Good Friday is a Christian holiday observed as part of Holy Week, or the events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. According to the Gospels of the Bible, Jesus and his disciples gathered to celebrate a Pesach (Passover) seder. The seder is a special meal commemorating the freedom of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, and as Jesus was a rabbi, this would have been an important yearly event for him. On...
Good Friday is a Christian holiday observed as part of Holy Week, or the events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. According to the Gospels of the Bible, Jesus and his disciples gathered to celebrate a Pesach (Passover) seder. The seder is a special meal commemorating the freedom of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, and as Jesus was a rabbi, this would have been an important yearly event for him. On the first night of Passover, he gathered with his disciples in the knowledge that he would be crucified in the coming days. As such, Good Friday is always celebrated on the Friday before Easter Sunday.
This "Last Supper" is foundational to Christian belief and many Christian rituals, like the celebration of Mass. For such a solemn holiday, doesn't calling it "good" seem a little strange? The origins of the name "Good Friday" are unclear, but many scholars believe it is called "good" as in deemed holy by the Church, or that it was originally called "God's Friday."
The Italian painter Raphael lived to be exactly thirty-seven years old, and he was born (1483) and died (1520) on the 6th of April. The Gregorian calendar was not introduced until 1583, so it is a little difficult for us to know when Easter Sunday and Good Friday were observed during Raphael's life and in his community. However, legend has it that Raphael was born and/or died on Good Friday.
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