DOCSLIB.ORG

Cracking the Code of Easter Or, Understanding Why the Date of Easter “Hops” All Over the Calendars of March and April

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

168 JURNAL JAFFRAY, Vol. 13, No. 2, Oktober 2015 CRACKING THE CODE OF EASTER OR, UNDERSTANDING WHY THE DATE OF EASTER “HOPS” ALL OVER THE CALENDARS OF MARCH AND APRIL Steven L. Wa e1)* 1) Professor of Historical Theology Nyack College, New York *) Authors Correspondence: ste en.ware"nyack.edu Abst act Why i it that in mo t year , but not every year, We tern Chri tian --both Catholic and Prote tant--celebrate Ea ter at lea t one ,eek before Ea tern .Orthodo/0 Chri tian 1 Furthermore, ince the 2ible portray the re urrection of Je u a occurring on the Sunday morning directly after Pa over, ,hy i it that in many year both Ea tern and We tern Chri tian celebrate Ea ter more than a ,eek after Pa over, or even before Pa over1 The ma7or key to under tanding the cycle of annual date for Pa over, Orthodo/ Ea ter, and We tern Ea ter i the 8etonic Cycle, and ho, it ,a haped and applied in three different hi torical conte/t . Thi article eek to e/plore the hi torical gene i of the 8etonic Cycle and ho, it ,a applied to each of the e fe tival to yield the re ult ,e ee today. 9ey,ord : Ea ter, calendar, Chri tian, orthodo/, Catholic, Prote tant 9enapa kebanyakan tahun, ,alaupan bukan etiap tahun, Gere7a-gere7a barat, yaitu gere7a 9atolik dan gere7a Prote tan, merayakan Pa kah paling edikit atu minggu ebelum Pa kah 9ri ten Timur .gere7a Ortodok 01 Selan7utnya, karena Alkitab men7ela kan kebangkitan Ye u ditentukan pada pagi hari 8inggu lang ung etelah Pa kah Yahudi, mengapa terkadang orang-orang 9ri ten Timur dan orang-orang 9ri ten 2arat merayakan Pa kah lebih dari atu minggu e udah Pa kah Yahudi, ataupun ebelumnya1 9unci yang paling penting untuk mengerti putaran tanggal ini antara Pa kah Yahudi, Pa kah gere7a Ortodok , dan Pa kah gere7a 2arat adalah Putaran 8etonik, dan bagaimana Putaran ini dibentukan dan diterapkan dalam ketiga kontek hi tori . Artikel ini mau menyelidiki permulaian Putaran 8etonik ini dan bagaimana Putaran ini diterapkan pada etiap fe tival ini ampai apa yang kita lihat hari ini. 9ata-kata kunci: Pa kah, kalender, 9ri ten, ortodok , 9atolik, Prote tan Int oduction 8o t Chri tian ,ill agree that every one of their gathering for ,or hip i at it core a celebration of Je u ’ re urrection from the dead. 168 JURNAL JAFFRAY, Vol. 13, No. 2, Oktober 2015 Furthermore, almo t all Chri tian ,ill agree that Je u ’ re urrection i the ingle-mo t important event in human hi tory. Yet if a ked e/actly ,hen thi mo t important event occurred, many Chri tian have no clue ,here to begin. Some ,ill re pond that it really make no difference ,hen it occurred ince; again, every gathering for ,or hip i at it core a celebration of Je u ’ re urrection. 2ut thi i not ho, early Chri tian thought about the matter, for ,ithin a fe, generation the que tion of preci ely ,hen to celebrate thi mo t important event became a many- ided debate ,hich la ted for centurie . In addition, uch a laissez-faire approach run counter to human p ychology: ,hile many of u are grateful 7u t to be alive on any given day, mo t of u very much appreciate having a pecific birthday, ,hich give u pecific attention on a pecific day. For mo t Chri tian today, ho,ever, the date of Ea ter i a rather confu ing matter. In the early pring of any year, it i not uncommon for Chri tian to a k, “When i Ea ter thi year1A and to ,onder ,hy Ea ter “hop A all around the calendar of 8arch and April. Furthermore, it i not uncommon for We tern Chri tian Bboth Catholic and Prote tantBto note ,ith no mall amount of curio ity that their Orthodo/ Chri tian brethren are celebrating the re urrection of Je u Chri t on a different dateBtypically a ,eek or more later in the calendar. Conver ely, Chri tian of the Orthodo/ communion have ,ondered equally ,hy their ,e tern brethren often celebrate thi mo t important event a ,eek or more “early.A Chri tian on both ide have tended to a k their religiou leader or con ult eccle ia tical te/t to find out ,hich et of date i “correct,A but u ually ,ith little ucce , ince little ha been ,ritten on the matter from either per pective ,hich clarifie the larger picture and it hi torical development.1 Part of that larger