What does the Holy Fire say? Holy fire in Jerusalem

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Part 1 – Source of the Holy Fire
Orthodox critics of the miraculous appearance of fire

Jerusalem, Saturday on the eve of Orthodox Easter. A ceremony is held in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher - the Litany of the Holy Fire. The Temple is filled with pilgrims, in the middle of the Temple a chapel (Edicule) is built, into which two priests (Greek Patriarch and Armenian Archimandrite) enter. After some time, they emerge from the Edicule with fire, which is passed on to the believers (see photo and video section ). In the Orthodox community, there is widespread belief in the miraculous appearance of fire and various amazing properties are attributed to it. However, even at the beginning of the last century, even among the Orthodox, doubts arose about the miraculous nature of the emergence of fire and the presence of some special properties in it. These doubts were so widespread in society that it allowed the leading orientalist of the last century, IY Krachkovsky in 1915 to conclude: “The best representatives of theological thought in the East also notice the interpretation of the miracle that Prof. A. Olesnitsky andA. Dmitrievsky talk about the “triumph of the consecration of fire at the Holy Sepulchre”" ( 1 ). Founder of the Russian spiritual mission in Jerusalem, bishopPorfiry Uspensky , summarizing the consequences of the scandal with the Holy Fire, which led to the Metropolitan’s admission of forgery, left the following note in 1848: “But from that time on, the Holy Sepulcher clergy no longer believes in the miraculous appearance of fire” ( 2 ). A student of Professor Dmitrievsky mentioned by Krachkovsky, he is an Honored Professor of the Leningrad Theological AcademyNikolai Dmitrievich Uspensky in 1949, he gave an assembly speech at the annual report of the Council of the Leningrad Theological Academy, in which he described in detail the history of the Holy Fire, and based on the material presented, he made next output: “Obviously, once upon a time, without giving a timely and energetic explanation to his flock about the true meaning of the rite of St. fire in the future, they were unable to raise this voice in front of the ever-increasing fanaticism of the dark masses due to objective conditions. If this was not done in a timely manner, then later it became impossible to do without risking personal well-being and, perhaps, the integrity of the shrines themselves. All that was left for them to do was to perform the ritual and remain silent, consoling themselves with the fact that God “as He knows and is able, He will bring understanding and calm the nations” ( 3 ). There are quite a lot of people who doubt the wonderful nature Holy Fire and among modern Orthodox believers. Here we can mention Protodeacon A. Kuraev, who shared his impressions of the meeting of the Russian delegation with the Greek Patriarch Theophilus in the following words: “His answer about the Holy Fire was no less frank: “This is a ceremony that is a representation, like all other ceremonies of Holy Week. Just as the Easter message from the tomb once shone and illuminated the whole world, so now in this ceremony we perform a representation of how the news of the resurrection from the edicule spread throughout the world.” There was neither the word “miracle”, nor the word “convergence”, nor the words “Holy Fire” in his speech. He probably couldn’t have spoken more openly about the lighter in his pocket." ( 4 ), another example is an interview about the Holy Fire with Archimandrite Isidore, the head of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem, where he in particular recalled the words of the locum tenens of the Patriarchal Throne of the Church of Jerusalem, Metropolitan Cornelius of Petra: “... This is a natural light that is lit from the Unquenchable Lamp, kept in the sacristy of the temple Resurrection" ( 5 ). Now disgraced Russian Orthodox Church, deacon Alexander Musin (doctor historical sciences, candidate of theology) co-authored with a church historianSergei Bychkov (Doctor of Historical Sciences) published a book: "THE HOLY FIRE: MYTH OR REALITY ?”, where they write in particular: “In order to lift the veil over this centuries-old, but by no means pious myth, we decided to publish a small work by the famous St. Petersburg professor Nikolai Dmitrievich Uspensky (1900-1987), dedicated to history ritual of the holy fire of Great Saturday, as well as a forgotten article by the world famous orientalist academician Ignatius Yulianovich Krachkovsky (1883-1951) “The Holy Fire” based on the story of Al-Biruni and other Muslim writers of the 10th-13th centuries.”
A series of works by the protopresbyter of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, George Tsetsis, is devoted to exposing the myth of the miraculous appearance of the Holy Fire; he writes: “The prayer that the patriarch offers before lighting the Holy Fire in the Holy Edicule is completely clear and does not allow for any misinterpretations. The Patriarch does not pray for a miracle to happen. He only “remembers” the sacrifice and three-day resurrection of Christ and, turning to Him, says: “Having reverently accepted this kindled (*******) fire on Your luminous Tomb, we distribute to those who believe in the true light, and we pray to You, so that You have shown him the gift of sanctification." The following happens: the patriarch lights his candle from the unquenchable lamp, which is located on the Holy Sepulchre. Just like every patriarch and every cleric on the day of Easter, when he receives the light of Christ from the unquenchable lamp, which is located on the holy throne, symbolizing the Holy Sepulcher" ( 6 ).
The younger generation of theologians is not lagging behind; in 2008, a thesis on Liturgics was defended on the topic “The rite of the descent of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem,” completed by P. Zvezdin, a 5th year student at the Institute of Theology of BSU, in which he also dispels the myth of the miraculous appearance of fire ( 7 ).
However, one has only to accept the correctness of the Orthodox figures mentioned here, who have earned honor and respect for their service, and one will have to admit that many Greek patriarchs and no less noble Orthodox clergy hypocritically deceived believers by talking about the miraculous appearance of fire and its unusual properties. This is probably why in apological articles written by famous Russian theologians, seemingly honored Orthodox figures are so often thrown mud at, attributing to them heretical views, a craving for collecting fables to please their preconceived opinions and lack of scientific approach in his critical works regarding the Holy Fire (8 a, b; 9 ).

What arguments do critics give about the miraculous nature of the appearance of the Holy Fire?
Almost all skeptics are confused by the clear definiteness of the time of receiving fire and the ability to change this time by order of local authorities.
Due to constant strife between Christian denominations, in 1852, through the efforts of the authorities, a document appeared, the so-called STATUS-QUO, where the sequence of actions of all rituals for all denominations in the city was thoroughly recorded. The service of the Holy Fire is also scheduled minute by minute, in particular, to find the fire, the priests who entered the Edicule are given time from 12.55 to 13.10 ( 10 ). And now, for 8 years of live broadcasts, this time has been impeccably observed. Only in 2002, due to a fight between the patriarch and the archimandrite inside the Edicule, fire began to be distributed much later than a certain time ( 11 ). Those. the delay was due to the priests, and not due to lack of fire. This fight had serious consequences; for several years now, an Israeli policeman has been the first to enter the Edicule inside the Edicule, together with the Armenian archimandrite and the Greek patriarch, vigilantly ensuring that high-ranking clergy do not fight again in this holy and revered place ( 12 ). Skepticism is also betrayed by another fact related to the time of appearance of the fire, which is narrated by Prof. AA Dmitrievsky, referring to prof. AA Olesnitsky, in 1909 he writes: “Once upon a time the feast of fire at the Holy Sepulcher was connected directly with Easter Matins, but due to some disturbances that occurred during this celebration, at the request of the local authorities it was moved to the previous day” ( 13 ). It turns out that the time of the appearance of a divine miracle can also be determined by the orders of the Islamic administration.
In principle, God is able to carry out any order of any administration, since He is omnipotent and can do anything and plan His miracles in any way. However, a miracle so clearly defined in time is the only example. Let’s say in the Gospel example of the bath, which is referred to by miracle apologists (John 5: 2-4), healings do not occur at a strictly defined time, but as the evangelist writes: “<…>for the angel of the Lord from time to time went into the pool and disturbed the water, and whoever entered it first after the water was disturbed was healed<…>" Also other annual Orthodox miracles, for example, the descent of the Blessed Cloud on Mount Tabor on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord or the appearance of poisonous snakes in the Church of the Assumption Holy Mother of God(on the Island of Kefalonia) on the day of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I also do not have a strictly defined time period. By the way, the descent of the cloud on Mount Tabor and the appearance of poisonous snakes occurs in full view of people, while the fire occurs in Edicule, which is closed from pilgrims. Such accessibility greatly contributes to clarifying the true nature of these phenomena; for example, it turns out that the clergy themselves bring snakes and they are not at all poisonous ( 14 ). Regarding Mount Tabor, everything is also relatively simple. At this time of year, fogs form on the mountain almost every day, and pilgrims only witness the birth of such fog ( 15 ). The spectacle is truly beautiful, and having increased religiosity, it is easy to attribute miraculous properties to what you see.

