www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology TOWARDS A COMMON DATE OF EASTER: REMAINING FAITHFUL TO NICAEA

I only recently read this from the Catholic News Agency article, Vatican cardinal supports common Easter date for Catholics, Orthodox [catholicnewsagency.com], Mar 12, 2021:
This is an initiative of the of Ecu­meni­cal Patri­ar­chate. The full proposal by Archbishop Job, giving the scope and intent, is the second article (scroll down) in the February 2021 Newsletter of the Per­ma­nent Dele­ga­tion of the Ecu­meni­cal Patri­ar­chate to the World Council of Churches: EDITORIAL TOWARDS A COMMON DATE OF EASTER: REMAINING FAITHFUL TO THE COUNCIL OF NICEA (325) [mailchi.mp].

Four years, then, to study and prepare and discuss.

We've had several spirited discussion related to this topic on this forum. What will it take for this new initiative be viable?

I invite all to give their views on what it will take for there is to be real progress, not the stagnation and stalemate of the past. I say progress and not (complete) success because I suspect there will be some who will never accept anything but THEIR status quo. Will truth prevail -- and should it -- at the risk of schism?

This calendar question, more precisely a unified observance of the annual feast of Pascha, acknowledged as the Feast of Feasts, is not dogma but it is theology, specifically (I'd say) Liturgical Theology. That is why this thread is here in Faith and Theology and not a News forum. For my part I intend to identify certain defining issues and significant events, and what I believe are the basic facts that must be clarified and accepted, before there can be any real progress.

Christ is in our midst!!

ajk,

Thank you for bringing this topic, one we have discussed on this board at great length. I wonder how far it will go in the next four years up to the 1700th anniversary of Nicaea 1. Are all the autocephalous Orthodox Churches involved in this? Are the Oriental Orthodox part of this endeavor?

Just some thoughts.

I don't know but guess who's not on board:

Standardization of the Date of Easter: Moscow Says “Nyet” [fsspx.news]


So the sure way not to botch a reform again is to not even consider it.

More on this is also reported in Metropolitan Hilarion: the Russian Church will not change its way of establishing the date of Easter [fides.org].

Christ is in our midst!!

I had seen the article about His Eminence's comments before. That's why I asked.

I surmise that Metropolitan Hilarion is poorly informed or not informed or does not care to be informed. Certain bishops and theologians ought to be ashamed of themselves for advocating or advancing the solution of Met. Hilarion's "traditional system," that is the Julian Computus, or those, like the Fathers of VCII, who advance or would accept a fixed date proposal. Both are deficient as a matter of theology, specifically the Liturgical Theology that I mentioned in the initial post. Those same bishops and theologians readily give their opinions, but it appears they do not have the intellectual capacity or the dedication to be adequately informed.

Prejudice, polemics and pride are why the Gregorian reform of the Julian Computus has not been acknowledged for the true and proper Revised Julian Calendar and Paschalion that it is. Owning that should be a necessary step in advancing a unified Pascha observance after 2025. That would entail that Orthodoxy, as the nexus of the Julian Paschalion, admit two mistakes:

1. The rejection of calendar reform by Pope Gregory XIII in the 16th c. and the several anathemas of that reform that followed.

2. The attempt at its own calendar reform of the 1920's, specifically its self-designated (Milanković) Orthodox "Revised Julian Calendar" (ORJC) and then, as though inviting failure, using it for fixed feasts but keeping the Julian Pascha as a compromise.

Christ is in our midst!!

ajk,

I wonder if either of the last two suggestions you put forward will ever come to pass. It is my understanding that in Orthodoxy the entire Church must come to a unanimous decision on this type of issue. Many of the Slavic Churches do not, to this day, used the Revised Julian Calendar, though the Greek Churches do. Then there is the case of the Orthodox Church of Finland which uses the entire Western calendar for both fixed feasts and the Paschalion.

How do the Orthodox Churches come to a common practice before they can dialogue with those outside their communion?

True in principle but is there ever that ideal consensus of a "unanimous decision"? There is already, for various reasons, the variation among the Slavs, Greeks and Finns as noted. But I don't know the Orthodox mindset and priorities.

What I am saying is that those Orthodox and Catholics, who realize that the Julian Paschaleon status quo can no longer be maintained, commit to its revision and actually make it happen. Just consulting internet sources, I find that most of the in-depth and unbiased critiques of the Julian Computus are from Orthodox writers. They just can't seem to bring themselves to endorse the Gregorian reform, however, even though it should be the obvious conclusion; rather they highlight some seemingly deficient aspect of the Gregorian Computus, of a kind and magnitude that is inherent in any calendar, as justification for a different, neutral solution.

It just makes eminent sense to adopt the spirit of the Council of Nicaea and adopt the calendar that is in use today as the basis for calculating Pascha. If there are those churches that refuse, so be it. Let them carry on their "Third Rome" pretense. Does any one care anymore?

Christ is in our midst!!

The problem is that the Russian Orthodox Church is the largest Orthodox Church in the world. It also seems to have a lot of influence with the rest of the Slavic Orthodox Churches. So it would seem to matter.

Recent comments on the calendar by authoritative Russian Orthodox clergy, Bishop Hilarion, who is "chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations," as quoted before, and here Fr. Stefan, "secretary for inter-Christian relations at the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations," demonstrate their truly appalling vincible ignorance [web.archive.org]* on this topic:The Russian Orthodox Church support...ster at the same time for all Christians [translate.google.com]

Given this stand, the Russian Orthodox Church should be ashamed of itself; it's giving religion a bad name. The 'Paschalion is "a dogmatic position."' Really? If Orthodoxy, though it may demur, must be in lock-step with such obstinate ignorance to avoid schism, then 2025 will be another exercise in futility.

__________________________________
* " Ignorance is vincible if a person could remove it by applying reasonable diligence. Reasonable diligence, in turn, is that diligence that a conscientious person would display in seeking the correct answer to a question given (a) the gravity of the question and (b) his particular resources."

Archbishop Job's editorial references the 1997 Aleppo Conference document, Towards a Common Date for Easter.* The proposed 2025 initiative, I expect, will build on that 1997 document as it should. +JOB's proposal and that document are informative and give a very good overview of the issues. There are a number of aspects of the basic topics, however, that are either not emphasized or not stated with the clarity needed to avoid the confusion that too often produces false impressions and subsequent erroneous restatements.

The 2025 initiative, and studies leading up to it, must be clearer, more specific and comprehensive, and more forthright. Here are some specifics:

1. Reject the fixed date idea as an insult to the 2000 year history of Christianity's sense of a liturgical calendar.

2. Reject the Julian calendar and its computus, i.e., its Paschalion, as no longer able to adhere to the Nicaean norm.

3. Acknowledge that in its approach (Nicaea and leap-year revision) and methodology (maintaining a link with the Julian’s Metonic cycle) the true Revised Julian Calendar IS the Gregorian Calendar.

4. Accept the Gregorian solar calendar; it is a Christian calendar and it has become the normative international civil calendar.

5. Accept the Gregorian (lunar) computus, its Paschalion, or an equivalent. Clearly acknowledge that it in no way whatsoever violates the (Eastern Church) Typikon.

Regarding:

1 & 2: Worse than the fixed date approach are those who argue that adherents of the Gregorian Paschalion, who are faithful to the norms of Nicaea in fact, should instead use the Julian for the sake of unity. To do so, or recommend or in any way sanction this only reduces the sense of the Paschalion of a Christian Passover, and its liturgical theology, to a trite formalism. It is an easy solution but a cop-out; it allows a caricature that only mimics what is true: Accept a faulty application of the heralded norms of Nicaea, when a correct implementation is available and works, in order to achieve the unity desired by that same Council. As a NT feast linked to the OT, this is Pascha nominalism, the flip side of the Old Calendar zealots’ calendar idolatry. Two examples of academics sympathizing with or tolerating this capitulation approach are: A Common Date for Easter? [praytellblog.com], Bert Groen in an Interview of July 25, 2015, Pray Tell blog; and Pope Francis and the Absurdly Vexed Calendar Question [catholicworldreport.com], Dr. Adam A. J. DeVille, June 25, 2015 Catholic World Report.

3&4 are just (indisputable) facts. For #3, the Julian calendar and its Paschalion is clearly identifiable in all aspects of the Gregorian reform whereas the (Milanković-Trpković) Orthodox Revised Julian Calendar approach has no significant link to it whatsoever.

5: The need for the Orthodox Revised Julian Calendar, and the “exact” scientific, astronomical approach may be an unnecessary complication; there are caveats and ramifications that need to be explored and documented. If the church does science then it must be held to the standards of science: properly report the methodology, the calculation, the database, the results, according to the norms of scientific reporting. The “exact” scientific, astronomical approach is just another model of the cosmos, more sophisticated and detailed than a traditional computus but a model nevertheless.

