The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-04-01
ORIGIN OF EASTER
INTERESTING TALE

Next to Christmas, Easter is the
greatest festival OF the Christian
church. In primitive times 1t was
usual for Christians to salute n an
other on the morning OF this day by
exclaiming: Christ is risen,' tc
which the saltted person replied: "He
Is risen, indeed" or And hath APP
peared unto Simon"-a custom still re-
tanned In the Greek church.
The common name of this festival IN
the east was the paschal feast, because
kept at the same time as the Jewish
passover, n in some measure succeed
Ing to 1t. In the sixth OF the Ancyran
canons 1t is called the Great day"
The term Easter" is derived from
"Eostre," a Saxon deity. whose feast
was celebrated every year In the spring,
the name being retained when the
character of he feast was changed.
Easter Is in name, as well as In reality,
the cas- OF the resurrection.
Although there has never been any
difference of opinion In the Christian
church as to why Easter is kept, there
has been q good dea as to when 1t
ought to be kept. It is not fixed to one
particular day, like Christmas day.
Easter moves backward and forward.
according as the full moon next after
the vernal equinox falls nearer or far
ther from the equinox. The accepted
tdIAAlllS LII udy upOIl
which Easter falls Is as follows: East
or day Is always the first Sunday after
the full moon which happens upon or
next after the 21st day OF March, and
II the full moon happens upon a Sun
day, Easter day is the Sunday after.
h paschal controversy, which for q
time divided C~hristendom, grew out OF
q diversity of custom. The churches
OF Asia Minor, including many Juda-
lied Christians. kept their paschal feast
on the same day that the Jews kept
their Passover, h 14th of Nissan, the
Jewish month corresponding to our
March or April. But the churches OF
the west, remembering that the Lords
resurrection took place on a Sunday,
kept their festival on the Sunday fol-
lowing the 14th of Nissan. BY so doing
they hoped not only to commemorate
the resurrection on the day Of the week
on which 1T actually occurred, but also
distinguish themselves more effectually
from the Jews.
For a time this difference was borne
With mutual forbearance and charity.
And when disputes began to arise,
P~olycarp. Bishop of Smyrna, went on a
Visit to Rome, and conferred with
Anicetas, bishop OF that city, upon the
question. Polycarp pleaded the prac-
tice Of st. Philip and St. John, while
Anicetas adduced the practice of st.
Paul. Concession We're made by neither
side. and SO the matter was dropped, or
rather held in allegiance, but the two
bishops continued in Christian friend
ship and concord. This was in A. D.
15S.
Toward the end of the century, how
ever. Victor, bishop Of Rome, resolved
to compel the eastern churches to CON
FORM to the western practice, and wrote
IN imperious letter to the prelates OF
Asia, commanding them to keep the
festival Of Easter at the time observed
by the weste -, churches. They natur-
ally resented this, and declared that
they would keep the day at the time
they had been accustomed to observe
It. From his point the dispute gath
cred strength, and became the source
OF much bitterness during the following