Skeptics' version of the appearance of fire
From the point of view of skeptics, the Greek patriarch and the Armenian archimandrite light their candles from an unquenchable lamp, which is brought in by the guardian of the coffin shortly before the patriarch's entrance. Perhaps the lamp is not placed on the coffin, but in a niche behind the icon from which the patriarch takes it out; perhaps some additional manipulations are taking place inside. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to see this.
Let us recall the sequence of actions during the ceremony ( 16 , link to video).

1. Examine the Edicule (two priests and a representative of the authorities).
2. Seal the entrance doors of Edicule with a large wax seal.
3. The keeper of the coffin appears and brings a large lamp, covered with a cap, inside the coffin. The seal is removed in front of him, he goes inside Kuklii, and after a few minutes he comes out.
4. A solemn procession appears, led by the Greek patriarch, and circles the Edicule three times. The patriarch is stripped of his robes of patriarchal dignity and he, together with the Armenian archimandrite (and the Israeli policeman) enters the Edicule.
5. After 5-10 minutes, the Greek patriarch and the Armenian archimandrite come out with fire (before this they managed to distribute fire through the windows of the Edicule).

Naturally, a man with a lamp covered with a cap will be of interest to skeptics. By the way, there are holes for air in the lamp's cap, so that a fire can burn in it. Unfortunately, apologists for the miracle practically do not explain in any way the insertion of this lamp into the Edicule. They pay attention to the inspection of the Edicule by government officials and priests before sealing. Indeed, after inspection there should be no fire inside. Then the miracle apologists pay attention to the search of the Greek patriarch before his entry into the Edicule. True, the video clearly shows that only Greek priests remove his clothes and do not search their patriarch, but this is not important, due to the fact that earlier another representative of the Greek Orthodox Church entered there to put a lamp on the slab of the Tomb and no one does not examine.

The words of Patriarch Theophilus about the Holy Fire are interesting:
“Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem: This is a very ancient, very special and unique ceremony Jerusalem Church. This ceremony of the Holy Fire takes place only here in Jerusalem. And this happens thanks to the very Tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ. As you know, this Holy Fire ceremony is, so to speak, an enactment that represents the first good news, the first resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This representation- like all sacred ceremonies. It's like our burial ceremony on Good Friday, isn't it? How we bury the Lord, etc.
So, this ceremony is taking place in a holy place, and all the other Eastern Churches that share the Holy Sepulcher would like to take part in this. People like Armenians, Copts, Syrians come to us and receive our blessing, because they want to receive the Fire from the Patriarch.
Now, the second part of your question is actually about us. This is an experience, which, if you like, is similar to the experience that a person experiences when he receives Holy Communion. What happens there also applies to the Holy Fire ceremony. This means that a certain experience cannot be explained or expressed in words. Therefore, everyone who takes part in this ceremony - priests or laymen, or laywomen - each has their own indescribable experience.”

The apologist for the miracle did not like such an answer so much that, in my opinion, there was even a fake interview with Patriarch Theophilus ( ).

The most important evidence of the miraculous appearance of fire.
Once again, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that by trusting Orthodox skeptics, we thereby recognize the deception on the part of the Greek patriarchs and a number of prominent Russian Orthodox figures. I will present this evidence.
- Monk Parthenius, recorded the stories of those who talked with the Metropolitan of Transjordan (1841-1846 or 1870-1871), in which he talks about the spontaneous combustion of the lamp: “Sometimes I go up, and it’s already burning; then I’ll soon take it out, and sometimes I’ll go up, and the lamp is not yet lit; then I will fall to the ground from fear and with tears begin to ask for mercy from God. When I get up, the lamp is already burning, and I light two bunches of candles, take them out and serve them" (24).
- Viceroy Peter Meletius, whose words are conveyed to us by the pilgrim Barbara Brun de Sainte-Hippolyte, traveling around 1859, who left the following note: “Now grace has already descended on the Savior’s Tomb when I ascended into the Edicule: apparently, you all prayed earnestly, and God heard your prayers. I used to pray for a long time with tears, and the fire of God did not descend from heaven until two o’clock, but this time I already saw it, as soon as they locked the door behind me" (24).
- Hieromonk Meletius quotes the words of Archbishop Misail, who received the fire: “When he came in, he told me, inside to St. To the Tomb, we see on the entire roof of the Tomb a shining light, like scattered small beads, in the form of white, blue, alago and other colors, which then copulated reddened, and transformed over time into the substance of fire; but this Fire, over the course of time, as soon as you can slowly read forty times “Lord have mercy!” And because of this, the fire does not burn the prepared candlesticks and candles” (24).
- Patriarch Diodorus in 1998 says: « I make my way through the darkness into the interior, and fall to my knees there. Here I offer special prayers that have come down to us through the centuries and, having read them, I wait. Sometimes I wait a few minutes, but usually the miracle happens as soon as I say the prayers. From the midst of the very stone on which Jesus lay, an indescribable light pours out. It is usually blue in color, but the color can vary and take on many different shades. It cannot be described in human words. Light rises from the stone like mist rises from a lake - it almost looks like the stone is covered in a damp cloud, but it is light. This light behaves differently every year. Sometimes it covers only the stone, and sometimes it fills the entire Edicule, so that if people standing outside looked inside, they would see it filled with light. The light does not burn - I have never burned my beard in all sixteen years that I have been the Patriarch of Jerusalem and received the Holy Fire. The light is of a different consistency than ordinary fire burning in an oil lamp.
- IN certain moment the light rises and takes the form of a column, in which the fire is of a different nature, so that I can already light candles from it. When I light candles with fire in this way, I go out and hand over the fire first to the Armenian Patriarch, and then to the Coptic Patriarch. Then I pass the fire to all the people present in the temple" ( 25 ).
- Abraham Sergeevich Norov, former Minister of National Education in Russia, famous Russian writer, who traveled to Palestine in 1835:
“Only one of the Greek bishops, an Armenian bishop (who had recently received the right to do so), the Russian consul from Jaffa and we three travelers entered the chapel of the Holy Sepulcher behind the metropolitan. The doors closed behind us. The never-fading lamps over the Holy Sepulcher were already extinguished; only weak lighting passed to us from the temple through the side openings of the chapel. This moment is solemn: the excitement in the temple has subsided; everything came true as expected. We stood in the Angel's chapel, in front of the stone rolled away from the den; Only the metropolitan entered the den of the Holy Sepulcher. &

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Not only Orthodox Christians, but also representatives of various faiths are excitedly awaiting the greatest miracle. Therefore, on this day, tens of thousands of pilgrims flock from all over the world to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to wash themselves with its blessed light and receive God’s blessing.

Story

The miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire on the Holy Sepulcher has been known since ancient times; the fire that descended has a unique property - it does not burn in the first minutes.

The first witness to the descent of the blessed light into the Holy Sepulcher was, according to the testimony of the Holy Fathers, the Apostle Peter. Having run to the Tomb after the news of the Resurrection of the Savior, he, in addition to the burial shrouds, as stated in the Bible, saw an amazing light inside the Tomb of Christ.

The earliest written testimony of an eyewitness to the appearance of the Holy Fire on the Holy Sepulcher dates back to the 4th century and was preserved by the church historian Eusebius Pamphilus.

Reproduction of the painting "Calvary" by M. van Heemskerck

Although according to many, both ancient and modern evidence, the appearance of the blessed light can be observed in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher throughout the year, the most famous and impressive is the miraculous descent of the blessed fire on the eve of the feast of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, on Holy Saturday.