_______________________________________
* The table of dates attached at the end of that document has an incorrect entry, ironically, for the year 2025. It has for the Julian Easter/Pascha May 20 when it should be April 20, the same as the Gregorian, and the crux of +JOB's proposal highlighting a unified 2025 observance.

The 1997 Aleppo statement recommends that "the most likely way to succeed in achieving a common date for Easter in our own day would be," in II 11.(b), "to calculate the astronomical data ... by the most accurate possible scientific means," It then explains
This is an example of throwing out terms and objectives that sound reasonable and even commendable but risk being hyperbole. How often will the calculation be updated as scientific data and theories improve? At what actual level of sophistication will the calculations be performed? How precise do they need to be to fit the criteria? Aleppo was in 1997 and the calculated data is from 1981. Consider this from the introduction to the Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Almanac 3rd Edition [amazon.com] (2012), keying on the word new: This is for just a 20 year period. Are the churches and its scientific experts willing to keep up with all this to give us the timing of Pascha by the envisioned "most accurate possible scientific means"? Does adherence to the Nicaean norm justify this level of technical complexity and detail?

One of the difficulties about the calendar issue is that it has so many dimensions: historical, theological, sociological, pastoral, scientific; it requires an interdisciplinary approach. For instance, consider this Fr. John Whiteford on the New Calendar Controversy in Orthodoxy (Interview with Michael Lofton) (link [youtube.com]), streamed live on Jan 14, 2020, and the relative proportion of each of the dimensions.

Also, on the common sense level there are those who have little or no interest in the details or a desire to make the effort to learn yet, they have strong opinions and through the internet the means to express their uninformed, faulty opinions. For the 2025 initiative to move the churches, the christian, forward to a common reckoning of Pascha there must be a proper and accepted catechesis of all, the people and the expert alike. It needs to begin now.

Synodica V (Chambésy - Genève, Les Editions du Centre Orthodoxe, 1981) referenced by the Aleppo Statement, Towards a Common Date of Easter (TCDE), is entirely devoted to the calendar issue on a number of levels, not just the technical, astronomical. It is available as a pdf-download, 3.8MB, SYNODHIKA_5.pdf [google.com]. It reveals that consideration was given to adoption of the Gregorian Calendar, and TCDE2025 should reexamine and reevaluate this option. It seems there is very little if any initiative by the Catholic Church in advocating the calendar and Paschalion that it initiated. To the extent this is so it is very unfortunate: the inability or unwillingness of the Catholic Church to offer a real service to the truth by standing up for and presenting the advantages and legitimacy of the Gregorian reform of 1582 and its calendar and Paschalion. The journey begun at Nicaea in 325 could properly, that is in the spirit and details of the Nicaean norm accepted by all, end with the adoption of the Gregorian Paschalion in 2025. This is not just idle talk, hyperbole, triumphalism or flamboyant rhetoric. It is eminently defendable and the Catholic Church should be taken to task for not advocating the Gregorian approach on its own merits, at least for the present and some considerable future time. The study Proceedings of the Vatican Conference to commemorate its 400th Anniversary, 1582-1982 [casinapioiv.va] should have a prominent place in the deliberations of TCDE2025. As its Preface states:


Synodica V also refutes and dispels the outright fabrications that the Gregorian reform violated the norm of Nicaea, in particular the utterly ridiculous statement that Pascha/Easter must be after Jewish Passover. How many times is this repeated when just the opposite is true; those who continue to maintain this and then also use it as a deficiency of the Gregorian Paschalion are actually the ones who are diametrically opposing the Nicaean norm. I recommend from the Synodica V volume The Date of Easter – A Canonist’s Observations (48-53) by Prof. (now Fr.) John Erickson (retired dean and church history professor [emeritus] of St. Vladimir’s Theological Seminary) followed by Prof. Gorges Contopoulos’ The Date of Easter (53-56). In particular, Erickson (50-51) quotes from an article in SVTQ (Ogitsky:1973, 278):


Also of note from the article by Prof. Gorges Contopoulos (55):

I would offer considerable criticism for the socio-cultural insights of Archimandrite Nikon Patrinacos (78-96), and some misgivings about comments of the Anglican observer Rev. Wynburn (69-70). A Common Date for Easter – Notes on the Efforts in the Ecumenical Movement by Rev. Dr. Lukas Vischer (59-67) presents background on a number of issues that still provoke debate and should be on the TCDE2025 agenda. The other presentations and exchanges among participants are in French.

I was looking over this thread, and a number of past forum threads on the calendar issue, and thought that a neutral examination of the scriptural passages dealing with the timing and theology of Passover/Pascha would be informative. What struck me out of the blue, however, and now seems so obvious -- perhaps it has been to others but I had missed it -- is that this whole calendar issue is now essentially an Orthodox issue. The timeline begins with the creation of the problem in Orthodoxy's 16th c. rejection of the Gregorian reform, an attempted solution of its own in the 1920s (first proposed in 1907) associated with the ecumenical movement and the WCC -- its own "Orthodox" calendar -- and then concrete numbers, calculations done in 1977 by "Orthodox astronomers" that were codified and put in a theological framework at Aleppo in 1997, and now rejuvenated in this new initiative.

There is a problem of a different sort on the Catholic side but this calendar controversy is really Orthodox made and sustained and through its compromises -- using the Gregorian Calendar masquerading as an "Orthodox" Revised Julian Calendar for fixed feasts but retaining the Julian Paschalion -- made even more contorted . The standard Orthodox response is that the controversy is the consequence of the West's, the Catholic Church's, unilateral implementation of the Gregorian calendar. Consider, however, that the essence of the Gregorian reform is exactly what all the Orthodox proposals, going back to at least the1920s, are striving to accomplish. In terms of Nicaea's mandate of a unified observance of Pascha, going back to the Julian Paschalion is not a solution. This new Orthodox/WCC initiative, and those of the past century, do not look to the Julian Calendar and its Paschalion as an option, in fact, quite the opposite as +JOB explains:

[emphasis added]

Aleppo and +JOB's proposal present the obvious inadequacy of the Julian computus and the desire to move on from it. Although acknowledging that the Gregorian Calendar is a proper approach, It is discounted simply because it's not Orthodox in origin. And a major part of Orthodoxy, the Russian church, like an obstinate child, simply refuses to even consider the facts; some others vigorously promote the needed reform but it has to be Orthodox invented to be acceptable.

Nicaea wanted a united observance of Pascha. It is not those who use the Gregorian calendar or advocate the Aleppo initiative who are impeding that united observance. Everyone accepts the pertinent Scripture that determines the timing of Passover that the Church has used in various ways for the timing of Pascha. It is not those who use the Gregorian calendar or advocate the Aleppo initiative who depart in fact from that pertinent Scripture.

Orthodoxy has put the Church (East and West), the Body of Christ, in a bind over this issue that appears again and again, de facto, as significant in the life of the Church: It has taught its faithful to firmly reject that which it now proposes. For all the pious talk of unity and Nicaea there are those who have enshrined custom and an ancient inadequate calendar, content to do it their way, thereby disregarding the directives of scripture, the desire of Nicaea, and the timing of God's sun and moon. It is incapable of regulating itself as +JOB relates:


Reiterating, this calendar problem is now, essentially, Orthodox made.

Maybe the best we can hope for is that Jurisdictions will allow individual parishes to go on the Gregorian paschalion, following the example of Finland.

Yes - in Finland The Lutheran, Orthodox and Catholic church are using The same calendar. Se on viisautta! Olkaamme vakaat!

And how in particular is it working out there for the Orthodox? Do the Orthodox acknowledge and give witness to a wisdom to which all should be attentive?

Well, in fact, I just don't know...

In that presentation Fr. John Whiteford stated that the Sigillon of 1583 was forged. Do you know anything about this?

No, I don't, and thanks for reminding me about his comment. I remembered someone had called into question the legitimacy of that 16th c. rejection of the Gregorian reform by the Orthodox, but couldn't recall who it was -- too bad he didn't give a reference.

I've tried to find out more about calendar reform in the East both prior to but especially during the 4+ centuries after the Gregorian reform, but to no avail.

I'm listening to the interview (again) as I write this. Fr. John is intelligent and non-polemical but he is sufficiently misinformed and imprecise that he presents the calendar issue as ultimately being somewhat arbitrary, even whimsical; and that only legitimizes stalemate and the status quo.

Christ is in our midst!!

Each year at the Orthodox Pascha celebration the appearance of the Holy Fire occurs in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. It does not occur on the date the Resurrection is observed on the Gregorian calendar. It first appears to the Greek Orthodox patriarch and then to the Armenian patriarch of Jerusalem. How this occurs only on the date observed by the Orthodox and only on the date they observe Pascha is a mystery.

