Medieval Rus′

Author: Nancy Condee (condee@pitt.edu) Maintained by: David J. Birnbaum (djbpitt@gmail.com) Last modified: 2015-01-02T20:18:05+0000

Festivals

Annunciation: the announcement by the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive a Son of the Holy Spirit to be called Jesus
Nativity (Christmas): the birth of Jesus Christ
Presentation of Christ (Purification of the Virgin): the occasion when the Virgin Mary, in obedience to Jewish law, went to the Temple in Jerusalem both to be purified 40 days after the birth of her son and to present Jesus to God as her firstborn
Baptism: Jesus is baptized in the river Jordan by John the Baptist
Resurrection of Lazarus: Lazarus, brother of Martha and Mary, after being entombed for four days, is raised from the dead by Jesus
Transfiguration: the occasion upon which Jesus Christ took three of his disciples, Peter, James, and John, up on a mountain, where Moses and Elijah appeared and Jesus was transfigured, his face and clothes becoming white and shining as light
Entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday): the Sunday (preceding Easter) on which Jesus made a triumphal entry into Jerusalem
Crucifixion: Jesus Christ crucified
Resurrection (Easter): on the third day after being entombed, Jesus Christ rises from the dead
Ascension: the ascent of Jesus Christ into heaven on the 40th day after his Resurrection. According to The Acts of the Apostles, after appearing to the Apostles on various occasions during a period of 40 days, Jesus was taken up in their presence and was then hidden from them by a cloud, a frequent biblical image signifying the presence of God
Pentecost: the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples, which occurred on the Jewish Pentecost, after the death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ, marking the beginning of the Christian church’s mission to the world
Assumption (Dormition) of the Virgin: the belief that, after her death, Mary was taken (assumed) into heaven, body and soul (the episode does not figure in the New Testament)