Everyone knew that Catholic and Orthodox Easter have the same origin - from the Jewish Passover. Many have wondered why such a division if God Himself shows that Easter is one? This coincidence was emphasized in the media. Even on one of the Russian TV channels, during a conversation with one of the representatives of the Orthodox Synod, the question was asked: why, they say, three Easters, if it is clear that three Easters coincided at once, and besides, the origin of the Catholic and Orthodox have Jewish roots . And in addition, the presenter recalled that Christianity has Jewish roots, and Jesus Christ Himself is a Jew in the flesh.

I remember this program, apparently, for the rest of my life: after all, freedom came, they spoke freely about God on TV and radio. These were unforgettable days and, of course, such an event as the coincidence of three Easter holidays on one day was an indelible impression that was imprinted in the memory of not only me!

After the presenter boldly asked the question: maybe it’s worth celebrating Easter according to the Jewish calendar, having common roots of faith: one God, Jesus Himself a Jew according to the flesh, the first Christians were Jews, and the first communities lived according to the Jewish tradition, calendar Jewish holidays, even some way of life? Oh, you need to see the reaction of an Orthodox clergyman, because... It's hard to put into words! But I'll try. It seemed that in front of the audience was an educated priest with an element of intelligence, but after the question the appearance of his face and whole body changed sharply: he suddenly leaned back, threw his head up, the intelligence on his face was replaced by a fanatical expression, with admixtures of pride, religiosity, embitterment and detachment , and somewhere into the void this priest blurted out: “How can we, the Orthodox, celebrate our Easter with them, when they (the Jews) crucified our Lord?”

I don't know what your reaction would be if everyone saw and heard this. But my reaction was inadequate. I hope that dear reader will forgive me, and do not judge me wrongly for what happened to me at that moment, and do not judge me with human judgment, but I experienced both laughter and shock. These words of the priest were spoken at the same time so theatrically and vitally that, seeing and hearing all this: the merging of theater and life, at first I began to laugh, and the laughter captured me so much that I simply fell out of the chair and continued laughing on the floor, and at the same time I had tears in my eyes. And believe me, it wasn’t “Toronto blazing” if anyone or anything might have thought about me. At that time, we didn’t know or hear anything like this at all.

My reaction was natural: finally, I openly heard what the Russian Orthodox Church secretly emphasized in its ministry and policy: pronounced anti-Semitism, with all its inherent religious fanatical grin of bitterness, the roots of which go far back to the Middle Ages. But what struck me most of all was that the freedom that came to our country served to please the flesh and idols: TV became a place for the free expression of the position of proud arrogance, shamelessness, which has long accompanied the majority of Orthodox priests, both in Russia and in Belarus. My laughter was through my tears: I already saw the revanchism of Orthodoxy and all the consequences that awaited us then in the future and that still await us when this confession tries to become a state religion.

Years have passed. There was no such calendar coincidence anymore, but there were small coincidences when Jewish Easter began in the same week, then Catholic and then Orthodox, with a difference of only a few days. But the question of the host of the program on TV, which I saw in those years of freedom, remained relevant, and at the same time unresolved to this day, both for Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, and for the Jews themselves. To answer this question, we need to look into the history of the origin of Easter and the history of the Church.

The beginning of Christian Easter comes from the Jewish Passover, which was given by the Lord Himself to the Jewish people even when they were in Egypt. The Lord commanded this Passover to be observed “for all generations” or generations of the people, and Passover was and is an “eternal decree” for the Jewish people and all those who wanted to celebrate Passover with the people: a stranger or a proselyte. Passover is the liberation of the people from Egyptian slavery, where the Passover lamb is not only the salvation of the people, when the doorposts of the houses of the Jewish people were anointed with the blood of the lamb, but having come into contact with the lamb, the people left Egypt completely healed. At the same time, the Feast of Unleavened Bread began, and these two holidays formed one holiday, Passover. This is how the people celebrated Passover year after year, century after century. But, despite this, the people continued to sin, and everyone was waiting for the Messiah to come, who would change everything: human nature and the world. The Messiah was to be the Lamb who would change the existing order and situation. The sacrifices only covered a person’s sin, but did not make him clean from sin; everyone was waiting for the time to come when the words would be fulfilled: “Blessed is the one to whom God does not impute sin” and “Blessed is the one in whose heart there is no guile.” This could only be changed by the Messiah, who was to become the perfect sacrifice for the sins of not only the Jewish people, but all people.

Before Jesus Christ, no one could do this, and then the moment came when the last prophet of the era of the Mosaic Covenant, John, said: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of this world.” God bless! The time has come for change and deliverance of man from sin! Jesus Christ - the Lamb of God was slain for us according to the will of God and the Father. His shed Blood on Calvary and death on the Cross brought the promised freedom and eternal life, victory over sin and death, over Lucifer, the prince of demons. A replacement took place on the Cross: the suffering Lamb of God took upon himself that which brought a curse on earth. Jesus is our Redeemer and Savior from all the consequences of not fulfilling the Law that was given at Sinai. He delivered the nations from sinful slavery and the influence of this world! A believer in Jesus Christ has the Blood of the Lamb on the doorposts of his life and therefore the Word of God says that he who is within us is greater than he who is in this world.

The Holy Scripture says that on the first day of the week after Easter, the tomb in which Jesus was for three days was empty: He rose from the dead, the Firstborn from the dead! According to Scripture, Jesus died, shed His Blood and rose again. Today, few people say or even know that Jesus rose not on Easter, but on the day next holiday of the Lord, which was also given to the Jewish people “The Ascension of the First Sheaf”. This holiday begins immediately the day after Easter! Here it is the Easter of Christ: first the deliverance of the people from the slavery of Egypt, only this world - this is Easter, then - Unleavened Bread, as a cleansing, and then the Ascension of the First Sheaf - the Resurrection of the Firstborn from the dead! Jesus the Lamb offered Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the entire human race, accomplished cleansing with Himself and rose as the First Sheaf from the dead. God bless!

The Holy Scriptures say nothing regarding the celebration by the first Christians of what today we call the Lord's Passover. At least during the 2nd-3rd centuries nothing was said about this. But quite a lot is said about how the First Apostolic Church lived during this period. Both in Judea, the first Jewish Christians and pagan Christians lived in many ways like Jews: they observed the feasts of the Lord according to the Jewish calendar, even some churches had a Jewish way of life. At the same time, I would like to mention the church in Rome. The fact is that traditionally we believe that the believers in Rome were predominantly non-Jews, and in accordance with the historical novel by G. Sienkiewicz “Where are you going”, representatives of the Christian sect burned on the crosses. But many historical documents speak in favor of a completely different fact and relationship between Roman power and the name of Roman believers in Jesus. First, the Roman church was unusual: it was 50% Jewish and non-Jewish. Secondly, the way of life of the Roman believers was different from other churches of that period, which is why the authorities called them a “Jewish sect”: the clothes in their style, both Jews and non-Jews, were Jewish, the Jewish way of thinking was also distinctive characteristic of the believers in the Messiah in Rome. Therefore, the Roman authorities had problems with the “Jewish sect” that believed in the Jewish Messiah Jesus. Nero's conspiracy was against the "Jewish sect" of Christians.

By the time of the expulsion of the Jews from the historical land in 132 AD, when the Jewish uprising was suppressed and Jerusalem was finally destroyed, among the Jewish society there were, according to various sources, from 600 thousand to 1.5 million believers in the Messiah Jesus Christ. But that's not all. The spiritual leadership of non-Jewish churches was carried out by Judeo-Christians for a long time, until a historical and spiritual situation arose that changed the biblical order that was formed during these 2nd centuries while the Apostles and disciples of the Apostles were alive. After the death of the Apostles, their disciples subsequently began to retreat from the teachings of the Apostles. At the same time, increasing numbers of non-Jews began to accept Jesus Christ. In the 3rd-4th centuries there was an even greater manifestation of apostasy in the church among non-Jews, who began to bring paganism to Christianity. These pagans in Christianity brought a spiritual revolution and division, which led to what we have today for centuries: division with Jewish society and Judeo-Christians on the one hand and with each other into confessions and denominations. What happened at that time?

Most of the churches that apostatized from the teachings of the Apostles began to accept into communion many non-Jews who honored Jesus Christ and the pagan gods of that time. Many of them were opposed to spiritual patronage from the Judeo-Christians. Among the pagans in Christianity, there was an anti-Semitic tendentiousness towards Judeo-Christians and Jews in general, which subsequently reflected on the so-called “Church Fathers”, who replaced the Apostolic Letter and spiritual practice. It was these "church fathers" who created the "replacement" theology that gave rise to church anti-Semitism. They abandoned the Jewish roots of Christianity, creating their own theological school, because of which Christians today are in opposition and hostility to both Jews and Judeo-Christians.

The beginning and end were made at the Council of Nicaea under Constantine in 325 AD, at which not only a creed was adopted, but decisions were made that the church does not usually announce or comment on. At this council, it was decided to prohibit all Jewish and non-Jewish believers from celebrating Jewish holidays, living the Jewish way of life, the calendar was changed: instead of the Jewish calendar, the pagan one was taken, and the beginning of their “church” holidays was laid. Every believer and community that wanted to practice the old way of spiritual practice was ignored and rejected by the pagan church.

