The State of Black America

Race Matters – or Does It? – in Growth, Progress of Black Community
By: Jackie Jones
BlackAmericaWeb.com

On average, black people have one-eighth of the family wealth of their white counterparts. U.S. census data show that 30 percent of white adults had at least a bachelor’s degree in 2005, compared to 17 percent of black adults. The median income for white households was $50,622, compared to $30,939 for black households, and three-fourths of white households owned their homes in 2005, compared with 46 percent of black households.

See: BAW: The State of Black America, Part One: Race Matters – or Does It ...

Dr. AviMelech Speaks at Chicago Public Libraries

Dr. AviMelech present the Hidden Ones Multi-media Presentation
KNN-Chicago

This is a special announcement that we will present the Hidden Ones Multi-media Presentation to the the City of Chicago through the Chicago Public Library system.

Please notify and invite friends and family that might be in the area to attend and support our lecture series.

Whitney Young Branch-Tuesday, April 24th at 6:30 pm; West Pullman Branch-Thursday, April 26th at 7:00 pm; Bessie Coleman Branch-Monday, April 30th at 6:00 pm. For more info contact Dr. AviMelech at futureofafrica@yahoo.com

Obesity rising in Europe, especially in children

More than 80 percent of kids are overweight, studies show
Reuters News Service

BUDAPEST - The number of overweight people in Europe is rising and there is an especially worrying trend of increasing childhood obesity and in the number of people who are grossly obese, according to recent studies.

Europe is facing major health and social burdens and the rise in obesity is reaching "epidemic" proportions, the 15th European Congress on Obesity in Budapest was told on Sunday.

Estimates show there are around 1.1 billion overweight people in the world, of whom 312 million are obese, and that in Europe 10-20 percent of men are obese and almost half the population is overweight. See: Obesity rising in Europe

Despite hardships, Cubans live long lives

Free medical care, mild climate may make up for food and water shortages
Associated Press

HAVANA - “Fidel: 80 More Years,” proclaim the good wishes still hanging on storefront and balcony banners months after Cubans celebrated their leader’s 80th birthday.

Fidel Castro may be ailing, but he’s a living example of something Cubans take pride in — an average life expectancy roughly similar to that of the United States.

“Sometimes you have all you want to eat and sometimes you don’t,” said Raquel Naring, a 70-year-old retired gas station attendant. “But there aren’t elderly people sleeping on the street like other places.”

They ascribe it to free medical care, mild climate, and a low-stress Caribbean lifestyle, which they believe make up for the hardships and shortages they suffer.

Laid-back lifestyle
Most Cubans live rent-free, and food, electricity and transportation are heavily subsidized. But the island can still be a tough place to grow old.

But most prescription drugs and visits to the doctor are free and physicians encourage preventive care. “There’s a family doctor on almost every block,” said Luis Tache, 90 and blind from glaucoma but still chatty and up on the news.

A relaxed lifestyle, which prizes time spent with family over careers, helps keep Cubans healthy, Tache said.The government runs residence halls for seniors with no family to care for them, though space is severely limited. Community groups make sure older people look after one another.

“It’s a very happy society. There aren’t so many worries and problems and that helps,” said Alida Gil, 57, leader of a community group in Old Havana known as “Circle of Grandmothers 2000.” See Complete Article: Despite hardships, Cubans live long lives

Soul Vegetarian Chicago bakes Mayor Daley B-Day Cake

Chicago puts on green face as Green Festival opens
By Bob Burgdorfer
US News

CHICAGO - Chicago put on its green face this Earth Day weekend as Mayor Richard Daley opened the Green Festival on Saturday by boasting about the city's aggressive tree planting effort and other actions to clean up the environment.

'It is not just for beauty, it is for the environment,' said Daley of his tree planting campaign. 'Everything that we plant cleans the environment. ... I am very passionate about green technology.'

Billed as the world's largest environmentally friendly consumer event, the Green Festival is expected to draw about 30,000 people during its two-day run. Daley urged attendees to join the nation's third-largest city in helping the environment by switching to more efficient florescent lightbulbs, turning off water while brushing teeth, drive less, walk or bike more and replace plastic shopping bags with reusable ones.

While Daley was talking about the city's environmental efforts, the Chicago Park District was conducting Earth Day clean-up efforts at the city's parks. After his speech, Daley, who turns 65 on Tuesday, was given an organic birthday cake made by Soul Vegetarian Restaurant.

