Posts Tagged ‘Easter’
History of March: Why in like a Lion and out like a Lamb?
Reading Time: 3 minutesHISTORY OF MARCH Podcast version he month that can come “in like a lion and out like a lamb” is named after Mars, the Roman god of war (and agriculture). Indeed, in French, the month is called Mars. It shares the name with the fourth planet in the Solar System, the blood-colored “Red Planet,”…
Read MoreHistory of Ash Wednesday: Where’s the Ash from?
Reading Time: 2 minutesHISTORY OF ASH WEDNESDAY Podcast version n the Western church, the first day of Lent is called Ash Wednesday, derived from the ceremonial use of ashes as a symbol of penitence in the service prescribed for the day. It follows Mardi Gras, also known as Shrove Tuesday, and ends with Easter, 40 days later,…
Read MoreHistory of Mardi Gras: Why is it called Fat Tuesday?
Reading Time: 4 minutesHISTORY OF MARDI GRAS Podcast version ardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday” in French. It is celebrated the day after Shrove Monday and the day before Ash Wednesday as a last “fling” before the 40 days of self-denial of Lent, which precede Easter. Lent is a word that comes from the Middle English word “lente,” which…
Read MoreHistory of Shrove Monday: Ahead of Mardi Gras
Reading Time: 2 minutesWhat is the history of Shrove Monday?
Read MoreHistory of Palm Sunday: How it starts Holy Week
Reading Time: 4 minutesHISTORY OF PALM SUNDAY The week we now call Holy Week or Passion Week starts this weekend with Palm Sunday. Why was this week so important that three of the gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) devote a full third of their contents to reporting this week, and The Fourth Gospel (John) dedicates its entire last half? Jerusalem,…
Read MoreHistory of Ash Wednesday: Where does the Ash come from?
Reading Time: 2 minutesHISTORY OF ASH WEDNESDAY In the Western church, the first day of Lent is called Ash Wednesday from the ceremonial use of ashes, as a symbol of penitence, in the service prescribed for the day. It follows Mardi Gras, also known as Shrove Tuesday, and ends with Easter 40 days later, not counting Sundays. It…
Read MoreHistory of Shrove Monday: Ahead of Mardi Gras
Reading Time: 2 minutesHISTORY OF SHROVE MONDAY The Monday before Ash Wednesday is known as Shrove Monday. The three days before Ash Wednesday is also known as “Shrovetide,” starting with Quinquagesima Sunday and ending on Shrove Tuesday, known more popularly as Mardi Gras. Quinquagesima meant the fiftieth day before Easter, or specifically the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday,…
Read MoreHistory of the Players
Reading Time: 4 minutesWhat happened to our players AFTER the events in the Easter story?
Read MoreHistory of the Trial
Reading Time: 4 minutesTHE TRIAL OF JESUS The trial of Jesus leading up to his crucifixion was actually a series of perhaps half a dozen trials, across several locations in Jerusalem, some of which are captured in the tradition of the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrow, a series of locations that pilgrims take through the streets of…
Read MoreHistory of Maundy Thursday
Reading Time: 2 minutesMAUNDY THURSDAY Amid the bustle of Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter, Maundy Thursday is easy to overlook. Few calendars label it, and some churches don’t observe it at all, though it may be the oldest of the Holy Week observances. It’s worth asking why, and how, generations of Christians have revered this day. The…
Read MoreHistory of the Sanhedrin
Reading Time: 3 minutesSANHEDRIN The Greek word sunedrion, translated “council” is referred to in the New Testament as “the Great Law-Court”, “the Court of Seventy-One”, and “the rulers and elders and scribes”. It was the supreme theocratic court of the Jews and reflected the local autonomy which the Greek and Roman powers granted the Jewish nation. Its origin…
Read MoreHistory of Herod Antipas
Reading Time: 2 minutesHEROD ANTIPAS Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great (whom we met in the Christmas story) and Malthake. After his father’s death in 4 B.C. he was made tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea in Trans-Jordan. Like his father, he was a lover of great and artistic architectural works, and built the beautiful Tiberias…
Read More