The Holy Fire appears as a blue flame and does not burn a person who touches it, according to a first hand observation by a man who later was a bishop and then metropolitan of the Orthodox Church in America.

Does this, perhaps, explain one of the reasons for the Orthodox refusal to use the Gregorian calendar calculation?

It has not been a prominent point in the discussions I have had on this form dating back to 2008. I recall this occurrence, Re: Common Easter date?; see also the posts that follow it.

The norm or rule for determining the yearly date of Pascha that is associated with the Council of Nicaea is stated (with some variance) and accepted; the significant issue is in how it is correctly applied (Gregorian) or misapplied (Julian). I, therefore, must conclude that this is an instance where God accepts the sincere and genuine and fervent devotion of those using the Julian Paschalion, even though they (usually) have the wrong date.

Just had this thought and question.

Right, it was an appropriate thought and a valid question.

Prior to composing this post I thought about that, who cares, especially with all the troubles of the world. Yet the churches have struggled with this issue, documented since at least the mid-second century AD Quartodeciman controversy. And as this thread witnesses, the WCC and an Orthodox Church and member in particular, have brought it to our attention again.

Also, we are the victim of circumstance; it turns out that there recently occurred everywhere throughout the whole world, and at the very same instant, an event relevant to this discussion: the northern hemisphere vernal (spring) equinox. This is a primary event used for timing and so the correct question is not When did it occur? but What was your particular timing device indicating when it happened?. For my time zone and clock, for instance, it happened yesterday 20-March-2022 on the civil calendar at 11:33 am Eastern Daylight Time (An informative article that has other details is When does spring 2022 start? [usatoday.com]).

The calendar and methods for timing Pesach/Passover and Pascha have gone through phases that I would classify as:

(1) Observational: OT to early NT times
(2) Computus using averages (Pascahalion): Nicaea (4th c) to present
(3) Modern detailed scientific, astronomical: 20-21st c.

Using detailed discrete calculations had been considered during the Gregorian reform. They were initially favored by Clavius, its chief architect, but the traditional computus approach was adopted.

The latest proposal, initiated by some Orthodox in the early 20th c., favored by Aleppo (1997) and repeated by +JOB (2021) is that scientific, astronomical approach:

Those proposals, while basically sound, need to be explored further, especially in relation to the other phases, (1) and (2) above. The stated standard of using "the most accurate possible scientific means" requires dealing with the science, and that means attention to details and astronomical concepts. For instance, is giving the EDT occurrence as 11:33 sufficiently precise? Hours and minutes are given but what about seconds and hundredths of a second etc. Terms -- accurate, precise, error -- are used with a common, colloquial meaning and understanding that can be misleading. How is the venal equinox defined, determined, calculated? How has the statement of the rule for determining Passover/Pascha(Easter) changed and how true is that statement to the source, the scriptural texts?

To put yesterday's event into context, both the Gregorian and Julian calendars were designed so that the vernal equinox is intended to occur on its respective 21-March. The astronomical vernal equinox occurred:

20-March-2022 on the Gregorian calendar

07-March-2022 on the Julian calendar

Just a heads up, no pun intended. Tomorrow is the second event for the reckoning of Pascha. If you look at the night sky, you will NOT see the moon; that is the important point, it's the astronomical new moon.


Image from April 2022 - Moon Phase Calendar [moongiant.com]
New Moon: Apr 1, 2022 at 9:24 am Moon Phases 2022 – Lunar Calendar for Nefat Yerushalayim, Jerusalem, Israel timeanddate [timeanddate.com]
New Moon: Apr 1, 2022 at 2:24 am EDT

Now, if the 20th c some-Orthodox-proposed / WCC method is applied, Pascha is the Sunday after the full moon that will occur on April 16, that is, Pascha is Sunday April 17. This is also Pascha for the Gregorian Paschalion. Julian Calendar Pascha is (on the civil calendar as shown) April 24th, the Sunday after the moon's last quarter -- not what the norm emanating from the Council of Nicaea specified.

Could you explain again what is wrong with the "Reformed Julian Calendar" of those Orthodox Churches that use it? The Third Rome ideology has to do with the Moscow Patriarchate and there is a universal crisis within world Orthodoxy as a result of the Moscow patriarchate being state-controlled etc.

The "Orthodox Pascha" is really quite separate from any Third Rome issues (although in Moscow's case, you are doubtless correct). Orthodox tradition would argue in favour of the old Paschalion. Apart from the argument of "hey get with the program" which won't wash, what really is the argument against it?

And I, for one, am disillusioned with the Orthodox East as a whole so I'm more than open to the Western paschalion . . . and even Roman Catholicism.

There is nothing wrong with the Revised Julian Calendar (RJC) itself; It is the same as the Gregorian/civil calendar until 28 February 2800. A problem in timing can occur when the RJC is used for fixed feasts but Pascha is computed base on the Julian calendar, and its faulty computus, and its date transposed to the RJC. Since they count days differently, sometimes they just don't mesh well. It is this mixed calendar approach that can present problems.

Thank you, Reverend Father Deacon!

Tony, could you please send me an email about this. jackfigel@verizon.net

Thanks!

Jack,

I emailed you the thread; I have not seen more in the news. Let me know if you need something else.

DT

I was offered a comment, which I’ve redacted for a particular focus, since I thought it an interesting variation on the often heard stipulation that Pascha must follow Passover (as it is now determined by Jews), which is the case for the Julian Paschalion but not always for the Gregorian. This really has nothing to do with adherence to the Nicaean Norm but arises because of a 13 day bias (error) in the Julian calendar.

The comment argues: The lunar phase calendar graphic [that I previously posted in this thread for April 2022] illustrates perfectly why the Orthodox calendar is correct. The full moon at the time of the Resurrection rose on what we now called Holy Thursday, so the Resurrection had to occur in three days (reckoned as we do, sunset to sunset). Pascha on Sunday April 17, 2022 is at least two days too soon....we must wait until the following Sunday April 24, which is Pascha according to the Julian determination.

This is saying that since the full moon is the time of the Passover on Thursday, there must be more intervening days for the Friday crucifixion and burial, and a day of the Sabbath rest in the tomb. But the Gregorian Pascha is the very next day after the full moon and does not allow for the intervening days.

This makes sense if the Nicaean Norm is that the sequence of events of the Passion must all take place after the Passover full moon as at the time of the Resurrection. But that is not the case. The Nicaea Norm does not link Pascha/Easter to the Passover timing in that way. And the proof is the Julian calendar itself.

When the Julian Paschalion computes the full moon (actually the 14th day of the moon; I hope to discuss this in a future post), and it falls on a Saturday, the following day, Sunday, is Pascha just as for the Gregorian Paschalion this year 2022. An example of this is actually given in Date of Easter [en.wikipedia.org] for the year 1573, ten years before the Gregorian reform:

See also 1573 Julian calendar / Old style [5ko.free.fr].

So there is no requirement for any additional day(s) between the full moon and Pascha.

Doing the same for the present year, the Golden Number for 2022 is 9 giving a Julian Paschal full moon date of Wednesday April 7 on the Julian calendar. Applying the same rule, Pascha is Sunday, April 11 on the Julian calendar which is April 24 (the 13 day difference) on the Gregorian calendar. Here, the Julian calendar is doing the same computation as the Gregorian but with the 13 day shift.

And here’s what makes the difference: The actual, real, up-in-the-sky full moon is Saturday April 3, 2022 on the Julian calendar and not the calculated Wednesday April 7 (on the Julian calendar); Pascha should then be the next day, Sunday April 4 on the Julian which is April 17 on the Gregorian/civil calendar.

I had not realized the ramifications of this before. The Nicaean Norm, as the Julian calendar also demonstrates, does not require that the liturgical observance of the Christian Passover match the chronology of the historical sequence of events at the time of the Resurrection with respect to the full moon. So, following the Nicaean Norm, we read the prototype

Leviticus 23:5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, is the LORD's Passover

as a Jew but we interpret it as a Christian and so observe it liturgically.

Concerning the proposition that the Sigillon of 1583 is a forgery, this post [johnsanidopoulos.com] names the forger, Iakovos of New Skete, but provides no evidence for the accusation of forgery. Most of the post is not about the Sigillon but about some intricate Eastern Orthodox church politics.

The Paschal table of Hippolytus, apparently following the Johannine chronology of the passion, that Jesus was crucified on the 14th of Nisan and raised on the 16th, never celebrates Easter before the 16th day of the moon. This custom persisted in the Roman computus as far as the computus of Victorius where it is used in some of the alternative dates for Easter provided in that table. But as you note, the Alexandrian computus always celebrated Easter during the (Christian) week of Unleavened Bread, from the 15th to the 21st of the moon. Bede even argues that it would be ideal if Easter could always occur on the 15th:

Thanks, Mockingbird, you always provide good stuff; this is gold. I've read some of Wallis but would have missed Bede's meaning if you did not point it out. I'll comment more but first need to post a rather lengthy commentary that I wanted to offer as a preparation (meditation?) for Great & Holy Week. I think it turns out to be, by coincidence, the background for understanding Bede's preference for the 15th. This is installment 1.

