Letter to Emperor Constantine about the date of Easter (Eusebius of Nicomedia)

Dear Most Holiest Emperor Constantine,

It is one of your humblest servants, Eusebius of Nicomedia. In our last council session, the date of Easter was up for debate with 3 positions arguing that Easter should be either the Sunday closest to the Spring Equinox (March 21 in the Roman calendar), the first Sunday after the start of Passover, or the 14th day after the first new moon after the Spring Equinox. As you are aware, after many debates the argument for the first Sunday after the start of Passover one.

Sire, I am aware that you were in support of the Sunday closest to the Spring Equinox because there is already a feast celebrating the rebirth of the earth after winter. However, I argued that Easter should be celebrated on the first Sunday after the start of the Passover. There are many reasons for choosing this particular time to celebrate Easter, but the most important is the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Passover lamb. The Passover lamb was the animal God directed the Jewish to use as a sacrifice in Egypt in the night God struck down the firstborn sons of every household as said in Exodus 12:29. The blood of the lambs that were sacrificed was sprinkled in the doorsteps of the Jewish homes so that their firstborn sons would not succumb to the Angel of Death. The New Testament established the relationship between the regular Passover lamb and the flawless Passover Lamb that is Jesus Christ. John the Baptist even proclaimed Jesus as “the Lamb of God” in John 1:29, when it says, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Your graciousness, I could not support the argument for the Spring Equinox because since there is already a feast around the Spring Equinox, people of the empire may focus on that feat and forget the sacrifices that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ made for us. The people must remember the sacrifices that Jesus Christ made. When they read their Bibles, they should know the relationship that the Passover Lamb of the Old Testament has with the Passover Lamb of the New Testament. The people must remember Emperor Constantine; help them to remember sire.

Your loyal subject,

Eusebius of Nicomedia

Adam/Vito says:

April 4, 2016 at 8:52 pm

I must agree with Eusebius. We should not determine the date of Easter based on Passover because Jesus’s sacrifice was ultimate and therefore the sancrements of Passover are irrelevant. I urge that we discuss this matter once again before the council ends. While I am personally for the Sunday following the 14th day after the Spring Equinox, I would also agree to a fixed date in order to prevent Easter from based on Passover.