The Easter Controversy
Easter is the most important celebration for Christianity because it
commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, a foundational notion
upon which the faith is built. Accordingly, it is the principle feast
and the high point of the ecclesiastical year, which has been an
established tradition as old as Christianity. Easter has been
universally observed since the middle of the second century. The
original celebration generally consisted of a vigil with readings
followed by a feast with the Eucharist. This was a time for rejoicing
because the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus were seen as a
saving unit. Christ’s transition from death to resurrection, which
represents a new life, has traditionally meant a transition for
Christians from the burden of sin to a life of freedom with God.
Jesus was slain on the day when the Jews celebrated Passover, as they
slaughtered the figurative Lamb of God. It was on a Sunday when
Christ rose from the dead and, coincidentally, this day of the week
was established as the Lord’s Day. Therefore, from the beginning,
Sunday became the day of the week for believers to gather in
commemoration of when Jesus rose from the dead. Furthermore, there is
a clear connection between the Jewish Passover and the Christian
Easter, which is why the Jewish feast was adopted for the Easter
celebration. However, the festivity differs in the fact that
Christians commemorate the anniversary of the death and Resurrection
of Christ (Catholic Encyclopedia).
For such a holiday, it has always been a concern throughout the Church
to have some standardization of when to observe this ...
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...alendar seems to have a profound affect on praxis, since the
dates of history would change depending on which system was being
examined. The biggest change in lifestyle during the controversy
would have been caused by Victor as well as the ruling of the Council
of Nicaea. Both of these events forced Quartodecimans to adopt the
Roman celebration. Therefore, the lives of Christians were changing
during each period of history.
Easter is about hope and how death is not the end. It gives reason
for carrying on, no matter what the trials of life bring. Christ died
for our sins and all of eternity hinges on the fact that He was
resurrected. While the question of resurrection is not part of the
Easter Controversy, this topic is so essential to Christianity that it
has a profound effect on the lifestyle of a believer.
The next section of the book examines Easter and Jesus. Borg writes that he agrees with Wright about Easter being central to Christianity, however, he disagrees with Wright concerning the importance of Jesus’ body and the tomb. Borg argues that the tomb and Jesus’ corpse are irrelevant to
What or who is a Saint? In a very simple way to answer the question, we may say that a saint is any person who dies and who is now enjoying his/her external life before the eternal and divine presence of God in heavens. For people, well known or not, are celebrated on the very first day of the month of November; the All Saints Day. The origins of the religious feast in the Roman Catholic Church came from the early days of the church around the year 80 or 80 AC when sealed by the blood of Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross. By the martyrdoms of many Catholics, who are dedicated to Jesus’ teachings and the example of Saint Peter, pay with their lives to the Glory of belonging to the only church founded by Jesus Christ himself. The Catholics by the virtue of their martyrdom and their lives in all of the extinction of the Roman Empire, where they were persecuted and executed at the Circus Maximus, The Roman Coliseum at the Caracalla, and even inside of the Domus Aurea (Nero’s Palace). Those martyrs who lost their lives from th...
Passover (also known as Pesach in Hebrew) is one of the most sacred festival in the Jewish calendar and the longest continuing ritual in the human history. Since 1300 B.C, Jews celebrate this tradition to commemorate the national freedom of the Children of Israel and recalls stories behind the Israelites' departure from the land of Egypt. Spring time signifies the season of Passover, which begins at the sunset marking the fifteenth day of Nisan, the first month in Jewish calendar. In modern calendar, that is between April and May. The story of Passover is written in the Book of Exodus, the second book of Hebrew Bible. Over 3000 years ago, Pharoah, the King of Egypt, enslaved Jews and tortur...
Good Times is an American sitcom that starred a poor, African-American family, the Evans, living in the projects of south side Chicago in the 70s. The show followed the everyday lives of the family as Florida and James Evans raised their three children-- Thelma, JJ, and Michael. Good Times touched on real controversial issues of the time with humor from an African-American standpoint. Topics such STD’s among young people, gun violence, crime, adoption and many more were subjects brought to the homes of fans. It has been nearly 40 years since Good Times last aired, and the problems addressed on the show are still prevalent today. These matters have remained of concern over the years and although progress has been initiated there is still a long road towards improvement in society through change.
