Should Easter be same day every year? Ancient question; answer near
New Orleans Archbishop The Most Rev. Gregory Aymond greets worshippers after Easter Sunday Mass at St. Louis Cathedral March 31, 2013. (Photo by David Grunfeld, Nola.com |The Times-Picayune archives) DAVID GRUNFELD
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on March 23, 2016 at 12:38 PM, updated March 24, 2016 at 12:15 PM
For more than 1,500 years, Christian scholars have pondered a question that, by religion standards, is relatively straightforward: Should Jesus Christ's resurrection be celebrated on the same Sunday every year? Now, some influential Christian leaders are predicting that the world is just five to 10 years away from answering yes, by setting a fixed day for Easter.
The New Orleans area has a special interest in the issue because of Easter's link to Mardi Gras and the various cultural events in the season leading to Fat Tuesday. If the predictions hold true, Carnival rituals between Jan. 6, which is Twelfth Night or King's Day, and Ash Wednesday could be altered, along with school calendars, examination schedules and spring breaks for college students.
"Perhaps others would say, 'What difference does it make?'" said the Most Rev. Gregory Aymond, the Roman Catholic archbishop of New Orleans. "We have a very different kind of investment in this. It's a very practical question for us, perhaps moreso than others, because of our deeply rooted traditions."
In January, the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, which includes the Episcopal Church in the United States, disclosed that the heads of Christian churches worldwide are close to signing an agreement on fixing Easter on either the second or third Sunday of April. Pope Francis had already signaled his desire to set a common day, telling a global gathering of priests in Rome in June that "we have to come to an agreement."
Pope Francis has signaled his interest in setting a fixed date for Easter. (AP file photo/Darko Bandic)
Discord over when to celebrate the Resurrection has reigned for centuries. Some scholars have referred to it as one of the oldest disagreements in Christianity.
Early Christians sought to celebrate Easter to coincide with Judaism's Passover, for the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke place the Last Supper within that eight-day festival. But because the Hebrew calendar is based on both solar and lunar cycles, Passover changes each year, which makes date of Easter change as well.
Since the First Council of Nicaea, a gathering of bishops convened by the Roman emperor Constantine in the year 325 to codify their Christian faith, Easter has been the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. This convoluted astronomical formula is baffling to many and means the date of Easter varies from year to year by more than a month.
This painting in the Sistine Chapel shows the First Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D.
Easter Sunday may fall as early as March 22, although that hasn't happened since 1881. The latest possible date is April 25, which last happened in 1943.
To further complicate matters, western Christians, including Roman Catholics and Protestants, often celebrate Easter on a date different from their Eastern Orthodox counterparts. That's due to the vagaries of the Julian and the Gregorian calendars and the spring equinox.
As a result of these complexities, discussions have taken place for centuries about making Easter a set day each year. In the 1920s, legislation was passed in the United Kingdom, Australia and some other countries to fix the date. The international drive eventually lost steam and those laws were never enacted, leaving the issue to be bandied about by religious scholars.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said in January he is discussing setting a fixed date for Easter with other Christian leaders. (AP file photo/Frank Augstein)
In January, however, the Most Rev. Justin Welby, archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Anglican Communion, announced his involvement in discussions with Catholic representatives and the world's other major Christian denominations to agree on a fixed day for Easter. That would solve one of Christianity's longest standing rifts, for in the 1,691 years since Nicaea, various parts of Christianity have drifted apart, some using different calendars to determine religious celebrations. Orthodox churches typically celebrate Easter a week after others, using the Julian calendar as a guide.
Religious leaders around the world see value in letting followers of Christ worldwide celebrate his resurrection on the same day. They also recognize it would have broad implications for students, tourism, retailers and even sporting events.
But reaching a consensus could prove more difficult than getting Congress to work in unison or getting the Louisiana Legislature to solve the state's financial woes. Welby suggested it would take at least five to 10 years to implement the change, because some have already planned and printed calendars for the next several years. He also said that establishing the set day was an ambitious undertaking, first attempted in the 10th century.
If religious leaders agree on the plan, secular governments likely would have to pass or amend legislation to carry it out. That could add time to the endeavor.
While setting a common day for Easter would have worldwide implications, it would be of special significance in New Orleans, which celebrates Mardi Gras exactly 47 days before Easter. Local religious leaders have expressed mixed views on the matter.
David Crosby, pastor of First Baptist Church New Orleans, said he does not favor establishing a set day for Easter. "It's been the way it is for a long time," he said. "I like celebrating Easter in accordance with the ancient Jewish calendar."
