Additional resources and points to consider regarding the Passover

Jesus Kept the Passover

• Matthew 26:18-19: “And He said, ‘Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, “The Teacher says, ‘My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.’”’ So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.”
  Jesus observed the Passover with His disciples, instituting what is often called the Lord’s Supper, which mirrors elements of the Passover meal. He stated, “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19), linking the practice to His sacrifice.

  Paul Instructs Christians to Keep the Passover

• 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 - “Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Paul identifies Jesus as the Passover Lamb and directly instructs Christians to "keep the feast," which is widely understood to include Passover and the associated Feast of Unleavened Bread.

  The Early Church Observed Passover

• Acts 12:3-4 - The term "Passover" appears in connection with the timing of early Christian events:
  “So when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread.”
  Early Christians, including Peter and the apostles, are seen observing Passover timeframes.

  Historical Evidence That Passover Was Kept by Early Christians

  Quartodeciman Controversy

• The early church debated the timing of the Passover observance, known as the Quartodeciman Controversy. Quartodeciman Christians, primarily in Asia Minor, continued to observe Passover on the 14th day of the first Hebrew month (Nisan), as commanded in the Old Testament.

• Polycarp (AD 69-155), a disciple of the Apostle John, defended the practice of keeping Passover on the 14th of Nisan, as taught by John himself.

1. Source: Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 5.24.6-7: Polycarp argued that this tradition was handed down by the apostles, especially John.

   Council of Nicaea (AD 325)

• The Council of Nicaea sought to standardize Christian practices, including moving away from the Jewish calendar for determining Passover. This indicates that the observance of Passover on the biblical date was still practiced by some Christians up until the 4th century.

• Source: Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 5.23-25: The council decided to replace Passover with Easter, diverging from the biblical command.

• The Apostolic Fathers

• Early church writings, such as the Didache and letters from Ignatius of Antioch, suggest that early Christians continued to observe elements of the biblical feasts, including Passover, in honor of Jesus’ death and resurrection.