New-York tribune., 1891-05-07
PASSOVER AND EASTER.
IN ORDINARY SPEECH THE SANE. THEY ARE
HISTORICALLY DIFFERENT DAYS.

IN ORDINARY SPEECH THE SAME THEY ARE
HISTORICALLY DIFFERENT DAYS.
TO the Editor Of The Tribune
Sir In your article An Early Easter IN the issue
~ April 1 YOU refer to Easter the Passover OF the
Ievss do not criticise this expression. as III d
rhetorical sense 1t be true, but 1t Is common 10
corfound these two festivals and think that hlstor-
cal accuracy and religious truth will both be served
nv some discrimination, even though the explanation
he somewhat trite. The Passover supper was IN
stltuted to commemorate the spang OF sraePs eldest
sons when those of the Egyptians were stricken ana
the deliverance from bondage. 1t also pointed lor-
ward 10 the staying Of the Lamb OF God as tle oasis
of still wider dellverance. Connected with the fasS'
over proper were other observances which also seem
TO have been typical Of grand realities but the supper
itself including the killing Of the lamb, was the chief
event.
The Israelites reckoned time by moons or lunar
months and adjusted matters at the years end by al
WAYS beginning the year with the new moon heA1
following the spring equinox. At o'clock in the
evening OF the day the new moon appeared the hrSt
dav of the month Nlsan began. On the fourteenth
day the lamb killed and eaten, in the evening Just
after the day began. This order exactly followed
NV our Lord who ate the Passover or last supper
with His disciples on the evening of the fourteenth day
OF Nisan His cIucinxOn occurred on what we should
call the morrow, but which the Jews reckoned as the
same day.
The Early Church celebrated the Lords supper on
the anniversary above described, but the Council OF
Nice, A. d. 325 changed the method Instead OF the
new moon they took the first full moon after the
equinox aud the Sunday first following that was called
Passover Sunday. The anniversary of the Passover
was reached by counting back to the Friday preceding
which was called Good Friday.
The Jews continue TO find their Passover by the
Mosaic system, and our Saviour sanctioned the day
so fixed and seemed to suggest to his followers its con
tlnued use as a memorial Of his death on that day
Many Christians celebrate the supper only once year
| and keep to the ancient custom in finding the ami
versary of the great sacrifice, preferrng as our Lord
commanded to commemorate his death, rather than his
resurrection Important as the latter event as the
proof Of Jesuss acceptance by the Father and as the
pledge that all men should be restored to life in due
time the death OF still greater moment since II was
the death which atoned for the sins OF the world world,
This year the first full moon after tle equinox DC
Cured March 25 while the first new moon ell on apr
3, making that day Nisan lst The 14th r OF ,n NaSaI
panes Of c9rsans in this and iiI Other 5s !. lands 70 n
same hour the next day, corresponds 70 the day o
the Masters resuTsction Ieth Man The n Jews b!
barley sheaf Of FIRST fruits typical no doubt, Of Hin
wn hSG .r sf as s on tie 2
ossra" was the name OF Their gGGGes 1i fn
though morally weak It's splendoT and authority at
tracted the paCans and to please them the name o.
their goddess and OF their vernal fcaSt was sunSeo
i'm the Church for the grand, expressive word pass
over" and all that il implied.
Pondcrng the roots and reasons OF things, one
wonders whether there wa, not at work in the Council
al Nice fifteen and llalf centuries ago principle
that is IN abundant evidence to-day that Of dsloyalty
/ 10 tie Cross. Tho Greek philosophy had it:
wav in the Church and mon believed that once born
they were essentially indestrnctiblc. Mortality wa
but term, Immortality the natural endowment
| OF all 50 reasoning. what use had they for tht
death which accomplished In order To relcast
the moral influence theory and ended its force Will
thst Thus the greater fact was beittled and tht
| smaller fact cnnObled. 90 IL II to-day. Good Friday
whether properly dated not is little esteemed. wh
the rising Of nature as 1t Is often called, is cee
| New-York Arril Is, 1901. J. ALBERT STOWE