scientific means,
(c) using as the basis for reckoning the meridian of Jerusalem,
the place of Christ's death and resurrection.
12. This recommendation is made for the following reasons.
In regard to point a:(i) The Church needs to be reminded of its
origins, including the close link between the biblical passover and
the passion and resurrection of Jesus Christ - a link that reflects
the total flow of salvation history. In the estimation of this
consultation, a fixed date would obscure and weaken this link by
eliminating any reference to the biblical norms for the calculation
of the passover.
(ii) Easter/Pascha has a cosmic dimension. Through Christ's
resurrection, the sun, the moon, and all the elements are restored
to their primordial capacity for declaring God's glory (Ps. 19:1-2,
148:3). Easter/Pascha reveals the close link between creation and
redemption, as inseparable aspects of God's revelation. The Nicene
principles for calculating the date of Easter/Pascha, based as they
are on the cycles of sun and moon, reflect this cosmic dimension
much more fully than a fixed-date system.
(iii) In addition to underscoring many important symbolic
aspects of the feast, a movable date for the observance of
Easter/Pascha also indicates in palpable fashion the dramatic way
in which the resurrection breaks into the comfortable routines of
this world. While such a date may in some respects be less
convenient than a fixed Sunday, it does call attention to a
significant theological point which otherwise might be
overlooked.
(iv) An earlier WCC consultation on the date of Easter/Pascha
(Chambésy, 1970) observed, "In any case the churches should arrive
at a solution for reasons based entirely on the religious meaning
of the feast and for the purpose of Christian unity rather than for
the purpose of satisfying inherently secular interests." The
present consultation wholly concurs with this sentiment.
(v) This recommendation maintains what, for most churches, is an
important aspect of tradition. Adoption of a fixed Sunday approach
would raise difficulties for many churches and, if introduced
unilaterally by one church or group of churches, might well result
in not two but three different dates for Easter/Pascha in a given
year.
In regard to point b:In recommending calculation of the
astronomical data by the most accurate possible scientific means
(as distinct, for example, from reliance on conventional cyclical
tables or personal observation), the consultation believes that it
is being completely faithful to the spirit of the Council of Nicaea
itself, which also was willing to make use of the best available
scientific knowledge. We are fortunate that experts in astronomy
have already provided these necessary calculations; they are
conveniently presented in Synodica V (Chambésy - Genève, Les
Editions du Centre Orthodoxe, 1981) 133 - 149.
In regard to point c:Astronomical observations, of course,
depend upon the position on earth which is taken as the point of
reference. This consultation believes that it is appropriate to
employ the meridian of Jerusalem, the site of Christ's passion and
resurrection, as this necessary point of reference for the
calculation of the March equinox and the subsequent full moon.
13. The recommendation just stated will have some different
implications for the churches of East and West as they seek a
renewed faithfulness to Nicaea. Both will face the need for
education of their faithful. For eastern churches, changes in the
actual dating of Easter/Pascha will be more perceptible than for
the western churches. Given the contexts in which these churches
live, this will require both patience and tact. For western
churches, on the other hand, the challenge may lie in communicating
deeper aspects of the Nicene principles for the calculation of
Easter/Pascha, such as those sketched above, and in acquainting
their faithful with the concerns and insights of the eastern
churches.
14. The consultation is well aware of the particular
circumstances of many eastern churches. In some countries in the
Middle East and Eastern Europe, where the Christian churches have
lived with the challenge of other religions or materialistic
ideologies, loyalty to the "old calendar" has been a symbol of the
churches' desire to maintain their integrity and their freedom from
the hostile forces of this world. Clearly in such situations
implementation of any change in the calculation of Easter/Pascha
will have to proceed carefully and with great pastoral
sensitivity.
15. To aid the churches in their discussion of the above
recommendation, the consultation appends to this report a table of
Easter/Pascha dates from 2001 through 2025, based on the
astronomical specifications already indicated. For convenience of
reference, the table also indicates the dates of Easter/Pascha
according to the current Gregorian and Julian reckonings, the
astronomically determined date of the first vernal full moon, i.e.,
the first full moon following the March equinox (cf. Exod. 12:18,
Lev. 23:5, Num. 28:16, Deut. 16:1-2), and the date of passover
according to current Jewish reckoning.
