The herald., 1897-04-18
THE MEANING OF EASTER
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where the Christian faith obtains the
singers carol, "Christ Is risen" Tech
nically It means the anniversary COM
memorative of the resurrection Really,
Il is an annual reminder to mankind of
ali the term religion implies and of the
duties that really devolve upon every
person.
The resurrection is the ostensible
topic of the majority of sermons
preached on Easter Sunday, but 1t Is
not only that which is meant. The deep
religious Significance of the occasion Is
illustrated in the most attractive and
beautiful form in the churches, as
lesson to the eye and through that to
the heart. Greatest of all, however, are
the joyful features of Easter, the up
springing of hope and the miracle
of returning life. All these inspire a
condition Of Joy and happiness in the
lives of young and old, and the most
insensible object becomes part of the
carnival Of Joy. In word, Easter is
a continual pledge to mankind that life
Is eternal.
1t was not until the fifth or sixth GEN.
tury that Easter was kept as festival
The first day Of each week was kept
holy by the Apostles themselves in hon.
or Of Christ's resurrection. and with
this weekly observance there came the
great annual commemoration. In early
days there was much diversity as to
the date Of keeping the festival. Some
persons observed 1t annually on the
same day of the year. Others observed
the fourteenth day of the first moon in
the new year, regardless of what that
day might be. Still others celebrated
the first Monday after the first full
moon, and these persons differed widely
IS to exactly what Sunday that was.
Nothing was definitely settled in the
way of a universal agreement until the
question was taken UP by the Council
Of Nice. That body settled the date as
the first Sunday following the 14th day
Of the calendar moon, which happened
upon or next after the 21st of March,
70 that II this fourteenth day be Sun
day, Easter was not to pe on that date,
but on the next following Sunday
Easter. therefore, may be any date
within fivc weeks, inclusive Of March
a and April rs. 1t cannot happen earlier
or later than those two days. In 1883
Easter occurred March 25, and again
tn the same date in 1894.
1t was after keeping the Passover
with his disciples that Christ's crucifix-
ION and resurrection took place, yet the
Christian Easter and the Jewish Pass
over seldom fall on the same day. The
last time they did so was in 1926, on the
Sd of April and they will occur again
in 1908, on the 18th of April. Easter is
therefore called movable festival,
and on it's date depends the time of
keeping Lent. being forty days before,
and also the Ascension, forty days after
Easter. Besides this, Easter fixes the
date of the feast of Pentecost, with the
remaining special Sundays that go to
make up the church year.
One often hears insreference to Easter
pf the Paschal candle. This is used in
Roman Catholic churches and is con-
hected with the early controversies con-
kerning the date Of keeping the festival
At the beginning of the special observ-
Ances the evening before the Easter
feast. an immense wax candle is blessed
with great ceremony This is the Pas
phal candle. and 1t il said to have been
originally column Of wax ON which
ihe date for keeping It was written.
II wae 1rst imprinted at Alexandria,
lor IL that city the study Of astronomy
fspeclo0y dougished sud to IL church
the 41Awl1g u o. the calen1ar was