After the division of the church into Byzantine (Constantinople) and Roman, each of these branches of Christianity had its own calendar, but the only thing that was common was the rejection of the Jewish roots of Christianity, the introduction of paganism and anti-Semitism. Therefore, today the Passover of Christ, which is the fulfillment of the Jewish holiday of the Ascension of the First Sheaf, is not celebrated by the Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox world on the first day after the Jewish Passover, but they have their own days to emphasize their individuality and isolation from the Jewish society, which “crucified our Lord” .

Then the question arises: did all these leaders and founders of Christian denominations know that Easter is related to the Jewish holiday of the Ascension of the First Sheaf, that the roots of Christian Easter are Jewish, and not Orthodox or Catholic, and especially not Protestant? Of course they did! But what to do with their pagan idols, the desire to emphasize their non-Jewishness, separation and distance from Jewish society, so that Jewish Christians do not dominate their pagan natural character, and thereby show that Christianity is “ours”, and Jewishness is "yours"? Where to put your “I”, Adam’s natural character? And today, as then, they know everything about the feasts of the Lord, they just want to prove that Orthodoxy, for example, is “ours, Russian.” “Why do we need these Jews? What should we do then with the icons that we Orthodox call “images”, and with our “saints”, their relics? What should we admit to ourselves and the whole world that we are idolaters? No, our Easter , Orthodox, Russian, to celebrate not with the Jews, because they crucified our Lord. We should have our own Easter, in Russian, and what do we care? Lord's feasts! We have our own holidays, our own calendar!

Do you think that Catholics or many Protestants are better in this regard? “We will celebrate with the whole world, like all nations, and so will we. And what difference does it make when we celebrate? After all, no one knows what date or day the Lord rose. Since it has been established this way, we will not violate existing tradition. True, why violate something that has already been violated. After all, according to the teachings of the “church fathers” we are the “new Israel”; all the promises that belong to the Jews belong to us. After all, there was a time when they believed that God had already rejected His people forever, that He had relations only with the church. But still celebrating our Passover with the Jews, well, you know, that’s too much!”

Paul calls on Christians to celebrate the Passover of the Lord, being cleansed from the leaven of sin, being unleavened, like unleavened bread. But “our own” Easter for most Christians is just a symbol of our redemption. For many, the Blood during the Lord's Supper is a symbol, the Bread is a symbol, then symbolic faith, symbolic going to church on holidays or during the Lord's Supper, a symbolic Christian, a symbolic "church." But our paganism is not symbolic and church anti-Semitism is not symbolic. Here is a paradox: everything that is God is symbolic, but everything that is human is significant! Should we really celebrate Easter as we are? Do we have anything to boast about before God? I don’t say before people: we have learned this, haven’t we? The Bible says: “We have nothing to boast about!”

Oh, if only Christians could truly boast in the Lord, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord, that you know Him!” But when there is nothing to boast about and you don’t want to part with the leaven of sin and your “I”, then such people will always find something to “boast” about: some in Orthodoxy, others in Catholicism, others in Protestantism, everyone will “boast” in their holidays, traditions, in order to further distance themselves from the Lord, from the Apostolic teaching, from the Jewish roots of Christianity, from the Jewish people, and at the same time talk about Easter, but with the leaven of a pagan flavor.

I was once asked: “Do you have what we have? Do you celebrate the holidays that we do? Do you celebrate only the Jewish Passover or the Christian one?” It would seem that these are naive questions, but behind them stands the same paganism, the same “church fathers”, the same Council of Nicea, the same remoteness and separation from the Jews, they say, “you see what we are like by grace, and what you are like” . I had one answer, and it will always be for all pagans in Christianity, no matter who it is: firstly, you ask me, as in one poem: “We have gas in our apartment. What about you?” And why should we be like you: Orthodox, Catholics, or Protestants? Where is it written in Scripture that we Jewish Christians should be like you? Is it not written that “you became imitators of us and of the Lord and of the churches that are in Judea”?

It is not written that the descendants of Japheth, i.e. the Gentiles, will they enter the tents of Shem? Is it not written that you Gentiles also will rejoice with His people? Is it not written that you of the Gentiles should arouse zeal for God among the Jewish people, and not hatred and hostility towards Him? Do you have anything to boast about before us, who believe in Jesus like you? And how long will you tear the Body of Christ apart, separating yourself from the unity in the Body of Christ and from His people, considering yourselves to be Gentiles more than Christians? If you answer all this honestly, then ask yourself one question: after all this, are you carnal or spiritual? And when you answer for yourself, then ask yourself another question: why should we, Jewish Christians, be like you?!”

And regarding, for example, Easter, I celebrate four Easters: the Jewish one, then when Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants celebrate; and the fourth day of the Lord's Passover - on the day of the Feast of the Ascension of the First Sheaf, i.e. on the first day of the week after Passover according to the Jewish calendar, when our Lord actually rose from the dead and after 40 days ascended to Heaven! But in reality, Easter is every day for me, for Christ, the Lamb of God, is our Easter!

“This year, the Jewish Passover is celebrated on March 30 (Nisan 14 in Hebrew lunar calendar), and Orthodox Easter is April 4 (March 22, old style). It is necessary to distinguish between a holiday and a post-celebration. A holiday is a prayerful and ritual commemoration of a certain sacred event, which always falls on a specific day of the calendar. During the day Jewish Passover(Heb. Passover; from the verb passah - “to pass”) always appears on the 14th of Nisan, when the angel of the Lord struck all the firstborn of Egypt and passed by the houses of the Jews: “This very night I will walk through the land of Egypt and I will strike every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from man to beast, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt... And let this day be remembered for you, and celebrate this feast of the Lord throughout [all] generations. yours; [as] an everlasting institution, celebrate it"(Ex. 12:12, 14). It is on this day (Nisan 14) that the main event of this holiday takes place - the eating of the Passover lamb. It must be eaten before morning. After Passover, the celebrations continue with the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This is legislated in the book of Leviticus: “In the first month, on the fourteenth [day] of the month in the evening, the Passover of the Lord; and on the fifteenth day of the same month was the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord; You shall eat unleavened bread for seven days."(Lev. 23:5-6). It is the first day that is assigned the name Yom Tov - “holiday”, lit. - “good, good day.” On Yom Tov, all work except cooking is prohibited. The following days are called chol ha-moed - “holiday weekdays,” that is, these days do not have the status of a holiday, but they are not weekdays either. The last, seventh day is also called Yom Tov. But he does not repeat the Easter ritual. On this day, we remember the miraculous passage across the Black (Red) Sea,” said the monk, answering a question from a reader of the Pravoslavie.Ru portal about whether Passover and Easter can really be considered to coincide this year, and if not, why Sretensky Monastery, candidate of philosophical sciences, candidate of theology, hieromonk Job (Gumerov).

As Father Job noted, “New Testament Easter is a joyful experience of the most sacred day when the Lord Savior rose from the dead.” “The holiday of Easter in its exact meaning is the day of resurrection. However, one day cannot contain the fullness of triumphant joy. Therefore, Easter chants last for 39 days,” he added.

“The rules of the Orthodox Church determine that the day of Christ’s Resurrection does not coincide with the day of Jewish Passover, that is, the 14th of Nisan: “If anyone, a bishop, or a presbyter, or a deacon, celebrates the holy day of Easter before the vernal equinox with the Jews, let him be expelled from the sacred rank.”(Apostolic Canons. Canon 7). The well-known interpreter of the canons, Bishop Nikodim (Milosz), explains: “The reason for the publication of this rule was, in all likelihood, the Judeo-Christian sect of the Ebionites, which asserted, among other things, that the remembrance of the Resurrection of Christ should be celebrated on the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan, when the Jewish Passover is also celebrated. , since not a single law, according to the teachings of this sect, abolished for Christians the decree on the day of celebration of Easter of the Old Testament Church. But the Jews used to calculate time not the solar year, but the lunar one, and the month of Nisan began with the new moon closest to the vernal equinox,” Father Job quotes Bishop Nicodemus.

"Because lunar year several days shorter than the solar one, then with such a calculation it most often happened that the Jews celebrated their Easter before the spring equinox. To indicate the difference between the Old Testament and New Testament Easter, which have nothing in common with each other, and to eliminate any commonality in sacred rites between Christians and Jews, moreover, to condemn the custom that penetrated from the Ebionites and to some Orthodox priests, the rule prescribes to everyone observe the spring equinox and only after it celebrate the remembrance of Christ’s Resurrection, and not at all together with the Jews” (Nikodim (Milos), bishop. Rules of the Holy Orthodox Church with interpretations. M., 2001. T. 1. P. 65-66). This canonical requirement was consolidated by the First Ecumenical and Local Councils of Antioch. As we see, the conciliar definitions prohibit celebrating the Resurrection of Christ on the day when the Jews celebrate their Passover, that is, the 14th of Nisan. There is no coincidence, as already noted,” emphasized Hieromonk Job (Gumerov).

