RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Holy Week
palms. In the Greek Church the names of the day are similar to those in the Latin Church.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of the " great
week, " according to the Peregrinatio Silvias
(CSEL, xxxix. 84 sqq.; Eng. transl.,
4. Monday ut sup., pp. 59-60), were early disto tinguished by special services. On
Thursday. Tuesday in the vigil the bishop himself reads the Gospel of the day, Matt, xxiv. 4 sqq., upon the Mount of Olives, from the cave in which the Lord used to teach his disciples. On Wednesday the vigil takes place in the Church of the Resurrection; the presbyter reads the Gospel of the day (Matt. xxvi. 14-16), the history of the betrayal, whereupon the congregation utters loud cries of resentment. The same lessons are to a certain extent still used in the Greek Church. The masses of the Roman Church on those days are of a pronounced character of passion.
Concerning Maundy Thursday, in the description of the Peregrinatio Silvia (CSEL, xxxix. 85 sqq.; Eng. transl., ut sup., pp. 60-62), which gives a detailed account of the celebration of this day in Jerusalem, it is to be noted that the writer apparently has no special name either for Maundy Thursday or for the preceding days, and in the second place, that this day is distinguished by a general celebration of the Holy Supper, which takes place in a definite place. This evidently constitutes the proper celebration of this day, while the services in the evening are to be regarded as preparations for the following Friday. The custom of celebrating the Holy Supper on this day extended over the whole Orient. Augustine testifies to the same custom in Africa in the fifth century. An important ceremony on Maundy Thursday was the washing of feet (see Foot- washing) . On the same day there took place the solemn readmission or reconciliation of the penitents to the congregation, but this custom was not universal in the Occident. Ambrose testifies to its existence in Milan, and Innocent I. in Rome. In the Middle Ages this custom disappeared. Another custom of the ancient church on this day was the consecration of the Chrism (q.v.) by the bishop. Originally this consecration took place during the act of baptism; but when the bishops had to leave baptism to the presbyters they still claimed for themselves the consecration of the anointing-oil, as early as the fourth century in Rome. It is very probable that these blessings were then performed on Maundy Thursday; for baptism took place shortly before Easter. The Roman Catholic Church possesses still other peculiar customs for this day, as, for instance, the chanting of the Tenebrce. During the service a large candlestick, supporting fifteen lights, arranged in the form of a triangle, which denote Christ and the prophets who predicted his coming, stands in the sanctuary; the lights are one by one extinguished until only the upper one remains, which is taken down and placed under the altar until the close of the office, and then brought back. It is also customary on this day for all clericals to commune. In the Greek Church on this day, beside the washing of pilgrims' feet and the consecration of oil, also the consecration of the holy myron takes place. The derivation of the term
" Green Thursday," the German designation for Holy Thursday, is uncertain. Some derive it from the green herbs that used to be eaten on this day in order to guard against diseases; others, from the penitents who were readmitted on Holy Thursday, and who, according to them, were styled " green." According to Keller, the name originated from the green paraments used in Germany in the mass of that day in contrast with the paraments of other colors used on other days of the "great week." While " Green Thursday " and " Holy Thursday " are only popular designations, the liturgical name of the Church is to-day, and has been for a long time, Coena Domini.
According to the oldest testimonies, this day bears throughout the character of mourning. This appears in the interesting description of 5. Good the celebration of this day in Peregri- Friday. natio Silvice (CSEL, xxxix. 87 sqq.; Eng. transl., ut sup., pp. 62 sqq.). The account shows that on this day there was customary the strictest fasting and vigilance, that a crucifix was exhibited and adored, and that the divine services consisted in reading of the Scripture, hymns, and prayers, but not in the celebration of the Lord's Supper. The custom of the Greek Church of to-day hardly differs from the custom of old Jerusalem as preserved in the account of Silvia. The Syriac Didascalia and the Apostolic Constitutions demand absolute fasting on Good Friday and Saturday before Easter. About the middle of the third century it was customary also in Alexandria to abstain entirely from food on both days, although not unconditionally. The custom of the Occident in keeping this day is closely related to that of the East; the day is one of deepest mourning and of strict fasting, and there is a tendency to limit church services as much as possible. John of Naples, a contemporary of Paulinus of Nola (d. 431), bears witness that he administered the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday, but on the next day devoted himself entirely to prayer, which shows that on this day no mass was celebrated. In some parts of Spain in the seventh century the churches were closed on Good Friday. Even in the ninth century in Rome no communion was celebrated. Nevertheless, Good Friday was always distinguished by a peculiar celebration. The morning service in the Roman Catholic Church consists of four parts: (1) the readings; (2) the intercessory prayers; (3) the unveiling and adoration of the cross; and (4) the celebration of the missa prcesanctijicatorum (" shortened " mass). In the Middle Ages there was customary also a solemn burial, which used to follow immediately the adoration of the cross — the cross was laid down in a " holy " grave in the tomb chapel and covered with a piece of cloth (sudarium) , and in connection with it there were sung corresponding responsories, versicles and prayers. This custom is said to have arisen in the tenth century. The adoration of the cross was followed by the " shortened " mass, which is explained as follows: On Holy Thursday there are consecrated two wafers; one is eaten by the priest, the other he places back in the chalice, which he puts on a side altar. This " presanctified " wafer (hence the Latin name, ut sup.) is carried on Good
Holy Week
Homberg Synod