There is a fascinating historical document from the late 4th century. Around 381, a woman from what is now Spain decided to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. She spent about three years in the Holy Land and wrote down what she saw and experienced. Her writing is now known as The Pilgrimage of Egeria.
Egeria described the customs of the Church in and around Jerusalem. Especially interesting is her description of Holy Week. The people would not celebrate in their own churches the events that Jesus experienced, but they would go to the actual places where Jesus experienced them.
The day before Palm Sunday the bishop, with the monks and a crowd of people, would go to Bethany. John 12 relates how the Lord came to dinner there six days before the Passover. There was read the account of the anointing of Jesus’ feet by Mary. Many hymns, antiphons and readings were read and sung, especially in the place where Lazarus was raised from the dead.
Palm Sunday
On Palm Sunday the crowd assembled at the Mount of Olives. The bishop, and the people with him, would walk into the city. The children would carry palm and olive branches. The passage of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was read, and hymns and antiphons were sung.
On Tuesday of Holy Week Matthew 24 was read, where Jesus prophecies the tribulation of Jerusalem. On Wednesday the betrayal of Jesus was read, and “there is such a moaning and groaning of all the people that no one can help being moved to tears.”
Holy Thursday
On Holy Thursday Mass was celebrated twice. The evening Mass was the only time all year that Mass was celebrated ‘behind the Cross,’ i.e. the place of the Crucifixion.
After Mass people would go home to eat. They then went to the church that has “the cave where the Lord was with his apostles on this very day.” They then read the passage about Jesus at Gethsemane. “At the first cockcrow” the crowd went to Gethsemane with more than 200 candles to light the way. There the passage of the capture of Jesus was read.
At dawn they arrived at the Cross, where they read of the Lord before Pilate. Later in the morning they venerated the wood of the Cross. Egeria writes that they displayed both the wood of the Cross and the title. The people would touch the Cross and the title with their foreheads and their eyes, “then they kiss the Cross and pass through.”
She says that the deacons guarded the Cross because once “someone is said to have bitten off and stolen a portion of the sacred wood.”
From noon until three the people gathered at the Cross and listened to the Scriptures telling of Jesus’ suffering and death.
Easter
On Saturday evening the ‘infants’ were baptized and clothed. They would go to the Church of the Resurrection, where the gospel of Jesus’ resurrection is read. Prayer followed, and the bishop ‘makes the oblation,’ i.e. he celebrated Mass.
There is much else that Egeria describes. It is interesting to see how many customs of the 4th-century Church we observe today. On Wednesday of Holy Week we still read the gospel of Judas’ betrayal. On Holy Thursday there are two Masses, the chrism Mass in the morning and the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in the evening. We still read the Passion on Friday.
Also of note is the baptism of ‘infants’ the night before Easter. From her description of being baptized and clothed and coming out of the font, it is clear that the rite was meant for adults. Apparently all the adults in the region had already been baptized by the time of Egeria.
When we celebrate Holy Week, we are in union, not only with the universal Church, but with the Church of the ages.
It is wonderful to read this – thank you so much! I have encouraged others to listen and pray the Chaplet as presented so wonderfully in song that
Is from one of your mission churches in Cameroon. I found it about 5 years ago – totally beautiful!
So glad I took 10 seconds to look up your website. Just like the Chaplet, the story of
Egeria it is worth the time to read and pass along
Thank you Fr Mike, this is great!