Honestly, I don’t intend to keep bringing the Quartodeciman Controversy up every year, but I read more information that changes things quite a bit. This information isn’t really about the Quartodeciman Controversy, but rather something that I said in The Quartodeciman Controversy Redux that I wrote last year. It involves something Irenaeus wrote about how long the Messiah was in the grave. And that means a revisit to the day of the crucifixion. What happened during the Passion Week? And when is First Fruits, by the way?
You can read about the Quartodeciman Controversy details in the link provided above, but I’m just going to cover the time that people thought they should fast between the Passover and the celebration of the resurrection. Here is what was Eusebius recorded from the writings of Irenaeus and his letter to Victor:
“For the dispute is not only about the day but also the practice of the fast. Some think that they ought to fast for one day, others for two, others even more, and some count forty day-night hours to their ‘day.’ Such variation in observance did not begin in our own day but much earlier in the time of our predecessors, who seem to have disregarded accuracry for simplicity in establishing future practice. Nevertheless, they all lived in peace with each other, as do we, and the disagreement in the fast affirms our agreement in the faith.”
I want to take a moment and focus on that last part. Irenaeus said the disagreement in the fast affirms their agreement in the faith. That is in excellent point that Irenaeus makes to bring peace to the disagreement. In other words, there wouldn’t be a disagreement about the fast if all parties didn’t believe in the crucifixion and resurrection. Their belief unifies them. The disagreeement is not a salvation issue, so it shouldn’t come to an excommunication as Victor wanted.
Nevertheless, they all lived in peace with each other, as do we, and the disagreement in the fast affirms our agreement in the faith.
– Irenaeus
The point I wanted to focus on was the forty day-night hours. Irenaeus doesn’t say this in the quote, but those 40 hours were supposed to represent the 40 hours the Messiah stayed in the grave. As you may know, three full days and three full nights in the grave would be 72 hours. In the series on the Passion Week, the crucfixion was set on a Wednesday and the resurrection just after sundown on Saturday for the 72 hours. (You can read the whole series starting at Day #1 here or begin with the two introductory posts here.) If the time in the grave totaled 40 hours, that would lean more to a Friday crucifixion and burial. He was buried just before sundown, around 6 p.m. Six hours later would be midnight Friday, and 24 more hours would make it midnight on Saturday. That totals 30 hours with ten left, making the resurrection 10 a.m. on Sunday. We know that the tomb was empty before the sun rose on Sunday. I don’t think it is possible to fit a 40-hour burial into the Friday to Sunday timeline. But that brings us to another bit of information from Josephus that I overlooked last year.
“The feast of unleavened bread succeeds that of the passover, and falls on the fifteenth day of the month, and continues seven days, wherein they feed on unleavened bread; on every one of which days two bulls are killed, and one ram, and seven lambs. Now these lambs are entirely burnt, besides the kid of the goats which is added to all the rest, for sins; for it is intended as a feast for the priest on every one of those days. But on the second day of unleavened bread, which is the sixteenth day of the month, they first partake of the fruits of the earth, for before that day they do not touch them. And while they suppose it proper to honor God, from whom they obtain this plentiful provision, in the first place, they offer the first-fruits of their barley, and that in the manner following: They take a handful of the ears, and dry them, then beat them small, and purge the barley from the bran; they then bring one tenth deal to the altar, to God; and, casting one handful of it upon the fire, they leave the rest for the use of the priest. And after this it is that they may publicly or privately reap their harvest. They also at this participation of the first-fruits of the earth, sacrifice a lamb, as a burnt-offering to God.”
Josephus records that First Fruits is on the 16th, the second day of Unleavened Bread every year. We hold that First Fruits is always on the 1st day of the week regardless of which weekday is the Passover. That may be because the resurrection was on a Sunday and also on First Fruits, so it became a tradition. Or it could be that First Fruits is always on the day after the Sabbath. There were disagreements among the Jews about this also. Some have attributed the teaching of First Fruits always being on the first day of the week to the Sadducees. I have no documentation for this assertion, but Rabbinical and Orthodox Judaism holds the 16th as the day for First Fruits. (Just to note: First Fruits on the 16th would mean that Pentecost could also fall on any day of the week.) If the resurrection was on the day of First Fruits and that day is always the 16th, then the crucifixion had to be on Friday that year. That brings us back to the Quartodeciman Controversy.
The bishops of Rome and Alexandria wanted to always celebrate the resurrection on the first day of the week since that was the day that it happened. Those in Asia Minor kept the Passover on the 14th and then fasted for one day, two days, or 40 hours. Since Passover could fall on any day of the week, the end of their fasting would also fall on any day of the week because their fasting would be over just before or on the 16th. If they celebrated the resurrection at the end of their fasting, they wouldn’t be in unity with those who celebrated on Sunday every year. That sheds some new light on the QC.
Here is what Eusebius wrote about the words of Irenaeus. “While maintaining that the mystery of the Lord’s resurrection be celebrated only on the Lord’s Day, he (Irenaeus) nevertheless urges Victor not to excommunicate entire churches of God for following ancient traditions.” Previously, Eusebius used the phrase ‘ancient traditions’ in saying, “…all of the Asian dioceses thought the Savior’s paschal festival should be observed, according to ancient tradition, on the fourteenth day of the moon, on which the Jews had been commanded to sacrifice the lamb. On that day it was necessary to finish the fast, no matter what day of the week it might be. In churchse throughout the rest of the world, however, is was not customary to celebrate in this way, since, according to apostolic tradition, they maintained the view that still prevails: the fast ends only on the day of our Savior’s resurrection [Sunday].”
Obviously, the “ancient traditions” Eusebius is talking about is the Passover that God commanded be kept on the 14th day of the month. God gave commandments, not traditions, but I digress. What I find very curious is that Eusebius said it was apostalic tradition that maintained the fast only end on Sunday. That would definitely qualify as a tradition, but was it apostalic? Eusebius includes the letter of Polycrates to Victor, in which Polycrates lists the Apostles John and Philip, whom taught them to keep the Passover. In Eusebius’ account of the QC, he doesn’t point out any of the Apostles by name to show who taught them their “tradition.” Polycarp and Polycrates pointed to Apostles who taught them to keep the Passover, but neither Antecitus nor Victor could do the same. They both pointed to the bishops and presbyters that came before them. This tradition cannot be called apostalic.
I meant to keep this short, but look what happened. I went down the rabbit hole again. Anyway, it appears there is evidence that the crucifixion took place on Friday (the 14th), and First Fruits (resurrection day) was on Sunday (the 16th). Whether you believe the crucifixion occured on Wednesday or Friday, just remember the words of Ireneaus (paraphrased), “The disagreement in the [crucifixion day] affirms our agreement in the faith.” We can disagree and still break bread together. He is Risen!
