Post by KittyLane on Apr 14, 2006 10:12:43 GMT -5
Good Friday is a holy day celebrated by Christians on the Friday before Easter or Pascha. It commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus at Calvary. Special prayer services are often held on this day with readings from the Gospel accounts of the events leading up to the crucifixion. Mainstream Christian churches view Christ's crucifixion as a voluntary and vicarious act, and one by which, along with resurrection on the third day, death itself was conquered.
Jesus' possible death date
"El Cristo de Velázquez" - Jesus's crucifixion as portrayed by Diego Velázquez
Enlarge
"El Cristo de Velázquez" - Jesus's crucifixion as portrayed by Diego Velázquez
As a matter of historical fact, the date of Christ's death is unknown and cannot be calculated from the information in the Gospels. The Gospels indicate he died on the afternoon of 15 Nisan (the day of the Passover) - or, alternatively, on the day before. But no year is given, except that it was during the reign of Tiberius Caesar; and no day of the week is mentioned.
Thus, the question is fully relegated to theological speculation, under which some believe the Crucifixion occurred on a Friday in April. Reputedly, the constellation of Southern Cross was entirely visible low in the South from Jerusalem. Due to precession this is no longer the case. The most probable date is 3 April AD 33. A partial lunar eclipse also took place on this date.
Catholic and Orthodox Christians treat Good Friday (Great Friday, in the Orthodox Church) as a fast day. Orthodox Christians abstain from all food the entire day, to the extent that their health permits. Catholics also refrain from more than one normal meal, though they may add up to two small meals as required for good health. The Book of Common Prayer designates Good Friday as a day of fasting, but the contemporary worship books make no such reference. As Good Friday is the most holy day in Holy Week, most Catholics do not eat meat.
This day is also the only day that the Divine Liturgy or Mass is not celebrated in those churches. Latin Catholics of the Roman Rite, however, can still receive the Eucharist consecrated the previous day at the Holy Thursday (or Maundy Thursday) Mass.
The earliest possible date for Good Friday is March 20 in Western Christianity and the latest possible date is April 23. The latest possible date for Great Friday in Eastern Orthodoxy is May 7.
In the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches
Instead of the Divine Liturgy, the Orthodox and Eastern Catholics meet up to three times during the day for prayer: in the forenoon, to pray the Royal Hours appointed for that day; in the afternoon, the Vespers of Holy Friday; and in the evening, the Matins of Holy Saturday.
The congregants relive the events of the day through public reading of the Psalms and Gospels, and singing hymns about Christ's death. Visual imagery and symbolism is also often used: in the morning, a large cross is moved to the front or center of the nave (where the congregation gathers), and a two-dimensional painted body of Christ, or corpus, is placed on it. During the afternoon prayers, it is removed from the cross and taken to the altar in the sanctuary, and an epitaphion is brought down to a low table in the nave representing the tomb; it is often decorated with an abundance of flowers. The epitaphion itself represents the body of Jesus wrapped in a burial shroud, and is a roughly full-size cloth icon of the body of Christ. During the evening prayers, the shroud is part of a procession outside the church, and is then returned to the tomb.
During this time, the hymns do not forget the coming resurrection. Holding both events in tension, the following troparion (type of hymn) is sung during the afternoon prayers while the shroud is being carried to the tomb:
The noble Joseph, when he had taken down Thy most pure Body from the tree, wrapped it in fine linen, and anointed it with spices, and placed it in a new tomb.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
The angel came to the myrrh-bearing women at the tomb and said:
Myrrh is fitting for the dead, but Christ has shown Himself a stranger to corruption.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Friday
if this is the day he was said to die, why is it "good friday"?
Jesus' possible death date
"El Cristo de Velázquez" - Jesus's crucifixion as portrayed by Diego Velázquez
Enlarge
"El Cristo de Velázquez" - Jesus's crucifixion as portrayed by Diego Velázquez
As a matter of historical fact, the date of Christ's death is unknown and cannot be calculated from the information in the Gospels. The Gospels indicate he died on the afternoon of 15 Nisan (the day of the Passover) - or, alternatively, on the day before. But no year is given, except that it was during the reign of Tiberius Caesar; and no day of the week is mentioned.
Thus, the question is fully relegated to theological speculation, under which some believe the Crucifixion occurred on a Friday in April. Reputedly, the constellation of Southern Cross was entirely visible low in the South from Jerusalem. Due to precession this is no longer the case. The most probable date is 3 April AD 33. A partial lunar eclipse also took place on this date.
Catholic and Orthodox Christians treat Good Friday (Great Friday, in the Orthodox Church) as a fast day. Orthodox Christians abstain from all food the entire day, to the extent that their health permits. Catholics also refrain from more than one normal meal, though they may add up to two small meals as required for good health. The Book of Common Prayer designates Good Friday as a day of fasting, but the contemporary worship books make no such reference. As Good Friday is the most holy day in Holy Week, most Catholics do not eat meat.
This day is also the only day that the Divine Liturgy or Mass is not celebrated in those churches. Latin Catholics of the Roman Rite, however, can still receive the Eucharist consecrated the previous day at the Holy Thursday (or Maundy Thursday) Mass.
The earliest possible date for Good Friday is March 20 in Western Christianity and the latest possible date is April 23. The latest possible date for Great Friday in Eastern Orthodoxy is May 7.
In the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches
Instead of the Divine Liturgy, the Orthodox and Eastern Catholics meet up to three times during the day for prayer: in the forenoon, to pray the Royal Hours appointed for that day; in the afternoon, the Vespers of Holy Friday; and in the evening, the Matins of Holy Saturday.
The congregants relive the events of the day through public reading of the Psalms and Gospels, and singing hymns about Christ's death. Visual imagery and symbolism is also often used: in the morning, a large cross is moved to the front or center of the nave (where the congregation gathers), and a two-dimensional painted body of Christ, or corpus, is placed on it. During the afternoon prayers, it is removed from the cross and taken to the altar in the sanctuary, and an epitaphion is brought down to a low table in the nave representing the tomb; it is often decorated with an abundance of flowers. The epitaphion itself represents the body of Jesus wrapped in a burial shroud, and is a roughly full-size cloth icon of the body of Christ. During the evening prayers, the shroud is part of a procession outside the church, and is then returned to the tomb.
During this time, the hymns do not forget the coming resurrection. Holding both events in tension, the following troparion (type of hymn) is sung during the afternoon prayers while the shroud is being carried to the tomb:
The noble Joseph, when he had taken down Thy most pure Body from the tree, wrapped it in fine linen, and anointed it with spices, and placed it in a new tomb.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
The angel came to the myrrh-bearing women at the tomb and said:
Myrrh is fitting for the dead, but Christ has shown Himself a stranger to corruption.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Friday
if this is the day he was said to die, why is it "good friday"?