Second recommendation
16. This consultation also recommends that the churches now
undertake a period of study and reflection towards the goal of
establishing as soon as possible a common date for Easter/Pascha
along the lines set forth above. In the year (2001) [future:
2014/2016/2025] the paschal calculations now in use by our churches
will coincide. Together, Christians will begin a new century, a new
millennium, with new opportunities to witness to the resurrection
of Christ and to proclaim their joy in his victory over sin,
suffering and death. The unity that will be reflected as Christians
celebrate Easter/Past on the same date will be for many a sign of
hope and of witness to the world. This celebration of Easter/Pascha
on the same date should not be the exception but the rule.
17. The way is now open for the churches to consider again their
current practice for determining the date of Easter/Pascha. As a
first step, in the interval between 1997 and 2001, this
consultation encourages the churches to take up consideration of
the recommendations here proposed, and, if they find them
acceptable in principle, to explore ways of implementing them
according to their own procedures, in light of their own
opportunities, and within their own contexts. This consultation
suggests that during these years the churches consult with each
other on the ways in which a common date for Easter/Pascha can be
implemented. In this interval also, the present consultation
encourages continuation of existing local and regional initiatives,
as interim measures, for observance of a common Easter/Pascha.
18. As a second step, the consultation suggests that the year
2001 [2014/2016/2025] would also provide a good opportunity for the
churches to review reactions and to assess progress made towards
agreement on this matter. It recommends, therefore, that the World
Council of Churches, in cooperation with its ecumenical partners
and other Christian groups, organize then a consultation in which
this assessment could be reported and implementation co uld be
discussed.
19. It is the sincere hope of the participants in this
consultation that the churches will give an early and prayerful
consideration to the recommendations made in this report, as a step
towards preparing for a united witness to the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Participants
Participants:
Dr Bert Beach, U.S.A.(for the General Conference of the
Seventh-day Adventists)
Metropolitan Damaskinos (Papandreou), Switzerland(for the
Ecumenical Patriarchate)
Canon John Halliburton, United Kingdom(for the Anglican
Communion)
Rev. Fayiz Y. Henain, Syria(for the Evangelical Churches in the
Middle East)
Fr. Datev Mikaelian, Syria(for the Armenian Orthodox Church)
Archbishop Boutros Marayati, Syria (Armenian Catholic
Church)(for the Middle East Council of Churches)
Ven. Dr. Koenraad Ouwens, Netherlands(for the Old-Catholic
Churches of the Union of Utrecht)
Msgr. John Radano, Vatican City(for the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity)
Mr. Alexander Sologoub, Syria(for the Patriarchate of
Moscow)
Archbishop Dr. Gunnar Weman, Sweden(for the Lutheran World
Federation)
Metropolitan Elias Yusef, Syria(for the Greek Orthodox
Patriarchate of Antioch)
Hosts:
Metropolitan Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim(Syrian Orthodox Church of
Antioch)
Mr Razek Syriani(Syrian Orthodox Church / MECC)
Consultants:
Prof. John H. Erickson, U.S.A.(Orthodox Church in America)
Rev. Dr. Ronald Kydd, Canada(Pentecostal Assemblies of
Canada)
WCC Staff:
Fr. Dr. Thomas FitzGerald(Ecumenical Patriarchate)
Rev. Dr. Dagmar Heller(Evangelical Church of Germany,
United)
Table for finding Easter/Pascha dates (in Gregorian dates)
Year
Easter/Pascha by astronomical reckoning
Easter/Pascha by current Gregorian reckoning
Easter/Pascha by current Julian reckoning
Vernal full moon by astronomical reckoning
Passover by current Jewish reckoning
2001
15 April
15 April
15 April
8 April
8 April
2002
31 March
31 March
5 May
28 March
28 March
2003
20 April
20 April
27 April
16 April
17 April
2004
11 April
11 April
11 April
5 April
6 April
2005
27 March
27 March
1 May
25 March
24 April
2006
16 April
16 April
23 April
13 April
13 April
2007
8 April
8 April
8 April
2 April
3 April
2008
23 March
23 March
27 April
21 March
20 April
2009
12 April
12 April
19 April
