Paschalion - Revision history

James C. at 14:02, May 6, 2015

2015-05-06T14:02:00Z

James C.: Revisions

2015-05-05T04:35:03Z

Revisions

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James C. at 03:48, April 27, 2015

2015-04-27T03:48:03Z

James C. at 00:23, April 18, 2015

2015-04-18T00:23:11Z

Mockingbird0 at 20:50, April 15, 2015

2015-04-15T20:50:02Z

Mockingbird0: /* References */

2015-04-15T15:49:24Z

‎References

Mockingbird0 at 15:40, April 15, 2015

2015-04-15T15:40:11Z

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James C.: Partial rewrite for clarification and supplementation

2014-01-08T04:06:54Z

Partial rewrite for clarification and supplementation

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Petermav: /* Early History */

2013-09-18T02:18:21Z

‎Early History

Veshy: /* Solar-side flaws */ we should mention how slow this drift is

2013-09-16T03:58:12Z

‎Solar-side flaws: we should mention how slow this drift is

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 . ''The Rudder'', Apostolic Canon 7, available at http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/english/cannons_apostles_rudder.htm . Also ''The Rudder'', Cummings ed. (Chicago: The Orthodox Christian Education Society, 1957).  The Rudder's words "after the Passover of the Jews" may simply refer to the astronomical Paschal Full Moon, not to any date in the Jewish calendar.  In practice, it is often understood to mean the 15th of Nisan in the Rabbinic Jewish calendar.  <br>See for example http://orthodoxwitness.org/over-the-rooftops/how-the-date-of-pascha-is-determined/2/ (Last visited April 15, 2015) where the author states that Pascha in 2015 is set to April 12 2015 to avoid coinciding with "the Jewish Passover" which he dates (incorrectly) to April 5, and that Pascha 2016 is set to May 1 to avoid coinciding with the Jewish Passover which he dates to April 22.  This last date corresponds to 14 (not 15) Nisan 5776 and so is the Jewish Passover in a strict sense, but April 22, 2015 is a Friday, not a Sunday.  In any case, the author clearly uses "Jewish Passover" to refer to a date on the Jewish calendar, and not to the paschalion's Paschal Full Moon, which falls on Tuesday, April 7 in 2015 and on Tuesday, April 26 in 2016. <br>James Campbell, cited in Reference 4 above, says that the Gregorian paschalion violates the Nicene rule "that Pascha is not to coincide with the full moon, but to follow it" and that it is a mistake to treat this error as a violation of Apostolic Canon 7.  (See reference 4 above, text at footnote 14.)
