The Easter controversy was so heightened that Canon 1 of the Synod of Antioch in Encæniis (AD 341) undertook some extreme measures to ban division by excommunicating both lay and clergy who championed divisions and ignored Nicaea’s deliberations. The controversy and divisions continued among Christians living in Syria, Mesopotamia, and part of Cilicia as well. Further complex details in the calculation methods followed in Alexandria and Rome perpetuated and exacerbated the disparities in the dates. Alexandria calculated it on March 21, while Rome followed another criterion, and the date of the equinox could vary from March 18 to 25. The date depended on two different calculations of the spring equinox. But, in reality, it was not accepted and consequently not applied, which caused the Easter controversy to continue and Christians to celebrate Easter apart. The deliberations of Nicaea for a common Easter date seemed straightforward and simple to apply. The celebration of the most holy paschal feast was unanimously rectified, so that our brethren of the East, who did not previously keep the festival at the same time as those in Rome, … will henceforth celebrate it with you. Moreover, Theodoret of Cyrus (AD 455) in his Ecclesiastical History reported the good news of Nicaea of the common date for the celebration of Easter, stating: 18) has an important piece from the deliberations of Nicaea, showing that it was resolved by the united judgment of all present, that this feast ought to be kept by all and in every place on one and the same day. Eusebius’s Life of Constantine (Book 3, chap. The exact text of the decree of the Council of Nicaea addressing the Easter controversy has not been preserved, but there is evidence proving that Nicaea indeed discussed and determined the date of a common Easter between East and West. Alexandria was the center of determining the Easter dates. It was therefore necessary, every two or three years to add an intercalary month between the months of Adar and Nisan, called Veadar. That calendar had been prescribed in the Book of the Jubilees two centuries before the Christian era, and was based on twelve lunar months of 29 and 30 days, therefore shorter by 11 days than the solar year. ![]() However, it was not easy to find agreement of the date of Easter, because of the various errors found in the Jewish Calendar. The first were called “Quartodecimans” and had given rise to discussions and controversy among Christians. Some celebrated Easter on the 14 th of the month of Nisan (which usually falls in March–April), on the Passover instead of Sunday, while others celebrated Easter on the following Friday and Saturday. In the second century, differences arose among Christians regarding the date of celebration of Easter. There is unitive power in the celebration of Easter. With the goal of unity in mind, we turn to the issue of the roots of the controversy over the date of Easter. The common profession of the Nicene Creed has been a fruitful starting point in ecumenical discussions from the twentieth century through the present. Creeds sanction doctrinal agreement and consensus. They function as guardians against heresy, which divides. It was further developed at the second ecumenical council, at Constantinople (381 AD) and has carried on even in modern times as a connecting point where Christians - Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant - can find essential unity.Ĭreeds serve as symbols of unity. The creed, born of controversy and division, became the “rule of faith” or “symbol of faith,” by which all Christians could join in unity. And that foundation has stood ever since. The Council of Nicaea (325 AD), of course, laid the cornerstone for the orthodox understanding of Jesus Christ. “The style and the decisions of the Council of Nicaea,” said Pope Francis, “should enlighten the current ecumenical journey and lead to practical steps towards the full restoration of Christian unity.” The various sub-topics discussed by those involved included the search for a common date of Easter between East and West. In Pope Francis’ audience with the members, consultors, and staff of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, there was a focus on an ecumenical celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the council of Nicaea. Pope Francis has also expressed his support for a unified Easter celebration between Eastern and Western Churches. ![]() In a recent interview with the Turkish media, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople stated that conversations are ongoing between Catholic and Orthodox Churches, about a possible agreement on the common celebration of Easter in 2025, which coincides with the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.
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