Turns out yesterday was a convergence of matters holy. In addition to Good Friday and Purim, other notable Holy Days from around the world that took place on March 21. Among them, Eid–the birth of the Prophet, among some Muslims. More remarkable is the fact that such a convergence is incredibly rare, due to the fact that none of the major occasions marked on Friday is keyed to the same calendar date or event.
Terry Gross of NPR’s Fresh Air interviewed John Dominic Crossan a few years back to explore the historicity of the crucifixion. Originally airing in 2004, the conversation winds around the notion of, as guest host David Bianculli explains in the intro, crucifixion as state-sanctioned terrorism that “existed for centuries, before it became infamous under the Romans.”
The “great triumph of God over death” conveyed in music is the focus of Religion and Ethics Newsweekly’s Easter feature, with commentary by Canon Victoria Sirota of Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. The piece features excerpts from raditional hymns, African-American spirituals, and contemporary praise music, and context to help people understand the motifs of the music and how they tie into the Holy Week experience.
While Christians are gearing up for Easter, this weekend also marks the festival of Purim in the Jewish faith, as noted in this story from
From pilgrims walking the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem to Good Friday services round the world, Western Christians marked the crucifixion of Christ on Friday.
Today the word is Silence. All the chaos and noise of Holy Week is stilled. Palm Sunday with its hosanna-ing where even the rocks cry out in praise is past. Maundy Thursday’s slopping of water on bare feet of resistant Peter, ended with the betraying Judas leaving in a flurry of shame. Good Friday has come and gone with its whipping and wailing and pounding of nails. And now – silence.
Clearly for these Greek-speaking Christians our human reconciliation with God was effected by the entire dynamic of the Christ-coming. The salvific emphasis was placed upon the incarnation as much as upon the crucifixion. And the sense of redemption was universal and creation-centered rather than individual and focused solely upon humankind.