Most evangelical churches no longer observe the annual Biblical Festivals today, partly as a result of the radical anti-feasts attitude of the Puritans, who swept away all religious holy days except the Lord’s Day. The Puritans viewed the church calendar, which was filled with saints’ days and Marian feasts instituted by the Roman Catholic Church, as indicative of the apostasy into which the church had fallen. To rid the church of all the pagan superstitions which had become part of the popular piety, the Puritans in Colonial America did away with all the annual holy days. In doing so, however, they left Christians without a religious calendar to commemorate the great saving acts of God.

In God’s Festivals in Scripture and History Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi challenges Christians to bring about worship renewal by developing a church calendar patterned after the religious calendar God gave to Israel. Such a calendar would focus during the course of the year on the redemptive accomplishments of Christ’s first and second Advents as typified by the annual Feasts. We cannot preach the whole Bible in one sermon. We cannot celebrate the whole story of redemption in one Sabbath. A church calendar patterned after the calendar of Israel can help to do justice to all the great saving acts of God.

The first volume deals with The Spring Festivals, focusing especially on Passover and Pentecost. The study traces the origin, meaning, and observance of Passover and Pentecost in the Old Testament, New Testament, and early Christianity. Two of the chapters offer practical suggestions on how to observe Passover and Pentecost today.

Five of the nine chapters can be accessed by clicking their titles below:

A Preview of the Book

Passover in the New Testament

The Observance of Passover Today

Pentecost in the New Testament

The Observance of Pentecost Today

Scholars comments