Aymond said he sees positives and negatives. On the plus side, it would allow for better planning and preparation for Mardi Gras and Easter. And, it might make it easier for teachers and school administrators to plan the second semester of each academic year.
He said setting a day would "call for a great degree of agreement and cooperation" among various branches of Christianity. "We would have to make sure everyone is on the same page," he said.
Aymond's comments echoed those made by Pope Francis in June, when he indicated his desire to reach an agreement with other religious leaders. Otherwise, the pope joked, Christians could say to one another, "When did Christ rise from the dead? My Christ rose today, and yours next week."
The New Orleans area has a special interest in the issue because of Easter's link to Mardi Gras and the various cultural events in the season leading to Fat Tuesday. If the predictions hold true, Carnival rituals between Jan. 6, which is Twelfth Night or King's Day, and Ash Wednesday could be altered, along with school calendars, examination schedules and spring breaks for college students.
"Perhaps others would say, 'What difference does it make?'" said the Most Rev. Gregory Aymond, the Roman Catholic archbishop of New Orleans. "We have a very different kind of investment in this. It's a very practical question for us, perhaps moreso than others, because of our deeply rooted traditions."
In January, the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, which includes the Episcopal Church in the United States, disclosed that the heads of Christian churches worldwide are close to signing an agreement on fixing Easter on either the second or third Sunday of April. Pope Francis had already signaled his desire to set a common day, telling a global gathering of priests in Rome in June that "we have to come to an agreement."
Pope Francis has signaled his interest in setting a fixed date for Easter. (AP file photo/Darko Bandic)
Early Christians sought to celebrate Easter to coincide with Judaism's Passover, for the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke place the Last Supper within that eight-day festival. But because the Hebrew calendar is based on both solar and lunar cycles, Passover changes each year, which makes date of Easter change as well.
Since the First Council of Nicaea, a gathering of bishops convened by the Roman emperor Constantine in the year 325 to codify their Christian faith, Easter has been the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. This convoluted astronomical formula is baffling to many and means the date of Easter varies from year to year by more than a month.
This painting in the Sistine Chapel shows the First Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D.
To further complicate matters, western Christians, including Roman Catholics and Protestants, often celebrate Easter on a date different from their Eastern Orthodox counterparts. That's due to the vagaries of the Julian and the Gregorian calendars and the spring equinox.
As a result of these complexities, discussions have taken place for centuries about making Easter a set day each year. In the 1920s, legislation was passed in the United Kingdom, Australia and some other countries to fix the date. The international drive eventually lost steam and those laws were never enacted, leaving the issue to be bandied about by religious scholars.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said in January he is discussing setting a fixed date for Easter with other Christian leaders. (AP file photo/Frank Augstein)
Religious leaders around the world see value in letting followers of Christ worldwide celebrate his resurrection on the same day. They also recognize it would have broad implications for students, tourism, retailers and even sporting events.
But reaching a consensus could prove more difficult than getting Congress to work in unison or getting the Louisiana Legislature to solve the state's financial woes. Welby suggested it would take at least five to 10 years to implement the change, because some have already planned and printed calendars for the next several years. He also said that establishing the set day was an ambitious undertaking, first attempted in the 10th century.
If religious leaders agree on the plan, secular governments likely would have to pass or amend legislation to carry it out. That could add time to the endeavor.
New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond will usher in the Jubilee of Mercy for the Catholic Church on Tuesday (Dec. 8) by opening the Holy Year Door.
While setting a common day for Easter would have worldwide implications, it would be of special significance in New Orleans, which celebrates Mardi Gras exactly 47 days before Easter. Local religious leaders have expressed mixed views on the matter.
David Crosby, pastor of First Baptist Church New Orleans, said he does not favor establishing a set day for Easter. "It's been the way it is for a long time," he said. "I like celebrating Easter in accordance with the ancient Jewish calendar."
Aymond said he sees positives and negatives. On the plus side, it would allow for better planning and preparation for Mardi Gras and Easter. And, it might make it easier for teachers and school administrators to plan the second semester of each academic year.
He said setting a day would "call for a great degree of agreement and cooperation" among various branches of Christianity. "We would have to make sure everyone is on the same page," he said.
Aymond's comments echoed those made by Pope Francis in June, when he indicated his desire to reach an agreement with other religious leaders. Otherwise, the pope joked, Christians could say to one another, "When did Christ rise from the dead? My Christ rose today, and yours next week."
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