N.T. Celebration of the Passover?

[Zenas]

In Acts 20:6 it says: “We sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread . . . .” The days of Unleavened Bread refers to the week after the Passover, so why are Paul and Luke still celebrating the Passover, especially in this totally gentile city? Didn’t the sacrifice of Jesus Christ replace the Passover forever? Or should we read this simply to mean it was a date of reference on the calendar which they didn’t actually celebrate?

 

[NotWorthy]

In Acts 20:6 it says: “We sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread . . . .” The days of Unleavened Bread refers to the week after the Passover, so why are Paul and Luke still celebrating the Passover, especially in this totally gentile city? Didn’t the sacrifice of Jesus Christ replace the Passover forever? Or should we read this simply to mean it was a date of reference on the calendar which they didn’t actually celebrate?

It could have still been a celebration. The earliest Church was made up of Jews. They still held a lot of their previous Laws and rituals. Old habits can be hard to break.

 

[puzzleannie]

In Acts 20:6 it says: “We sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread . . . .” The days of Unleavened Bread refers to the week after the Passover, so why are Paul and Luke still celebrating the Passover, especially ?

where does this passage say they celebrated passover in the Jewish manner? If a Jewish person says “I will see you after Christmas” does that imply he will be celebrating Christmas in the manner of Christians? he is referring to a date in terms understood by those in the conversation.

 

[Todd_Easton]

Some Christians, and I think the Orthodox Churches may still do, celebrated Easter on the Sunday after the Jewish Passover. The Jewish feast was not celebrated by Christians but was used as a time reference for determining the day on which the Christian feast was to be celebrated. The Catholic Encyclopedia’s article on “Easter” has some info on this.

 

[savedsinner]

This passage doesn’t say that the Christians celebrated it. It just says that they sailed after the passover. The Jew’s marked their calendar with the feasts, so this could be just a comment on the time of year that they sailed. There were Jewish communities in all of these cities, and the Jews would have celebrated the Passover, and after the Jews celebrated the passover, Paul and his companions sailed.

But I would assume that Paul, being a Jew would have celebrated the Passover. The issue of the day was if you celebrated the Jewish feasts at the expense of the Christian faith.

 

[Yerusalyim]

Kids, I encourage you to do a close reading of the New Testament. Paul was a Christian, and also remained faithful to the Mosaic law his whole life. Paul continued to celebrate the Jewish Feasts, albeit with a Christian Light. Before you accuse me of being a liar, read ACTS 21:20-24 It’s James speaking to Paul

20 They praised God when they heard it but said to him, "Brother, you see how many thousands of believers there are from among the Jews, and they are all zealous observers of the law.
21 They have been informed that you are teaching all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to abandon Moses and that you are telling them not to circumcise their children or to observe their customary practices. 22 What is to be done? They will surely hear that you have arrived. 23 So do what we tell you. We have four men who have taken a vow. 24 Take these men and purify yourself with them, and pay their expenses that they may have their heads shaved. In this way everyone will know that there is nothing to the reports they have been given about you but that you yourself live in observance of the law.

Just as Jesus, Paul was born into the Law and was BOUND to observe it, this didn’t make him less a Christian. After all, Jesus himself was a faithful Jew.

 

[NotWorthy]

Kids, I encourage you to do a close reading of the New Testament. Paul was a Christian, and also remained faithful to the Mosaic law his whole life. Paul continued to celebrate the Jewish Feasts, albeit with a Christian Light. Before you accuse me of being a liar, read ACTS 21:20-24 It’s James speaking to Paul

Just as Jesus, Paul was born into the Law and was BOUND to observe it, this didn’t make him less a Christian. After all, Jesus himself was a faithful Jew.

Yeru, I think you’re close, but not quite right. James asked Paul to do this to keep the Judaizers off his back, for they were under the impression that Paul was preaching of ignoring the Mosaic Law among converted Christians (and this was true). I think the Jerusalem Jews were ready to stone Paul if he proved himself not “Jewish enough” for them.

