The following, from a Catholic apologist, discusses how the New Testament apostles, acting as men, not apostles, differed among themselves about the correct date to celebrate Easter (the Quartodeciman controversy), one that led to some divisions and debates within the Church. The lesson to take from this is that, if ancient apostles could err and, as a result, cause division, yet remain true apostles, such is also true today:
It’s
clear that both divergent customs came from the apostles, John and Philip in
the East and Peter and Paul in the West. However, the celebration of Easter on
the first Sunday had a greater claim to ubiquity and consensus at the end of
the second century than the Quartodeciman claim. Perhaps this is why there were
efforts to standardize the date of Easter through local synods and the actions
of Pope Victor. But the respect for what the apostles handed on took precedence
and both divergent customs were tolerated.
I
italicized the word “customs” because the Quartodeciman controversy didn’t
touch on doctrine but only on custom or practice. As the ancient Church
historian Sozomen noted:
As
the bishops of the West did not deem it necessary to dishonor the tradition
believed to be handed down to them by Peter and Paul, and as, on the other
hand, the Asiatic bishops persisted in following the rules laid down by John
the evangelist, they unanimously agreed to continue in the observance of the
festival according to their respective customs, without separation from
communion with each other. They faithfully and justly assumed, that those who
accorded in the essentials of worship ought not to separate from one another on
account of customs. (Sozomen, Church History 7.19)
The
differences weren’t about apostolic teaching or doctrine—all parties believed
that Christ truly suffered, died, and was buried and rose bodily on the third
day, and all agreed on the essentials of worship in which to commemorate this
event (i.e., the celebration of the Eucharist). It was merely a question of when
to do it. Since the question of when to commemorate and celebrate Easter
was a question of fittingness or appropriateness, it is easy to see why where
would be divergence on this point, even among the apostles. Jesus never handed
on the day on which Christians ought to celebrate Easter, nor was there unity
among hid disciples on the best day.
Jesus
was crucified during Passover. Some apostles wanted to emphasize this
biblically significant point and instructed their disciples to celebrate Easter
in accord with the customary dates regardless of what day it fell on. Others
saw the biblical significance of the day on which Christ rose (on the eighth
day or the first day of the week) and instructed their disciples to celebrate
it on the first Sunday after fourteenth Nisan to emphasize that point. Neither
side differs on the substance of the resurrection. They differ only on
emphasis. (Gary Michuta, The Gospel Truth: How We Can Know What Christ Taught
[Steubenville, Ohio: Emmaus Road Publishing, 2023], 156-58)
