Good Friday
Good Friday, also called Holy Friday, Black Friday, or Great Friday, is a holiday observed
primarily by adherents to Christianity commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death
at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Tritium on the
Friday proceeding Easter Sunday, and often coincides with the Jewish observance of
Passover.
Based on the scriptural details of the Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus, the Crucifixion of Jesus was
most probably on a Friday. The estimated year of Good Friday is AD 33, by two different
groups, and originally as AD 34 by Isaac Newton via the differences between the Biblical and
Julian calendars and the crescent of the moon. A third method, using a completely different
astronomical approach based on a lunar Crucifixion darkness and eclipse model (consistent
with Apostle Peter's reference to a "moon of blood" in [Acts 2:20]) arrives at the same date,
namely Friday April 3, AD 33.
Biblical accounts
According to the accounts in the Gospels, Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane
by the Temple Guards through the guidance of his disciple, Judas Iscariot. Judas received
money (30 pieces of silver) [Matthew 26:14-16] for betraying Jesus and told the guards that
whomever he kisses is the one they are to arrest. Jesus is brought to the house of Annas,
who is the father-in-law of the current high priest, Caiaphas. There he is interrogated with
little result, and sent bound to Caiaphas the high priest, where the Sanhedrin had assembled
[John 18:1-24].
Conflicting testimony against Jesus is brought forth by many witnesses, to which Jesus
answers nothing. Finally the high priest adjures Jesus to respond under solemn oath, saying
"I adjure you, by the Living God, to tell us, are you the Anointed One, the Son of God?"
Jesus testifies in the affirmative, "You have said it, and in time you will see the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of the Almighty, coming on the clouds of Heaven." The high priest
condemns Jesus for blasphemy, and the Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus concurs with a sentence
of death [Matthew 26:57-66]. Peter also denies Jesus three times during the interrogations.
Jesus already knew that Peter would deny him three times. See the article Sanhedrin Trial of
Jesus regarding the two trials, one at night, the other in the morning and how their timing
may affect the day of Good Friday.
In the morning, the whole assembly brings Jesus to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate,
under charges of subverting the nation, opposing taxes to Caesar, and making himself a king
[Luke 23:1-2]. Pilate authorizes the Jewish leaders to judge Jesus according to their own
Law and execute sentencing; however, the Jewish leaders reply that they are not allowed by
the Romans to carry out a sentence of death [John 18:31].
Pilate questions Jesus, and tells the assembly that there is no basis for sentencing. Upon
learning that Jesus is from Galilee, Pilate refers the case to the ruler of Galilee, King Herod,
who was in Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. Herod questions Jesus but receives no
answer; Herod sends Jesus back to Pilate. Pilate tells the assembly that neither he nor
Herod have found guilt in Jesus; Pilate resolves to have Jesus whipped and released [Luke
23:3-16].
It was a custom during the feast of Passover for the Romans to release one prisoner as
requested by the Jews. Pilate asks the crowd whom they would like to be released. Under
the guidance of the chief priests, the crowd asks for Barabbas, who had been imprisoned for
committing murder during an insurrection. Pilate asks what they would have him do with
Jesus, and they demand, "Crucify him" [Mark 15:6-14]. Pilate's wife had seen Jesus in a
dream earlier that day; she forewarns Pilate to "have nothing to do with this righteous man"
[Matthew 27:19].
Pilate has Jesus flogged, and then brings him out to the crowd to release him. The chief
priests inform Pilate of a new charge, demanding Jesus be sentenced to death "because he
claimed to be God's son." This possibility filled Pilate with fear, and he brought Jesus back
inside the palace and demanded to know from where he came [John 19:1-9].
Coming before the crowd one last time, Pilate declares Jesus innocent, washing his own
hands in water to show he has no part in this condemnation. Nevertheless, Pilate hands
Jesus over to be crucified in order to forestall a riot [Matthew 27:24-26]. The sentence
written is "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." Jesus carries his cross to the site of
execution (assisted by Simon of Cyrene), called the place of the Skull, or "Golgotha" in
Hebrew and in Latin "Calvary". There he is crucified along with two criminals [John 19:17-
22].
Jesus agonizes on the cross for six hours. During his last 3 hours on the cross, from noon to
3pm, there is darkness over the whole land. With a loud cry, Jesus gives up his spirit. There
is an earthquake, tombs break open, and the curtain in the Temple is torn from top to bottom.
The centurion on guard at the site of crucifixion declares, "Truly this was God's Son!"
