Holy Week Begins

All four New Testament Gospels record the following Holy Week events:

- Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey (Palm Sunday)
- Jesus and his apostles have the Last Supper (Maundy Thursday)
- Jesus is betrayed and arrested
- Peter denies knowing Jesus
- Jesus stands trial before Pontius Pilate
- Jesus is crucified (Good Friday)
- Jesus is buried by himself, in a tomb, by Joseph of Arimathea
- Jesus rises from the dead (Easter Sunday)

According to most modern bible scholars, these events were recorded about 35-65 years after Christ died. For the sake of comparison, based on some online research, here are the time frames for the earliest written references regarding other major religious figures:

- Abraham, about 1500 years after his death
- Moses, anywhere from 400-900 years after his death
- Buddha, about 300-400 years after his death
- Muhammad, 100-150 years after his death

Technically, the earliest written references to Christ date to only about 16-27 years after his death (New Testament epistles such as James, 1 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians, and Galatians, and probably the Roman historian Thallus in his Eastern Mediterranean history), but they are not considered biographical in nature, like the Gospels.

Anyway, I'd like to wish everyone a fun and contemplative holy week. Approximately 2.2 billion people, or about 30% of the world's population, will be commemorating these events over the coming week.

First Day of Spring

Put up the Easter Tree today. Humble, but made with love. Preschool Holidays was a big fan.

One month

...till Easter. Brought up the box of Easter decorations from the basement today. On the 20th, which is the first day of the Spring, I'm thinking of putting up an organic Easter tree in our house. Easter morning, surprises will await Preschool Holidays and Baby Holidays.