The system which is utilized will vary among the differing faith tradi-
tions.
The Byzantine (Eastern) System
The Byzantine system is utilized by many of the churches of the Eastern
Orthodox faith tradition. The Byzantine (Eastern) year begins with Easter
and concludes with the following year’s Easter Vigil. Sundays that have no
special name are called after the subject of the Gospel lection. The series is as
follows:
Easter
Sunday of Thomas
Sunday of the myrrh-bearing woman
Sunday of the paralytic
Sunday of the Samaritan woman
Sunday of the blind man
Ascension day on the following Thursday
Sunday of the first ecumenical council
Pentecost
Trinity (kept the day after Pentecost)
A series of 17 Sundays of Matthew and 14 Sundays of “Luke
Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee
Sunday of the Prodigal Son
Sunday of abstention from meat (apocreo)
Sunday of eating cheese (tyrophagon)
First to fifth Sundays in Lent (which begins the day after tyrophagon)
Palm Sunday
Holy Week, ending with Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and the Easter
Vigil
The Jerusalem (Western) System
The Roman Catholic faith tradition, with minor variations, continues to
utilize the major portion of the Jerusalem system. Other Christian faiths
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