Throughout almost the entire existence of Christianity, this miraculous phenomenon has been observed annually by both Orthodox Christians and representatives of other Christian faiths (Catholics, Armenians, Copts and others), as well as representatives of other non-Christian religions.

One of the most ancient descriptions of the descent of the Holy Fire belongs to Abbot Daniel, who visited the Holy Tomb in 1106-1107.

Church ceremony

Approximately one day before the start of Orthodox Easter, a church ceremony begins. To see the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire, people have been gathering at the Holy Sepulcher since Good Friday. Many stay here immediately after the religious procession held in memory of the events of this day.

The descent of the Holy Fire itself takes place on Holy Saturday in the afternoon.

Around ten o'clock on Holy Saturday, all the candles and lamps in the entire huge architectural complex of the Temple are extinguished.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is a huge architectural complex, including Golgotha with the site of the Crucifixion, the rotunda - an architectural structure with a huge dome, under which the Kuvuklia (which means the royal bedchamber) is located directly - a chapel located directly above the cave where the body of Jesus was buried, the Catholicon - the Cathedral Church of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, the underground Church of the Finding of the Life-Giving Cross, the Church of St. Helen Equal to the Apostles, several chapels - small churches with their own altars. There are several active monasteries on the territory of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Nazi Zhorzholiani

Both historical and modern practice indicate that when the fire descends, there are three groups of participants.

First of all, the patriarch of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church or one of the bishops of the Jerusalem Patriarchate with his blessing, the abbot and monks of the Lavra of St. Savva the Sanctified, and local Orthodox Arabs.

20-30 minutes after the sealing of the Edicule, Arab Orthodox youth burst into the temple screaming, stomping, and beating drums and began to sing and dance. Their cries and songs represent ancient prayers on Arabic about the sending of the Holy Fire, addressed to Christ and the Mother of God, St. George the Victorious, especially revered in the Orthodox East. Their emotional prayers usually last for half an hour.

At about 13 o'clock the litany (in Greek prayer procession) of the Holy Fire begins. In front of the procession are banner bearers with 12 banners, behind them are young men, a crusader cleric, at the end of the procession is the Orthodox patriarch of one of the local Orthodox churches (Jerusalem or Constantinople), accompanied by the Armenian patriarch and clergy.

Procedures

The procession enters the Church of the Resurrection, heads to the chapel erected over the Holy Sepulcher, and, having walked around it three times, stops in front of its gates. All the lights in the temple are extinguished. Tens of thousands of people: Arabs, Greeks, Russians, Georgians, Romanians, Jews, Germans, British - pilgrims from all over the world - watch the Patriarch in tense silence.

The Patriarch is exposed, and the police carefully search him and the Holy Sepulcher, looking for anything that could produce fire (during Turkish rule over Jerusalem, this was done by Turkish gendarmes).

Shortly before the patriarch, the sacristan (assistant to the sacristan - the manager of church property) brings a large lamp into the cave, in which the main fire and 33 candles should flare up - according to the number of years of the Savior’s earthly life. Only after this, the Patriarch, wearing one long flowing tunic, enters the chapel and kneels to pray.

Convergence

All the people in the temple are patiently waiting for the patriarch to come out with fire in his hands. IN different years the wait lasted from five minutes to several hours. The prayer and ritual continue until the expected miracle occurs.

And suddenly, on the marble slab of the coffin, fiery dew appears in the form of bluish balls. His Holiness touches them with cotton wool, and it ignites. With this cool fire, the Patriarch lights the lamp and candles, which he then takes into the temple and hands over to the Armenian Patriarch, and then to the people. At the same moment, tens and hundreds of bluish lights flash in the air under the dome of the temple.

Nazi Zhorzholiani

A moment later, the entire temple turns out to be surrounded by lightning and glare, which snake down its walls and columns, as if flowing down to the foot of the temple and spreading across the square among the pilgrims. At the same time, the lamps located on the sides of the chapel are lit, then the Edicule itself begins to shine, and from the hole in the dome of the temple a wide vertical column of light descends from the sky onto the Tomb.

At the same time, the doors of the cave open and the Orthodox patriarch comes out and blesses those gathered. The Patriarch of Jerusalem transmits the Holy Fire to believers, who claim that the fire does not burn at all in the first minutes after the descent, regardless of what candle and where it was lit.

It’s hard to imagine the jubilation that filled the crowd of thousands. People shout, sing, the fire is transferred from one bunch of candles to another, and in a minute the whole temple is on fire.

Later, lamps throughout Jerusalem are lit from the Holy Fire. They say that in areas of the city close to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, candles and lamps in churches light up on their own. Fire is delivered on special flights to Cyprus and Greece, from where it is distributed throughout the world.

Recently, direct participants in the events began to bring the Holy Fire to Georgia.

Holy fire descends into the Church of the Holy Sepulcher only on Holy Saturday - the eve of Orthodox Easter, although Easter is celebrated every year on different days according to the old Julian calendar. And one more feature - the Holy Fire descends only through the prayers of the Orthodox Patriarch.

Holy fire heals

Parishioners call the droplets of wax that fall from the candles the Graceful Dew. As a reminder of the Miracle of the Lord, they will remain on the clothes of witnesses forever; no amount of powder or washing will remove them.

Orthodox Christians believe that the sacred fire that comes from the tomb of Christ represents the flame of the power of the Resurrection. It is believed that the year when the Heavenly Fire does not descend on the Holy Sepulcher will mean the end of the world and the power of the Antichrist.

One of the prophecies kept in the Jerusalem Orthodox Church says: “Since the blood of Christians has been shed at the Holy Sepulcher, it means that the entrance to this greatest shrine will soon be closed and especially difficult times will come for the Church of Christ.”

From the point of view of Orthodoxy, the Holy Fire is a guarantee between God and people, the fulfillment of the promise given by the risen Christ to his followers: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Traditions and customs

It is on Holy Saturday that Easter services begin in churches. Most believers in Georgia celebrate Easter in churches to take a piece of divine fire brought from the Holy Land to their homes. The Holy Fire is brought to Tbilisi and then distributed to all churches during the service.

For those who for some reason were unable to come to the service, church ministers It is recommended that this night you light a candle in front of the icon of Jesus Christ and pray.

Holy Saturday is a day of kindness, reconciliation and forgiveness. Therefore, on this day you must ask for forgiveness from everyone you may have offended. Make peace with everyone with whom you were in a quarrel, so as not to overshadow the upcoming holiday negative feelings and emotions.

Also, on the Saturday before Easter, you must give alms to all the needy people you meet on your way. And also give Easter gifts to relatives and friends.

Fasting continues on Holy Saturday. On this day you can prepare festive Easter dishes, but you cannot eat them yet. From the very morning, housewives begin preparing dishes for the rich Easter table. According to traditions, on the feast of the Resurrection of Christ there should be at least 12 dishes on the table.

As throughout Holy Week, on Holy Saturday you cannot celebrate weddings, birthdays, various celebrations or generally have fun. According to legends, if the wedding took place during Holy Week, the newlyweds will not live together for long.

On the evening of Holy Saturday, churches and temples begin to consecrate Easter cakes, painted eggs and food for the Easter table, which housewives bring to church in special baskets.

Signs

As on the previous two days, on the Saturday before Easter you cannot give anything from home, no matter who asks you for anything. In this way you can give away your health, well-being, luck.

On this day you can clean the graves in the cemetery, but you cannot commemorate them on Saturday.

If the weather on Holy Saturday is warm and clear, then the summer will be hot and dry. And if it’s cold and rainy on this day, then the summer will be cool.

“Do not be deceived, O Jew, become accustomed to the prophetic speech,
and understand that He is truly the Savior of the world, and the omnipotent one.”