Canonical norms of Orthodox Easter and the problem of dating Easter in the conditions of our time . D. P. Ogitsky

(Abridged article, see full article below)

Many centuries later, when the main subject of the Paschal disagreements of the early 4th century and the circumstances surrounding the discussion of this issue at the Ecumenical Council were thoroughly forgotten, something began to be attributed to the Council of Nicea that the Council did not directly prescribe, and even something that was completely inconsistent his lines.

Meanwhile, everything that we know about the attitude of the Council of Nicea to the question of the time of celebrating Easter is in sharp contradiction with this interpretation of the canonical rules about Easter.

This work is presented on the site in order to show the delusion of some zealous Christians beyond reason who accuse the New Calendar Local Churches of heresy, in which some regions or parishes celebrate Easter in the new style. Sometimes their Passover, due to the new style, coincides with the Jewish one. By incorrectly interpreting the 7th Apostolic Canon, “zealots” declare that the Estonian Church and some parishes in Europe have fallen into heresy by celebrating Easter at the same time as the Jewish Passover. This statement is false; the canons of the Church do not prohibit such coincidences. In church life, similar coincidences of Orthodox and Jewish Easter happened from the 1st to the 8th centuries several times a century.
But just because the canons allow for the coincidence of Orthodox and Jewish Easter, it does not at all follow that we should strive for this and change our Old Calendar Orthodox calendar and replace it with the New Calendar calendar. On the contrary, the Russian Church must with all its might preserve the old style, handed down to Her by the Saints as some kind of most valuable treasure.

CANONICAL NORMS OF THE ORTHODOX PASCHAL

and the problem of dating Easter in the conditions of our time

(entire article)

The Nicene ordinance regarding Passover has not reached us. This is the main reason for the confusion in judgments about the canonical norms of Paschal and, in particular, about what the Nicene Decree is and what considerations it was dictated by.

Two canonical canons - the 1st Antioch Council and the 7th Apostolic Canon - largely fill this gap in the collection of canons that now guide the Orthodox Church.

The above two rules, together with the indication of the “Apostolic Constitutions” (V, 17), to some extent shed light on the Nicene definition itself. The 1st Antiochian rule is valuable for us, firstly, because it sets as its direct and main task to ensure strict observance of the Nicene definition, taking for this purpose the strictest measures against its violators; secondly, by the fact that the Antioch Council was separated from the Nicene Council by an interval of only 16 years (if not less, as some think), so its participants could not but be very well aware of the content and meaning of the Nicene definition of Easter and not feel the whole its relevance for its time. As for the so-called Apostolic Rules and “Apostolic Constitutions”, then, apparently, in their current composition, these are compilations that also date back to the post-Nicene period and reflect the Nicene definition. We can form a fairly clear idea of ​​the latter on the basis of other very authoritative and very valuable evidence that has survived to us, some of which comes directly from the participants in the Council of Nicaea. In the first place here we should put the epistle of Emperor Constantine to the bishops who were absent at the Council, cited by Eusebius of Caesarea, and some excerpts from the works of St. Athanasius of Alexandria (Epistle to the African Bishops and Epistle on the Councils).

What conclusions do the above materials lead us to about the meaning of the Nicene definition?

We will not argue now what has already been sufficiently argued and, apparently, is recognized by all modern researchers of this issue. We will limit ourselves to summing up the results in order to dwell in a little more detail on what still needs argumentation, is not interpreted in the same way by everyone and is now of some interest to us in practical terms.

Even before the Council of Nicea, the rule on the celebration of Easter acquired a general church character.

on the Sunday after Nisan 14 (usually the first Sunday, in some cases the second).

The new question that the Council of Nicea had to decide was the following: should it always be considered that the 14th of Nisan is the full moon that is considered the 14th of Nisan by the Jews, or should Christians have their own opinion on this issue and decide the issue of the first spring lunar month and its fourteenth day independently, taking into account more accurate astronomical data?

The question was caused by differences in the practice of different Churches. Christians of the East - more precisely, Syria, Mesopotamia and partly Cilicia - adhered to the first solution, that is, they always unconditionally followed the Jewish calendar, celebrating their Easter, although on Sunday, but immediately after the Jewish Passover. Christians in Europe, Africa, Asia Minor, representing the majority of the Christian world, by that time had already freed themselves from such dependence on the Jews and did not unconditionally follow the Jewish calendar, citing the imperfection of the latter. In cases where the Jewish Passover occurred before the vernal equinox, i.e., before the moment considered the beginning of spring and the natural tropical end of the year, Christians of the named countries considered the 14th of Nisan to be the next full moon. In such cases, the gap between Easter among Eastern Christians and other Christians was a whole month, or even five weeks. To put an end to such differences, the Council of Nicea (after the Easterners had been persuaded to abandon their practice) ordered everyone to follow the second practice, based on an independent decision independent of the Jewish calendar. This is the meaning of the Nicene definition and prohibition to celebrate Easter “with the Jews” (μετά των Ιουδαίων) before the spring equinox.

One must think that the Council of Nicea was not concerned with detailed regulation of Paschal, firstly, because all its attention, as can be seen from the epistles of St. Athanasius of Alexandria, was aimed at overcoming the main difficulty on the path to establishing a single Paschal - the attachment of the “Easterns” to the Jewish calendar, secondly, because those Paschal questions that worried the Church earlier (for example, about the day of the week on which it should be celebrated Easter, and the relationship of this day to the lunar date of Nisan 14), now no longer caused the previous controversy, thirdly, because the detailed and exhaustive regulation of the technique of Easter calculations (up to the solution of problems caused by the inaccuracy of the Julian calendar) was beyond the scope of the Council force, and it was hardly necessary to consolidate all the technical details of the solution to the question of Easter with the authority of the Ecumenical Council. The Council proclaimed (which hardly raised any doubts, however) the principle of the simultaneous celebration of Easter by the entire Church. The real contribution of the Council to the implementation of this principle was that it eliminated the above-mentioned main obstacle that stood at that time on the path to the implementation of this principle.

Many centuries later, when the main subject of Easter discrepancies at the beginning of the 4th century and the accompanying discussion of this issue at the Ecumenical

At the Council, the circumstances of the matter were thoroughly forgotten; something began to be attributed to the Council of Nicaea that the Council did not directly prescribe, and even something that did not at all correspond to its line.

We find incorrect judgments about the meaning of canonical instructions about the time of celebrating Easter and, in particular, about the meaning of the prohibition to celebrate it μετά των ιουδαίων, first of all, in such major canonists of the Orthodox East as John Zonara, Theodore Balsamon, Matthew Blastar. It was they who contributed, more than anyone else, to the popularization of these judgments among us, in the Orthodox community.

In his interpretation of the 7th Apostolic Canon, Zonara writes: “The whole commandment of this canon is as follows: Christians should not celebrate Easter with the Jews, that is, not on the same day as them; for their non-holiday feast must precede, and then our Passover must be celebrated. A clergyman who does not do this must be deposed. The Council of Antioch determined the same thing in its first canon.”

Zonara, and after him other canonists, with their interpretation of the canons, place the dates of Christian Easter in direct, constant dependence on the dates of Jewish Easter. This interpretation of the canonical rules has become something indisputable in our country, almost an axiom. Such prominent Orthodox canonists of later times as Bishop Nikodim Milash also adhere to it (see Appendix 1). Many people use it to this day when issues of correcting the calendar and Easter are touched upon.

Meanwhile, everything we know about the attitude of the Council of Nicea to the question of the time of celebration

Easter, is in sharp contradiction with this interpretation of the canonical rules about Easter.

What could these rules mean by prohibiting Christians from celebrating Easter μετά των ιουδαίων? A coincidence of Christian and Jewish holidays on the same day? If so, then, one might ask, why is such a coincidence unacceptable? Is it because the Christian Easter would be “defiled” through contact with the Jewish one? Or, perhaps, because celebrating on one day would disrupt the sequence of memories - first the legal Easter, then the new Easter? But it is known that the Churches that accepted the Nicene definition as a guide were not at all embarrassed by cases of such coincidences and celebrated Easter on the same day as the Jews (with A on the 15th of Nisan) and after the Council of Nicea - in 328, 343, 347, 370, 394 and at a later time%!1%. If it was necessary to reproduce the sequence of events and Christians were obliged to ensure that their Easter was after the Jewish one, it is not entirely clear why the canons nowhere prohibit celebrating the Christian Easter before the Jewish one. The following question also arises: in what position, from the point of view of Zonara and his like-minded people, would Christians find themselves if, say, now the Jews changed their Easter and brought their Easter date closer to ours - would we then have to “run away” from them with your dates and rearrange your Easter accordingly?