In Romans (I believe), Paul speaks of those that still observe the fasting laws of the OT Covenant as not to be chastised, for they observe them out of weakness. But those that do not observe these same OT fasting laws are not to be chastised either, for their’s is a stronger faith.

 

[Yerusalyim]

NOTWORTHY,

One of the KEY phrases by James here is that he said of Paul, do this so they may see “YOU YOURSELF LIVE IN OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW.” James said Paul lived in observance of the law…I take this scripture at face value.

I believe the scripture your speaking about in Romans is Romans Chapter 14 and 15, in it Paul discusses weak brothers, those whose faith requires them to eat only vegetables, or not eat meat sacraficed to idols, etc. Mainly, Paul was speaking to a gentile audience and I don’t see any reference at all to those JEWS who observed the law…Paul’s issue was always with the Jewish Christians who tried to insist that GENTILES observe the Mosaic law as part of their Christian expression…this is where Paul goes off on not being saved by “Works of the Law”…any time Paul talks about “works” he is quite specifically refering to gentiles observing the Mosaic Law.

 

[NotWorthy]

NOTWORTHY,

One of the KEY phrases by James here is that he said of Paul, do this so they may see “YOU YOURSELF LIVE IN OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW.” James said Paul lived in observance of the law…I take this scripture at face value.

I believe the scripture your speaking about in Romans is Romans Chapter 14 and 15, in it Paul discusses weak brothers, those whose faith requires them to eat only vegetables, or not eat meat sacraficed to idols, etc. Mainly, Paul was speaking to a gentile audience and I don’t see any reference at all to those JEWS who observed the law…Paul’s issue was always with the Jewish Christians who tried to insist that GENTILES observe the Mosaic law as part of their Christian expression…this is where Paul goes off on not being saved by “Works of the Law”…any time Paul talks about “works” he is quite specifically refering to gentiles observing the Mosaic Law.

Are you sure about this? Where does he deal with this “specifically”. Yes, the Judaizers were trying to impose their Mosaic Laws on the Gentiles, but Paul doesn’t ever stress the need for the Jewish Christians to observe the Mosaic Laws.

 

[savedsinner]

If the Jews were to hold on to the feasts and mosaic law, they, the Jewish Christians were told that it is not what saved them, it was the Grace of God that saved them.
St. James is having St. Paul and his companions shave their heads and such as not to offend the Jews in the Temple.
Paul is being a Jews to the Jews to convert them.
Just as he writes in his first letter the the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 9:19-23.
For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews; to those under the law I became as one under the law – though not being myself under the law – that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law – not being without law toward God but under the law of Christ – that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

If you go read St. Ignatius he talks about Christians turning to the Mosaic law and away from the Christian faith.

The Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians
Chapter 10. Beware of Judaizing.
Let us not, therefore, be insensible to His kindness. For were He to reward us according to our works, we should cease to be. Therefore, having become His disciples, let us learn to live according to the principles of Christianity. For whosoever is called by any other name besides this, is not of God. Lay aside, therefore, the evil, the old, the sour leaven, and be changed into the new leaven, which is Jesus Christ. Be salted in Him, lest any one among you should be corrupted, since by your savour you shall be convicted. It is absurd to profess Christ Jesus, and to Judaize. For Christianity did not embrace Judaism, but Judaism Christianity, that so every tongue which believes might be gathered together to God.

The Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians
Chapter 6. Do not accept Judaism.
But if any one preach the Jewish law unto you, listen not to him. For it is better to hearken to Christian doctrine from a man who has been circumcised, than to Judaism from one uncircumcised. But if either of such persons do not speak concerning Jesus Christ, they are in my judgment but as monuments and sepulchres of the dead, upon which are written only the names of men. Flee therefore the wicked devices and snares of the prince of this world, lest at any time being conquered by his artifices, grow weak in your love. But be all joined together with an undivided heart. And I thank my God that I have a good conscience in respect to you, and that no one has it in his power to boast, either privately or publicly, that I have burdened any one either in much or in little. And I wish for all among whom I have spoken, that they may not possess that for a testimony against them.