The BEMA Podcast 500: David Rudolph — Passover
Mar 26, 2026
David Rudolph, Messianic Jewish scholar and professor focused on Second Temple Judaism and Jewish–Christian relations. He traces how the Council of Nicaea reshaped Easter dating, recounts early disputes like Polycarp’s Nisan 14 practice versus Rome’s Sunday tradition, and explores Constantine’s role and the resulting church–Jewish separation and its long-term effects.
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Early Gentile Pascha Followed Jewish Nisan 14
- Early Gentile Christians often celebrated Pascha tied to the Jewish date Nisan 14, reflecting apostolic examples like John and Polycarp.
- Polycarp learned the date from Jewish communities and preserved that practice as apostolic continuity into Gentile worship.
Polycarp Visited Rome Over The Date Dispute
- Polycarp directly argued the tradition with Aniketas, the bishop of Rome, and visited Rome but failed to change practices.
- This exchange shows early respectful disagreement rather than schism between leaders in Asia and Rome.
Bar Kokhba Revolt Broke Jewish Christian Unity
- The Bar Kokhba revolt (c.135 CE) and Jewish exile from Jerusalem removed Jewish leadership that had anchored Pascha dating and worship unity.
- Losing Jerusalem's Jewish bishops severed practical ties and shifted ecclesial centers toward Rome.
