為何每年復活節時間都不固定？
黃春生牧師
猶太人計算逾越節是根據「春分」而來，古代的以色列人在春分前後，觀測到耶路撒冷出現新月的那天日落後，就是尼散月一日。逾越節(出埃及記12；利未記23:5)開始於尼散月十四日(宗教曆的正月，即西曆3月至4月期間)，連接七天，每天要獻許多祭，頭一日和第七日休息，給百姓守嚴肅會。耶穌死裡復活，是發生在「逾越節」過後的第一日，而逾越節就等同基督教的「受難週」。
由於，尼散月廿一日不一定是落在「主日」，導致日後復活節並不一定落在「主日」。因此，主後325年尼西亞會議規定復活節必須在「主日」舉行。直到主後第七世紀，羅馬教會規定復活節的計算，是在每年「春分」月圓後的第一個「主日」，慶祝耶穌基督被釘在十字架，死後第三天復活的主日，也是一個為了迎接春天與新生命誕生的節日。
「春分」代表著春天的開始，是白天與夜晚剛好各佔12小時的日子，日期大致上是在3月20-21日之間。由於春分月圓後的第一個禮拜天時間不固定，因此復活節的時間大概是在3月22日至4月25日之間。
此外，為何稱為“Easter”？ 此稱呼通常被視為沿以古巴比倫Ishtar(月亮/月神)的音譯。也有一說，Easter 乃指太陽東方升起之處。復活節是春分後第一個月圓，因此Easter特指此日。但也有人為免混用Ishtar的巴比倫月神，因此主張捨用Easter Sunday而改用Resurrection Sunday。
2010-2020 A Table to Find Easter Day and Holy Days.
Year
|
Easter Day
復活節 |
Ash Wednesday
|
Ascension Day
|
Pentecost
|
Advent Sunday
|
Church year
|
2010
|
April 4
|
2/17
|
5/13
|
5/23
|
11/28
|
Year A
|
2011
|
April 24
|
3/9
|
6/2
|
6/12
|
11/27
|
Year B
|
2012*
|
April 8
|
2/21
|
5/17
|
5/27
|
12/2
|
Year C
|
2013
|
March 31
|
2/13
|
5/9
|
5/19
|
12/1
|
Year A
|
2014
|
April 20
|
3/5
|
5/29
|
6/8
|
11/30
|
Year B
|
2015
|
April 5
|
2/18
|
5/14
|
5/24
|
11/29
|
Year C
|
2016*
|
March 27
|
2/9
|
5/5
|
5/15
|
11/27
|
Year A
|
2017
|
April 16
|
3/1
|
5/25
|
6/4
|
12/3
|
Year B
|
2018
|
April 1
|
2/14
|
5/10
|
5/20
|
12/2
|
Year C
|
2019
|
April 21
|
3/6
|
5/30
|
6/9
|
12/1
|
Year A
|
2020*
|
April 12
|
2/25
|
5/21
|
5/31
|
11/29
|
Year B
|
A Table to Find Easter Day
| Golden | |||||
| Number | Year | Easter Day | Year | Easter Day | |
| 1 | 2014 | April 20 | 2052* | April 21 | |
| 2 | 2015 | April 5 | 2053 | April 6 | |
| 3 | 2016* | March 27 | 2054 | March 29 | |
| 4 | 2017 | April 16 | 2055 | April 18 | |
| 5 | 2018 | April 1 | 2056* | April 2 | |
| 6 | 2019 | April 21 | 2057 | April 22 | |
| 7 | 2020* | April 12 | 2058 | April 14 | |
| 8 | 2021 | April 4 | 2059 | March 30 | |
| 9 | 2022 | April 17 | 2060* | April 18 | |
| 10 | 2023 | April 9 | 2061 | April 10 | |
| 11 | 2024* | March 31 | 2062 | March 26 | |
| 12 | 2025 | April 20 | 2063 | April 15 | |
| 13 | 2026 | April 5 | 2064* | April 6 | |
| 14 | 2027 | March 28 | 2065 | March 29 | |
| 15 | 2028* | April 16 | 2066 | April 11 | |
| 16 | 2029 | April 1 | 2067 | April 3 | |
| 17 | 2030 | April 21 | 2068* | April 22 | |
| 18 | 2031 | April 13 | 2069 | April 14 | |
| 19 | 2032* | March 28 | 2070 | March 30 | |
| 1 | 2033 | April 17 | 2071 | April 19 | |
| 2 | 2034 | April 9 | 2072* | April 10 | |
| 3 | 2035 | March 25 | 2073 | March 26 | |
| 4 | 2036* | April 13 | 2074 | April 15 | |
| 5 | 2037 | April 5 | 2075 | April 7 | |
| 6 | 2038 | April 25 | 2076* | April 19 | |
| 7 | 2039 | April 10 | 2077 | April 11 | |
| 8 | 2040* | April 1 | 2078 | April 3 | |
| 9 | 2041 | April 21 | 2079 | April 23 | |
| 10 | 2042 | April 6 | 2080* | April 7 | |
| 11 | 2043 | March 29 | 2081 | March 30 | |
| 12 | 2044* | April 17 | 2082 | April 19 | |