-. Joannes Zonaras, Commentary on Apostolic Canon 7, Migne, PG 137, 49-50.<br> Ἐαρινὴν ἰσημερίαν τινὲς τὴν κε᾽ φασὶ τοῦ Μαρτίου· τινὲς δἐ τὴν κε᾽ τοῦ Ἀπριλλίου.  Οῖμαι δὲ μήτ᾽ ἐκείνην μήτε ταυτην τὸν κανόνα λέγειν·  ὡς ὲπι τὸ πολὺ γὰρ τὸ Πάσχα πρὸ τῆς κε᾽ τοῦ Ἀπριλλίου ἑορτάζεσθαι είωθεν·  ἔστι δὲ ὅτε καὶ πρὸ τῆσ κε᾽ τοῦ Μαρτίου, ὡς συμβαίνειν (εἰ οὔτως νοοϊτο ἡ ἐαρινὴ ἰσημερία) παρὰ τὸν κανόνα τοῦτον τὸ Πάσχα ἑορτάζεσθαι.  Ἔοικεν οὐν ἄλλο τι ἐαρινὴν ἰσεμερίαν τοὺς συνετοὺς ἀποστόλους ὀνομάζειν. Ἡ δὲ πᾶσα τοῦ κανόνα, διαταγὴ τοῦτό ὲστι, τὸ μὴ μετὰ Ἰουδαίων (ἤγουν κατ᾽ αὐτὴν τὴν ἡμέραν) ἑορτάζειν τὀ Πάσχα Χριστιανούς.  Χρὴ γὰρ προηγεϊσθαι τὴν ανέορτον ἐκείνων ἑορτὴν, καὶ οὕτω τὸ καθ᾽  ἡμᾶς τελεϊσθαι Πάσχα.  Ὁ δὲ μὴ τοῦτο ποιῶν ἱερομένο,  καθαιρεθήσεται.  Τοὺτο δὲ καὶ ἡ ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ σύνοδος ἐν πρώτῳ κανόνι διετάξατο, λέγουσα τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ πρώτης συνόδου ὄρον εὶναι περὶ τῆς ἑορτῆς τοῦ Πάσχα·  εἰ καὶ μὴ εὑρισκεται ὲν τοῖς κανόσι τῆσ ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνόδου τοιοῦτος κανών.
+. Joannes Zonaras, Commentary on Apostolic Canon 7, Migne, PG 137, 49-50.<br> Ἐαρινὴν ἰσημερίαν τινὲς τὴν κε᾽ φασὶ τοῦ Μαρτίου· τινὲς δἐ τὴν κε᾽ τοῦ Ἀπριλλίου.  Οῖμαι δὲ μήτ᾽ ἐκείνην μήτε ταυτην τὸν κανόνα λέγειν·  ὡς ὲπι τὸ πολὺ γὰρ τὸ Πάσχα πρὸ τῆς κε᾽ τοῦ Ἀπριλλίου ἑορτάζεσθαι είωθεν·  ἔστι δὲ ὅτε καὶ πρὸ τῆσ κε᾽ τοῦ Μαρτίου, ὡς συμβαίνειν (εἰ οὔτως νοοϊτο ἡ ἐαρινὴ ἰσημερία) παρὰ τὸν κανόνα τοῦτον τὸ Πάσχα ἑορτάζεσθαι.  Ἔοικεν οὐν ἄλλο τι ἐαρινὴν ἰσεμερίαν τοὺς συνετοὺς ἀποστόλους ὀνομάζειν. Ἡ δὲ πᾶσα τοῦ κανόνα, διαταγὴ τοῦτό ὲστι, τὸ μὴ μετὰ Ἰουδαίων (ἤγουν κατ᾽ αὐτὴν τὴν ἡμέραν) ἑορτάζειν τὀ Πάσχα Χριστιανούς.  Χρὴ γὰρ προηγεϊσθαι τὴν ανέορτον ἐκείνων ἑορτὴν, καὶ οὕτω τὸ καθ᾽  ἡμᾶς τελεϊσθαι Πάσχα.  Ὁ δὲ μὴ τοῦτο ποιῶν ἱερομένο,  καθαιρεθήσεται.  Τοὺτο δὲ καὶ ἡ ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ σύνοδος ἐν πρώτῳ κανόνι διετάξατο, λέγουσα τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ πρώτης συνόδου ὄρον εὶναι περὶ τῆς ἑορτῆς τοῦ Πάσχα·  εἰ καὶ μὴ εὑρισκεται ὲν τοῖς κανόσι τῆσ ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνόδου τοιοῦτος κανών.<br>Please note, this text has been translated into English from the Latin parallel translation found in Migne, PG 137.
 . Aristenus, Commentary on Apostolic Canon 7, Migne, PG 137, 50.

