The Easter Story: Biblical Figures, Places, and Important Dates
The principal festival of Christianity, Easter celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ after his betrayal and his death by crucifixion. All four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) depict a heartbreaking drama that culminates in the hope of eternal life through God’s plan of salvation. Easter is the climax of a story that depicts the apparent victory of evil as the awaited Messiah is betrayed and brutally executed. As Jesus dies a humiliating, public death, all seems lost to his confused and grieving followers. But the story does not end with death. After three days Jesus appears—his wounds still visible—to his bewildered disciples in a miraculous and jubilant Resurrection.
Key People and Events
Jesus
Jesus was a religious leader revered in Christianity, one of the world’s major religions. He is regarded by most Christians...
Last Supper
Last Supper, in the New Testament, the final meal shared by Jesus and his disciples in an upper room in Jerusalem, the occasion...
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was one of the Twelve Apostles, notorious for betraying Jesus. Judas’s surname is more probably a corruption...
Gethsemane
Gethsemane, garden across the Kidron Valley on the Mount of Olives (Hebrew Har ha-Zetim), a ridge paralleling the eastern...
St. Mary Magdalene
St. Mary Magdalene ; feast day July 22) was one of Jesus’ most celebrated disciples, famous, according to Mark 16:9–10 and...
list of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus
While Jesus had many followers, the Twelve Apostles were his closest disciples, and they left an indelible mark on the early...
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate was a Roman prefect (governor) of Judaea (26–36 ce) under the emperor Tiberius who presided at the final trial...
Barabbas
Barabbas, in the New Testament, a prisoner mentioned in all four Gospels who was chosen by the crowd, over Jesus Christ,...
Passion of Jesus
Passion of Jesus, final events in the life of Jesus as related in the canonical Gospels. The word passion is derived from...
crucifixion
Crucifixion, an important method of capital punishment particularly among the Persians, Seleucids, Carthaginians, and Romans...
Golgotha
Golgotha, (from Latin calva: “bald head” or “skull”), skull-shaped hill in ancient Jerusalem, the site of Jesus’ Crucifixion....
St. Joseph of Arimathea
St. Joseph of Arimathea ; Western feast day March 17, Eastern feast day July 31) was, according to all four Gospels, a secret...
Mary
Mary was the mother of Jesus, venerated in the Christian church since the apostolic age and a favorite subject in Western...
From Ashes to Resurrection: The Lenten Season
The joy of Easter is preceded by the penitential season known as Lent. For most of Western Christianity (Roman Catholics and Anglicans, Lutherans, and certain other Protestants), Lent is a 40-day period of fasting and reflection that begins on Ash Wednesday. In Eastern Orthodox churches, Lent is slightly longer and more rigorous, beginning seven weeks before Easter (Pascha). The week before Easter, known as Holy Week, is punctuated with sacred days that commemorate key moments in Christ’s final week. Christian communities around the world observe these dates with a myriad of rich traditions that anticipate the sorrowful death and glorious Resurrection of Jesus.
What is Palm Sunday?
Palm Sunday is celebrated by Christian communities on the Sunday before Easter.
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Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday, the day immediately preceding Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent in Western Christian churches. It occurs...
Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras, festive day celebrated in France on Shrove Tuesday (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday), which marks the close...
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday, in Western Christianity, the first day of Lent, occurring six and a half weeks before Easter (between February...
Lent
Lent, in the Christian church, a period of penitential preparation for Easter. In Western churches it begins on Ash Wednesday,...
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday, in the Christian tradition, the first day of Holy Week and the Sunday before Easter, commemorating Jesus Christ’s...
Holy Week
Holy Week, in the Christian church, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, observed with special solemnity as a time of...
Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter, observed in commemoration of Jesus Christ’s institution of the Eucharist during...
Good Friday
Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, the day on which Christians annually observe the commemoration of the Crucifixion...
Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday, Christian religious observance that ends the Lenten season, falling on the day before Easter Sunday. The observance...
Easter
Easter, principal festival of the Christian church, which celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after...