(Stichera 6 on “I cried to the Lord” of the Sunday service, 5th tone)

Our Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died on the Cross, was buried in a tomb that belonged to Nicodemus, and rose from the tomb on the third day after His death. Where was Mount Golgotha - the place of the Savior’s suffering and the place of His burial? According to Sacred Tradition, in the Gospel era, a rock called Golgotha, which exists to this day, on which the Crucifixion of Christ took place, was located almost immediately outside the walls of what was then Jerusalem on the outside. The Holy Tomb - the cave in which the body of the Savior was located for three days, was carved into a small rock located at a distance of ten meters from Golgotha, which rises somewhat above the rock of the Holy Tomb. In terms of its internal structure, the Holy Tomb was a cave carved into the rock, in which there were two rooms: the far one, which was the actual burial chamber, with a bed - arcosalium - and the entrance room in front of it. In the 4th century, by order of Saint Helen Equal to the Apostles, a magnificent temple was erected over the site of Golgotha and the Holy Tomb - the Basilica, and both Golgotha itself and the Holy Tomb were enclosed under its arches. Until our time, the Basilica was rebuilt several times, even destroyed (614), restored and is now known as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

Since ancient times, directly above the burial cave of the Savior there has been a special chapel - the Edicule. The word "Edicule" means "royal bedchamber." To designate a tomb, this word is used in the only place on earth - in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where the “King of kings and Lord of lords” was laid down for a three-day sleep. Here He rose again, the firstborn from the dead, opening the way to the Resurrection for us all. The modern Edicule is a chapel measuring about eight meters in length and six meters in width, located under the arches of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. As in evangelical times, the Holy Sepulcher, the Holy Tomb currently consists of two rooms: a small “burial chamber” 2.07x1.93 meters, almost half occupied by a stone bed - arcosalium, and an entrance room (room) called the chapel Angel, size 3.4x3.9 meters. In the middle of the Angel's chapel there is a pedestal with a part of the sacred stone, which was rolled away at one time from the Holy Tomb by the Angel and on which he sat, addressing the myrrh-bearing women.

The modern Church of the Holy Sepulcher is a huge architectural complex, including Golgotha with the site of the Crucifixion, the rotunda - an architectural structure with a huge dome, under which the Edicule is directly located, the Catholicon, or cathedral Temple, which is the cathedral for the Patriarchs of Jerusalem, the underground Church of the Finding of the Life-Giving Cross, the Holy Temple Equal to the Apostles Helena, several chapels - small churches with their own altars. There are several active monasteries on the territory of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher; it includes many auxiliary rooms, galleries, etc. Moreover, various parts of the Temple belong to several Christian denominations. For example, the Church of the Franciscans and the Altar of Nails - to the Catholic Order of St. Francis, Church of Equal-to-the-Apostles Helen, chapel "Three Marys" - Armenian apostolic church, grave of St. Joseph of Arimathea, altar on the western part of the Edicule - Ethiopian (Coptic) church. But the main shrines - Golgotha, Edicule, Catholicon, as well as the general management of services in the Temple belong to the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem. Since the time Jerusalem began to belong to Orthodox Christians, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher has been located within the city, surrounded by a high square wall under Sultan Suleiman; The length of exactly each of the four sides is exactly one kilometer.

Since ancient times it has been known about the Miracle of the Descent of the Holy Fire on the Holy Sepulcher. The Fire that descended has a unique property: it does not burn in the first minutes. By commanding the Fire to descend, the Lord testifies to His Resurrection. The first witness to the descent of the Holy Light into the Holy Sepulcher was, according to the testimony of St. Fathers, Apostle Peter. Having run to the Tomb after the news of the Resurrection of the Savior, in addition to the burial shrouds, as we read in the Gospel, he saw an amazing light inside the Tomb of Christ. “Having seen this, Peter believed, he saw not only with sensual eyes, but also with a high apostolic mind: the Sepulcher was filled with light, so that although it was night, he saw it in two images: internally, sensually and spiritually.” This is how Saint Gregory of Nyssa tells us about this. The earliest written testimony of an eyewitness to the appearance of the Holy Fire on the Holy Sepulcher dates back to the 4th century and was preserved by the church historian Eusebius Pamphilus.

Although according to many, both ancient and modern testimonies, the appearance of the blessed light can be observed in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher throughout the year, the most famous and impressive is the miraculous descent of the Holy Fire on the eve of the Feast of the Holy Resurrection of Christ on Holy Saturday. Throughout almost the entire existence of Christianity, this miraculous phenomenon has been observed annually by both Orthodox Christians and representatives of other Christian faiths (Catholics, Armenians, Copts, etc.), as well as representatives of other non-Christian religions. To see the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire, people have been gathering at the Holy Sepulcher since Good Friday; many stay here immediately after the procession of the Cross, which takes place in memory of the events of that day. The descent of the Holy Fire itself takes place on Holy Saturday in the afternoon. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is so filled that people stand close to each other on Saturday morning, even in the most remote places of the Temple. Those who do not get inside the Temple fill the square and the entire surrounding area. According to the most conservative estimates, the capacity of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is up to 20 thousand people, the area around the Temple and the immediate surroundings of the Temple can accommodate another 50 thousand people. On Holy Saturday, the Temple, the square in front of the Temple, and the immediate surroundings are filled with people awaiting the descent of the Holy Fire. This is how it was, according to the descriptions of Russian pilgrims, a hundred, two hundred, and nine hundred years ago. One of the most ancient descriptions of the descent of the Holy Fire belongs to Abbot Daniel, who visited the Holy Tomb in 1106-1107. This is how he describes this event:

“And when it was seven o’clock on the Sabbath day (about 12-13 o’clock modern time. - Auto.), King Baldwin went (the Temple at that time belonged to the Crusaders. - Auto.) with his army to the Holy Sepulcher from his house, everyone went on foot. The king sent messengers to the courtyard of the monastery of Sava the Sanctified and called the abbot and the monks, they went to the Sepulcher, and I, thin, went with them. We came to the king and bowed to him. Then he bowed to the abbot and all the monks and ordered the abbot of the Sava monastery and me, the thin one, to go near him, and he ordered the other abbots and all the monks to go in front of him, and ordered his army to go behind. And they came to the western doors of the Temple of the Resurrection (The Temple in those days looked different from the modern one. - Auto.). And many people surrounded the church doors and could not then enter the Temple. Then King Baldwin ordered his soldiers to disperse the people by force, and a road was built among the crowd, like a street, all the way to the Sepulcher. We walked to the eastern doors of the Holy Sepulcher, the king walked ahead and stood in his place, on right side at the fence of the great altar, opposite the eastern doors and the doors of the Sepulcher. Here was the seat of the king, created on an eminence. The king ordered the abbot of the Sava monastery with his monks and Orthodox priests to stand over the Tomb. He ordered me, a thin man, to be placed high above the very doors of the Tomb, opposite the great altar, so that I could see through the doors of the tomb. There are all three grave doors (in the modern Edicule there is one. - Auto.) were sealed with the royal seal.

Catholic priests stood in the great altar. And when the eighth hour of the day arrived, the Orthodox priests began the service at the top of the Sepulchre, all the spiritual men and many hermits were there. The Catholics in the great altar began to squeal in their own way. So they all sang, and I stood here and diligently looked at the tomb doors. And as they began to read the proverbs of Holy Saturday, at the first reading of the proverbs, the bishop and the deacon came out of the great altar, approached the tomb doors, looked into the Tomb through the sacrum of the doors, saw no light in the Tomb and returned back. And as they began to read the sixth proverb, the same bishop approached the tomb doors and saw nothing. Then all the people screamed with tears: “Kyrie, eleison!” - which means “Lord, have mercy!” And when the ninth hour had passed and they began to sing the passage song “We sing to the Lord,” then suddenly a small cloud came from the east and stood over the uncovered top of the Temple, a little rain began to fall over the Sepulcher and very wet us standing at the Sepulcher. Then suddenly the light shone in the Holy Sepulchre, a bright brilliance emanated from the Sepulcher.

