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The Paschal Canon of Anatolius of Alexandria

Anatolius of Alexandria, later bishop of Laodicea

Chapter 8

About this work

A technical discussion of calendrical calculation associated with Anatolius, addressing the lunar cycle and the determination of the Christian observance of Pascha across the churches.

Author: Anatolius of Alexandria, later bishop of Laodicea
Date: Late 3rd century
Origin: Alexandria and Laodicea
Genre: Calendrical Treatise

The work’s exact textual form, title, and relationship to later paschal computations require specialist review.

VIII.

Accordingly, it is not

‹ Chapter 7 Chapter 9 ›

the

case

,

as

certain

calculators

of

Gaul

allege

,

that

this

assertion

is

opposed

by

that

passage

in

Exodus

,

where

we

read

:

“

In

the

first

month

,

on

the

fourteenth

day

of

the

first

month

,

at

even

,

ye

shall

eat

unleavened

bread

until

the

one

-

and

-

twentieth

day

of

the

month

at

even

.

Seven

days

shall

there

be

no

leaven

found

in

your

houses

.

”

From

this

they

maintain

that

it

is

quite

permissible

to

celebrate

the

Passover

on

the

twenty

-

first

day

of

the

moon

;

understanding

that

if

the

twenty

-

second

day

were

added

,

there

would

be

found

eight

days

of

unleavened

bread

.

A

thing

which

cannot

be

found

with

any

probability

,

indeed

,

in

the

Old

Testament

,

as

the

Lord

,

through

Moses

,

gives

this

charge

:

“

Seven

days

ye

shall

eat

unleavened

bread

.

”

Unless

perchance

the

fourteenth

day

is

not

reckoned

by

them

among

the

days

of

unleavened

bread

with

the

celebration

of

the

feast

;

which

,

however

,

is

contrary

to

the

Word

of

the

Gospel

which

says

:

“

Moreover

,

on

the

first

day

of

unleavened

bread

,

the

disciples

came

to

Jesus

.

”

And

there

is

no

doubt

as

to

its

being

the

fourteenth

day

on

which

the

disciples

asked

the

Lord

,

in

accordance

with

the

custom

established

for

them

of

old

,

“

Where

wilt

Thou

that

we

prepare

for

Thee

to

eat

the

Passover

?

”

But

they

who

are

deceived

with

this

error

maintain

this

addition

,

because

they

do

not

know

that

the

13th

and

14th

,

the

14th

and

15th

,

the

15th

and

16th

,

the

16th

and

17th

,

the

17th

and

18th

,

the

18th

and

19th

,

the

19th

and

20th

,

the

20th

and

21st

days

of

the

moon

are

each

found

,

as

may

be

most

surely

proved

,

within

a

single

day

.

For

every

day

in

the

reckoning

of

the

moon

does

not

end

in

the

evening

as

the

same

day

in

respect

of

number

,

as

it

is

at

its

beginning

in

the

morning

.

For

the

day

which

in

the

morning

,

that

is

up

to

the

sixth

hour

and

half

,

is

numbered

the

13th

day

of

the

month

,

is

found

at

even

to

be

the

14th

.

Wherefore

,

also

,

the

Passover

is

enjoined

to

be

extended

on

to

the

21st

day

at

even

;

which

day

,

without

doubt

,

in

the

morning

,

that

is

,

up

to

that

term

of

hours

which

we

have

mentioned

,

was

reckoned

the

20th

.

Calculate

,

then

,

from

the

end

of

the

13th

day

of

the

moon

,

which

marks

the

beginning

of

the

14th

,

on

to

the

end

of

the

20th

,

at

which

the

21st

day

also

begins

,

and

you

will

have

only

seven

days

of

unleavened

bread

,

in

which

,

by

the

guidance

of

the

Lord

,

it

has

been

determined

before

that

the

most

true

feast

of

the

Passover

ought

to

be

celebrated

.

Notes

1
Exod. xii. 18, 19.
2
Exod. xii. 15; Levit. xxiii. 6.
3
Matt. xxvi. 17; Mark xiv. 12; Luke xxii. 7.
4
But the text gives 12th.