The Story of Salvation
According to Christian belief, Easter is an intimate demonstration of the depths of God’s love for humankind and the basis of redemption. Theologically, the mystical events of Easter are seen as the fulfillment of prophecies and promises made to the Jewish people. Christ is the Messiah, but he ushers in a new spiritual kingdom rather than the earthly one many expected. Most Christians understand his death as the blameless Son of God to have been a sacrifice to atone for human sin. His triumphant Resurrection brings the hope of eternal life to his followers.
Titian: Noli me tangere
Noli me tangere, oil on canvas by Titian, c. 1514; in the National Gallery, London. 110.5 × 91.9 cm.
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Theology to Know
1
sin
Sin, moral evil as considered from a religious standpoint. Sin is regarded in Judaism and Christianity as the deliberate and purposeful violation of the will of God. See also deadly sin. The concept of sin has been present in many cultures throughout history, where it was usually equated with an
2
messiah
Messiah, (from Hebrew mashiaḥ, “anointed”), in Judaism, the expected king of the Davidic line (e.g. a descendant of King David) who would deliver Israel from foreign bondage and restore the glories of its golden age. The Greek New Testament’s translation of the term, christos, became the accepted
3
atonement
Atonement, the process by which people remove obstacles to their reconciliation with God. It is a recurring theme in the history of religion and theology. Rituals of expiation and satisfaction appear in most religions as the means by which religious people reestablish or strengthen their relation
4
resurrection
Resurrection, the rising from the dead of a divine or human being who still retains their own personhood, or individuality, though the body may or may not be changed. The belief in the resurrection of the body is usually associated with Christianity, because of the doctrine of the Resurrection of
5
salvation
Salvation, in religion, the deliverance of humankind from such fundamentally negative or disabling conditions as suffering, evil, finitude, and death. In some religious beliefs it also entails the restoration or raising up of the natural world to a higher realm or state. The idea of salvation is a
What and when is Easter?
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Easter Potpourri
What Does the Easter Bunny Have to Do with Jesus?
The Easter Bunny is an odd character to associate with the Christian festival celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ....
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross, a series of 14 pictures or carvings portraying events in the Passion of Christ, from his condemnation...
Holy Fire
Holy Fire, flame lit at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Holy Saturday, the Saturday before Easter, as calculated according...
What Do Eggs Have to Do with Easter?
Easter or not, bunnies don’t lay eggs
Crown of Thorns
Crown of Thorns, wreath of thorns that was placed on the head of Jesus Christ at his crucifixion, whereby the Roman soldiers...
True Cross
True Cross, Christian relic, reputedly the wood of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Legend relates that the...
Holy Lance
Holy Lance, legendary relic that pierced the side of Christ at the Crucifixion. There are at least three reputed relics of...
Shroud of Turin
Shroud of Turin, a length of linen that is purported to be the burial garment of Jesus Christ. It has been preserved since...
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, church built on the traditional site of Jesus’ Crucifixion and burial. According to the Bible...
memento mori
Memento mori, in art and spirituality, a symbolic trope or meditative practice that serves as a reminder of mortality and...
Passion play
Passion play, religious drama of medieval origin dealing with the suffering, death, and Resurrection of Christ. Early Passion...
Pietà
Pietà, as a theme in Christian art, depiction of the Virgin Mary supporting the body of the dead Christ. Some representations...
Isenheim Altarpiece
Isenheim Altarpiece, panels painted in oils on a sculpted altarpiece created by German artist Matthias Grünewald about 1512...
The Entombment of Christ
The Entombment of Christ, oil painting created in about 1602–04 by Italian artist Caravaggio. The work was commissioned for...
Last Supper
Last Supper, one of the most famous artworks in the world, painted by Leonardo da Vinci probably between 1495 and 1498 for...
Descent from the Cross
Descent from the Cross, triptych created by Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens in 1611–14 for the altar of the Cathedral of...
Passion music
Passion music, musical setting of the suffering and Crucifixion of Christ, based either on biblical texts or poetic elaborations....
St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244
St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244, Passion music by Johann Sebastian Bach. Its earliest verified performance was April 11, 1727—Good...
Resurrection Symphony No. 2 in C Minor
Resurrection Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, symphony by Gustav Mahler, known as “Resurrection.” The first three movements were...
Messiah
Messiah, oratorio by German-born English composer George Frideric Handel, premiered in Dublin on April 13, 1742, at Easter...
Last Modification: Feb 25, 2025