Editing Tenebrae (section)

{{short description|Christian religious service}}
{{other uses}}
[[File:(Barcelona) Tenebrae Candelabra - Antoni Gaudí - Museums of the Sagrada Família.jpg|thumb|upright=1.18|Fifteen candles on Tenebrae hearse - [[Antoni Gaudí]] - [[Sagrada Família]]. The candles are extinguished one by one during the course of the service.]]
{{Death of Jesus}}
'''Tenebrae''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|ɛ|n|ə|b|r|eɪ|,_|-|b|r|i}}<ref>{{cite book|title=New Oxford American Dictionary|edition=Second}}</ref>—[[Latin]] for 'darkness') is a religious service of [[Western Christianity]] held during the three days preceding [[Easter|Easter Day]], and characterized by a gradual extinguishing of candles, and the ''strepitus'' or "loud noise" in the total darkness at the end of the service.

Tenebrae was originally a celebration of [[matins]] and [[lauds]] of the last three days of [[Holy Week]] ([[Maundy Thursday]], [[Good Friday]], and [[Holy Saturday]]) in the evening of the previous day ([[Holy Wednesday]], Maundy Thursday and Good Friday) to the accompaniment of special ceremonies that included the display of lighted candles on a special triangular candelabra.<ref name="Kosloski2017">{{cite book |last1=Kosloski |first1=Philip |title=Into the darkness of Good Friday: The ancient liturgy of Tenebrae |date=12 April 2017 |url=https://aleteia.org/2017/04/12/into-the-darkness-of-good-friday-the-ancient-liturgy-of-tenebrae/ |access-date=17 April 2019 |quote=On each day of Tenebrae (Spy Wednesday, Holy Thursday and Good Friday) a special triangular candelabrum (called a Tenebrae hearse) is displayed, traditionally holding 15 candles.}}</ref><ref>[http://www.yourdictionary.com/tenebrae#websters Webster's New World College Dictionary (2014)] defines Tenebrae as "a Holy Week night service (Wednesday through Friday), formerly widely observed in the Western Church, consisting of group recitation of Matins and Lauds of the following day in commemoration of Christ's death and burial". [https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/tenebrae Collins English Dictionary] (British usage) gives: "(formerly) the matins and lauds for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of Holy Week, usually sung in the evenings or at night.</ref>

Modern celebrations called Tenebrae may be of quite different content and structure, based for example on the [[Sayings of Jesus on the cross|Seven Last Words]] or readings of the [[Passion of Jesus]]. They may be held on only one day of Holy Week, especially [[Holy Wednesday|Spy Wednesday]] (Holy Wednesday).<ref name="Kosloski2018">{{cite web |last1=Kosloski |first1=Philip |title=What is "Spy Wednesday"? |url=https://aleteia.org/2018/03/28/what-is-spy-wednesday/ |publisher=Aleteia |access-date=17 April 2019 |language=en |date=28 March 2018 |quote=From Wednesday onward, Judas secretly watched for a chance to turn Jesus over to the chief priests, and so many Christians labeled this day as "Spy Wednesday." In the same vein various cultures reflected the somber mood of this day by calling it "Black Wednesday" or "Wednesday of Shadows," which also corresponds to the liturgical rite of Tenebrae that is celebrated on this day.}}</ref><ref name="PECUSA2018">{{cite book |title=Book of Occasional Services |date=2018 |publisher=[[Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States]] |language=en |quote=In this book, provision is made for Tenebrae on Wednesday evening only, in order that the proper liturgies of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday may find their place as the principal services of those days.}}</ref> They may be held during the daylight hours and the number of candles, if used, may vary.<ref name="RW1986"/>

Tenebrae liturgical celebrations of this kind now exist in the [[Catholic Church]]'s [[Latin liturgical rites]], [[Lutheranism]], [[Anglicanism]], [[Methodism]], [[Reformed church]]es and [[Western Rite Orthodoxy]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ruehlmann |first1=Greg |title=In the Dark |url=https://bustedhalo.com/features/in-the-dark |publisher=Busted Halo |access-date=18 April 2019 |date=21 March 2008 |quote=It has not been popular in decades, and it would be misleading to call it a "best-kept secret" of the Catholic Church—it's celebrated by some mainline Anglican and Lutheran communities as well.}}</ref>