For the elect sake - these days must be shortened

Scientists Offer Frightening Forecast
By Ker Than and Andrea Thompson
AOL News

(April 22) -- Our planet's prospects for environmental stability are bleaker than ever as the world celebrates Earth Day on Sunday. Global warming is widely accepted as a reality by scientists and even by previously doubtful government and industrial leaders. And according to a recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), there is a 90 percent likelihood that humans are contributing to the change.

The international panel of scientists predicts the global average temperature could increase by 2 to 11 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100 and that sea levels could rise by up to 2 feet. Scientists have even speculated that a slight increase in Earth's rotation rate could result, along with other changes. Glaciers, already receding, will disappear. Epic floods will hit some areas while intense drought will strike others. Humans will face widespread water shortages. Famine and disease will increase. Earth’s landscape will transform radically, with a quarter of plants and animals at risk of extinction.

While putting specific dates on these traumatic potential events is challenging, this timeline paints the big picture and details Earth's future based on several recent studies and the longer scientific version of the IPCC report, which was made available to LiveScience. See: Scientists Offer Frightening Forecast for Earth

Going green at Earth-minded festival-Chicago

Chicago Tribune

Dozens of speakers, hundreds of sustainably minded companies, workshops, demonstrations and more will be at Green Festival '07, Saturday and Sunday at McCormick Place/Lakeside.The festival also will offer free yoga classes, films, green career sessions and more.

Speakers include Francis Moore Lappe, Jim Hightower, Kay Stepkin and Kay Gruzas. Among the organic dining options: Bleeding Heart Bakery, Butterfly Social Club, Funky Buddha, the Chicago Diner, Chicago Soy Dairy, Cousin's, Firehouse Restaurant, the Juice Garden Cafe, Raw Creations, Soul Vegetarian, Veggie Bite and Zapatista Cantina. Dozens of organic food manufacturers will exhibit.

KNN-Stay Pluged in to KNN for more details...

Catholic Church buries limbo after centuries

Limbo was never part of Church doctrine, even though it was taught to Catholics well into the 20th century
By Philip Pullella
Reuters News Service


VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Roman Catholic Church has effectively buried the concept of limbo, the place where centuries of tradition and teaching held that babies who die without baptism went.

In a long-awaited document, the Church's International Theological Commission said limbo reflected an "unduly restrictive view of salvation."The 41-page document was published on Friday by Origins, the documentary service of the U.S.-based Catholic News Service, which is part of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Pope Benedict, himself a top theologian who before his election in 2005 expressed doubts about limbo, authorized the publication of the document, called "The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptised."

The verdict that limbo could now rest in peace had been expected for years. The document was seen as most likely the final word since limbo was never part of Church doctrine, even though it was taught to Catholics well into the 20th century.

"The conclusion of this study is that there are theological and liturgical reasons to hope that infants who die without baptism may be saved and brought into eternal happiness even if there is not an explicit teaching on this question found in revelation," it said. "There are reasons to hope that God will save these infants precisely because it was not possible (to baptize them)." The Church teaches that baptism removes original sin which stains all souls since the fall from grace in the Garden of Eden.

"NO NEGATION OF BAPTISM"

The document stressed that its conclusions should not be interpreted as questioning original sin or "used to negate the necessity of baptism or delay the conferral of the sacrament." Limbo, which comes from the Latin word meaning "border" or "edge," was considered by medieval theologians to be a state or place reserved for the unbaptized dead, including good people who lived before the coming of Christ.

"People find it increasingly difficult to accept that God is just and merciful if he excludes infants, who have no personal sins, from eternal happiness, whether they are Christian or non-Christian," the document said. It said the study was made all the more pressing because "the number of nonbaptised infants has grown considerably, and therefore the reflection on the possibility of salvation for these infants has become urgent."

The commission's conclusions had been widely expected. In writings before his election as Pope in 2005, the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger made it clear he believed the concept of limbo should be abandoned because it was "only a theological hypothesis" and "never a defined truth of faith."

In the Divine Comedy, Dante placed virtuous pagans and great classical philosophers, including Plato and Socrates, in limbo. The Catholic Church's official catechism, issued in 1992 after decades of work, dropped the mention of limbo.

Caffeinated soap?????

Reuters News Service

LONDON - Inventors have created a soap infused with caffeine which helps users wake up in the morning.