9 April
9 April
2010
4 April
4 April
4 April
30 March
30 March
2011
24 April
24 April
24 April
18 April
19 April
2012
8 April
8 April
15 April
6 April
7 April
2013
31 March
31 March
5 May
27 March
26 March
2014
20 April
20 April
20 April
15 April
15 April
2015
5 April
5 April
12 April
4 April
4 April
2016
27 March
27 March
1 May
23 March
23 April
2017
16 April
16 April
16 April
11 April
11 April
2018
1 April
1 April
8 April
31 March
31 March
2019
24 March
21 April
28 April
21 March
20 April
2020
12 April
12 April
19 April
8 April
9 April
2021
4 April
4 April
2 May
28 March
28 March
2022
17 April
17 April
24 April
16 April
16 April
2023
9 April
9 April
16 April
6 April
6 April
2024
31 March
31 March
5 May
25 March
23 April
2025
20 April
20 April
20 May?[footnoteRef:21] [21: 2025, 20 May: other sources state
Orthodox Pascha 2025 is on April 20, in communion with Catholic
Easter.]
13 April
13 April
END OF APPENDIX A.
Addition (Marcel van Raaij):
5 May: Dates underlined are celebrations of Easter/Pascha after
the 2nd Full Moon after SE.
These celebrations are in conflict with the Nicaean Formula and
the original date for celebration of the Passover in Sacred
Scripture. Jewish and Christian Pascha should always fall in the
spring month, i.e. the month following the spring equinox. [Spring
equinox today: 21st of March/Gregorian, 3rd of April/Julian
Calendar].
For a visualization of these conflicting dates of Pascha, see
§3, main document, page 4.
Appendix B
Orthodox Pascha following the 2nd full moon after Spring Equinox
not to be charged with heresy.
Why?
We stated in §4 of this Letter, which was send to Pope
Francis&Patriarch Bartholomew:
“Today the Julian Calendar is 13 days out of sync with the
original date, set in Nicaea, and that is why in certain years
Orthodox Pascha is even celebrated on the Sunday following the 2nd
Full Moon after the spring equinox. This, according to the Nicaea,
should be the 1st Full Moon after the equinox.”
Does this mean the Orthodox Church is acting contrary to God’s
Will, celebrating Pascha certain years following the 2nd full moon
after the spring equinox? Sacred Scripture does not confirm this
accusation. In fact, God has foreseen situations in which
celebration of the Passover at the first full moon was impossible
-due to purity regulations- and supplied for an alternative
celebration precisely at the 2nd full moon after the spring
equinox(!), in the month following Abib/Nisan, so we read in the
Book Numeri:
“And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sina in the
second year after they had gone forth from the land of Egypt, in
the first month, saying, ‘Speak, and let the children of Israel
keep the Passover in its season. On the fourteenth day of the first
month at even, thou shalt keep it in its season; thou shalt keep it
according to its law, and according to its ordinance.’ And Moses
ordered the children of Israel to sacrifice the Passover, on the
fourteenth day of the first month in the wilderness of Sina, as the
Lord appointed Moses, so the children of Israel did. And there came
men who were unclean by reason of a dead body, and they were not
able to keep the Passover on that day; and they came before Moses
and Aaron on that day. And those men said to Moses, ‘We are unclean
by reason of the dead body of a man: shall we therefore fail to
offer the gift to the Lord in its season in the midst of the
children of Israel?’ And Moses said to them, ‘stand there, and I
will hear what charge the Lord will give concerning you.’
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the children of
Israel, saying, Whatever man shall be unclean by reason of a dead
body, or on a journey far off, among you, or among your posterity;
he shall then keep the Passover to the Lord, in the second month,
on the fourteenth day; in the evening they shall offer it, with
unleavened bread and bitter herbs shall they eat it. They shall not
leave of it until the morrow, and they shall not break a bone of
it; they shall sacrifice it according to the ordinance of the
Passover.’ ”(Num 9:1-12/Brenton LXX)
So, very clearly, a provision was given to celebrate the
Passover at the full moon (‘14th day of’) in the 2nd month (later
named ‘Iyyar’, after the Babylonian calendar); reasons were if
someone had come in touch with a dead body (burials) and were
therefore considered ‘unclean’.