With Spring and the Paschal Moon having arrived, and now the day for the annual remembrance of the Lord’s resurrection, this seems an opportune time to consider the scriptural texts that are relevant to the timing of the OT Jewish Passover, Pesach, and, consequently, the NT Christian Passover, Pascha. I have commented in previous posts that this calendar issue is not arbitrary and is even a matter of liturgical theology. But is it?

To what extent is it essential or necessary or important to have a liturgical year, an annual cycle of feasts and fasts, a Typikon , a tradition of Sunday as the Lord’s Day, an annual observance of Pascha? One can quote Isaiah and Paul against a mechanical fixation on appointed times and observances, but then there is the example of Jesus in His observance of those same appointed times and their link to the saving events in God’s, in the Father’s, economia.

Various forms of the calendar issue have been around since at least the mid-second century AD Quartodeciman controversy. The historical path of Christianity is one of attention to a cycle of feasts, commemorations. That same historical path witnesses that, even admitting there are legitimate interpretations and traditions, unity of observance and theological interpretation were important and determining factors, factors that excluded certain interpretations, viz. the Quartodecimans (on the Jewish Passover), and practices, viz. the Protopaschites (Sunday after the Jewish Passover). Once again, in this year of 2022, it is necessary to speak of the annual remembrances: Gregorian Pascha being 17 April, the third Sunday of April, and Julian Pascha a week later, which is Sunday, 24 April on the Gregorian calendar, and Sunday 11 April on the Julian calendar itself, which is the second Sunday of the Julian month of April.

If the calendar is not just a utilitarian tool but comprises real theology, then a close reading and interpretation of the relevant scripture should enhance our liturgical and spiritual awareness, and bring us closer to the event that is being liturgically remembered: the liturgical “today” (Calendar-Easter) that is being observed according to the mind of the Church.

I had envisioned a straightforward presentation and comment on the relevant scriptures as given, for instance, in the Aleppo statement. I found it necessary to get into the theological and scientific, i.e. astronomical, details of the biblical texts. This may seem a digression into minutiae but I would suggest that this is a literal instance of God being in the details.

The Aleppo Statement gives some relevant biblical passages for the Passover event and alludes to the Christian connection in the NT and Nicaea:


These passages are the basic texts but some others are needed for a full context. To better appreciate the meaning of the scriptures, however, requires a more basic, primitive, literal understanding of the scriptural texts than is presented in typical translations. Modern translations properly strive for immediate clarity in reading, or hearing the text proclaimed. A case in point is the first reference given from the book of Exodus describing the first Passover in Egypt. A standard translation of Ex 12:18ff

Exodus 12:18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, and so until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19 For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses… 21 Then Moses called all the elders of Israel, and said to them, "Select lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the passover lamb.

The clarity of this translation can be deceptive in what is actually described and how it is described. We think of some first month of a calendar year and its 14th day. Compare this to a literal rendering using the idiom of the Hebrew:

Exodus 12:18 In the first ( בָּרִאשֹׁ֡ן , ba-rishon) on the fourteenth day of the moon at evening ( לחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ בָּעֶ֔רֶב ; chodesh ba-erev), you shall eat unleavens ( מַצֹּ֑ת matstsot f pl; ἄζυμα , azuma, n pl), and so until the twenty-first day of the moon at evening.

Recall that the day here is the evening-morning Biblical day. This passage also refers to an in/at the first, ba-rishon (adjective), so the first one, viz. something that is a beginning.

Also, the word codesh is here rendered in the more basic sense of moon not month. This is because the OT sense of time reckoning – the calendar – is based primarily on the moon, with the sun synchronizing the progression of the moons (months) to the seasons; it is a lunar time reckoning that is then adjusted as needed to be in step with the sun and thus the seasons of the year. In our civil calendar, a solar calendar, months can be and are of somewhat arbitrary number of days and are independent of the moon. Each month in the OT calendar is a one cycle of the moon, that cycle being ~29.5 days in length; the lunar month then is either 29 or 30 days long since half days would be awkward on a calendar. To visualize this, consider a standard current calendar that has the phases of the moon indicated. For some calendar month find the day of the “new moon” and from that day as day one, count out the next 31 days for good measure; most often this will include some days from the next calendar month. The result is something akin to the (lunar) month/moon of the scripture. For instance, this is what I am calling Astronomical Lunar March (moon-month) for 2021. It is chosen since it illustrates the point and is based on an astronomical, scientific, description of the moon’s phases. It spans portions of the months of March and April:

All the dates are for the civil calendar which is the Gregorian calendar. The March 2021 astronomical new moon occurred on March 13, here the first day of the moon, and the astronomical full moon 15 days later, which is the 16th day of the moon, on March 28. This Astronomical Lunar March 2021 was 30 days, March 13-April 11. The next moon, lunar month, began April 12. We in modern times most likely are unaware of or ignore this aspect of nature, this natural timing of the moon phases, although they were important in the past. For this astronomical data the full moon occurred on luna 16 (the 16th day of the moon). I've also indicated the date of the vernal equinox with its standard symbol, the sign for Aries, on luna 8.

If this astronomical data is used with the Aleppo statement's "recommendation" and its interpretation of the Nicaean Norms,


then, the equinox having occurred on luna 8, the full moon on luna 16, a Sunday, Pascha is the next Sunday, luna 23, April 4.

Although I'm reluctant to diverge from the review of Scripture, I recalled AB JOB's explanation of the scenario that leads to a difference in Pascha on the order of a month. Since the dates were presented for Lunar March, I though it would be simple enough to present it in terms of the familiar calendar months. I used color coding for clarity. As I proceeded, the graphic started to light up given the number of dates/events that are involved, and that for two calendars. But having done it. here it is -- hopefully it illustrates AB JOB's explanation. All the colors correspond to the same days on the two calendars. The astronomical data are times independent of any calendar; both the equinox and the full moon happen at the same instant for all places on earth. Calculations tell us when that happens and then we mark that on whatever calendar we want, and presumably use.

The key dates are on Julian March and they line up by coincidence. Gregorian Equinox (red) is on MAR 8 and the Paschal Full Moon(yellow) on the 15th so Gregorian Pascha (green) is the following Sunday MAR 22, which is APR 4 on the Gregorian calendar.

The Julian equinox (purple) on MAR 21 -- both the Julian and Gregorian fix the equinox to their respective MAR 21 -- comes after, i.e. misses the full moon of the 15th. It must wait for the next full moon on the APR 14 (grey) and the Julian computus is close enough to the astronomical that it gives a date of APR 19 (blue) for its Pascha. This is MAY 2 on the Gregorian calendar.

Though not in Aleppo’s list, Exo. 12:2 gives some additional important information for understanding the timing of the Passover. Again, being literal to get the flavor of the Hebrew text:

Exodus 12:1 YHWH said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt

Exodus 12:2 "This moon הַחֹ֧דֶשׁ (ha-codesh) shall be for you the head (beginning) רֹ֣אשׁ (rosh) of moons חֳדָשִׁ֑ים (codeshim); the first/chief ( רִאשׁ֥וֹן ; rishun) this to you (plural) for the moons of the year ( לְחָדְשֵׁ֖י הַשָּׁנָֽה ; le-chodshē hash-shanah).

Here a yearly timing is indicated, that is, some number of moons that eventually return to the one at the head and that then repeat the cycle. For both the Gregorian and Julian calendars a year is 12 calendar months and 365 days or, for leap years, 366 days. A year based on moons, lunar months, is 12x29.5 days = 354 day, 11 days short of the 365 day year. Basically every three years, the 12 lunar months fall behind by 3x11 days=33 days, thus 3 or 4 days more than a lunar cycle. When this happens, the Hebrew calendar must add an additional month, a leap month, to insure that the calendar is synchronized with nature. More than being just a page of a yearly wall calendar, the lunar month, the cycle of the moon, is a natural, celestial event. The calendar’s job is to accommodate the event. Nature determines and dictates the timing; calendars are just overlays on the natural, cosmic timing.

From Aleppo’s list, Lev 23:5 conveys the same basic instruction as Exo. 12:8, but with a refinement:

Leviticus 23:5 At the moon (חֹדֶשׁ ), the first/head, on the fourteenth for the moon ( לַחֹ֖דֶשׁ ) between the evenings ( הָעַרְבָּ֑יִם ) is the Pesach/Passover ( פֶּ֖סַח) to YHWH ( לַיהוָֽה ).

The time specified is not just evening as in Exodus but more specifically ha-arbaim, between the evenings, which is believed to be the time between noon and the evening twilight that begins the 14th day. But is it, is that the meaning?