The soap, called Shower Shock, supplies the caffeine equivalent of two cups of coffee per wash, with the stimulant absorbed naturally through the skin, manufacturers say.

“Tired of waking up and having to wait for your morning java to brew? Are you one of those groggy early morning types that just needs the extra kick?” ask the makers, thinkgeek.com.

Scented with peppermint oil, each bar is designed to provide a stimulant boost within five minutes for a clean buzz.

KNN-"What will they think of next?"

Reflection on Passover 2007

40 Years: A Brief Perspective from the Lands of the Captivity
Ahk Eitai
KNN-Cleveland

Being a relative newcomer to the Kingdom (5 years) it is sometimes difficult for me to fully grasp all that has occurred since the advent of this glorious Kingdom. As I read, reread and later pondered the words of Abba’s Pasakh address (We Made It!) I was again challenged to truly comprehend & appreciate the essence – the true spirit of that message.

Specifically, I was striving to really appreciate the utter impracticality – the sheer impossibility –the colossal improbability of what we have achieved over the last 40 years. Abba classified our trek over the last four decades as “the impossible journey”.

As I was walking in my neighborhood recently one morning the words “impossible journey” were still resonating in my spirit. I began to reflect on the extraordinary history of the Kingdom. As I walked I recalled these words from that Pasakh message:

Forty years ago the journey for the restoration of Yah Yisra’el’s name as Creator in the Genesis began. Forty years ago the historical journey for the Sons, Daughters, Children to establish the long-awaited Kingdom of Yah began. We, now, after forty years have crossed over a major threshold on our prophetic journey.

We have passed over! This season is not likened to any other Pasakh for we have passed over and we are at the point where major psychological and physiological effects begin. We have withstood the onslaught of the adversary; we have overcome the conspiracies, the might of Pharaoh, the plausible lies of the great scholars. To be here, in the Holy Land, this day is to know of a surety (far beyond the expression of Yah Khai!) that truly – Yah Khai!!!

As I continued my walk on that morning I was momentarily distracted by a huge alabaster structure about two hundred yards to my right. It was the newly-constructed Mt. Zion Church built about 3 or 4 years ago. Larry L. Macon is the pastor & founder of this impressive suburban mega-church. Pastor Macon got his start at Holy Trinity Baptist Church which coincidentally is the same church that I taught & preached at for nearly 20 years before coming to the Kingdom! In fact, I was being groomed and positioned for the same type of “success” in the church world that Reverend Macon was now experiencing!

I was about to quickly pass by this massive, multi-million dollar Euro-gentile institution when I decided to walk over and take a closer look. For the last 4 years or so I had driven past it countless times but had never actually seen or even desired to see it up close.

Situated on nearly 4 acres, amid trees and well-manicured suburban greenery Mt. Zion Church is a mammoth (at least 30,000 – 35,000 square feet!) ultra, ultra-modern facility. I strolled up to the expansive entranceway with its multiple glass doors. I peered inside and observed a pristine reception area; the plush carpet, the vaulted ceilings, the massive marble reception desk – at least 20 feet in width! I saw wooden easels holding glossy placards that help patrons navigate through the cavernous layout, announce the various orders of service and feature upcoming events… Impressive!!!

As I continued to gaze on intently I thought, “All of this established on a lie!” Furthermore, I understood immediately that this is only one of thousands of such institutions in this country, all of which being established on the same myth, the same lie. I thought, if I could somehow transport this enormous edifice to Dimona and set it in the Kefar it would easily take up nearly ½ the land space! Impressive!!!

I thought of how easy it would be for the carnal mind to compare this structurally remarkable institution (and others like it) with the comparatively humble institutions of the Kingdom.

At that point I remembered the words of the Father:

“… We are at the point where major psychological and physiological effects begin.”

I realized then that the point in human development when a person begins to experience major psychological and physiological effects is called puberty. It is at this point when adolescents begin to enter into the stages of adulthood. I then began to understand the profound import of Abba’s words. The 40 years of momentous, impossible, improbable, impractical, unlikely achievements were accomplished by adolescents – mere babes!

Mt. Zion Church should be impressive – it actually took over 2,000 years (not just 4 or 5 years) for the adversary to construct it and the thousands of others like it! These represent the pinnacles of accomplishment during the Age of the Gentiles!