During Jesus’ Trial a similar situation occurred:
“It was early in the morning when Jesus was taken from Caiaphas
to the building where the Roman governor stayed. But the crowd
waited outside. Any of them who had gone inside would have become
unclean and would not be allowed to eat the Passover meal.” (Joh
18:28 CEV)
In fact, due to the killing of Jesus because of the same Jews,
His followers by the same law became unclean for burying the sacred
Body of Christ! But they had already eaten at the original Passover
night.
The other reason to celebrate Passover at the 2nd full moon
following the Spring Equinox given in this chapter of the Thora
was: if a man was on a journey far-off so he could not be home or
at the Temple in Jerusalem in time for the Passover celebrations (a
very practical reason!).
Therefore, although the differences in Pascha-Easter dating
should be overcome, Catholics do not have a valid reason to
‘accuse’ the Orthodox for the fact that in our age Pascha during
some years is celebrated at the Sunday following the 2nd full moon
after the Spring Equinox! Scripture gives an opening in certain
cases to do so and considers these “Second Month Passovers”
completely valid!
MR-25.10.2018
3 August 20191 of 1
1
-
How To Arrive At One Date For Easter v5.docx
3 August 2019
1
of
1
To all Church leaders
,
and whom it concerns,
June 11, 2013
I
n humility I present to you a
short summary, based on earlier studies, on
the matter of
‘h
ow
could
the date of Easter
/Pascha
be re
-
united?’
.
Jesus prayed:
“
Sanctify them in truth. Thy
word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, I also have
sent
them into the world. And for them do I sanctify myself, that
they also may be sanctified in truth.
And not for them only do I pray, but for them also who through
their word shall believe
in me.
That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee;
that they also may be one in us:
that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory
which thou hast given me, I
have given to them: that, they may be one, as we also are
one. I in them, and thou in me: that
they may be made perfect in one: and the world may know that
thou hast sent me and hast loved
them, as thou hast also loved m
e.”
(John 17:17
-
23
1
)
For the sake of
u
nion we need to unite the different dates of Easter/Pas
cha. Only by the Grace
of God such a re
-
union
is conceivable
.
May the Love of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit re
-
unite us in these times of troubles so
the world, once more,
perceives
the Will of God in His most beloved Son Jesus Christ, and
His
message is heard by many, through the intercession of the most
holy
Mother of God and our
Mother in Heaven,
Saint
Mary.
Marcel van Raaij.
you can email me:
1
D
ouay
R
heims
B
ible.
1-How To Arrive At One Date For Easter v5.docx
3 August 2019 1 of 1
To all Church leaders,
and whom it concerns,
June 11, 2013
In humility I present to you a short summary, based on earlier
studies, on the matter of ‘how
could the date of Easter/Pascha be re-united?’.
Jesus prayed:
“Sanctify them in truth. Thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me
into the world, I also have sent
them into the world. And for them do I sanctify myself, that
they also may be sanctified in truth.
And not for them only do I pray, but for them also who through
their word shall believe in me.
That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee;
that they also may be one in us:
that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory
which thou hast given me, I
have given to them: that, they may be one, as we also are one. I
in them, and thou in me: that
they may be made perfect in one: and the world may know that
thou hast sent me and hast loved
them, as thou hast also loved me.” (John 17:17-23
1
)
For the sake of union we need to unite the different dates of
Easter/Pascha. Only by the Grace
of God such a re-union is conceivable.
May the Love of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit re-unite us
in these times of troubles so
the world, once more, perceives the Will of God in His most
beloved Son Jesus Christ, and His
message is heard by many, through the intercession of the most
holy Mother of God and our
Mother in Heaven, Saint Mary.
Marcel van Raaij.
you can email me:
1
Douay Rheims Bible.