The bishop came with four deacons, opened the tomb doors, took a candle from King Baldwin, entered the Tomb, lit the first royal candle from the light of the saint, took this candle out of the Tomb and handed it to the king himself. The king stood in his place, holding the candle with great joy.

From the king's candle we lit our candles, and from our candles all the people lit their candles. The holy light is not the same as earthly fire, but the wonderful light glows differently, its flame is red, like cinnabar, glows unspeakably.”

P Almost the same procedure is happening now. Only the modern Temple does not have a hole in the dome; the knightly guards were replaced by Israeli police and Turkish guards. The entrance to the modern Temple is not from the east, but from the south, and Catholics now do not participate in the descent of the Holy Fire. Both historical and modern practice indicate that during the descent of Fire, three groups of participants must be present.

First of all - Patriarch of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church or one of the bishops of the Jerusalem Patriarchate with his blessing (as was the case in 1999 and 2000, when the Fire was received by the Guardian of the Sepulcher, Metropolitan Daniel). Only through the prayers of this obligatory participant in the sacrament of the Holy Fire is the miracle of its descent performed. This is an experience proven over centuries.

In 1578, when the Turkish mayor of Jerusalem was replaced, the Armenian priests agreed with the new mayor to transfer the right to receive the Holy Fire instead of the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem to a representative of the Armenian Church. The Orthodox Patriarch and the clergy in 1579 on Holy Saturday were not even allowed into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. They stood in front of the closed doors of the Temple from the outside. The Armenian clergy entered the Edicule and began to pray to the Lord for the descent of the Fire. But their prayers were not heard. The Orthodox priests standing at the closed doors of the Temple also turned to the Lord with prayers. Suddenly a noise was heard, the column located to the left of the closed doors of the Temple cracked, Fire came out of it and lit candles in the hands of the Patriarch of Jerusalem. With great joy, the Orthodox priesthood entered the Temple (the Turks immediately expelled the Armenian priests from Edicule) and praised the Lord. Traces of the descent of Fire can still be seen on one of the columns located to the left of the entrance.

Since 1579, no one has challenged or attempted to receive the Holy Fire bypassing the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem. Representatives of other Christian faiths are necessarily present in the Temple on Holy Saturday, but receive the Fire from the hands of the Orthodox Patriarch.

Mandatory participants in the sacrament of the descent of the Holy Fire are Abbot and monks of the Lavra of St. Savva the Sanctified. Of all the ancient monasteries of the Judean Desert, which once flourished with great ascetics, only this monastery, seventeen kilometers from Jerusalem, in the Kidron Valley, not far from the Dead Sea, has been preserved in its original form. In 614, during the invasion of Shah Hasroi, the Persians killed fourteen thousand monks here. IN modern monastery fourteen monks, including two Russians. But the presence of the abbot of the monastery with the monks was mandatory both during the pilgrimage of abbot Daniel, and during the descent of Fire in modern times.

And finally, the third group of mandatory participants - local Orthodox Arabs. On Holy Saturday - twenty to thirty minutes after the sealing of the Edicule - Arab Orthodox youth, shouting, stomping, and beating drums, riding on top of each other, rush into the Temple and begin singing and dancing. There is no evidence about the time when this ritual was established. The exclamations and songs of the Arab youth are ancient prayers in Arabic, addressed to Christ and the Mother of God, who is asked to beg the Son to send Fire, to St. George the Victorious, especially revered in the Orthodox East. Young Orthodox Arabs loudly exclaim, literally shout, that they are “the most eastern, the most Orthodox, living where the sun rises, bringing with them candles to light the Fire.” By oral traditions, during the years of British rule over Jerusalem (1918-1947), the English governor once tried to ban “savage” dances. The Patriarch of Jerusalem prayed for two hours: The fire did not go down. Then the Patriarch ordered with his will to let in the Arab youth. After they performed the ritual, the Fire descended. All three of these groups necessarily take part in the modern litany of the Holy Fire.

IN In our time, the descent of the Holy Fire occurs on Holy Saturday, usually between 13 and 15 hours Jerusalem time. Around ten o'clock on Holy Saturday, all the candles and lamps in the entire huge architectural complex of the Temple are extinguished. After this, the procedure for checking the Edicule for the presence of sources of fire and sealing the entrance to the Edicule with a large wax seal takes place. Representatives of the Jerusalem mayor's office, Turkish guards, Israeli police, etc., who carried out the inspection, put their personal seals on the large wax seal. Then you become a witness to a miraculous phenomenon. At first, occasionally, and then more and more, the entire air space of the Temple is pierced by flashes of light, flashes of light. They have a bluish color, their brightness and size increase in waves. A short time after the sealing of the Edicule, young Orthodox Arabs, as already mentioned, begin to offer their prayers to Christ, the Most Holy Theotokos, and Saint George for the granting of the Holy Fire. Their emotional prayers, exclamations and dancing, accompanied by beating the drums, take place directly at the Edicule for 20-30 minutes. After some time, usually about thirteen o’clock, the litany itself begins (in Greek, “prayer procession”) of the Holy Fire - a procession of the cross from the altar of the Catholicon through the entire Temple with access to the rotunda and a three-fold circumambulation of the Edicule. In front are the banner bearers with twelve banners, behind them are the youths with ripids, the crusader cleric, and finally, His Beatitude the Patriarch of Jerusalem himself. The abbot and the monks of the Monastery of Saint Sava the Sanctified also take part in the procession. The Patriarch stops just before the entrance to the Edicule; he is unmasked: his festive vestments are removed and he is left in one white vestment. At the same time, sometimes the Patriach is searched. Although this is not carried out every time without fail, representatives of the authorities can exercise this right every time, which was often done in the past. This depends on the order of the immediate authorities of Jerusalem: if the ruler hates Christians, they can search. In only one vesture the Patriarch enters the Edicule. Now everything depends on him, on his secret kneeling prayer. The tension reaches its highest point, many of those gathered are seized by the feeling that, due to his sins, the Great Miracle may not happen. After the Patriarch enters the Edicule, the intensity and frequency of bluish light flashes increases. Bluish lightning strikes throughout the Temple, either from above from under the domes, down, or from below under the domes of the Temple. An unpredictable shower of such bluish flashes of lightning permeates the entire space of the Temple, especially the Edicule during the kneeling prayer of the Patriarch at the three-day bed of the Savior for the descent of the Holy Fire. His prayer may take ten minutes, maybe more than an hour- it depends. The faces of the people in the Temple awaiting the descent of the Fire are full of excitement and expectation. Someone sings prayers to Christ and the Mother of God, someone is anxiously awaiting a miracle and is afraid that, due to our sins, it may not happen when the bluish flashes of lightning subside.

All those waiting are imbued with a sense of participation in a great event that occurs no more than two thousand times in the entire history of mankind. During this time, the Roman, Abyssinian, Byzantine, Ottoman empires managed to develop, become famous and perish; enormous changes took place in the ordinary way of life of people, but according to the kneeling prayer of the Patriarchs of Jerusalem on Holy Saturday, in anticipation of a huge number of people, for almost two thousand For years this Great Miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire has been invariably performed.

And finally the Fire goes down. Even before the Patriarch appears with candles lit from the Holy Fire at the door of the Edicule, the speed-walking candle-bearers, who received the Holy Fire through the windows in the chapel of the Angel, are already carrying it throughout the entire Temple. And the joyful ringing of bells, sounding on Holy Saturday only after the descent of the Fire, informs everyone present in the Temple and the surrounding area about the miracle that has taken place. The fire spreads with lightning speed throughout the Temple - everyone lights their candles from the candles of the messengers-candidates and from each other. Fire doesn't burn, and not only the Fire from the Patriarchal Candle, but also from all ordinary candles bought not in the Temple (there is no trade here), but in ordinary Arab shops in the Old City.

