52. Formula for finding the number of the lunar epacts
TRANSLATION
practiceofcomputationinallthings,whichinyourownjudgementandby universal agreement of the Church seems to be truer. That is, the beginning of the ¢rst month is to be sought from the 8th ides of March [8
March] to the nones of April [5 April], the 14th Moon of Easter from the 12th kalends of April [21 March] until the 14th kalends of May [18
April], Easter Sunday from /441/ the 11th kalends of April [22 March] to the 7th kalends of May [25 April], and this from the 15th up to the 21st
Moon.
Lest the friends of Victorius accuse us of attacking him wantonly, let them read the book of that most learned and holy man Victor, bishop of Capua, concerning the Easter which it was thought should be celebrated on the 15th kalends of May [17 April] in the 13th indiction, in the ninth year of the proconsul Basilius, and they will discover how highly thought of their teacher is by the prudent and catholic doctors of the Church. His book begins as follows: Although the venerable solemnity of Easter had been carefully sought by us with a view to the day upon which it should most properly arrive in this present year, the 13th indiction, and albeit we declared according to the constitutions of the venerable Fathers that the Resurrection of our Lord should beyond a doubt be celebrated on the the 8th kalends of May [24 April], our response was viewed by some as quite unreasonable because a certain Victorius ¢xed the Sunday of the Resurrection otherwise in the Paschal cycle which he published, although he also designated the [Sunday] which we declare ought to be celebrated.44 And later in the work: But now, order demands that I throw open to plain view the errors in the cycles which Victorius published, seeing that he does not know how to determine the proper day of Easter, so that as he was shown to have failed in this manner in the past, he may lack authority in the present and the future, and that he may renounce all occasion for evil persuasion.45
52. FORMULA FOR FINDING THE NUMBER OF THE
LUNAR EPACTS
If you want to know what the epacts are for any given year, take the number of years of the Lord, for example in the present eighth indiction,
44 An example of Victorius' policy of double dates for Easter in dubious cases: see
Introduction, section 3.
45 This passage fromVictor of Capua is not among the fragments printed by Pitra.