Last Supper From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For other uses, see The Last Supper (disambiguation).

Depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art have been undertaken by artistic masters for centuries, Leonardo da Vinci's late 1490s mural painting in Milan, I taly, being the best-known example.[1] Events in the Life of Jesus according to the Gospels Life of Jesus Early life[show] Ministry[show] Passion[hide] Palm Sunday Triumphal entry into Jerusalem Temple cleansing Second coming prophecy Anointing Last Supper Paraclete promised Agony at Gethsemany Kiss of Judas Arrest Sanhedrin trial Mocking Herod's court Pilate's court Flagellation Crown of Thorns Via Dolorosa Crucifixion Descent from the Cross Entombment Resurrection[show] In rest of the NT[show] Portals: P christianity.svg Christianity Bible.malmesbury.arp.jpg Bible v t e The Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus sha red with his Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion.[2] The Last Supper is commemorated by Christians especially on Maundy Thursday.[3] Moreover, the Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist also known as "Holy Comm union" or "The Lord's Supper".[4] The First Epistle to the Corinthians is the earliest known mention of the Last S upper. The four canonical Gospels all state that the Last Supper took place towa rds the end of the week, after Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and that Je sus and his Apostles shared a meal shortly before Jesus was crucified at the end of that week.[5][6] During the meal Jesus predicts his betrayal by one of the A postles present, and foretells that before the next morning, Peter will deny kno wing him.[5][6] The three Synoptic Gospels and the First Epistle to the Corinthians include the account of the institution of the Eucharist in which Jesus takes bread, breaks i t and gives it to the Apostles, saying: "This is my body which is given for you" .[5][6] The Gospel of John does not include this episode, but tells of Jesus was hing the feet of the Apostles, giving the new commandment "to love one another a s I have loved you", and has a detailed farewell discourse by Jesus, calling the Apostles who follow his teachings "friends and not servants", as he prepares th em for his departure.[7][8]

Scholars have looked to the Last Supper as the source of early Christian Euchari st traditions.[9][10] Others see the account of the Last Supper as derived from 1st-century eucharistic practice[10][11] as described by Paul in the mid-50s. Contents [hide] 1 Terminology 2 Scriptural basis 2.1 Background and setting 2.2 Prediction of Judas' betrayal 2.3 Institution of the Eucharist 2.4 Prediction of Peter's denial 2.5 Elements unique to the Gospel of John 3 Time and place 3.1 Date 3.2 Location 4 Theology of the Last Supper 5 Remembrances 6 Possible parallels 7 Historicity 8 Artistic depictions 9 See also 10 Citations 11 References 12 External links Terminology[edit] The term "Last Supper" does not appear in the New Testament,[12][13] but traditi onally many Christians refer to the New Testament accounts of the last meal Jesu s shared with his Apostles as the "Last Supper".[13] Most Protestants use the term "Lord's Supper", stating that the term "last" sugg ests this was one of several meals and not the meal.[14][15] The term "Lord's Su pper" refers both to the biblical event and the act of "Holy Communion" and Euch aristic ("thanksgiving") celebration within their liturgy. Evangelical Protestan ts also use the term "Lord's Supper", but most do not use the terms "Eucharist" or the word "Holy" with the name "Communion".[16][17] The Eastern Orthodox use the term "Mystical Supper" which refers both to the bib lical event and the act of Eucharistic celebration within liturgy.[18] Scriptural basis[edit] Part of a series on Death and Resurrection of Jesus Crucifixion of Jesus Passion[show] Hypotheses[show] Holy Week[show] Miscellaneous[show] Other Views[show] Portals: P christianity.svg Christianity Bible.malmesbury.arp.jpg Bible v t e The last meal that Jesus shared with his disciples is described in all four cano nical Gospels (Mt. 26:17-30, Mk. 14:12-26, Lk. 22:7-39 and Jn. 13:1-17:26). This meal later became known as the Last Supper.[6] The Last Supper was likely a ret elling of the events of the last meal of Jesus among the early Christian communi ty, and became a ritual which recounted that meal.[19] Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians,[11:23-26] which was likely written befo re the Gospels, includes a reference to the Last Supper but emphasizes the theol ogical basis rather than giving a detailed description of the event or its backg round.[6][5] Background and setting[edit] The overall narrative that is shared in all Gospel accounts that leads to the La st Supper is that after the Triumphal entry into Jerusalem early in the week, an

d encounters with various people and the Jewish elders, Jesus and his disciples share a meal towards the end of the week. After the meal, Jesus is betrayed, arr ested, tried, and then crucified.[5][6] Key events in the meal are the preparation of the disciples for the departure of Jesus, the predictions about the impending betrayal of Jesus, and the foretelli ng of the upcoming denial of Jesus by Apostle Peter.[6][5] Prediction of Judas' betrayal[edit] Main article: Jesus predicts his betrayal In Matthew 26:24-25, Mark 14:18-21, Luke 22:21-23 and John 13:21-30 during the m eal, Jesus predicted that one of his Apostles would betray him.[20] Jesus is des cribed as reiterating, despite each Apostle's assertion that he would not betray Jesus, that the betrayer would be one of those who were present, and saying tha t there would be woe to the man who betrays the Son of man! It would be better f or him if he had not been born.[Mark 14:20-21] In Matthew 26:23-25 and John 13:2 6-27, Judas is specifically identified as the traitor. In the Gospel of John, wh en asked about the traitor, Jesus states: It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish. Then, dipping the piece of brea d, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bre ad, Satan entered into him."[5][6] Institution of the Eucharist[edit] Main article: Eucharist The Eucharist, which "is recorded as celebrated by the early Christian community at Jerusalem and by St. Paul on his visit to Troas", is held to have been insti tuted by Christ.[Acts 20:7][7] The institution of the Lord's Supper is recorded in the three Synoptic Gospels a nd in Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians. The words of institution differ s lightly in each account, reflecting a Marcan tradition (upon which Matthew is ba sed) and a Pauline tradition (upon which Luke is based).[21] In addition, Luke 2 2:19b-20 is a disputed text which does not appear in some of the early manuscrip ts of Luke. Some scholars, therefore, believe that it is an interpolation, while others have argued that it is original.[21][22] A comparison of the accounts given in the Gospels and 1 Corinthians is shown in the table below, with text from the ASV. The disputed text from Luke 22:19b-20 i s in italics. Mark 14:22-24 And as they were eating, he took bread, and when he had blessed, he brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take ye: this is my body. And he t ook a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Matthew 26:26-28 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it; and he gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto remissi on of sins. 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered u nto you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread; a nd when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my body, which is for you: this do in remembrance of me. In like manner also the cup, after suppe r, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as often as ye drin k it, in remembrance of me. Luke 22:19-20 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he brake it, an d gave to them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in rememb rance of me. And the cup in like manner after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, even that which is poured out for you. Jesus' actions in sharing the bread and wine have been linked with Isaiah 53:12 which refers to a blood sacrifice that, as recounted in Exodus 24:8, Moses offer ed in order to seal a covenant with God. Scholars often interpret the descriptio n of Jesus' action as asking his disciples to consider themselves part of a sacr ifice, where Jesus is the one due to physically undergo it.[23] Although the Gospel of John does not include a description of the bread and wine

