The Osceola times., 1885-04-18
EASTER.
The Resurrection Season One of
Joy and Thanksgiving.
Former Dispute as to tho Date Of the
Festival-How the Question Was
Finally Determined - Origin OF
the Word.

Many of our religious festivals have
peculiarly poetical and picturesque
aspect, and the idea of them is insepa-
rable from the season in which they are
celebrated crystal clear heavens and
frosty dark as n part Of Christmas,
bursting blossom and fragrant flower of
early summer as part OF Whitsuntide's s
tongues of fire, while Easter, were it
fixed fast by law to any day. could have
no other period than that of the vernal
equinox.
Yet the date Of Easter has afforded
ground for good deal of schism and
controversy in the Christian Church;
for the day being movable, and depend
ING on certain relations of the full
moon to the vernal equinox, left some
little liberty for its designation, and
the Eastern Church chose to celebrate
it on the day of the Jewish Passover,
hoping, perhaps, to replace that cere-
monial day with its Judaic converts,
while the Western Church would
have 1t celebrated only on the
Sunday following the Passover; and
after maintaining friendly difference
tlll the end Of the second century, the
dispute became of different character.
1he Eastern Christians supported their
custom by the examples of St Philip
and st. John, with the latter of whom
thelr old Bishop Polycarp had lived,
and so ought to know; for was not this
the st. John who all but saw the Lord
arls', the beloved disciple that did out
run Peter and come first to the sepul-
cherP The Western Christians quoted
IN support of their custom the practice
OF St. Peter and St Paul The Western
ohurch had. en- some respects, more
reason than the other on their side, first
because the resurrection having undis-
putedly taken place on n Sunday, a
sunday would seem to be the rational
day Tor its observance, and secondly,
because, owing to imperfections in the
calendar, the Eastern day sometimes
ieil earlier than the vernal equinox.
which caused the feast to be observed
twice IN that year and not at all in the
next year, the vernal equinox be-
ing held as the opening day of
the natural year. All sorts of mathe-
maticai and astronomical calculations
were made, and cycles were framed by
Waich the moons age could be deter
mined accurately; but the question as
10 whether the day should be kept ac-
cordlng to the Eastern or the Western
custom was never definitely settled in
tne British Church till toward the close
OF The seventh century, when the King
OF Northumbria- he through whose
lighted palace hall the bird fitted, like
the soul, out of one darkness into
ahother-called council, and decided
the question by declaring that if the
Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven were
really given to St Peter. as Wilfrid
ana Bishop Colman admitted, then he
should do as St Peter did. and observe
Easter on the first Sunday after the full
moon which happens on or next after
the day of the vernal equinox, fearing
70 offend him who kept the keys of
heaven, lest Ire should. as he said, on
presenting himself at the gate. find no
one TO open TO him The settlement of
the question must, at all events, have
peen great convenience, as all the
olher movable feasts throughout the
year depend upon the date Of Easter,