Separately, it is necessary to say about the intensity of the flame. The Easter candle of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is thirty-three connected candles. Basically, each of those present holds three bunches of candles and candles from other places in the Holy Land. When the Fire has reached a person, there is a standing fire in our hands, from which intense heat emanates. It should be noted that in the Temple people stand so densely that if the Fire were ordinary, someone would definitely catch fire, because everyone has more than one bunch in their hands. However, before each other’s eyes, people are literally washed by the Holy Fire, which at first does not burn at all. Everyone's flame is so vast that it can be seen touching nearby people. The fire literally touches the clothes of nearby people and the headscarves of women. And in the entire history of the descent of Fire - not a single accident, not a single fire.

P After this, a solemn procession with Fire begins in the Old City, which, by the way, is carried at the head of each column by Muslim Turks. The population of Jerusalem is about 800,000 people; the entire Christian and Arab communities of Jerusalem (more than 300,000 people) participate in the processions, and even Muslim Arabs consider it necessary to bring the Holy Fire into the house and light household lamps from it. This day in Jerusalem is not celebrated only by Jews who prefer not to leave home and have sad faces. It is the Jews who mainly write about the imitation of the descent of the Holy Fire by “dishonest” priests (calling the phenomenon of the descent of the Fire Greek “tricks”), and in the last almost fifty years the Jews have participated in both the sealing of the Edicule and the search of the Patriarch of Jerusalem.

A little needs to be said about the possibility of forgery. The fact is that the land itself on which the Temple is built belongs to a Turkish family. Every morning an interesting ritual takes place: the priests standing in front of the main gate await the opening of the Temple, hand over the rent that was established a long time ago and are then accompanied by members Turkish family go to the Temple. Any procession in the Temple, for example, the Easter procession around the Edicule, is accompanied by kavas - Turks who protect the processions from provocations of Muslims and Jews. Before entering the Edicule of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, it remains sealed, under the supervision of two Turkish guards and the Israeli police. On Holy Saturday, as has already been said, before entering the Edicule, the Patriarch is unmasked and thoroughly searched, although not always. Safety of the seal on entrance doors The Edicule is checked before the Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Armenian High Priest enter it. To receive the Fire, two people enter the Edicule - the Patriarch of Jerusalem and a representative of the Armenian Church. The representative of the Armenian Church, entering together with the Patriarch of Jerusalem into the Edicule to receive the Fire, remaining in the chapel of the Angel, sees all the actions and has the opportunity to intervene. Considering the almost two-thousand-year interest of non-Christian participants in this Great Miracle in exposing and disrupting at least one descent of the Holy Fire, the version of forgery can only bring a smile to people living in Jerusalem. Even Muslim Arabs who consider it necessary to bring the Holy Fire home will consider any discussion of forgery to be a deception. They have a legend that in the year when the Holy Fire does not descend, the end of the world will come.

The question of how the Holy Fire descends on the Savior’s three-day bed has long been of interest to the curious. There is direct evidence of the painting of the lighting of the Holy Fire. In the letter of Arefa, Metropolitan of Caesarea of Cappadocia, to the Emir of Damascus (beginning of the 10th century) it is written: “Then suddenly lightning appears and censers are lit, all the inhabitants of Jerusalem take from this light and light a fire.” The Constantinople cleric Nikita wrote (947): “About the sixth hour of the day, looking at the Divine Tomb of the Savior, the Archbishop sees the Divine manifestation of light: for through the chapel of the Angel he has access to the door. Having seized the time to transmit this light to the polycandiles located in the holy church of God, as he usually does, he had not yet emerged from the Tomb when one could suddenly see the entire church of God, filled with invincible and Divine light.” Trifon Korobeinikov wrote (1583): “And then all people see the grace of God coming from heaven to the Holy Sepulcher, fire walking along the board of the Holy Sepulcher like lightning and every color is seen in it: the Patriarch approaches the Tomb holding candles on the side of the Tomb , and fire will descend from the Holy Sepulcher onto the patriarchal hands and candles. At the same time, the Christian incense burned itself, like that over the Holy Sepulcher.” Hieromonk Meletius, who made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1793-1794, recounts the story of the descent of Fire from the words of Archbishop Misail, Epitrope of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, who received the Fire for many years. “When I entered,” he said, “inside the Holy Tomb, we saw on the entire lid of the Tomb a shining light, like scattered small beads, in the form of blue, white, scarlet and other colors, which then, copulating, turned red and transformed over time into substance of fire; but this fire, for as long as one can slowly read “Lord, have mercy” fourty times, does not burn, and from this fire the prepared candlesticks and candles are kindled.”

All of the above sources report either the condensation of liquid small drops of “fire beads” directly on the bed-arcosalia of the Holy Sepulcher with the existing dome above the Edicule, or the fall of rain drops above the Edicule and the presence of “small beads” on the lid of the Holy Sepulcher due to rain when the dome of the Temple is open and about bluish flashes - lightning that precede the descent of the Holy Fire. Both of these phenomena simultaneously take place during the kneeling prayer of the Patriarch of Jerusalem and at the present time. His prayer leads to the ignition of the Holy Fire from small drops of liquid in the presence of flashes - lightning; at the same time, the wicks of candles or lamps on the lid of the Holy Sepulchre are spontaneously lit. It is also possible to light the wicks of Orthodox lamps hanging near the Edicule. This is how it happened almost two thousand years ago, according to the descriptions of eyewitnesses, and this is how the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire takes place, according to the descriptions of eyewitnesses, even today. Our Lord Jesus Christ commands Fire to ignite from droplets of “rain” on the lid of the Holy Tomb, or on the wick of an Orthodox lamp near the Edicule, at the prayer of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, as if reminding us, sinners, annually on Holy Saturday of our Resurrection and victory over hell. But sinful people perceive the fact of the descent of the Holy Fire differently. To those who seek and doubt, the Lord testifies to the truth of his Resurrection precisely at this place in Jerusalem in Gospel times and strengthens them in faith. To those who are indifferent and not striving for their salvation and eternal life, He testifies to His Resurrection and the upcoming Last Judgment. He testifies to His conscious opponents of His victory over hell and the eternal torment awaiting all His opponents after Last Judgment. Accordingly, the fact of the descent of Fire and different religions. Almost all Christian denominations (including Catholics before the Great Schism of 1054 - that is, before the separation of Catholicism from Orthodoxy - who took an active part directly in the litany) are present in the Temple and receive the Holy Fire from the hands of the Patriarch of Jerusalem. Muslims are not officially present in the Temple, but they do not deny the fact of the descent of the Holy Fire, honoring our Savior Jesus Christ as one of their Prophets. Only Jews and atheists deny the fact of the descent of the Holy Fire, as well as the fact of the Resurrection of Christ. It is they who spread, including in the press, rumors about the “cunning” of dishonest priests. The officials who checked the Edicule, searched the Patriarch and were thus guarantors that there were no forgeries, under Christian and Muslim control over Jerusalem were representatives of the authorities who could execute for slander, and under the existing Israeli control of the authorities, according to Israeli laws, For libel, they can be subject to a substantial fine in court.

P for all possible options During the Miracle of the Descent of the Holy Fire, the following phenomena remain absolutely inexplicable from the point of view of modern science:

1. The presence of flashes of light preceding and accompanying the ignition of the Holy Fire. After the Patriarch entered the Edicule, an extraordinary phenomenon was observed in the Temple. Throughout the Temple, but mainly near the area of the Katholikon and Edicule (the domes are located above them), flashes of a bluish color begin to appear, reminiscent of lightning, similar to those that everyone observed in evening time days in the sky. These lightning flashes can flash in any direction - from top to bottom, and from left to right, not necessarily under domes. Flashes have characteristic features: light sparkles without a visible source, flashes never blind anyone, and there is no sound (thunder) characteristic of ordinary lightning. All this creates the impression among eyewitnesses that the source of the flashes is, as it were, beyond the boundaries of our world. It is not difficult to distinguish them from camera flashes. Filming the anticipation and descent of Fire on his video camera, M. Shugaev was able to see clear differences. Using the frame-by-frame viewing mode and using still frames, you can easily differentiate them: flashes from the camera are shorter in time and have White color, lightning flashes last longer and have a bluish color. According to the testimonies of the monks serving obedience directly at the Edicule, bluish flashes can be seen in the Temple not only on Holy Saturday. But these are one-time and short-term flashes, long-lasting flashes of light that follow each other at short intervals occur only on Holy Saturday, somewhere from twelve to sixteen or seventeen hours.

