The Gospels all agree that Jesus died on a Friday, a few hours before the Jewish Sabbath was to begin (Matthew 27:62, Mark 15:42, Luke 23:54, John 19:42), that he shared a Last Supper with his disciples the evening before, and was crucified the next day—and that these events occurred in the reign of Tiberius (AD 14–37) ...
We conclude that Jesus was most likely crucified on April 3, AD 33. While other dates are possible, believers can take great assurance from the fact that the most important historical events in Jesus's life, such as the crucifixion, are firmly anchored in human history.
Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Holy and Great Friday), and Black Friday.
Maundy Thursday, also called Holy Thursday or Sheer Thursday, the Thursday before Easter, observed in commemoration of Jesus Christ's institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper.
Christians mark Jesus Christ's Last Supper on Maundy Thursday, but new research suggests it took place on the Wednesday before his crucifixion.
Holy Thursday is the commemoration of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, when he established the sacrament of Holy Communion prior to his arrest and crucifixion. It also commemorates His institution of the priesthood. The holy day falls on the Thursday before Easter and is part of Holy Week.
The tie between Passover and Easter dates back to the Last Supper, when Jesus had a Passover Seder soon before his crucifixion. This happened on what is now Maundy Thursday, three days before Easter. The Last Supper is often identified as a Passover Seder.
The Thursday before Easter is known as either Maundy Thursday, or Holy Thursday. Maundy is derived from the Latin word for "command," and refers to Jesus' commandment to the disciples to "Love one another as I have loved you."
Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter, believed to be the day when Jesus celebrated his final Passover with His disciples. Most notably, that Passover meal was when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples in an extraordinary display of humility.
Maundy Thursday part of the Holy Week and is the Thursday before Easter. Also known as Holy Thursday, it is believed to be the day that Jesus partook in his final Passover meal with his disciples.
Another possible reason for its moniker — a theory supported by both linguists and historical evidence — refers to the holiday's ties to Easter Sunday, which celebrates the resurrection of Christ. Because Jesus couldn't have been resurrected without dying, the day of his death is, in a sense, “good.”
“That terrible Friday has been called Good Friday because it led to the Resurrection of Jesus and his victory over death and sin and the celebration of Easter, the very pinnacle of Christian celebrations,” the Huffington Post suggests.
Mercy and patience
“Christians believe the sins of the whole world were poured out on Christ,” George said. “It's really a bad Friday, a horrible Friday. When it is seen as leading to the Resurrection, it was indeed a Good Friday.”
The date of birth of Jesus is not stated in the gospels or in any historical sources, but most biblical scholars generally accept a date of birth between 6 BC and 4 BC, the year in which King Herod died.
Of course, Jesus was a Jew. He was born of a Jewish mother, in Galilee, a Jewish part of the world. All of his friends, associates, colleagues, disciples, all of them were Jews. He regularly worshipped in Jewish communal worship, what we call synagogues.
Considering Jesus' varying chronology, he was 33 to 40 years old at his time of death.
What's meaning of Maundy Thursday? The word Maundy comes from the Latin, 'mandatum', or 'command' which refers to the instructions Jesus gave his disciples at the Last Supper.
MAKE AN ADDITIONAL SACRIFICE by fasting and abstaining from meat on Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday in addition to Good Friday. 3. DON'T WATCH TELEVISION from sundown on Holy Thursday until Easter morning.
Maundy Thursday—also known as Holy Thursday and Sheer Thursday, among other names—is a Christian holy day that commemorates events known as the Washing of the Feet and the Last Supper.
Thursday means Thor's day in Old English. Thor is represented riding a chariot drawn by goats and wielding his hammer. In most languages with Latin origins, the day is named after the god and planet Jupiter. Jupiter is depicted as the chief god of sky and thunder who maintained his power with his thunderbolt.
The name is derived from Old English þunresdæg and Middle English Thuresday (with loss of -n-, first in northern dialects, from influence of Old Norse Þórsdagr) meaning "Thor's Day". It was named after the Norse god of Thunder, Thor.
Except for the resurrection on Easter, Holy Thursday is possibly one of the most important, complex, and profound days of celebration in the Catholic Church. Holy Thursday celebrates the institution of the Eucharist as the true body and blood of Jesus Christ and the institution of the sacrament of the priesthood.
And as it happens, the first night of Passover can never fall on Maundy Thursday, even though that holiday commemorates a seder. That's because Passover can never begin on Thursday, ever. “The calendar is rigged so that [seder] can fall only on certain days of the week,” Dreyfus told me.
On Holy Thursday there is a special Mass in Cathedral Churches, attended by as many priests of the diocese as can attend, because it is a solemn observance of Christ's institution of the priesthood. At this 'Chrism Mass' the bishop blesses the Oil of Chrism used for Baptism and Confirmation.
On Holy Thursday, we are invited to remember and celebrate four events: the Last Supper, the Washing of the Apostle's Feet by Jesus, Christ's agony and prayer in Gethsemane, and the arrest of Jesus.