Tenebrae (—

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for 'darkness') is a religious service of

Western Christianity Western Christianity is one of two subdivisions of Christianity (Eastern Christianity being the other). Western Christianity is composed of the Latin Church and Protestantism, Western Protestantism, together with their offshoots such as the O ...

held during the three days preceding 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 Holy Week () commemorates the seven days leading up to Easter. It begins with the commemoration of Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, marks the betrayal of Jesus on Spy Wednesday (Holy Wednes ...

( Maundy Thursday,

Good Friday Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...

, 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. Modern celebrations called Tenebrae may be of quite different content and structure, based for example on the Seven Last Words or readings of the Passion of Jesus. They may be held on only one day of Holy Week, especially Spy Wednesday (Holy Wednesday). They may be held during the daylight hours and the number of candles, if used, may vary. Tenebrae liturgical celebrations of this kind now exist in the

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's Latin liturgical rites,

Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

Anglicanism Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

, Reformed churches and Western Rite Orthodoxy.

Catholic Church

Original form

In the

, "Tenebrae" is the name given to the celebration, with special ceremonies, of matins and lauds, the first two hours of the Divine Office of each of the last three days of

. In the

Roman Rite The Roman Rite () is the most common ritual family for performing the ecclesiastical services of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. The Roman Rite governs Rite (Christianity) ...

of the

Tenebrae was celebrated in all churches with a sufficient number of clergy until the liturgical reforms of Pope Pius XII in the 1950s. The traditions regarding this service go back at least to the ninth century. Matins, originally celebrated a few hours after midnight, and lauds, originally celebrated at dawn, were anticipated by the late Middle Ages on the afternoon or evening of the preceding day,Herbert Thurston,
Tenebrae
" ''Catholic Encyclopedia,'' vol. 14 (New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912). and were given the name "Tenebrae" because they concluded when darkness was setting in. The celebration of matins and lauds of these days on the previous evening in the form referred to as Tenebrae in churches with a sufficient number of clergy was universal in the

until the reform of the Holy Week ceremonies by Pope Pius XII in 1955. He restored the Easter Vigil as a night office, moving that Easter liturgy from Holy Saturday morning to the following night and likewise moved the principal liturgies of Holy Thursday and

from morning to afternoon or evening. Thus matins and lauds of Good Friday and Holy Saturday could no longer be anticipated on the preceding evening, and even matins and lauds of Holy Thursday was allowed to be anticipated only in the case of cathedral churches in which the Chrism Mass was held on Holy Thursday morning. The 1960 Code of Rubrics, which was incorporated in the next typical edition of the Roman Breviary, published on 5 April 1961, a year ahead of the publication of the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal, allowed no anticipation whatever of lauds, though matins alone could still be anticipated to the day before, later than the hour of vespers. In sum: * Until 1955 the three consecutive Tenebrae services for Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, including the typical ceremonies such as the extinguishing of candles, with each of these three services anticipated on the previous evening, were widely celebrated as an integral part of the liturgy of Holy Week in churches with a sufficient number of clergy wherever the Roman Rite was followed. A rich tradition of music composed for these central occasions had developed. * From 1956 to 1970 the practice largely declined: ** The 1955 papal document restored the celebration of matins and lauds of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday to their original timing as morning services, with only a little allowance for anticipating any of them on the evening before. On these three days attention shifted from what became morning services to the services that were now to be held in the afternoon or evening. Communal celebration of matins and lauds became limited generally to communities that observed the full Divine Office in congregational form. Matins and lauds, having lost their exceptional character, provided composers with little incentive to produce new music for them and there was no demand for grand performances of the existing music earlier composed for Tenebrae. ** The Roman Breviary, as updated in 1961, did not mention any specific Tenebrae ceremonies to accompany the no longer anticipated matins and lauds of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. * Finally, in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, matins and lauds throughout the year were completely reformed. Matins, for instance, no longer had the nine

psalms The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament. The book is an anthology of B ...

and lauds the five psalms that determined the number of candles extinguished in the Tenebrae celebration.

