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110-471: Holy Week ( Koinē Greek : Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς , romanized:  Hagía kaì Megálē Hebdomás , lit.   'Holy and Great Week') is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity . For all Christian traditions, it is a moveable observance . In Eastern Christianity , which also calls it Great Week , it is the week following Great Lent and Lazarus Saturday , starting on

220-671: A Lovefeast on Good Friday as they receive Holy Communion on Maundy Thursday . Communicants of the Moravian Church practice the Good Friday tradition of cleaning gravestones in Moravian cemeteries . Holy Saturday is the day between the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection. As the Sabbath day , the Gospel accounts all note that Jesus was hurriedly buried in a cave tomb after his crucifixion, with

330-612: A stress accent system , and the monophthongization of several diphthongs: The Koine-period Greek in the table is taken from a reconstruction by Benjamin Kantor of New Testament Judeo-Palestinian Koine Greek. The realizations of most phonemes reflect general changes around the Greek-speaking world, including vowel isochrony and monophthongization, but certain sound values differ from other Koine varieties such as Attic, Egyptian and Anatolian. More general Koine phonological developments include

440-612: A choir inside the open doors of the church sings the Miserere by Manoel Dias de Oliveria, while the black box is brought inside the church, and people come in to kiss the human-sized figure of Christ. Processions on Tuesday and Wednesday stop at different chapels at each of which a large painting portrays episodes of the Way of the Cross and a related hymn is sung at each. On Thursday morning the Chrism Mass

550-759: A church). The Mass of the Lord's Supper commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with his Twelve Apostles , "the institution of the Eucharist , the institution of the priesthood , and the commandment of brotherly love that Jesus gave after washing the feet of his disciples." All the bells of the church , including altar bells, may be rung during the Gloria in Excelsis Deo of the Mass (the Gloria

660-536: A clue as to a task Jesus performed during this period between death and resurrection: "By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison." This marks the beginning of the season of Eastertide , with its first week being known as Easter Week (Bright Week) . Holy Week liturgies generally attract the largest crowds of the year. Many Christian cultures have different traditions such as special liturgies or services, floats, sculptures or live reenactments of Christ's life, his arrest and crucifixion (also called

770-477: A drama is performed by the youth. Koin%C4%93 Greek language Koine Greek included styles ranging from conservative literary forms to the spoken vernaculars of the time. As the dominant language of the Byzantine Empire, it developed further into Medieval Greek , which then turned into Modern Greek . Literary Koine was the medium of much post-classical Greek literary and scholarly writing, such as

880-450: A more open pronunciation than other Koine dialects, distinguished as open-mid /ɛ/ vs. close-mid /e/ , rather than as true-mid /e̞/ vs. close-mid /e̝/ as has been suggested for other varieties such as Egyptian. This is evidenced on the basis of Hebrew transcriptions of ε with pataḥ/qamets /a/ and not tsere/segol /e/ . Additionally, it is posited that α perhaps had a back vowel pronunciation as /ɑ/ , dragged backwards due to

990-568: A practice also kept in other denominations. In the Catholic Church, on this day the private celebration of Mass is forbidden. Thus, apart from the Chrism Mass for the blessing of the Holy Oils that the diocesan bishop may celebrate on the morning of Holy Thursday , but also on some other day close to Easter, the only Mass on this day is the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper , which inaugurates

1100-554: A simplified form of Ionic . The view accepted by most scholars today was given by the Greek linguist Georgios Hatzidakis , who showed that despite the "composition of the Four", the "stable nucleus" of Koine Greek is Attic. In other words, Koine Greek can be regarded as Attic with the admixture of elements especially from Ionic, but also from other dialects. The degree of importance of the non-Attic linguistic elements on Koine can vary depending on

1210-460: A very important source of information on the ancient Koine is the modern Greek language with all its dialects and its own Koine form, which have preserved some of the ancient language's oral linguistic details which the written tradition has lost. For example, Pontic and Cappadocian Greek preserved the ancient pronunciation of η as ε ( νύφε, συνέλικος, τίμεσον, πεγάδι for standard Modern Greek νύφη, συνήλικος, τίμησον, πηγάδι etc.), while

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1320-529: A work that is now known as Meditations . Koine Greek continues to be used as the liturgical language of services in the Greek Orthodox Church and in some Greek Catholic churches . The English-language name Koine is derived from the Koine Greek term ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος ( hē koinḕ diálektos ), meaning "the common dialect". The Greek word κοινή ( koinḗ ) itself means "common". The word

1430-914: Is chanted or recited. Tenebrae liturgies are celebrated by some parishes of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church , the Polish National Catholic Church , the Lutheran Churches , the Moravian Church , the Anglican Communion , the Methodist Churches , and Western Rite Orthodoxy within the Eastern Orthodox Church . Maundy Thursday (also known as Holy Thursday) commemorates the Last Supper , where Christ lays out

1540-479: Is Romans 6:3-11, St. Paul's explanation of the role of death and resurrection in baptism. This is the standard epistle read at baptisms. Unique to this day, the Alleluia is replaced with Psalm 81 (82) being sung: "Arise, O God, judge Thou the earth: for Thou shalt have an inheritance in all the nations" while the deacon performs a censing of the church. In Slavic tradition where the service is begun in dark vestments,

