Aleppo consultation proposes a common calculation of Easter
About this date: Date of the consultation and its recommendations. A consultation report is not a universally enacted church decree.
A World Council of Churches and Middle East Council of Churches consultation recommends retaining the received paschal principles while using precise astronomical calculation and the meridian of Jerusalem.
Historical context
The report connects a common celebration with Christian witness, especially where separated communities live alongside one another. It distinguishes the calendars and lunar tables in use from the theological meaning of the resurrection, and it calls for education and pastoral sensitivity.
Key points
- The first recommendation combines a movable Sunday celebration, astronomical calculation, and Jerusalem as the reference meridian.
- The report distinguishes fixed-feast calendar changes from the calculation of Pascha.
- Its recommendations invite reception by churches; publishing them is not evidence that every church enacted them.
People
- Participants from Eastern and Oriental Orthodox and other Christian communions
Scripture
- 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 — The report opens with Paul's paschal imagery. In Paul's letter the imagery belongs to an appeal for a truthful and purified communal life.
- 1 Corinthians 15:12-14 — Paragraph 5 appeals to Paul's argument that Christian proclamation depends on the resurrection.
- John 20:1 — Paragraph 6 connects the first day of the week with the resurrection narrative.
Sources and further reading
- Towards a Common Date for Easter
Read the recommendation together with the cautions about reception and the pastoral circumstances of Eastern churches in paragraphs 13-14.