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the book ofActs, acknow1edged tbat
tbe
pascha
or Passover was still in
existence and being observed when
he wrote the book ofActs. Similarly,
the apostle Pau1 indicated that
Christians were observing the Pass–
over when he wrote the epistle of
1 Corinthians (see 1 Corinthians
5:7-8; 11:20-34).
But after the New Testament was
comp1etely written and after all the
original apostles had died, a change
occurred. Church historian Jesse Ly–
man Hurlbut describes the age that
followed as "the Age of Shadows."
Says Hur1but: "Por fifty years af–
ter ... Paul's life
a curtain hangs
over the church,
through which we
strive vainly to look; and when at
last it rises, about 120 A.D. with the
writings of the ear1iest church–
fathers, we find a church
in many as–
pects very different
from that in the
days of ... Peter and . .. Paul"
(The
Story ofthe Christian Church,
p.
41).
Hurlbut continues on page 60,
"Por fifty or sixty years after the
death of ... Peter and ... Paul, the
history ofthe church is a blank."
What bad happened? The answer
is in the Bib1e - a conspiracy to in–
troduce pagan customs under the
name "Christian" had been formed
in the days of the apostle Paul (see
Gal. 1:6-9; 11 Cor.
ll:
13-15;
JI
Tim.
4:3-4). By the 1ast days of tbe
apostle John, this conspiracy had
grown so great that in sorne areas,
true
Christians were being cast out
of the established local churches!
(liT
John 9, 10.)
The Long Struggle
About A.D. 154, Polycarp, who
had observed the Passover with the
apostle John and other apostles,
trave1ed to Rome to discuss the is–
sue of Passover and Easter with An–
icetus, the bishop at Rome. At the
time, neither could persuade tbe
other to give up his custom. Wrote
the fourth-century church historian
Eusebius:
"Por neither could Anicetus per–
suade Polycarp not to observe
it
[the
12
Passover], because he had always
observed
it
with John, the disciple of
our Lord , and the rest of the
apostles, with whom he associated;
and neither did Polycarp persuade
Anicetus to observe it [Passover),
who said that he was bound to
maiotain tbe practice [Easter Sun–
day] of tbe presbyters before him"
(Ecclesiastical History,
Bk. V, Chap.
XXIV).
Before Easter was universally
adopted, there was a bitter and
protracted controversy. In the days
of Emperor Commodus (A.D. 180-
192), wben Víctor became bishop at
Rome (A.D. 190), the dispute be–
carne severe. Declared the historian
Eusebius:
"Tbere was a considerable dis–
cussion raised about thís time, in
consequence of a difference of opio–
ion respecting the observance of the
paschal season. The churches of all
Asia, guided by a remoter tradition,
supposed that they ought to keep
the
fourteenth day of the moon
for
the festival of the
Saviour's passover,
in which day the Jews were com–
manded to
kili
the paschallamb....
But ...
it
was not the custom to cele–
bra/e it in this manner in the
churches throughout the rest of the
world .
..
"(Eccl.
Hist.,
Bk. V, chap.
XXIII).
Even at this late date, the
Churches of God in Asia dissented
from the majority viewpoint. Poly–
crates, their leader, wrote to Víctor,
bishop at Rome, saying:
"We, therefore, observe
the genu–
ine day; neither adding thereto nor
taking therefrom"
(chap. XXIV). He
cited New Testament Christians, in–
cluding Philip and the apostle John,
and asserted: "All these observed
the fourteenth day of the passover
according to the gospel, deviating in
no respect, but following the rule of
faith"
(ibid.).
Upon receiving this letter, Víctor,
bishop at Rome, became furious.
Reports Eusebius: "Upon this, Víc–
tor, the bishop of the church of
Rome, forthwith endeavoured to cut
off the churches of all Asia, together
with the neighbouring churches, as
heterodox, from the common unity.
And he publishes abroad by letters,
and proclaims, tbat all the brethren
there are wholly excommunicated"
(ibid).
Although at that time Víctor was
restrained from carrying out this
threat, the controversy continued
until as late as the fourth century.
lntroduction of Easter
By the early fourth century A.D.
nominal Christiaoity became estab–
lished as a state religion of the Ro–
man Empire. Almost everybody
sought membership in the new
Church, and almost nobody was re–
jected. Says Hurlbut of this period:
"The services of worship
m–
creased in sp1endor, but were less
spiritual and hearty than those of
former times. The forros and cere–
monies of paganism gradually crept
into the worship. Sorne of the old
heathen feasts
became church festi–
vals with change ofname and ofwor–
ship" (ibid.,
p.
79).
One of those hea then feasts which
were adopted by large numbers of
professing Christians and endorsed
by the leaders of the popular church
was Easter!
Roman Emperor Constantine,
who had been a devoted worshipper
of tbe sun most of his life, and
who did not embrace tbe "Chris–
tian" religion until his death bed,
proposed the adoption of pagan
customs by the Christians.
The church leaders of that day
felt that for "Christianity" to con–
quer the world, it would be wise to
compromise with pagans through–
out the Empire. Since the common
people were habituated to their pa–
gan customs and reveled in their pa–
gan holidays, church leaders devised
a method to reconcile paganism and
nominal Cbristianity. They simply
"baptized" pagan customs, thereby
making them "Christian" in appear–
ance and name. The resu1t? Pagans
began to flock into the Church in
droves. They kept the same days
PLAIN TRUTH Morch 1973
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