EASTER: Back to basics
If you strip away the chocolate bunnies and colored eggs, the Easter celebration, established during Constantine’s reign in the 330s AD, was to commemorate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus’ Testimony of Christ Antiquities, XVll1 iii, Volume 2, page 443, records Christ’s death and resurrection as being April 3 & 5, 33 AD. If his record is correct, Easter does fall on the true calendar date this year. In chapter 3 of the Acts of the Apostle’s, Peter and John are found preaching Christ’s resurrection at Solomon’s porch and healing the lame. The date of this occurrence was probably 34-35 AD and although the preaching of the time had no formal name the sermon commemorated the resurrection. The oldest written account of Christ’s resurrection was recorded in 1st Corinthians by Paul, in Ephesus, on his third missionary journey, 56 AD or 57 AD, or 23 to 24 years after Christ’s death.
LEONARD BRANT
Post Falls