![[St. Pachomius Library]](title.gif)
Chapter XXIII
The Question Then Agitated Concerning the Passover.
1 A Question of no small importance arose at that time.
For the parishes of all Asia, as from an
older tradition, held that the fourteenth day of the moon,
on which day the Jews were commanded
to sacrifice the lamb, should be observed as the feast of the
Saviour's passover. It was therefore
necessary to end their fast on that day, whatever
day of the week it should happen to be. But it was
not the custom of the churches in the rest
of the world to end it at this time, as they
observed the
practice which, from apostolic tradition,
has prevailed to the present time, of terminating the fast on
no other day than on that of the resurrection of our Saviour.
2 Synods and assemblies of bishops were
held on this account, and all, with one consent,
through mutual correspondence drew up an ecclesiastical
decree, that the mystery of the
resurrection of the Lord should be celebrated on no other
but the Lord's day, and that we should
observe the close of the paschal fast on this day only.
There is still extant a writing of those who
were then assembled in Palestine, over whom Theophilus,
bishop of Cæsarea, and Narcissus,
bishop of Jerusalem, presided. And there is also another
writing extant of those who were
assembled at Rome to consider the same question,
which bears the name of Bishop Victor [
episkopon Biktora delousa]; also
of the bishops in Pontus over whom Palmas, as the oldest, presided;
and of the parishes in Gaul
of which Irenæus was bishop, and of those in Osrhoëne and
the cities there; and a personal
letter of Bacchylus, bishop of the church at Corinth, and of a
great many others, who uttered the
same opinion and judgment, and cast the same vote.
3 And that which has been given above was their unanimous decision.
Chapter XXIV.
The Disagreement in Asia.
1 But the bishops of Asia, led by Polycrates, decided to
hold to the old custom handed down to
them. He himself, in a letter which he addressed to
Victor and the church of Rome, set forth in
the following words the tradition which had come down to him:
2 "We observe the exact day; neither adding, nor taking away.
For in Asia also great lights have
fallen asleep, which shall rise again on the day of the
Lord's coming, when he shall come with glory
from heaven, and shall seek out all the saints.
Among these are Philip, one of the twelve apostles,
who fell asleep in Hierapolis; and his two aged
virgin daughters, and another daughter, who lived in
the Holy Spirit and now rests at Ephesus; and, moreover,
John,who was both a witness and a
teacher, who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord, and,
being a priest, wore the sacerdotal plate.
3 "He fell asleep at Ephesus.
4 "And Polycarp in Smyrna, who was a bishop and
martyr; and Thraseas, bishop and martyr
from Eumenia, who fell asleep in Smyrna.
5 "Why need I mention the bishop and martyr Sagaris
who fell asleep in Laodicea, or the blessed
Papirius, or Melito, the Eunuch who lived altogether in the
Holy Spirit, and who lies in Sardis,
awaiting the episcopate from heaven, when he shall
rise from the dead?
6 "All these observed the fourteenth day of the passover
according to the Gospel, deviating in no
respect, but following the rule of faith. And I also,
Polycrates, the least of you all, do according
to the tradition of my relatives, some of whom
I have closely followed. For seven of my relatives
were bishops; and I am the eighth. And my relatives
always observed the day when the people [i.e. the Jews]
put away the leaven.
7 "I, therefore, brethren, who have lived sixty-five years
in the Lord, and have met with the brethren
throughout the world, and have gone through every
Holy Scripture, am not affrighted by terrifying
words. For those greater than I have said
'We ought to obey God rather than man,' [Acts 5:29]."
8 He then writes of all the bishops who were present with him
and thought as he did. His words are
as follows:
"I could mention the bishops who were present,
whom I summoned at your desire; whose
names, should I write them, would constitute a great multitude.
And they, beholding my littleness,
gave their consent to the letter, knowing that I did
not bear my gray hairs in vain, but had always
governed my life by the Lord Jesus."
