Tenebrae

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Tenebrae

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.

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tenebrae

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

tenebrae Holy Week devotion (matins and lauds) at which candles lighted at the beginning are successively put out. XVII. — L. (pl.) darkness.

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T. F. HOAD. "tenebrae." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 14 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "tenebrae." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (November 14, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-tenebrae.html

T. F. HOAD. "tenebrae." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved November 14, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-tenebrae.html

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Tenebrae

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church | 2000 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church 2000, originally published by Oxford University Press 2000. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Tenebrae. The popular name for the special form of Mattins and Lauds provided for the last three days of Holy Week. Until 1955 it was sung by anticipation on the three preceding evenings. The name (literally, ‘darkness’), probably derived from the ceremony of extinguishing the lights in church one by one during the service.

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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Tenebrae." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 14 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Tenebrae." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (November 14, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Tenebrae.html

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Tenebrae." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved November 14, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Tenebrae.html

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	Artist looks at passion through the dark.(Melissa Weinman's "Tenebrae")(Brief Article) Magazine article from: National Catholic Reporter; 4/21/2000
	Tenebrae: Holy Week after the Holocaust.(Theology)(Brief article)(Book review) Magazine article from: The Christian Century; 5/1/2007
	First Tenebrae service for the Wednesday of Holy Week. (Jordi Savall) Magazine article from: National Review; 9/7/1984

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