Memorial Dates
“For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7).
What has been the historical record of Bible Student reckoning of the Memorial and what are some future dates?
BIBLE STUDENTS RECKONING 1880-1920
The Christian Memorial is celebrated after sunset on Nisan 14. The Gregorian (European-American) calendar day corresponds to the Jewish Nisan 13 (which ends at sunset). The Gregorian dates for the past hundred years (1870-1969), and a hundred more, are given here, for the sunset beginning the Jewish Nisan 14 (see page 6).
Watch Tower dates for the actual Memorial celebration are first available in 1880. The actual celebrations through 1919 coincide with Nisan 14 in all but six cases:
| 1880 | March 24, Wednesday |
| 1881 | April 14, Thursday |
| 1883 | April 21, Saturday |
| 1899 | March 26, Sunday |
| 1905 | April 16, Sunday |
| 1914 | April 10, Friday |
None of the actual celebrations deviates from Nisan 14 by more than 2 days, and the reasons for the deviations are various. Reasons: 1880 (1 day early) unknown. 1881 (2 days late) thought to be Nisan 14. 1883 (1 day late) day before Jewish Passover celebration (which is actually on the afternoon of Nisan 15, rather than 14). 1899 (2 days late) because full moon was on March 27; 1905 (2 days early) thought to be Jewish reckoning. 1914 (1 day late) because full moon was on April 11. The 1880 and 1883 dates are the only celebrations before 1920 to fall on Wednesday or Saturday (both are excluded in the Jewish calendar).
In 1919 the Watch Tower and the Pastoral Bible Institute (PBI) used the Jewish date. The Watch Tower in 1920 celebrated on April 2, reckoning from the new moon. In 1921 Jewish reckoning and the full moon, in 1922 Jewish reckoning, and in 1923 the new moon led them to use the Jewish dates. The full moon led to 1924, April 18, and 1925, April 8, celebrations. In 1929 the actual Watch Tower celebration was in March, rather than on April 23, probably reckoned by the new moon nearest the vernal equinox.
In 1920 the PBI used the April 2, Friday, Watch Tower date, rather than the Jewish date. In every other year since 1919 they have recommended the Jewish date. The Dawn has used the Jewish dates uniformly since it first published them in the late 1930’s.
It may be concluded that all Memorials prior to the 1920’s closely followed the Jewish dating (occasionally with a day or two variance). At no time was the new moon nearest (or the new moon next after) the vernal equinox used for reckoning where it would have resulted in a whole month’s deviation from the Jewish date, although 1913, 1910, 1902, 1894, 1891, and 1883 (1918, 1915, 1912, 1907, 1904, 1899, 1896, 1893, 1888, 1885, 1880) provided opportunities to do so.
Jesus Instituting a Memorial of his Death
The Scriptures appear to be silent as to the correct way to construct the calendar. It would appear that a celebration of unity in the Body of Christ should, in so far as reasonably possible, be celebrated in unity – on a single evening throughout the world. Today there is nothing resembling a Sanhedrin to fix Memorial dates for us. But the Jewish calendar is a lunar (actually lunisolar, compare Genesis 1:14) calendar published and readily available throughout the world. Since that calendar has been followed from our earliest available records, and since there appears to be no strong reason to change that reckoning, it seems most reasonable to continue the practice of using the Jewish calendar for reckoning the Christian Memorial dates. Therefore the Memorial dates for the next sixty years are also given. (It is hoped the Church will be complete long before the last of them.)
– James Parkinson