9 Thereupon Victor, who presided over the church
at Rome, immediately attempted to cut off from
the common unity the parishes of all Asia, with the
churches that agreed with them, as heterodox;
and he wrote letters and declared all the brethren there
wholly excommunicate.
10 But this did not please all the bishops. And they
besought him to consider the things of peace,
and of neighborly unity and love. Words of theirs are
extant, sharply rebuking Victor.
11 Among them was Irenæus, who, sending letters in
the name of the brethren in Gaul over whom
he presided, maintained that the mystery of the resurrection
of the Lord should be observed only on
the Lord's day. He fittingly admonishes Victor that he should
not cut off whole churches of God
which observed the tradition of an ancient custom and
after many other words he proceeds as
follows:
12 "For the controversy is not only concerning the day,
but also concerning the very manner of the
fast. For some think that they should fast one day,
others two, yet others more; some, moreover,
count their day as consisting of forty hours day and night.
[Alternate translation: For some think that they should fast
one day, others two, yet
others more, and some forty; and they count the hours
of the day and night together as their day.]
13"And this variety in its observance has not originated in
our time; but long before in that of our
ancestors. It is likely that they did not hold to strict accuracy,
and thus formed a custom for their
posterity according to their own simplicity and
peculiar mode. Yet all of these lived none the less in
peace, and we also live in peace with one another; and
the disagreement in regard to the fast
confirms the agreement in the faith."
14 He adds to this the following account, which I may properly insert:
"Among these were the presbyters before Soter, who
presided over the church which thou now
rulest. We mean Anicetus, and Pius, and Hyginus, and
Telesphorus, and Xystus. They neither
observed it [i.e. the fourteenth day] themselves, nor
did they permit those after them to do so. And yet though not
observing it, they were none the less at peace with those
who came to them from the parishes in
which it was observed; although this observance was more
opposed to those who did not observe
it [kai toi mallon enantion en to terein tois me yrousi].
15 "But none were ever cast out on account of this form;
but the presbyters before thee who did not
observe it, sent the eucharist to those of other parishes
who observed it.
16 "And when the blessed Polycarp was at Rome
[epidemes te Rome] in the time
of Anicetus, and they disagreed a
little about certain other things, they immediately made peace
with one another, not caring to quarrel
over this matter. For neither could Anicetus persuade
Polycarp not to observe what he had always
observed with John the disciple of our Lord, and the
other apostles with whom he had associated;
neither could Polycarp persuade Anicetus to observe
it as he said that he ought to follow the
customs of the presbyters that had preceded him.
17 "But though matters were in this shape, they
communed together, and Anicetus conceded the
administration of the eucharist in the church to
Polycarp, manifestly as a mark of respect
[kai en te ekklesia
parechoresen o Aniketos ten eucharistian to
Polykarpo kat entropen delonoti.].
And
they parted from each other in peace, both
those who observed, and those who did not, maintaining
the peace of the whole church."
18 Thus Irenæus ["Peace"], who truly was well named,
became a peacemaker in this matter, exhorting and
negotiating in this way in behalf of the peace of the churches.
And he conferred by letter about this
mooted question, not only with Victor, but also with most
of the other rulers of the churches.
Chapter XXV.
How All Came to an Agreement Respecting the Passover.
1 Those in Palestine whom we have recently mentioned,
Narcissus and Theophilus, and with
them Cassius, bishop of the church of Tyre, and Clarus of the
church of Ptolemais, and those
who met with them, having stated many things respecting
the tradition concerning the passover
which had come to them in succession from the
apostles, at the close of their writing add these
words:
2 "Endeavor to send copies of our letter to every church,
that we may not furnish occasion to those
who easily deceive their souls. We show you indeed that
also in Alexandria they keep it on the same
day that we do. For letters are carried from us to them
and from them to us, so that in the same
manner and at the same time we keep the sacred day."
Have mercy, O Lord, upon Thy servant
the translator Arthur and on John.