See: http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/faithandlife/pasch.pdf
the early church fathers did not celebrate easter.
they knew it was passover, not easter.
easter was heathen back then...and not even in the greek manuscripts
Do you mean the "Quartodecimens that claimed St. John the apostle taught Polycarp to celebrate it on Nisan 14?quote=KyrieEleison87;60208882]It is true that there were some Christians that held on to a tradition of celebrating Pascha on the same day as the Jewish Passover, but I don't think they were at all in the majority,
What does "settling on" mean... that the Quartodecimens agreed to Sunday? How does the church settle on Easter Sunday & some (the majority?) call it Pascha? Shouldn't we call it the same thing if we should celebrate it on the same day?...and the Church pretty early on settled that by declaring that Pascha should always be celebrated on a Sunday (whereas Passover occurs on different days of the week depending on the year), because that is the day Christ rose.
Passover Lamb that Yeshua is was sacrificed on Passover and resurrected on First Fruits which is always on sunday.While it was not called "Easter," the holiday in Greek was (and still is) called Pascha. The ECFs most certainly did celebrate it and regarded it as the commemoration of the Resurrection of Christ. It is true that there were some Christians that held on to a tradition of celebrating Pascha on the same day as the Jewish Passover, but I don't think they were at all in the majority, and the Church pretty early on settled that by declaring that Pascha should always be celebrated on a Sunday (whereas Passover occurs on different days of the week depending on the year), because that is the day Christ rose.
I do.Do you mean the "Quartodecimens that claimed St. John the apostle taught Polycarp to celebrate it on Nisan 14?
It means having an Ecumenical Council and settling the issue authoritatively.What does "settling on" mean
Well they either agreed to it in obedience to the Church or they remained in error, yes.... that the Quartodecimens agreed to Sunday?
Pascha and Easter are synonymous; they just come from different etymologies (Pascha is Greek, Easter is Germanic, I believe)How does the church settle on Easter Sunday & some (the majority?) call it Pascha? Shouldn't we call it the same thing if we should celebrate it on the same day?
Sunday.And what IS "the same day"?
Yes, because Sunday is when Christ rose from the dead.Same day of the week?
If Jesus rose from the grave on the Sunday after Passover, then celebrating the Resurrection annually on the Sunday that follows Passover seems pretty logical, does it not (particularly since Passover occurs on different days of the week each year)? Yes I realize there are issues with exactly what calendar one uses to determine exactly when Passover is, but that's secondary to the more fundamental concept addressed by the Church at Nicaea.Same day it happened according to the calendar it happened on?
How can the "same day" on a not-the-same calendar be the same day He rose?
When did the Apostles teach us to always celebrate Pascha on Passover irrespective of the day of the week?What concept was more fundamental than what the apostles taught?
Polycarp told Anicetus that St. John taught him to celebrate the resurrection on Nisan 14. You didn't know that?
No. In fact I know different.And Bishop Anicetus ALSO claimed that the practice of celebrating Pascha on Sunday was an apostolic tradition. It was also the tradition inherited by all Christians outside Asia Minor. You didn't know that?
The fact that Anicetus did not refer to one Apostle by name does not invalidate his claim to be adhering to an "apostolic" tradition. In fact MOST of the traditions the early Church accepted as apostolic did not come just from ONE Apostle; they came from "the Apostles" collectively.No. In fact I know different.
Anicetus only cited either elders or presbyters, I can't remember which, but he certainly didn't cite an apostle as far as I'm aware.
Which apostle did Anicetus refer to?
That's what I thought. No apostle.The fact that Anicetus did not refer to one Apostle...
Why?What church/denomination are you part of, exactly?
That's what I thought. No apostle.
So we redefine "apostolic" tradition?
No apostle need be tied to any tradition. They are all "apostolic" if we can find one early church it happened in?
Why?
Both the feast of First Fruits and Pentecost are always held on Sunday.
The goddess Easter was always celebrated by the Pagans on spring equinox.