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The [[Orthodox Church]]es, the [[Catholic Church]], and the majority of the [[Protestantism|Protestant]] churches observe the Feast of the Resurrection, commonly called Easter Sunday, on the First Sunday after the first Full Moon on or after the Spring Equinox (the Vernal Equinox). This [[Equinox]] corresponds to the immediate point from which the first day of Nisan in the lunar calendar of Judaism is calculated. The first sighting of the first New Moon on or after the Vernal Equinox is the first day of Nisan. The first Full Moon follows fourteen days later, fourteen Nisan.  

The [[Orthodox Church]]es, the [[Catholic Church]], and the majority of the [[Protestantism|Protestant]] churches observe the Feast of the Resurrection, commonly called Easter Sunday, on the First Sunday after the first Full Moon on or after the Spring Equinox (the Vernal Equinox). This [[Equinox]] corresponds to the immediate point from which the first day of Nisan in the lunar calendar of Judaism is calculated. The first sighting of the first New Moon on or after the Vernal Equinox is the first day of Nisan. The first Full Moon follows fourteen days later, fourteen Nisan.  

Because the [[Resurrection|Resurrection of Jesus]] occurred at dawn on the First Day of the week, '''Sunday''' (Matthew 28:1-7; Mark 16:2-6; Luke 24:1-5; John 20:1-9; Malachi 4:2), observance of the celebration of the Lord's Resurrection on Sunday, rather than on any other day of the week, and of the immediately preceding Friday as Good Friday in commemoration of his Crucifixion and entombment as the Sacrifice of Atonement for the sins of the world, became the norm as determined by the [[Ecumenical council]] of bishops and legislated by Emperor Constantine as the norm of Christian communion of faith and unity of common ecclesiastical practice throughout the Empire.  

Because the [[Resurrection|Resurrection of Jesus]] occurred at dawn on the First Day of the week, '''Sunday''' (Matthew 28:1-7; Mark 16:2-6; Luke 24:1-5; John 20:1-9; Malachi 4:2), observance of the celebration of the Lord's Resurrection on Sunday, rather than on any other day of the week, and of the immediately preceding Friday as Good Friday in commemoration of his Crucifixion and entombment as the Sacrifice of Atonement for the sins of the world, became the norm as determined by the [[Ecumenical council]] of bishops and legislated by Emperor Constantine as the norm of Christian communion of faith and unity of common ecclesiastical practice throughout the Empire. By this means he sought to end the devastating rioting and loss of life from the feuding of Christian groups who accused each other of polluting the faith with [[Heresy|heterodox]] customs offensive to God.

The Orthodox Churches retained the celebration of the Resurrection according to the dating of the [[Julian calendar]] authorized by Julius Caesar; the Catholic Church according to the [[Gregorian calendar]] authorized by Pope Gregory, which is the standard calendar used throughout most of the inhabited world to the present day. A minority of Christian [[sect]]s quietly hold to the calculation of the 14th day after the first New Moon on or after the Vernal Equinox in harmony with the Jewish observance of Passover, some of them including as an integral part of the celebration the eating together of the traditional foods of Passover as recorded in Exodus 20:8-9.  

The Orthodox Churches retained the celebration of the Resurrection according to the dating of the [[Julian calendar]] authorized by Julius Caesar; the Catholic Church according to the [[Gregorian calendar]] authorized by Pope Gregory, which is the standard calendar used throughout most of the inhabited world to the present day. A minority of Christian [[sect]]s quietly hold to the calculation of the 14th day after the first New Moon on or after the Vernal Equinox in harmony with the Jewish observance of Passover, some of them including as an integral part of the celebration the eating together of the traditional foods of Passover as recorded in Exodus 20:8-9.