picture i the Je,i h fea t of Pa over. 2iblically- minded Chri tian both Ea t and We t ,ill note that according to all four Go pel of the Ne, Te tament, Je u ’ crucifi/ion took place on Pa over2 .8atthe, 26:1C; 8ark 14:12; Luke 22:C; John 13:10, and hi re urrection on the follo,ing Sunday morning .8atthe, 28:1; 8ark 16:2; 1 See 2onnie 2lackburn and LeofrancEolford-Streven , The Oxford Companion to the Year: An Exploration of Calendar Customs and Time-Reckoning .O/ford: O/ford Univer ity Pre , 19990, 815-816; 8arco J. 8onte , “The Orthodo/ Eccle ia tical Calendar,A http://,,,. mart.net/Hmmonte /orthea t.html; 2orgna 2runner, “A Tale of T,o Ea ter ,A http://,,,.factmon ter.com/ pot/ea ter1.html; A tronomical Society of South Au tralia, “Calculate the Iate of Ea ter Sunday,Ahttp ://,,,.a a.org.au/edm. 2 On the que tion of the preci e date of Je u ’ crucifi/ion, ee Steven L. Ware, When Was Jesus Really ,orn-: Early Christianity, the Calendar, and the .ife of Jesus .Saint Loui : Concordia, 20130, C4-CC; Andre, E. Steinmann, /rom A0raham to Paul: A ,i0lical Chronology .Saint Loui : Concordia, 20110, 261, 288. Cracking168 The Code of Easter K 1 2te en .. Ware JURNAL) JAFFRAY, Vol. 13, No. 2, Oktober 2015 169 Luke 24:1; John 20:10.What ,ould then appear to many a Chri tian a the imple an ,er to thi dilemma i to di cern ,hether it i Orthodo/ Chri tian or We tern Chri tian ,ho have follo,ed the 2iblical pattern of imply celebrating Je u ’ re urrection on the Sunday follo,ing Pa over. To their di may, ho,ever, they ,ill di cover that the matter i only complicated till further, a in ome year Pa over occur directly before Orthodo/ Ea ter, in ome year directly before We tern Ea ter, in ome year directly before both Ea ter , and in ome year no,here clo e to either of them. Whence thi confu ion of date and the method of computing them from one year to the ne/t1 The imple yet many- ided an ,er i that the annual date of Pa over, Orthodo/ Ea ter, and We tern Ea ter flo, according to three different 8etonic cycle . Furthermore, it i the contention of thi author that the 8etonic cycle i a mo t fruitful avenue for under tanding the calendrical relation hip bet,een the e fe tival , a ,ell a the hi torical evolution of that relation hip. In order to under tand the definition, hi torical gene i , and dynamic of the 8etonic Cycle, a ,ell a it effect on the relative date of Pa over and both Ea ter , ,e hall begin ,ith the ancient calendrical under tanding of Pa over. Passove One of the fir t indication of calendrical con ciou ne among the ancient Eebre, i found in God’ command to 8o e in preparation for the fir t Pa over: “Thi month i to be for you the fir t month, the fir t month of your yearA .E/odu 12:20. A fe, ver e later God commanded that at t,ilight on the fourteenth day of the ame month each family ,a to acrifice a year-old male lamb, pread it blood on the door,ay of their home , and roa t and eat the lamb that evening. The blood of the lamb on their door,ay ,a of cour e their a urance that the plague of death ,hich ,a to trike every hou ehold in Egypt that night ,ould “pa overA them. That month ,a Abib .Aviv0, ,hich later became kno,n a Ni an, and 14 Ni an ha been celebrated ever after by Je, ,orld,ide a their day of divine deliverance from ervitude to the Egyptian . So ,hen i 14 Ni an1 And ho, doe it relate to the We tern .Gregorian0 calendar mo t of u are accu tomed to u ing mo t of the time1 Like the earlie t calendar of almo t every ancient civiliJation, the Je,i h calendar ,a Band till i Ba lunar-ba ed calendar. A in other early agrarian ocietie , mo t ancient Eebre, ,ere non-literate. Thi i not to pre ume ignorance upon our ance tor , of cour e, but to recogniJe that opportunitie for learning ,ere much more limited in ancient 1C0168 JURNAL JAFFRAY, Vol. 13, No. 2, Oktober 2015 ocietie . Since mo t of them ,ere non-literate, they ,ere ome,hat dependent upon the literate elite among local or regional authoritie for keeping an accurate calendar for planting and harve t time , a ,ell a for ta/ation and cheduling of religiou celebration . From an early date, the literati of nearly every ancient civiliJation calculated the lunar cycle .moonth, or month0 at appro/imately 29.5 day in length.
Recommended publications
  • The Orthodox Liturgical Year and Its Theological Structure