1650-509: Is a term used for present tense verbs that are used in some narrative sections of the New Testament to describe events that are in the past with respect to the speaker. This is seen more in works attributed to Mark and John than Luke . It is used 151 times in the Gospel of Mark in passages where a reader might expect a past tense verb. Scholars have presented various explanations for this; in

1760-517: Is celebrated, with a blessing of the oils. Good Friday afternoon ceremonies are followed by the week's main spectacle of the Taking Down from the Cross in front of the cathedral followed by the Funeral Procession of Our Dead Lord. The drama shows Christ being taken from the cross and placed in a coffin, which is then taken around to the accompaniment of the "Song of Veronica". On Saturday morning

1870-414: Is commanded. Dionysius Alexandrinus in his canonical epistle (AD 260), refers to the 91 fasting days implying that the observance of them had already become an established usage in his time. There is some doubt about the genuineness of an ordinance attributed to Roman Emperor Constantine , in which abstinence from public business was enforced for the seven days immediately preceding Easter Day, and also for

1980-446: Is customary to have a blessing of palm leaves or other branches, for example olive branches. The blessing ceremony includes the reading of a Gospel account of Jesus humbly riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, reminiscent of a Davidic victory procession, and people placing palm and other branches on the ground before him. Immediately following this great time of celebration over the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, he begins his journey to

2090-666: Is followed by a psalm or canticle (such as Exodus 15:1–18 and a prayer relating what has been read to the Mystery of Christ. After the Old Testament readings conclude, the Gloria in excelsis Deo , which has been suspended during Lent, is intoned and bells are rung. A reading from the Epistle to the Romans is proclaimed. The Alleluia is sung for the first time since the beginning of Lent. The Gospel of

2200-515: Is gone. The lamp or candle usually situated next to the tabernacle denoting the presence of Christ is blown out. In the Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, and Presbyterian traditions, the Easter Vigil, one of the longest and most solemn of liturgical liturgies, lasts up to three or four hours, consists of four parts: The Liturgy begins after sundown on Holy Saturday as the crowd gathers inside

2310-511: Is not traditionally sung on Sundays in Lent). The bells then fall silent and the organ and other musical instruments may be used only to support the singing until the Gloria at the Easter Vigil . The Roman Missal recommends that, if considered pastorally appropriate, the priest should, immediately after the homily, celebrate the rite of washing the feet of customarily twelve men, recalling the number of

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2420-610: Is often called an " altar of repose ". In some places, notably the Philippines and Malta, Catholics will travel from church to church praying at each church's altar of repose in a practice called "Visita Iglesia" or Seven Churches Visitation . In Lutheran, Anglican and Methodist churches, the altar has black paraments or the altar cloths are removed altogether. At the conclusion of the Maundy Thursday liturgy in Lutheran Churches,

2530-570: Is often mentioned as Common Attic . The first scholars who studied Koine, both in Alexandrian and Early Modern times, were classicists whose prototype had been the literary Attic Greek of the Classical period and frowned upon any other variety of Ancient Greek . Koine Greek was therefore considered a decayed form of Greek which was not worthy of attention. The reconsideration on the historical and linguistic importance of Koine Greek began only in

2640-623: Is pronounced / k ɔɪ ˈ n eɪ / , / ˈ k ɔɪ n eɪ / , or / k iː ˈ n iː / in US English and / ˈ k ɔɪ n iː / in UK English. The pronunciation of the word koine itself gradually changed from [koinéː] (close to the Classical Attic pronunciation [koi̯.nɛ̌ː] ) to [cyˈni] (close to the Modern Greek [ciˈni] ). In Modern Greek,

2750-579: Is read on Friday afternoon every week in synagogue prayers immediately before receiving the sabbath in rabbinic Judaism. Eastern Orthodoxy In Eastern Orthodoxy this day, known as Holy and Great Saturday , is also called The Great Sabbath since it is on this day that Christ "rested" physically in the tomb . But it is also believed that it was on this day he performed in spirit the Harrowing of Hell and raised up to Paradise , having liberated those who had been held captive. Oriental Orthodoxy In

2860-576: Is reduced." In some countries, such as Malta, Philippines, Italy, and Spain processions with statues representing the Passion of Christ are held. In some parishes of the Anglican Church, Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, and Methodist Church, the " Three Hours Devotion " is observed. This traditionally consists of a series of sermons, interspersed with singing, one on each of the Seven Last Words from

2970-631: Is rendered in a reconstructed pronunciation representing a hypothetical conservative variety of mainland Greek Koiné in the early Roman period. The transcription shows raising of η to /eː/ , partial (pre-consonantal/word-final) raising of ῃ and ει to /iː/ , retention of pitch accent, and retention of word-initial /h/ (the rough breathing ). περὶ peri ὧν hoːn Θισ[β]εῖς tʰizbîːs λόγους lóɡuːs ἐποιήσαντο· epojéːsanto; Holy Saturday Holy Saturday ( Latin : Sabbatum Sanctum ), also known as Great and Holy Saturday (also Holy and Great Saturday ), Low Saturday ,