In the light of the facts relating to the history of Easter disputes in Nicene times, there can be only one answer to all this: the Nicene fathers rejected any obligatory dependence of the dates of the Christian Easter on the dates of the Jewish Passover. This is emphatically emphasized in the message of Emperor Constantine: “First of all, they recognized it as unworthy to follow the custom of the Jews in celebrating this most holy holiday... For it is possible, having rejected their custom, to follow a more correct order”%!2%. Trying to encourage all Christians to accept this order, the author of the letter persistently calls on Christians not to have anything in common with the Jews in determining the time of Easter. “For truly,” he says, “their boast is completely inappropriate, as if without their teaching we are not able to observe this.” At the same time, he seeks to discredit the Jewish calendar, according to which Passover occurred in those days even before the spring equinox. Such cases in the emperor's message are regarded as the celebration of Easter twice in the same year.

Neither in the canons, nor in other contemporary documents close to the Council of Nicea interpreting the Nicene definition, there is any talk about the fact that the possibility of accidental coincidences of the Christian Easter with the Jewish Passover should be excluded, i.e. the possibility of celebrating it in some cases on the same day as the Jews . Nowhere is there a ban on Christians celebrating Easter before Jews. Such a ban would mean the dependence of the timing of Christian Easter on the timing of Jewish Passover. And everything that we know about the Nicene definition suggests that the Nicene fathers were against any dependence of Christians on Jews in this matter.

The Council of Nicea thus prohibited not random coincidences, but the fundamental dependence of the timing of Christian Easter on the timing of Jewish Passover. In the language of the canons, celebrating Easter μετά των ιουδαίων does not mean allowing for accidental coincidences of Christian and Jewish Easter, and therefore, when determining the day of Christian Easter, unswervingly adhere to the Jewish Easter, not allowing other Easter calculations, and recognize it as obligatory for Christians to celebrate Easter on the Sunday immediately following Easter Jewish. By using the expression μετά των ιουδαίων, the canons meant the fundamental agreement of the Christians of the East with the Jews on the issue of the date of Nisan 14, and not at all these or other random coincidences in calculations and dates.

The mistake of Zonara and other interpreters of the canons was a consequence, firstly, of an incorrect, superficial and too literal understanding of the expression μετά των ιουδαίων without any consideration of the specific historical conditions in which this formulation was born, and secondly, a consequence of the fact that they drew unlawful conclusions from contemporary factual data from Easter. The fact is that in their time our Easter tables, adapted to the Julian calendar, were so far behind both astronomical data and Jewish calculations (which, by the way, had become extremely accurate by that time), that the increased distance between Christian and Jewish Easter completely excluded the possibility of coincidence of their dates. In fact, Christian Easter in the time of Zonara was always only after the Jewish Passover. In this factual state of affairs, the canonists saw confirmation of their interpretations about the obligation for Christians to observe such a sequence and distance between Jewish and Christian holidays.

Now, when the question of revising Paschal is raised, we need to decisively dissociate ourselves from these incorrect interpretations of the canonical rules and proceed from the fact that these rules do not provide for any fundamental dependence of the timing of our Passover on the time of the celebration of Passover among the Jews.

What are the truly canonical requirements in this matter?

Easter should be celebrated on the Sunday after the first spring full moon, i.e. after the first full moon following or coinciding with the spring equinox. Translating this into the language of the modern calendar, we will say that Easter should be celebrated after the full moon, which occurs in the period from March 21 to April 19 of the new style.

It follows from this that the earliest possible date for Easter, according to the canons, is March 22 (if the full moon is on Saturday, March 21).

As for the latest date, the following must be taken into account. The full moon on April 18 will always be the first after the spring equinox. The full moon on April 19 may be the first

(if the previous one is March 20) and the second (if the previous one is March 21). The full moon on April 20 will be the second in all cases. Thus, the latest adequate date for Nisan 14 will be April 19, and the latest possible date for Easter Sunday (if the full moon is on Sunday April 19) is naturally considered to be April 26 of the new style%!3%.

Sundays falling later (April 27 new style onwards) will always be the Sunday after the second spring full moon. Fenced off from Nisan 14 by this second full moon (Yar 14), it appears to have lost all connection with Nisan 14 and cannot in any way be considered to meet the traditional requirements for celebrating Passover after Nisan 14.

Meanwhile, as a result of the progressive lag of our Easter from current astronomical data, we already have such an obviously belated dating of Easter taking place, and quite often, since the most late date Easter is now determined in our country by the date of May 8th in the new style.

What practical conclusion should be drawn from all of the above?

At first glance, the simplest and most natural solution would be such that Easter would always be celebrated on the first Sunday after the first spring full moon. Within the framework of the traditional (and practically the most convenient) 19-year lunar cycle, this solution would look something like this (see Table 1).

However, such a solution to the Easter problem would have its inconveniences:

1) it would mean too sharp a shift in the dates of Easter currently accepted in the Orthodox Church;

2) with this decision, these dates in the Orthodox calendar would move to an earlier and, therefore, colder time than now, which would represent a great inconvenience for the northern countries;

3) such a decision would preserve that wide range in the dating of Easter, which now causes such great objections for a number of reasons.

In view of this, we need to explore the possibilities of other solutions and, first of all, consider from a canonical point of view the already widely popular idea of ​​​​establishing a permanent narrow seven-day period within which Easter Sunday would always lie. There are several projects to establish such narrow seven-day deadlines%!4%. However, it must be said right away

Table 1

that not one of the existing projects for such a solution and not one of the possible similar projects, in its pure form, can be considered satisfactory from a canonical point of view. The least satisfactory project would be to fix the dates of Easter as early as possible. For example, fixing the seven-day period of Easter within March 22-28 would not threaten a conflict with canonical norms only in one single case - when March 21 is the day of the full moon. In all other cases, Easter, with such an early fixation of its dates, could fall - and in the overwhelming majority of cases would certainly fall - before the onset of the spring full moon. Fixing Easter within March 23-29 would not threaten such a collision only in two cases: if the full moon was on March 21 or 22. Fixation within March 24-30 would not threaten a collision in three cases, etc. Continuing consistently in the same spirit, consideration of other possible timing fixation, we will come to the conclusion that the most convenient date for fixing the seven-day Easter limit would be April 12-18. This period, on the one hand, completely excludes the possibility of such a belated Easter dating, in which Easter would go beyond the lunar period, the beginning of which is the 14th of Nisan, and would follow the second spring full moon (14th yar), on the other hand, it minimizes the possibility of premature dating of Easter, before the full moon on the 14th of Nisan.

Since, however, the possibility of such a premature dating, from the point of view of the canons, is not completely excluded here, an appropriate adjustment should be made taking into account those cases when the spring full moon occurs later than April 11.

A 19-year table of the Easter cycle built on this principle would look like this (see Table 2).

table 2

Characteristics of this project

In all cases, Easter will be: a) after the spring equinox, b) after the first spring full moon, c) before the second spring full moon.

Some doubt could be raised by the fact that with such a decision, Easter would fall not only on the first Sunday after the first spring full moon, but also on the second, third, and even fourth. But if we compare this situation with the current one, when Easter will be on the first, second, fourth and even fifth Sunday after the first spring full moon, we will come to the conclusion that in this respect the proposed project stands up to comparison.

Possible small adjustments by specialist astronomers after checking Table 2 “for accuracy” (this concerns primarily the average cyclic indicators of the age of the moon on March 21) can hardly affect the very essence of the matter.

SUMMARY

The assertion of Zonara, Balsamon and Vlastar that, according to the canons, the Christian Easter should always follow the Jewish one, is fundamentally erroneous.

The most natural solution to the Easter problem in the spirit of the canons would be to celebrate

Easter on the first Sunday after the first spring full moon (Table 1). However, this would be associated with inconveniences: a) the dates of Easter would move to a colder time, b) that wide range of dates for Easter would remain, which causes inconvenience and which they now want to avoid.

None of the proposals regarding the fixation of the Easter holiday within narrow seven-day limits (April 8, as proposed by Patriarch Athenagoras, or April 15-21, as proposed by the Athens Conference) meets canonical requirements (since in many cases, with such a fixation, Easter would fall earlier than the first spring full moon or later than the second).

The most suitable dates would be April 12-18, with the possibility in some cases of a later date, up to April 26 (Table 2). With such a fixation there would be no conflict with the canons.

D. P. Ogitsky

http://new.antipapism.kiev.ua/index.php?mid=2&f=reed&bid=25&tid=427

This year, astronomical Easter falls on April 16, and everything would seem to be true except for the ecumenical aspect - Catholics this year also celebrate April 16, and the Jews are in full swing with Passover. (see calendar) therefore, from the point of view of piety, zeal for the faith and Easter Chastity, Orthodox Easter should be moved to April 23.

Canons of the Orthodox Church:

Rule 1 Council of Antioch 341

All those who dare to violate the definition of the holy and great council in Nicaea, which took place in the presence of the most pious and most God-loving Tsar Constantine, on the holy feast of the saving Easter, let them be excommunicated and rejected from the church, if they continue to curiously rebel against the good establishment. And this is said about the laity. If any of the heads of the church, a bishop or a presbyter, or a deacon, after this definition, dares to corrupt people, and to indignate the churches, to stand apart and celebrate Easter with the Jews: the Holy Council from now on condemns such a person to be alien to the church, as if he had become not only the guilt of sin for himself, but also the guilt of disorder and corruption of many. And not only do the council exclude such people from the priesthood, but also all those who dare to be in communion with them, after their expulsion from the priesthood. Those expelled are also deprived of external honor, which they were partakers of according to the holy rule and God's priesthood.

