So, in 2034, Pascha will be March 27th on the Julian Calendar, which will be April 9th on the Gregorian Calendar. That Julian Calendar being in effect during the time Christ was Crucified, some say this would in some way connect with the original Easter. That is, if Christ died on the same day he was conceived, March 25th, then, in 2034, we will have arrived back at that date -- at least on the Julian Calendar, unrevised, un-converted to Gregorian, and there you have it. (Its happened many times in history) But - the Passover connection -- thats tougher. I think actually back in the (1940s?) we passed the point of no return even for the Gregorian, so that the Jewish Passover will never fall on a Saturday between Annunciation and Easter, when Annunciation is Good Friday that year. In the Latin Rite (maybe not all countries?), Annunciation is then transferred to (I think) (a full week?) after Easter. Basically the Greeks in practice do the same thing these days. BUT - for may centuries (and its still this way), Byzantine Rite typicons have said that the proper way to do things when Annunciation falls on Good Friday is to combine the two Feasts. Those rubrics call for a Vesperal Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, where you start the Un-nailing Vespers of Good Friday, and combine those hymns with the hymns of the Vespers of Annunciation, and then transition after Fos Ilaron into the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom. Imagine that -- actual Liturgy with a Eucharistic Consecration on a Good Friday! Thus, since some would be scandalized, many countries have done like the Latins and transfer the Feast to a different day. But I would love to be at an Old Calendar Parish that did it right for Good Friday in 2034 -- The Womb, and the Tomb! Unfortunately, like I said, the Passover part is harder to achieve -- in that particular year of 2034, both East and West will celebrate Easter on the same day, but the Jewish Passover will be the preceding Tuesday, not on Holy Saturday. For the Latins, in this year of 2014, things work out well astronomically -- The astronomical full moon will be on Holy Saturday (just like the first Pascha), and the Jewish Passover will fall on Holy Saturday, just like the first time. (Well, using the Gospel-of-John-reckoning of time that I favor anyway...) Note that this is after March 25th by a far enough margin that the numbers still allow for this way of the Saturday part to re-align. The Latins will be after the first day of Passover, after the full moon, after the Spring equinox. The Greeks currently always need to wait until at least April 3rd, because that is March 21st on the Julian Calender -- thus the Spring equinox by the Julian reckoning is currently April 3rd by the Gregorian reckoning of time. Latins celebrate Easter on April 5th this year and the Jewish Passover starts on April 4th by the Gregorian Calendar, so, you might ask, why are we not on the same day this year? The reason is that the full moon wont happen for the Greeks this year until what is called April 7th on the Gregorian (secular) calendar. If fact, if you look up a document called the Kanonion for 2015 from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, it will tell you that the first day of the Jewish Passover is April 7th, but if you ask a Jewish Rabbi to convert it to the secular calendar he will say April 4th This is because the moon tables that the Orthodox Church uses are a few days off from the real astronomical full moon, while the Gregorian remains pretty close. Anyway -- fun with numbers.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 04:39:48 +0000
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