Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1876-04-14
g by 10, the number of years in


by Pope Gregory XIII, the year b
consequently. whenever and wherev,
the NEW STYLE of reckoning time WI
adopted, then and there the year cor
menced on this day.
Previous to the use Of the Grcgori4
calendar, the years had d .ifarent DAY
OF beginning at various times in til
same and different countries. and o,
casionally at the same time in the san
country. In most countries it bega
on ono of the following days:
Christmas day. the 25th OF Decent e
Circumcision day, the LIST of January
Lady day, the % h of March; or
Easter dav, the day of the resurrt C
| Il, u of our Lord
| To ASCERTAIN The LENTH OF TUE DA
AND NIGHT.
At any time OF the year add twelv
hours to the ting of the suns setting
and from Inc sum subtract the time O
rising" for the length of the day. Sub
tract Ire time of setting from twelv
hour ard to the remainder add III
time OF rising iext morning, for tn
length Of the night These rules ar
y
IDLY. The Easter celebration diff
Guilty.
Easter s the Christian passover anC
festival Of the resurrection of Christ
The Engli ia name is probably derived
from that Of the Teutoplc goddess ol
Spring, Ostera or Eostre, whose esti-
val occurred about the same time OF
the year as the celebration of Easter.
The Heb1 ew-Greek word P0scH0 has
passed il the name given to this
feast by most Christian nations. The
French call IT PAquts; the Sc itch,
Pa-ch; the Dutch, Paschrn; the
ID lucs, Paask., and the Swedes,
Pask. st. Paul calls Christ "our
pasch;" aud both the Eastern and
Western churches from the beginning
distinguished a t,O0fOld creut in the
Ea ter comm moratIon, the staying of
1.-THE Lamb of God and his resurrec-
ton; hence the terms in their litur-
g'e5, 'pascha crucifxionis, and
'pascha resurrectionis. Aud the dis
tInctlon between the day on which
Christ died aud that on which he rose
again had not a little to do with the
Easter controversy in the early church,
original ng III a difference of custom
with regard to the day of the week
aud the day OF the month on
which Easter should be cele-
brated. AS the Christians held
that Christ, the true paschal
lamb, had been slain on the very day
when the Jews III celebration of their
passover inundated the fgurative
lamb, SO, both in the West and in the
East, those who believed the Christian
passover to be a commemoration of
Christ'a death adhered to the custom
OF holding the Easter festivtty On the
day prescribed for the Jewish pasch.
Now, as the Jews celebrated their
passover on the 14th day of the first
month, that is to say, the lunar month
of which the 14th day either falls on,
or next follows the day of the vernal
equinox, all Christians who persisted
in following this custO"n IN the celc-
bration of Easter came to be called
"Quartodecimans" or Fourteenth day
men," or JudaizInS Christians The
great majority Of Christian Schu 'ches,
attaching most importance to the day
of Christ6 resurrection, which was the
first day OF tie week (hence called the
Lord 5 day, our Sunday held to Casters
being celebrated on that day, aud on
the Sunday yhici. followed the l4th
day of the moon OF March, the day OIL
which Christ suffered. This question,
one of custom and local discipline i'll
the beginning, had given so much
trouble that about \. d 159, PoiycaIp,
disciple of St. John the Evangelist
aud bishop OF Smyrna, went to Rome
10 consult aboLt the question.
D,,l-,
If the Asiatic bishops, and Pope Ami
jetus failed to persuade him over to
the general custom Of celebrating East
ar on Sunday. Ghe Easter controversy
was rot again renewed till the Pom III
cate Of ST. Victor. toward the close of
this second century, But Polycarp
departed with the full friendship of
the Pope aud III communion with the
Churcu Of Il one.
Gradually, however, tue question OF
the Easter celebration from one of DIS
clip Inc became one OF dogma. In \. ID.
lS2, priest called Biastus made hinI-
self very obnoxious in Rome by en-
ieavoriuJ 10 .lave the Jewish rule OF
Easter on the l4+h day of
the moon OF March, adopted as rule
Of faith The discussion throughout
the Christian world had become SO
aOgry that Polycrates, bishop of Ephe
SIS, appealed to Victor, Bishop of
Rome, asking to have tins matter de-
eide once and for all.
Victor convoked all the bishops Of
Italy IN council. when 1t was decided
that Easter should be celebrated OF a
day conseorated from the
days of the apostles to the memory of
th. glorious resurrection OF Christ;
and the fathers iutnrdic3ed tue ub5+rv-
aEce for the future OF the Jewish usage
in the celebration Of this solcmnity.
Victor sent the synod Cal letter to the
bishops OF the Christian world. Coun-
ellis were a-atmbiesl in Gau', Pontus,
0 rome, Achaia and other countries.
The result was q decision fixing the
feast of Easter, Or the resurrection,
on tire Sunday Immediately follow ing
the l4th day of the March moon.
Poly crates refused to acquiescc Ill this
decision, because it involved an
of the customs OF his
fathers. Constantine had the sui iect
brought b. fore the Council of Nice
A ID. 1925. The question was fully
discussed. and finally settled for the
whole, ny adopting the rule which
makes yesterday to be always the first
Sunday after the full moon, watch
happens upon or next after March 2l;
and if the full moon happen on Sun
day, Ester day is the sunday after.
BY this arrangement Easter may come
as early as March %, or as late as
April ..
It was decreed that the day on
which the feast was to be kept iii the
Eastern churches should be announced
each year by the Patriarch OF Alex
andria, because more attention was
paid to astronomy in that city.
Very truly, ETC.,
NJ. S. G.
EayeiieviIie Presbytery.
! &c