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 . Until the 6th century the Paschal tables used in Rome were based on the conventional date of March 25th for the vernal equinox. Jones, “The Development of the Latin Ecclesiastical Calendar” in Bedae, ''Opera de Temporibus'' (Cambridge: Medieval Academy of America, 1943), pp. 1-104.
-. ''The Rudder'', Apostolic Canon 7, available at http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/english/cannons_apostles_rudder.htm . Also ''The Rudder'', Cummings ed. (Chicago: The Orthodox Christian Education Society, 1957).  The Rudder's words "after the Passover of the Jews" may simply refer to the paschalion's Paschal Full Moon, not to any date in the Jewish calendar.  In practice, it is often understood to mean the 15th of Nisan in the Rabbinic Jewish calendar.  See for example http://orthodoxwitness.org/over-the-rooftops/how-the-date-of-pascha-is-determined/2/ (Last visited April 15, 2015) where the author states that Pascha in 2015 is set to April 12 2015 to avoid coinciding with "the Jewish Passover" which he dates (incorrectly) to April 5, and that Pascha 2016 is set to May 1 to avoid coinciding with the Jewish Passover which he dates to April 22.  This last date corresponds to 14 (not 15) Nisan 5776 and so is the Jewish Passover in a strict sense, but April 22, 2015 is a Friday, not a Sunday.  In any case, the author clearly uses "Jewish Passover" to refer to a date on the Jewish calendar, and not to the paschalion's Paschal Full Moon, which falls on Tuesday, April 7 in 2015 and on Tuesday, April 26 in 2016.  James Campbell, cited in Reference 4 above, also indicates that he believes that the "after Passover" rule requires an external reference to the Rabbinic Jewish calendar when he accuses the Gregorian paschalion of violating the rule.  (Reference 4 above, text at footnote 14.)
+. ''The Rudder'', Apostolic Canon 7, available at http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/english/cannons_apostles_rudder.htm . Also ''The Rudder'', Cummings ed. (Chicago: The Orthodox Christian Education Society, 1957).  The Rudder's words "after the Passover of the Jews" may simply refer to the paschalion's Paschal Full Moon, not to any date in the Jewish calendar.  In practice, it is often understood to mean the 15th of Nisan in the Rabbinic Jewish calendar.  See for example http://orthodoxwitness.org/over-the-rooftops/how-the-date-of-pascha-is-determined/2/ (Last visited April 15, 2015) where the author states that Pascha in 2015 is set to April 12 2015 to avoid coinciding with "the Jewish Passover" which he dates (incorrectly) to April 5, and that Pascha 2016 is set to May 1 to avoid coinciding with the Jewish Passover which he dates to April 22.  This last date corresponds to 14 (not 15) Nisan 5776 and so is the Jewish Passover in a strict sense, but April 22, 2015 is a Friday, not a Sunday.  In any case, the author clearly uses "Jewish Passover" to refer to a date on the Jewish calendar, and not to the paschalion's Paschal Full Moon, which falls on Tuesday, April 7 in 2015 and on Tuesday, April 26 in 2016.  James Campbell, cited in Reference 4 above, says that the Gregorian paschalion violates the Nicene rule "that Pascha is not to coincide with the full moon, but to follow it" and that it is a mistake to treat this error as a violation of Apostolic Canon 7.  (Reference 4 above, text at footnote 14.)
 . Joannes Zonaras, Commentary on Apostolic Canon 7, Migne, PG 137, 49-50.

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 . Eusebius, Vita Constantine III:18-20, ''Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers'', Vol. 14, pp. 54-55. Also available at http://www.fourthcentury.com/index.php/urkunde-26.
-. James Campbell, “The Paschalion: An Icon of Time,” ''St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly'', Vol. 28 No. 4 (1984) pp. 245-262.
+. James Campbell, “The Paschalion: An Icon of Time,” ''St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly'', Vol. 28 No. 4 (1984) pp. 245-262. Also available at https://www.academia.edu/8246608/The_Paschalion_An_Icon_of_Time.
 . The basic system can be found in the “Paschal Canon” of the Alexandrian scholar Anatolius, Bishop of Laodicea, which was composed c. 277 A.D. See http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf06.vi.iii.ii.i.html and following pages.