The verses in Numbers give important additional information, relating the 14th and the 15th days:

Numbers 28:16 "On the fourteenth day of the first moon ( הָרִאשׁ֗וֹן ) is the YHWH's passover. 17 And on the fifteenth day of this moon is a feast; seven days shall unleavens be eaten.

In these translations, first has the meaning of primary rather than an ordinal number. So, the Passover is on the 14th and the meal is on the 15th, recalling that this is the evening-and-morning biblical day.

Exactly when, however, does this moon that corresponds to the moon at the time of the Exodus, the moon that is at the head of all the moons throughout the year occur? This is an example of that liturgical today. For every year, for every generation after the actual exodus from Egypt, the same participation in the actual event is realized by the timing of the moon and sun. Every year the timing of the event is replicated by the specified day of the moon, of the designated moon of the year, not by giving a date on a calendar, but in compliance with the present timing of nature, of the earth, moon and sun. This is the moon of YHWH's Passover made present, today, for every generation.

The specified moon is given in Deuteronomy & Exodus:

Deuteronomy 16:1 "Observe the moon of Aviv ( חֹ֣דֶשׁ הָאָבִ֔יב ; chodesh ha-Aviv) and keep the פֶּ֛סַח Pesach/Passover to YHWH your God; for in the moon of Aviv, YHWH your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 And you shall slaughter Pesach/Passover פֶּ֛סַח to YHWH your God, …

Exodus 13:1 YHWH said to Moses, 2 "Consecrate to me all the first-born; whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine." 3 And Moses said to the people, "Remember ( זָכ֞וֹר zachor; μνημονεύετε , mnemoneuete) this day, in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage, for by strength of hand YHWH brought you out from this place; no leavenes shall be eaten. 4 This day you are to go forth, in the moon of Aviv.

Exodus 23:15 You shall keep the feast of unleavens ( חַ֣ג הַמַּצּוֹת chag_ham-matstsot; ἑορτὴν τῶν ἀζύμων); as I commanded you, you shall eat unleavens for seven days at the appointed time ( לְמוֹעֵד ; le-moed) in the moon of Aviv, for in it you came out of Egypt…

Thus the time of the Exodus, the appointed time (the feast) of Pesach/Passover and Unleavened Bread (I have not translated it this way since there is no explicit word bread) is the moon of Aviv (This moon of Aviv also goes by its Babylonian name, Adar). Aviv in OT Hebrew means the new, not fully ripened, green barley [Cf. LXX: ἐν μηνὶ τῶν νέων (Exo 13:4)]. This phenomenon of nature occurs in the spring and gives the solar, the seasonal timing for the moed [at the appointed time ( לְמוֹעֵד ;le-moed)], the specific moon of the twelve (or thirteen) moons that return the yearly cycle to the season when the barley has appeared. (In modern Hebrew, Aviv actually means Spring; the modern city and former capital of the State of Israel, Tel Aviv, is Hill of Spring.)

It was important on a practical level to get the timing of this moon correct (See, Sacha Stern, Calendar and Community, 70,"The year may be intercalated on three grounds..."). This is because there is an additional directive that ties Passover/Unleavended Bread with another important feast. It is important to get the Aviv Moon correct in order to make good on the availability of the Aviv, the barley, for the ritual offering of the Omer. This is recorded in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy:

Leviticus 23:10 "Say to the people of Israel, When you come into the land which I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf עֹ֛מֶר (omer) of the first (fruit) רֵאשִׁ֥ית (rēshit, ἀπαρχὴν ) of your harvest to the priest;
Leviticus 23:11 and he shall wave the sheaf before the YHWH, that you may find acceptance; on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it…
Leviticus 23:15 "And you shall count from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that you rought the omer of the wave offering; seven sabbaths שֶׁ֥בַע שַׁבָּת֖וֹת complete shall they be,
Leviticus 23:16 counting fifty (LXX: πεντήκοντα) days to the morrow after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a cereal offering of new grain to the YHWH.

Deuteronomy 16:9 "You shall count seven weeks; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you first put the sickle to the standing grain. Deuteronomy 16:10 Then you shall keep the feast of weeks to the YHWH your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the YHWH your God blesses you;

These verses account for the timing of Passover and Unleavened Bread and the Moed (appointed time, feast) of the first-fruit (omer) and its counting to the 50th day, the Moed called Shavuot (Hebrew: שָׁבוּעוֹת‎, Šāvūʿōṯ, lit. "Weeks") in the Hebrew text of scripture, and Pentecost in Greek. This is the Moed/feast that Luke describes in Acts:

Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they [the disciples] were all together in one place. Acts 2:5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.

It must be noted, however, that while the timing, the linking of Passover and Unleavened Bread is explicit, the choice of the Sabbath and thus the "morrow after the sabbath" in the Leviticus passages is not explicit. This is true for Luke's account in Acts. Our liturgical year interprets that "morrow" as Pascha, and this was and is a common interpretation in Jewish practice also.

There is one last text concerning the preparation for the Passover, and it highlights an important aspect of our liturgical theology:

Exodus 12:3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household… Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.
Exodus 12:6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs in the evening.

This 10th day, the day the lamb is selected, corresponds to the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem in triumph, the day observed liturgically as Palm/Flowery Sunday. This coincidence and its interpretation is discussed at some length by what I would characterize as non-liturgical Christian communities. I do not see it appearing in our (extensive) liturgical commentary, our prayers. Its link to the OT is not referenced in the NT. I wonder if this is noted at all in Patristic writings. The proper correspondence of OT feasts with our liturgical tradition, along with important cautions, is discussed by Fr. Sebastian Carnazzo, Rejoice All ye Peoples: The Feasts of the Old Testament [godwithusonline.org] at God With Us, a presentation that I highly recommend.

To wrap it up, the attached pdf has calendar representations (too big to be inline) of the Moon of Aviv to Pentecost. Where scripture is not definitive about the timing, I have chosen the interpretation that is most compatible with liturgical observance.

This is a detail from the pdf. Applying the Nicaean Norm, however, seven different scenarios are possible, viz. luna 14 falling on any day of the week, Sunday through Saturday. If the goal of the liturgical observance of Pascha was intended to simulate primarily the historical, chronology pattern, then luna 14 on a Thursday would be the ideal.



Viewed as the biblical day, the meal, crucifixion and burial all happened on the same day, luna 15. This complements the liturgical/theological unity of the Eucharist as meal and sacrifice, its setting both Table and Altar. Of chronological necessity, Pascha is a different day.

As discussed in recent posts, Bede [en.wikipedia.org], a prominent computist of his time, considers what would appear to be the most restrictive scenario, luna 14 on a Saturday, as the ideal, thus:



For this case, through the representation of the calendar, the meal, crucifixion, burial and resurrection, along with the the count of unleavens and omer, all coincide!

Of course, all of the possible luna 14 scenarios are equally valid and liturgically complete.

A blessed Pascha to all those following the Julian calendar.

Christ is risen!

Christ is in our midst!!

Thank you for your thorough research on this issue.

I highly, highly, recommend this presentation to everyone. I was impressed and touched by the sincerity and perspective of the participants. This is especially so for me as an Eastern (BCC) Catholic.

COMMON CELEBRATION OF PASCHA AND EASTERN-WESTERN CHRISTIAN RELATIONS [youtube.com]

A good discussion. It was good of them to conduct their discussion in English, even though it seems difficult for some of them. I notice they are not afraid to call the Paschal feast "Easter" when speaking in English.

Archbishop Job speaks as though he thinks that the Western churches use astronomical observations in setting the date of Easter, whereas he must know, or can easily discover, that the churches which use the Gregorian calendar use the same kind of tables the churches that use the Julian calendar use, just with different numbers in them.

Acceptance of the Milankovitch/WCC proposal would be a break from the tradition of using a lunar calendar based on average lunations. Instead of using exact calculations of the full moon, I would propose using a lunar calendar based on the first visibility of the lunar crescent at Jerusalem. As a substitute for actual first visibility, a calculation of when the moon reaches a certain elongation (say 10 degrees) or a certain illuminated fraction could be substituted so that the lunar calendar could be determined in advance. This would define the first day of the lunar month. The Paschal lunar month would be the one for which the sunset beginning the month's 14th day occurs after the equinox at Jerusalem. Or some other rule could be used: for example noon on the 14th day would have to occur after the equinox. This approach would give us astronomical accuracy (since the lunar months would follow the true moon more exactly than they do now) but retain the tradition of using a lunar calendar.

Passovers this year:

Rabbinic 14 Nisan: April 5 2023
Gregorian 14 Nisan: April 5 2023
Julian 14 Nisan: April 9 2023
Samaritan 14 Nisan: May 3 2023

It's New Year's Day. New Year's Day [en.wikipedia.org]

As observed then, it is specifically for the Gregorian Calendar and it is the only festival (I believe) that is solely observed because it is a specific date on a specific calendar. So today is not just New Year's Day but, essentially, Gregorian Calendar Day.