ritual during the Last Supper, most scholars agree that John 6:58-59 (the Bread of Life Discourse) has a Eucharistic nature and resonates with the "words of in stitution" used in the Synoptic Gospels and the Pauline writings on the Last Sup per.[24] Prediction of Peter's denial[edit] Main article: Denial of Peter In Matthew 26:33-35, Mark 14:29-31, Luke 22:33-34 and John 13:36-38 Jesus predic ts that Peter will deny knowledge of him, stating that Peter will disown him thr ee times before the rooster crows the next morning. The three Synoptic Gospels m ention that after the arrest of Jesus Peter denied knowing him three times, but after the third denial, heard the rooster crow and recalled the prediction as Je sus turned to look at him. Peter then began to cry bitterly.[25][26] Elements unique to the Gospel of John[edit] See also: Washing the feet of the Apostles, The New Commandment, and Farewell di scourse Jesus giving the Farewell Discourse to his eleven remaining disciples, from the Maesta by Duccio, 1308-1311. In John, Jesus has his last supper and is executed not on the day Nisan 15 (the first night of Passover) but on Nisan 14, when the Passover lambs were slaughter ed. Presumably the author preferred this date because it associated Jesus as the Lamb of God with the sacrificial lambs of Passover.[27] John 13 includes the account of the washing the feet of the Apostles by Jesus be fore the meal.[28] In this episode, Apostle Peter objects and does not want to a llow Jesus to wash his feet, but Jesus answers him, Unless I wash you, you have n o part with me ,[Jn 13:8] after which Peter agrees. In the Gospel of John, after the departure of Judas from the Last Supper, Jesus tells his remaining eleven disciples [John 13:33] that he will be with them for only a short time, then gives them a New Commandment, stating:[29][30] A new comm and I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one anot her. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one anoth er. in John 13:34-35. Two similar statements also appear later in John 15:12: "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you", and John 15:17: "This is my command: Love each other."[30] At the Last Supper in the Gospel of John, Jesus gives an extended sermon to his disciples.[John 14-16] This discourse resembles farewell speeches called testame nts, in which a father or religious leader, often on the deathbed, leaves instru ctions for his children or followers.[31] This sermon is referred to as the Farewell discourse of Jesus, and has historica lly been considered a source of Christian doctrine, particularly on the subject of Christology. John 17:1-26 is generally known as the Farewell Prayer or the Hi gh Priestly Prayer, given that it is an intercession for the coming Church.[32] The prayer begins with Jesus' petition for his glorification by the Father, give n that completion of his work and continues to an intercession for the success o f the works of his disciples and the community of his followers.[32] Time and place[edit] Date[edit] See also: Chronology of Jesus and Crucifixion darkness and eclipse Scholarly estimates for the date of the crucifixion generally fall in the range AD 30-36.[33][34][35] Physicist Colin Humphreys rules out the year 36 on astrono mical grounds.[36] He presents other grounds for holding that the crucifixion of Jesus occurred in the afternoon of Friday, 3 April 33, and says that this was 1 4 Nisan in the official Jewish calendar that year.[37] 16th century Orthodox fresco from Kremikovtsi The Gospels say that Jesus died on a Friday and that his body was left in the to mb for the whole of the next day, which was a Shabbat (Saturday).[Mk. 15:42] [16

:1-2] The Synoptic Gospels present the Last Supper as a Passover meal[Matt. 26:1 7][Mk. 14:1-2] [Lk 22:1-15] and they seem to suggest that it was held on the eve ning before the crucifixion (although in no Gospel is it unequivocally said that this meal took place on the night before Jesus died).[38] This would mean that the Passover feast (15 Nisan) began at sunset on what now would commonly be call ed Thursday evening and lasted until sunset on Friday (the Jewish calendar recko ns a date as beginning at sunset, not at midnight). On the contrary, the Gospel of John presents the feast as beginning on the evening following the afternoon d eath of Jesus. This would mean that the Friday of the crucifixion was the day of preparation for the feast (14 Nisan), not the feast itself. Various attempts to reconcile these two accounts have been made, some of which are indicated in the article on the Last Supper by Francis Mershman in the 1912 Catholic Encyclopedi a. In the 1950s Annie Jaubert argued that, while in the year of Jesus' death the of ficial lunar calendar had Passover begin on a Friday evening, a 364-day year was also used, for instance by the Qumran community, and that Jesus celebrated the Passover on the date given in that calendar, which always had the feast begin on Tuesday evening.[39] More recently, Humphreys, who holds that the "Palm Sunday" entry of Jesus into Jerusalem occurred on Monday, not Sunday, argued that the L ast Supper took place on the evening of Wednesday 1 April 33.[40][41] If the Las t Supper was on Tuesday (Jaubert) or Wednesday (Humphreys), this would allow mor e time than in the traditional view (Last Supper on Thursday) for interrogation of Jesus and his presentation to Pilate before he was crucified on Friday. Location[edit] Main article: Cenacle The Cenacle on Mount Zion, claimed to be the location of the Last Supper and Pen tecost. According to later tradition, the Last Supper took place in what is called today The Room of the Last Supper on Mount Zion, just outside of the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, and is traditionally known as The Upper Room. This is based on the account in the Synoptic Gospels that states that Jesus had instructed a p air of unnamed disciples to go to "the city" to meet "a man carrying a jar of wa ter", who would lead them to a house, where they would find "a large upper room furnished and ready".[Mark 14:13-15] In this upper room they "prepare the Passov er". No more specific indication of the location is given in the New Testament, and t he "city" referred to may be a suburb of Jerusalem, such as Bethany, rather than Jerusalem itself. The traditional location is in an area that, according to arc haeology, had a large Essene community, a point made by scholars who suspect a l ink between Jesus and the group (Kilgallen 265). Saint Mark's Syrian Orthodox Church in Jerusalem is another possible site for th e room in which the Last Supper was held, and contains a Christian stone inscrip tion testifying to early reverence for that spot. Certainly the room they have i s older than that of the current coenaculum (crusader - 12th century) and as the room is now underground the relative altitude is correct (the streets of 1st ce ntury Jerusalem were at least twelve feet (3.6 metres) lower than those of today , so any true building of that time would have even its upper storey currently u nder the earth). They also have a revered Icon of the Virgin Mary, reputedly pai nted from life by St Luke. Bargil Pixner[42] claims the original site is located beneath the current struct ure of the Cenacle on Mount Zion. Theology of the Last Supper[edit]

The Washing of Feet and the Supper, from the Maesta by Duccio, 1308-1311. Peter often displays amazement in feet washing depictions, as in John 13:8. St. Thomas Aquinas viewed The Father, Christ, and the Holy Spirit as teachers an