    (Ap. 7, 64, 70, 71; II ecum. 7; trul. 11; Laod. 7, 37, 38; Carth. 34, 51, 73, 106).

In the West, and especially in the Roman Church, at one time the custom was established to celebrate this holiday on the first Sunday (die Dominico, χυριαχή ήμερα) after the fourteenth day of the same first month. (Editor's note: As we see, most local churches gathered to celebrate Easter on April 16, reviving the Roman custom that was abolished by the First Ecumenical Council)

The Christians of Asia Minor, referring to the Apostle John, Philip and some of the Apostolic disciples, believed that, following the example of Christ, when He celebrated Easter with His disciples, they should also observe the remembrance of His death on the same day ( πάσχα σταυρώσιμον ), and in the same way as Christ did. (Editor’s note: This line is addressed to those who are keen on historical realism) For this purpose, they organized a special supper, which they connected with the Lord’s Supper, and did this at the time when the Jews celebrated their Passover, i.e. on the 14th day of the first month, and the fast of Passion Week was interrupted at this time. (editor's note: this practice was condemned as heresy)

Based on the 7th Apostolic Canon, it was decided that Christian Easter should not be celebrated on the day when the Jews celebrate their Easter. Further, on the basis of the New Testament teaching on the seventh day, it was decided that Christian Easter should always be celebrated on Sunday. Finally, it was decided that the first full moon after the vernal equinox should always serve to indicate the time of year in which Christian Easter should be celebrated. Based on all this, the following decision was announced: 1) Christian Easter should be celebrated by everyone on a Sunday, 2) this resurrection should occur after the first full moon occurring after the spring equinox. 3) If it happens that the Jewish Easter falls on the same Sunday, then the Christian Easter should be celebrated on the following Sunday.

Matthew Vlastar

“Concerning our Easter, it is necessary to pay attention to four decrees, of which two are contained in the Apostolic Rule, and two originate from unwritten tradition. First, we should celebrate Easter after the spring equinox ( μετά ισημερίαν έαρινήν ), the second is not to celebrate it together with the Jews on the same day; third - not just after the equinox, but after the first full moon, which will occur after the equinox ( μετά την πρώτην μετ᾿ ισημερίαν πανσέληνον ), and the fourth - after the full moon, not otherwise than on the first day of the week." This decision of the Council of Nicea became binding for the entire church, and our Orthodox Church is now guided by it.

Divine law (νόμος θείος) commands to completely leave this month and move to the full moon of another month, aligning with it the day of Christian Easter, so as not to celebrate at the same time as the Jews, but to purify and free our Passover from Jewish celebrations - this happened and is happening now, so that there is a long period of time between our Passover and the Jewish Passover.

Rule 7 of the Holy Apostles

If anyone, a bishop, or a presbyter, or a deacon, celebrates the holy day of Easter before the vernal equinox with the Jews, let him be expelled from the sacred rank.
    (Ap. 64, 70, 71; Trul. 11; Antioch. 1; Laod. 37, 38; Carth. 51, 73, 106).

Holy Confessor Nikodim Milash:

First of all, this rule indicates astronomical moment to determine the day on which Christians should celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, taking the vernal equinox as the measure, and then prescribes, so that the celebration of the Resurrection never coincides with the time the Jews celebrated their Passover. The same is prescribed by the Apostolic Decrees (V, 17).

To indicate the difference between the Old Testament and New Testament Easter, which have nothing in common with each other, and to eliminate any commonality in sacred rites between Christians and Jews, moreover, to condemn the custom that penetrated from the Ebionites and to some Orthodox priests, the rule orders everyone to observe the spring equinox and only after it to celebrate the remembrance of Christ’s Resurrection, but by no means not with the Jews.

Zonara. Some people consider the spring equinox to be March 25, while others consider it to be April 25. And I think that the rule says neither one nor the other. For more often Easter is celebrated before April 25, and sometimes it is celebrated before March 25, so that (if the spring equinox is understood in this way) it will happen that Easter is not celebrated in accordance with this rule. So it seems that the venerable apostles call something else the vernal equinox. And the whole commandment of this rule is as follows: Christians should not celebrate Easter with the Jews, that is, not on the same day as them; for their non-holiday feast must precede, and then our Passover must be celebrated. A clergyman who does not do this must be deposed. The Council of Antioch also defined it in the first rule, saying that the definition of the celebration of Easter is the definition of the First Council of Nicea, although there is no such rule in the rules of the Council of Nicea.

Aristen.He who celebrates the Passover with the Jews is erupted. Clear.

Slavic helmsman.Jews don't celebrate. Who is a bishop, or presbyter, or deacon? the holy day of Easter, which the Jews celebrate before their time, so that it may be erupted. It's reasonable to eat.

Rule 70 of the Holy Apostles

If anyone, a bishop, or a presbyter, or a deacon, or in general from the list of clergy, fasts with the Jews, or celebrates with them, or accepts from them the gifts of their holidays, such as unleavened bread, or something similar; let him be cast out. If he is a layman: let him be excommunicated.
(Ap. 7, 64, 71; Trul. 11; Antioch. 1; Laod. 29, 37, 38; Carth. 51, 73, 106).

Holy Confessor Nikodim Milash:

Religious communication between Christians and Jews was already prohibited by the 7th and 64th Apostles. rules. This rule confirms this prohibition with the threat of expulsion from the priesthood of clergy and clergy, and excommunication from holy communion of the laity who dared to observe Jewish fasts, celebrate their holidays or accept festive Jewish gifts. The Apostles strictly forbade this, as well as any religious communication with Jews in general, in their epistles, and the Apostolic Canons only express this prohibition in the form of a law.

(Editor’s note: As you can see, this rule does not speak about Easter alone, but about the fact that it is unacceptable to celebrate with the Jews and accept gifts from them)

This rule condemns mainly religious indifference, which was observed not only among some faithful, but also among clergy. Without completely deviating from their beliefs, they showed some kind of unjustified tolerance in relation to Jewish religious institutions, and at the same time indifference in relation to their religious precepts, and because of this, they fasted with the Jews, celebrated their holidays and, according to them Jewish custom, they shared their holiday gifts with them (Esph. 9 :19, 22). By doing this, they, as Zonara says in his interpretation of this rule, although they did not perhaps share the beliefs of the Jews, nevertheless gave rise to temptation and aroused suspicion against themselves as adherents of Jewish rites; in addition, they themselves were defiled by such communication with the Jews, to whom God, even before the Murder of Christ, said through the prophet: “ lawlessness - and celebration!... and my soul hates your holidays"(Isa. 1 :14) 306 . Regarding the acceptance by Christians of Jewish holiday gifts, and especially unleavened bread, Balsamon, in his interpretation of this rule, notes that many, on the basis of this rule, denounce those who perform the mystical sacrifice on unleavened bread; for if those who only ate unleavened bread during the Jewish holidays are subject to expulsion and excommunication, then what condemnation and punishment should be subject to those who partake of unleavened bread as the body of the Lord, or, like the Jews, who celebrate the Passover on unleavened bread? 307. (Editor's note: Attention!!! We are talking about ecumenical activities and punishments for them!)

Zonara. If the one who prays together with someone deprived of fellowship, or with someone who has been cast out, according to previously written rules, is under penance; then he who celebrates with the Jews, or fasting with them, or receiving from them some of the purities of their holidays (people who were not excommunicated and deprived of fellowship, but murderers of Christ and removed from the society of believers, or better than people damned) in any way was not worthy - the initiate of eruption, and the layman of excommunication? For he is such, although he is not of one mind with them; but it gives many people cause for temptation and suspicion against themselves, as if they were giving honor to Jewish rites. And at the same time, it seems that he is defiled by community with those to whom God, before the murder of Christ, through the prophet said: my soul hates fasting and idleness and your holidays (Isaiah 1:14). And the 29th canon of the Council of Laodicea determines that a Christian should not celebrate on Saturday, and the Judaizers, says, shall be anathema. And the 71st rule of the Council of Carthage prohibits celebrating and feasting with Greeks.

Valsamon. The Holy Apostles, having determined in other rules what should happen to those who pray together with heretics, or with the excommunicated, now command those who fast with the Jews, or those who receive the unleavened bread of their feasts, or other gifts, to cast out the clergy, and to excommunicate the laity. But do not say that these are Judaizers, as if they were of the same mind with the Jews: for such people will certainly be subjected not only to expulsion or excommunication, but to complete deprivation of communion, as the 29th canon of the Council of Laodicea also commands. But say that such people are Orthodox, but they despise church traditions and live carelessly; and therefore they are punished more leniently, as those who cause temptation. For therefore, we, who both believe and do not agree with the Jews and other heretics, without a doubt allow fasting when they fast, perhaps for the sake of the threat of Nineveh, or for their other imaginary reasons. And from the fact that those who receive the gifts of their holidays from the Jews, that is, unleavened bread and so on, are cast out and excommunicated, many conclude that those who make the mystical sacrifice on unleavened bread are exposed by this: for, they say, if one eating the unleavened bread of the Jewish holidays exposes them to cast out and excommunication; then their communion is as the work of the Lord and celebrating the Passover on them, like the Jews - which one will not be subject to condemnation and punishment? So, take note of this rule and look for the 71st rule of the Council of Carthage.