The British occupation of Ireland began in the 1640’s and lasted until 1922. No other occurrence throughout Irish history has had a greater impact on the lives of the citizens of the country. Along with the act of occupation came the emergence of Protestantism, which conflicted with the traditional religion of Ireland, Catholicism. The English occupation of Ireland affected many aspects of Irish history from the potato famine to the War for Independence. However, Irish nationalism came to a boiling point April of 1916, in what is now known as the Easter Uprising. The uprising lasted 6 days and resulted in massive casualties, but furthered the liberation cause for the Irish.
Popular culture was mixed with ecclesiastical culture in many ways. The story of St. John the Baptist is a good example of this. The ancient ritual of bathing and lighting fires during Midsummer's Eve was a remnant of a ritual from the pre-Christian period. Fire and water, symbols of purification, could be seen as the tools of St. John the Baptist, and therefore a combination of the two elements of popular and ecclesiastical culture was obvious. It looks as if the Medieval Church took over the festival and made it theirs. The same thing happened to the Midwinter Festival, which became linked with the birth of Christ, on 25 December.
The controversy over abortion has been going on for years. This movie portrays how the debate has changed over the decades in a befitting manner. It is about three different women who come upon having to make the choice of terminating their pregnancies. The setting takes place in the same house during the course of 40 years where a different women deals with the option of aborting her fetus. This movie shows the various reasons woman want to get abortions, each being a valid reason in a liberal point of view.
Igor Stravinsky and Pablo Picasso are both unique artists that have made a huge impact on the world of arts through there controversial works. Igor Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” was a ballet and orchestral concert piece of work and Picasso’s “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” was one of his most influential paintings. Picasso’s piece caused an uproar because it depicted nude females which were the represented of prostitutes, which at that time was not acceptable. Then Stravinsky’s ballet and music started riots because it discarded tradition western style and instead use ancient rituals. They may have started controversy but through there similarities in their works they made a vital impact on the 20th century.
The Jewish tradition of the Passover has been very important for the welfare and freedom of the Jews since the Old Testament. Each part of the Passover brings forth the knowledge of what God promises to his people. “The name “Passover” is derived from the Hebrew word Pesach which is based on the root “pass over” and refers to the fact that G-d “passed over” the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the firstborn of Egypt during the last of the ten plagues.” The Christian belief is that the Last Supper fulfills the promise made to the Jews through Jesus Christ. The Passover and the Last Supper are important in understanding the relationship between the Jewish belief and Christian belief. They are also important to help grasp what it means to be free with a God.
Although it was never celebrated in biblical times, Christmas is celebrated in local churches here in Visalia, California in praise of the fact that God loved us so much; he sent his one and only son to earth. He was wholey god and wholey man. Whereas we have succumbed to the temptations of this earth, Jesus was able to overcome all temptations and live a sinless life. He was then crucified as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. One cannot understand why we celebrate the birth of Christ without seeing the other end of his life. He was crucified for our sins and resurrected.
Theologians have been stuck on this topic as well. Without the Resurrection, the Christian’s faith
"Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." (James 1:15), or as Paul puts it in Romans 6:23 " the wages of sin is death". Christ never sinned, and therefore did not earn the wages of sin. Therefore God raised him from the dead "having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it." (Acts 2:24). The full story of Christ's death and resurrection can be found in Matthew 27 & 28, Mark 15 & 16, Luke 23 & 24, and John 18 - 21.
This reflective preparation ends with Holy week, containing contrasting important days, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. (iii) Whitsun Cycle , the least important of the three cycles, begins with Ascension day which is 40 days after Jesus' resurrection at Easter. Whitsun/Pentecost occurs 10 days later to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit onto the apostles. Most festivals' dates are static, for example Christmas (December 25th) and Epiphany (January 6th).
Formerly, Easter and the Passover were closely associated. The resurrection of Jesus took place during the Passover. Christians of the Eastern church initially celebrated both holidays together. But the Passover can fall on any day of the week, and Christians of the Western church preferred to celebrate Easter on Sunday, the day of the resurrection.
Even if these differences are taken into account, there are still similarities that force people to debate on the right way to universally celebrate the week preceding the great Lenten