The theological understanding of the Christian Easter in the ante-Nicene period

The article illustrates the theological understanding of the Christian Easter in the ante-Nicene period. It reveals the positions of the representatives of the Asia Minor, Roman and Alexandrian Churches in the decision of the fundamentally important for the considered period question about the degree of affinity between Passover and Easter. Simultaneously it explores the attitude of church writers towards the above issue. The paper distinguishes three main lines in the theological understanding of the Christian Easter in the 2nd - early 4th centuries. The first line is the discussion of the meaning of the word “pascha”. The second one is the solution of the issue about the paschal nature of the Last Supper: whether or not the Lord ate the legal Passover meal with His disciples there. The third line is the definition of the feast of Christian Easter. For analysis the church writers’ attitudes towards these questions are compared with the current view adopted by the Orthodox Church...