Redemption through Passover: Part 3

In the second century AD, many Christians in Asia and Asia Minor kept Passover on the fourteenth day of Nisan—the very same day the Jewish people celebrated it, following the biblical calendar. Farther west, however, Christians chose to mark Passover on the Sunday after (Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 5.23.1; 5.24.1). At the time, tensions between the Jewish community and the Roman Empire were rising, creating pressure on Gentile believers to separate themselves from anything seen as “Jewish.” This strain likely contributed to the Western decision to celebrate on a different day. Yet in spite of their differences, both groups agreed on one essential point: Christians were to celebrate the eight days of Passover; the question was simply when.