A question about Easter?

This is for my Christian ATS'er friends. Why is Easter always on a Sunday?

I am not being facetious. I really would like to know why its always on a Sunday, thereby making it a different day every year.

Not trying to debunk religion, I just don't get why the most important event in Christianity - the day Christ is resurrected - is not more carefully documented?

The Jewish holidays move around the modern calender every year, but that is because they are based on the hebrew calender, and fall on the same day in the hebrew calender every year.

So why isn't Easter observed on April __, every year?

Western Chritianity observes Easter on the Sunday following the first astronomical full moon after the vernal (spring) equinox. Did you notice the recent full moon?

During the biblical time that the resurrection is recorded to have occurred, the Jewish calendar was a lunar calendar, with the Sabbath occurring from Friday sundown to Saturday Sundown.

Since the bible records that Jesus was arisen on the day after the Sabbath, when the women went to tend to the corpse, Sunday has become the traditional day of observance.

Since Jesus was to be offered as part of a "traditional" Passover Pardoning by the Roman rulers, it is debatable as to when the actual day of the crucifixion and rising occur.

Passover falls 14 days after the New Moon, but if that 14th day falls before or after a weekly Sabbath, then there are 2 Sabbath days in a row as the first day of Passover is also a high holy day.

Since the only information that we can be sure of is that he rose on the day after the Sabbath, Sunday is the traditional day of observance.

reply to post by finemanm


Sunday has always been a day of worship, the Sabbath- related to God's day of rest in the creation myth. When Christianity augmented the Pagan celebration, they made it celebrated the Sunday closest to the vernal equinox -as I understood it.

[edit on 12-4-2009 by Welfhard]

i think it has more to do with the tradition of "good friday" and the "ressurection" three days later. thus sunday. maybe not.?

I believe the "Sunday", day of worship for "Christian" Religous Sects, was utilized, just because the Flock is observing indoctrination on "Sunday" already.

Another recent Post notes, Christ arose on Friday, so the day of observation and actual day of Christ's resurrection are two different things.

I would also tend to believe the "SUN"day worship, was utilized inorder to diffuse or ignore the following

Today is also the day of An, Angus Mac Og, Apollo, Baal, Balder. All Pagan Deities/Gods.

And I would believe a simple Search of the Google Box under ISHTAR will get you some idea why this "SUNday" is refered to as EASTER.

(ISHTAR = EASTER)

There should be quite a bit of previous discussions revolving around her and Easter in here already.

Ciao

Shane

Thanks for the replies. I find theology tremendously interesting, all though be it that for me it’s more of a secular curiosity about ancient events.

Here is a link that explains the Jewish calendar: www.jewfaq.org...

I read that it wasn't standardized until the fourth century, which would make it difficult to nail down an exact date for Easter. I wonder though, is it written anywhere what day and month these events are said to occur in the Jewish calendar?

A few years ago, I was in a synagogue, and I overheard one man ask another, "When is Chanukkah this year?" The other man smiled slyly and replied, "Same as always: the 25th of Kislev." This humorous comment makes an important point: the date of Jewish holidays does not change from year to year. Holidays are celebrated on the same day of the Jewish calendar every year, but the Jewish year is not the same length as a solar year on the Gregorian calendar used by most of the western world, so the date shifts on the Gregorian calendar.

I think it would be interesting, as a historical event, to know when these events are alleged to have occurred. I think that that it is fairly accepted that the last supper was in fact a Passover seder.

The Passover Seder (Hebrew: סֵדֶר, seðɛɾ, "order", "arrangement") is a Jewish ritual feast held on the first and the second nights of the Jewish holiday of Passover (which begins on the 14th day of Hebrew month of Nisan). In Israel, the Seder is held only on the first night.

en.wikipedia.org...

I'm surprised no mathematician tried to solve this problem.

Originally posted by SRG007

And I would believe a simple Search of the Google Box under ISHTAR will get you some idea why this "SUNday" is refered to as EASTER.