[Matthew 27:45-54]
Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin and secret follower of Jesus, who had not
consented to his condemnation, goes to Pilate to request the body of Jesus [Luke 23:50-
52]. Another secret follower of Jesus and member of the Sanhedrin named Nicodemus
brought about a hundred pound weight mixture of spices and helped wrap the body of Christ
[John 19:39-40]. Pilate asks confirmation from the centurion whether Jesus is dead [Mark
15:44]. A soldier pierced the side of Jesus with a lance causing blood and water to flow out
[John 19:34], and the centurion informs Pilate that Jesus is dead [Mark 15:45].
Joseph of Arimathea takes the body of Jesus, wraps it in a clean linen shroud, and places it
in his own new tomb that had been carved in the rock [Matthew 27:59-60] in a garden near
the site of crucifixion. Nicodemus [John 3:1] also came bringing 75 pounds of myrrh and
aloes, and places them in the linen with the body of Jesus, according to Jewish burial
customs [John 19:39-40]. They rolled a large rock over the entrance of the tomb [Matthew
27:60]. Then they returned home and rested, because at sunset began Shabbat [Luke 23:
54-56]. On the third day, Sunday, which is now known as Easter Sunday (or Pascha), Jesus
rose from the dead.
Churches of Byzantine tradition
Byzantine Christians (Eastern Christians who follow the Rite of Constantinople: Eastern
Orthodox and Greek-Catholics) call this day "Holy and Great Friday", or simply "Great
Friday".
Because of the penitence and sorrow associated with the Crucifixion, the Divine Liturgy is
never celebrated on Great Friday, except when this day coincides with the Great Feast of the
Annunciation, which falls on the fixed date of March 25 (for those churches which follow the
traditional Julian Calendar, March 25 currently falls on April 7 of the modern Gregorian
Calendar). Also on Great Friday, the clergy no longer wear the purple or red that is
customary throughout Great Lent, but don black vestments instead. There is no "stripping of
the altar" on Holy and Great Thursday as in the West; instead, all of the church hangings are
changed to black, and will remain so until the Divine Liturgy on Great Saturday.
The faithful revisit the events of the day through public reading of specific Psalms and the
Gospels, and singing hymns about Christ's death. Rich visual imagery and symbolism as well
as stirring hymnody are remarkable elements of these observances. In the Orthodox
understanding, the events of Holy Week are not simply an annual commemoration of past
events, but the faithful actually participate in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Each hour of this day is the new suffering and the new effort of the expiatory suffering of the
Savior. And the echo of this suffering is already heard in every word of our worship service -
unique and incomparable both in the power of tenderness and feeling and in the depth of the
boundless compassion for the suffering of the Savior. The Holy Church opens before the
eyes of believers a full picture of the redeeming suffering of the Lord beginning with the
bloody sweat in the Garden of Gethsemane up to the crucifixion on Golgotha. Taking us
back through the past centuries in thought, the Holy Church brings us to the foot of the cross
of Christ erected on Golgotha, and makes us present among the quivering spectators of all
the torture of the Savior.
Holy and Great Friday is observed as a strict fast, and adult Byzantine Christians are
expected to abstain from all food and drink the entire day to the extent that their health
permits. "On this Holy day neither a meal is offered nor do we eat on this day of the
crucifixion. If someone is unable or has become very old [or is] unable to fast, he may be
given bread and water after sunset. In this way we come to the holy commandment of the
Holy Apostles not to eat on Great Friday."
Matins of Holy and Great Friday
The Byzantine Christian observance of Holy and Great Friday, which is formally known as
The Order of Holy and Saving Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, begins on Thursday night
with the Matins of the Twelve Passion Gospels. Scattered throughout this Matins service are
twelve readings from all four of the Gospels which recount the events of the Passion from the
Last Supper through the Crucifixion the burial of Jesus. Some churches have a candelabrum
with twelve candles on it, and after each Gospel reading one of the candles is extinguished.
The first of these twelve readings [John 13:31-18:1] is the longest Gospel reading of the
year, and is a concatenation from all four Gospels. Just before the sixth Gospel reading,
which recounts Jesus being nailed to the cross, a large cross is carried out of the sanctuary
by the priest, accompanied by incense and candles, and is placed in the center of the nave
(where the congregation gathers), with a two-dimensional painted icon of the body of Christ
(soma or corpus) affixed to it. As the cross is being carried, the priest or a chanter chants a
special antiphon:
brief, moving hymn, The Wise Thief is chanted by singers who stand at the foot of the cross
in the center of the nave. The service does not end with the First Hour, as usual, but with a
special dismissal by the priest:
Royal Hours
The next day, in the forenoon on Friday, all gather again to pray the Royal Hours, a special
expanded celebration of the Little Hours (including the First Hour, Third Hour, Sixth Hour,
Ninth Hour and Typica) with the addition of scripture readings (Old Testament, Epistle and
Gospel) and hymns about the Crucifixion at each of the Hours (some of the material from the
previous night is repeated). This service is somewhat more festive in character, and derives
its name of "Royal" from both the fact that the Hours are served with more solemnity than
normal, commemorating Christ the King who humbled himself for the salvation of mankind,
and also from the fact that this service was in the past attended by the Emperor and his court.