| 13 | 2045 | April 9 | 2083 | April 4 | |
| 14 | 2046 | March 25 | 2084* | March 26 | |
| 15 | 2047 | April 14 | 2085 | April 15 | |
| 16 | 2048* | April 5 | 2086 | March 31 | |
| 17 | 2049 | April 18 | 2087 | April 20 | *The years marked |
| 18 | 2050 | April 10 | 2088* | April 11 | with an asterisk |
| 19 | 2051 | April 2 | 2089 | April 3 | are Leap Years. |
A Table to Find Movable Feasts and Holy Days
| Sundays | Numbered | |||||
| Easter | after | Ash | Ascension | Proper of | Advent | |
| Day | Epiphany* | WednesdayÜ | Day | Pentecost | 2 Pentecostá | Sunday |
| March 22 | 4 | Feb. 4 | April 30 | May 10 | #3 | November 29 |
| March 23 | 4 | Feb. 5 | May 1 | May 11 | #3 | November 30 |
| March 24 | 4 | Feb. 6 | May 2 | May 12 | #3 | December 1 |
| March 25 | 5 | Feb. 7 | May 3 | May 13 | #3 | December 2 |
| March 26 | 5 | Feb. 8 | May 4 | May 14 | #3 | December 3 |
| March 27 | 5 | Feb. 9 | May 5 | May 15 | #4 | November 27 |
| March 28 | 5 | Feb. 10 | May 6 | May 16 | #4 | November 28 |
| March 29 | 5 | Feb. 11 | May 7 | May 17 | #4 | November 29 |
| March 30 | 5 | Feb. 12 | May 8 | May 18 | #4 | November 30 |
| March 31 | 5 | Feb. 13 | May 9 | May 19 | #4 | December 1 |
| April 1 | 6 | Feb. 14 | May 10 | May 20 | #4 | December 2 |
| April 2 | 6 | Feb. 15 | May 11 | May 21 | #4 | December 3 |
| April 3 | 6 | Feb. 16 | May 12 | May 22 | #5 | November 27 |
| April 4 | 6 | Feb. 17 | May 13 | May 23 | #5 | November 28 |
| April 5 | 6 | Feb. 18 | May 14 | May 24 | #5 | November 29 |
| April 6 | 6 | Feb. 19 | May 15 | May 25 | #5 | November 30 |
| April 7 | 6 | Feb. 20 | May 16 | May 26 | #5 | December 1 |
| April 8 | 7 | Feb. 21 | May 17 | May 27 | #5 | December 2 |
| April 9 | 7 | Feb. 22 | May 18 | May 28 | #5 | December 3 |
| April 10 | 7 | Feb. 23 | May 19 | May 29 | #6 | November 27 |
| April 11 | 7 | Feb. 24 | May 20 | May 30 | #6 | November 28 |
| April 12 | 7 | Feb. 25 | May 21 | May 31 | #6 | November 29 |
| April 13 | 7 | Feb. 26 | May 22 | June 1 | #6 | November 30 |
| April 14 | 7 | Feb. 27 | May 23 | June 2 | #6 | December 1 |
| April 15 | 8 | Feb. 28 | May 24 | June 3 | #6 | December 2 |
| April 16 | 8 | March 1 | May 25 | June 4 | #6 | December 3 |
| April 17 | 8 | March 2 | May 26 | June 5 | #7 | November 27 |
| April 18 | 8 | March 3 | May 27 | June 6 | #7 | November 28 |
| April 19 | 8 | March 4 | May 28 | June 7 | #7 | November 29 |
| April 20 | 8 | March 5 | May 29 | June 8 | #7 | November 30 |
| April 21 | 8 | March 6 | May 30 | June 9 | #7 | December 1 |
| April 22 | 9 | March 7 | May 31 | June 10 | #7 | December 2 |
| April 23 | 9 | March 8 | June 1 | June 11 | #7 | December 3 |
| April 24 | 9 | March 9 | June 2 | June 12 | #8 | November 27 |
| April 25 | 9 | March 10 | June 3 | June 13 | #8 | November 28 |
註：教會年曆三年一輪，是以待降節 第一主日起算。