2. The phenomenon of the appearance of liquid droplets. To begin with, it should be noted that only people on official business can see the Holy Tomb directly on Holy Saturday: clergy participating in the litany, and official representatives of the Jerusalem authorities sealing the Edicule and ensuring order. The information that is available may come either directly from such people, or in retellings from loved ones. In addition to the sources already cited, you can use the story of a 19th-century pilgrim who interviewed the Patriarch: “Where, your Beatitude, do you deign to receive the Fire in the Edicule?” The elderly archpastor, not paying attention to what was heard in the tone of the question, calmly answered as follows (I wrote down almost word for word what I heard): “I, dear sir, if you please know, am no longer a reader without glasses. When I first entered the chapel Angela and the doors closed behind me, twilight reigned there. Light barely penetrated through two holes from the rotunda of the Holy Sepulcher, also dimly lit from above. In the chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, I could not discern whether I had a prayer book in my hands or anything else. Barely "I could barely notice a whitish spot on the black background of the night: that, obviously, was the white marble plaque on the Holy Sepulchre. When I opened the prayer book, to my surprise, the seal became completely accessible to my vision without the help of glasses. I did not have time to read it with with deep emotional excitement, lines three or four, when, looking at the board, which was becoming more and more white and so that all four of its edges were clearly visible to me, I noticed on the board there were, as it were, small scattered beads of different colors, or rather, as if pearls the size of a pinhead and even smaller, and the board began to positively emit as if light. Unconsciously sweeping away these pearls with a large piece of cotton wool, which began to merge like drops of oil, I felt a certain warmth in the cotton wool and just as unconsciously touched it with a candle wick. It flared up like gunpowder, and - the candle burned and illuminated three images of the Resurrection, as it illuminated the face of the Mother of God and all the metal lamps above the Holy Sepulchre" ( Nilus S. The shrine is hidden. Sergiev Posad, 1911). There are no official documents studying the chemical composition of droplets. Informal analytical studies conducted by modern enthusiasts indicate the essential oil content of the drops (similar compounds may be of a plant nature).

3. The phenomenon that Fire does not burn or scorch, despite the fact that the heat spreads. An ordinary candle fire has a temperature of many hundreds of degrees, close to a thousand degrees Celsius. If you try to perform ablution with such fire for more than five seconds, burns on your hands and face are guaranteed. Hair (beard, eyebrows, eyelashes) will catch fire or begin to smolder. In the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, more than ten thousand people light about twenty thousand bunches of candles for two or three minutes (most pilgrims light two or three bunches of candles). People stand close to each other. The volume of the Temple is limited. Try lighting twenty thousand bunches of candles in a dense crowd of people within a few minutes with ordinary fire. We think that most women's hair and clothing will definitely catch fire. With a thousand-degree fire temperature and twenty thousand fire sources in a closed room, heat strokes and fainting will occur, especially in the elderly. Holy Fire has a property that distinguishes it from the fire we are used to. It not only does not burn, but also does not burn for a period of time sufficient to say “Lord, have mercy” approximately forty times and while continuously washing a person’s face with it (without withdrawing the hand with candles). Holy Fire heats, but does not burn! It should be noted that candles are easily lit by Fire and the Fire, which does not burn a person, spreads throughout the Temple due to the ignition of candles - one from the other. From the Patriarchal Candles, the Fire spreads throughout the entire Temple within a few minutes. Naturally, pilgrims with burning bundles of candles are in emotional delight, paying very little attention to the behavior of their neighbors. But the Fire does not set fire to any hanging parts of clothing (kerchiefs, belts) or long hair of women! The age of most pilgrims, as a rule, is above average; they spend almost a day in the Temple, but heat strokes and fainting are not observed. In the entire history of the descent of Fire there has not been a single fire.

4. The presence of a joint appearance of all the above-described miraculous phenomena precisely on Holy Saturday on the eve of the holiday Orthodox Easter (in accordance with the Alexandrian Paschal, which is currently followed only by the Orthodox Churches). We can say that the phenomena observed during the descent of the Holy Fire partly occur in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and in usual time. According to the testimonies of the monks who perform obedience directly at the Edicule, bluish flashes can be seen in the Temple not only on Holy Saturday. But these are one-time flashes. Numerous outbreaks with a short time interval occur only on Holy Saturday, from approximately 12 to 16-17 hours. The spontaneous lighting of lamps, also sometimes observed on other days, may be due to these flashes. But in ordinary times, such spontaneously igniting fire does not have the property of not burning. It seems that any attempts to reproduce the descent of the Holy Fire in a laboratory built in close proximity to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher will be forced to face the problem of reproducing the above-mentioned miraculous property of fire. With a lot of work, it is possible to recreate the chemical composition of the drops, and with the help of special modern equipment, artificially recreate intense flashes of light (most likely accompanied by sound or thunder), but this property of Fire will never be reproduced! And the incident that occurred in 1579, when Fire descended from a column, indicates that the above description is a description of only the most common properties of the descent of Fire. But the Fire itself can descend in another way. It is impossible not to see that the descent of Fire on Holy Saturday on the Holy Sepulcher is the result of a direct Divine (in the language of science - transcendental) influence. The Lord has commanded every year for more than two thousand years that Fire should descend at the site of His suffering on the Cross and earthly death, and He commands it on the day before His Resurrection.

The descent of the Holy Fire is observed only on the eve of Orthodox Easter, on Orthodox calendar And only according to the prayers of the Orthodox Patriarch; The fire is going down only on the candles of the Orthodox Patriarch, that is indisputable evidence of the undoubted truth and divine grace of Orthodoxy- unlike many other denominations that only call themselves Christian. History remembers two cases when representatives of other Christian denominations tried to obtain Fire. The unsuccessful attempt of the Armenian clergy to obtain Fire has already been mentioned. In 1101, representatives of the Roman Catholic Church, who owned Jerusalem at that time, independently tried to obtain the Fire. The miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire in Edicule did not happen until Orthodox Christians were invited to participate in this rite. “The first Latin patriarch Arnold of Choquet started unsuccessfully: he ordered the expulsion of the heretical sects from their territory in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, then he began to torture Orthodox monks, asking where they keep the Cross and other relics. A few months later Arnold was succeeded on the throne by Daimbert of Pisa, who went even further. He attempted to expel all local Christians, even Orthodox Christians, from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and admit only Latins there, completely depriving the rest of the church buildings in or near Jerusalem. God's retribution soon struck: already in 1101 on Holy Saturday, the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire in Edicule did not occur until Eastern Christians were invited to participate in this rite. Then King Baldwin I took care of returning their rights to local Christians" ( Stephen Runciman. Eastern schism. M.: Nauka, 1998. pp. 69-70).

And since then, none of the non-Orthodox has tried to repeat such attempts, fearing failure and the shame that inevitably follows.

H The sight of the Holy Fire is one of the few miracles of Orthodoxy, in principle accessible to everyone who wants to know the truth: “come and see!” Any doubter, having paid 600-700 dollars (this is the price of a standard tourist trip to the Holy Land - Jerusalem, Tiberias - for 7 days), is fully able to personally verify the authenticity of the fact and all the above-described details of the descent of the Holy Fire. A miracle occurs in front of the whole world, “all progressive humanity” (and is even regularly broadcast on Russian television and on the Internet on the website of the Jerusalem Orthodox Patriarchate). But how many people respond with their hearts to this obvious call, obvious to everyone?..