Slavic helmsman. If any bishop, or presbyter, or deacon, or any member of the priestly rank fasts with the Jews, or celebrates with them, or accepts part of the unleavened bread from them on the day of their festival, or creates such a thing and let it be erupted. A worldly man, let him leave.

Rule 71 of the Holy Apostles

If a Christian brings oil to a pagan temple, or to a Jewish synagogue, on their holidays, or lights a candle, he will be excommunicated from church communion.
    (Ap. 7, 64, 70; Trul. 11, 94; Ankyr. 7, 24; Antioch. 1; Laodice. 29, 37, 38, 39; Carth. 21).

Holy Confessor Nikodim Milash:

This rule is an addition to the 70th Ap. rule. The Apostle Paul clearly preaches that righteousness cannot have anything in common with iniquity, light with darkness, or the faithful with the unfaithful (2 Cor. 6 :14, 15). Enough has already been said about the condemnation of Christians for religious communication with Jews in the interpretations of the 7th, 64th and 70th Apostles. rules If a Christian does not dare to have any religious communication with the Jews, who, in any case, revere Moses and the prophets and who are members of the Old Testament church, then even more so he should not have the slightest communication with pagans who do not know God. Because of this, this rule prescribes the deprivation of church communion of every Christian who comes with religious offerings to places called sanctuaries by the pagans and gives as a sign of reverence on the days pagan holidays oil and candles. The pagan temple, not to mention the religious teaching preached in it, which had nothing in common with Christian teaching, was, moreover, the focus of everything most immoral that one could imagine.

(Editor's note: Attention!!! We are talking about ecumenical activities and punishments for them!)

Zonara.“Let him be excommunicated from church communion,” for he does the offering of oil and the lighting of lights because that honors the customs of the Jews, or pagans. And if their worship honors; then he must think that he thinks the same way as them.

Aristen. Rule 70. Excommunicate a layman who practices Judaism or thinks in agreement with the pagans. Rule 71: Cast out the cleric. One who thinks in agreement with the Jews and fasts or celebrates with them, if he is a cleric, he is expelled, and if he is a layman, he is excommunicated.

Valsamon. Elsewhere it is said that there is no fellowship between the faithful and the infidel ( 2 Cor. 6:14,15). Therefore, the present rule says that the Christian is subject to excommunication who celebrates with any infidel, or lights oil or a lamp in their false worship; because he is considered to be of one mind with the infidels. According to this rule, such a person is punished more leniently, but according to others he is subject to more severe punishments.

Slavic helmsman. If a Christian brings oil to a Jewish congregation, or to a heretical church, or to a trash house on their feast day, or burns a censer, or burns a candle, he will be excommunicated.

37 Rule of the Council of Laodicea 364

One should not accept holiday gifts sent from Jews or heretics, nor should one celebrate with them.

(64 Ap, 70, 71,.. Trul 11;. Ankir 9;. Laod 6, 9, 29, 38, 84, 88, 89).

38 Rule of the Council of Laodicea 364

You must not accept unleavened bread from the Jews, or partake of their wickedness.

(7 Ap, 64, 70, 71,.. Trul 11;. Anchir 9;. Laod 6, 9, 29, 33, 34, 37, 39).

There is nothing to interpret here, and everything is clear. Celebrating Passover during Jewish celebrations, that is, Passover, is what it means partake of their wickedness.

Spoiler

Original:

None of those belonging to the sacred rank, or of the laity, should at all eat unleavened bread given by the Jews, or enter into fellowship with them, or call on them when sick, and accept medicine from them, or wash with them in baths. If anyone dares to do this, then let the cleric be deposed, and the layman be excommunicated.

Translation of the Acts of the Ecumenical Councils: None of those in holy orders or lay people should eat unleavened bread from the Jews, or enter into fellowship with them, or take medicine for them, or wash with them in the bathhouse. If anyone dares to do this, then if he is a cleric, let him be deposed, and if he is a layman, let him be excommunicated.

Interpretation of Zonara: And the seventieth rule of the holy Apostles determines not to celebrate with the Jews and not to accept from them any gifts from their holidays; and this rule does not allow one to enter into communication with them, that is, friendship, nor the sick to be treated by them, nor even to wash with them. And the 32nd canon of the Council of Laodicea prohibits accepting the blessing of heretics, and the 37th and 38th canons of the same council say that one should not accept holiday gifts sent from Jews or heretics, nor celebrate with them, or accept unleavened bread and partake their wickedness. And this rule adds punishment to those who violate this definition, namely those in the clergy - ejection, and the laity - excommunication.

Interpretation of Balsamon: Wanting us not to have any communication with the Jews, the divine fathers determine that we should not celebrate with them, not accept or eat the unleavened bread they have there, not be treated by them, or wash with them; and those who do contrary to this are ordered to be thrown out, if they are clergy, and the laity to be excommunicated. Look for the Laodicean Council, rules 31, 32, 37 and 38, and the Holy Apostles, rule 70 and interpretation on it. And let no one say that we are forbidden to eat those unleavened breads that are distributed by heretics, but it is not forbidden to make a sacrifice on unleavened bread, or simply to eat unleavened bread, because we also indifferently eat the so-called unleavened bread; for whoever says this must hear that it is forbidden not to eat unleavened bread, but to celebrate with unleavened bread, according to the custom of the Jews. And what holiday is greater than the bloodless sacrifice that our Lord Jesus Christ gave us during his death and the celebration of Easter? And that it did not even occur to the holy fathers that we should celebrate with unleavened bread, as is the case among the Jews, who were ordered to celebrate the Passover with a lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herbs, this is clear from the fact that they abolished all Jewish celebrations. Note this rule for the Latins who celebrate with unleavened bread, and for those who are treated by Jews and heretics; for all such are condemned to excommunication. Note the teaching of this rule regarding unleavened bread, and that those who are treated by Jews or other heretics are punished.

Synopsis: The unleavened bread of the Jews must be rejected; and whoever calls on them as doctors, or washes together, is subject to eruption. Aristin's interpretation of the text of the Synopsis: Christians have no communication with Jews. Therefore, whoever is found to eat their unleavened bread, or call upon them for healing, or wash with them, or communicate with them in any other way, he, if a cleric, must be subject to ejection, and if a layman, excommunication.

Slavic Helmsman: The unleavened bread of Judaism has been rejected. Summon their physician, or wash with them and be rejected. Interpretation of the Slavic Helmsman: Not a single Christian has joined the Jews. For this reason, if anyone finds himself eating unleavened bread, or call their doctor for healing, or wash with them in the baths, or otherwise be assigned to them, if there is a clerk, let him erupt. If he is a worldly man, let him leave.

Bishop's comment Nikodim Milasha: Confirming the previous rules (see Ap. 7, 64, 70, 71; Antioch. 1; Laod. 29, 37, 38; Carth. 51, 73, 106), the fathers of the Trullo Council with this rule prohibit all communication with Jews, moreover under the threat of eruption of sacred persons and excommunication of the laity. This rule is very fond of being quoted both by people with “extreme right” views, justifying their complete ban on communication with Jews, not only in religious terms, and by critics of the Church, who on its basis accuse Orthodoxy of Judeophobia. Let's try to find out mens legislatoris - the intention of the legislator in this rule. This rule must be considered in the light of 7, 64, 65, 70 and 71 rules of St. of the Apostles, 1 canon of Antioch, 29, 37 and 38 canons of Laodicea and 51, 73 and 106 canons of the Council of Carthage. Those rules formulate the principle of the impossibility of joint prayers with Jews. Moreover, Jews are often mentioned along with other heretics. The rules mention “holiday gifts”, “joint celebrations” and so on. That is, a ban is established on religious communication between Orthodox Christians and representatives of these groups. This ban is completely understandable. Why, in the 11th rule, the use of medical services from Jewish doctors is added to the holiday gifts (unleavened bread)? As is known, ancient medicine practiced both rational and irrational methods of treatment. The first included actively practiced surgery, internal medicine, hygiene, and even some rudiments of psychological practices. At the same time, irrational methods also developed, mainly associated with the so-called. "temple medicine" We can observe these practices both in pagan and Jewish environments, as well as Christian ones. A particularly important feature of ancient medicine were norms and practices regarding bodily hygiene. This is where all sorts of rules regarding bodily uncleanliness come from, as well as the active use of all kinds of water procedures, such as fonts, baths and baths. Along with the pagan hydropathic baths, the ancient Jewish ones were also widely known. According to some opinions, ancient doctors prescribed baths and water procedures. So the proximity in Rule 11 of doctors and baths (hydropathic clinics) is not anything strange or unusual. Essentially, the rule can be divided into two parts: No one belonging to the sacred order, or from the laity, should: (1) eat unleavened bread given by the Jews, or enter into fellowship with them, (2) call on them when they are sick, and take medicine from them, or wash in baths with them. If anyone dares to do this, then let the cleric be deposed, and the layman be excommunicated. Those. one part talks about “holiday gifts and friendship,” and the second about “medical care.” Ancient Jewish medicine did not differ from ancient medicine, and also actively practiced irrational methods, for example, certain prayers. And although attempts were made to prohibit magical actions, spells and amulets, they were also quite actively used. It can be assumed that in prohibiting treatment from Jewish doctors, the fathers of the 6th Ecumenical Council forbade this primarily because of the possible prayerful communication with the Jews, which was prohibited earlier, or because of the possible use of magical rituals and amulets by Jewish doctors. Consequently, nothing new was introduced by this rule; the previous regulations were only clarified. But modern doctors of Jewish nationality practicing in public and private clinics are not the same Jewish doctors mentioned in this rule. Since they do not use prayer practices, moreover, the vast majority are not representatives of the Jewish religion. And it is absolutely necessary to clarify that this rule does not refer only to the public baths we are accustomed to, but to hydropathic establishments in general, including baths and springs.

