PASSOVER OR EASTER [THE QUARTODECIMAN CONTROVERSY]

 FROM THE INTERNET

The Quartodeciman controversy (2nd–4th centuries) was 

a major early Christian dispute regarding the date of Easter (Pascha), pitting churches in Asia Minor against the Church in Rome. Quartodecimans ("Fourteeners") observed Pascha on Nisan 14 of the Hebrew calendar, while others insisted on a Sunday, leading to a major schism over liturgical tradition. 

Key Aspects of the Dispute:

• The Quartodeciman Tradition: Christians in Asia Minor (like Polycrates of Ephesus) celebrated Pascha on Nisan 14, regardless of the day of the week, linking it to the Jewish Passover and emphasizing the crucifixion. They claimed this was apostolic tradition, passed down by John and Philip.
• The Roman Tradition: Churches in the West (centered in Rome) held that Pascha must be celebrated on a Sunday—the day of the Resurrection—treating it as a weekly Sunday celebration rather than a fixed calendar date.
• The Conflict: Around AD 190, Pope Victor I tried to force the Asian churches to adopt the Sunday observance, even threatening to excommunicate them. Other leaders, including Irenaeus of Lyons, rebuked Victor for being too hasty, and the Quartodecimans continued their tradition, as shown by Britannica.
• Resolution: The First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (AD 325) mandated a unified celebration of Pascha, favoring the Sunday practice and aiming to eliminate reliance on the Jewish calendar.
• .............................

THE DEBATE WAS AT FIRST BETWEEN THE CHURCHES OF ASIA MINOR AND  THE CHURCH OF ROME. 

THE DEBATE CONTINUED FOR MANY CENTURIES TILL THE CHURCH OF ROME DOMINATED AND ONLY A RELATIVELY FEW CHRISTIANS CONTINUED TO REMEMBER THE LORD'S DEATH ON THE 14TH OF NISAN, THE FIRST MONTH OF THE JEWISH CALENDAR.

LIKE OTHER CUSTOMS, SUCH AS SUNDAY, CHRISTMASS, JANUARY 1ST, AND OTHER ROMAN CELEBRATIONS, IN THE ROMAN CALENDAR, THE ROMAN CHURCH HAS PREVAILED TO STAMP ITS BRAND OF CHRISTIANITY ON MOST OF THE WORLD.

Keith Hunt