(ISHTAR = EASTER)

Shane

The word 'Easter' derives from the pagan Germanic goddess Eostre, it has nothing to do with Ishtar. Romance and Celtic languages use words based on Hebrew 'Pesach'(passover), French Paques for example.

There was a such thing as the Easter Wars. Rome made a point of making it known that it had the authority to decide when Easter was to be celebrated and that they had the power to enforce it.
For example, there was the Celtic Christian Church that had established itself way back in ancient times, without the help or blessing of Rome. The Papacy eventually got around to sending its agents over and went about subverting the existing church, in order to supplant it with their own version. The idea was to make it known who had the ultimate say concerning anything spiritual. The first thing they would do is point out how they were wrong in how they celebrated Easter. They said they had the right day and anyone who disagreed was just wrong. Once they accepted the uniform day to celebrate Easter, it was not long before their whole system was destroyed. Of course the Romanists were not concerned about rebuilding a nice system to replace what they had torn down. They were satisfied by having the place overrun by pagans, rather than a Christian system that operated independently of Rome.
The whole thing is a nasty business and I am not about to contribute to it by recognizing that they are right, and celebrating Easter on their officially appointed day. Sorry about that but I feel it is better to forget Easter altogether than to put myself under the dictates of the throne of the anti-christ.
I was at church yesterday (saturday) and found out that the whole church service was going to be a special musical program. I read the program and realized it was an Easter type celebration. I went home rather than to participate in something that when I was younger, our church would make a point of ignoring. Sorry to say that all the churches have been infiltrated by the agents of Rome and have been guided by people in positions of some sort of authority towards their concept of ecuminicalism. Joining the real church with the anti-christ is not ecuminicalism. It is joining Babylon and dooms everyone who participates in it.

[edit on 12-4-2009 by jmdewey60]

Jesus died on the 14th of Nisan about 3pm. This was the day of Passover. The following day of 15 Nisan was the "High Day Sabbath" or first day of Unleavened Bread. The next day was 16 nisan which was the 2nd day of unleavend bread but not a sabbath. Next was 17 nisan which was the actual weekly sabbath. Mark's account of these days shows that Jesus was taken from the cross and put into the tomb before sunset (before the High Day sabbath) and the women who were going to anoint the body of Christ (the Marys) according to Mark, waited for the sabbath to pass before going to prepare the anointing oils and spices. In Luke's account, the Marys bought and prepared spices and oils and then rested on the sabbath before going the morning of the first day to anoint the body of Christ. The only logical conclusion is that there was one day between the high day and weekly sabbaths. This would put the death of Christ on wednesday and the resurrection Saturday before sunset. He wasn't found until sunday morning and the only text referring to a sunday resurrection is the last chapter in Mark which a portion was added well after the official scriptural texts were authenticated. Take into account the literal greek of this added portion to Mark and you will find it speaks against a sunday resurrection.

Also note that good friday afternoon (3pm was the time Christ died, known as the 9th hour) to easter sunday morning (before sunrise, the tomb was found empty by Mary Magdaline) does not add up to 3 days and 3 nights. it's roughly 36 hours where the authentic sign of Jesus' messiahship shows a 72 hour period in the tomb or 3 days and 3 nights. If He was buried before sunset on Passover to avoid the High Day sabbath of 15 nisan, then 3 days and 3 nights later would be Saturday before sunset.... ON THE SABBATH.

It's already been noted that easter sunday is originally a pagan holiday as well. Hence easter eggs and bunnies as signs of fertility. Keep the Jewish Holy Days and avoid the pagan christian days. There are christian observances of Holy Days. You only need to research. Our passover meals include the symbols of the Last Supper with unleavened bread and red wine to represent the body and blood of Christ. We were told in the bible by Jesus to keep His death as a memorial but nothing mentioned about keeping His resurrection as a memorial. Research goes a long way folks!