d masters who provide lessons, at times by example. For Aquinas, the Last Supper and the Cross form the summit of the teaching that wisdom flows from intrinsic grace, rather than external power.[43] For Aquinas, at the Last Supper Christ ta ught by example, showing the value of humility (as reflected in John's foot wash ing narrative) and self-sacrifice, rather than by exhibiting external, miraculou s powers.[43][44] Aquinas stated that based on John 15:15 (in the Farewell discourse) in which Jes us said: "No longer do I call you servants; ...but I have called you friends". T hose who are followers of Christ and partake in the Sacrament of the Eucharist b ecome his friends, as those gathered at the table of the Last Supper.[45][43][44 ] For Aquinas, at the Last Supper Christ made the promise to be present in the S acrament of the Eucharist, and to be with those who partake in it, as he was wit h his disciples at the Last Supper.[46] John Calvin believed only in the two sacraments of Baptism and the "Lord's Suppe r" (i.e., Eucharist). Thus, his analysis of the Gospel accounts of the Last Supp er were an important part of his entire theology.[47][48] Calvin related the Syn optic Gospel accounts of the Last Supper with the Bread of Life Discourse in Joh n 6:35 that states: "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hu ngry."[48] Calvin also believed that the acts of Jesus at the Last Supper should be followe d as an example, stating that just as Jesus gave thanks to the Father before bre aking the bread,[1 Cor. 11:24] those who go to the "Lord's Table" to receive the sacrament of the Eucharist must give thanks for the "boundless love of God" and celebrate the sacrament with both joy and thanksgiving.[48] Remembrances[edit] Main article: Maundy Thursday See also: Agape feast Simon Ushakov's icon of the Mystical Supper. The institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper is remembered by Roman Catho lics as one of the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary, the First Station of the Sc riptural Way of the Cross and by most Christians as the "inauguration of the New Covenant", mentioned by the prophet Jeremiah, fulfilled at the last supper when Jesus "took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said , 'Take; this is my body.' And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he ga ve it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, 'This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.'"[Mk. 14:22-24] [Mt. 26:26-28][Lk . 22:19-20] Other Christian groups consider the Bread and Wine remembrance to be a change to the Passover ceremony, as Jesus Christ has become "our Passover, sa crificed for us",[1 Cor. 5:7] and hold that partaking of the Passover Communion (or fellowship) is now the sign of the New Covenant, when properly understood by the practicing believer. These meals evolved into more formal worship services and became codified as the Mass in the Catholic Church, and as the Divine Liturgy in the Eastern Orthodox Church; at these liturgies, Catholics and Eastern Orthodox celebrate the Sacrame nt of the Eucharist. The name "Eucharist" is from the Greek word e??a??st?a (euc haristia) which means "thanksgiving". Early Christianity observed a ritual meal known as the "agape feast"[49] These " love feasts" were apparently a full meal, with each participant bringing food, a nd with the meal eaten in a common room. They were held on Sundays, which became known as the Lord's Day, to recall the resurrection, the appearance of Christ t o the disciples on the road to Emmaus, the appearance to Thomas and the Pentecos t which all took place on Sundays after the Passion. Possible parallels[edit] Raymond Brown has argued that during the Jewish Passover Seder, the first cup of wine is drunk before the eating of the (unleavened) bread, but here it occurs a fter. This may indicate that the event was not the first Passover Seder (which o

ccurs on Nisan 15), and hence more in line with John's chronology which places i t on Nisan 14, although the meal could easily have been altered during the Last Supper for symbolic or religious purposes. Among Christian denominations, the Ea stern Orthodox Church holds that this Eucharistic meal was not the Passover Sede r, but a separate meal.[50] The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) documents also spec ifically reject the Seder arguments and state that given that no Jewish Seder te xts exist earlier than the 9th century, it is historically implausible to attemp t a reconstruction of the Seder to create a parallel to the Last Supper, and tha t the Gospel accounts clearly indicate that the purpose of the Last Supper was n ot the annual repetition of the Exodus.[51] The fifth chapter in Quran, Al-Ma'ida (the table) contains a reference to a meal (Sura 5:113) with a table sent down from God to ?Is (i.e., Jesus) and the apostl es (Hawariyyin). However, there is nothing in Sura 5:113 to indicate that Jesus was celebrating that meal regarding his impending death, especially as the Qur'a n insists that Jesus was never crucified to begin with. Thus although, Sura 5:11 3 refers to "a meal", there is no indication that it is the Last Supper.[52] Historicity[edit] Some scholars consider the Lord's supper to have derived not from Jesus' last su pper with the disciples but rather from the gentile tradition of memorial dinner s for the dead.[53] In this view, the Last Supper is a tradition associated main ly with the gentile churches that Paul established, rather than with the earlier , Jewish congregations.[53] Luke is the only Gospel in which Jesus tells his disciples to repeat the ritual of bread and wine.[54] Bart D. Ehrman states that these particular lines do not appear in certain ancient manuscripts and might not be original to the text.[55] However, many early Church Fathers have attested to the belief that at the Last Supper, Christ made the promise to be present in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, with attestations dating back to the first century AD.[56][57][58][59][60][61][ 62][63] The teaching was also affirmed by many councils throughout the Church's history.[64][65] Artistic depictions[edit] Main article: Last Supper in Christian art The Last Supper, by Bouveret, 19th century. The Last Supper has been a popular subject in Christian art.[1] Depictions of th e Last Supper in Christian art date back to early Christianity and can be seen i n the Catacombs of Rome. Byzantine artists frequently focused on the Apostles re ceiving Communion, rather than the reclining figures having a meal. By the Renai ssance, the Last Supper was a favorite topic in Italian art.[66] There are three major themes in the depictions of the last supper. The first the me is the dramatic and dynamic depiction of Jesus' announcement of his betrayal. The second theme is the moment of the institution of the tradition of the Eucha rist. The depictions here are generally solemn and mystical. The third major the me is the farewell of Jesus to his disciples, in which Judas Iscariot is no long er present, having left the supper. The depictions here are generally melancholy , as Jesus prepares his disciples for his departure.[1] There are also other, le ss frequently depicted scenes, such as the washing of the feet of the disciples. [67] Well known examples include Leonardo da Vinci's depiction, which is considered t he first work of High Renaissance art due to its high level of harmony,[68] Tint oretto's depiction which is unusual in that it includes secondary characters car rying or taking the dishes from the table[69] and Salvadore Dali's depiction com bines the typical Christian themes with modern approaches of Surrealism.[70] Communion of the Apostles, by Fra Angelico, with donor portrait, 1440-41

Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1480, depicting Judas separately

The first Eucharist, depicted by Juan de Juanes, mid-late 16th century

Valentin de Boulogne, 1625-1626 See also[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Last Supper. Bread of Life Discourse Chronology of Jesus Eucharist Farewell discourse Life of Jesus in the New Testament New Covenant (theology) Citations[edit] ^ Jump up to: a b c Gospel figures in art by Stefano Zuffi 2003 ISBN 978-0-89236 -727-6 pages 254-259 Jump up ^ "Last Supper. The final meal of Christ with His Apostles on the night before the Crucifixion.", Cross, F. L., & Livingstone, E. A. (2005). The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (3rd ed. rev.) (958). Oxford; New York: Oxfor d University Press. Jump up ^ Gwyneth Windsor, John Hughes (21 November 1990). "Worship and Festival s". Heinemann. Retrieved 11 April 2009. "On the Thursday, which is known as Maun dy Thursday, Christians remember the Last Supper which Jesus had with His discip les. It was the Jewish Feast of the Passover, and the meal which they had togeth er was the traditional Seder feast, eaten that evening by the Jews everywhere." Jump up ^ Walter Hazen (1 September 2002). "Inside Christianity". Lorenz Educati onal Press. Retrieved 3 April 2012. "The Anglican Church in England uses the ter m Holy Communion. In the Roman Catholic Church, both terms are used. Most Protes tant churches refer to the sacrament simply as communion or The Lord's Supper. C ommunion reenacts the Last Supper that Jesus ate with His disciples before He wa s arrested and crucified." ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g The Bible Knowledge Background Commentary by Craig A . Evans 2003 ISBN 0-7814-3868-3 pages 465-477 ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h The Encyclopedia of Christianity, Volume 4 by Erwi n Fahlbusch, 2005 ISBN 978-0-8028-2416-5 pages 52-56 ^ Jump up to: a b Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church / editors, F. L. Cro ss & E. A. Livingstone 2005 ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3, article Eucharist Jump up ^ The Gospel according to John by Colin G. Kruse 2004 ISBN 0-8028-2771-3 page 103 Jump up ^ "The custom of placing the eucharist at the heart of the worship and f ellowship of the Church may have been inspired not only by the disciples memory o f the Last Supper with Jesus but also by the memory of their fellowship meals wi th Him during both His days on earth and the forty days of His risen appearances .", Bromiley, G. W. (1988; 2002). Vol. 3: The International Standard Bible Encyc lopedia, Revised (164). Wm. B. Eerdmans. ^ Jump up to: a b The Oxford History of Christian Worship. Oxford University Pre ss, USA. 2005. ISBN 0-19-513886-4 Jump up ^ Funk, Robert W. and the Jesus Seminar. The acts of Jesus: the search f or the authentic deeds of Jesus. HarperSanFrancisco. 1998. Introduction, p. 1-40 Jump up ^ An Episcopal dictionary of the church by Donald S. Armentrout, Robert Boak Slocum 2005 ISBN 0-89869-211-3 page 292 ^ Jump up to: a b The Gospel according to Luke: introduction, translation, and n