Structure of the original Tenebrae

The structure is the same for all three days. The first part of the service is matins, which in its pre-1970 form is composed of three nocturns, each consisting of three psalms, a versicle, a silent Pater noster, and three readings, each followed by a responsory. The pre-1970 lauds consists of five psalms, a short versicle and response, and the Benedictus Gospel canticle, followed by '' Christus factus est'', a silent Pater Noster, and the appointed collect. The Gloria Patri is not said after each psalm.

br>''The Complete Office of Holy Week According to the Roman Missal and Breviary, in Latin and English'', pp. 184–250; 282–336; 380–418
Benziger brothers, 1875 Prosper Guéranger, translated by Laurence Shepherd
''Passiontide and Holy Week'', Volume VI of The Liturgical Year, pp. 304–352; 414–450; 519–546
Dublin, 1870. The principal Tenebrae ceremony is the gradual extinguishing of candles upon a stand in the sanctuary called a hearse. Eventually, the Roman Rite settled on fifteen candles, one of which is extinguished after each of the nine psalms of matins and the five of lauds. The six altar candles are put out during the Benedictus, gradually reducing also the lighting in the church throughout the chanting of the canticle.P. J. B. de Herdt, ''Sacrae liturgiae praxis, juxta ritum romanum'' (Vanlinthout, Louvain, 1863), vol. 3, p. 41
/ref> Then any remaining lights in the church are extinguished and the last candle on the hearse is hidden behind the altar (if the altar is such as does not hide the light, the candle, still lit, is put inside a candle lantern), ending the service in total darkness. The '' strepitus'' (Latin for "great noise"), made by slamming a book shut, banging a hymnal or breviary against the pew, or stomping on the floor, symbolizes the earthquake that followed Christ's death, although it may have originated as a simple signal to depart. After the candle has been shown to the people, it is extinguished, and then put "on the credence table", or simply taken to the sacristy. All rise and then leave in silence.

Table illustrating the contents of the service

The 1 November 1911 reform of the Roman Breviary by Pope Pius X radically reorganized the weekly recitation of the Psalter. In the Tridentine Roman Breviary of Pope Pius V (1568), Psalms 62/63 and 66/67 (treated as a single unit) and Psalms 148–150 (again treated as a single unit) were recited at lauds every day of the week. Pius X eliminated such repetitions and provided a quite different choice of psalms for lauds. The situation before the 1911 reform is illustrated in 19th-century publications such as Prosper Guéranger's ''Passiontide and Holy Week'', (Dublin 1870) and ''The Complete Office of Holy Week According to the Roman Missal and Breviary, in Latin and English'' (Benziger 1875). It is more difficult to find similar online 20th-century publication, but the text of the Tenebrae services as reformed by Pope Pius X in 1911 is available in the 1924 edition of the '' Liber Usualis''. The 1961 edition, with English rubrics and explanations, is available on more than one site. , - , 1st responsory , In monte Oliveti , Omnes amici mei , Sicut ovis , - , 2nd reading , , , , - , 2nd responsory , Tristis est anima mea , Velum templi , Jerusalem surge , - , 3rd reading , , , - , 3rd responsory , Ecce vidimus , Vinea mea , Plange quasi virgo , - , ! colspan="3" , Second Nocturn (readings from Saint Augustine's ''Commentaries on the Psalms'') , - , Antiphon , Liberavit Dominus , Vim faciebant , Elevamini , - ! Psalm , Psalm 71 , Psalm 37 , Psalm 23 , 4th candle extinguished at end , - , Antiphon , Cogitaverunt impii , Confundantur , Credo videre , - ! Psalm , Psalm 72 , Psalm 39 , Psalm 26 , 5th candle extinguished at end , - , Antiphon , Exsurge, Domine , Alieni insurrexerunt , Domine, abstraxisti , - ! Psalm , Psalm 73 , Psalm 53 , Psalm 29 , 6th candle extinguished at end , - , Versicle , Deus meus, eripe me , Insurrexerunt in me , Tu autem , - , , colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" , Our Father (silent) , - , 4th reading , from ''Comm. on Psalm 54''Augustine, ''Exposition on Psalm 55''
/ref> , colspan="2" , from ''Commentary on Psalm 63''Augustine, ''Exposition on Psalm 64''
/ref> , - , 4th responsory , Amicus meus , Tamquam ad latronem , Recessit pastor noster , - , 5th reading , from ''Comm. on Psalm 54'' , colspan="2" , from ''Commentary on Psalm 63'' , - , 5th responsory , Judas mercator pessimus , Tenebrae factae sunt , O vos omnes , - , 6th reading , from ''Comm. on Psalm 54'' , colspan="2" , from ''Commentary on Psalm 63'' , - , 6th responsory , Unus ex discipulis , Animam meam dilectam , Ecce quomodo , - , ! colspan="3" , Third Nocturn (readings from two New Testament epistles) , - , Antiphon , Dixi iniquis , Ab insurgentibus , Deus adjuvat me , - ! Psalm , Psalm 74 , Psalm 58 , Psalm 53 , 7th candle extinguished at end , - , Antiphon , Terra tremuit , Longe fecisti , In pace factus , - ! Psalm , Psalm 75 , Psalm 87 , Psalm 75 , 8th candle extinguished at end , - , Antiphon , In die tribulationis , Captabunt , Factus sum , - ! Psalm , Psalm 76 , Psalm 93 , Psalm 87 , 9th candle extinguished at end , - , Versicle , Exsurge, Domine , , In pace factus est , - , , colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" , Our Father (silent) , - , 7th reading , , , , - , 7th responsory , Eram quasi agnus innocens , Tradiderunt me , Astiterunt reges terrae , - , 8th reading , , , - , 8th responsory , Una hora , Jesum tradidit , Aestimatus sum , - , 9th reading , , , , - , 9th responsory , Seniores populi , Caligaverunt oculi mei , Sepulto Domino , - , ! colspan="3" style="background: #ffdead;" , Lauds , - , Antiphon , Justificeris, Domine , Proprio Filio , O mors , - ! Psalm , colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" , Psalm 50 ( Miserere) , 10th candle extinguished at end , - , Antiphon , Dominus tamquam ovis , Anxiatus est , Plangent eum , - ! Psalm , Psalm 89 , Psalm 142 , Psalm 91 (pre-1912)
Psalm 91 (from 1912) , 11th candle extinguished at end , - , Antiphon , Contritum est cor meum , Ait latro ad latronem , Attendite , - ! Psalm , Psalms 62+ 66+ (pre-1912)
Psalm 35 (from 1912) , Psalms 62+ 66 (pre-1912)
Psalm 84 (from 1912) , Psalms 62+ 66 (pre-1912)
Psalm 63 (from 1912) , 12th candle extinguished at end , - , Antiphon , Exhortatus es , Dum conturbata , A porta inferi , - !

Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...

canticle , Canticle of Moses
, Canticle of Habacuc
, Canticle of Ezechias
, 13th candle extinguished at end , - , Antiphon , Oblatus est , Memento mei , O vos omnes qui transitis , - ! Psalm , Psalms 148+ 149+ 150 (pre-1912)
Psalm 146 (from 1912) , Psalms 148+ 149+ 150 (pre-1912)
Psalm 147 (from 1912) , Psalms 148+ 149+ 150 (pre-1912)
Psalm 150 (from 1912) , 14th candle extinguished at end , - , Versicle , Homo pacis meae , Collocavit me , Caro mea , - , Antiphon , Traditor autem , Posuerunt super caput , Mulieres sedentes , - ! Benedictus , colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" , Canticle of Zachary
, Altar candles extinguished at
different verses of Benedictus;
Last burning candle hidden
after repeat of antiphon , - , , colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" , Christus factus est (based on ) , - , , colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" , Our Father (silent) , - , , colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" , Psalm 50 ( Miserere), omitted after 1955 , , - ! Prayer , colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" , Respice quaesumus , Followed by ''strepitus'';
last candle brought back , -

Music

The lessons of the first nocturn at matins are taken on all three days from the Book of Lamentations and are sung to a specific Gregorian reciting tone, which has been called "the saddest melody within the whole range of music". The Lamentations of Jeremiah the Prophet have been set to polyphonic music by many composers, including Palestrina, Tallis and Lassus. Such High-Renaissance polyphonic choral settings of Lamentations at Tenebrae, culminating in those of Lassus (1584), share the same texts with, but in musical idiom are to be distinguished from, the French Baroque genre of Leçons de ténèbres, as composed by Marc-Antoine Charpentier (54 settings, H.91 - H.144), Michel Lambert, and

François Couperin François Couperin (; 10 November 1668 – 11 September 1733) was a French Baroque music, Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. He was known as ''Couperin le Grand'' ("Couperin the Great") to distinguish him from other members of the musi ...