    The Orthodox Liturgical Year and Its Theological Structure

    HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies ISSN: (Online) 2072-8050, (Print) 0259-9422 Page 1 of 8 Original Research The orthodox liturgical year and its theological structure Author: The concept of ‘liturgical year’ indicates a reference to the meaning of the measuring units 1,2 Dan A. Streza of civil time, and especially to the cosmic entities that determine the general rhythm of Affiliations: time – the sun and the moon. Interestingly, the liturgical time depends both on the structure 1Department of Orthodox of civil time, and, on the two discrete systems of the solar and lunar cycles, which have Theology, Faculty of Orthodox always been underpinnings of time measuring. The special importance and influence that Theology, Lucian Blaga the cosmical rhythms exert on the entire human life are also felt in the structure and theology University of Sibiu, Sibiu, Romania of the liturgical time, where it signals the attempt to merge and reconcile the cosmical solar and lunar cycles within the liturgical year. This leads to a unique theology, expressing the 2Department of Systematic powerful synthesis of the variability of the lunar cycle compared to the structure of the solar and Historical Theology, year’s fixed dates. Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Contribution: This research reveals the unique orthodox perspective on both civil and Pretoria, Pretoria, liturgical time, expressing their profound theological meaning, as a conscious, permanent South Africa reflection upon the mysterious, yet real, presence of Christ in the divine services of the Church. Research Project Registration: Keywords: liturgical time; orthodoxy; liturgics; anthropology; feast; calendar; Chronos; Kairos. Project Leader: J.
  • Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee: Triodion Begins Today 

    Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee: Triodion Begins Today 

    Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church 8306 NC HWY 751, Durham NC 27713 919-484-1600 [email protected], www.stbarbarachurchnc.org News & Announcements, February 5, 2017 Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee: Triodion Begins Today Agatha the Martyr Polyeuktos, Partriarch Of Constantinople Antonios the New Martyr of Athens Theodosios, Archbishop of Chernigov NEWCOMERS AND VISITORS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME ! Sunday Worship Schedule: Matins 9:00 am & Divine Liturgy 10:00 am To Our Visitors and Guests We welcome you to worship with us today, whether you are an Orthodox Christian or this is your first visit to an Orthodox Church, we are pleased to have you with us. Although Holy Communion and other Sacraments are offered only to baptized and chrismated (confirmed) Orthodox Christians in good standing with the Church, all are invited to receive the Antidoron (blessed bread) from the priest at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. The Antidoron is not a sacrament, but it is reminiscent of the agape feast that followed worship in the ancient Christian Church. After the Divine Liturgy this morning please join us in the Church hall for fellowship and refreshments. Please complete a Visitor's Card before you leave today and drop it in the offering tray, or give it to one of the parishioners after the service, or mail it to the church Office. Today's Readings: St. Paul's Second Letter to Timothy 3:10-15 TIMOTHY, my son, you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions, my sufferings, what befell me at Antioch, at lconion, and at Lystra, what persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.
  • The Mathematics of the Chinese, Indian, Islamic and Gregorian Calendars

