On what basis is the date of a Good Friday fixed every year in Christianity?

Answer 1

I have an old World Almanac (I think it was 1985's) which actually gave the method for determining Easter, and trust me, it's not something you actually give all the steps of here. It's truely a mess, and it's this way because the early Church attempted to combine the Jewish and Julian (later the Gregorian) calendars.

It's actually Easter that is figured, Good Friday is simply the Friday before it. Easter is supposed to occur on the Sunday after Passover, and if Passover falls on Sunday, then it's the Sunday after that. Passover, being based on the Jewish calendar, is based on the full moon of a certain month (forget which), and to obfuscticate it even more, the Jewish calendar is lunar, not solar like the Julian/Gregorian calendar.

Roughly, the way it is figured is to take the year and divide it by 19, then throw away everything but thr remainder, then remultiply it to get a certain number (0-18). You then go to a special chart which gives a date, the date of something called the Pascal Full Moon, no relation to the actual full moon. Easter is then the Sunday afterwards. The formula had to be modified with the advent of the Gregorian calendar in the 16th Century, so it really isn't as easy as it sounds.

Without surprise, there is an ongoing movement to have a fixed date for Easter (in other words, say it's always on April 10). The problem is objections by various denominations for various reasons (even a "second Sunday in April" has been attacked). I suspect the date of Easter will be a mess for a while to come.

Answer 2

It is the wrong time because Christ died at the beginning of Passover, which is 15 days after the spring equinox. He was crucified on a Wednesday and rose on a Sunday. Wednesday at about 3 pm to Thursday at 3 pm is 1 day. Thursday at 3 pm until Friday at 3 pm is 2 days. Friday 3pm to Saturday 3pm 3days, and Saturday until Sunday morning 3 1/2 day in the tomb.
Think about it.

Answer 3

On The Basis of When there is a full moon and when the Jews have there passover.