Good Friday

Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is
observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and
may coincide with the Jewish observance of Passover. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, and Black Friday.
Members of many Christian denominations, including the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, Oriental Orthodox and Reformed traditions, observe Good Friday with fasting and church services.
The date of Good Friday varies from one year to the next on both the Gregorian and Julian calendars.
Eastern and Western Christianity disagree over the computation of the date of Easter and therefore of
Good Friday. Good Friday is a widely instituted legal holiday around the world, including in most Western countries and 12 U.S. states. Some countries, such as Germany, have laws prohibiting certain acts, such
as dancing and horse racing, that are seen as profaning the solemn nature of the day.
Name
Etymology
A common folk etymology incorrectly analyzes "Good Friday" as a corruption of "God Friday" similar to the linguistically correct description of "goodbye" as a
contraction of "God be with you". In fact, "Good Friday" comes from the obsolete sense "pious, holy" of the word "good". Less common examples of expressions based on this obsolete sense of "good"
include "the good book" for the Bible, "good tide" for "Christmas" or
Shrovetide, and Good Wednesday for the Wednesday in Holy Week. In Old English, the day was called “Long Friday” ("Langa frigedæg"
[ˈlɑŋ.ɡɑ ˈfriː.jeˌdæj]), and this term was adopted from Old English and is still used in Scandinavian languages and Finnish.

Other languages
In Latin, the name used by the Catholic Church until 1955 was Feria sexta in Parasceve ("Friday of
Preparation [for the Sabbath]"). In the 1955 reform of Holy Week, it was renamed Feria sexta in Passione et Morte Domini ("Friday of the Passion and Death of the
Lord"), and in the new rite introduced in 1970, shortened to Feria sexta in Passione Domini ("Friday of the Passion of the Lord").
In Dutch, Good Friday is known as Goede Vrijdag, in Frisian as Goedfreed. In German-speaking countries, it is generally referred to as Karfreitag ("Mourning Friday", with Kar from Old High German kara
‚ "bewail", "grieve"‚ "mourn", which is related to the English word "care" in the sense of cares and woes), but it is sometimes also called Stiller Freitag ("Silent Friday") and Hoher Freitag ("High Friday, Holy Friday").
In the Scandinavian languages and Finnish ("pitkäperjantai"), it is called the equivalent of "Long Friday" as it was in Old English ("Langa frigedæg").
In Greek, Polish, Hungarian, and Romanian it is generally referred to as the equivalent of "Great Friday" (Μεγάλη Παρασκευή, Wielki Piątek, Nagypéntek, Vinerea Mare). In Bulgarian, it is called either Велики петък ("Great Friday"), or, more commonly, Разпети петък ("Crucified Friday"). In
French, it is referred to as Vendredi saint ("Holy Friday"). In Arabic, it is known as "
ﺍﻟﺠﻤﻌﺔ
ﺍﻟﻌﻈﻴﻤﺔ" ("Great Friday").

Biblical accounts

According to the accounts in the Gospels, the royal soldiers, guided by Jesus' disciple Judas Iscariot,
arrested Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. 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.
Following his arrest, Jesus was taken to the house of Annas, the father-in-law of the high priest, Caiaphas.
There he was 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 was brought forth by many witnesses, to which Jesus answered
nothing. Finally the high priest adjured 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 testified ambiguously, "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 condemned
Jesus for blasphemy, and the Sanhedrin concurred with a sentence of death (Matthew 26:57–66). Peter, waiting in the courtyard, also denied Jesus three
times to bystanders while the interrogations were proceeding just as Jesus had predicted.
In the morning, the whole assembly brought 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 authorized the Jewish leaders to judge Jesus according to their own law and execute sentencing; however, the
Jewish leaders replied that they were not allowed by the Romans to carry out a sentence of death (
John 18:31).
Pilate questioned Jesus and told the assembly that there was no basis for sentencing. Upon learning that Jesus was from Galilee, Pilate referred the case to the ruler of
Galilee, King Herod, who was in Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. Herod questioned Jesus but
received no answer; Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate.
Pilate told the assembly that neither he nor Herod found Jesus to be guilty; Pilate resolved to have Jesus whipped and released (
Luke 23:3–16). Under the guidance of the chief priests, the crowd asked for Barabbas, who had been imprisoned for committing
murder during an insurrection. Pilate asked what they
would have him do with Jesus, and they demanded, "Crucify him" (
Mark 15:6–14). Pilate's wife had seen Jesus in a dream earlier that day, and she forewarned Pilate to "have nothing to do with this
righteous man" (Matthew 27:19). Pilate had Jesus flogged and then brought him out to the crowd to
release him. The chief priests informed 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 declared Jesus innocent and washed his own hands in water to show he had no part in this condemnation. Nevertheless, Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified in order to forestall a riot (
Matthew 27:24–26) and ultimately to keep his job. The sentence written was "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." Jesus carried 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 was crucified along with two criminals (John 19:17–22).
Jesus agonized on the cross for six hours. During his last three hours on the cross, from noon to 3 pm, darkness fell over the whole land. Jesus spoke from the cross, quoting the messianic Psalm 22: "My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
With a loud cry, Jesus gave up his spirit. There was an earthquake, tombs broke open, and the curtain in the Temple was torn from top to bottom. The centurion on guard at the site of crucifixion declared,
"Truly this was God's Son!" (Matthew 27:45–54)
Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin and a secret follower of Jesus, who had not consented to his condemnation, went 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 Jesus (John 19:39–40). Pilate asked confirmation from the
centurion of whether Jesus was 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 informed Pilate that Jesus was dead (Mark 15:45).
Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus' body, wrapped it in a clean linen shroud, and placed it in his own new
tomb that had been carved in the rock (Matthew 27:59–60) in a garden near the site of the crucifixion.
Nicodemus (John 3:1) also brought 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes, and placed them in the linen with
the body, in keeping with 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 Shabbat had begun at sunset (Luke 23:54–56). Matt. 28:1 "After the Shabbat, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the
tomb". i.e. "After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week,...". "He is not here; he has risen, just as he said....". (Matt. 28:6)

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 and 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 liturgical 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)Sēmeron Kremātai Epí Xýlou:
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 Heavens 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.
The readings are:
1. John 13:31–18:1 – Christ's last sermon, Jesus prays for the apostles.
2. John 18:1–28 – The agony in the garden, the mockery and denial of Christ.
3. Matthew 26:57–75 – The mockery of Christ, Peter denies Christ.
4. John 18:28–19:16 – Pilate questions Jesus; Jesus is condemned; Jesus is mocked by the Romans.
5. Matthew 27:3–32 – Judas commits suicide; Jesus is condemned; Jesus mocked by the Romans; Simon of Cyrene
Simon of Cyrene compelled to carry the cross.
6. Mark 15:16–32 – Jesus dies.
7. Matthew 27:33–54 – Jesus dies.
8. Luke 23:32–49 – Jesus dies.
9. John 19:25–37 – Jesus dies.
10. Mark 15:43–47 – Joseph of Arimathea buries Christ.
11. John 19:38–42 – Joseph of Arimathea buries Christ.
12. Matthew 27:62–66 – The Jews set a guard.
During the service, all come forward to kiss the feet of Christ on the cross. After the Canon, a 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.

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