Having two calendars to work from when trying to calculate Easter results in it being called a ‘moveable feast.’

This is because the Church tries to keep the event close to the date of Passover, but not actually on it, as it chooses to celebrate on the closest Sunday to it.

The Celtic Church in Britain and Ireland commemorated the crucifixion on the actual date of Passover on Nisan 14th in the Biblical calendar, rather than tying it to a day of the week.

This changed at the Synod of Whitby in 664.

There were two Sabbath rest days during the week of Passover, the regular weekly Sabbath on Saturday, plus the annual Sabbath of the First Day of Unleavened Bread on Nisan 15th.

But most people seeing the word ‘Sabbath’ assume it to be a Saturday.

It is counting from the day before the weekly Sabbath, which would be Friday, that gives the well known Friday to Sunday time frame.

However, John 19:31 describes the Sabbath, before which Jesus had to be taken off the cross, as a “high day.”

So it was actually the Annual Passover Sabbath, and not the weekly Sabbath that the Bible cites.

This can fall on any day of the week.

The Gospels nowhere state Friday, but only the term Preparation Day, which precedes both the weekly and annual Sabbaths when they occur.

The first visitors came to the tomb on Sunday morning to discover it to be empty, but no one saw the resurrection taking place.

That took place some time before their arrival.

All Biblical days start and end at sunset, so Jesus had to be put in the tomb before the onset of the Annual Sabbath at sunset, due to Jewish ritual law.

Jesus said that He would be three days and three nights (72 hours) in the grave, so He would need to rise just before sunset, not at sun-rise, 72 hours later.

The only point before the first visitors coming that would be at that time would be just before sunset on the weekly Sabbath just before the onset of Sunday, but not actually on Sunday itself.

Count back 72 hours and it reveals Wednesday to be the crucifixion day, not Friday, as is so often assumed.

This means that Yeshua (His given Name) actually rose on the Sabbath, making Him Lord of the Sabbath, but not of Sunday at all.

All because of conflating two different Sabbaths.

It does not affect any other details of the story, but will the Church accept this anomaly?

We should not pass over Passover, as “Christ is our Passover, therefore let us keep the feast.”

Colin Nevin.