“We have withstood the onslaught of the adversary; we have overcome the conspiracies, the might of Pharaoh, the plausible lies of the great scholars.”

It took the adversary 4,000 years to extinguish the Genesis Idea. It took another 2,000 years to completely supplant it. The formulation of the lie, the foundation of the Christian church, took nearly 100 years to construct following the death of Yeshua the Hebrew Messiah.

The various Euro-gentile councils of Nicea (325 AD), of Laodicea (363 AD), of Rome (382 AD), of Hippo (393 AD) and of Carthage (397 AD), etc. laboriously established the flagrant theologies, doctrines & dogmas of the modern church. Out of this the so-called new testament emerged.
It took over 4 centuries (400 years) of brutal captivity to completely conquer the African-Hebraic mind. All of this while the Adamic Family was in the throes of over 4,000 years of protracted degeneracy!

We therefore must understand that the sum total of their accomplishments is not worthy to be compared to even the least of our achievements. The Kingdom is in the early, early stages of its development. And yet, it took Abba a mere 40 years – one tenth of the captivity – less than 1 % of the decline of the Adamic Civilization – to reverse the effects and establish what we see, hear, taste and experience today!

Truly, Yah Khai!!! I am infinitely grateful for Abba Gadol, our great leaders, the faithful saints, the many teachers & scholars of the Kingdom who have contributed to my growth and development in this extraordinary season. I am eagerly looking forward to the advent of the next 40 years! Post Puberty! Eyes have not seen, nor ears heard nor hearts even imagined…

“And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole of heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.”
Dani’el 7: 27

Todah rabbah,
Ahk Eitai BN Aharone

Virginia Tech - the worst massacre in U.S. history

Terror for two hours as gunfire rang out, students waited out the worst massacre in U.S. history
Associated Press

The first crackle of gunfire shattered the Monday morning calm. It was 7:15 a.m. on the campus of Virginia Tech and an epic killing spree had just begun.

Snow was swirling on the windy April day and classes had not yet started when a murderous rampage that would shake the nation started in a coed dormitory, West Ambler Johnston, home to 895 people.

See: Victims in Virginia Tech massacre, Suspect’s writing ‘macabre,’ ‘twisted’, Memories submitted by our readers, Colleges seeking to inform students faster, Shootings draw global condemnation, South Korea ‘in shock’ over shooting, Bomb scares, other threats at schools, School's security response questioned, Witness: Gunman ‘didn't say a single word’, Two hours of terror gripped Virginia Tech, Timeline: How deadly shooting unfolded, A look at Virginia Tech campus, history, Fact file: Deadliest shootings in U.S., Fact file: Deadly college shootings in U.S.

32 dead in Va. Tech shooting rampage

Gunman shot people in a dorm, second building; suspect among dead
Associated Press

BLACKSBURG, Va. - At least 32 people were killed Monday in a shooting rampage on the Virginia Tech campus, police said. They said the gunman was among the dead.

In addition to those killed, officials said at least 28 people were wounded. Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum said the gunman was dead, but that he didn't know how he died.

"Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions," said university President Charles Steger. "The university is shocked and indeed horrified."

Up until Monday, the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history took place in 1966 at the University of Texas, where Charles Whitman climbed to the 28th-floor observation deck of a clock tower and opened fire. He killed 16 people before he was gunned down by police. In the Columbine High bloodbath near Littleton, Colo., in 1999, two teenagers killed 12 fellow students and a teacher before taking their own lives.

Virginia Tech reported shootings at opposite sides of the 2,600-acre campus, beginning at about 7:15 a.m. local time at West Ambler Johnston, a co-ed residence hall that houses 895 people, and continuing about two hours later at Norris Hall, an engineering building.

At least one student was killed in the dorm and others were killed in the classroom, Flinchum said.

After the shootings, all entrances to the campus were closed. "There's just a lot of commotion. It's hard to tell exactly what's going on," said Jason Anthony Smith, 19, who lives in the dorm. See: MASSACRE ON CAMPUS OF VIRGINIA TECH

Interracial Marriages Surge Across the U.S.

For most of U.S. history, in most communities, such unions were taboo
By DAVID CRARY
Associated Press

NEW YORK (April 14) - The charisma king of the 2008 presidential field. The world's best golfer. The captain of the New York Yankees. Besides superstardom, Barack Obama, Tiger Woods and Derek Jeter have another common bond: Each is the child of an interracial marriage.

