Orthodox Glossary · Term

Pascha

The Feast of Feasts celebrating Christ’s Resurrection, the center of the liturgical year and the source of Christian joy and hope.

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Defined Term
P
Pascha
LexiconOrthodox Christianity 101
§ 01 - How to Study This Term

From definition into prayer.

The Orthodox tradition does not separate vocabulary from worship. Pair this term with Scripture, the Liturgy, and the lived life of the Church.

  1. 01
    Look for the word in worship

    Listen for it inside the Divine Liturgy, the daily prayers, or the hymns of the feast it belongs to.

  2. 02
    Trace it through the Fathers

    The same word usually echoes across centuries - Athanasius, the Cappadocians, Maximus, Gregory Palamas.

  3. 03
    Pair it with a prayer

    Vocabulary becomes piety when it lives inside a single, repeated prayer of the Church.

Where the term lives
§ 02 - Related Terms

Words that travel together.

Entries from the lexicon that share the same corner of Orthodox worship and thought as Pascha.

GlossaryGreat LentThe forty-day fast leading to Holy Week and Pascha, marked by intensified prayer, repentance, and almsgiving as believers prepare to celebrate the Resurrection.GlossaryLiturgical YearThe annual cycle of feasts, fasts, and commemorations through which the Church leads the faithful into the life of Christ and the saints.GlossaryArtosA festal loaf blessed especially during Pascha, kept in the church throughout Bright Week as a symbol of the risen Christ who is the Bread of Life.GlossaryPaschal TrikirionA three-branched candle used by bishops at Pascha, representing the Holy Trinity and the radiant light of the risen Christ.GlossaryEcclesiastical CalendarThe liturgical calendar that orders feasts, fasts, and commemorations, guiding believers through the life of Christ and the saints throughout the year.GlossaryEpitaphiosAn embroidered icon of Christ’s burial used on Great and Holy Friday, venerated as the faithful accompany the Lord to the tomb in hope of the Resurrection.
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