3080-808: Is sometimes used for the Greek written by the Greek Church Fathers , the Early Christian theologians in late antiquity. Christian writers in the earliest time tended to use a simple register of Koiné, relatively close to the spoken language of their time, following the model of the Bible. After the 4th century, when Christianity became the state church of the Roman Empire , more learned registers of Koiné also came to be used. Koine period Greek differs from Classical Greek in many ways: grammar , word formation , vocabulary and phonology (sound system). During

3190-542: Is widely observed as a fast day . A Handbook for the Discipline of Lent recommends the Lutheran guideline to "fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday with only one simple meal during the day, usually without meat". Western Catholic Church practice is to have only one full meal with, if needed, two small snacks that together do not make a full meal. The Anglican Communion defines fasting more generically as: "The amount of food eaten

3300-482: The Epitaphios , an icon in the form of a cloth embroidered with the image of Christ prepared for burial. The first part of the service consists of chanting Psalm 118 , as usual at both Saturday matins and at funerals, but interspersed with hymns ( enkomia or lamentations ) between the verses. The predominant theme of the service is not so much one of mourning, but of watchful expectation: Today Thou dost keep holy

3410-586: The Canon of Holy Saturday is repeated, toward the end of which the epitaphios is removed from the center of the church and placed on the altar table where it remains until the Ascension . Then, all of the candles and lights in the church are extinguished, and all wait in darkness and silence for the proclamation of the Resurrection of Christ. In the Catholic Church , the altar remains stripped completely bare (following

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3520-640: The Coptic , Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Churches, this day is known as Joyous Saturday , otherwise known as the night of light and joy. It is known as the Saturday of Good Tidings or Gospel Saturday in the Syriac Church, which is also a day where Syriac Christians remember their departed. Syriac Christianity In the Syriac Christian tradition , this day is known as ܫܲܒܬ݂ܵܐ ܕܢܘܼܗܪܵܐ šábbṯā d-núhrā or

3630-521: The Easter Vigil is celebrated, marking the official start of the Easter season . In the Moravian Church , people decorate the graves in God's Acre with flowers; the sunrise service , the first liturgy of Paschaltide, begins before dawn of Easter Sunday. In the predominantly Catholic Philippines , the day is legally and colloquially known as Black Saturday , given the colour's role in mourning. It commemorates

3740-620: The Great Sabbath in Jewish liturgy occurs the sabbath before the Feast of Unleavened Bread , the sabbath in the midst of the feast is celebrated as a Special Shabbat § Shabbat Chol Hamoed Pesach . In Hebrews 4 , Jewish Christians are admonished to make every effort to enter this sabbath and every sabbath in repentance, and Psalm 95 is excerpted by the author of Hebrews: "today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." The entire Psalm 95

3850-604: The Great Sabbath , Hallelujah Saturday (in Portugal and Brazil), Saturday of the Glory , Sábado de Gloria , and Black Saturday or Easter Eve , and called "Joyous Saturday", "the Saturday of Light", and "Mega Sabbatun" among Coptic Christians , is the final day of Holy Week , between Good Friday and Easter Sunday , when Christians prepare for the latter. The day commemorates the Harrowing of Hell while Jesus Christ's body lay in

3960-686: The Mass of the Lord's Supper on Maundy Thursday ). The celebration of the Sacraments is extremely limited: Holy Communion is given only as Viaticum to the dying; while Penance , Anointing of the Sick and baptism may be administered because they, like Viaticum, are helpful to ensuring salvation for the dying. The day is the second day of the Paschal fast as outlined in Sacrosanctum Concilium , Article 110. In

4070-568: The Saturday of Light . In Western traditions, the day is usually called Holy Saturday , although in the Moravian Church , the day is referred to as the Great Sabbath and in the Anglican Communion , the Book of Common Prayer refers to the day as Easter Even . Although the term Easter Saturday is usually applied to the Saturday in Easter week , in English-speaking countries it is sometimes applied to Holy Saturday, including in legislation in

4180-625: The Septuagint , the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible , and the Greek New Testament . The teaching of these texts was aimed at the most common people, and for that reason, they use the most popular language of the era. Other sources can be based on random findings such as inscriptions on vases written by popular painters, mistakes made by Atticists due to their imperfect knowledge of Attic Greek or even some surviving Greco-Latin glossaries of

4290-536: The Tsakonian language preserved the long α instead of η ( ἁμέρα, ἀστραπά, λίμνα, χοά etc.) and the other local characteristics of Doric Greek . Dialects from the southern part of the Greek-speaking regions ( Dodecanese , Cyprus , etc.), preserve the pronunciation of the double similar consonants ( ἄλ-λος, Ἑλ-λάδα, θάλασ-σα ), while others pronounce in many words υ as ου or preserve ancient double forms ( κρόμμυον – κρεμ-μυον, ράξ – ρώξ etc.). Linguistic phenomena like

4400-516: The early church was associated with an expectation that the second advent would occur on an Easter Day. Other writings that refer to related traditions of the early Church include, most notably, The Pilgrimage of Etheria (also known as The Pilgrimage of Egeria ), which details the whole observance of Holy Week at that time. Today, in the Western Christian Church , among Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists, Presbyterians and Catholics,