Celebrating Easter in Passover week, we seem to wash ourselves with the Jews in the same bathhouse, only in a spiritual one, which undoubtedly is a violation of the canonical rule prohibiting doing so.

On the question of how many days Passover is celebrated, be it ours or the Jews

The culmination of the Jewish Passover (Pesach Yom Tov) falls on the 14th of Nisan, immediately after sunset the Jews sit down at the table to break their fast with six-course dishes that are of a commemorative nature, just like the days of Passover, but this does not mean that their celebration lasts one night, each subsequent The day is called Passover, which is celebrated for a whole week, each day denoting a historical event associated with the release from Egyptian captivity. The seventh day of Passover is for them the same sacred day as the first. But the eighth day, when they have already left, is a post-feast and at the same time the celebration of the Passover holiday.

St. John Chrysostom.

Don’t you know that the Jewish Passover is an image, and the Christian Passover is the truth? Look at the difference between them:

that one delivered from bodily death, and this one stopped the wrath (of God), to which the whole universe fell;

that one once delivered from Egypt, that one freed from idolatry;

that one destroyed Pharaoh, this one destroyed the devil;

after that - Palestine, after that - heaven.

Why are you sitting with a candle when the sun has already risen? Why do you want to eat milk when you are given solid food? That's why they fed you milk, so that you wouldn't stay on milk; That's why the candle shone for you, so that you would come to the sun. So, when the most perfect state has arrived, we will not return to the previous one - we will not observe days, times and years, but in everything we will unswervingly follow the church, preferring love and peace to everything.

Patriarch Theodore Balsamon

(Editor’s note: Was one day of Easter voiced by John Chrysostom and Theodore Balsamon?)

Interpretation by Alexander Lopukhin:

Passover, a remembrance of the beginning of the theocratic existence of Israel as the people of Jehovah, is naturally placed at the head of all holidays of the year. Associated with the exodus of Israel from Egypt, an event that began new era In the history of Israel, the holiday of Passover - unleavened bread lasted 7 days, to further strengthen the consciousness of the people and individual members of its most important moment. The law regarding Passover is given with the greatest completeness in the book of Exodus (Exod. 12 :6, 11, 15-20), precisely when presenting the very history of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, then in individual articles of the law (Lev. 23 :15, 34:18). In the place in question, 1) the start time of the holiday is determined (Lev. 23 :5-6): 14th Nisan in the evening, own. from euros ben-haarbaim: “between 2 evenings” (cf. Ex. 12 .6) - at sunset (according to the understanding of the Samaritans and Karaites) or from the decline of the sun to sunset until complete darkness (according to the interpretation of the Pharisees, Josephus and Philo); 2) the duration of the holiday is 7 days (Lev. 23 :6-7); 3) the nature of the celebration: rest and sacred assembly on the 1st and 7th days (Lev. 23 :7-8), and eating unleavened bread all week (Lev. 23 :6). The book speaks about special sacrifices on Easter. Numbers (Number 28 .19-24).

The connecting link of both holidays, of which Easter is connected with historical memories, and Pentecost is closer to natural, agricultural life (although later Pentecost the Jews learned the meaning of the memory of the giving of the law at Sinai), serves what is prescribed by the law (Lev. 23 :10-14) the offering and grateful sacrificial offering to Jehovah of the first sheaf of the new harvest on the 2nd day of Passover(mimmacharath hasschabat, Lev. 23 :11: Easter is called Saturday, due to the rest required on this holiday). In April, around Easter, bread began to ripen in Palestine, first of all (cf. Ex. 9 .31-32) barley: the 1st sheaf of barley had to be brought to the Lord of the promised land and sacrifice - Jehovah, and before this ceremony, the harvest and eating of new bread were not allowed (Lev. 23 :13-14; Josephus Flavius ​​Jude. Ancient 3:10; bliss Theodorite, in question. 32). “Exaltation” (through the ritual of “shock”, cf. Lev. 7 :30) was accompanied by a bloody (lamb - burnt offering) and bloodless sacrifice (Lev. 23 :12-13).

Many quote Leviticus saying, you see, the first day is the Passover of the Lord, and then the week of unleavened bread, which means the Jewish Passover lasts one day. No, I don’t see it, because I know that the week of unleavened bread is added to the Passover of the Lord, that’s not two different holidays, and one and the same, since they begin to eat unleavened bread on the Passover of the Lord, they even have a ritual when Chametz is thrown out of their houses and this is done on the eve of Passover.

Many say that Christ celebrated the Last Supper during Passover, and rose again on the fourth day of Passover... They say this proves that there is nothing reprehensible in celebrating Passover during Jewish celebrations. Repeating word for word the heretical teaching of the tetradits.

I will answer you in the words of John Chrysostom

And Christ celebrated the Passover with the Jews, not so that we should celebrate it with them, but in order to introduce the truth through the shadow. He underwent circumcision, and observed the Sabbaths, and celebrated their feasts, and ate unleavened bread, and did all this in Jerusalem; but we are not obliged to anything of this; on the contrary, Paul appeals to us: “if you are circumcised, Christ will profit you for nothing” ( Gal. 5:2). And again about unleavened bread: “Let us celebrate in the same way, not in the leaven of unleavened bread, nor in the leaven of malice and wickedness, but in the unleavened bread of purity and truth” ( 1 Cor. 5:8). Our unleavened bread does not consist of kneaded flour, but of blameless behavior and virtuous living.

Why did Christ celebrate (Easter) then? Since the ancient Easter was an image of the future, and the image had to be followed by the truth; then Christ, having shown the shadow in advance, then offered the truth at the meal. And with the appearance of truth, the shadow is already hidden and becomes inappropriate. So, do not present this to me as an objection, but prove that Christ commanded us to do this too. On the contrary, I will prove that He not only did not command us to observe the days (of the Law of Moses), but also freed us from this necessity.

Don’t you see the hierarchy, first comes the shadow, and then the truth, they do not follow together, therefore our Passover should be celebrated after Passover, so that our weeks do not overlap, so that we do not have to observe the days of the Mosaic Law.

Song 3

Irmos: Come, let us drink new beer; it is not from the barrenness that the miracle works, but the source of incorruption, from the tomb which brought forth Christ, we are established in Him.

Beer, like leavened bread, is a product of fermentation, our Lord Jesus Christ is new bread, beer is new, so how can you eat it when the crucifiers are eating unleavened bread at that moment? This is blasphemy.

Who mixes unleavened and leavened dough in one roller, and what will come of it? I don't think it's good.

What does Christ have in common with Belial?

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and flow out on its own, and the skins will be lost; but new wine must be put into new wineskins; then both will be saved. ( OK. 5:37-39)

By new Wine we understand our Orthodox Easter, and by old wineskins we mean Passover. Modernists propose to pour new wine into old wineskins, waiting just one day, so to speak, for formal observance of the canon, as Catholics do, looking for all sorts of loopholes in church law. Let me remind you that in the Roman “Church” until 1967 there was no institution of a permanent diaconate, and in the canons It is stated that before being ordained a priest is made a deacon. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, an ordained deacon had to undergo a certain test that lasted several years and only then, with the blessing of the bishop, was ordained a priest, while in the Roman Catholic “Church” they became deacons for only a few minutes, at the moment of ordination to the priesthood, so that’s when we they say that the departure from the Old Testament Easter should be on one day, I remember this Jesuit practice of formal observance of the canons, which is justified in every possible way by the fact that the Holy Fathers do not say anything about dates.

If we can't convince you otherwise. dear believers, and despite everything, you insist that everything is right and needs to be celebrated on April 16, celebrate, but I beg you, brothers and sisters, do not take communion on this day, even with the priests who stand in truth.

