Holy Week Readings

In most Orthodox Churches, an expectation to read the four Gospels during Holy Week has become the standard. In the Coptic Orthodox Church, an added expectation of reading Psalms on Good Friday emerged. This should not come as a surprise. Jewish mourners often read Psalms between the time of an individual's death and their burial. On the Apocalypse vigil, Copts read the book of Revelation as well. Considering the vigil's focus on Christ being in Hades to free the souls of saints who are now in paradise, reading Revelation makes sense.

Reading Time

The Four Gospels can be read in full in about 8.5–10 hours. Reading the Psalms takes about 5 hours. Revelation can be read in less than 1.5 hours. This totals roughly 16.5 hours, which fits comfortably within the 112 waking hours available during a week.

For those working during Holy Week, prioritize the Psalms — you get to read Scripture and pray simultaneously. This could mean dedicating one hour daily from today through Friday.

An Alternative

For those pressed for time, there is a curated series examining Christ's portrait across the Gospels, plus Acts and Revelation — see [The Messiah in the Gospel of Matthew](/blog/the-messiah-in-the-gospel-of-matthew.html) and the essays that follow it.

Psalms Protip

Saint Augustine's approach was to apply all Psalms to Christ. When the Psalms express righteousness, read them as Christ's sinless voice; when they express sinfulness, understand them as Christ speaking on behalf of His Church, His body. In the Psalms, you encounter the whole Christ, head and body.

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