Holy week 2017

HOLY WEEK 2017

Brett Provance

Holy Week

Palm Sunday through the evening of Holy Saturday

Commemorates the Passion of Jesus Christ Latin passio; cognate to

Greek pathos

The bread, the wine and the ΙΧΘΥΣ

Maundy Thursday

Traceable to the fourth century Emphasis in the Gospel of John on Thursday of Holy

Week: Foot washing and the New Commandment to love one another

(Latin mandatum; John 13:4-5, 34), from which we get “Maundy”

Emphasis of the Synoptic Gospels on Thursday of Holy Week: Communion

The Lord’s Supper established Thus, Communion (Eucharist) is often

celebrated this day Greek eucharistia = “thanksgiving”: verb

form at 1 Corinthians 11:24: “And when he had given thanks . . . ”; cf. Mark 14:23

All ancient representations of the Christian communal meal (the refrigerium) include an image(s) of a fish. There is often a symbolic merging of the Agape (Jude 12), the Lord’s Supper, and the Loaves and Fish (cf. Mark 6:41; 8:6-8)

Good Friday

The atoning death of Jesus Christ for the sins of the world (John 1:29, 36); the Good Shepherd laying his life down for the sheep (John 10:11)

Christ is the Paschal (Passover) Lamb (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:7; Mark 14:12; Revelation 5:6) Passover (Pesach), celebrated by

people of the Jewish faith

Good Friday among Christians is recognized by fasting

Holy Saturday

No events until the night = Christ in the tomb

Matthew 12:40; cf. Jonah 2:1The Jonah theme is greatly popular in the catacomb art. Note that the sea creature is not a whale. The resting

Jonah form is taken from that of Endymion in classical art.

The Paschal Vigil

Begins Saturday night vigil = night watch

Ancient set of rituals (from the 2nd century), now rediscovered in the Western Church

Concludes with the Baptism of Christian initiates And their first Communion

The baptistery of the Dura-Europos House Church (Syria), the earliest verifiable Christian church (3rd century AD). The picture of

the women at the tomb of Jesus relates the believer’s baptism with dying and rising with Christ (cf. Romans 6:3-5)

Easter Sunday

The morning Jesus rose from the dead (Mark 16; Matthew 28; Luke 24; John 20; 1 Corinthians 15:5-6)

Part of the Gospel message: Romans 1:3-4; 6:9; Acts 2:23-24; 4:33; 10:39-41; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

All this encapsulated in The Apostles’ Creed Based on the baptismal creed of the

ancient Roman Christians Latin credo = “I believe”

The Apostles’ Creed I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and

earth, And in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, Our Lord,

Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, And born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into Hell (Greek Hades). The third day He rose again from the dead, Ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the

Father Almighty. From there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, The holy catholic [= “universal”] church, The communion of saints, The forgiveness of sins, The resurrection of the body, And the life everlasting. Amen.

ΙΧΘΥΣ Greek word for “fish” Ancient Christian confessional

acrostic for Jesus: Ι = Jesus (Iēsous)Χ = Christ (Christos)ΘΥ = Son of God (Theou Huios)Σ = Savior (Sōtēr)The word appears in ancient Christian funerary settings, as do images of fish.

“ΙΧΘΥΣ, the Living One”