About the position that everything is correct and there is no need to stir things up and confuse people

Unfortunately, many priests have settled on the position that everything is correct, citing chronological dates of such coincidences as evidence. Now, if the fathers had reasoned from the position of defending faith and piety, then the arguments would have been different. Unfortunately, their entire basis and the information they provide are built on indifferentism, which was condemned by John Chrysostom. We ourselves know that everything depends on the position that a person takes; if he is an ecumenist or a modernist, he will pull out those passages of scripture and holy fathers as evidence that indicate the supposed correctness of this teaching, this also applies to ouranopolitans and other heretics. Alas, the priests who stood in truth followed this same destructive path.

At the end of the world there will be two Easters. The priesthood will celebrate the wrong one, and war will begin.

The prophecy of Evdokia Chudinovskaya (1870-1948) from the village of Chudinovo (Chelyabinsk region), who was affectionately called “Blessed Dunyushka” by the people.

Unfortunately, the priesthood is not included in quotation marks, which means that it is the priests who stand for the truth who will be guilty of the beginning of the war!

Double standards

Many priests who stand in truth say that it is impossible to celebrate secular holidays such as March 8, February 23, January 1, etc. because they often fall on Jewish days (and rightly so) but at the same time they claim that Orthodox Easter can and should be celebrated together with Jews on Passover... isn’t that a paradox!?

Why were there so many joint celebrations in history and not one Saint saw the forgery?

The Lord, in His Mercy and love for mankind, tolerated this unforgivable mistake, and covered it with Divine economy, and therefore the Holy Fire descended, and anathemas were not carried out... but sooner or later everything comes to an end, how long can you test God’s patience by celebrating incorrect Easters?!

Rule of the Great Council of 1583 on Paschal and the New Calendar

Since again the church of ancient Rome, as if rejoicing in the vanity of its astronomers, imprudently changed the beautiful decrees about the sacred Easter, celebrated by Christians of the whole earth and celebrated as determined - for this reason it becomes the cause of temptations, for Armenian men appeared before our measure, asking about the practice celebrations because they too are forced to embrace innovation. For this reason, we had to say that the Holy Fathers decreed about this. Our measure, having discussed together with the Most Blessed Patriarch of Alexandria and the Most Blessed Patriarch of Jerusalem and other members of the Synod in Holy Spirit, determines and explains the decision on this matter by the Holy One. Fathers, Whoever does not follow the customs of the Church and the way the seven holy Ecumenical Councils ordered us to follow about Holy Pascha and the month and goodness of the law, but wants to follow the Gregorian Paschal and the month, he, with the godless astronomers, opposes all the definitions of the Holy Fathers. councils and wants to change and weaken them - let him be anathema, excommunicated from the Church of Christ and the assembly of the faithful. You, Orthodox and pious Christians, remain in what you have learned, what you were born and raised in, and when the need arises, shed your very blood in order to preserve your fatherly faith and confession. Be careful and be attentive from these, so that our Lord Jesus Christ will help you and may the prayers of our measure be with all of you. Amen.

Patriarch of Constantinople Jeremiah P.,
Patriarch of Alexandria Sylvester,
Patriarch of Jerusalem Sophrony
and other bishops of the cathedral, which was held on November 20, 1583.

From this the conclusion suggests itself that our Easter should under no circumstances be celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar, and if it turns out that our Julian Easter falls on the Gregorian calendar, it should be moved so as not to celebrate together with the heretics - the Papians, Armenians, Monothelites and other heretics.

Last updated: 04/18/2016

The oldest Jewish holiday, Passover, is associated with important event history of the Jewish people - the Exodus from Egypt, deliverance from slavery.

Passover begins annually on the 14th of the month of Nisan according to the Jewish lunar calendar. In Israel itself this holiday is seven days, outside of it it is eight days. In the Gregorian calendar, the date is different every year and is calculated separately. In 2016, Passover begins at sunset on April 22 and ends on April 30. The days of celebration commemorate the events of the Exodus.

The memory of the Exodus - the miraculous liberation of the Jews from Egyptian slavery in the middle of the 13th century BC. e. (Bible, Book of Exodus, chapters 12-15) - the basis of Judaism. Biblical texts tell how Moses, at the command of God, led the people of Israel out of Egypt. On the night of the 14th of the month of Nisan, all the firstborn of Egypt, except the Jewish ones, died. The houses of the Jews, marked with the blood of sacrificial lambs, were spared heavenly punishment. That night, the people of Israel, led by Moses, left the Egyptian lands.

It was in memory of the fact that the angel of death passed over Israeli families that the holiday was named: “Passover” in Hebrew means “to pass, go around or pass by.”

Passover is also called the holiday of pilgrimage to Jerusalem along with two other pilgrimage holidays - and. For Israelis, this is a time of mass excursions and trips throughout the country and, especially, to Jerusalem.

Passover traditions

Before the holiday week, Jews collect all the leaven (chametz) from around the house and burn it on the morning before Passover. Any flour dish during the preparation of which the dough undergoes a fermentation process is considered leavened (on all days of Passover, it is forbidden to eat leaven and it is prescribed to avoid products that can ferment).

In addition, there is a tradition of collecting “meot hittim” before the start of the holiday, which once meant money for flour for matzo, and later - money for festive table for the poor (matza are special unleavened flatbreads made from unleavened dough; they are baked in memory of how the Jews, leaving Egypt in a hurry, took with them bread hastily made from dough that they did not have time to leaven).

On the morning before Passover, first-born men symbolically fast in memory of the salvation of the first-born of Israel during the tenth plague of Egypt.

On the first and seventh days of the holiday, Jews do not work; on the remaining days, work is permitted, but with some restrictions.

The first night and first two days of the holiday (in Israel - only the first day) are called Yom Tov, “good holiday day”. On the first day of Passover, a solemn service is held in synagogues: a prayer for dew is read, as well as psalms of thanksgiving to God called Hallel.

On the evening of Nisan 14, Jewish families gather for a meal at home, where they recite the Seder Korban Pesach (the order of the Passover sacrifice), after which Pesach proper begins. The meal is called a Seder; it is served on the first and second nights of the holiday in a strictly defined order. During the seder, it is customary to read the Haggadah, a prayer that tells about the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.

Festive table prepared for the Passover Seder. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / RadRafe

The Seder is very important in the celebration of Passover. During the meal, everyone should drink four glasses of wine in honor of the four cups mentioned in the Torah, and there should be three (sometimes two) matzos on the table, placed one on top of the other.

In addition, on the table there should be a chicken egg and a chicken wing as a symbol of the sacrificial lamb, a vessel with salt water - a reminder of the tears of the Israelites during the time of Egyptian slavery, maror (celery, horseradish or other bitter herb) and charoset (sweet mixture of fruits, nuts) , wine and flour) in memory of the clay from which the Jews made bricks during Egyptian slavery. At the end of the meal they open front door, denoting the beginning of the exodus - the “night of vigil” for all the children of Israel. It is also customary to invite all those in need to the Seder.

On the last day of Passover, associated with the passage of Jews across the Red Sea, Hazkarat Neshamot is read in synagogues - a prayer of remembrance for the dead. In addition, there is a tradition on this day to go to a reservoir and sing a passage from the Torah dedicated to the events of the Exodus, called “Song of the Sea.” The seventh day of Passover, as already mentioned, is a non-working day.

What do Jewish Passover and Christian Easter have in common?

The name is a direct transfer of the name of the Jewish holiday. “Pesakh” in Russian means “Easter”. The events of Holy Week took place during the celebration of the Jewish Passover.

Despite all the differences between the biblical and Gospel events, theologians see many parallels in them: both here and there we are talking about death and salvation, about freedom and slavery, about sacrificial blood and bread. The Gospel of John (1:29) and 1 Corinthians (5:7) say: Christ in his atoning sacrifice was likened to the innocent lamb, which in his time the Jews customarily slaughtered before the beginning of Passover. And just as the blood of an innocent lamb saved the first-born sons of Egypt from death, so the blood of Christ saves men created to become sons of God.

People often use images from the Passover story to make things clearer. The Apostle Paul wrote: “Get rid of the old yeast so that you can become a new lump of dough, for this is what you are as believers: bread without leaven. For Christ our Passover Lamb was given to the slaughter” (1 Corinthians 5:7).

Why shouldn't Passover and Easter coincide?

The Church determines that the day of Christ’s Resurrection should not coincide with the day of the Jewish Passover, that is, with the 14th of Nisan according to the Jewish calendar: “If anyone, a bishop, or a presbyter, or a deacon, celebrates the holy day of Passover […] with the Jews, he will be deposed from the sacred rank" (Apostolic Canons. Rule 7).

The fact is that, in accordance with the Gospel, the Resurrection of Christ itself took place after the Jewish Passover. That is why, that is, to maintain the chronology of the Gospel events, the celebration of Easter was established by the First Ecumenical Council one way and not another. There is still debate about the possibility of the coincidence of the celebration of Jewish and Christian Passover. But, as the clergy clarify, it would be extremely strange to clearly contradict the Gospel by determining the date of the most important Christian holiday.