otes, Volume 28, Part 1 by Joseph A. Fitzmyer 1995 ISBN 0-385-00515-6 page 1378 Jump up ^ The Companion to the Book of Common Worship by Peter C. Bower 2003 ISB N 0-664-50232-6 pages 115-116 Jump up ^ Liturgical year: the worship of God Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 1992 ISBN 978-0-664-25350-9 page 37 Jump up ^ Humanists and Reformers: A History of the Renaissance and Reformation by Bard Thompson 1996 ISBN 978-0-8028-6348-5 pages 493-494 Jump up ^ http://www.umc.org/site/c.lwL4KnN1LtH/b.2247711/k.C611/Communion_Overv iew.htm Jump up ^ The Orthodox Church by John Anthony McGuckin 2010 ISBN 978-1-4443-3731 -0 pages 297 and 293 Jump up ^ The church according to the New Testament by Daniel J. Harrington 2001 ISBN 1-58051-111-2 page 49 Jump up ^ Steven L. Cox, Kendell H Easley, 2007 Harmony of the Gospels ISBN 0-80 54-9444-8 page 182 ^ Jump up to: a b "Lord's Supper, The" in New Bible Dictionary, 3rd edition; IVP , 1996; page 697 Jump up ^ Craig Blomberg (1997), Jesus and the Gospels, Apollos, p. 333 Jump up ^ (Brown et al. 626) Jump up ^ Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible 2000 ISBN 90-5356-503-5 page 792 Jump up ^ Peter: apostle for the whole church by Pheme Perkins 2000 ISBN 0-567-0 8743-3 page 85 Jump up ^ The Gospel according to Matthew, Volume 1 by Johann Peter Lange 1865 P ublished by Charles Scribner Co, NY page 499 Jump up ^ Sanders, E. P. The historical figure of , 1993. p. 72 Jump up ^ Harris, Stephen L., Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985 . "John" p. 302-310 Jump up ^ Encountering John: The Gospel in Historical, Literary, and Theological Perspective by Andreas J. Kostenberger 2002 ISBN 0801026032 pages 149-151 ^ Jump up to: a b 1, 2, and 3 John by Robert W. Yarbrough 2008 ISBN 0801026873 B aker Academic Press page 215 Jump up ^ Funk, Robert W., Roy W. Hoover, and the Jesus Seminar. The five gospel s. HarperSanFrancisco. 1993. ^ Jump up to: a b The Gospel according to John by Herman Ridderbos 1997 ISBN 978 -0-8028-0453-2 The Farewell Prayer: pages 546-576 Jump up ^ Jesus & the Rise of Early Christianity: A History of New Testament Tim es by Paul Barnett 2002 ISBN 0-8308-2699-8 pages 19-21 Jump up ^ Paul's early period: chronology, mission strategy, theology by Rainer Riesner 1997 ISBN 978-0-8028-4166-7 page 19-27 (page 27 has a table of various s cholarly estimates) Jump up ^ The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testa ment by Andreas J. Kstenberger, L. Scott Kellum 2009 ISBN 978-0-8054-4365-3 pages 77-79 Jump up ^ Colin J. Humphreys, The Mystery of the Last Supper Cambridge Universit y Press 2011 ISBN 978-0-521-73200-0, p. 63 [1] Jump up ^ Humphreys 2011, p. 72 Jump up ^ Jacob Neusner, Judaism and Christianity in the First Century (Taylor a nd Francis 1991 ISBN 978-0-8240-8174-4), vol. 3, part 1, p. 333 Jump up ^ Pope Benedict XVI, The Dating of the Last Supper, extract from Jesus o f Nazareth (Catholic Truth Society and Ignatius Press 2011 ISBN 978-1-85082-7075), pp. 106-115 Jump up ^ Humphreys 2011, pp. 164 and 168 Jump up ^ Staff Reporter (18 April 2011). "Last Supper was on Wednesday, not Thu rsday, challenges Cambridge professor Colin Humphreys.". International Business Times. Retrieved 18 April 2011. Jump up ^ Bargil Pixner, The Church of the Apostles found on Mount Zion, Biblica l Archaeology Review 16.3 May/June 1990 [2] ^ Jump up to: a b c Reading John with St. Thomas Aquinas by Michael Dauphinais, Matthew Levering 2005 ISBN page xix ^ Jump up to: a b A-Z of Thomas Aquinas by Joseph Peter Wawrykow 2005 ISBN 0-334

-04012-4 pages 124-125 Jump up ^ The ethics of Aquinas by Stephen J. Pope 2002 ISBN 0-87840-888-6 page 22 Jump up ^ The Westminster handbook to Thomas Aquinas by Joseph Peter Wawrykow 20 05 ISBN 978-0-664-22469-1 page 124 Jump up ^ Reformed worship by Howard L. Rice, James C. Huffstutler 2001 ISBN 0-6 64-50147-8 pages 66-68 ^ Jump up to: a b c Calvin's Passion for the Church and the Holy Spirit by David S. Chen 2008 ISBN 978-1-60647-346-7 pages 62-68 Jump up ^ Agape is one of the four main Greek words for love (The Four Loves by C. S. Lewis). It refers to the idealised or high-level unconditional love rather than lust, friendship, or affection (as in parental affection). Though Christia ns interpret Agape as meaning a divine form of love beyond human forms, in moder n Greek the term is used in the sense of "I love you" (romantic love). Jump up ^ Brown et al. page 626 Jump up ^ Liturgical year: the worship of God by Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 1 992 ISBN 978-0-664-25350-9 page 37 Jump up ^ Christology in dialogue with Muslims by Ivor Mark Beaumont 2005 ISBN 1 -870345-46-0 page 145 ^ Jump up to: a b Funk, Robert W. and the Jesus Seminar. The acts of Jesus: the search for the authentic deeds of Jesus. HarperSanFrancisco. 1998. "Mark," p. 51 -161 Jump up ^ Vermes, Geza. The authentic gospel of Jesus. London, Penguin Books. 20 04. Jump up ^ Ehrman, Bart D.. Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bi ble and Why. HarperCollins, 2005. ISBN 978-0-06-073817-4 Jump up ^ The Martyr, Justin. "The First Apology". Jump up ^ of Lyons, Irenaeus. "Against Heresies". Jump up ^ of Alexandria, Clement. "The Paedagogus (Book I)". Jump up ^ of Antioch, Ignatius. "The Epistle of Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans". Jump up ^ of Antioch, Ignatius. "The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians". Jump up ^ of Antioch, Ignatius. "The Epistle of Ignatius to the Romans". Jump up ^ Tertullian. "On the Resurrection of the Flesh". Jump up ^ Augustine. "Exposition on Psalm 33 (mistakenly labelled 34)". Jump up ^ "First Council of Nica (A.D. 325)". Jump up ^ "Council of Ephesus (A.D. 431)". Jump up ^ Vested angels: eucharistic allusions in early Netherlandish paintings by Maurice B. McNamee 1998 ISBN 978-90-429-0007-3 pages 22-32 Jump up ^ Gospel figures in art by Stefano Zuffi 2003 ISBN 978-0-89236-727-6 pag es 252 Jump up ^ Experiencing art around us by Thomas Buser 2005 ISBN 978-0-534-64114-6 pages 382-383 Jump up ^ Tintoretto: Tradition and Identity by Tom Nichols 2004 ISBN 1-86189-12 0-2 page 234 Jump up ^ The mathematics of harmony by Alexey Stakhov, Scott Olsen 2009 ISBN 97 8-981-277-582-5 pages 177-178 References[edit] Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Testament Doubleday 1997 ISBN 0-385 -24767-2 Brown, Raymond E. et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary Prentice Hall 1990 I SBN 0-13-614934-0 Bultmann, Rudolf The Gospel of John Blackwell 1971 Kilgallen, John J. A Brief Commentary on the Gospel of Mark Paulist Press 1989 I SBN 0-8091-3059-9 Linders, Barnabas The Gospel of John Marshall Morgan and Scott 1972 External links[edit] "Last Supper" on Encyclopdia Britannica Online. Wikisource-logo.svg "The Last Supper". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert A