4510-508: The hangings , altar cloths , curtain and vestments are changed to bright . In Greek and Arabic tradition, the clergy strew laurel leaves (a symbol of victory) and flower petals all over the church to symbolize Jesus' triumph over death, often accompanied – especially in Cypriot custom – by the congregation making a loud noise by stamping their feet, banging on pews and sticks, and even clanging pots and pans, all to symbolize Christ shattering

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4620-515: The liturgical year is the week immediately before Easter. The earliest allusion to the custom of marking this week as a whole with special observances is to be found in the Apostolical Constitutions (v. 18, 19), dating from the latter half of the 3rd century and 4th century. In this text, abstinence from flesh is commanded for all the days, while for the Friday and Saturday an absolute fast

4730-484: The tomb . Christians of the Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Anglican and Reformed denominations begin the celebration of the Easter Vigil service on Holy Saturday, which provides a transition to the season of Eastertide ; in the Moravian Christian tradition, graves are decorated with flowers during the day of Holy Saturday and the celebration of the sunrise service starts before dawn on Easter Sunday. Whereas

4840-458: The "lectern and pulpit are [also] left bare until Easter to symbolize the humiliation and barrenness of the cross." Methodist custom holds that apart from depictions of the Stations of the Cross , other images (such as the altar cross) continue the Lenten habitude of being veiled. In the Catholic Church, the altars of the church (except the one used as the altar of repose) are later stripped quite bare and, as much as possible, crosses are removed from

4950-438: The Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland , and by Australian government agencies. In the Catholic tradition, the Blessed Virgin Mary is honored on this day under the title Our Lady of Solitude , referring to her grief at the death of her son. Matins of Holy and Great Saturday (in parishes usually held on Friday evening) takes the form of a funeral service for Christ. The entire service takes place around

5060-419: The Cross , together with an introduction and a conclusion. Another pious exercise carried out on Good Friday is that of the Stations of the Cross , either within the church or outside. The celebration at the Colosseum with participation by the pope has become a traditional event. The Novena to the Divine Mercy begins on that day and lasts until the Saturday before the Feast of Mercy . Moravians hold

5170-400: The Deposit. The figure of Our Lord of the Stations, representing the blood-stained Jesus carrying the cross, is brought from the church in a large black box and displayed in the main square. Then it is solemnly taken to the church following a band and a procession of people. Outside the church, a sermon is delivered on the Easter story of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection. After the sermon,

5280-462: The Easter Morning or Easter Sunrise service begun by the Moravians in 1732. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, complete: Palm and Passion Sunday (Latin Dominica in Palmis de Passione Domini ). Traditionally, Palm Sunday commemorates the Triumphal entry into Jerusalem described in all four canonical gospels . As described in these accounts, Christ's entry into Jerusalem was noted by the crowds present who shouted praises and waved palm branches . In

5390-407: The Easter Vigil liturgically belongs to Easter Sunday. On Holy Saturday, the Church waits at the Lord's tomb, in prayer and fasting, meditating on his Passion and Death and on his Descent into Hell and awaiting his Resurrection. The Church abstains from the Sacrifice of the Mass, with the sacred table left bare, until after the solemn Vigil, that is, the anticipation by night of the Resurrection, when

5500-417: The Easter Vigil, is the great feast day and apogee of the Christian liturgical year: on this day the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is celebrated. It is the first day of the new season of the Great Fifty Days, or Eastertide , which runs from Easter Day to Pentecost Sunday. The Resurrection of Christ on Easter Day is the main reason why Christians keep every Sunday as the primary day of religious observance. In

5610-407: The Eastertide, remaining in the sanctuary of the Church or near the lectern, and is kept in the baptistry throughout the liturgical year so that in the celebrations of baptisms the candles of the baptized may be lit from the candle. The candles of those present are lit from the Paschal candle. As this symbolic "light of Christ" spreads throughout those gathered, the darkness is decreased. A deacon, or

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5720-415: The Four). This view was supported in the early twentieth century by Paul Kretschmer in his book Die Entstehung der Koine (1901), while Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff and Antoine Meillet , based on the intense Ionic elements of the Koine – σσ instead of ττ and ρσ instead of ρρ ( θάλασσα – θάλαττα , 'sea'; ἀρσενικός – ἀρρενικός , 'potent, virile') – considered Koine to be

5830-410: The Hymn to the Theotokos is replaced with the irmos from Ode 9 of the Canon the night before, Christ's promise to His Mother that she will be magnified following His Resurrection, but other than that the Liturgy proceeds as any other Liturgy of St. Basil. After the service, in many places, it is customary to break and bless bread as at a Vigil, but to omit the blessing of oil. Great Lent was originally

5940-446: The Lord's passion, the Passion of Christ or Passion of Jesus ); the latter are known as Passion Plays , which are often interdenominational productions. In Eastern Rite Churches there are also many means to commemorate the Great Feasts and emphasize the theme of resurrection. Many television channels air films related to Holy Week, such as The Ten Commandments , The Greatest Story Ever Told and The Jesus Film . Holy Week in

