Scholarly Reflections
Daniélou, Jean, S.J. "Chapter Seventeen: Easter." The Bible and the Liturgy." Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1956, pp. 287-302.
Daniélou considers the paschal events to be at the center of Christian thought and practice. In this respect, the liturgy surrounding Easter should be expected to have elements of the entirety of Christianity (Daniélou 1956, 287). At the same time, the feast of Exodus 12 is very specific to its own context, the commemoration of the departure of the Jews from Egypt.
Jewish thought had already made serious consideration of the fact that the exodus came at springtime (Daniélou 1956, 288). Ths concept was adopted by the Christian Fathers, taking spring not to be "the memorial of creation, but thefigure of the Resurrection" (Daniélou 1956, 289). Eusebius makes the step of connecting the creation, the paschal feast, and the resurrection to one another as a full exposition of creation and redemption (Daniélou 1956, 290). In his work, all the figures of spring, including those of paganism, are seen as pointing to the reality in Christ. The line of interpretation is continued after Eusebius as well. Daniélou particularly describes Gregory Nazianzen drawing spring as a time showing God's glory, though not so much as the symbol of resurrection (Daniélou 1956, 291). Daniélou continues with notes on numerous authors, some of whom tie spring to resurrection, and some who do not.
The significance of the paschal lamb appears in many authors. Daniélou particularly notes the commentary based on the choosing of the sacrificial lamb five days before the sacrifice itself (Daniélou 1956, 293ff). Here the Fathers found the foreknowledge and choice of God, who prepared that Christ should be sacrificed at the appointed time. Further teaching relates the appointed time, or even, as the time symbolic of the end of the world (Daniélou 1956, 296).
The date of 14 Nisan was also significant to the Fathers. Not only is it the date of the equinox, but also of a full moon which rises as the sun sets, thus remaining light (Daniélou 1956, 297). It is therefore an appropriate time to reflect on the light of Christ and the separation of light from darkness (Daniélou 1956, 298). In later thought, as the moon was considered the queen of darkness and the dead, the fact that the moon phase waned after 14 Nisan was considered symbolic of Christ's victory over death (Daniélou 1956, 301). Daniélou concludes that the overarching pattern is that of the cycles of the natural world proving to be signs of the biblical realities (Daniélou 1956, 302).