    The Mathematics of the Chinese, Indian, Islamic and Gregorian Calendars

    Heavenly Mathematics: The Mathematics of the Chinese, Indian, Islamic and Gregorian Calendars Helmer Aslaksen Department of Mathematics National University of Singapore [email protected] www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/ www.chinesecalendar.net 1 Public Holidays There are 11 public holidays in Singapore. Three of them are secular. 1. New Year’s Day 2. Labour Day 3. National Day The remaining eight cultural, racial or reli- gious holidays consist of two Chinese, two Muslim, two Indian and two Christian. 2 Cultural, Racial or Religious Holidays 1. Chinese New Year and day after 2. Good Friday 3. Vesak Day 4. Deepavali 5. Christmas Day 6. Hari Raya Puasa 7. Hari Raya Haji Listed in order, except for the Muslim hol- idays, which can occur anytime during the year. Christmas Day falls on a fixed date, but all the others move. 3 A Quick Course in Astronomy The Earth revolves counterclockwise around the Sun in an elliptical orbit. The Earth ro- tates counterclockwise around an axis that is tilted 23.5 degrees. March equinox June December solstice solstice September equinox E E N S N S W W June equi Dec June equi Dec sol sol sol sol Beijing Singapore In the northern hemisphere, the day will be longest at the June solstice and shortest at the December solstice. At the two equinoxes day and night will be equally long. The equi- noxes and solstices are called the seasonal markers. 4 The Year The tropical year (or solar year) is the time from one March equinox to the next. The mean value is 365.2422 days.
  • Alexander Jones Calendrica I: New Callippic Dates

    Alexander Jones Calendrica I: New Callippic Dates

    ALEXANDER JONES CALENDRICA I: NEW CALLIPPIC DATES aus: Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 129 (2000) 141–158 © Dr. Rudolf Habelt GmbH, Bonn 141 CALENDRICA I: NEW CALLIPPIC DATES 1. Introduction. Callippic dates are familiar to students of Greek chronology, even though up to the present they have been known to occur only in a single source, Ptolemy’s Almagest (c. A.D. 150).1 Ptolemy’s Callippic dates appear in the context of discussions of astronomical observations ranging from the early third century B.C. to the third quarter of the second century B.C. In the present article I will present new attestations of Callippic dates which extend the period of the known use of this system by almost two centuries, into the middle of the first century A.D. I also take the opportunity to attempt a fresh examination of what we can deduce about the Callippic calendar and its history, a topic that has lately been the subject of quite divergent treatments. The distinguishing mark of a Callippic date is the specification of the year by a numbered “period according to Callippus” and a year number within that period. Each Callippic period comprised 76 years, and year 1 of Callippic Period 1 began about midsummer of 330 B.C. It is an obvious, and very reasonable, supposition that this convention for counting years was instituted by Callippus, the fourth- century astronomer whose revisions of Eudoxus’ planetary theory are mentioned by Aristotle in Metaphysics Λ 1073b32–38, and who also is prominent among the authorities cited in astronomical weather calendars (parapegmata).2 The point of the cycles is that 76 years contain exactly four so-called Metonic cycles of 19 years.
  • Service Books of the Orthodox Church