I agree but my reservations have increased for the churches adopting the astronomical calculation approach. I finally followed my own suggestions in part -- Re: Calendar-Easter and Re: TOWARDS A COMMON DATE OF EASTER: REMAINING FAITHFUL TO NICAEA-- and while I see the functionality and neutrality in the method, the intricacy and the amount of additional specifications makes it more contrived.

Some further thoughts:

Computists of the past have often conflated the Paschalion and events in the life of Jesus. They tried to impose a biased harmony based on some mystical significance of dates. While related to the Paschalion, I consider establishing the date of the crucifixion, for instance, as a separate task. For the latter, modeling the methodology used by the Sanhedrin, the procedures for determining the Moon of Aviv for the Crucifixion Passover, involve additional meteorological, cultural and historical constraints. Consider April 3, AD 33: Why We Believe We Can Know the Exact Date Jesus Died [cbs.mbts.edu] and The Date of the Crucifixion [asa3.org].

For the churches, it is necessary and sufficient to conform to the biblical formula. The detailed astronomical approach can be more than sufficient but I do not think it necessary. The biblical approach is based on a sense of the moēd, the appointed time and place The Old Testament directives for when a feast is observed are not just a matter of calendar timing but of an appropriate time in reference to nature, the moēd:

Genesis 1:14, 16 And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for appointed times (moadim) and for days and years… And God made two great lights: a greater light to rule the day; and a lesser light to rule the night…” Exodus 23:15 “You shall keep the feast of unleavens; as I commanded you, you shall eat unleavens for seven days at the appointed time (moēd) in the month of Aviv, for in it you came out of Egypt…” Leviticus 23:4 “These are the appointed times (moade) of YHWH, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed (moadam) for them.”

Thus, the

Biblical Formula: The appointed time for Pesach/Passover is the 14th day of the Moon that is the first of the Moons of the year, the Moon of the new barley, Aviv.

We must demonstrate in practice what we sing at Vespers : “He made the moon for the appointed times and the sun that knows its entrance” (Ps 103[4]:19).

I think the Gregorian Calendar and Paschalion are already doing the job as required.

According to Josephus Antiquities 3.250/3.10.5 the sheaf was waved on the 16th of Nisan:


In modern Rabbinic Judaism the counting of the Omer begins after sunset on the first day of Unleavened Bread, i.e. at the beginning of the 16th of Nisan. I am informed by a footnote in the Loeb Classical Library edition (from which the translation has been taken) that the Karaites begin counting the Omer on the Sunday of Unleavened Bread, but I have not confirmed this.

From a previous post in this thread:


In that post I questioned how the Aleppo proposal would insure the churches "calculate the astronomical data ... by the most accurate possible scientific means." The calculations reported in Synodica V in 1981 were done by three groups in 1979. The three groups were led by top-notch, well respected ("Orthodox") astronomers, so the quality of their work is not an issue. There were some differences in the results of the three groups and they did not provide details about the methodology and scientific models used. Science is neutral (so similar results would have been obtained by even atheistic scientists) but it is not static and data and calculations are always being refined, reevaluated and improved.

Of the three groups reporting at Chambésy in 1979 the largest time period calculated was Prof. Lederle's, 1969-2500. His calculation was the only one using the meridian of Jerusalem, given as longitude -35° 11'. This is the specification recommended in the Aleppo proposal which has a partial table of results included at its end (Calendar-Easter); these numbers appear to be from Lederle.

How often are the churches going to evaluate the "astronomical data " to insure the calculated results are obtained "by the most accurate possible scientific means"? And what are, who has, those most accurate means? Having asked that last question, I'll give my answer in forthcoming posts.

An astronomical Easter, according to The Oxford Companion to the Year

After this the Swedish and Finnish Lutherans went on the Gregorian calendar.

I often say, "Do the experiment," and the Swedish and Finnish Lutherans have done this for us. Eventually choosing the Gregorian calendar makes sense. What doesn't make sense to me is that the scientific "calculus astronomicus" succumbs to a less scientific Passover determination -- applying the spurious Zonaras Proviso [orthodoxwiki.org])? If it's required to check the Jewish determined date of Passover, why bother doing it yourself at all. Get the Jewish date for their Nisan 14 and then the next Sunday is Pascha-- simple, except that it's the Protopaschite approach discredited at/after Nicaea I.

Christ is in our midst!!

We only need one thread dealing with this topic. Currently it runs in this section--Faith and Theology--and in Town Hall. Should these two be combined?

Bob
Moderator

The other thread, Calendar-Easter, is a sporadic, ongoing general discussion dating back to 2016. The present thread deals with an immediate and specific proposal of the Ecumenical Patriarchate focusing on 2025 and the anniversary of Nicaea I. I think combining the threads would blur that focus. Also, this thread is meant to draw attention to a common theological framework that should ultimately supersede the stumbling blocks of history, sociology, ecumenism, ethnicity, political considerations etc., as I stated in the initial post:

OK

This is the first of those "forthcoming posts."

Before addressing those two essential questions and the technological, scientific, astronomical details and calculations, an overview that gives the historical and chronological context and the theological and liturgical foundations should be briefly reviewed.

This discussion arises from repeated initiatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (EP) over the past 100+ years aimed at liturgical-calendar reform. That initiative and its lengthy endurance is a clear indication that the Julian Paschalion needs to be replaced: It no longer adheres to the prescriptions of Scripture and the norms attributed to the Council of Nicaea. The EP’s initiative has been affirmed to various degrees by other churches and was put in a sound theological framework by the WCC's Aleppo proposal. The EP’s initiative has also produced (in 1923, published in 1924) a “New Calendar of the Eastern Churches” (aka Milankovitch or Revised Julian Calendar, same as the Gregorian until 2800).

In accord with the EP’s initiative, the Aleppo proposal modifies the traditional approach of both the Julian and Gregorian calendars in several significant ways:
- It is based directly on the full moon rather than the 14th day of the moon of Scripture.
- Its granularity (the smallest chunk of time considered) is the instant (second or fraction of second) rather than the day.
- It is not “perpetual” in the sense of a “perpetual calendar,” i.e. it does not have an inherent repeating cycle, a complete repetition of Pascha dates.
- It is not dependent on a calendar -- but as a practical matter must be referenced to a calendar.

The ideal of a Perpetual Calendar was an important feature of the computus of the Julian Paschalion and it was maintained, by design, in the Gregorian Paschalion, though the latter has a much longer cycle period. Based on calendar arithmetic, the full sequence of the Julian Paschalion repeats every 532 years; the full sequence of the Gregorian Paschalion repeats every 5,700,000 years. A consequence of this feature needs to be addressed: How often should revisions to the Paschalion be made and how contingent should the Paschalion be on minute and subtle shifts in timekeeping and predictive calculations?

The 100+ year effort led by the Ecumenical Patriarchate (EP) is a testimony to the inadequacy of the Julian Paschalion.

The EP’s initiative has produced and reported (1979-1981) Pascha dates based on then current scientific models rather than a traditional computus. This initiative embarks upon a high-tech approach to the solar and lunar cycle applied to a determination of Pascha. Aleppo has considered this and correctly observes:


Although not an unwarranted approach, is it advisable?

Here is an excerpt from the 1979 Chambésy meeting as published in Synodika V (1981) [original in French] 113-117:


Lederle’s approach relied on generally accepted and, it appears, tabulated values and not new calculations per se. This is an acceptable and reasonable procedure. At that time what was considered high-powered electronic computing was not generally available and calculations were routinely done "by hand" (by people know as computers!). Even today (as I'll note in a future post) true state-of-the-art computations are the domain of super-computers and those who can afford them. Results are then stored in computer files of ephemerides [en.wikipedia.org] (diary or journal), raw data such as coordinates (positions) and velocities that can be used as needed such as predicting astronomical events, e.g. vernal equinox, full moon etc. Also note that although Lererle's dates are determined for 1969-2500, only those to 2200 are, in a sense, being certified, i.e. recommended.

Lederle’s source for the moon data, as stated, is Brown:

Brown's Tables [en.wikipedia.org]

Lederle’s source for the sun data, as stated, is Newcomb:

Newcomb's Tables of the Sun [en.wikipedia.org]]

That "new fundamental ephemeris" calculation, DE200/LE200, is already rather old and has been continuously improved. The most recent (2020) updates are DE440 and DE441:

Jet Propulsion Laboratory Development Ephemeris [en.wikipedia.org]

Here is a brief description of these Development Ephemeris (DE) files, how they are calculated, the model employed and how they are used:


These data and software tools are made available to the public and researchers:

About NAIF [naif.jpl.nasa.gov]

SPICE is subtitled “An Observation Geometry System for Space Science Missions” and is provided to the public :

SPICE [naif.jpl.nasa.gov]

It is the “various kinds of solar system events” that are of interest for determining Pascha. The current version of the SPICE Toolkit [naif.jpl.nasa.gov], Version N67, was released January 3, 2022. The toolkit is available for “several computing environments (platform/operating system/compiler).” It comprises a 1416 subroutine/function library SPICELIB [naif.jpl.nasa.gov], for manipulating data and performing calculations.