6050-440: The New Testament , W.F. Howard argues that the heavy use of the historical present in Herodotus and Thucydides , compared with the relatively infrequent usage by Polybius and Xenophon was evidence that heavy use of this verb tense is a feature of vernacular Koine, but other scholars have argued that the historical present can be a literary form to "denote semantic shifts to more prominent material." The term patristic Greek

6160-414: The Paschal Vigil. The Gospel reading is Matthew 28:1-20, St. Matthew's account of the Resurrection. While the first fifteen verses are not read at any other time, the final five verses form one of the Sunday Matins Gospels and are the standard Gospel reading for baptisms. The Cherubic Hymn is replaced by ' Let all mortal flesh keep silence ', an analogous hymn from the ancient Liturgy of Saint James , and

6270-456: The Passion, either as a self-guided time of reflection and veneration or as a procession of statues or images of the stations. The evening liturgical celebration on Holy Thursday begins the first of three days in the Easter Triduum, which continues in an atmosphere of liturgical mourning throughout the next day, in spite of the name "Good" given in English to the day. For Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Reformed and Anglican Christians, Good Friday

6380-401: The Resurrection then follows, together with the Responsorial psalmody . After the conclusion of the Liturgy of the Word, the water of the baptismal font is blessed and any catechumens or candidates for full communion are initiated into the church, by baptism or confirmation . After the celebration of these sacraments of initiation, the congregation renews their baptismal vows and receive

6490-406: The Roman Catholic Church, plenary indulgence is granted once a day by the 1999 Enchiridion Indulgentiarum , in the following cases: Cities famous for their Holy Week processions include: Holy Week has developed into one of Brazil's main symbols of community identity, more specifically in the southern town of Campanha. The Campanha Holy Week begins on the Monday evening with the Procession of

6600-505: The Roman Catholic Church, plenary indulgence is obtained if two or more faithfuls pray the Holy Rosary or if the faithful attends the celebration of the Easter Vigil and renews their baptismal promises , which are part of the liturgy of the same Mass. Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, and other Churches observe many of the same customs as the Catholic Church; however, their altars may be covered in black instead of being stripped. The Anglican Book of Common Prayer uses Easter Even to designate

6710-400: The Roman Rite, before 1955 it was known simply as Palm Sunday, and the preceding Sunday as Passion Sunday. From 1955 to 1971 it was called Second Sunday in Passiontide or Palm Sunday. Among Lutherans and Anglicans, the day is known as the Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday. In many liturgical denominations, to commemorate Christ's entry into Jerusalem to accomplish his paschal mystery , it

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6820-449: The Roman period, e.g.: Καλήμερον, ἦλθες; Bono die, venisti? Good day, you came? Ἐὰν θέλεις, ἐλθὲ μεθ' ἡμῶν. Si vis, veni mecum . If you want, come with us. Ποῦ; Ubi? Where? Πρὸς φίλον ἡμέτερον Λύκιον. Ad amicum nostrum Lucium. To our friend Lucius. Τί γὰρ ἔχει; Quid enim habet? Indeed, what does he have? What is it with him? Ἀρρωστεῖ. Aegrotat. He's sick. Finally,

6930-509: The above imply that those characteristics survived within Koine, which in turn had countless variations in the Greek-speaking world. Biblical Koine refers to the varieties of Koine Greek used in Bible translations into Greek and related texts. Its main sources are: There has been some debate to what degree Biblical Greek represents the mainstream of contemporary spoken Koine and to what extent it contains specifically Semitic substratum features. These could have been induced either through

7040-456: The altar candles. Then the deacon or a cantor chants the Exultet , also called the "Easter Proclamation". After that, the people extinguish their candles and sit down for the Liturgy of the Word. The Liturgy of the Word includes nine readings, seven (or at least three) from the Old Testament , followed by two from the New (an Epistle and a Gospel). The reading of the crossing of the Red Sea (Ex 14) must never be omitted. Each Old Testament reading

7150-410: The apostles. In the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches of Evangelical Catholic churchmanship, and in Anglican churches of an Anglo-Catholic churchmanship, a sufficient number of hosts are consecrated for use also in the Good Friday liturgy, and at the conclusion the Blessed Sacrament is carried in procession to a place of reposition away from the main body of the church, which, if it involves an altar,

7260-403: The body to the cemetery in an Orthodox burial . On Saturday, a vesperal Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great is celebrated, called the First Resurrection Service (Greek: Ἡ Πρώτη Ἀνάστασις ), named so because chronologically it was composed earlier than the Paschal Canon by St. John of Damascus rather than because it occurs earlier liturgically. This is the longest Divine Liturgy of

7370-427: The church (or veiled in the pre-Vatican II rite), crucifixes and statues are covered with violet covers during Passiontide, but the crucifix covers can be white instead of violet on Maundy Thursday). Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus and his subsequent death. Commemorations of often solemn and mournful, many denominations use Good Friday to perform the Stations of the Cross , or other commemorations of

7480-490: The commemoration of the Mystical or Last Supper on Maundy Thursday ( Holy Thursday ) and the Passion of Jesus on Good Friday ( Holy Friday ). Holy Week concludes with Christ's rest in death and descent into hell on Holy Saturday . Christians believe that Jesus rested in death from the ninth hour (3 pm) on Good Friday until just before dawn on Sunday morning, the day of his resurrection from death , commonly known as Easter Sunday. However, in 1 Peter 3:19, there may be

