Why Mar 24 for Memorial?

Will Power

It is said that this year's memorial is celebrated on March 24 after sundown. April 24 (sundown 4/23) to April 30/May 1, 2005 (5765): Passover
Passover , or Pesach in Hebrew, the holiday commemorating the Hebrews' exodus from slavery in Egypt, lasts seven days in Israel and among Reform Jews, and eight days elsewhere around the world. It begins on the 15th day of Nisan, which is the seventh month in the Jewish calendar . It ends on the 21st of Nisan in Israel (and for Reform Jews) and on the 22nd of Nisan elsewhere.

Since Hebrew days begin and end at sundown, Passover begins at sundown on the preceding day.

See also dates of other Jewish feasts .

March 27, 2005: Easter
(Western Churches)
Easter is calculated as the first Sunday after the paschal full moon that occurs on or after the vernal equinox . If the full moon falls on a Sunday, then Easter is the following Sunday. The holiday can occur anywhere between March 22 and April 25.

The Western church does not use the actual, or astronomically correct date for the vernal equinox , but a fixed date (March 21). And by full moon it does not mean the astronomical full moon but the "ecclesiastical moon," which is based on tables created by the church. These constructs allow the date of Easter to be calculated in advance rather than determined by actual astronomical observances, which are naturally less predictable. See also A Tale of Two Easters . The Council of Nicaea in 325 established that Easter would be celebrated on Sundays; before that Easter was celebrated on different days in different places in the same year.

See also dates of other Christian movable feasts . May 1, 2005 Easter
(Orthodox Church)
The Orthodox church uses the same formula to calculate Easter, but bases the date on a slightly different calendar?the Julian calendar instead of the more contemporary Gregorian one, the calendar that is most widely used today. Consequently, both churches only occasionally celebrate Easter on the same day.

Unlike the Western Church, the Eastern Church sets the date of Easter according to the actual, astronomical full moon and the actual equinox as observed along the meridian of Jerusalem, site of the Crucifixion and Resurrection. See also A Tale of Two Easters and dates of other Orthodox movable feasts . Serious question, will (sorry the bold is stuck on)

rebel8

...because they have their own "ways" of calculating it.

blondie

*** w77 6/15 pp. 383-384 Questions from Readers ***

I

understood that the Memorial celebration was always on the evening of a full moon. But in 1977 the Memorial was on April 3, and my calendar gave April 4 for the full moon. Why the difference?

Often the celebration of the Lord?s Evening Meal and the full moon do coincide, but not always. There may, for example, be a day?s difference, depending on where you live and the calendar used.

To see why this is so you need to understand the basic method presently used by the Governing Body of Jehovah?s Witnesses in establishing the date for the annual Memorial celebration.

It was on the 14th of the Jewish month Nisan, the date of the Passover, that Jesus directed his followers to commemorate his death. (Luke 22:14-20) Appropriately, the date for the Memorial celebration is arrived at as the Jews back then determined the date for the Passover. They began the month of Nisan when they could first see the new moon in the spring nearest the equinox. Passover came fourteen days later.?Isa. 66:23; Ex. 12:2, 6.

Jehovah?s Witnesses now follow this ancient pattern in determining the Memorial date. Please note that the first thing that needs to be established is when the new moon nearest the spring equinox (about March 21) will be visible in Jerusalem. This is not the astronomical new-moon time listed on a calendar or astronomical table. Why? Because the first thin sliver of the new moon is not visible until eighteen to thirty hours after the moment of astronomical new moon.

Let us take 1977 as an example. In determining the matter months beforehand so as to inform the congregations earth wide, the Governing Body of Jehovah?s Witnesses had to calculate when the new moon would become visible in Jerusalem. From the astronomical standpoint the instant of new moon was at 20:33 (8:33 p.m.) Jerusalem clock time on March 19, 1977. Of course, that new moon was not then visible nor would it be for many hours. But could the first sliver of the new moon be seen the next evening about sunset? Because of various involved factors it seemed unlikely that the moon could be sighted in the rather bright sky west of Jerusalem about sunset on March 20, 1977. Consequently, the Governing Body settled on March 21, 1977, as the time when, with assurance, the new moon would be in position to be seen from Jerusalem about sunset. Nisan 14 would thus commence at sunset on April 3. That is when Jehovah?s Witnesses held the Lord?s Evening Meal. What about the full moon that month? When was it?

Astronomical tables list the full moon as occurring on April 4 at 04:09 (4:09 a.m.), Greenwich (England) Mean Time. But at that same moment if you live in another time zone obviously your clock would show a different time. For instance, Stockholm (Sweden) and Rome (Italy) are in the next time zone to the east of Greenwich. Hence, for them the moment of full moon occurred on April 4 at 05:09 (5:09 a.m.). New York (U.S.A.) and Lima (Peru), though, are five time zones to the west of Greenwich, so for them the full moon was at 23:09 (11:09 p.m.) on April 3, 1977. Because of this variation according to time zones some 1977 local calendars indicated that the full moon occurred on April 4 and others said April 3.

In any case, the basic point to appreciate is that the date for the celebration of the Lord?s Evening Meal is determined by the new moon (visible in Jerusalem), not the full moon. Nonetheless, the Memorial falls fourteen days after the appearance of the new moon. Thus it always occurs about the time of the full moon. It is good to know this in case some of Jehovah?s Witnesses are cut off from contact with the Governing Body and do not know what date for Memorial has been determined. In that situation, if they observed the Memorial on the evening of the calendar date for the full moon after the spring equinox, they would likely be celebrating it on the same date as the rest of their brothers or at least very close to it.

Will Power

This is not the astronomical new-moon time listed on a calendar or astronomical table. Why? Because the first thin sliver of the new moon is not visible until eighteen to thirty hours after the moment of astronomical new moon.

In any case, the basic point to appreciate is that the date for the celebration of the Lord?s Evening Meal is determined by the new moon (visible in Jerusalem), not the full moon.

there's that camel again.

So it has nothing to do with the Jewish passover dates. Its all a lunar celebration. (as opposed to a saturnella observance)

Thanks for posting that Blondie. I asked my hubby this morning why this year its with the Christian's Easter week and not the Jewish Passover week. Last year it was blah, blah,

- Is their Nisan 14 expert GB member from 1977 still alive?

JAVA

Is their Nisan 14 expert GB member from 1977 still alive?

I think he died at Armageddon on October 31, 1975.

Wallflower

The Nissan 14. The Japanese make the best cars.

willyloman

Because NO ONE ELSE recognizes that date. It's part of the whole "us against them" thing that cults delight in, i.e., WE see clearly... THEY are in darkness so whaddya expect?

funkyderek

Obviously someone is wrong. It's either the Jews who have been using the calendar on a daily basis for three thousand years, or a bunch of old men in Brooklyn who've been using it one day a year for about 120 years.

blondie

It's a case of straining out the gnat and gulping down the camel.

The WTS is so concerned about the exact date in their opinion but then spend 30 minutes or more telling over 99.999 percent attending that they should not partake of the wine and the bread.

Blondie

Jim_TX

"Because of various involved factors it seemed unlikely that the moon could be sighted in the rather bright sky west of Jerusalem about sunset on March 20, 1977."

WTF?????

It seemed unlikely?? Is this a judgement call??

This almost smacks of Groundhog Day. If the GB sees its' shadow on Nisan 1, then there will be a Memorial on Nisan 14 this year.

Regards,

Jim TX

Why Mar 24 for Memorial?

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