# Why is it called "Good" Friday? What's good about it?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-good-friday-whats-good-about-it/11158
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 23, 2000, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-good-friday-whats-good-about-it/11158 "2000-04-23T21:02:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2000, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-good-friday-whats-good-about-it/11158/1 "2000-04-23T21:02:00Z")
Chris DIED on Good Friday, why do they call it good?
stoid
Debating religion is like arguing about who has the better imaginary friend.
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### Author:  [@Gilligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gilligan)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2000, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-good-friday-whats-good-about-it/11158/2 "2000-04-23T21:13:00Z")
From _The Catholic Encyclopedia_:
> [@](#):
>
> The origin of the term Good is not clear. Some say it is from “God’s Friday” (Gottes Freitag); others maintain that it is from the German Gute Freitag, and not specially English. Sometimes, too, the day was called Long Friday by the Anglo-Saxons; so today in Denmark.
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### Author:  [@Dystopos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dystopos)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2000, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-good-friday-whats-good-about-it/11158/3 "2000-04-23T21:22:00Z")
Because Christ died for us sinners on Friday. In Christian theology we would all be damned if not for that redeeming act.
> [@](#):
>
> Ich will bei mainem Jesu wachen.
> So shclafen unsre Sunden ein.
> Meinen Tod busset seiner Seelen Not.
> Sein Trauren machet mich voll Freuden.
> Drum muss uns sein verdienestlich Leiden recht bitter unde doch susse sein.
> Ich will bein meinem Jesu wachen…
>
> (I will watch beside my Jesus. Then our sins go to sleep. His soul’s distress atones for my death. His mourning makes me full of joy. So his meritorious Passion must for us be truly bitter and yet sweet. I will watch beside my Jesus…)
From the St. Matthew Passion by J.S. Bach
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### Author:  [@BigRoryG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigRoryG)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2000, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-good-friday-whats-good-about-it/11158/4 "2000-04-23T22:05:00Z")
WHADDYA MEAN WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT? WE ALL GET A DAY OFF WORK/SCHOOL ETC.!!!
Sorry, I mean really, i can’t believe two people answered without saying that.
Please continue with the logical theological discussion.
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### Author:  [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2000, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-good-friday-whats-good-about-it/11158/5 "2000-04-23T22:26:00Z")
RoryG, said like a true Canadian. You guys really get Good Friday off? Damn, I’m emmigrating…
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### Author:  [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2000, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-good-friday-whats-good-about-it/11158/6 "2000-04-23T23:19:00Z")
_Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable_ says the “Good” in Good Friday is just a synonym for holy. That makes sense when you remember that the Holy Bible is called the Good Book. (Bible is from the Greek word for book; now how would I know that?).
The adjective used to describe the day in Greek is “Megalee” (mu-epsilon-gamma-alpha-lambda-eta), which means large, great, splendid, or magnificent, which is not exactly the same as good. In French the day is called “Vendredi saint” (holy Friday). I can’t find the Latin name anywhere. Does anybody know it?
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### Author:  [@Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myron_Van_Horowitzski)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2000, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-good-friday-whats-good-about-it/11158/7 "2000-04-25T18:16:00Z")
Who’s Chris?
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Your brain-in-a-jar,
Myron
Imbibo, ergo sum.
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### Author:  [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2000, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-good-friday-whats-good-about-it/11158/8 "2000-04-25T19:38:00Z")
Chris Farley?
I think he dies on a friday.
And it’s good because we dont hafta put up with anymore of his movies.
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### Author:  [@labradorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labradorian)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2000, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-good-friday-whats-good-about-it/11158/9 "2000-04-27T05:30:00Z")
Clue: the French equivalent is “Vendredi Saint”
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2000, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-good-friday-whats-good-about-it/11158/10 "2000-04-27T02:27:00Z")
There’s a BC comic strip, from last year I believe, where an ant says to the preacher ant, “Sicko! If my God died on a Friday, I sure wouldn’t call it ‘good’!” to which the preacher replies, “And you would be right, provided that your god was capable of staying dead.”
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“There are only two things that are infinite: The Universe, and human stupidity-- and I’m not sure about the Universe”
–A. Einstein
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### Author:  [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2000, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-good-friday-whats-good-about-it/11158/11 "2000-04-27T03:40:00Z")
It is a good day to die.
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### Author:  [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)
#### Post date: [May 2, 2000, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-good-friday-whats-good-about-it/11158/12 "2000-05-02T07:10:36Z")
The pre-Vatican II Roman Missal calls Good Friday _Feria VI in Parasceve_, which means _Holy Day #6, in Preparation Day_.
The Romance languages generally called it Holy Friday.
But, what makes it Good, Holy, or Great is the same thing which makes the cross a sign of Christianity – death is but a doorway to new life. After all, resurrection is at the heart of Christian belief, and death in this world (as painful and bereaving as it can be) is birth into the next world.
As much as Christian piety (especially Medieval Catholic piety) can focus on the gruesome details of Jesus’ torture and death; Christian piety often collapses the death of Jesus into his resurrection as a combined, single event: the death **&** resurrection of Christ.
Add to that a redemption theology that the death of Jesus on the Cross is a sacrifice which saves all people from sin and death, you get to start regarding the day as a holy and good thing.
Peace.