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 . Until the 6th century the Paschal tables used in Rome were based on the conventional date of March 25th for the vernal equinox. Jones, “The Development of the Latin Ecclesiastical Calendar” in Bedae, ''Opera de Temporibus'' (Cambridge: Medieval Academy of America, 1943), pp. 1-104.
-. ''The Rudder'', Apostolic Canon 7, available at http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/english/cannons_apostles_rudder.htm . Also ''The Rudder'', Cummings ed. (Chicago: The Orthodox Christian Education Society, 1957).  The Rudder's words "after the Passover of the Jews" may simply refer to the paschalion's Paschal Full Moon, not to any date in the Jewish calendar.  In practice, it is often understood to mean the 15th of Nisan in the Rabbinic Jewish calendar.  See for example http://orthodoxwitness.org/over-the-rooftops/how-the-date-of-pascha-is-determined/2/ (Last visited April 15, 2015) where the author states that Pascha in 2015 is set to April 12 2015 to avoid coinciding with "the Jewish Passover" which he dates (incorrectly) to April 5, and that Pascha 2016 is set to May 1 to avoid coinciding with the Jewish Passover which he dates to April 22.  This last date corresponds to 14 (not 15) Nisan 5776 and so is the Jewish Passover in a strict sense, but April 22, 2015 is a Friday, not a Sunday.  In any case, the author clearly uses "Jewish Passover" to refer to a date on the Jewish calendar, and not to the paschalion's Paschal Full Moon, which falls on Tuesday, April 7 in 2015 and on Tuesday, April 26 in 2016.
+. ''The Rudder'', Apostolic Canon 7, available at http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/english/cannons_apostles_rudder.htm . Also ''The Rudder'', Cummings ed. (Chicago: The Orthodox Christian Education Society, 1957).  The Rudder's words "after the Passover of the Jews" may simply refer to the paschalion's Paschal Full Moon, not to any date in the Jewish calendar.  In practice, it is often understood to mean the 15th of Nisan in the Rabbinic Jewish calendar.  See for example http://orthodoxwitness.org/over-the-rooftops/how-the-date-of-pascha-is-determined/2/ (Last visited April 15, 2015) where the author states that Pascha in 2015 is set to April 12 2015 to avoid coinciding with "the Jewish Passover" which he dates (incorrectly) to April 5, and that Pascha 2016 is set to May 1 to avoid coinciding with the Jewish Passover which he dates to April 22.  This last date corresponds to 14 (not 15) Nisan 5776 and so is the Jewish Passover in a strict sense, but April 22, 2015 is a Friday, not a Sunday.  In any case, the author clearly uses "Jewish Passover" to refer to a date on the Jewish calendar, and not to the paschalion's Paschal Full Moon, which falls on Tuesday, April 7 in 2015 and on Tuesday, April 26 in 2016.  James Campbell, cited in Reference 4 above, also indicates that he believes that the "after Passover" rule requires an external reference to the Rabbinic Jewish calendar when he accuses the Gregorian paschalion of violating the rule.  (Reference 4 above, text at footnote 14.)
 . Joannes Zonaras, Commentary on Apostolic Canon 7, Migne, PG 137, 49-50.

@@ Line 237: / Line 237: @@
 . Until the 6th century the Paschal tables used in Rome were based on the conventional date of March 25th for the vernal equinox. Jones, “The Development of the Latin Ecclesiastical Calendar” in Bedae, ''Opera de Temporibus'' (Cambridge: Medieval Academy of America, 1943), pp. 1-104.
-. ''The Rudder'', Apostolic Canon 7, available at http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/english/cannons_apostles_rudder.htm . Also ''The Rudder'', Cummings ed. (Chicago: The Orthodox Christian Education Society, 1957).  The Rudder's words "after the Passover of the Jews" may simply refer to the paschalion's Paschal Full Moon, not to any date in the Jewish calendar.  In practice, it is often understood to mean the 15th of Nisan in the Rabbinic Jewish calendar.  See for example http://orthodoxwitness.org/over-the-rooftops/how-the-date-of-pascha-is-determined/2/ (Last visited April 15, 2015) where the author states that Pascha in 2015 is set to April 12 2015 to avoid coinciding with "the Jewish Passover" which he dates (incorrectly) to April 5, and that Pascha 2016 is set to May 1 to avoid coinciding with the Jewish Passover which he dates to April 22.  This last date corresponds to 14 (not 15) Nisan 5776 and so is the Jewish Passover in a strict sense, but April 22, 2015 is a Friday, not a Sunday.  In any case, the author clearly uses "Jewish Passover" to refer to a date on the Jewish calendar, and not to the paschalion's Paschal Full Moon, which falls on Tuesday, April 7 in 2015 and on Tuesday, April 26 in 2015.
+. ''The Rudder'', Apostolic Canon 7, available at http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/english/cannons_apostles_rudder.htm . Also ''The Rudder'', Cummings ed. (Chicago: The Orthodox Christian Education Society, 1957).  The Rudder's words "after the Passover of the Jews" may simply refer to the paschalion's Paschal Full Moon, not to any date in the Jewish calendar.  In practice, it is often understood to mean the 15th of Nisan in the Rabbinic Jewish calendar.  See for example http://orthodoxwitness.org/over-the-rooftops/how-the-date-of-pascha-is-determined/2/ (Last visited April 15, 2015) where the author states that Pascha in 2015 is set to April 12 2015 to avoid coinciding with "the Jewish Passover" which he dates (incorrectly) to April 5, and that Pascha 2016 is set to May 1 to avoid coinciding with the Jewish Passover which he dates to April 22.  This last date corresponds to 14 (not 15) Nisan 5776 and so is the Jewish Passover in a strict sense, but April 22, 2015 is a Friday, not a Sunday.  In any case, the author clearly uses "Jewish Passover" to refer to a date on the Jewish calendar, and not to the paschalion's Paschal Full Moon, which falls on Tuesday, April 7 in 2015 and on Tuesday, April 26 in 2016.
 . Joannes Zonaras, Commentary on Apostolic Canon 7, Migne, PG 137, 49-50.