7590-414: The creation and evolution of Koine Greek throughout the entire Hellenistic and Roman eras of history until the start of the Middle Ages. The linguistic roots of the Common Greek dialect had been unclear since ancient times. During the Hellenistic period , most scholars thought of Koine as the result of the mixture of the four main Ancient Greek dialects, " ἡ ἐκ τῶν τεττάρων συνεστῶσα " (the composition of

7700-411: The cross. The blessing is thus followed by a procession or solemn entrance into the church, with the participants holding the blessed branches in their hands. The liturgy includes the solemn reading of the Passion, the narrative of Christ's capture, suffering and death, as recounted in one of the Synoptic Gospels . (In the Tridentine Mass the Passion is always that of St. Matthew.) Before the reform of

7810-504: The day that Jesus lay in his tomb. Traditional taboos from the previous day are carried over and are sometimes broken; swimming is allowed in the afternoon. Most commercial establishments resume operations, with smaller enterprises remaining closed until or before Easter. Television and radio stations broadcast on shorter hours with special programming or remain off-air. In predominantly Catholic Poland, Święconka ( Polish pronunciation: [ɕvʲɛnˈtsɔnka] ), meaning "the blessing of

7920-609: The day. In some Anglican churches, including the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America , provision is made for a simple Liturgy of the Word on this day, with readings commemorating the burial of Christ. Daily Offices are still observed. In the Moravian Church , the day is known as Great Sabbath. In the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and Methodist traditions, Holy Saturday lasts until nightfall, after which

8030-564: The diocese as possible together with the bishop. This Mass was not included in editions of the Roman Missal before the time of Pope Pius XII. In this Mass, the bishop blesses separate oils for the sick (used in Anointing of the Sick ), for catechumens (used in baptism ) and chrism (used in baptism, confirmation and the Holy Orders , as well as in rites such as the dedication of an altar and

8140-469: The early 19th century, where renowned scholars conducted a series of studies on the evolution of Koine throughout the entire Hellenistic period and Roman Empire . The sources used on the studies of Koine have been numerous and of unequal reliability. The most significant ones are the inscriptions of the post-Classical periods and the papyri , for being two kinds of texts which have authentic content and can be studied directly. Other significant sources are

8250-525: The early 20th century some scholars argued that the use of the historical present tense in Mark was due to the influence of Aramaic , but this theory fell out of favor in the 1960s. Another group of scholars believed the historical present tense was used to heighten the dramatic effect, and this interpretation was favored in the New American Bible translation. In Volume II of the 1929 edition of A Grammar of

8360-511: The entire year and is performed later than on any other day of the year, "at the tenth hour of the day". On 'Lord, I call', four of the usual Sunday hymns from the Octoechos are sung, followed by four for the day, the doxasticon from Lauds the night before and the usual dogmatikon. After the Little Entrance , there is no Evening Prokimenon, but there are 15 Old Testament readings that recall

8470-407: The evening of Palm Sunday and concluding on the evening of Great Saturday . In Western Christianity , Holy Week is the sixth and last week of Lent , beginning with Palm Sunday and concluding on Holy Saturday . Holy Week begins with the commemoration of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday , marks the betrayal of Jesus on Spy Wednesday ( Holy Wednesday ), climaxing with

8580-597: The gates and breaking the chains of hell. The liturgical atmosphere changes from sorrow to joy at this service. The faithful continue to fast and the Paschal greeting , "Christ is risen!", is not exchanged until after midnight during the Paschal Vigil since this service represents the proclamation of Jesus' victory over death to those in Hades. The Resurrection has not yet been announced to those on earth, which takes place during

8690-637: The history of salvation, many of which relate to Passover, baptism, or the Resurrection (note that book names here are given according to the Septuagint): In place of the Trisagion, the baptismal hymn 'As many as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ. Alleluia.' is sung. The Prokimenon is from Psalm 65 (66), made up of verses from the First Antiphon of Pascha: 'Let all the earth worship Thee: sing of Thee and praise Thy Name, O most High.' The Epistle

8800-574: The house of Simon the Leper , especially the anointing of Jesus by Mary of Bethany , which directly preceded the betrayal of Jesus by Judas to the Sanhedrin. Tenebrae ( Latin for "shadows" or "darkness") is celebrated within Western Christianity during Holy Week, especially on Spy Wednesday . Tenebrae is distinctive for its gradual extinguishing of candles while a series of readings and psalms

8910-501: The initial stage in the fortition of the second element in the αυ/ευ diphthongs) and the loss of vowel-timing distinctions are carried through. On the other hand, Kantor argues for certain vowel qualities differing from the rest of the Koine in the Judean dialect. Although it is impossible to know the exact realizations of vowels, it is tentatively argued that the mid-vowels ε / αι and η had

9020-459: The intent to finish proper embalming and burial ceremonies on Sunday, after the Sabbath had ended, as the Sabbath day prohibitions would have prevented observant Jews from completing a proper burial. In the Catholic tradition after the Good Friday service, which represents the burial of Jesus, until the Easter Vigil on Saturday night, no mass takes place whatsoever on Holy Saturday. The celebration of