ppleton Company. 1913. [show] v t e Easter Categories: New Testament words and phrasesDoctrines and teachings of JesusGospe l episodesLuminous MysteriesSacramentsChristian terms Navigation menu Create accountLog inArticleTalkReadEditView history Main page Contents Featured content Current events Random article Donate to Wikipedia Wikimedia Shop Interaction Help About Wikipedia Community portal Recent changes Contact page Tools Print/export Languages ??????? ????? Az?rbaycanca ?????????? Bikol Central ????????? Brezhoneg Catal Ce tina Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch ???????? Espaol Esperanto Euskara ????? Franais Gaeilge Galego ??? Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia slenska Italiano ????? Basa Jawa Latina Latvie u Magyar ?????????? ?????? Bahasa Melayu Nederlands ??? Norsk nynorsk

Polski Portugus Romna ??????? Sloven cina ?????? / srpski Srpskohrvatski / ?????????????? Svenska Tagalog ????? ??? Trke ?????????? Ti?ng Vi?t Yorb ?? Edit links This page was last modified on 22 February 2014 at 05:38. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; add itional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and P rivacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-prof it organization. Privacy policyAbout WikipediaDisclaimersContact WikipediaDevelopersMobile viewWi kimedia Foundation Powered by MediaWiki2 Duration 3 Other related fasting periods 4 Associated customs 5 Prohibition of singing the Gloria and Alleluia 6 Veiling of religious images 6.1 Pre-Lenten festivals 6.2 Fasting and abstinence 7 Media coverage 8 Facts about Lent 8.1 Easter Triduum 9 See also 10 References 11 External links Etymology[edit]

Lent celebrants carrying out a street procession during Holy Week. The violet co lor is often associated with penance and detachment. Similar Christian penitenti al practice is seen in other Catholic countries, sometimes associated with morti fication of the flesh. Granada, Nicaragua. In Latin the term quadragesima (translation of the original Greek ?essa?a??st?, Tessarakoste, the "fortieth" day before Easter) is used. This nomenclature is pr eserved in Romance, Slavic and Celtic languages (for example, Spanish cuaresma, Portuguese quaresma, French carme, Italian quaresima, Romanian paresimi, Croatian korizma, Irish Carghas, and Welsh C(a)rawys). In most Slavic languages the common name is simply a phrase meaning "fasting tim e" (as Czech postn doba) or "great fast" (as Russian ??????? ???? vyeliki post). In Tagalog, the name retains from its Spanish wording Cuaresma while the local w ording uses "Mahal na Araw" or "Beloved Days". In the late Middle Ages, as sermons began to be given in the vernacular instead of Latin, the English word lent was adopted. This word initially simply meant sp ring (as in the German language Lenz and Dutch lente) and derives from the Germa nic root for long because in the spring the days visibly lengthen.[16] Duration[edit]

Different Christian denominations calculate the forty days of Lent differently. Historically, the season of Lent lasts from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday and i ncludes the Paschal Triduum, totaling forty days.[10][11] This duration has been maintained by most Western Christian denominations, including the Anglican Chur ch,[12] Lutheran Church,[13] Methodist Church,[14] and Western Rite Orthodox Chu rch.[15] In the Roman Catholic Church, however, since the Second Vatican Council , that denomination has affirmed that the first day of the Easter Triduum begins with the Mass of the Lord's Supper, the second day begins at sundown the follow ing day, and the final day begins after sundown that Saturday. Lenten observance s are maintained until the Easter Vigil, but the liturgical season of Lent ends when Mass starts the evening of Maundy Thursday. Therefore, Roman Catholics have 44 days in Lent (inclusive of all Sundays).[17] One notable exception in the Ro man Catholic Church is the Archdiocese of Milan, which follows the Ambrosian Rit e and observes Lent starting on the Sunday six weeks before Easter, a move litur gically approved by Pope Gregory the Great.[18][19] In those churches which follow the Rite of Constantinople (e.g. Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics), the forty days of Lent are counted differently; also, t he date of Easter is calculated differently in the East than in the West (see Co mputus). The fast begins on Clean Monday, and Sundays are included in the count. Thus, counting uninterruptedly from Clean Monday, Great Lent ends on the fortiet h consecutive day, which is the Friday before Palm Sunday. The days of Lazarus S aturday, Palm Sunday and Holy Week are considered a distinct period of fasting. For more detailed information about the Eastern Christian practice of Lent, see the article Great Lent. Among the Oriental Orthodox, there are various local traditions regarding Lent. The Coptic, Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Churches observe eight week s of Lent, which, with both Saturdays and Sunday mornings exempt, has forty days of fasting.[18] Only food, water and salt may be allowed during fasting, which runs for a total of 56 days.[20] Others attribute these seven days to the fast of Holofernes who asked the Syrian Christians to fast for him after they requested his assistance to repel the inv ading pagan Persians. Joyous Saturday and the week preceding it are counted sepa rately from the forty-day fast in accordance with the Apostolic Constitutions gi ving an extra eight days. Other related fasting periods[edit]

The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, most notably by the public impositio n of ashes. A Christian clergyman imposes ashes on a member of the United States Navy. The number forty has many Biblical references: the forty days Moses spent on Mou nt Sinai with God (Exodus 24:18); the forty days and nights Elijah spent walking to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8); the forty days and nights God sent rain in the g reat flood of Noah (Genesis 7:4); the forty years the Hebrew people wandered in the desert while traveling to the Promised Land (Numbers 14:33); the forty days Jonah gave in his prophecy of judgment to the city of Nineveh in which to repent or be destroyed (Jonah 3:4). Jesus retreated into the wilderness, where He fasted for forty days, and was tem pted by the devil (Matthew 4:1 2, Mark 1:12 13, Luke 4:1 2). He overcame all three of Satan's temptations by citing scripture to the devil, at which point the devil l eft him, angels ministered to Jesus, and He began His ministry. Jesus further sa id that His disciples should fast "when the bridegroom shall be taken from them" (Matthew 9:15), a reference to his Passion. Since, presumably, the Apostles fas ted as they mourned the death of Jesus, Christians have traditionally fasted dur ing the annual commemoration of his burial. It is the traditional belief that Jesus lay for forty hours in the tomb[18] whic h led to the forty hours of total fast that preceded the Easter celebration in t he early Church[21] (the biblical reference to 'three days in the tomb' is under stood as spanning three days, from Friday afternoon to early Sunday morning, rat

her than three 24 hour periods of time). One of the most important ceremonies at Easter was the baptism of the initiates on Easter Eve. The fast was initially u ndertaken by the catechumens to prepare them for the reception of this sacrament . Later, the period of fasting from Good Friday until Easter Day was extended to six days, to correspond with the six weeks of training, necessary to give the f inal instruction to those converts who were to be baptized. Converts to Catholicism followed a strict catechumenate or period of instruction and discipline prior to baptism. In Jerusalem near the close of the fourth cent ury, classes were held throughout Lent for three hours each day. With the legali zation of Christianity (by the Edict of Milan) and its later imposition as the s tate religion of the Roman Empire, its character was endangered by the great inf lux of new members. In response, the Lenten fast and practices of self-renunciat ion were required annually of all Christians, both to show solidarity with the c atechumens, and for their own spiritual benefit. Associated customs[edit]

