Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: kmarko@hpbs654.boi.hp.com (Kurt R. Marko H-P Boise Site) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: When is Easter? Message-ID: Date: 15 Jun 91 05:52:10 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Lines: 25 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu The date for Easter was formally defined by the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 325 A.D. The Council regulated that Easter must always be celebrated: -- after the vernal (spring) equinox (where the equinox is calculated according to the Julian, 19-year, cycle...usually on March 21st/civil calendar). -- on the first Sunday following the first full moon. -- _after_ the completion of Passover. -- with Passover calculated according to the Hebrew (Mosaic) calendar. The decision was accepted by all 318 Bishops present at the Synod. These regulations are still followed by the Orthodox Church, with Easter occurring on April 7th (civil calendar; March 25th Julian calendar) this year. The Western Church followed these same regulations until 1582 when Pope Gregory th 13th adopted the Gregorian Calendar, and, simultaneously, dropped the decision of the First Ecumenical Council of celebrating Easter _after_ the Passover. This accounts for the difference in the dates between the Orthodox Church and Western churches (the protestant Churches follow the Gregorian decision). Kurt Marko kmarko@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com