    Service Books of the Orthodox Church

    SERVICE BOOKS OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH THE DIVINE LITURGY OF ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM THE DIVINE LITURGY OF ST. BASIL THE GREAT THE LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS 2010 1 The Service Books of the Orthodox Church. COPYRIGHT © 1984, 2010 ST. TIKHON’S SEMINARY PRESS SOUTH CANAAN, PENNSYLVANIA Second edition. Originally published in 1984 as 2 volumes. ISBN: 978-1-878997-86-9 ISBN: 978-1-878997-88-3 (Large Format Edition) Certain texts in this publication are taken from The Divine Liturgy according to St. John Chrysostom with appendices, copyright 1967 by the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of America, and used by permission. The approval given to this text by the Ecclesiastical Authority does not exclude further changes, or amendments, in later editions. Printed with the blessing of +Jonah Archbishop of Washington Metropolitan of All America and Canada. 2 CONTENTS The Entrance Prayers . 5 The Liturgy of Preparation. 15 The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom . 31 The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great . 101 The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. 181 Appendices: I Prayers Before Communion . 237 II Prayers After Communion . 261 III Special Hymns and Verses Festal Cycle: Nativity of the Theotokos . 269 Elevation of the Cross . 270 Entrance of the Theotokos . 273 Nativity of Christ . 274 Theophany of Christ . 278 Meeting of Christ. 282 Annunciation . 284 Transfiguration . 285 Dormition of the Theotokos . 288 Paschal Cycle: Lazarus Saturday . 291 Palm Sunday . 292 Holy Pascha . 296 Midfeast of Pascha . 301 3 Ascension of our Lord . 302 Holy Pentecost . 306 IV Daily Antiphons . 309 V Dismissals Days of the Week .
  • How Long Is a Year.Pdf

    How Long Is a Year.Pdf

    How Long Is A Year? Dr. Bryan Mendez Space Sciences Laboratory UC Berkeley Keeping Time The basic unit of time is a Day. Different starting points: • Sunrise, • Noon, • Sunset, • Midnight tied to the Sun’s motion. Universal Time uses midnight as the starting point of a day. Length: sunrise to sunrise, sunset to sunset? Day Noon to noon – The seasonal motion of the Sun changes its rise and set times, so sunrise to sunrise would be a variable measure. Noon to noon is far more constant. Noon: time of the Sun’s transit of the meridian Stellarium View and measure a day Day Aday is caused by Earth’s motion: spinning on an axis and orbiting around the Sun. Earth’s spin is very regular (daily variations on the order of a few milliseconds, due to internal rearrangement of Earth’s mass and external gravitational forces primarily from the Moon and Sun). Synodic Day Noon to noon = synodic or solar day (point 1 to 3). This is not the time for one complete spin of Earth (1 to 2). Because Earth also orbits at the same time as it is spinning, it takes a little extra time for the Sun to come back to noon after one complete spin. Because the orbit is elliptical, when Earth is closest to the Sun it is moving faster, and it takes longer to bring the Sun back around to noon. When Earth is farther it moves slower and it takes less time to rotate the Sun back to noon. Mean Solar Day is an average of the amount time it takes to go from noon to noon throughout an orbit = 24 Hours Real solar day varies by up to 30 seconds depending on the time of year.
  • Easter As an Ecumenical Conundrum

    Easter As an Ecumenical Conundrum

    Easter as an Ecumenical Conundrum Michael Straus* Questo sicuro e gaudïoso regno frequente in gente antica e in novella, viso e amore avea tutto ad un segno. O trina luce che ‘n unica stella scintillando a lor vista, sì li appaga! 1 guarda qua giuso a la nostra procella! This article examines the Easter festival from an ecumenical point of view, focusing on the Patristic period and the so-called “Easter Controversies” in the Early Church concerning the date on which the Resurrection should be observed, as a means of assessing both the validity of the resolution of such controversies and the possibly continuing impact of that resolution on the Church today. I will divide this examination into four parts. First, I will consider what guidance we have from the Scriptures as to how, if at all, the Church is to celebrate the Resurrection. Second, I will focus on the Easter Controversies, and in particular the quartodeciman position, in the context of the Council of Nicaea and Nicaea’s resulting decision concerning the need for a uniform date on which to celebrate Easter. Third, I will note the disputes that remained within the Church concerning the observance of Easter after Nicaea, notwithstanding the attempt at reaching full unity on this issue. Finally, I will attempt to gauge whether any failure to reach unity on the question of when to observe the Resurrection has any continuing impact on the Church today. I. The Easter Festival from a New Testament Point of View This is not the place for an extended treatment of worship practices in the New Testament, let alone for how such practices might be informed by Old Testament practices.
  • Metonic Intercalations in Athens