9130-523: The language is referred to as Ελληνιστική Κοινή , "Hellenistic Koiné", in the sense of "Hellenistic supraregional language "). Ancient scholars used the term koine in several different senses. Scholars such as Apollonius Dyscolus (second century AD) and Aelius Herodianus (second century AD) maintained the term koine to refer to the Proto-Greek language , while others used it to refer to any vernacular form of Greek speech which differed somewhat from

9240-475: The last days of Jesus Christ's life. Among them: On Holy Wednesday, the story of Judas arranging his betrayal of Jesus with the chief priests is remembered; he was a spy among the disciples of Jesus ( Matthew 26:14–25 ). For this reason, the day is sometimes called "Spy Wednesday". (In the Tridentine Mass the Passion according to St. Luke is read instead.) Other events connected with this date include events at

9350-403: The literary language. When Koine Greek became a language of literature by the first century BC, some people distinguished two forms: written as the literary post-classical form (which should not be confused with Atticism ), and vernacular as the day-to-day vernacular . Others chose to refer to Koine as "the dialect of Alexandria " or "Alexandrian dialect" ( ἡ Ἀλεξανδρέων διάλεκτος ), or even

9460-626: The liturgies used for Holy Week are nearly identical. In the Episcopal Church, the main U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion, the 1979 Book of Common Prayer identifies Holy Week--comprising Palm Sunday (Sunday of the Passion) through Holy Saturday--as a separate season after Lent, rather than as part of it; but the weekdays of Holy Week, like those of Lent, are Days of Special Devotion to be observed by special acts of discipline and self-denial, so

9570-623: The main of the Greek language. S. J. Thackeray, in A Grammar of the Old Testament in Greek According to the Septuagint (1909), wrote that only the five books of the Pentateuch , parts of the Book of Joshua and the Book of Isaiah may be considered "good Koine". One issue debated by scholars is whether and how much the translation of the Pentateuch influenced the rest of the Septuagint, including

9680-585: The model for the Eucharist or Holy Communion. During the meal, Jesus predicted the events that would immediately follow, including his betrayal, the Denial of Peter , and his death and resurrection. The liturgical celebration of the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday marks the beginning of the Paschal Triduum . Catholic and Lutheran parishes traditionally practice the foot washing (Maundy) ceremony on Maundy Thursday ,

9790-692: The normal Mass was celebrated. Churches of many denominations , including the Lutheran, Catholic, Methodist, Anglican, Moravian and Reformed traditions, distribute palm branches to their congregations during their Palm Sunday liturgies. Christians take these palms, which are often blessed by clergy, to their homes where they hang them alongside Christian art (especially crosses and crucifixes ) or keep them in their Bibles or devotionals. The days between Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday are known as Holy Monday , Holy Tuesday (Fig Tuesday), and Holy Wednesday (Spy Wednesday). There are traditional observances held by liturgical denominations to commemorate events from

9900-426: The notion of meeting and gathering of men, without any particular character. Therefore, etymologizing this word could be needless, or even misleading, when it could guide to false meanings, for example that ἐκκλησία is a name used for the people of God, Israel. The authors of the New Testament follow the Septuagint translations for over half their quotations from the Old Testament. The " historical present " tense

10010-452: The opening of ε . Influence of the Aramaic substrate could have also caused confusion between α and ο , providing further evidence for the back vowel realization. The following texts show differences from Attic Greek in all aspects – grammar, morphology, vocabulary and can be inferred to show differences in phonology. The following comments illustrate the phonological development within

10120-399: The period generally designated as Koine Greek, a great deal of phonological change occurred. At the start of the period, the pronunciation was virtually identical to Ancient Greek phonology , whereas in the end, it had much more in common with Modern Greek phonology . The three most significant changes were the loss of vowel length distinction, the replacement of the pitch accent system by

10230-629: The period of catechesis for new converts in order to prepare them for baptism and chrismation and when there are converts received, that occurs during the Old testament readings during the vesperal divine liturgy. Before the midnight service, the faithful gather in church for the reading of the Acts of the Apostles in its entirety. Preceding midnight the Paschal Vigil begins with the Midnight Office , during which

10340-523: The period of Koine. The phonetic transcriptions are tentative and are intended to illustrate two different stages in the reconstructed development, an early conservative variety still relatively close to Classical Attic, and a somewhat later, more progressive variety approaching Modern Greek in some respects. The following excerpt, from a decree of the Roman Senate to the town of Thisbae in Boeotia in 170 BC,

10450-656: The period of three days known as the Easter Triduum , that includes Good Friday (seen as beginning with the liturgy of the preceding evening), Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday up to evening prayer on that day. The Chrism Mass, whose texts the Roman Missal and the rubrics used in Lutheran Churches now give under Maundy Thursday, but before the Paschal Triduum which begins that evening, may be brought forward early in Holy Week, to facilitate participation by as many clergy of

10560-486: The post-Classical period of Greek is defined as beginning with the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, when cultures under Greek sway in turn began to influence the language. The passage into the next period, known as Medieval Greek , is sometimes dated from the foundation of Constantinople by Constantine the Great in 330 AD, but often only from the end of late antiquity . The post-Classical period of Greek thus refers to

