The off-setting of the Orthodox Menaion by 13 days to make it coincide with the major feasts of the Roman Catholic Menaion is commonly called the Gregorian Calendar reckoning of the Menaion. Even more commonly it is abbreviated as the Gregorian or New Calendar while still being equivalent to what others call the Revised Julian Calendar reckoning of the Orthodox Menaion. Semantics.
In the 16th century when the Gregorian Calendar was anathematized under Patriarch Jeremias, it was not the Western Menaion they were referring to, but the calendar by which the Menaion is reckoned. Even today the various Orthodox Churches differ in some of the dates by which they celebrate certain saints. Does this mean they do not follow the same Menaion – of course not!
It is simply more smoke and mirrors to say that we are only talking about the Menaion. And in spite of proclamations denying such participation, it is “spreading confusion and falsehood” to persist in defending the very cause of the 20th century schism by the followers of the Revised Julian Calendar innovation. The Orthodox majority who have changed nothing are not the cause of schism by refusing to join this schismatic innovation.
For purposes of discussion, everyone should be able to agree that The Revised Julian Calendar reckoning = the Menaion as expressed by the Revised Julian = the Orthodox Menaion as expressed on the Gregorian Calendar.
So call it what you want. The fact remains that the disconnect created by following this innovation results in uncanonical observations (e.g. Pascha after St Marks) confusion in the service texts from the Menaion (e.g. St George during the Triodion, or the 40 Martyrs of Sebaste not during the Holy 40 days, as would be the case this year) and the reduction or even loss of Orthodox praxis (e.g. Apostle’s Fast), not to minimize the primary objection: of its being a primary cause of disunity among believers.
To focus on the Menaion is reductionism which only convinces the simplistic. The Menaion is not the only reckoning in the Church. The Menaion has always had an irrefutable relationship with the Paschalion and Triodion.
The Paschalion is based on both the lunar cycles and the solar year, but incorporates the specific condition that Pascha must fall after the first full moon occurring after the solar-calendar based date defined for the Vernal Equinox. The Alexandrian astronomers who established the Paschalion in the 4th century defined/fixed this date as always being Mar 21(J) by the Julian reckoning.
On the other hand, the empiricist astronomical event marking the beginning of Spring is this year Mar 7/20 (J / RJ-G) at 7:33 am EST. The Church’s fixed date of Mar 21(RJ), is the next day. The next full moon is on Mar 25 (G-RJ) (Mar 12 J) so all the requirements are in place for the Gregorian observation of Pascha. In the West, the next Sunday is Easter.
If the Revised Julian reckoning were exactly the same as the Gregorian then Pascha would also be the very next Sunday – March 27 (G-RJ). But through some mighty mental gymnastics the RJ now shifts to the Church's fixed date for the Vernal Equinox (which is the only real difference between it and the Gregorian Calendar) in order to celebrate Pascha with the rest of the Church (as required). Intersting to those who care about astronomical accuracy is that the Gregorian date (which the RJ followers use to tell time) for the Orthodox Vernal Equinox (Mar 21) is April 3.
The Orthodox do not celebrate Pascha until the Sunday falling after the Julian date of Mar 21 and after the next full moon on April 11(J) this year. That next Sunday is April 18 by the Church’s Calendar, but that same Sunday is uncanonically May 1 by the Revised Julian abomination.
To use another’s metaphor, the Revised Julian reckoning of the Menaion is a clock that is always wrong (owing to those 13 stripped cogs) with respect to the Triodion and/or Paschalion.
It should be noted that the Western Christians who follow the Gregorian Menaion are fully self-consistent with respect to their Paschalion, as are the “Old Calendarist” Orthodox. It is only the “Revised Julian” which is inconsistent (except in rare years, like last year, when Gregorian and Revised Julian reckonings were exactly the same). It has been said that the Church could choose to follow any calendar. This is true, but to be fully consistent with the Paschalion as the Revised Julian only very coarsely attempts, it would first have to figure out how celebrating the Resurrection before Passover (as do western christians this year) is consistent with the intention of the Church which set all this in place (in fill awareness of astronomical inaccuracies) in the 4th century.
Following the Orthodox Paschalion is necessary. Apparently disrupting the relationship of the Menaion with both the Tridion and Paschalion is somehow justifiable?
priest Mark
aka "priestmark" (what does that " " mean? Should "snigger" marks be added to those who disagree with us?)
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for those amongst the older participants here, I offer this:
You can call it J,
or you can calls it RJ,
but you doesn't hast to call it Gregorian!
), the date of the Vernal Equinox on the Julian Calendar is currently