    Metonic Intercalations in Athens

    METONIC INTERCALATIONSIN ATHENS ~W~7~JHENI published in 1940 the only knownAttic decreenaming in its preamble v v at least part of the name and demotic of the secretary of 298/7 I suggested that the calendar equation indicated an ordinary year of twelve months.' This deter- mination was taken over by Pritchett and Meritt in Chronology of Hellenistic Athens (p. xvi), by Pritchett and Neugebauer in Calendars of Athens (p. 80), and by Meritt in The Athenian Year (p. 232). There is one consideration which at the time did not seem so important as it does now and which I wish to discuss here. The incentive to a reconsideration has been the observation that the sequence of ordinary and intercalary years which called for OOIOI in 299/8-295/4 rather than OIOOI at the beginning of the 8th Metonic cycle was the first apparent deviation from Meton's norm for possibly a hundred years, except for the anomaly in 307/6 which had valid and obvious historical reasons and which could be amply explained.2 I noted, as a comment on the cycles, that " the eighth cycle has only the transposition of IO to OI in the years 298/7 and 297/6." 8 Otherwise the cycle in the festival calendar of Athens followed faithfully the normal Metonic cycle of intercalation. In the text of Hesperia, IX, 1940, pp. 80-83 (13), as now restored with a stoichedon line of 29 letters, the equation reads: [. 'EA..Xa0b],8oXt'v[o] sv6 [TE&per'] [ElKa6a& Tptp&et] Ka' eiKoo-xrre[&T2q irp] [VTlavea- -] - KTX.
  • The Calendars of India

    The Calendars of India

    The Calendars of India By Vinod K. Mishra, Ph.D. 1 Preface. 4 1. Introduction 5 2. Basic Astronomy behind the Calendars 8 2.1 Different Kinds of Days 8 2.2 Different Kinds of Months 9 2.2.1 Synodic Month 9 2.2.2 Sidereal Month 11 2.2.3 Anomalistic Month 12 2.2.4 Draconic Month 13 2.2.5 Tropical Month 15 2.2.6 Other Lunar Periodicities 15 2.3 Different Kinds of Years 16 2.3.1 Lunar Year 17 2.3.2 Tropical Year 18 2.3.3 Siderial Year 19 2.3.4 Anomalistic Year 19 2.4 Precession of Equinoxes 19 2.5 Nutation 21 2.6 Planetary Motions 22 3. Types of Calendars 22 3.1 Lunar Calendar: Structure 23 3.2 Lunar Calendar: Example 24 3.3 Solar Calendar: Structure 26 3.4 Solar Calendar: Examples 27 3.4.1 Julian Calendar 27 3.4.2 Gregorian Calendar 28 3.4.3 Pre-Islamic Egyptian Calendar 30 3.4.4 Iranian Calendar 31 3.5 Lunisolar calendars: Structure 32 3.5.1 Method of Cycles 32 3.5.2 Improvements over Metonic Cycle 34 3.5.3 A Mathematical Model for Intercalation 34 3.5.3 Intercalation in India 35 3.6 Lunisolar Calendars: Examples 36 3.6.1 Chinese Lunisolar Year 36 3.6.2 Pre-Christian Greek Lunisolar Year 37 3.6.3 Jewish Lunisolar Year 38 3.7 Non-Astronomical Calendars 38 4. Indian Calendars 42 4.1 Traditional (Siderial Solar) 42 4.2 National Reformed (Tropical Solar) 49 4.3 The Nānakshāhī Calendar (Tropical Solar) 51 4.5 Traditional Lunisolar Year 52 4.5 Traditional Lunisolar Year (vaisnava) 58 5.
  • April 2021 SW