There are some other possible approaches (e.g. SOFA [iausofa.org]; VSOP [en.wikipedia.org]) that can be considered but I would say that these DE calculations by JPL are the best candidate to satisfy Aleppo's proposal "recommending calculation of the astronomical data by the most accurate possible scientific means."

The point is that there is more to this aspect of Aleppo's Proposal than may have been appreciated.

DE441 would probably be of sufficient accuracy for computistical purposes.

I like the Aleppo proposal's use of the meridian of Jerusalem. But I continue to maintain that, instead of calculations of the full moon, we should establish a Babylonian-style lunar calendar based on the first visibility of the lunar crescent. In practice, some convenient substitute for the first visibility would be used, such as the moment when the moon achieves a 10% illuminated fraction (or some other convenient value.)

I agree. I have used DE441 for some preliminary 6 BC to AD 325 calculations (especially for around AD 30-33) and the full range (1550-2649) of DE440 for addressing the Aleppo proposal. Results to follow.

Less innovative than Aleppo's full moon would be Scripture's 14h of the observable-new moon simulated by a related calculated parameter and an "observation" time window. It seems 6 PM gets mentioned as the locus for the time. Since the equinox and new and full moon are (astronomically) defined by geometry, I've been looking at the Lunar phase [en.wikipedia.org] "expressed quantitatively using ... angles," for a luna 1 separation angle of 3-10%.

As noted from the Chambésy meeting:


Why the limitation up to year 2200? The report notes three years where the Easter date differs because of the different locations, UTC (Greenwich, 0 offset) and Jerusalem, UTC- (35° 11'). These are differences in the day of the full moon: When it is late Saturday at Greenwich England it can be early Sunday in Jerusalem. These are expected differences since, when they occur, the new and full moon (and the equinox) occur at the same instant for everyone over all the earth, the difference being what time is on your clock when they happen. Although not specified in the Chambésy report or in the Aleppo Proposal, the results are for a “midnight-to-midnight day” (see this as noted in Revised Julian calendar [en.wikipedia.org]).

Lederle does question one of his own results, for the year 2468. In his detailed table, he gives the full moon, TABLE V, p 148 as Sunday APR-8 0h 1m which bumps Easter to the following Sunday, APR-15. Gregorian and even Julian Easter are in agreement (Passover noted as APR-8). In his summary table however, TABLE I p 121, he gives the same date but notes “DATE INCERTAlNE, PROBABLEMENT 8.4 (2468)”. The 1 minute past midnight is a really close call but why propose that Easter is probably 8.4, APR-8?

I did the calculations using DE440 and SPICE and get (giving computer not actual precision) for Jerusalem, UTC-(35° 11'):

2468 APR 08  00:32:20.050749    SUN    FULL MOON
JD2000 = 2622576.52325505111367     Phase=97.82%

So he really had a buffer of over 32 minutes and was correct to go with the APR-15 date for Easter.

The proper way to check Lederle (his reported1979-1981 values) against DE440 is to compare times of the full moon and vernal equinox. Lederle gives these full moon and vernal equinox values; they are a lot of data that is not available in digital form. I have checked his Pascha/Easter results, however, for the total years he reported, 1969-2500, and did find two years of disagreement:



Lederle also gives the Gregorian and Julian dates:

2214    MAR-27(G)    MAY-1(J)
2319    APR-06(G)    APR-13(J)

These are beyond the imposed limit of year 2200.

Given virtually instantaneous communication, how soon do we need to know Pascha and the feasts tied to it in advance? Why not follow a variation of the primitive practice: The Church announces the next Pascha soon after (immediately ?, Ascension ?, Pentecost?) the conclusion of the last? Knowing no more than 100 years should satisfy anyone's functional curiosity.

I have characterized this calendar/paschalion issue as comprising theology and technology. A substantial amount of scientific/astronomical advancement took place from the time of Nicaea, AD 325 to the Gregorian revision, AD 1582. I recommend the writings of C. Philipp E. Nothaft and Alden A. Mosshammer to anyone interested in this development (primarily) in the West.

There are three quantities in particular that are important in that history and they are still relevant today: (1) the vernal/spring equinox tropical year; (2) the mean tropical year; (3) the synodic month. Concerning (1) and (2) for instance, see Calendar-Easter [byzcath.org], leap year specification; (3) determines the lunar cycle, the lunar month as prescribed in the Old Testament verses for Passover; see posts in this thread.

A problem I have found is that numbers given for those quantities are poorly documented as to their source, and if that is given, then the method and database used for the determination of the events considered. Here I document as a summary typical events evaluated for the full range of the JPL DE440 data, AD 1550-2649, using the SPICE Toolkit:



The present year 2023 is provided as an example (2023 JPL DE440.pdf) of the data for each of the years included in the average values for the designated "EVENT."

Did anyone feel different or notice something out of the ordinary about yesterday? Probably not, and that is the point.

Specifically yesterday 2023 MAR 20 at 21:13 UTC,* UTC-4 = EDT 5:13 PM, Eastern Daylight Time (adjust for your time zone). It was that instantaneous, global event, the astronomical vernal equinox: This is the definition also noted in Synodica V (1981) for the 1977 Chambésy meeting (see attached Equinox and New Moon, 1) , and then incorporated into the 1997 Aleppo proposal -- very precise but doesn't exactly warm the heart or engage the senses. Most of the times we are satisfied to be aware that "yesterday" (though not the same calendar day for everyone) was the first day of Spring.

That sense of the day and not the instant is the granularity of the first two "phases," the Biblical and the Computus, relative to the Modern, which looks at the instant. The Biblical approach was based on direct observations of the environment, specifically the aviv, the new barley as specified in Scripture. For me, eastern US just north of Baltimore MD, my forsythias are a reliable and striking indicator that Spring is near or here.

So it's Spring but what about the moon? Information available online about astronomical events can be sketchy. When Is the First Day of Spring 2023? [timeanddate.com] and Moonrise, Moonset, and Moon Phases, March 2023 [timeanddate.com] seems to be a good site, although they do not appear to give the source of their data. One in particular that I recommend is Solstices and Equinoxes: 2001 to 2100 [astropixels.com]; he references either the method (Astronomical Algorithms by Jean Meeus ) or database (JPL DE405 planetary and lunar ephemerides) used.

Unlike the equinox, the moon is a very prominent observable. The moon has been waning since being full on MAR-07 and has now gone dark, so it's time to start looking for that first crescent of the new moon at the beginning of the biblical day, in the early evening in the west where the sun has just set. This, according to Scripture, will mark the beginning of the lunar month (Aviv - Nisan) and the beginning of the liturgical year: the moon of Pesach/Passover; the moon of Pascha/Easter. For Jerusalem at the longitude used by Lederle at Chambésy (using JPL SPICE toolkit and DE440) :

2023 MAR 07   15:33:29      TUE     FULL MOON before equinox so too early to be the Paschal moon
2023 MAR 20   23:34:26      MON     VERNAL EQUINOX
2023 MAR 21   20:09:03      TUE     NEW MOON JD2000†=2460025.34; Astronomical Luna 1
???          Observed new moon crescent giving Biblical Luna I
???           Biblical Luna XIV (14th of the moon, inclusive)
2023 APR 06   07:14:30       THU    FULL MOON JD2000=2460040.80; Astronomical Luna  Δ = 15.46 days

Going by Aleppo using the full moon gives:

2023-APR-09      SUN       PASCHA

This is also Gregorian Pascha; Julian Pascha is a week late, APR-16 (APR-03 on Julian Calendar).

Both Jew and Gentile eventually adopted the "rule of the equinox" as a discriminator for determining the the Passove/Paschal Moon. Over time they both switched to a computus for solar and lunar timings.

While using the astronomical full moon is acceptable, the 14th of the moon was retained by the computus as conforming to the directive of scripture. The question is how to reasonably model that timing using the sophisticate computations available: % of phase/elongation observed for some time window, e.g. ≥ 5-10% at 4-8 pm (see attached Equinox and New Moon, 2, regarding 6 pm )?

So this is a practical opportunity for us to get close to nature and experience the biblical rhythm for Pascha: Keep an eye for that first sighting of the lunar crescent and let us know when and where it was observed.


