Holy Saturday Trivia Quiz

Answer: It directly precedes Palm Sunday

Holy Week, the last week of the forty-day Lenten period, contains Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. In the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, Holy Saturday is called Easter Even because it falls the day before Easter.

Answer: The Apostle's Creed

The new English translation of the texts of the Roman Catholic Mass translate the Apostles' Creed as follows:

I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell....

Other English translations say he "descended to the dead."

The Athanasian Creed also mentions Christ's descent into hell, though the Nicene Creed does not.

Certain Bible verses are also used to support the tradition of Christ's descent into Hell, including 1 Peter 4:6 ("the gospel [was] preached also to them that are dead ") and Ephesians 4:9, which says Jesus "descended into the lower parts of the earth" (KJV). In tradition, Jesus is said to have released the captives of Hell, including the faithful patriarchs and Adam and Eve.

The doctrine of the Harrowing of Hell is taught in the Catholic, Reformed, Lutheran, and Orthodox traditions but is rejected by some Christian denominations on the basis of not being sufficiently biblical.

Holy Saturday also commemorates the day Jesus's body lay in the tomb.

Answer: Resurrection Saturday

The term Black Saturday may be found in use in the Philippines, Portugal, and Brazil. Portugal and Brazil may also call Holy Saturday Hallelujah Saturday or the Great Sabbath. Other terms used throughout the world include Glorious Saturday, which is common in the Philippines, Great Saturday, Silent Saturday, Silent Sabbath, and Sábado de Gloria (Spanish for Gloria Saturday) .

In Latin, Holy Saturday is Sabbatum Sanctum.

Answer: Joyous Saturday

Coptic Christians also call it the "Saturday of Light." The term Joyous Saturday is also in common use among the Eritrean and Ethiopian Orthodox churches.

In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, the day may be called The Great Sabbath because it was a day when Christ rested in the tomb.

Answer: Eastern Orthodox

The service is conducted in the form of a funeral service for Christ. Psalm 118, which is often chanted at funerals, is chanted during the service. Toward the end of the service, the Epitaphios icon is carried in a procession around the outside of the church.

Answer: April 2

Because Easter is a moveable feast, the date of Holy Saturday varies year to year. In 1913, Easter fell on March 23, so Holy Saturday was on March 22. This was the earliest Holy Saturday of the 20th century. In 1943, Easter fell on April 25, and Holy Saturday on April 24.

This was the latest Holy Saturday of the 20th century. This rules out all of the answer choices except April 2. In 1903, 1983, 1988, and 1994, Holy Saturday fell on April 2.

Answer: false

In the Roman Catholic tradition, the altar is stripped bare after the Maundy Thursday service and remains bare until Easter. Many Methodists, Anglicans, and Lutherans also strip the altar bare on Maundy Thursday, although some may cover the altar in black instead.

Answer: False

Mass is not traditionally celebrated (communion is not traditionally administered) on Holy Saturday in either the Anglican or Roman Catholic church. All celebration of Sacraments, except penance and anointing the sick, are prohibited on Holy Saturday in Roman Catholic tradition.

However, in grave situations, mass may be celebrated on Holy Saturday if a dispensation is received from the local bishop.

Answer: Old English

These are the lines from the Old English, Anglo-Saxon poem "The Descent into Hell", which dates to the 10th century and tells the story of Christ's harrowing of hell. In fact, the term "harrowing" comes from the Old English word "hergian" which means to harry, pillage, or plunder. Thus, in poetry, Christ's decent into hell is often depicted almost as a liberating military expedition.

The poem makes frequent use of compound descriptions, which is common in old English poetry, including "Victory-Child" and "earth-hall" here.

Answer: Albrecht Dürer

The full title of the work is "The Harrowing of Hell - Christ in Limbo, plate nine from The Large Passion." The woodcutting was made in 1510 and published in 1511. A painter and printmaker of the German Renaissance, Albrecht Dürer is commemorated on August 5 in the Episcopal church and on April 6 in the Lutheran church.