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 == Early History ==
-The origin of annual festivals in Christianity is obscure.  St. Paul (1 Cor. 16.8) and St. Luke (Acts 2.1, 12.3, 20.6,  27.9) refer to Jewish annual festivals expecting their Gentile readers to know what is meant.  Chapters 5-10 of John's Gospel is structured around the cycle of Jewish annual festivals, and all the Gospels' passion narratives are set at the time of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  But nowhere are Christian annual observances are explicitly mentioned.  Then, beginning in the mid-2nd century, evidence appears of Pascha and commemorations of martyrs. The commemorations of martyrs were held on fixed dates in the solar calendar.  Pascha was computed according to a lunar calendar.  This suggests the possibility that the annual Pascha entered Christianity earlier than martyrs' festivals, and that it may have been part of Christianity's initial Jewish inheritance.
+The origin of annual festivals in Christianity is obscure.  St. Paul (1 Cor. 16.8) and St. Luke (Acts 2.1, 12.3, 20.6,  27.9) refer to Jewish annual festivals expecting their Gentile readers to know what is meant.  Chapters 5-10 of John's Gospel is structured around the cycle of Jewish annual festivals, and all the Gospels' passion narratives are set at the time of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  But nowhere are Christian annual observances explicitly mentioned.  Then, beginning in the mid-2nd century, evidence appears of Pascha and commemorations of martyrs. The commemorations of martyrs were held on fixed dates in the solar calendar.  Pascha was computed according to a lunar calendar.  This suggests the possibility that the annual Pascha celebration entered Christianity earlier than martyrs' festivals, and that it may have been part of Christianity's initial Jewish inheritance.
-Initially the date of Pascha was fixed by consulting Jewish informants to learn when the Jewish month of Nisan would fall, and setting Pascha to the third Sunday in Jewish Nisan, the Sunday of Unleavened Bread.  But beginning in the third century there are indications that some Christians were becoming dissatisfied with this reliance on the Jewish calendar.  The chief complaint was that the third week in Jewish Nisan was sometimes placed before the spring equinox.  [[Peter of Alexandria|Peter, bishop of Alexandria]] (early 4th century A.D.), in a statement preserved in the preface to the [[Chronicon Paschale| ''Chronicon Paschale'']], expresses this view:<blockquote>On the fourteenth day of [the month], being accurately observed after the equinox, the ancients celebrated the Passover, according to the divine command. Whereas the men of the present day now celebrate it before the equinox, and that altogether through negligence and error.</blockquote>Those who held this view began to experiment with independent computations that would always place Pascha in the spring season.  Traditionalists, however, felt that the old custom of consulting the Jewish community should continue, even if it sometimes placed Pascha before the equinox.  [[Epiphanius]] of Salamis (''Panarion'' 3.1.10) quotes a version of the [[Apostolic Constitutions| ''Apostolic Constitutions'']] used by the sect of the Audiani which represents this school of thought: <blockquote>Do not do your own computations, but instead observe Passover when your brethren from the circumcision do. If they err [in the computation], it is no matter to you.</blockquote>The controversy was formally resolved by the Council of Nicea, which determined that a single system should be adopted by all the churches, and that this system should be independent of the Jewish calendar.  The old custom of consulting the Jewish community was thus formally abandoned, though in practice independent computations had long been used at the influential city of Alexandria, so that the council may simply have been ratifying what was already the emerging, if still somewhat controversial, consensus.  On the other hand, the comments of canonists, preachers, and chroniclers indicates that the old custom of placing Easter in the month of Nisan as computed by the Jewish community continued to have adherents for generations.