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* based on DE440; see previous post 2023 JPL DE440.pdf
† JD2000: days since Julian Date of 2000 JAN 1.5

I live in the US midwest, and I observed the new crescent on the evening of March 22, right at the beginning of Eastermonth (as it was called of old) in the Gregorian lunar calendar.

I missed it on MAR 22 but saw it on the 23rd 19:53:58 EDT. It was quite elegant but the picture distorts the sleekness, making the luminosity appear twice the size. It had rained and I do not have a convenient view of the western horizon. Based on my observation, however, I figured it could have been visible the previous evening. Now working through what was the situation in Jerusalem.

Christ is in our midst!!

I have a question. What would a change to the calculation of the date of Pascha do to the Ceremony of the Holy Fire that always appears on the Orthodox Pascha in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem? The Holy Fire has appeared for centuries in the Tomb of Christ at Orthodox Pascha and marks the beginning of their celebration.

I once had the opportunity to speak to a Russian bishop who had been present at one of those Paschal celebrations. He said the Holy Fire does not burn a person. It is a blue flame and very bright. There are YouTube videos of celebrations during the past number of years.

So, what happens if everyone abandons the Julian Paschalion?

They will use lighters like they do now. Several bishops and priests, Greek and Armenian, have admitted the fire is started by natural means.

I'd expect the Ceremony of the Holy Fire would occur whenever it is liturgically observed. It isn't as though God has a Julian calendar that must be consulted. See also this post.

I have proposed in previous posts that the sense of the typicon, ordo, liturgical year, etc. is a Christian form of the Moed, the appointed time or place so prominent in the Old Testament -- traditional and important to us for our liturgical rhythm but not intrinsic The central act and command to "Do this..." is not limited or confined in time and place. So there is no inherent mandate for the Church to have an annual observance of Pascha as the Christian Pesach/Passover. If the Church were to decide to have such an annual observance in an arbitrary manner, by some made-up rule, it would be inventing worship, "the mystery of devotion." This in not what the Church did, of course, rather it walked the natural path of what I would write as Tradition -- not to be seen as TRADITION or traditions. And so we have a two-fold witness to this based on the timing of Passover: (1) The Council of Nicaea and its historical progression to a realized eschatology in Sunday as the Lord's Day; (2) The Quartodecimans in their faithful (Johanine) observance of the Passover moed as prescribed, with the impending second coming, an imminent eschatology. (More on this but I have to stop for now.)

If that is so, how do people claim that they have put their hands in the flames and not been burned?

Reading this made me realize, as I had not before, the (obvious) link with the Roman Paschal vigil, Sabbato Sancto (Vigile pascale). There the lighting of the new fire is a special rite that begins the vigil. In the old days (reform of Pius XII) as I recall, the new fire was struck from flint at the back of a darkened church. Using a stylus the priest inscribed a cross, the year, and the two Greek letters Alpha and Omega in the Paschal Candle and pressed into the inscribed cross five large "grains," pieces of incense. The lit Paschal Candle was then processed into the church carried by the Deacon, who stopped three times and chanted Lumen Christi, Light of Christ, with response Deo gratias. Light from the candle was progressively distributed to the priest (clergy?), then to the people until reaching the front of the church. The Deacon then chanted the Praeconium paschale "Exsultet" [youtube.com], the The Easter Proclamation [youtube.com].

Have you ever watched the videos? People pass their hands through the flame just as scouts do at a campfire. Not really a big deal.

Can't say I have. I just have second hand anecdotes.

I would propose that whatever the understanding of the "Holy Fire," it is not a determining factor for how Christians should reach agreement on a timing for an annual feast of Pascha.


Quite by chance I have been looking at (mainly YouTube) a particular form of Messianic Judaism (It and its relation to Christianity and especially syncretic-Christianity=Protestantism would be its own thread). As I see it, just as Protestantism discovered "true Christianity" some 1500 years later by examining the Scriptures (that were provided for them by the Church they deny as legitimate), so now some 2000 years later the Messianic Jews do the same but retaining a distinctive Jewish/Hebrew Bible identity. In a sense, had the Church followed the path of the Quartodecimans we would today be the true Messianic Judaism, having descended directly from the Apostolic Tradition and witness rather than, being redundant to make the point, Messianic Christians.

The theological link, especially in its liturgical form, are the Quartodecimans. Historically I see them as an important witness of the Church taking a decisive theological path that resulted in the first day of creation, Sunday (also seen as the eighth day), rather than the Sabbath, as the preeminent day of the Lord.

I and others have stressed that our hope for a unified observance of the annual feast of Pascha must remain true to the OT prescription given for the Passover and also incorporating the theology of Sunday as the Lord's Day. Even so, consider this misunderstanding and the prominence of the Moed (the appointed time):

Difference Between Messianic Judaism and Christianity [jewishvoice.org].

I also repeat See this thread 04/21/22.:

For my observation UTC=EDT+4; IST=UTC+2,
where UTC=Universal Coordinated Time,
EDT=Eastern Daylight Time and
IST = Israel Standard Time, giving for what I saw (previous picture)
IST 24-MAR 0200, moon phase = 16.6%.

So, going with Mockingbird's earlier sighting, for Central Daylight Time, say 6 pm, UTC=CDT+5=18+5=23. The Synodika Jerusalem offset is 2.3456 hrs but for this estimation, just using timezone differences, UTC+2=25 hr or 1 am on 23-MAR, IST; my calculation of the phase is 9.1%. Going to the start of that Biblical day in Jerusalem, moonset [timeanddate.com] was 6:46 pm, 22-MAR; my calculated phase at 19:00 = 7.3%. Taking that as Biblical B-luna I (Astronomical luna 3) produces a B-luna XIV, Biblical Passover on 2023-APR-04 18:00 TUE 89.97 % to 2023-APR-05 17:59 WED 96.30 %. This is the day the Pesach is sacrificed and then eaten around 2023-APR-05 17:59 WED. My calculated astronomical nearest "full moon" is 2023-APR-06 07:00 THU 99.11 %.

Though it need not be the case, this simulation of the biblical timing is in agreement with the traditional (Rabbinic) Passover which is determined by a computus, similar to the approach used for the Julian and Gregorian Paschalia. "Passover 2023 will be celebrated from April 5 to April 13. The first Seder will be on April 5 after nightfall...";When Is Passover? [almanac.com] and, "The Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nisan, ... The 15th day begins in the evening, after the 14th day, and the seder meal is eaten that evening."Date and duration [en.wikipedia.org] (This conflates somewhat the Passover on the 14th and the first Day of Unleavens on the 15th.) There are additional Rabbinic delay or postponement rules, the deḥiyyah molad [en.wikipedia.org], that also shift or limit the days when Passover can occur; this is another reason that the often heard, "of course Easter must be after Passover" is uninformed. Why would Christians after the mandate arising from Nicaea feel the need to embrace Rabbinic rules that go beyond the prescription given in Scripture and then be bound by them?

The purpose/result of this exercise is twofold:

(1) to see how it all works just following the observation of nature method of scripture.

(2) If I got all the adjustments and estimates right, it also shows that requiring after the full moon rather than after the 14th of the moon is an added (modern) constraint that is legitimate but goes beyond the requirements of the scriptural prototype.

Christ is in our midst!! ajk,

You definitely know this inside and out, brother.

A map showing lunar crescent visibility for the this year's Eastermonth/Rabbinic Nisan/Islamic Ramadan can be found for the time being at


https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/how-sight-new-crescent-moon

According to that map, the new crescent would have been visible from Jerusalem if the skies were clear.

This is a very good resource and it confirms my calculation simulating a new moon sighting at Jerusalem. Royal Museums Greenwich and the HM Nautical Almanac Office have provided a real service for Islam and us. I was looking for a Jerusalem based Jewish connection that might still rely on sighting but did not find one.

The Royal Museums Greenwich link is a very nice primer on the new moon and sighting it. It makes several lunar-calendar points relevant to the relationship of our Christian luni-solar calendar computus-Paschalion, Pascha, with the biblical moon of Aviv/Nisan. Christians and Jews incorporate the solar aspect and this confines Passover and Pascha to a set seasonal occurrence unlike purely lunar Islam, where Ramadan etc. move throughout the year at the rate of a bit more than one moon/month every three years.

From the link:

Just to note that the "emerging" moon is near its setting. By the time I decided that I should retake the picture I posted, the moon was gone from my view. Basically the sun must first set so it is just dark enough that the slightly illuminated moon is seen just before it also sets. See Sighting the Crescent Moon [youtube.com]. If the observed, biblical (new) moon is observed 11-15 hours (What Is A New Moon? [youtu.be]) after the astronomical (= conjunction), then the delay for possible sighting would be no more than one day.

All this is part of our getting close to nature, God's creation, through experience and knowledge giving us, through our efforts, our liturgical τάξις [en.wiktionary.org], aka the calendar.