The Early Christians Kept Passover!

Long after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Christians continued to keep Passover in remembrance of him. In fact, the early Christians were so zealous about keeping Passover that they had a dramatic controversy with one another about which date that Passover should be kept on!

This Passover Controversy was recorded by Eusebius of Caesarea, a Christian Historian who lived during the fourth century CE. Eusebius wrote:

At that time, a question of no small importance arose. For the parishes of all Asia, as from an older tradition, thought it necessary to keep the fourteenth day of the moon, on which the Jews were commanded to sacrifice the lamb, as the Passover [pascha] feast of the Saviour. Therefore, it was necessary to end the fast on that same day, whichever day of the week it should happen to be. However, it was not the custom of the churches in all the rest of the world to end it at that time, as they kept a custom which has prevailed from apostolic tradition until now, to end the fast on no other day than that of the resurrection of our Saviour.

— Church History 5.23.1.

The Greek word for “Passover” here is pascha (πάσχα), which is the same word for “Passover” in the New Testament.

The Asian Christians disagreed with the Western Christians about when to keep Passover.

• The Asian Christians kept Passover on the same day as the Jews—i.e., on the Jewish date.
• The Western Christians kept Passover on the Sunday anniversary of Jesus’ resurrection—i.e., “Resurrection Sunday”.

Eusebius recorded a letter that was sent by Polycrates of Ephesus, an Asian Christian, to Victor of Rome, a Western Christian:

Therefore, we observe the day exactly, neither adding to nor taking away. For in Asia also, great elements have fallen asleep, which shall rise again on the day of the coming of the Lord, on which he comes with glory from heaven, and shall seek out all the saints:

Philip... John... Polycarp... Thraseas... Sagaris... Papirius... Melito...

These all kept the fourteenth day as the Passover [pascha] according to the gospel, deviating in nothing, but following according to the rule of the faith. And even I also, Polycrates, the least of you all, follow according to the tradition of my relatives, some of whom also I have closely followed. Indeed, seven of my relatives were overseers, but I am the eighth. And my relatives always kept the day when the people put away the leaven. Therefore I, brothers, who have lived sixty-five years in the Lord, and have met with the brothers throughout the world, and have gone through every holy scripture, am not frightened by these terrifying words, for those greater than I have said: We must obey God rather than man.

— Church History 5.24.2–7.

Polycrates was an Asian Christian, so he kept Passover on the Jewish date. On the other hand, Victor was a Western Christian, so he kept Passover on Resurrection Sunday. Apparently, Victor had threatened Polycrates for keeping Passover on the Jewish date rather than on Resurrection Sunday. Polycrates responded by writing this letter to Victor.

In support of his custom of keeping Passover on the Jewish date, Polycrates cited several well-known Asian Christians who kept Passover on the Jewish date, including New Testament characters such as Philip and the Apostle John. Polycrates concluded his letter by declaring that he was not afraid of Victor’s threats, quoting the biblical saying, “We must obey God rather than man.” (Acts 5:29) This saying was spoken by the Apostle Peter when the Jewish High Priest commanded him not to preach in Jesus’ name.

Of course, Victor was upset with Polycrates’ response. Eusebius recorded his reaction:

At these things, Victor, who led at Rome, immediately tried to cut off from the common oneness as heterodox the parishes of all Asia with the bordering churches, and even recorded through letters, proclaiming all the brothers there as wholly excommunicated.

— Church History 5.24.9.

Victor tried to excommunicate the Asian Christians as false believers. He sent letters to the other Western Christians, informing them to cut ties with the Asian Christians on the basis that they kept Passover on the Jewish date rather than on Resurrection Sunday.

How did the Western Christian leaders respond? Eusebius recorded:

But this did not please all the overseers, and they exhorted him otherwise: to mind the things of peace, and of oneness and love toward neighbours. The words of those sharply rebuking Victor are extant. Among them also was Irenaeus, who wrote representing the brothers whom he led in Gaul.

— Church History 5.24.10–11.

The other Western Christian leaders were not pleased with what Victor was doing to the Asian Christians. They wrote letters back to Victor, rebuking him for his unloving behaviour, and reminding him to be more loving toward his fellow Christians in Asia. One of these Western Christian leaders who rebuked Victor was Irenaeus of Lyon. In his letter to Victor, Irenaeus wrote:

And when the blessed Polycarp was residing in Rome during the time of Anicetus, also having little disagreements with each other about certain other things, immediately, they made peace with one another, not striving against each other about this point. For neither could Anicetus persuade Polycarp not to keep what he had always kept with John the disciple of our Lord and the other apostles whom he had associated with, nor did Polycarp persuade Anicetus to keep it, who was saying that he was obliged to hold to the custom of the elders who were before him.

— Church History 5.24.16.

Irenaeus recounted what happened more than a hundred years before, when Polycarp of Smyrna was in Rome during the time of Anicetus of Rome, one of Victor’s predecessors. Polycarp and Anicetus disagreed about when to keep Passover. Polycarp, as an Asian Christian, kept Passover on the Jewish date, while Anicetus, as a Western Christian, kept Passover on Resurrection Sunday. Yet, Polycarp and Anicetus set aside their disagreement and treated each other with love and respect.

The Asian Christians and the Western Christians continued to keep Passover on their respective dates for many years. It was only much later on, at the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE, that the date for Passover was standardized for all Christians. Another early Christian historian, Socrates of Constantinople, recorded a letter sent by the Council of Nicaea:

And we tell you good news about the agreement regarding the most holy Passover, that by your prayers, this part also has been corrected, so that all the brothers in the East who beforehand kept [Passover] with the Jews would, from now on, keep Passover at the same time with the Romans, ourselves, and all yourselves who have kept Passover with us from the beginning.

— Socrates of Constantinople, Church History 1.9.

At the Council of Nicaea, it was decided that all Christians everywhere should keep Passover on the same date: Resurrection Sunday. Therefore, many Christians today celebrate “Easter” on Resurrection Sunday—not knowing that it actually came from the early Christian practice of keeping Passover!

Notably, the controversy was not about whether to keep Passover. Rather, these early Christians took it for granted that Christians should keep Passover. The question for them was not whether to keep Passover, but when.