A Thing called Tenebrae

“Another medieval custom, which has had a popular revival in the late 20th century, is the service of Tenebrae, held on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, in the evening. It is the old choir office of Matins and Lauds, originally sung before dawn and marked by the gradual extinguishing of candles before the breaking of the light of day.”

-Encyclopedia Britannica (on-line)

I hadn’t really heard much about this thing until very recently. Tenebrae is a Latin word that means 'shadows' or 'darkness.' The Tenebrae service of darkness, which dates from the middle ages, takes place during the last 3 days of Lent, the purpose of which is to recreate the emotions of Christ’s suffering. These three days have been treated as a funeral service (or dirge), to commemorate the death of Jesus Christ. Tenebrae has recently been coming back by popular demand in Roman Catholicism...

Tenebrae for Holy Week - Back by Popular Demand
3/21/2009 - 5:31 PM PST

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY
Catholic PRWire

CHICAGO, IL (MARCH 21, 2009) - The Canons Regular of St. John Cantius in Chicago are now providing booklets for TENEBRAE SERVICES for Holy Week for Catholic clergy, laity and choirs. The booklets contain everything needed for the prayers and chants of the Tenebrae Service.

During the Sacred Triduum (Holy Thurs, Good Fri. and Holy Sat.), the Matins and Lauds of the Divine Office are often sung in a haunting service known as the Tenebrae service (“tenebrae” meaning “shadows”), which is basically a funeral service for Our Lord.

During the Matins on Good Friday, one by one, the candles are extinguished in the Church, leaving the congregation in total darkness, and in a silence that is punctuated by the strepitus (a loud clatter intended to evoke the earthquake that was said to happen at the moment of death) meant to evoke the convulsion of nature at the death of Christ. It has also been described as the sound of the tomb door closing….

http://www.catholic.org/prwire/headline.php?ID=6244

So about the candles...this candelabra used during the Tenebrae service of darkness is called a hearse…

Tenebrae: [Lat.,=darkness], in the Roman Catholic Church, ceremony performed on the Wednesday and following evenings of Holy Week. As the choir chants, a number of candles set on a hearse (a kind of candelabrum) are extinguished one by one until only one remains. The last candle is hidden behind the altar, and in the darkness a noise is made, symbolizing the convulsion of nature at the Crucifixion. The single lighted candle is then replaced on the hearse. The traditional plainsong for the ceremony is much esteemed. –Columbia Encyclopedia

So during the Tenebrae service, the 15 candles on the hearse, which is the triangular tenebrae candelabra, get snuffed out. Now I’m not sure abut what the number 15 symbolizes, but according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the 15 candles on the triangular tenebrae candelabra hearse represent this:

Tenebrae hearse:

The triangle itself is said to be a symbol of the Blessed Trinity ; according to some the highest candle represents Christ, while the other fourteen represent the eleven Apostles and the three Maries; again we are told that the centre candle is a type of the Blessed Virgin, who alone believed in the Resurrection, while the gradual extinction of the others symbolizes the waning faith of the Apostles and Disciples.

http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=11366

Next, according to tradition, (after two hours of Gregorian chants and the candles going out) follows a loud banging in the darkness to represent the earthquake that occurred when Christ died (some sources say it is the death convulsions of Jesus and creation), as you can view (or listen to) here:

End of Tenebrae service
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_52yXMd69Q

After the chants, songs, darkness and the banging is finished, everyone then goes home from the Tenebrae in complete silence. Indeed, A Tenebrae service sounds like a truly emotional, religious experience.

If anyone wants to see what these things typically looks like (since these terms are so foreign to evangelical church goers), here are some pictures of Holy Week practices that include Maundy Thursday and Tenebrae, etc….
www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2008/03/holy-week-triduum-at-blackfriars-oxford.html

To wrap things up, there are many churches and websites out there that make it sound as if Lent, Stations of the Cross, and Tenebrae, originally observed only by the Roman Catholic church, are normal things to do in all modern Bible believing churches. One of these is The Voice, “a global and ecumenical ministry dedicated to providing biblical and theological resources for growing Christians” (www.crivoice.org). If one reads their ecumenical description of The Days of Holy Week (here: http://www.cresourcei.org/cyholyweek.html), one might conclude that a Tenebrae service is a common thing for any church to do. However, before Vatican II (early 1960's), Tenebrae services were only observed by the Roman Catholic Church. (Source: Tenebrae @ wikipedia).