. In the 20th century Ernst Krenek wrote a '' Lamentatio Jeremiae prophetae'', Op. 93 (1941–1942), and Igor Stravinsky composed '' Threni'' (1957–1958). Each day, the lessons of the second nocturn are from writings of St. Augustine, and the lessons of the third nocturn from two New Testament epistles. These are chanted to the ordinary lesson tone and have been relatively neglected by composers, though there are a few settings by Manuel Cardoso. The Tenebrae responsories have been set by, among others, Lassus, Gesualdo, Victoria, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Francesco Antonio Vallotti, and Jan Dismas Zelenka. Gregorio Allegri's setting of the ''Miserere'' psalm, to be sung at the Tenebrae Lauds, is one of the best known compositions for the service. Also Gesualdo includes a setting of that psalm in his '' Responsoria et alia ad Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae spectantia'', along with a setting of the Benedictus.

Roman Rite since 1970

After the 1970 revision of the Roman Breviary, now called the Liturgy of the Hours, a 1988 circular letter from the Congregation for Divine Worship recommended communal celebration of the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer − which were formerly called matins and lauds − on Good Friday and Holy Saturday, and remarked that this office was "formerly called 'Tenebrae'". The ''General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours'' says: "Before morning Lauds on Good Friday and Holy Saturday, the Office of Readings is, if possible, to be celebrated publicly and with the people taking part." The ''Ceremonial of Bishops'' (1984) says: "It is also desirable that, if at all possible, the bishop take part with the clergy and people in the office of readings and morning prayer on Good Friday and Holy Saturday." The Office of Readings and Morning Prayer have only 6 psalms (3 in either hour), not the older form's 14, after each of which a candle was extinguished. The readings are no longer 3, divided into 9 sections, but 2 longer readings, and there is provision for extending the Office of Readings on more solemn occasions. In the older form, liturgical practice on those days differed from that on other days, even those of Lent: for instance, ''Gloria Patri'' was not included at the end of psalms and responsories. The office of Tenebrae was abandoned at the

Church of the Holy Sepulchre The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection, is a fourth-century church in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, Old City of Jerusalem. The church is the seat of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchat ...

in Jerusalem only in 1977 − although the rule against anticipation of Matins and Lauds to the previous evening was already in effect there − because the times of Catholic Holy Week services had to remain unchanged due to the established rights of other churches. '' Summorum Pontificum'' (2007) permits clerics bound to recitation of the Divine Office to use the 1961 Roman Breviary. Several religious and secular institutes and societies of apostolic life have availed themselves of this permission. The 1955 and 1960 changes incorporated into that edition of the Breviary continue to exclude anticipation of matins and lauds to the previous evening, whether celebrated with or without the Tenebrae ceremonies. Services called Tenebrae, differing in several respects from the original form and not necessarily connected with

, are held even where the pre-Vatican II 1961 Roman Breviary is not used: * The Jesuit Institute provides a service, denominated Tenebrae, without psalms and not necessarily in darkness, in which a candle is extinguished after the reading of each of seven Scripture passages related to the Passion of Jesus. * A modified form of the old-style Tenebrae that leaves the church in darkness is used by the Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius in Chicago. * Several Catholic cathedrals and other churches arrange one-off services with Gregorian chant and polyphonic music from the traditional Tenebrae service, sometimes as an evening concert. Unlike the original well-attended Tenebrae, these modern adaptations have attracted little attention on the part of musical composers.

Other Western Christian Churches

Some Protestant denominations retained elements of the Roman Tenebrae liturgy, or added others. The Tenebrae services in the

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

and

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

traditions, as well as in

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

and Reformed (inclusive of Continental Reformed,

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

and Congregationalist denominations) churches that hold them, all contain "the pattern of extinguishing the candles (and the overhead lights) and restoring the Christ candle", along with the ''strepitus''. Some liturgical

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

congregations also hold Tenebrae Services. Variations of Tenebrae are sometimes celebrated in less formal or non-denominational churches as well.

