Sunday, March 11, 2012

Explain “Quartodecmism” and its implications for the early church and today’s church.

Quartodecimanism is from the Vulgate latin, quarta decima from Lev 23: which means fourteen and refers to the early Christians celebrating Passover on the night part or eve of the 14th of Nisan. 

The problem arose for the church of when to celebrate the Passover, either on the 14th or the nearest Sunday.  Easter was not involved at this time.  The Asia church (eastern churches) celebrated the Passover on the 14th as Jesus did, as John the Apostle did throughout all his life and also Polycarp (a disciple of John) did throughout his life and all of the eastern church.  The western church started to celebrate the Passover on the nearest Sunday, because they did not want to do what the Jews did.  Irenaeus explains that Anicetus became bishop of Rome in about 155 and Polycarp visited Rome to discuss this subject.  They could not change the mind of each other position and decided to observe the Passover as they have been done and leaving the question unsettled.  The reason for the peace was the Jews celebrate the Passover on the 15th and not on the 14th as the scriptures explain.  So the eastern church did not celebrate on the same night.  Even today the Jews celebrate on the wrong night. 

Things changed with the Council of Nicea (western church – Rome) when they declared all, I do mean, all Christians will celebrate Easter on Sunday (they brought in a very large number of pagans who celebrate Easter) and not Passover as the eastern church teaches from the Apostles.  The Council of Nicea declared that all Quartodecimans were excommunicated and then the western church (Rome) went after the eastern church members with a vengeance just as Saul did with the early church.  Then the western church (Rome) then killed, burned, murder all the men, women and children of the Quartodecimans they could find.  The eastern church again had to go undercover to teach what they learn from John and Polycarp.

If you are interested, I have done a presentation of this subject at the following location:


Blessing

Stephen

(Lev 23:5 KJV)  In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord's passover.

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