Some sources even call the Tenebrae “a Christian version of the Passover Seder.” But firstly, this is not at all like the Passover remembrance that Jesus and his disciples took part of (and instructed us to remember), and secondly, Jesus Christ (who Christians follow) was Jewish, yet history reveals that all traces of Jewishness were removed from the Christian church and replaced with other traditions of men a few centuries after his death and resurrection. That said, it is encouraging to see that many churches are now learning and teaching about what the Passover and the sacrifice lamb actually mean by putting on Messianic Passover Seders. I was also greatly encouraged to hear last week that one local youth pastor was teaching his youth group about the symbols in the tabernacle as they related to Jesus the Messiah and His sacrificial atonement.

I could say some more things about Tenebrae and these ancient liturgical practices that are showing up in Bible believing evangelical churches, however, I think I’ve spent enough time on this particular dirge of darkness. Besides, it's not my opinion that matters. It is also not my intent to condemn or hurt anyone by writing this post...I am merely saddened. I know that it may seem like a cool thing to do in a youth group, and the youth leaders who introduce these things have good intentions. I guess my question is simply...WHY? Rather than going back to the practices that began in the dark ages, I hope and pray that the shepherds in Bible believing, evangelical churches who are accountable to God alone for leading and feeding their sheep, will be obedient to their Shepherd, by nourishing the flocks in their care from the written Word of God, and not by teaching them in the traditions of men...especially these traditions of the Roman Catholic church. The martyrs before us paid a hefty price to separate themselves from these things and the doctrines behind them.

***Note: If anyone wants to look into these things further, here’s a word to the wise. If you google the words or terms associated with Tenebrae and it’s symbology, I don't know why, but you may get glimpses of some very dark and disturbing images, so I really don’t recommend it. This, in fact, has been one of the most difficult things for me to research and put together because of it, and it’s taken me a week to do so. It is not without heaviness of spirit that I post this, but I have simply done so in obedience to the Lord, who has placed it on my heart, as I see churches around me adopting some of these practices. I certainly don't know everything, and this is not an exhaustive overview of Tenebrae. I have only posted what I've been able to find after only one short week of researching (from what appear to be the most reliable sources). If anyone has any comments or facts to add to this subject, they would be much appreciated.

For those who are interested, here are a few more links to aid your research regarding Tenebrae and a few other things that are being reintroduced into protestant churches:

Maundy Thursday:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maundy_Thursday

Hearse:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hearse

Tenebrae:
http://www.sistersofcarmel.com/tenebrae.php

Lent:

The Origin of Lent
gracethrufaith.com

Interesting facts about Easter
gracethrufaith.com

You can read more interesting thoughts on Lent here:
www.biblestudy.net/2007/03/24/lent/

and here:
www.lightingthewayworldwide.org

and here
biblelight.net/lent.htm

Also see these:

Roman Catholic Issues
www.erwm.com

Tell Catholics the Truth (A Gentle Message of Love)
by Mike Gendron
video.google.com

Proclaiming the Gospel
pro-gospel.org
(Mike Gendron’s ministry)

Roman Catholicism
www.biblicist.org

Roman Catholicism
www.radiofreechurch.com

_ + _ + _ + _

Final Note: Neither this blog post or the links provided are intended as a message of intolerance but rather as a message of love. If you love someone, you will tell them the truth.

Related post:

More Things about Maundy Thursday
morebooksandthings.blogspot.com

Also see:

*The Easter Service Called Tenebrae
By Dave Hunt
April 5, 2010
www.worldviewweekend.com

*Question: Our church has recently introduced an Easter service called Tenebrae...
http://www.thebereancall.org/node/8463