Christianity
Thousands of pilgrims hold candles
as they surround the 'Edicule', or empty tomb where, it is believed Jesus
Christ was buried, inside the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
The photo was taken during the
Christian Orthodox ceremony of the Holy Fire, which celebrates Christ's
resurrection.
Easter is Christianity’s most important
festival, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after
his crucifixion. But while it is one of the most important and respected annual
religious festivals in the world, the date of Easter varies each year. For most
Christians, it falls usually on the first Sunday after a full moon on or after
March 21. It cannot be celebrated before March 22, or after April 25. The
method of determining the date was set by the first Nicene Council in 325 AD.
This council was a meeting of several hundred Christian bishops who met in
Nicea (now the Turkish city of Iznic) for the first Ecumenical Council.
However, the date for Easter set by this method is not accepted by all
Christian churches.
The Eastern Orthodox Church sometimes
celebrates Easter up to five weeks later than the Western churches. This was
because at the time of the first Nicene Council the Roman world was using the
Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar about 46 BC. The Julian calendar
had three years each of 365 days, followed by a leap year of 366 days. The
average length of the year was therefore 365.25 days, fractionally longer than
the tropical year of 365.2422 days - the period after which the seasons recur.
This meant an extra day appeared about every 128 years. In 1582 AD, Pope
Gregory XIII made adjustments to the Julian calendar when he found that the
calendar and the real year were drifting further and further apart. He
introduced his own calendar, in which leap years were restricted to century
years divisible by 400 (e.g. 1600 and 20001 and any other year divisible by
four. This reduces the average length of the calendar year to a much more
acceptable 365.2425 days.
Roman Catholic countries adopted the Gregorian
calendar in 1582, by which time a discrepancy of 10 days between it and the
Julian Calendar had built up. The extra 10 days were eliminated by the date
jumping straight from October 4 to October 15. By early 20th century, most
countries adopted the Gregorian calendar, at least for secular purposes. The
Eastern Orthodox church still uses the Julian calendar, which is now 13 days
after the Gregorian calendar, to calculate the date of Easter.
Many Middle-East newspapers show two dates on
their mastheads: a secular date according to the Gregorian calendar and a
religious date according to the Julian calendar.
There has been much discussion, so far without
result, among the Christian churches about the possibility of adopting a fixed
date for Easter. The second Sunday in April has been proposed.
A scene from the 2004 film "The
Passion of Christ"
The origin of the English word Easter is
uncertain. It has been popularly believed the word derives from the Anglo-Saxon
word Eastre. Curiously, even Eastre cannot be tied to a specific definition. It
was either the name of the pagan goddess of spring, the name of a spring
festival or the name of the season itself.
Another explanation for the term Easter is that
in the early Christian church, Easter week was known as "white week"
because of the white garments worn by those who had been baptised during Easter.
It has been suggested that the word "white" was mistakenly translated
and became, in the old High German language, "eostarum", meaning
dawn. It is possible that this is the word from which the English word Easter
is derived.
The relationship between Easter and the Jewish
feast of the Passover is strongly identified in languages other than English.
Christ's crucifixion and resurrection took place during the Passover festival
and so in Greek, the word for Easter is Paskha, in French, Paques, in Italian,
Pasqua, and in Spanish, Pascua. All of these words derive from Pesach, the
Hebrew word for Passover.
In terms of adherents alone, Christianity rates as the world's biggest religion. With 2 billion followers scattered around the globe, it is still a major spiritual force in the world today. An offshoot of Judaism, Christianity is open to everyone as long as they live by the principles set down in the Christian Bible. Although there are many different kinds of Christians in the world, with varying rituals and points of disagreement, they share basic similarities and still have a sense of being part of the same religion.
Activities
Name five
famous Christians (ancient or modern historical figures) that have made an
impact on society. Prepare a short biography on one as if for The Mercury.
Locate a
Christian church in your town that has some historical significance. Write a
short half page report about it.
