Paschal greeting

The Paschal Greeting, also known as the Easter Acclamation, is an Easter custom among Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Catholic, Latin Catholic, and Anglican Christians. It is also found among some Christians from liturgical Protestant denominations, such as certain Lutherans. One is to greet another person with "Christ is risen!", and the response is "He is risen indeed!", with many variants in English and other languages (compare Matthew 27:64, Matthew 28:6–7, Mark 16:6, Luke 24:6, Luke 24:34).[1][2]

This article is about the greeting. For the troparion, see Paschal troparion.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day after his crucifixion at Calvary.

Similar responses are also used in the liturgies of other Christian churches, but not so much as general greetings.

Examples

Eastern Orthodox

The greeting and reply are:

Christ is Risen! – Truly He is Risen!

• In the original language, Greek: Χριστὸς ἀνέστη! – Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη! (Khristós anésti! – Alithós anésti!)[3]
• In the most widely used language, Church Slavonic: Хрїсто́съ воскре́се! – Вои́стинꙋ воскре́се! (Xristósŭ voskrése! – Voístinu voskrése!)[4]

A list in 57 languages is found at the website of the Orthodox Church in America[5]

In some cultures, such as in Russia and Serbia, it is also customary to exchange a triple kiss of peace on the alternating cheeks after the greeting.[6]

Catholic

In the Latin Rites the traditional greeting on Easter morning is "Christ is risen" to which the response is "He is risen indeed. Alleluia!" This ancient phrase echoes the greeting of the angel to Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph as they arrived at the sepulchre to anoint the body of Jesus: "He is not here; for he has risen, as he said" (Matt 28:6).[1]

References

1. Kovacs, Judith L. (2005). 1 Corinthians: Interpreted by Early Christian Commentators. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 10. ISBN 9780802825773.
2. W.H. Withrow, M.A., D.D., F.R.S.C. (1904). Methodist Magazine and Review. 59: 550. Missing or empty |title= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
3. "ΠΑΣΧΑ". ΠΕΝΤΗΚΟΣΤΑΡΙΟΝ. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
4. "Пасхальная Заутреня" (PDF). Цветная Триодь. Моско́вскій патріарха́тъ. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
5. "Paschal Greetings from Around the World". Orthodoxy. Orthodox Church in America. 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
6. "The Origin and Meaning of the Paschal Greeting". Feasts. The Cathedral Church of St. John the Baptist. Archived from the original on 2013-04-03. Retrieved 2020-07-30.

External links

• The Origin and Meaning of the Paschal Greeting, Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Washington, DC.