In the last issue, I shared that although Cyril introduced the major feasts of our Church in the 350s and 360s, they were not universally accepted until the end of the 80s and 90s. This delay, many believe, ensued because Cyril was ahead of his time, or because of the compromising events surrounding his consecration as bishop. Instead, the reasons for this time lag will become clear when viewed in relation to contemporary heretical movements and to the ecclesiastical councils which were called to deal with them.

Scholarship has largely ignored the appearance of the feasts other than those of Holy Week during Cyril’s episcopate. Of the five major feasts which were first independently celebrated on the local level in Jerusalem in Cyril’s time, only one – Palm or Willow Sunday – actually falls in Holy Week proper. The feast of the Raising of Lazarus, for example, has probably been more neglected than any of the other major feasts. It falls on the Saturday before Willow Sunday and commemorates Christ’s raising of Lazarus from the dead. This feast was first mentioned by the Spanish nun and pilgrim Etheria as being the day the priest announced Easter to the congregation. I’m sure that most people don’t even realize that this was originally one of the major feasts. It is not typically one of the twelve feasts that are captured in iconography in our churches and is not mentioned in the official list of major feasts. The official list of feasts of our Church are:

EASTER CYCLE

* Willow/Palm Sunday
** Great and Good Friday
** Easter Sunday
* Ascension Thursday
* Pentecost Sunday

IMMOVABLE FEASTS

* Nativity of the Mother of God (9/8)
** Exaltation of the Holy Cross (9/14)
Protection of the Virgin Mary (10/1)
Feast of St. Michael the Archangel (11/8)
Feast of St Josaphat, Martyr (11/12)
Presentation of Mary (11/21)
Feast of St. Nicholas, Wonderworker (12/6)
* Conception of Anne (12/9)
** Nativity of Our Lord (12/25)
Synaxis of the Mother of God (12/26)
* Circumcision of Our Lord (1/1)
** Theophany (1/6)
Feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs (1/30)
Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple (2/2)
** The Annunciation (3/25)
Birth of John the Baptist (6/24)
Feasts of SS Peter and Paul (6/29)
** Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord (8/6)
** Dormition of the Mother of God (8/15)

Some of these feasts (**), as you might guess, are more important for our complete understanding of the mystery of life. As is apparent, the Raising of Lazarus is not on this list. These feasts present 24 opportunities each year for us to seriously think about the mystery of salvation.