The times., 1901-04-07
in Christian friendship and concord, This

in Christian friendship and concord. This
was about a. ID. 15S
Toward the end Of the century, how
ever, Victor, Bishop OF Rome. resolved on
compelling the Eastern churches to con-
form TO the Western practice, and wrote
an imDeri0us letter TO the prelates of
Asia commanding them to keep the fes-
tiVal OF Easter at the time observed by
the Western churches They resented
perhaps naturally, such an Interference,
ana declared their resolution to keep EaS-
ter at TIE time they had been accustomed
10 90 The dispute thenceforward gath
ered<strength and was the source Of much
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
QUarJodscimans 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
| thought II his duty to take steps TO stop
the controversy, and TO ensure uniform
/ NY OF practice for the future For this
purpose ne had canon passed In the
great Ecumenical Council Of Nice, A. d.
20. That everywhere the great feast
| of Easter should be observed upon one
and the same day, and that not the day
Of the Jewish Passover, but, as had been
generally observed, upon the Sunday
afterward." And TO prevent all future
disputes 10 the time, the following
rules were also laid down:
T. That the 2lst day Of March shall be
accounted the Nernal equinox.
p That the fun moon happening upon
or next after the Dist day of March shall
} be taken for the fun moon of Nissan.
% That the Lords day next following
that full moon be Easter Day
Il. But If the fun moon happen upon a
Sunday, Easter Day shall be the Sunday
after
As the Egyptians at that time excelled
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, Il was too iucOnVenicnt and
liable TO Interruptions. THE fathers OF
the next age began, therefore. to adopt
the golden numbers OfHhe Metonic cycle
and 10 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 Ill been
observed by Meton, an Athenian philos-
Opher, that the moon returns to have it's
changes on the same month and day OF
the month in the solar year after a lapse
OF nineteen years and 50, as 1t Were, to
run In circle. He published his discov-
cry al the Olympic Games, i. G. 433, 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 the Vernal equinox
was now fixed 10 the DIST Of March. to
define Easter forever But though the new
moon really happened on the same day of
the year after "A space Of nineteen years
as IL did before. II fell an hour earlier on
that day, which, IN the course Of time,
created q serious error in their calcula-
tions.
a cycle was then framed at Rome for
cighty-fOur years, and generally receiv-
ed by the Western Church, for it was
then thought that In this space of time
the moons changes would return not
only 10 the same day Of the month, but
Of The week also.
Wheatly tells as 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 DIR.
! Hooks theory. the British and Irish
| churches adhered TO the Alexandrian rule,
| according TO which the Easter festival
could not begin before the Sth of March
! The English church eventually conformed
to the Roman rule.