Vespers of Holy and Great Friday
In the afternoon, around the 3 p.m. all gather for the Vespers of the Taking-Down from the
Cross, commemorating the Deposition from the Cross. The Gospel reading is a
concatenation taken from all four of the Gospels. During the service, the body of Christ (the
soma) is removed from the cross, as the words in the Gospel reading mention Joseph of
Arimathea, wrapped in a linen shroud, and taken to the altar in the sanctuary. Near the end
of the service an epitaphios or "winding sheet" (a cloth embroidered with the image of Christ
prepared for burial) is carried in procession to a low table in the nave which represents the
Tomb of Christ; it is often decorated with an abundance of flowers. The epitaphios itself
represents the body of Jesus wrapped in a burial shroud, and is a roughly full-size cloth icon
of the body of Christ. Then the priest may deliver a homily and everyone comes forward to
venerate the epitaphios. In the Slavic practice, at the end of Vespers, Compline is
immediately served, featuring a special Canon of the Crucifixion of our Lord and the
Lamentation of the Most Holy Theotokos by Symeon the Logothete.
Good Friday, also called Holy Friday, Black Friday, or Great Friday, is a holiday observed
primarily by adherents to Christianity commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death
at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Tritium on the
Friday proceeding Easter Sunday, and often coincides with the Jewish observance of
Passover.
Based on the scriptural details of the Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus, the Crucifixion of Jesus was
most probably on a Friday. The estimated year of Good Friday is AD 33, by two different
groups, and originally as AD 34 by Isaac Newton via the differences between the Biblical and
Julian calendars and the crescent of the moon. A third method, using a completely different
astronomical approach based on a lunar Crucifixion darkness and eclipse model (consistent
with Apostle Peter's reference to a "moon of blood" in [Acts 2:20]) arrives at the same date,
namely Friday April 3, AD 33.
Biblical accounts
According to the accounts in the Gospels, Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane
by the Temple Guards through the guidance of his disciple, Judas Iscariot. Judas received
money (30 pieces of silver) [Matthew 26:14-16] for betraying Jesus and told the guards that
whomever he kisses is the one they are to arrest. Jesus is brought to the house of Annas,
who is the father-in-law of the current high priest, Caiaphas. There he is interrogated with
little result, and sent bound to Caiaphas the high priest, where the Sanhedrin had assembled
[John 18:1-24].
Conflicting testimony against Jesus is brought forth by many witnesses, to which Jesus
answers nothing. Finally the high priest adjures Jesus to respond under solemn oath, saying
"I adjure you, by the Living God, to tell us, are you the Anointed One, the Son of God?"
Jesus testifies in the affirmative, "You have said it, and in time you will see the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of the Almighty, coming on the clouds of Heaven." The high priest
condemns Jesus for blasphemy, and the Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus concurs with a sentence
of death [Matthew 26:57-66]. Peter also denies Jesus three times during the interrogations.
Jesus already knew that Peter would deny him three times. See the article Sanhedrin Trial of
Jesus regarding the two trials, one at night, the other in the morning and how their timing
may affect the day of Good Friday.
In the morning, the whole assembly brings Jesus to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate,
under charges of subverting the nation, opposing taxes to Caesar, and making himself a king
[Luke 23:1-2]. Pilate authorizes the Jewish leaders to judge Jesus according to their own
Law and execute sentencing; however, the Jewish leaders reply that they are not allowed by
the Romans to carry out a sentence of death [John 18:31].
Pilate questions Jesus, and tells the assembly that there is no basis for sentencing. Upon
learning that Jesus is from Galilee, Pilate refers the case to the ruler of Galilee, King Herod,
who was in Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. Herod questions Jesus but receives no
answer; Herod sends Jesus back to Pilate. Pilate tells the assembly that neither he nor
Herod have found guilt in Jesus; Pilate resolves to have Jesus whipped and released [Luke
23:3-16].