Statues and icons veiled in violet shrouds for Passiontide in St Pancras Church, Ipswich, United Kingdom. There are traditionally forty days in Lent which are marked by fasting, both fro m foods and festivities, and by other acts of penance. The three traditional pra ctices to be taken up with renewed vigour during Lent are prayer (justice toward s God), fasting (justice towards self), and almsgiving (justice towards neighbou r). However, in modern times, observers give up an action of theirs considered to be a vice, add something that is considered to be able to bring them closer to God , and often give the time or money spent doing that to charitable purposes or or ganizations.[22] In addition, some believers add a regular spiritual discipline, such as reading a Lenten daily devotional.[6] Another practice commonly added is the singing of Stabat Mater hymn in designated groups. Among Filipino Catholics, the recitation of Jesus Christ' passion called Pasiong Mahal is also observed. In some Christi an countries, grand religious processions and cultural customs are observed, and the faithful attempt to visit seven churches during Holy Week in honor of Jesus Christ heading to Mount Calvary. In many liturgical Christian denominations, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easte r Sunday form the Easter Triduum.[23] Lent is a season of grief that necessarily ends with a great celebration of Easter. It is known in Eastern Orthodox circle s as the season of "Bright Sadness." It is a season of sorrowful reflection whic h is punctuated by breaks in the fast on Sundays. Prohibition of singing the Gloria and Alleluia[edit]

A Roman Catholic residential home altar of Our Lady of Fatima veiled for Ash Wed nesday. With silver candlesticks prepared and no flowers. SSPX, Washington D.C., United States of America. In the Roman Catholic Mass, Lutheran Divine Service, and Anglican Eucharist, the Gloria in Excelsis Deo is not normally sung during the Lenten season, disappear ing on Ash Wednesday and not returning until Maundy Thursday, the joyful commemo ration of Christ's institution of the Holy Eucharist. It may, however, be sung o n certain feasts that occur during Lent, such as the Annunciation. Likewise, the Alleluia is not sung during Lent. It is replaced before the Gospel reading by a seasonal acclamation such as "Praise to you, O Christ, king of ete rnal glory". In the pre-1970 form of the Roman Rite omission of the Alleluia beg ins with Septuagesima. Even on feasts in Lent, Alleluia is not sung. In the Byzantine Rite, the Gloria (Great Doxology) continues to be used in its n ormal place in the Matins service, and the Alleluia appears all the more frequen tly, replacing "God is the Lord" at Matins.

Veiling of religious images[edit] In certain pious Catholic countries prior to the Second Vatican Council, religio us objects were veiled for the entire forty-days of Lent. Though perhaps uncommo n in the United States of America, this pious practice is consistently observed in Malaga, Seville and Barcelona, Spain, as well as in Malta, Goa, India, Peru a nd the Philippine islands (with the exception on processional images). In Irelan d prior to Vatican II, when impoverished rural Catholic convents and parishes co uld not afford purple fabrics, they resorted to either removing the statues alto gether, or if too heavy or bothersome; turned the statues to face the wall. As i s popular custom, the 14 Stations of the Cross plaques on the walls are not veil ed. A veiled altar cross at an Anglican cathedral in St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, Memphis, Tennessee. Former crucifixes made before the time of Saint Francis of Assisi did not have a body corpus, therefore adorned with jewels and gemstones which was referred to as Crux Gemmatae. In order to keep the faithful from adoring the Crucifixes elab orated with ornamentation, veiling it in royal purple fabrics came into place. T he violet colour later evolved as a color of penance and mourning. Further liturgical changes in modernity reduced it to the last week of Passionti de. In cases where no violet fabrics could be afford by the parish, only the hea ds of the statues were veiled. If there were no fabrics afforded at all, the rel igious statues and images were turned around facing the wall and flowers were al ways removed as a sign of solemn mourning. In pre-1970 forms of the Roman Rite, the last two weeks of Lent are known as Passiontide, a period beginning on the F ifth Sunday in Lent, which in the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal is called the First Sunday in Passiontide and in earlier editions Passion Sunday. All statues (and in England paintings as well) in the church were traditionally veiled in v iolet. This was seen as in keeping with the Gospel of that Sunday (John 8:46 59), in which Jesus hid himself from the people. A crucifix on the high altar is veiled for Lent. Saint Martin's parish, Wrttember g, Germany. Due to the lack of piety and ornate Catholic artwork by general within the Unite d States of America after the Second Vatican Council, the need to veil statues o r crosses became increasingly irrelevant and deemed unnecessary by various dioce san bishops. As a result, the veils were removed at the singing of the Gloria du ring the Easter Vigil. In 1970 the name "Passiontide" was dropped, although the last two weeks are markedly different from the rest of the season, and continuan ce of the tradition of veiling images is left to the decision of a country's con ference of bishops or even to individual parishes as pastors may wish. On Good Friday, the Lutherans, Methodists and Anglican churches veil "all pictur es, statutes, and the cross are covered in mourning black" while the chancel and altar coverings are replaced with black, and altar candles are extinguished." T he fabrics are then "replaced with white on sunrise on Easter Sunday".[24] Pre-Lenten festivals[edit] Main articles: Carnival, Mardi Gras, Swabian-Alemannic-Fastnacht, Maslenitsa, Pa ncake Day, and Baklahorani The traditional carnival celebrations which precede Lent in many cultures have b ecome associated with the season of fasting if only because they are a last oppo rtunity for excess before Lent begins. The most famous pre-Lenten carnival in th e world is celebrated in Rio de Janeiro; other famous Carnivals are held in Trin idad & Tobago, Venice, Cologne, Tenerife, Mobile, AL, St. Louis, MO, and New Orl eans, LA. It is known by the name Mardi Gras, Pancake Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, o r Fat Tuesday. In Lebanon and Syria, the last Thursday before Lent begins, Catholics celebrate Khamis el sakara where they indulge themselves with alcoholic drinks.

