Good Friday

For most Western Christians, today is Good Friday, which commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ; this Sunday will mark Easter, the day Christ rose from the dead. Good Friday (also known as Holy Friday) is the traditional day Christians mourn the death of Jesus on the cross, which they believe marks the ultimate sacrifice, God’s only son atoning for the sins of all mankind.

Interestingly enough, this period of remembrance also marks the primary reason that the vast majority of Christians long ago moved the traditional Sabbath observation from Saturday (which is when most Jews still observe it) to Sunday; Christ died of crucifixion on Friday and rose again from the dead on Sunday, the first day of the week in the Jewish tradition, and so Sunday became the “8th day” celebration for Christians and the mark of the New Covenant, which was not just with the Jews but with all mankind. Most Protestants as well as Catholics adhere to this view of Sunday as the appropriate Christian sabbath observation, although a few have gone back to observing the Sabbath on Saturday, and some split the difference and observe Saturday as the Sabbath and Sunday as “the Lord’s day.”

The Eastern churches (i.e. the Orthodox) have the same basic viewpoint as the Catholics and most Protestants, but they calculate the date of Easter a little differently and so usually observe Good Friday and Easter at a somewhat different time of year, although theologically what they’re observing and celebrating is the same thing. It’s all based on a Lunar calendar. For those interested, here is a technical look at how the Western date for Easter is calculated, and here is a table that lists when the Orthodox observe the same things.

Many blessings to you all.