YAKOV KROTOV

April 14, 2001, 00.05 AM, Moscow

Judaism had his problems with the Easter. There was no consensus concerning space, and Jews argued whether it is proper to sacrifice at any mountain or only in Jerusalem.

Eastern Christianity was (and is) more bothered with the problem of time: how to differentiate the time of Christian Easter from the time of Judaist Easter (and Roman Catholic as well.) The time serves as a language of dispute.

Roman Catholicism as well as Reformation argued about ideas concerning the Easter or the Eucharist (but every Eucharist is an Easter). Centuries-old discussions about the meaning of the words of Our Lord about Easter bread and Easter wine, about the substance of the Eucharist and understanding of the "memory" and "commemoration" are all the discussian adressed to the intellectual part of the human soul.

I don't think any dimension of these discussion can be labelled as "more intellectual" or "more sophisticated." They don't represent different stages of the spiritual development. They represent different aspects of human existence and it is important for a Christian to get reconciled with all three of these dimensions to become creative person. Don't ask me how, or I'll be obliged to mention Holy Ghost.