For most of U.S. history, in most communities, such unions were taboo.

It was only 40 years ago - on June 12, 1967 - that the U.S. Supreme Court knocked down a Virginia statute barring whites from marrying nonwhites. The decision also overturned similar bans in 15 other states.

Since that landmark Loving v. Virginia ruling, the number of interracial marriages has soared; for example, black-white marriages increased from 65,000 in 1970 to 422,000 in 2005, according to Census Bureau figures. Factoring in all racial combinations, Stanford University sociologist Michael Rosenfeld calculates that more than 7 percent of America's 59 million married couples in 2005 were interracial, compared to less than 2 percent in 1970.

Click here: Top News- Interracial Marriages Surge Across the U.S. - AOL News

Tons of food spoiled as FEMA ran out of space

More than $40 million worth of supplies tossed out, scavenged for re-use
Washington Post

WASHINGTON - As many as 6 million prepared meals stockpiled near potential victims of the 2006 hurricane season spoiled in the Gulf Coast heat last summer when the Federal Emergency Management Agency ran short of warehouse and refrigeration space, according to agency officials.

In all, hundreds of truckloads of food worth more than $40 million are being thrown away or scavenged for unspoiled contents to be offered to domestic hunger-relief groups, FEMA officials said. Most of the meals were commercial versions of the military's Meals Ready to Eat, which were ruined despite being engineered to withstand the demands of desert and jungle climates.

See: Tons of food spoiled as FEMA ran out of space

Shock Jock's Radio Show Dumped by CBS

CBS fired Don Imus from his radio program
Associated Press

NEW YORK (April 12) - CBS fired Don Imus from his radio program Thursday, the finale to a stunning fall for one of the nation's most prominent broadcasters.

Imus initially was given a two-week suspension for calling the Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos" on the air last week, but outrage continued to grow and advertisers bolted from his CBS radio show and its MSNBC simulcast.

"There has been much discussion of the effect language like this has on our young people, particularly young women of color trying to make their way in this society," CBS President and Chief Executive Officer Leslie Moonves said in announcing the decision. "That consideration has weighed most heavily on our minds as we made our decision."

Rutgers women's basketball team spokeswoman Stacey Brann said the team did not have an immediate comment on Imus' firing. See: Was CBS Right to Fire Him?

Male Fertility!!!

Revving up his Engine with Fresh Organic Fruits and Vegetables
Dr. Baruch-KNN Staff

At a recent American Society for Reproductive Medicine meeting, new research revealed that eating more fruits and veggies can help men boost their fertility. These new findings indicate that the more produce a man consumes, the healthier his sperm will be. In a study group of infertile men, 83 percent of them were found to be eating less than five servings of fruits and veggies a day. Overall, the men who ate the fewest fruits and veggies had the lowest sperm motility.

"We think that sperm quality is affected by dietary antioxidant intake," said study author Dr. Vivian Lewis, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y. "Antioxidants, like those found in fruits and vegetables, may help prevent damage to sperm that causes them to become sluggish and lose the ability to fertilize an egg".

In particular, the antioxidants glutathione and cryptoxanthin, which are prevalent in brightly colored produce such as leafy greens, tomatoes, peppers and oranges, were associated with strong, healthy sperm, Lewis said. She recommended that men hoping to father children eat "a variety of fruits and vegetables, at least five servings a day."

The modern day researches continue to confirm what the ancients knew. Focus on giving your body what it needs - it knows how to do the rest.

As always, We Love You and Stay Healthy,
Dr. Baruch and the Staff of Eat The Cure
The Wellness Wednesday Staff
The Wholefood Farmacy Team
http://www.drbaruch.com

Talk show host calls Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos"

Host slurred women's hoops squad on-air
BY BRENDAN PRUNTY
Star-Ledger Staff

Radio talk show host Don Imus offered an apology to the Rutgers women's basketball team and the university for comments he made this week on his program.

During Wednesday's show, which airs on WFAN 660-AM and is simulcast on MSNBC, Imus referred to the Rutgers team as "nappy-headed hos." Executive producer Bernard McGuirk used the terms "jigaboos" and "wan nabes," in referring to the team.

Click Here to see complete article: Imus' racist remarks infuriate Rutgers

Over 1,000 people of diverse backgrounds have participated in a health walk

Health walk organized by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the African Hebrew Development Agency (AHDA), an Israeli based organization at Keta
Ghanadistricts.com

The walk, which was to promote the physical fitness of participants, was also to arouse community consciousness about the need for regular fitness exercises as one of the fundamentals in diseases prevention.

