The practice began early in the form of a ‘Christian’ Passover. The Passover was already an important feast of the Jews, instituted by Moses to commemorate their deliverance from Egypt. Passover was authorised and commanded for the Jewish nation because of their departure from Egypt in Exodus 23:15; Deuteronomy 16:1-8. It was not given to any other nation because it is not a part of their history, it was of the Jew’s history. Other feasts observed by the Jewish nation were;
- The feast of unleavened bread Lev 23:6
- The feast of first fruits Lev 23:10
- The feast of weeks or Pentecost Lev 23:16
- The feast of Trumpets Lev 23:24
- Day of atonement Lev 16; 23:26-32
- Feast of Tabernacles or booths Lev 23:34
Remember, it was during this Passover feast that Jesus instituted ‘the Lord’s supper’. Many Jews continued to keep their Jewish customs and religious festivals after their conversion to Christ. There is a term called syncretism – the reconciliation or fusion of differing systems of belief. After the death of the Apostles, the church began to grow rapidly among the Gentiles particularly in the west. After several decades, the church at Rome, now apostate but possessing considerable political and financial clout, became dominant and so powerful, with several influential people now part of the church. They thought of how to bring in the masses of pagans into the church. Orthodox leaders in Rome were careful not to force them to abandon their idolatrous celebrations. Craftily, church leaders found a way to blend various ancient customs and pagan practices, and then apply them to Christian doctrines (syncretism).
So shortly after, some of the Jewish festivals began to be observed as ‘Christian’ festivals. The Passover was now observed in memory of Christ’s death (who died during Passover week and was offered as our Passover lamb for our sins) by gentiles 1 Cor. 5:7-8. Thus, began a yearly observance. The yearly ‘Christian Passover’ soon included other observances such as;
-Palm Sunday. The day Jesus made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem prior to his death
-Good Friday. The day he was crucified
-Resurrection Sunday. The day he arose, which came to be known as ‘Easter’
Controversies over the days of Easter Sunday
Celebrating these days was not without controversy. In the 2nd and 3rd century, there was much dispute over the proper date. The churches in Asia Minor followed the Jewish chronology (Ancient Asia minor use to be a geographic region located in the south-western part of Asia comprising most of present day Turkey – Armenia minor, Bithynia, Cilicia, Cappadocia, Galatia, Lycia and Pamphylia, Pontus and Bithynia). So they celebrated the Passover when the Jews did, on the 14th of Nisan. The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar (based on the monthly cycles of the Moon’s phases and this is in contrast to the Gregorian calendar (solar calendar) used worldwide. The lunar calendar meant the day of the week could vary from year to year. Thus, the day of Passover would vary, and with it, the day of celebrating Jesus’ resurrection. Still, there was no agreement on which calendar to use (Gregorian or Julian); this explains the difference between the observance by the Roman and Greek Orthodox churches today. The Greek use Julian – April 3, Romans use Gregorian – March 21.
So the yearly observance of the resurrection originated from human traditions, not the Bible itself, and has proved to be a source of controversy among churches. When the gospel is preached in Pagan areas, many would not discourage the local residents to discard their pagan rituals. Instead, they would attempt to give such customs a ‘Christian’ flavour. It eventually ‘neutralised’ the pagan rituals.