+Initially the date of Pascha was fixed by consulting Jewish informants to learn when the Jewish month of Nisan would fall, and setting Pascha to the third Sunday in Jewish Nisan, the Sunday of Unleavened Bread.  But beginning in the third century there are indications that some Christians were becoming dissatisfied with this reliance on the Jewish calendar.  The chief complaint was that the third week in Jewish Nisan was sometimes placed before the spring equinox.  [[Peter of Alexandria|Peter, Bishop of Alexandria]] (early 4th century A.D.), in a statement preserved in the preface to the [[Chronicon Paschale| ''Chronicon Paschale'']], expresses this view:<blockquote>On the fourteenth day of [the month], being accurately observed after the equinox, the ancients celebrated the Passover, according to the divine command. Whereas the men of the present day now celebrate it before the equinox, and that altogether through negligence and error.</blockquote>Those who held this view began to experiment with independent computations that would always place Pascha in the spring season.  Traditionalists, however, felt that the old custom of consulting the Jewish community should continue, even if it sometimes placed Pascha before the equinox.  [[Epiphanius]] of Salamis (''Panarion'' 3.1.10) quotes a version of the [[Apostolic Constitutions| ''Apostolic Constitutions'']] used by the sect of the Audiani which represents this school of thought: <blockquote>Do not do your own computations, but instead observe Passover when your brethren from the circumcision do. If they err [in the computation], it is no matter to you.</blockquote>The controversy was formally resolved by the Council of Nicea, which determined that a single system should be adopted by all the churches, and that this system should be independent of the Jewish calendar.  The old custom of consulting the Jewish community was thus formally abandoned, though in practice independent computations had long been used at the influential city of Alexandria, so that the council may simply have been ratifying what was already the emerging, if still somewhat controversial, consensus.  On the other hand, the comments of canonists, preachers, and chroniclers indicates that the old custom of placing Easter in the month of Nisan as computed by the Jewish community continued to have adherents for generations.
 == The Nicene Formula ==

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 ==Shortcomings of the Julian Paschalion==
 ===Solar-side flaws===
-Because of the inaccuracy of the [[Julian Calendar]]'s solar year, Pascha is drifting later into the year for those who use the Julian Paschalion.  Even though for those using the Julian Calendar Pascha will always be sometime in March or April, it will eventually be celebrated in the northern hemisphere in the summer, the autumn, and then the winter.  (For those using the [[Revised Julian Calendar]], the calendar date of Pascha is drifting along with its astronomical position.)
+Because of the inaccuracy of the [[Julian Calendar]]'s solar year, Pascha is drifting later into the year for those who use the Julian Paschalion.  Even though for those using the Julian Calendar Pascha will always be sometime in March or April, it will eventually be celebrated in the northern hemisphere in the summer, the autumn, and then the winter. For those using the [[Revised Julian Calendar]], the calendar date of Pascha is drifting along with its astronomical position. In both cases, however, the drift is very slow compared to human lifetimes - it amounts to approximately one week every 1000 years. So, for example, it would take an amount of time longer than all recorded history just for Pascha to end up being celebrated after the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere.
 ===Lunar-side flaws===