It also formed part of a week’s programme of Regenerative Health and Nutrition Training to promote alternative health care through physical exercise and good nutrition dubbed: "Renew your strength to prevent diseases.

"The 8.5 kilometre walk from the forecourt of the Keta District Assembly premises at 0600 hours went through the main streets of Keta, Dzelukope and Vui, ending at the beach at Tegbi where participants, including health workers, traditional rulers, students and some Israeli nationals underwent drills before retiring for water and fruits.

Mr. Solomon Yaw Fordjour, District Chief Executive of Afram Plains and Mr. Kofi Ahiabor, DCE of Keta took part in the exercise.Mr. Prince Emmanuel Ben-Yehuda, the Project Director of AHDA based in Dimona, Israel, where good health practices were said to have made maternal and child mortality alien to the place in the past 40 years, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that exercising, intake of plant based diets, of fruits and vegetables, drinking of water and eating at the right time are the best means of disease prevention.

He said his association is in the country to assist the Ministry of Health to drum home to the people that most of the diseases in Ghana are preventable if everybody assumed responsibility for his or her own health through disciplined lifestyles rather than relying on hospitals and drugs.Mr. Ben-Yehuda said their presence is to mobilize communities, including the chiefs and health workers to know and lead the way in advancing the regenerative health and nutrition concept in the country.

Mr. Kofi Edusei, Project Manager of the Regenerative and Nutrition Programme (RNP) at the Ministry of Health said the Ministry is shifting health paradigm from the development of hospitals to development of health in homes through good health practices and so limiting the propensity of people becoming sick. See: Ghana Districts

KNN now accepting donations

KNN Staff

Greetings everyone!!! To continue providing you with the latest free updates on World and Kingdom of Yah news, we are now accepting donations. If you are interested in supporting KNN contact Bro. Keymah at keymah777@aol.com to make your donation today!!!!

History of Easter-Part 2

Submitted by MelindaBA
KNN Staff

Easter, a Christian festival, embodies many pre-Christian traditions. Eastre (or "Ostara"), the Anglo-Saxon Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility was often accompanied by a hare when represented. The fertile nature of rabbits and hares is another symbol of new life and the rebirth that occurs during the spring season.

Also, German settlers in America are said to have brought over the tradition of a bunny named "Oschter Haws" who would visit houses on Easter eve, leaving colored eggs for children. Easter eggs were painted different colors to represent the sunlight of spring. Christians later used eggs to symbolize the rebirth of Christ.

Another Easter tradition is the eating of Hot Cross Buns. These cakes were marked by the Saxons to honor Eastre, the fertility goddess. The crosses on the buns are said to represent the moon's quarters, while Christians see the cross as a reference to the crucifixtion.

When is Easter?
According to the New Testament, Christ was crucified on the eve of Passover and shortly afterward rose from the dead. In consequence, the Easter festival commemorated Christ's resurrection. In time, a serious difference over the date of the Easter festival arose among Christians. Those of Jewish origin celebrated the resurrection immediately following the Passover festival, which, according to their Babylonian lunar calendar, fell on the evening of the full moon (the 14th day in the month of Nisan, the first month of the year); by their reckoning, Easter, from year to year, fell on different days of the week.

Christians of Gentile origin, however, wished to commemorate the resurrection on the first day of the week, Sunday; by their method, Easter occurred on the same day of the week, but from year to year it fell on different dates.

Constantine I, Roman emperor, convoked the Council of Nicaea in 325. The council unanimously ruled that the Easter festival should be celebrated throughout the Christian world on the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox; and that if the full moon should occur on a Sunday and thereby coincide with the Passover festival, Easter should be commemorated on the Sunday following. Coincidence of the feasts of Easter and Passover was thus avoided.

The Council of Nicaea also decided that the calendar date of Easter was to be calculated at Alexandria, then the principal astronomical center of the world. The accurate determination of the date, however, proved an impossible task in view of the limited knowledge of the 4th-century world. The principal astronomical problem involved was the discrepancy, called the epact, between the solar year and the lunar year. The chief calendric problem was a gradually increasing discrepancy between the true astronomical year and the Julian calendar then in use.

For more info see: Passover