Easter and Passover

[AlCensullo]

My understanding is that the dates for Easter and Passover are no longer closely linked on the liturgical calendar. If so, why is this the case?

 

[Yerusalyim]

The Date for Easter is intrical to the Liturgical Calendar. Passover, however, is not. Easter is ALWAYS on the Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring Equinox.

Passover is a feast celebrated by the Jews. It’s based on the lunar Calendar the Jews use for their feasts. This year there is a significant lag between Easter and Passover as passover is a movable feast and this year the Jews have “reset” their calendar that runs on a 17 or 19 year cycle. Passover occurs in April this year.

I’m sure it’s happened but I don’t remember a time the first evening of Passover and Holy Thursday have been on the same day.

 

[AlCensullo]

Thank you for the background information.

As understood in the Bible, the historical Passion and Resurrection of our Lord coincided with the Jewish Passover.

Is the reason Easter no longer coincides with Passover because the Catholic Church decided to use an older method (or perhaps more stable method) for determing the date (ALWAYS on the Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring Equinox)? Therefore, not having the date dependent on the Jewish calendar’s 17 or 19 year cycle.

Also, my understanding is that the date for the Easter holiday celebrated by the Orthodox Church (actually refered to as Holy Paskha) is still linked to the date for Passover. Do you know when they (Catholic and Orthodox dates) were disconnected?

 

[Yerusalyim]

The difference in Catholic and Orthodox Easter celebrations was early and one of the sources of dessention. Early on each bishop decided what holidays were celebrated when…as authority became more centralized patriarchs in the east didn’t necessarily accept the calendar offered by Rome.