Easter Day seems to be defined as the first Sunday on or after the Passover moon. Why, in some years such as 2024 and 2027, does Easter fall weeks before Jewish Passover?
Question #151451. Asked by
gmackematix.
Last updated Jul 23 2024.
Originally posted Jul 23 2024 6:23 PM.
It is true that the New Testament has the resurrection of Jesus during the Passover week. However, Jews follow a lunar calendar which is shorter than the Roman (and then Gregorian) calendar followed by Christians. So the Jewish calendar is 12 days shorter than the solar year and every few years they have a leap month to make up the difference. The leap month comes before the spring equinox and thus Passover sometimes is celebrated during the second full moon of spring. Easter is always celebrated on the first full moon of spring since early church fathers decided it should always be the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring. The Jewish law in Exodus always had Passover in the middle of the first month of Nisan.
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