It was a custom during the feast of Passover for the Romans to release one prisoner as
requested by the Jews. Pilate asks the crowd whom they would like to be released. Under
the guidance of the chief priests, the crowd asks for Barabbas, who had been imprisoned for
committing murder during an insurrection. Pilate asks what they would have him do with
Jesus, and they demand, "Crucify him" [Mark 15:6-14]. Pilate's wife had seen Jesus in a
dream earlier that day; she forewarns Pilate to "have nothing to do with this righteous man"
[Matthew 27:19].
Pilate has Jesus flogged, and then brings him out to the crowd to release him. The chief
priests inform Pilate of a new charge, demanding Jesus be sentenced to death "because he
claimed to be God's son." This possibility filled Pilate with fear, and he brought Jesus back
inside the palace and demanded to know from where he came [John 19:1-9].
Coming before the crowd one last time, Pilate declares Jesus innocent, washing his own
hands in water to show he has no part in this condemnation. Nevertheless, Pilate hands
Jesus over to be crucified in order to forestall a riot [Matthew 27:24-26]. The sentence
written is "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." Jesus carries his cross to the site of
execution (assisted by Simon of Cyrene), called the place of the Skull, or "Golgotha" in
Hebrew and in Latin "Calvary". There he is crucified along with two criminals [John 19:17-
22].
Jesus agonizes on the cross for six hours. During his last 3 hours on the cross, from noon to
3pm, there is darkness over the whole land. With a loud cry, Jesus gives up his spirit. There
is an earthquake, tombs break open, and the curtain in the Temple is torn from top to bottom.
The centurion on guard at the site of crucifixion declares, "Truly this was God's Son!"
[Matthew 27:45-54]
Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin and secret follower of Jesus, who had not
consented to his condemnation, goes to Pilate to request the body of Jesus [Luke 23:50-
52]. Another secret follower of Jesus and member of the Sanhedrin named Nicodemus
brought about a hundred pound weight mixture of spices and helped wrap the body of Christ
[John 19:39-40]. Pilate asks confirmation from the centurion whether Jesus is dead [Mark
15:44]. A soldier pierced the side of Jesus with a lance causing blood and water to flow out
[John 19:34], and the centurion informs Pilate that Jesus is dead [Mark 15:45].
Joseph of Arimathea takes the body of Jesus, wraps it in a clean linen shroud, and places it
in his own new tomb that had been carved in the rock [Matthew 27:59-60] in a garden near
the site of crucifixion. Nicodemus [John 3:1] also came bringing 75 pounds of myrrh and
aloes, and places them in the linen with the body of Jesus, according to Jewish burial
customs [John 19:39-40]. They rolled a large rock over the entrance of the tomb [Matthew
27:60]. Then they returned home and rested, because at sunset began Shabbat [Luke 23:
54-56]. On the third day, Sunday, which is now known as Easter Sunday (or Pascha), Jesus
rose from the dead.
Churches of Byzantine tradition
Byzantine Christians (Eastern Christians who follow the Rite of Constantinople: Eastern
Orthodox and Greek-Catholics) call this day "Holy and Great Friday", or simply "Great
Friday".
Because of the penitence and sorrow associated with the Crucifixion, the Divine Liturgy is
never celebrated on Great Friday, except when this day coincides with the Great Feast of the
Annunciation, which falls on the fixed date of March 25 (for those churches which follow the
traditional Julian Calendar, March 25 currently falls on April 7 of the modern Gregorian
Calendar). Also on Great Friday, the clergy no longer wear the purple or red that is
customary throughout Great Lent, but don black vestments instead. There is no "stripping of
the altar" on Holy and Great Thursday as in the West; instead, all of the church hangings are
changed to black, and will remain so until the Divine Liturgy on Great Saturday.
The faithful revisit the events of the day through public reading of specific Psalms and the
Gospels, and singing hymns about Christ's death. Rich visual imagery and symbolism as well
as stirring hymnody are remarkable elements of these observances. In the Orthodox
understanding, the events of Holy Week are not simply an annual commemoration of past
events, but the faithful actually participate in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Each hour of this day is the new suffering and the new effort of the expiatory suffering of the
Savior. And the echo of this suffering is already heard in every word of our worship service -
unique and incomparable both in the power of tenderness and feeling and in the depth of the
boundless compassion for the suffering of the Savior. The Holy Church opens before the
eyes of believers a full picture of the redeeming suffering of the Lord beginning with the
bloody sweat in the Garden of Gethsemane up to the crucifixion on Golgotha. Taking us
back through the past centuries in thought, the Holy Church brings us to the foot of the cross
of Christ erected on Golgotha, and makes us present among the quivering spectators of all
the torture of the Savior.
