Thursday, March 20, 2008
The mathematics of Easter
John Derbyshire scoffs at the complex mathematics applied to calculate Easter (which feast, by the way, will not come so early again until 2160, by which year March 23 should be well along into summer if climate models prove themselves).
8 Comments:
By 
Christopher Chambers, at
Thu Mar 20, 09:28:00 PM:
Wait, I thought God ordained the date? Ooopsie...I was listening to Laura Ingraham and Rev. Parsley again.
Try middle of summer...underwater.
By Jim VAT, at
Fri Mar 21, 12:08:00 AM:
Someone tell me why Easter moves around every year. It is almost like it is tied to some Pagan festival or something.
By 
, at
Fri Mar 21, 12:51:00 AM:
Tomorrow in GOOD FRIDAY so how can it be good friday when christ was crusified on that day?
By TigerHawk, at
Fri Mar 21, 06:33:00 AM:
Jim VAT - on the small chance that was not a hilarious joke, the answer (I believe) is that since the Last Supper was, in fact, a Passover meal it derives from Good Friday's date. Usually Passover and Good Friday are pretty close, though not this year. My guess is that when the Jewish calendar and the Roman Catholic one diverged Good Friday and Easter did as well, but that does not make them any less tied to the moon.
By TigerHawk, at
Fri Mar 21, 06:37:00 AM:
Actually, if you click through the links to Derbyshire's post and then to the Daily Mail, you see that the formula for calculating Easter was one of the many products of the Council of Nicea in 325 (along with, I believe, the Nicene Creed).
By Jim VAT, at
Fri Mar 21, 12:57:00 PM:
I read your comments Tigerhawk, but nobody seems to be able to tell me *why* the date for the Easter celebration moves around. Why tie it to the position of the planet as it revolves around the sun (the Equinox) and phase of the moon (full) as it revolves around the earth? Why not tie it to the actual event it is supposedly celebrating?
By , at
Fri Mar 21, 01:36:00 PM:
It almost makes you think the early Christians were influenced by astrology and pagan traditions such as those surrounding the Spring equinox, as they wove the actual teachings of Jesus into an orthodox religion.
By joated, at
Fri Mar 21, 08:47:00 PM:
I trust the calculations for when Easter will occur far, far more than those for the warming of the Earth.
