Ja, vi kender naturligvis alle påskens betydning. Først en fejring for
udfrielsen fra Ægypten, senere den kristne højtid i forbindelse med
Korsfæstelsen.
Men hvordan kan det være at den jødiske og kristne påske ikke ligger på
samme tidspunkt?
Og jeg ser i min nye Encyclopædia Britannica følgende at der i forrige
århundrede er fremsat forslag om at ændre påsken, således at den altid
ville falde på 2. søndag i april [palmesøndag]. Der står dog ikke nogen
forklaring på at den kriste påskes tidspunkt er forskellig fra den
jødiske - og det viser sig endda at tidspunktet for den kristne påske
varierer!
Easter
Date of Easter.
Western Christians celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the full
moon (the paschal moon) that occurs upon or next after the vernal
equinox (taken as March 21). If the paschal moon, which is calculated
from a system of golden numbers and epacts and does not necessarily
coincide with the astronomical full moon, occurs on a Sunday, Easter day
is the succeeding Sunday. Easter, therefore, can fall between March 22
and April 25. This rule was fixed after much controversy and
uncertainty, which lasted in various parts of the church until the 8th
century. In the Eastern Orthodox church, however, a slightly different
calculation is followed, with the result that the Orthodox Easter,
although sometimes coinciding with that of the West, can fall one, four,
or five weeks later.
In the 20th century, the possibility of a fixed date for Easter has been
discussed and supported among some Christians; adoption would depend on
agreement being reached among the various churches. The second Sunday in
April has been proposed.
Religious observances.
The festival of Easter occurs on a particular Sunday, but its importance
is emphasized in the worship of the church by the long preparation of
Lent; by Holy Week, with its solemn services; and by the following 50
days until Pentecost (Whitsunday), a period known as Eastertide, or
Paschaltide. Easter is central to the whole Christian year; not only
does the entire ecclesiastical calendar of movable feasts depend upon
its date but the whole liturgical year of worship is arranged around it.
In the liturgical texts the emphasis is laid on its being the Christian
Passover (the time of redemption).
By the time that the Christian liturgy had begun to take shape (2nd
century), the Sunday Eucharist was preceded by a vigil service of
Scripture readings and psalms. In this must be seen the origin of the
Easter Vigil service, one of the striking celebrations of Easter in both
East and West; from being a weekly observance the vigil has turned into
an annual one at Easter only. As it is now constituted in the Roman
Catholic missal, this vigil consists of the blessing of the new fire (a
practice introduced during the early Middle Ages); the lighting of the
paschal candle; a service of lessons, called the prophecies; followed by
the blessing of the font and baptisms and then the mass of Easter. A
similar form is used in Lutheran and some Anglican churches. This
pattern is quite primitive and, in its principal elements, can be traced
to the 3rd-4th century. In the course of time the vigil in the West (but
never in the East) came to be celebrated on Saturday evening, then on
Saturday afternoon, and finally, by the end of the Middle Ages, on
Saturday morning. In 1951 (optionally) and 1955 (obligatorily)
throughout the Roman Catholic church, the Easter vigil was restored to
the starting time of about 10:00 PM, so that the first mass of Easter
begins at midnight. Easter vigils in certain Protestant churches are
similarly scheduled.
The connection of baptism with Easter is of early date. During the
church's first centuries the whole of Lent was not only a time of
penance but also the period during which the catechumens (persons to be
baptized) were prepared for baptism, which was given only once a year,
at Easter. For the six weeks preceding Easter the catechumens were
instructed in the Christian faith, and the texts of the Lenten liturgy
in the Roman Catholic missal still preserve clear indications of this
practice. The catechumenate came to an end with the solemn baptisms of
the Easter vigil. This is the explanation of the present practice of the
long ceremony of blessing the font on Easter night and of the great
emphasis on baptism and its meaning and the many allusions to it still
present in the Easter services.
Among the Eastern Orthodox and Russian Orthodox churches, perhaps even
greater emphasis is laid on the central position of Easter not only as
an annual observance of the church year but as a centrepiece in the
whole worship and spiritual life of the church. The vigil service is
preceded by a procession outside the church representing a fruitless
search for the body of Christ. Then comes the joyful announcement,
"Christ is risen," followed by the Easter Eucharist. When the procession
first leaves the church, there are no lights anywhere, but on its return
hundreds of candles and coloured lamps are lighted to show the splendour
of Christ's Resurrection.
In the Church of England the Book of Common Prayer provides special
anthems to take the place of the Venite (Psalms 95) at matins. Lutheran
hymnbooks, which contain orders of service, use special sentences at
Easter. The Book of Common Order of the Church of Scotland includes
prayers for Easter, and the Divine Worship of the Methodists has an
order of worship for Easter morning, but the use of them is not
compulsory.
In the Protestant churches, Easter Sunday observances are the
culminating point of a series of services held during Holy Week,
beginning with Palm Sunday. It is customary for the sacrament of Holy
Communion to be administered during Holy Week, but the time of its
observance varies. Many denominations have established the custom of
celebrating Holy Communion on Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before
Easter); others administer the sacrament on Easter morning some time
before the regularly established hour of worship. Many Protestant
churches hold joint interdenominational Good Friday services, prepared
under the auspices of the local ministerial association. These services
in many communities centre on the traditional seven last "words" (or
sayings) of Christ and are conducted from 12:00 noon to 3:00 PM with
choirs and clergy of the participating denominations. This
interdenominational pattern culminates in the Easter dawn service, which
is of such interest in the United States that it commands wide
television and radio coverage. The origin of the sunrise service is not
known, but it would appear to be rooted in the Gospel narratives
describing the Resurrection of Christ - e.g., John 20, "Now on the first
day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was
still dark." Mingled with this biblical warrant is an association with
the spring of the year and the idea of the new birth symbolized in
nature's renewal of itself out of the death of winter.
Copyright © 1994-2002 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
--
Per Erik Rønne
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