Fasting and abstinence[edit] Fasting during Lent was more severe in ancient times than today. Socrates Schola sticus reports that in some places, all animal products were strictly forbidden, while others will permit fish, others permit fish and fowl, others prohibit fru it and eggs, and still others eat only bread. In some places, the observant abstained from food for an entire day; others took only one meal each day, while others abstained from all food until mid-afternoo n. In most places the practice was to abstain from eating until the evening, whe n a small meal without vegetables or alcohol was eaten.[citation needed] During the early Middle Ages, meat, eggs and dairy products were generally forbi dden. Thomas Aquinas argued that "they afford greater pleasure as food [than fis h], and greater nourishment to the human body, so that from their consumption th ere results a greater surplus available for seminal matter, which when abundant becomes a great incentive to lust."[25] A caricature mockery of Jesus Christ, wearing a purple robe with a bucket as cro wn of thorns and stick as reed, is mocked and ridiculed representing the gore of Lent and personified at a European Carnival celebration. Oil painting "The Batt le between Carnival and Lent" by artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Circa 1558-155 9. However, dispensations for dairy products were given, frequently for a donation[ citation needed], from which several churches are popularly believed to have bee n built, including the "Butter Tower" of the Rouen Cathedral. In Spain, the bull of the Holy Crusade (renewed periodically after 1492) allowed the consumption of dairy products[26] and eggs during Lent in exchange for a co ntribution to the conflict. Giraldus Cambrensis in his Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales reports that "in Germany and the arctic regions," "great and religious persons," eat th e tail of beavers as "fish" because of its superficial resemblance to "both the taste and colour of fish." The animal was also very abundant in Wales at the tim e.[27] In current Western societies the practice is considerably relaxed, though in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches abstinence fr om all animal products including fish, eggs, fowl and milk sourced from animals (e.g. goats and cows as opposed to the milk of soy beans and coconuts) is still commonly practiced, meaning only vegetarian (vegan) meals are consumed in many E astern countries[which?] for the entire fifty-five days of their Lent. In the Ro man Catholic Church for the duration of Lent, on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday i t is required to eat less than is customary for the day, with no meat, eating on ly one full meal and two small meals also totalling less than a full meal.[28] Pursuant to Canon 1253, days of fasting and abstinence are set by the national E piscopal Conference. Parallel to the fasting laws are the laws of abstinence. Th ese bind those over the age of fourteen. On days of abstinence, the person must not eat meat or poultry. According to canon law, all Fridays of the year, Ash We dnesday and several other days are days of abstinence, though in most countries, the strict requirements for abstinence have been limited by the bishops (in acc ordance with Canon 1253) to the Fridays of Lent and Ash Wednesday. On other abst inence days, the faithful are invited to perform some other act of penance. Exceptions to abstinence on Fridays during the Lenten Season can occur through t he dispensation of a particular bishop. For example, in the United States in are as where the diocesan patron is St. Patrick (as in the Archdiocese of New York a nd Los Angeles) or where many Catholics share an Irish heritage (as in Boston), if St. Patrick's Day (17 March) falls on a Friday, the local bishop or archbisho p can grant a dispensation to all Catholics of the diocese from abstinence. (App roximately one third of all Catholic dioceses in the United States grant such a dispensation.[29]) More universally, this occurs on the solemnities of St. Joseph and the Annunciat ion, which are on 19 and 25 March respectively (unless they conflict with a day of high rank in the calendar of the season). If those two solemnities, although

not Holy Days of Obligation, fall on a Friday during Lent then the obligation to abstain is abrogated. Similarly, during those two solemnities, the faithful may temporarily partake of anything they gave up for Lent, unless they were trying to give up a habitual sin as their Lenten offering- which is not uncommon.[30] Contemporary legislation is rooted in the 1966 Apostolic Constitution of Pope Pa ul VI, Paenitemini. He recommended that fasting be appropriate to the local econ omic situation, and that all Catholics voluntarily fast and abstain. He also all owed that fasting and abstinence might be substituted with prayer and works of c harity in nations with a lower standard of living. After the Reformation, in the Lutheran Church, "Church orders of the 16th centur y retained the observation of the Lenten fast, and Lutherans have observed this season with a serene, earnest attitude."[2] In the Anglican Church, Saint August ine's Prayer Book, a companion to the Book of Common Prayer, states that fasting is "usually meaning not more than a light breakfast, one full meal, and one hal f meal, on the forty days of Lent." It further states that "the major Fast Days of Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, as the American Prayer-Book indicates, are str icter in obligation, though not in observance, than the other Fast Days, and the refore should not be neglected except in cases of serious illness or other neces sity of an absolute character."[31] In many pious Catholic countries, religious processions such as Lent are often a ccompanied by a military escort both for security and parade. Ceuta, Spain. Traditionally, on Sunday and the hours before sunrise and after sunset some Chur ches such as Episcopalians allow 'breaks' in their lent promises, Roman Catholic s may cease their fasting and start again whatever they gave up for Lent, after they attend Mass on Easter Sunday. Orthodox Christians break their fast after th e Paschal Vigil (a service which starts around 11:00 pm on Holy Saturday), which includes the Paschal celebration of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. At the end of the service, the priest blesses eggs, cheese, flesh meats and othe r items that the faithful have been abstaining from for the duration of Great Le nt. Lenten traditions and liturgical practices are less common, less binding and som etimes non-existent or non-compulsory in tone among some liberal and progressive Christians since they do not generally emphasize piety and the mortification of the flesh as a significant virtue.[32] A greater emphasis on the anticipation o f Easter Sunday is often more encouraged than the desolate theme of Lent or Holy Week.[33] In modern times, some progressive Christian denominations as well as secular gro ups re-interpret the theme of Lent in a more joyful, positive tone, or engage it s purpose towards non-religious causes such as environmental stewardship or heal th-related improvements via fasting.[34][35][36] Media coverage[edit] During Lent, BBC's Radio Four normally broadcasts a series of fifteen-minute pro grammes called the Lent Talks. These are fifteen-minute programmes that are norm ally broadcast on a Wednesday, and have featured various speakers. Facts about Lent[edit] Question book-new.svg This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this s ection by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challe nged and removed. (January 2013) See also: Easter Triduum The site of Golgotha, Mount Calvary, where Sacred Tradition claims Jesus' site o f death and crucifixion. Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Old Jerusalem. There are several holy days within the season of Lent: Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent for Roman Catholics and most mainline Ref

ormed and Protestant traditions. Clean Monday (or "Ash Monday") is the first day of Lent in Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches. By Pontifical decree, there is no Ash Wednesday in the Ambrosian Rite, and Lent begins liturgically on what the Roman Rite regards as first Sunday in Lent. Trad itionally, the fast began on the first Monday of Lent as also reflected in the M ozarabic rite. The Sundays in Lent carry Latin names in German Lutheranism, derived from the be ginning of the Sunday's introit. The first is called Invocabit, the second Remin iscere, the third Oculi, the fourth Laetare, the fifth Judica. The sixth Sunday is Palm Sunday. The fourth Sunday in Lent, which marks the halfway point between Ash Wednesday a nd Easter, is referred to as Laetare Sunday by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and m any other Christians because of the traditional Entrance Antiphon of the Mass. D ue to the more "joyful" character of the day (since laetare in Latin means "rejo ice"), the priest (as well as deacon and subdeacon) has the option of wearing ve stments of a rose colour (pink) instead of violet. The fourth Lenten Sunday, Mothering Sunday, which has become known as Mother's D ay in the United Kingdom and an occasion for honouring mothers of children, has its origin in a sixteenth-century celebration of the Mother Church. The fifth Sunday in Lent, also known as Passion Sunday (however, that term is al so applied to Palm Sunday) marks the beginning of Passiontide. The sixth Sunday in Lent, commonly called Palm Sunday, marks the beginning of Ho ly Week, the final week of Lent immediately preceding Easter. Wednesday of Holy Week, Holy Wednesday (also sometimes known as Spy Wednesday) c ommemorates the day on which Judas spied on Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane be fore betraying him. Thursday is known as Maundy Thursday, or Holy Thursday, and is a day Christians commemorate the Last Supper shared by Christ with his disciples. The next day is Good Friday, on which Christians remember Jesus' crucifixion and burial. Easter Triduum[edit] In the Anglican, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Old Catholic, and many other churches , the Easter Triduum is a three-day event that begins with the entrance hymn of the Mass of the Lord's Supper. After this Maundy Thursday evening celebration, t he consecrated Hosts are taken from the altar solemnly to a place of reposition where the faithful are invited to worship the holy Body of Christ. On the next d ay the liturgical commemoration of the Passion of Jesus Christ is celebrated at 3 pm, unless a later time is chosen due to work schedules. This service consists of readings from the Scriptures especially John the Evange list's account of the Passion of Jesus, followed by prayers, veneration of the c ross of Jesus, and a communion service at which the hosts consecrated at the eve ning Mass of the day before are distributed. The Easter Vigil during the night b etween Holy Saturday afternoon and Easter Sunday morning starts with the blessin g of a fire and a special candle and with readings from Scripture associated wit h baptism, then the Gloria in Excelsis Deo is sung, water is blessed, baptism an d confirmation of adults may take place, and the people are invited to renew the promises of their own baptism, and finally Mass is celebrated in the usual way from the Preparation of the Gifts onwards. Holy Week and the season of Lent, depending on denomination and local custom, en d with Easter Vigil at sundown on Holy Saturday or on the morning of Easter Sund ay. It is custom for some churches to hold sunrise services which include open a ir celebrations in some places. In the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and many Anglican churches, the priest's vestme nts are violet during the season of Lent. On the fourth Sunday in Lent, rose-col oured (pink) vestments may be worn in lieu of violet. In some Anglican churches, a type of unbleached linen or muslin known as Lenten array is used during the f irst three weeks of Lent, and crimson during Passiontide. On holy days, the colo ur proper to the day is worn.[37] Today, some atheists who find value in the Chr istian tradition, also observe Lent.[38]