10670-423: The practical effect is the same as if Holy Week were considered part of Lent. In the Moravian Church , the Holy Week services ( Passion Week ) are extensive, as the congregation follows the life of Christ through His final week in daily services dedicated to readings from a harmony of the Gospel stories, responding to the actions in hymns, prayers and litanies, beginning on the eve of Palm Sunday and culminating in

10780-505: The practice of translating closely from Biblical Hebrew or Aramaic originals, or through the influence of the regional non-standard Greek spoken by originally Aramaic-speaking Hellenized Jews . Some of the features discussed in this context are the Septuagint's normative absence of the particles μέν and δέ , and the use of ἐγένετο to denote "it came to pass". Some features of Biblical Greek which are thought to have originally been non-standard elements eventually found their way into

10890-480: The priest if there is no deacon, carries the Paschal Candle at the head of the entrance procession and, at three points, stops and chants the proclamation "The Light of Christ" (until Easter 2011, the official English text was "Christ our Light"), to which the people respond "Thanks be to God". Once the procession concludes with the singing of the third proclamation, the lights throughout the church are lit, except for

11000-517: The region of the Hellenistic world. In that respect, the varieties of Koine spoken in the Ionian colonies of Anatolia (e.g. Pontus , cf. Pontic Greek ) would have more intense Ionic characteristics than others and those of Laconia and Cyprus would preserve some Doric and Arcadocypriot characteristics, respectively. The literary Koine of the Hellenistic age resembles Attic in such a degree that it

11110-449: The rite by Pope Pius XII , the blessing of the palms occurred inside the church within a liturgy that followed the general outline of a Mass, with Collect, Epistle and Gospel, as far as the Sanctus. The palms were then blessed with five prayers, and a procession went out of the church and on its return included a ceremony for the reopening of the doors, which had meanwhile been shut. After this

11220-504: The seven which followed it. The Codex Theodosianus , however, is explicit in ordering that all actions at law should cease, and the doors of all courts of law be closed during those 15 days (1. ii. tit. viii.). Of the particular days of the "great week" the earliest to emerge into special prominence was naturally Good Friday. Next came the Sabbatum Magnum ("Great Sabbath", i.e., Holy Saturday or Easter Eve) with its vigil , which in

11330-578: The seventh day, Which Thou has blessed of old by resting from Thy works. Thou bringest all things into being and Thou makest all things new, Observing the Sabbath rest, my Saviour, and restoring strength. Near the end of matins, at the end of the Great Doxology , the Epitaphios is taken up and carried in procession around the outside of the church, while the Trisagion is sung, as is done when carrying

11440-429: The spirantization of Γ , with palatal allophone before front-vowels and a plosive allophone after nasals, and β . φ, θ and χ still preserve their ancient aspirated plosive values, while the unaspirated stops π, τ, κ have perhaps begun to develop voiced allophones after nasals. Initial aspiration has also likely become an optional sound for many speakers of the popular variety. Monophthongization (including

11550-705: The sprinkling of baptismal water . The general intercessions follow. After the Liturgy of Baptism, the Liturgy of the Eucharist continues as usual. This is the first Mass of Easter Day. During the Eucharist, the newly baptised receive Holy Communion for the first time. According to the rubrics of the Missal , the Easter vigil "ends before the dawn on the Sunday". Easter Day (or Easter Sunday), which immediately follows Holy Week and begins with

11660-490: The time comes for paschal joys, the abundance of which overflows to occupy fifty days. Holy Communion may only be given on this day as Viaticum . In some Anglican churches, including the Episcopal Church in the United States , there is provision for a simple liturgy of the word with readings commemorating the burial of Christ. The doors of the empty tabernacle of the main altar are left open, to symbolise that Jesus Christ

11770-476: The translation of Isaiah. Another point that scholars have debated is the use of ἐκκλησία ekklēsía as a translation for the Hebrew קָהָל qāhāl . Old Testament scholar James Barr has been critical of etymological arguments that ekklēsía refers to "the community called by God to constitute his People". Kyriakoula Papademetriou explains: He maintains that ἐκκλησία is merely used for designating

11880-684: The universal dialect of its time. Modern classicists have often used the former sense. Koine Greek arose as a common dialect within the armies of Alexander the Great . Under the leadership of Macedon , their newly formed common variety was spoken from the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt to the Seleucid Empire of Mesopotamia . It replaced existing ancient Greek dialects with an everyday form that people anywhere could understand. Though elements of Koine Greek took shape in Classical Greece ,

11990-497: The unlit church. In the darkness (often in a side chapel of the church building or, preferably, outside the church), a new fire is kindled and blessed by the priest. This new fire symbolizes the light of salvation and hope that God brought into the world through Christ's Resurrection, dispelling the darkness of sin and death. From this fire is lit the Paschal candle , symbolizing the Light of Christ. This Paschal candle will be used throughout

12100-572: The works of Plutarch and Polybius . Koine is also the language of the Septuagint (the 3rd century BC Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible ), the Christian New Testament , and of most early Christian theological writing by the Church Fathers . In this context, Koine Greek is also known as "Biblical", "New Testament", "ecclesiastical", or "patristic" Greek. The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote his private thoughts in Koine Greek in

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