Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-16

HV1HY should Easter be observed on
w the 10th of April. 1911? That is
the question some inquisitive peo-
pie are asking this year. Ever since the
second century the day upon which East
er shall fall each year has been a matter
of dispute. The contention in the sec
ond century caused a division in the
church. and was never absolutely settled
to the satisfaction of all parties. Custom,
however. has stepped in. and since the
decision Of the council of Nice in :i2J D.,
providing that Easter should fall on a
Sunday, that day has been adhered to
rigidly ever since.
The idea in observing Easter on Sim
day was. of course. that the day should
coincide with the day of the resurrection
and thus all the days of Passion Week
fall as when the events which they COM
memorate occurred. But from behind the
curtain which custom has dropped over
the question of Easter and its date. &C.
casionally step people with theories re-
garding the subject. One of the latest
of these is d. J. Veen, a Dutch scientist,
who has spent many years studying the
subject and only recently given the
world the benefit thereof.
DR.. Veen claims to have ascertained
the true date of the actual crucifiXion of
Christ According to him. Christ was
crucified March %. in the year - of our
reckoning. To prove this. DIR. Neen has
searched thoroughly not only biblical lore,
but also the various methods of deter
mining time which have been in use
throughout the ages. DIR. Neen shows
that the common belief up until the mid
die of the second century was that Christ
ate the Passover with His disciples
Thursday. the 18th of Nissan. or the first
Jewish month OF the year. About the
middle of the second century. however,
the great argument began between the
eastern and western branches of the
church as TO the true date of the celeb-a-
ton Of the Passover and the death OF
Christ.
Then as now" says DR.. Neen, the
main point of dispute was as TO the ex-
act date of Christ's death: whether this
came on the 14th or 18th of the month
Nissan. One party maintained that the
first three or synoptic gospels make it
clear that Christ ate the Passover with
His disciples the 14th and was crucified
the 18th of Nissan. According TO the
other rarty. it appears from the Gospel of
John that Christ was crucified the after
noon Of the 14th of Nisan and that the
Passover was to be eaten the evening
thereon following after sunset
Then after going deep into the various
methods Of reckoning time that have been
used in finding the dates connected with
the Christian era, DIR. Veen goes on to
say:
1.-The dates for the celebration of the
Jewish and Christian Passover depend
upon the date of the full moon after
March II, and thus after the spring equi-
nox This is called the spring fun moon.
Now, as soon as the full moon appears
on the evening of the 14th of Nissan, at
sunset and thus according to the Jewish
reckoning, at the beginning OF the 10Th
of Nissan, the celebration OF the jewish
Passover begins. The early Christians
celebrated this feast as that or the res
direction Of the Lord, on the first day OF
the week following, upon the 11th or
Nissan, and it was about this that the dr.
ference of opinion arose In the second
century between the eastern and western
branches Of the church.
..The former maintained that Christ. the
true Paschal Lamb, had died on the t!tn
Of Nissan, and they celebrated the Lords
supper as a Passover feast, on the even
ing Of that day. and on the 18th OF Nissan
they celebrated the Passover.
The western branch rejected this Jewish
chronology entirely. and celebrated the
Passover of Christ On Friday after the
spring full moon, and His resurrection on
the succeeding first day Of the week"
1t is at this point that DIR. Neen
makes the deductions Which lead him