Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
Good Friday
Good Friday, the Friday beforeEaster, the day on which Christians annually observe the commemoration of theCrucifixion ofJesus Christ. From the early days ofChristianity, Good Friday was observed as a day of sorrow, penance, andfasting, a characteristic that finds expression in the German wordKarfreitag (“Sorrowful Friday”).
- Good Friday
Following theSynoptic Gospels (Matthew,Mark, andLuke), the mainstream of Christian tradition has held that Jesus’ last meal with hisdisciples on the evening before his Crucifixion was aPassoverseder. That would place the date on which Jesus died on 15 Nisan of theJewish calendar, or on the first day (starting at sundown) ofPassover. According to theGregorian (Western) calendar, that date would be April 7. (The Gospel According to John, in contrast, holds that Passover had not yet begun when Jesus’ final meal was held, which would place the date of Jesus’ death on 14 Nisan.) Christians, however, do notcommemorate that fixed date. Instead, they follow the apparently flexible date of the Passover—which conforms to the Jewish lunisolarcalendar rather than the Gregorian solar calendar—by relating theLast Supper to the seder (andcommemorated on Maundy Thursday). Although that assumption is problematic, the dating of both Good Friday and Easter has proceeded on that basis. Thus, Good Friday falls between March 20, the first possible date for Passover, and April 23, with Easter falling two days later. (See alsoPaschal Controversies.)
The question of whether and when to observe Jesus’ death and Resurrection triggered a major controversy in early Christianity. Until the 4th century, Jesus’Last Supper, his death, and his Resurrection were observed in one single commemoration on the evening before Easter. Since then, those three events have been observed separately—Easter, as the commemoration of Jesus’ Resurrection, being considered the pivotal event.
The liturgical celebration of Good Friday has undergone various changes over the centuries. In theRoman Catholic Church themass is not celebrated on Good Friday, though a liturgy is performed. Beginning in theMiddle Ages, only the officiating priest tookHoly Communion, which wasconsecrated in theMaundy Thursday mass; laypeople have also communed on Good Friday since 1955. The liturgy of Good Friday consists of the reading of theGospelPassion narrative, the adoration of thecross, and Communion. In the 17th century, following an earthquake in Peru, theThree Hour Service, a prayerful meditation on Jesus’ “Seven Last Words on the Cross,” was introduced to the Catholic liturgy by theJesuits. It takes place between noon and 3pm. Similar services occur in theEastern Orthodox tradition, where no Communion is celebrated on Good Friday.
In theAnglican Communion,The Book of Common Prayer similarly provides for a Good Friday reception of the “reserved sacrament,” theconsumption of bread and wine that was consecrated the previous day. The Three Hour Service has become common in North American churches, and a variety of liturgical services are held on Good Friday in otherProtestant churches. With the revival of a liturgical emphasis in Protestantism in the second half of the 20th century, a distinct trend of adopting Catholic ritual (no use of the organ in the service, draping of the cross, baring of thealtar, etc.) developed.
UnlikeChristmas andEaster, which have acquired numeroussecular traditions, Good Friday has, because of its intense religiousconnotation, not led to an overlay of secular customs and practices.