    April 2021 SW

    Through the Study Window Peru Community Church 12 Elm Street Peru, NY 12972 April 2021 Page 1 From the Pastor’s Pen Rev. Peggi Eller “Rejoice and Be Glad! Yours is the Kingdom of God!” The Easter Story never changes in its most basic outline: Jesus died. The women came to the tomb. The tomb was empty. There was much rejoicing. The details of the story are highly dependent on us. Where do we focus our Upcoming Worship minds? In the past year, over a half-million new tombs were opened and Opportunities sealed in the US because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have all experienced - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - too much death, isolation, fear, and loneliness. How can we rejoice? We 4/1 - Holy Thursday could choose to stand still in the grief because this has certainly been a grief- Zoom Worship at 6pm filled year. But the tomb where Jesus was laid was empty. At first Mary Celebrate the weeps that Jesus is gone, but then she sees that there is reason to rejoice. Last Supper Jesus invites them to go forward, leading his disciples to the next chapter of - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - the story. 4/2 - Good Friday 6pm Service of Easter is a time to rejoice. It is the time to rejoice about the stories of Shadows & Darkness in resurrection that have occurred all around us: the emergence of new life the Sanctuary & Zoom coming from the ground, the changes in patterns of life, the gift of time, the Masks & social interruption of busy calendars and the joy of newness. The Easter narrative never changes in its basic outline, but the stories, the memories, the distancing in effect happenings and the lessons-learned provide the specific details of the - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - reasons to rejoice for each of us each year.
  • The Date of Pascha/Easter ~ a Message from Fr. Robert

    The Date of Pascha/Easter ~ a Message from Fr. Robert

    March 2015 ¨1645 Phillips Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32308 ¨ (850) 878-0747 ¨ Rev. Fr. Robert J. O’Loughlin¨ http://www.hmog.org The Date of Pascha/Easter ~ A Message from Fr. Robert It is a typical question that we may be asked in most years is why the Orthodox Church celebrates Pascha on a differ- ent date from other Christian denominations. This year we celebrate Pascha/Easter one week after most other Christians. So I thought once again that we would touch upon this topic of the calculation of when we celebrate Pascha. Our celebration of Pascha was formed from the Jewish Passover. Initially, those Christians converted from Judaism celebrated Pascha in accordance with the Jewish calendar and on the same date of the feast of Passover. “Pascha” was celebrated the 14th of the lunar month of Nisan, regardless of the day of the week upon which it fell. The Church- es of Asia Minor followed this practice while other churches in the east and west celebrated the Feast on the Sunday following this date. By the 3rd century, all the churches were celebrating Pascha on the Sunday following the 14th of Nisan. This determined the Jewish calculation of Passover, which is on the first full moon following the vernal equi- nox. However, following the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD the Jews depended on local pagan calendars for their calculation. So with difficulties with inadequate calendars, the issue of the date of Pascha continued. It was resolved in 325 at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea as the early Church Fathers determined the Pascha date to be the first Sunday after the first full moon of the spring equinox.

  • Glendive Ranger-Review Sunday, February 28, 2021฀•฀Page 2Glendive

    GLENDIVE RANGER REVIEW Sunday, February 28, 2021 • Vol. 59, No. 17 • Glendive, Montana $1.00 Momentum Black History Month builds for downtown master plan By Hunter Herbaugh Ranger-Review Staff Writer After nearly four years of stagnation, momen- tum may finally be building toward an active implementation of Glendive’s downtown mas- TOURNEY SEASON: ter plan. Local artist Pamela Harr added a nudge Both Red Devil teams recently when she shared an idea with sever- win their first games of al stakeholders, including downtown business owners and community leaders in an email say- the tournament, ing that she envisions a scene of kids digging up dinosaur fossils as an excellent addition to Page 7 downtown. Harr is a bronze sculptor who “I think there’s has already commit- people out there ted many bronzes to the downtown land- with ideas and scape. willing to get to Last year, the East- ern Plains Economic work on it, so my Development Council request to Dara was tasked with nom- inating a committee Hunter Herbaugh photo ... is that we get that would steer the this committee in implementation of Cynthia Johnson, a travelling nurse serving at Glendive Medical Center, participated on a panel called “Black Voices” place as quickly the Downtown Mas- Tuesday evening at Dawson Community College. Associate Dean of Students Jon Langlois facilitated the discussion and LEAKY SITUATION: ter Plan after being helped organize the event. as possible,” appointed the “com- Forest Park water tanks Jerry Jimison, munity champion” show evidence of ongo- by the city council in Glendive Mayor November.