Many
Christian celebrations have historical significance. Work in small groups to
research one. Prepare a short talk and activity about it. For example make
pancakes for Shrove Tuesday.
List the
ways in which Christians celebrate their religion, e.g. prayer, music, hymn,
etc. Find an example.
If you were
to start your own religion what would you need? Write a shopping list of those
aspects of Christianity you would choose.
Prepare an
advertisement for the travel section of The Mercury encouraging tourists to
join a Christian celebration overseas. Focus on the style of accommodation,
food, transport, etc., on offer for visitors to experience first hand how other
people live. Make a postcard for a friend as if sent from the event.
List the
many religions that are based on Christian beliefs. Select one and draw a
diagram showing the hierarchy of that church.
Find a
reference to another religion in the newspaper. How is this religion different
to Christianity? What would followers of this faith find difficult in a
predominately Christian society?
On a map of
the world indicate those countries whose religions are predominately Christian.
There are
many Christian festivals celebrated around the world. Locate the countries
where the following days are celebrated: Epiphany -Three Kings' Day, Shrove
Tuesday, Carnival, Day of the Dead, St Nicholas' Day, and St Lucia's Day.
What events
on the Christian calendar have been commercialized? Discuss the positive and
negative aspects of commercialization. Design an Easter card that symbolizes
Easter for you; write a greeting inside that reflects the historical
significance of Easter.
Carnival is
a large Christian celebration in Brazil. Find out more about the significance
of Carnival to the Brazilians. Choreograph a dance to Samba music. The moves
must tell a story. Design a suitable outfit for the Carnival parade.
Conduct a
class survey to find out what religions are represented in your class.
Calculate the percentage of population for each religion. Do you think your
statistics on Christianity are representative of the nation? Give an
explanation as to why or why not.
Everyone
loves a celebration. What events do Christians celebrate? On what dates do they
appear on the calendar? Indicate which ones are dedicated public holidays.
How is the
date for Easter determined each year? Predict what date Easter will fall in
2006.
Consider
how technology has changed the way Christianity has spread and how it is
practiced. Draw a timeline of events showing how major developments in
transport and communication have affected Christians throughout the world.
Special
foods are often associated with religious festivals. Hold a class celebration
feast. Prepare a food that would be shared at a Christian celebration and share
it with your class. Prepare a short description of the food and its
significance.
Websites
The Bible, King James Version
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/kjv.browse.html
An online
version of one of the most beloved English translations of the bible.
The Unbound Bible
Allows you
to search several different versions of the Bible- old and new testaments- with
a simple search engine. There are also other research tools, a multilingual
bible and other texts.
Adherents.com
A site for
statistics on all religions.
Catholic Encyclopaedia
First
published nearly a century ago this remains one of the authoritative reference
works on Christianity. It has some surprisingly objective views of many different
topics related to Christianity. New Advent (www.newadvent.org) also has other
important religious texts.
From Jesus to Christ
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/jesus/
A quest for
the historical Jesus. Designed as a companion for a PBS program it still has a
lot of info for students.
Books
Catholicism for Dummies
By Rev John Trigilio Jr and Rev Kenneth Brighenti
The basics
of possibly the most popular branch of Christianity. Explains some of the key
ideas and rituals involved. Wiley Books.
Christianity for Dummies
By Richard Wagner and Kurt Warner
The basic
guide to all aspects of the Christian religion, its history and the culture
that grew from it. (Wiley Books)
Key Christian Beliefs
By Chris Wright
Lays out
some of the basics of Christian beliefs and looks at some of the ways that
Christian ideas are applicable to real life. (Lion Publishing distributed by
Bookwise).
Jesus
By A.N. Wilson
Wilson
tries to get at the heart of the historical Jesus to see exactly what we can
know about him. (Vintage/Ebury).
Who Wrote the New Testament?
By Burton L. Mack
Looks at
the authorship of the specifically Christian part of the bible.
(HarperCollins).
What Do We Know About Christianity?
By Carol Watson
A good
basic beginner's guide to religion for younger readers. With colour
illustrations throughout. (Wayland).