Templar Edification

Our exploration of the woodcuts used to illustrate the classic Grande Bible de Tours, etched by renowned French artist Gustave Doré, takes us now from Crucifixion to Resurrection with: Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his  glory?"; Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the  things about himself in all the scriptures. -Luke 24:26-27 Cleopas and his companion are fleeing from Jerusalem. And in all honesty, it seems about the most sensible thing that they could do. We don’t know terribly much about Cleopas. Like most of Christianity’s first generation, he is remembered for whom He followed, loved, and preached—Jesus Christ—than for any incidental biographical details. Tradition holds him to have been a brother of St Joseph, and so uncle to the Christ. But who knows? As for his companion, well, they aren’t even named, but I find it reasonable to imagine her his wife. The two of them skedattle, and...

Holy Week is Sunday for the entire year. Early on in our history, the Church celebrated but two holy days: Sunday, the weekly day of Resurrection; and Pascha, our Lord’s annual Passover from death to life. While most Christians throughout most of history have continued to celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection as Pascha, we in English call it Easter. Even so, you can hear echoes of the Greek in terms such as Paschal Lamb or Paschal Candle—for indeed, Jesus is our Passover Lamb. In liturgical traditions, Holy Week marks the culmination of the Church year, celebrating with great solemnity and jubilation our Lord’s Passion, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. It all begins with Palm Sunday, when Christ rides triumphally into Jerusalem to shouts of “Hosanna!” while crowds lay their cloaks and palm branches before Him. Keep in mind that Jesus has journeyed to Jerusalem several times a year throughout His life in order to celebrate the biblical holy days, especially Passover: the foundational story of God...