Good Friday got its name from an origin you wouldn’t expect.
The day we know as Good Friday falls just before Easter each year, with this year’s observance landing on the 18th of April and Easter Sunday following on the April 20. Despite its sombre significance commemorating the day of Jesus’ crucifixion as told in the Christian Bible, the day carries the seemingly paradoxical label “Good Friday”.
But according to Dr James Holt, Associate Professor of Religious Education at the University of Chester, there’s a simple reason why we call it Good Friday, despite the events of the day being less than good.
In a TikTok video, Dr Holt revealed the term “good” had a very different meaning back in the day – it used to mean “holy”. This is why you might see the Bible referred to as the “Good Book”.
The expert said: “The original meaning of the word good could also have included holy or sacred. In Old English, this is what it means. It was a day that was holy. It was sacred. It’s the most sacred day of the year.
“We can see this in other things too. Sometimes, the Bible is called the Good Book, and actually, that means holy. So Good Friday is Holy Friday or Sacred Friday.”
In recent times, Christians have also interpreted the name “Good Friday” in a new way, suggesting that Jesus’ sacrifice has brought positive things into their lives, making the day “good”.
Dr Holt continued: “Some well-meaning Christians have tried to interpret that in the modern day. One Christian suggested it was a good day because he traded places for you and for me. It’s a good day because it was the day he conquered sin and death so that we will never be apart from God on this side of Heaven or the other.
“While there’s some truth to this, as it’s likely the most sacred day in Jesus’ life when Christians believe he sacrificed himself to save humanity, this isn’t the original meaning.”
Interestingly, Good Friday isn’t referred to as such in other languages. In German, it’s “Karfreitag,” or “Mourning Friday,” while in French, it’s “Vendredi saint” or “Holy Friday.”
Italian and Spanish also call it Holy Friday, and Scandinavian languages like Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish use terms meaning “long Friday.”
Fiona McPherson, a senior editor at the Oxford English Dictionary, also expressed a similar view in a 2014 BBC interview about Good Friday.
According to her, the term “good” originally referred to “a day or a period when religious observance takes place”. The Oxford English Dictionary also explains that “good” is used to describe “a day or season observed as holy by the church”.
This is also evident in the Christmas greeting “good tide” and in the lesser-known Good Wednesday, which falls on the Wednesday before Easter.
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