Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-04-21

The Jewish Passover, called by them
Pascha, was kept by the Jews in memory
of their miraculous deliyerance from the
bondage of EgYpk by the slaughter Of all
, the frst-born of the Egyptians; the name
was derived from the Hebrew verb Pasach,
which signifies to pass, or leap over; be-
cause the destroying angel, who slew the
first born Ofthe Egyptians, passed over the
houses of the Hebrews without hurting the
frst-born, their doors being marked with
the blood of the Paschal Lamb which was
killed the evening before, and was an il
Iustrious type of Christ, who, by his pre-
cious blood, delivered us from the tyranny
of the devil. This great feast the Jews
kept on the fourteenth day of the first
month of the ecclesiastical or sacred
Lunar Year called by Moses Abb, by
Esdras and the latter Jews Nissan, cor
responding to the greatest part of our March
and part Of April. This was the moon of
the vernal equinox, and was the seventh
month of the civil year of the Jews, which
they followed in all computations in
secular affairs, and which they began
from the month Tisri, or the autumn
nal equinox. The Paschal Lamb, which
the Jews killed, tore to pieces, and ate,
and whose blOod-preserved them frodn the
hand of the destroying angel, was figure
of the death of our Saviour, and Of his
blood split for our redemption. This fes-
tiyal, began yesterday, says our contempt
rary of the Louisville Journal, is the true
Christian Pasch, and is called in the Eng
lish-Saxon language yesterday. In the
beginning of the Church, the Jewish COR
i-a,f The
the fourteenth day itself, the same on
which the Jews celebrated their Passover
But the Christian Paschal feast was in gen.
eral appointed by the Apostles to be kept
on the Sunday that followed the fourteenth
day of the moon of March. The Roman
and all other churches of converted Gen
tiles observed this rule. The feast of
Easter is the regulator of all the other
great movable festivities of the year. and
has always been celebrated in the church
with the greatest solemnity, as the first
among the five principal feasts of the
Christian religion. The administration of
the most holy of sacraments Of Baptism and
the Eucharist is performed on it with
the utmost solemnity, and the church COM
mands all her children to receive the latter
on it, threatening otherwise to cut them off
from her communion, so that disobedi-
ence to this her precept is a kind of volun-
tary accommodation of a persons self.
Those, indeed, who are found Hnclean on
this festival, are obliged to defer their
Pasch, by the advice of their spiritual di-
rector, and make it on the second month,
with the unelean in the old law. The forty
days of Lent is instituted at this time to be
preparation to this great festival, and it
is distinguished by every other privilege.
This" says st. Gregory Nazianzem, ais
the festival of festivals and the solemnity
of solemnities, as far above the other feasts
in the year. even of Christ himself, as the
sun Outshines the stars" This distinction
and extraordinary devotion were due to
the great mystery which we commemorate
on it-a mystery great in the ancient types
and prophecies, by which it was foretold-
great in itself and great in its frnits.