See also[edit] Portal icon Christianity portal Counting of the Omer Fasting in the Eastern Orthodox Church Fasting and abstinence in the Roman Catholic Church Fasting and abstinence of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria Fast of Nineveh People's Sunday Quinquagesima Tisha B'Av Non-Judeo-Christian: Cold Food Festival Ramadan Vassa General: Asceticism References[edit] Jump up ^ Comparative Religion For Dummies. For Dummies. Retrieved 8 March 2011. "This is the day Lent begins. Christians go to church to pray and have a cross drawn in ashes on their foreheads. The ashes drawn on ancient tradition represen t repentance before God. The holiday is part of Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Method ist, and Episcopalian liturgies, among others." ^ Jump up to: a b Gassmann, Gnther (4 January 2001). Historical Dictionary of Lut heranism. Scarecrow Press, Inc. p. 180. ISBN 081086620X. Jump up ^ Benedict, Philip (3 March 2014). Christ's Churches Purely Reformed: A Social History of Calvinism. Yale University Press. p. 506. ISBN 030010507X. Jump up ^ Mennonite Stew - A Glossary: Lent. Third Way Caf. Retrieved 24 February 2012. "Traditionally, Lent was not observed by the Mennonite church, and only r ecently have more modern Mennonite churches started to focus on the six week sea son preceding Easter." Jump up ^ Brumley, Jeff. "Lent not just for Catholics, but also for some Baptist s and other evangelicals". The Florida Times Union. Retrieved 3 March 2014. ^ Jump up to: a b Crumm, David. Our Lent, 2nd Edition. ISBN 1934879509. Jump up ^ This practice is observed in numerous pious Catholic countries, althou gh the form of abstention may vary depending on what is customary. Some abstain from meat for 40 days, some do so only on Fridays, or some only on Good Friday i tself. By pontifical decree under Pope Alexander VI, eggs and dairy products may be consumed by penitents during Lent in Spain and its colonized territories. Jump up ^ "What is Lent and why does it last forty days?". The United Methodist Church. Retrieved 24 August 2007. Jump up ^ "The Liturgical Year". The Anglican Catholic Church. Retrieved 24 Augu st 2007. ^ Jump up to: a b c Akin, James. "All About Lent". EWTN. Retrieved 3 March 2014. ^ Jump up to: a b The Roman and the Lutheran Observance of Lent. Luther League o f America. 1920. p. 5. ^ Jump up to: a b Kitch, Anne E. (10 January 2003). The Anglican Family Prayer B ook. Church Publishing, Inc. p. 130. ^ Jump up to: a b The Northwestern Lutheran, Volumes 60-61. Northwestern Publish ing House. 1973. p. 66. ^ Jump up to: a b Langford, Andy (4 January 1993). Blueprints for worship: a use r's guide for United Methodist congregations. Abingdon Press. p. 96. ^ Jump up to: a b Fenton, John. "The Holy Season of Lent in the Western Traditio n". Western Rite of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North Ameri ca. Retrieved 3 March 2014. Jump up ^ Lent Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 8 March 2009. Jump up ^ General Norms for the Liturgical Year and Calendar ^ Jump up to: a b c Catholic Encyclopedia Lent See paragraph: Duration of the Fa st

Jump up ^ The "Secret of the Mass" in the First Sunday of Lent - "Sacrificium Qu adragesimalis Initii", Missale Romanum Ambrosianus Jump up ^ The Ethiopian Tewahedo Orthodox Church Faith and Order - Liturgical Ca lendar - http://www.ethiopianorthodox.org/english/calendar.html Jump up ^ Lent & Beyond: Dr. Peter Toon From Septuagesima to Quadragesima (web sit e gone, no alternate source found, originally cited 27 August 2010) Jump up ^ "Lent disciplines and practices". Spirit Home. Retrieved 27 August 2010. [self-published source?] Jump up ^ "General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, 19". Catholic liturgy.com. Retrieved 27 August 2010. Jump up ^ Bratcher, Dennis. "The Days of Holy Week". CRI. Jump up ^ "'''Summa Theologica''' Q147a8". Newadvent.org. Retrieved 27 August 20 10. Jump up ^ Alejandro Torres Gutirrez, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. "Millenni um:Fear and Religion". Archived from the original on 18 August 2002. Jump up ^ "Baldwin's Itinerary Through Wales No. 2 by Giraldus Cambrensis". Gute nberg.org. 31 December 2001. Retrieved 27 August 2010. Jump up ^ Colin B. Donovan, Fast and Abstinence. Retrieved 28 December 2007. Jump up ^ Engber, Daniel (15 March 2006). "Thou Shalt Eat Corned Beef on Friday: Who Sets the Rules on Lent?". Slate. Retrieved 13 February 2010. Jump up ^ "Canon 1251 of the Code of Canon Law". Vatican.va. Retrieved 27 August 2010. Jump up ^ "The Church's Discipline as to Fasting and Abstinence". Anglican Commu nion. Retrieved 3 March 2014. Jump up ^ http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markdroberts/series/ash-wednesday-practic e-and-meaning/ Jump up ^ http://www.peterlang.com/index.cfm?event=cmp.ccc.seitenstruktur.detail seiten&seitentyp=produkt&pk=54122&cid=690 Jump up ^ Hebden, Keith (3 March 2014). "This Lent I will eat no food, to highli ght the hunger all around us". The Guardian. Jump up ^ http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/03/02/believe-it-or-not-cat holics-observing-lent-save-ou.aspx Jump up ^ http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/diets/462947/Cut-out-one-treat-for -Lent-and-your-waistline-could-reap-the-benefits Jump up ^ The Church of England rubric states: "The colour for a particular serv ice should reflect the predominant theme. If the Collect, Readings, etc. on a Le sser Festival are those of the saint, then either red (for a martyr) or white is used; otherwise, the colour of the season is retained." See page 532 here. Jump up ^ Winston, Kimberly. "After giving up religion, atheists try giving up s omething else for Lent". Religion News Service. Retrieved 19 March 2013. External links[edit] Look up Lent in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. The Lenten Season and How To Observe Lent Lent: Catholic Encyclopedia Daily Lenten Devotional - LHM Methodist Church: Lent and Easter Resources Bright Sadness -a Lenten devotional from a Christian-non-sectarian point of view , marking the milestones of Lent [show] v t e Easter Categories: FastingCatholic liturgyChristian festivals and holy daysChristian te rmsEasterEastern Orthodox liturgical daysEastern OrthodoxyEastern Christian litu rgyLiturgical calendarReligious holidays Navigation menu Create accountLog inArticleTalkReadEditView history Main page Contents Featured content

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