Lutheran practice

churches that observe the celebration, the Tenebrae service is typically held on Good Friday, though it may also be observed on Holy Wednesday (Spy Wednesday). There is a gradual dimming of the lights and extinguishing of the candles as the service progresses. Toward the end of the service, the Christ candle, if present, is removed from the sanctuary. A concluding ''Strepitus'', or loud noise, typically made by slamming shut the Bible, is made, symbolizing the earthquake that took place, and the agony of creation, at the death of Christ. Certain Tenebrae responsory settings have led their own life in Lutheran practice, for instance: * Jacob Handl's '' Ecce quomodo moritur justus'' * The '' Tristis est anima mea'' setting attributed to Johann Kuhnau

Anglican practice

Most Anglican churches that celebrate the Tenebrae service do so only on Wednesday, so as not to deflect attention from the Holy Thursday and Good Friday practices. But this practice is not universal. In its Book of Occasional Services, the

Episcopal Church (United States) The Episcopal Church (TEC), also known as the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (PECUSA), is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, based in the United States. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is ...

provides for a single Tenebrae service on Holy Wednesday in the evening. That service preserves the number of nine Tenebrae lessons, each followed by a responsory. Church Publishing also offers a booklet called, In the Shadows of Holy Week: The Office of Tenebrae. It provides the full ancient form of Tenebrae as it appears in basic outline in The Book of Occasional Services. This booklet develops that outline providing all of the materials necessary for a recitation of the office: All of the psalms, canticles, responsories, antiphons, and readings are reproduced in full. Rubrics guide participants through each phase of the service. Parishes of the Anglican Church of Canada that do celebrate Tenebrae follow a variety of practices. The Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Toronto) is notable for the excellence of its music, of which the musical Tenebrae services are exemplary. Christ Church Cathedral (Fredericton) uses Tenebrae in a sung traditional language form on the Wednesday evening of Holy Week which includes lessons from Jeremiah with responding psalms, the fourth being from John 17, and Benedictus. At the Church of the Epiphany (Oakville) Tenebrae is described as the reversal of the Advent wreath: "starting Lent with the brightness of six candles, the darkness grows as a candle is extinguished each week in anticipation of Jesus dying on the cross on Good Friday." This abbreviated Tenebrae liturgy begins worship services on Sundays during Lent. The Sisterhood of Saint John the Divine have their own liturgy, "The Order of Tenebrae", published in 1933.

Methodist practice

In the

tradition, fourteen candles, along with a central Christ candle, are lit on the Tenebrae hearse after the Opening Prayer. They are consequently extinguished after each of the Tenebrae lessons. Prior to the reading of the sixteenth lesson, the Christ candle on the Tenebrae hearse is extinguished and then the church bells are tolled. The sixteenth lesson is read in darkness, followed by the conclusion of the liturgy.

Polish National Catholic practice

The Polish National Catholic service usually takes place on Good Friday, mostly at night. A standing cross is put on the altar with a black veil over it and 12 to 14 candles are placed behind it. The service has a combination of Bitter Lamentations, Matins, and Vespers. Several of the PNCC clergy, vested with cantors, are seated at the high place and the service is chanted. Gradually a minor cleric puts out each candle except for the top one that is taken around the sanctuary into the vestry. At that time a moment of silence is held for Christ's death. Then the candle is placed back; the lights in the church are turned back on; and the final hymns are sung.

Reformed practice

Congregationalist versions of Tenebrae service, particularly on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday, often contain readings from the gospels which describe the time between the Last Supper and the Passion of Christ. United Church of Christ
"Tenebrae: Service of Shadows – Good Friday – April 6, 2012"
in
Worship Ways
'

Western Orthodox practice

Some Western Rite Orthodox parishes observe the service of Tenebrae. Among the Byzantine Rite Orthodox the nearest equivalent is Matins of Great Friday, when a candlestick with 12 candles is set up in the center of the temple behind the analogion from which the Twelve Passion Gospels are read. However, here after each reading one of the candles is lit rather than extinguished.

References

External links

Catholic devotions: Tenebrae

– Catholic Encyclopedia article
Tenebrae Hearse
– Catholic Encyclopedia article
Presbyterian Tenebrae Order of Service

United Methodist Church Tenebrae

{{Anglican liturgy Passion of Jesus