The Date of the Glorious Feast of the Resurrection

Follow us on the web

Subscribe to the Diocese's Email List

Join to receive messages from His Grace and event reminders or update your information.

home › resources › literature › The Date of the Glorious Feast of the Resurrection

Written by Fr. John Ramzy

Since the beginning of Christianity, the Resurrection of the Lord of glory has been the center of the preaching of the apostles and fathers. They considered it to be the basis of Christian faith, "And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is vain and your faith is also vain" (1 Cor 15:14). Their proof of Christ's divinity was His Resurrection: "and was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Rom 1:4).

For this, the Christians since the start found it important to celebrate the Crucifixion and Resurrection of our Lord. And, since the dates of these two events were linked to the Jewish Passover, the faithful preferred to keep the tradition of tying glorious feast of the Resurrection to the Passover, yet celebrating it afterwards, so that we may not partake in their feasts. The teachings of the apostles stated that whoever celebrates the Resurrection on a day other than the Sunday (that follows the Jewish Passover) is partaking with the Jews in their feasts, and has separated himself from the Christians.

The determination of the date of the Resurrection feast remained a matter of research and change, until Pope Demetrius, the 12th Patriarch of Alexandria, concerned himself with it, consulted the Scientists of his time, such as Ptolemeus Farmawy, and came up with the APAKTY (Remainder) calculation, on the basis of which the dates of the Great Fast, the Resurrection, Pentecost and the length of the apostles' fast are determined. Pope Demetrius sent his formula to the patriarchs of the other churches, who accepted it and celebrated according to it.

When the first Ecumenical Council convened at Nicea, in 325 AD, it endorsed and confirmed the Apakty calculation. The resolution of the council was that the Patriarch of Alexandria was to determine the date of the Resurrection feast according to this formula and to send to the whole world the dates of the start of Great Fast and of the feast of the Resurrection, together with a paschal letter to be read in the whole world on the Christian Pascha (Resurrection.)

Briefly, the Apakty formula is a means of calculating the full moon following the vernal equinox, and the date of the slaying of the Passover lamb. We celebrate the Resurrection on the Sunday following these dates.

And since the cycle of the Julian (Roman) or Coptic year (i.e. the period after which the day of the year falls on the same day of the week of the previous cycle) is 28 years (every 28 years are identical as far as the starts and ends of their months and weeks), and since the cycle of the Jewish year, the basis of calculation of the Jewish Passover, is 19 years (every 19 Jewish years are similar in the starts and ends of their months), so the date of the resurrection feast is the same every 19x28 years, i.e. every 532 years. Some have written tables, called vines, of 532 years, to determine the dates of Great Fast and feasts in every year of the cycle according to the Coptic calendar. The whole Christian world celebrated according to these vines and formula until the sixteenth century, when Pope Gregory of Rome changed the Roman calendar. He established a different calculation for the feast of the Resurrection, a clear infraction against the canon of Nicene council, which had confirmed the Apakty calculation and had given the Patriarch of Alexandria the right to set the feast's date.

Pope Gregory decided to set the date to be the Sunday following the full moon following the vernal equinox, not considering the Passover Lamb, nor the canon of the council of Nicea, nor the spirituality of the teachings of the holy apostles, which urge us not to celebrate at the same time as the Jews. The Western world now celebrates according to these innovations. The year (2002) for instance, the Jews had set their Passover, according to the renovated vernal equinox of Pope Gregory, to be 27 March. And the Western churches are celebrating Easter on 31 March, while according to our canonical calculation, established by the holy fathers, the slaying of the Passover lamb should be on 23 Barmuda (1 May), thus making our Resurrection feast on Sunday 27 Barmuda (5 May).

This year (2002) looks unusual. In most years however, when the Jews determine their feast, it falls just before our feast. But the feast of the Western churches falls before, during or after, or even far from the Jewish Passover in most years.

This caused them to press Rome, in some instances, to correct the Gregorian formula. The Church of Rome has even permitted her followers in the Eastern and Orthodox countries, such as Egypt, to celebrate the feast of Resurrection with us according to the canons of the fathers and of the councils.

May the blessing of the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be upon us all. Amen.

Apakty Formula

Determining the Orthodox Feast of Resurrection for 2002 AD

Divide 2002 by 19 (lunar cycle) = 105 complete cycles. Remainder = 7 years.

Difference between solar and lunar years = 11 days Total difference for this year = 7x11 = 77 days.

Subtract the number of complete Coptic months: 77 - 60 = 17 days.

Subtract from 40 (a constant) 40-17=23 (If higher than 30, reduce by 30).

Lunar Apakty for this year = 23 [Lunar Apakty = Passover day in Barmuda (if from 1 to 24) or = Passover day in Baramhat (if from 25 to 30)]

Slaying of Passover lamb this year = 23 Barmuda = May 1st, and is a Wednesday.

Resurrection feast is the following Sunday, 27 Barmuda, i.e. May 5th.

Determining The Western Easter for 2002 AD

Divide 2002 by 19 = 105, Remainder 7 = A

Divide 2002 by 4 = 500. Remainder 2 = B

Divide 2002 by 7 = 286. Remainder 0 = C

Y= (19 x A) + M (M is a Constant = 24, between 1900 & 2099 AD)
Y = (19 x 7) + 24 = 157

Divide 157 by 30 = 5 Remainder 7 = D

Z = 2B + 4C + 6D + N (N is a constant = 5, bet. 1900 & 2099 AD)
Z = 4 + 0 + 42 + 5 = 51

Divide 51 by 7 = 7 Remainder 2 = E

F = D + E = 9

X (number of days between 22 March and Western Easter) is determined as follows:
X= F If f < 34 or f = 34 and d is not 28
X=F-7 if f = 34 and d = 28 or f = 35

In 2002 AD, X = F = 9

Easter (in the West) = 22 + 9 = 31 March.