The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-07
in Christian friendship and concord. II

in Christian friendship and concord. This
was about A. ID. 15S
Toward the end Of the century. low
ever, Victor, Bishop of Rome, resolved on
compelling the Eastern churches TO con-
form to the Western practice, and wrote
an imperious letter to the prelates of
Asia commanding them to keep the fes-
tlval OF Easter at the time observed by
the Western churches. They resented
perhaps naturally, such an interferen &C.
ana declared their resolution to keep Eas-
ter at tie time they had been accustor ed
TO do,F The dispute thenceforward gath
ered<strength and was the source of rluch
bitterness during the next century. The
East was divided from the West, and all
who, after the example of the Asiatics,
kept Easter day on the 18th, whether that
day were Sunday or not. were styled
QuartodScimans by those who adopted
the Roman custom.
At the commencement of the fourth
century matters had gone to such a
length that the Emperor Constantine
thouSht 1t his duty to take steps to stop
the controversy. and to ensure uniform
lily OF practice for the future. For this
purpose he had canon passed In the
great Ecumenical Council of Nice, A. d.
"a. mat everywhere the great feast
of Easter should be observed upon ore
and the same day. and that not the DAY
Of the Jewish Passover, but, as had been
generally observed upon the Sunday
disputes as to the time, the following
rules were also laid down:
Il. That the 2lst day Of March shall be
accounted the Yernal equinox.
=. That the fun moon happening upon
or next after the 21st day of March shall
be taken for the fun moon of Nissan.
%. That the Lords day next following
that full moon be Easter Day.
=. But If the full moon happen upon a
Sunday, Easter Day shall be the Sunday
after"
in astronomy the Bishop Of Alexandria
was appointed TO give notice of Easter
Day to the Pope and Patriarchs. But it
was evident that this arrangement could
not last long; it was too ilconvenient and
liable to Interruptions. THE fathers OF
the next age began. therefore to adopt
the golden numbers Of he Metonic cycle
and to place them in the calendar against
those days in each month on which the
new moons should fall during that year
OF the cycle. The MetonIc cycle was a
period of nineteen years. 1t III been
observed by Melton, an Athenian phlos-
opher, that the moon returns to have its
changes on the same month and day of
the month in the solar year after a lapse
of nineteen years, and so, as It were to
run in a circle. He published his discov-
cry nj the Olympic Games. Il. c. 4S3. and
the cycle has ever since borne his name.
The fathers of the church hoped, by this
cycle. to be able always to know the
moons age: and as the vernal equinox
was now fixed TO the 2lst of March. to
define Easter forever. But though the new
moon really happened on the same day OF
the year after space Of nineteen years.
as IL did before. ii fell an hour earlier on
that day, which, in the course of time,
created a serious error in their caicula-
lions.
a cycle was then framed at Rome for
cighty-four years, and generally receiv-
cd by the Western Church, for 1t was
then thought that In this space of time
the moons changes would return not
only TO the same day of the month, but
of The week also.
Wheatly tells us that During the time
that Easter was kept according to this
cycle Britain was separated from the
Roman Empire, and the British churches
some time after this separation continued
to keep Easter according to this table
of eighty-four years. According to DR..
Hooks theory. the British and Irish
| churches adhered TO the Alexandrian rule,
| according to which the Easter festival
could not begin before the sth or March.
! The English church eventually conformed
to the Roman rule.