Holy and Great Friday is observed as a strict fast, and adult Byzantine Christians are
expected to abstain from all food and drink the entire day to the extent that their health
permits. "On this Holy day neither a meal is offered nor do we eat on this day of the
crucifixion. If someone is unable or has become very old [or is] unable to fast, he may be
given bread and water after sunset. In this way we come to the holy commandment of the
Holy Apostles not to eat on Great Friday."
Matins of Holy and Great Friday
The Byzantine Christian observance of Holy and Great Friday, which is formally known as
The Order of Holy and Saving Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, begins on Thursday night
with the Matins of the Twelve Passion Gospels. Scattered throughout this Matins service are
twelve readings from all four of the Gospels which recount the events of the Passion from the
Last Supper through the Crucifixion the burial of Jesus. Some churches have a candelabrum
with twelve candles on it, and after each Gospel reading one of the candles is extinguished.
The first of these twelve readings [John 13:31-18:1] is the longest Gospel reading of the
year, and is a concatenation from all four Gospels. Just before the sixth Gospel reading,
which recounts Jesus being nailed to the cross, a large cross is carried out of the sanctuary
by the priest, accompanied by incense and candles, and is placed in the center of the nave
(where the congregation gathers), with a two-dimensional painted icon of the body of Christ
(soma or corpus) affixed to it. As the cross is being carried, the priest or a chanter chants a
special antiphon:
- Today He who hung the earth upon the waters is hung upon the Cross (three times).
He who is King of the angels is arrayed in a crown of thorns.
He who wraps the heaven in clouds is wrapped in the purple of mockery.
He who in Jordan set Adam free receives blows upon His face.
The Bridegroom of the Church is transfixed with nails.
The Son of the Virgin is pierced with a spear.
We venerate Thy Passion, O Christ (three times).
Show us also Thy glorious Resurrection.
brief, moving hymn, The Wise Thief is chanted by singers who stand at the foot of the cross
in the center of the nave. The service does not end with the First Hour, as usual, but with a
special dismissal by the priest:
- May Christ our true God, Who for the salvation of the world endured spitting, and
scourging, and buffeting, and the Cross, and death, through the intercessions of His
most pure Mother, of our holy and God-bearing fathers, and of all the saints, have
mercy on us and save us, for He is good and the Lover of mankind.
Royal Hours
The next day, in the forenoon on Friday, all gather again to pray the Royal Hours, a special
expanded celebration of the Little Hours (including the First Hour, Third Hour, Sixth Hour,
Ninth Hour and Typica) with the addition of scripture readings (Old Testament, Epistle and
Gospel) and hymns about the Crucifixion at each of the Hours (some of the material from the
previous night is repeated). This service is somewhat more festive in character, and derives
its name of "Royal" from both the fact that the Hours are served with more solemnity than
normal, commemorating Christ the King who humbled himself for the salvation of mankind,
and also from the fact that this service was in the past attended by the Emperor and his court.
Vespers of Holy and Great Friday
In the afternoon, around the 3 p.m. all gather for the Vespers of the Taking-Down from the
Cross, commemorating the Deposition from the Cross. The Gospel reading is a
concatenation taken from all four of the Gospels. During the service, the body of Christ (the
soma) is removed from the cross, as the words in the Gospel reading mention Joseph of
Arimathea, wrapped in a linen shroud, and taken to the altar in the sanctuary. Near the end
of the service an epitaphios or "winding sheet" (a cloth embroidered with the image of Christ
prepared for burial) is carried in procession to a low table in the nave which represents the
Tomb of Christ; it is often decorated with an abundance of flowers. The epitaphios itself
represents the body of Jesus wrapped in a burial shroud, and is a roughly full-size cloth icon
of the body of Christ. Then the priest may deliver a homily and everyone comes forward to
venerate the epitaphios. In the Slavic practice, at the end of Vespers, Compline is
immediately served, featuring a special Canon of the Crucifixion of our Lord and the
Lamentation of the Most Holy Theotokos by Symeon the Logothete.
| End Time Warriors |
Good Friday
Psalm 27:4
One thing I ask of the LORD, this is
what I seek: that I may dwell in the
house of the LORD all the days of my
life, to gaze upon the beauty of the
LORD and to seek him in his temple.
One thing I ask of the LORD, this is
what I seek: that I may dwell in the
house of the LORD all the days of my
life, to gaze upon the beauty of the
LORD and to seek him in his temple.