Once upon a time, many hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, before His redemptive suffering and Resurrection, the inhabitants of Israel (and through them - before all humanity) faced the question of who was right: the servants of the True God or the servants of the pagan gods ? This was the case when a dispute arose between the servants of the idol of Baal and the prophet of God Elijah (see 1 Kings 18, 21-39). And after much debate, Elijah offered them a simple way to check who was right. We, people of the 21st century, can rightly call this method an experimental method - in accordance with the exact criteria of the experimental method accepted in modern science. The proposal was this: “Let each of us call on the name of his God, and the God who gives the answer through fire is the true God. And if the Lord is God, then let us follow Him, and if Baal is God, then let us follow Baal.” And then, by the grace of God, it was revealed who the true God is and who is His true admirer, because the fire came down then only through the prayer of the prophet Elijah and burned the sacrifice, the wood, and the stone altar itself, which the priests of Baal encroached on were a complete fiasco. And then it became clear to everyone where true worship of God was.

The situation of the descent of the Holy Fire on the Holy Sepulcher every year practically reproduces this experimental situation that took place many hundreds of years before the Nativity of Christ. And here there are many praying representatives of different faiths, and here there is a true servant of the true God, through whose prayer (and only through his prayer!) Fire miraculously descends, possessing supernatural properties. But aren’t there now ministers of other faiths trying to dispute their right to receive fire from God, as was the case under Elijah? Due to the fact that such attempts, as history shows, always end in failure, and there is no one else willing to take risks and be disgraced... God is unchangeable, this is clearly evidenced by the biblical Old Testament text: I am the Lord your God, and I will not change(Mal. 3, 6). And just as then, in the distant times of Elijah, God, unchangeable in nature, gives an answer to questioning humanity, the answer to the question of where true faith is, gives an answer through fire. The answer is not false, just as the answerer himself is not false - The Lord is the truth(Jer. 10, 10). And anyone who accepts the biblical text as truth must, by virtue of his faith in the unchangeable God and faith in the authenticity of the mentioned story about the descent of fire from heaven through the prayer of the prophet Elijah, with logical necessity, draw the conclusion that fire is sent by God only through the prayer of His true minister. But, as a rule, no one draws this conclusion... In that ancient history about the descent of fire through the prayer of the prophet Elijah, perhaps the most amazing thing was not even the miracle of its descent itself, but the fact that, having at first received with delight the miraculous testimony of the true God, the Israelites almost immediately fell back into apostasy. The children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, destroyed Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword; I am left alone, but they are looking for my soul to take it away(3 Kings 19:10) - this is how the prophet Elijah complains about them to God only later short time after the miracle of the descent of fire. This is what is most striking in all this ancient history.

A similar picture remains in our time - the joy of rejoicing at the descent of the Holy Fire is replaced by a retreat into the darkness of lies for the majority of witnesses of its descent in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre... The Fire descends, leaving fallen and blind humanity unrequited, unrequited in the face of the Righteous Judge. They did not accept the love of the truth for their salvation(2 Thess. 2:10) - this is the pattern of behavior of the human race drowning in sins, and even an obvious miracle of God cannot do anything with this vicious pattern, a conscious and voluntary pattern...

From the editors of the magazine "Holy Fire": In defense of the miracle of the Holy Fire, see the articles

In all official sources of the Orthodox Church, this sacred fire is called the “Holy Fire.” People believe that if miracles happen anywhere on earth, it is only in Jerusalem.

This fire, of course, descends from heaven at noon on Holy Saturday. The day before the onset of Easter Sunday. Why not on Sunday itself - we don’t know. God works in mysterious ways. Since the resurrected Jesus decided to show the world the miracle of the descent of the sacred fire on Saturday, it means that at that time, two thousand years ago, the Angel of the Lord could illuminate with this fire the dark burial cave where the body of the crucified Savior lay.

Saint Gregory of Nyssa, who lived at the end of the 4th century, first told us about this. True, this saint did not live in Jerusalem, but in Syria, and did not see the miracle with his own eyes. And he testifies not about himself, but about the Apostle Peter. It is interesting that, according to Gregory of Nyssa, Peter saw the sacred fire not with his own eyes, but as if intuitively, “ high apostolic mind" This evidence is not accepted by everyone. Firstly, none of the evangelists knew about him, and secondly, Peter, as follows from the story of St. Luke, who, entering the cave and “bending down, he saw only the linens lying there, and went back, marveling at what had happened to himself.”(Luke 24:12) we managed to visit the cave only on the first day of the week, in our opinion - on Sunday, while the sacred fire descends in Jerusalem on Saturday.

Next in line of evidence of the Holy Fire is the church historian Eusebius Pamphilus of Caesarea. Also from the 4th century. A very significant figure and deserving of unquestioning trust when we're talking about about events of which he himself was a contemporary. We will return to this later, talking about the history of the discovery of the True Cross of the Lord. But in everything that seemed to be events at which Eusebius himself was not present, he completely relied on the traditions and “testimonies” of the Fathers of the Church, who lived a hundred and two hundred years before him. In this story, Eusebius tells of the Patriarch Narcissus, who served in Jerusalem in the second century. The story of Narcissus is exactly like the famous miracle of Hanukkah. There was also not enough oil in the lamp; water from the Pool of Siloam was poured into it, and the lamp burned with sacred fire. But the fact is that second-century Jerusalem is the Roman provincial town of Aelia Capitolina. And on the site of the current Temple, where the sacred fire was supposed to descend, there was a temple of the goddess Venus. And it is unlikely that pious Christians, then still mostly Jews, would have performed services in such an abominable place.

There are several more “evidence” of the miraculous lighting of lamps in the Temple, which were seen by pilgrims visiting it during Byzantine times. But already with the beginning of Muslim rule in the Holy Land, people began to be skeptical about the descent of the sacred fire in Jerusalem. True, the opinions of Arab authors differ here. Some of them claim that this is a trick used by the Temple servants, while others, like Ahmad ibn al-Kassa, considered this a real miracle. Towards the end of the 9th - beginning of the 10th century, a ritual was established in Jerusalem in which the local Muslim ruler sealed the doors of the Temple, while Christians stood in the courtyard and prayed. The fire appeared suddenly, the residents of Jerusalem immediately lit lamps and candles from it, and spread this blessed fire throughout their homes.

But even then the rulers Muslim world they smelled what is called evil. One of them, the emir of Baghdad, tried to ban worship, accusing Christian ministers of producing this fire with some kind of “magical art.” But already at the beginning of the 11th century, Muslims began to treat the descent of the sacred fire in Jerusalem with a certain respect, if not reverence. The ceremony of his descent was attended by local imams who lit lamps in mosques from this fire. And there was nothing terrible for Muslims in such veneration of the sacred fire in Jerusalem. After all, Issa-Jesus is the same prophet of Islam, like all his predecessors: Ibrahim, Daoud, Suleiman and others.

But the situation became extremely aggravated by 1009, when the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim, not entirely in his right mind, declared himself a kind of supreme deity. There was no place for the rest of the “deities” in his host, so he ordered the Temple of the Resurrection (the current Church of the Holy Sepulcher) to be destroyed to the ground. Thus, the Christian East and Europe were left without their main miracle. And they stopped talking about the descent of the Holy Fire for almost a century, until at the end of the 11th century Pope Urban II remembered it in his famous speech in Clermont, where he called on Christians to go on a crusade against the infidels and liberate the Holy Sepulcher. The Pope promises the holy army to forgive all sins, reminds future conquerors that, and that “in the temple, suddenly extinguished lamps are rekindled.” Imagine what an explosion of religious feelings and bloodthirsty instincts his words caused among the landless wandering knights of France and Italy, who traded in robbery and robbery on the roads!

When in 1099, after much labor and hundreds of thousands of innocently hacked and burned residents of Palestine, the crusaders captured the Holy City, the sacred fire again began to descend from heaven in Jerusalem. True, there was one serious problem here. Fire never wanted to go to the Temple if a Catholic Christian was reading the prayer. Therefore, the testimony of Abbot Daniel, who visited the Holy Land during the reign of the Crusaders, says that the sacred fire did not descend to the Catholic bishops, but only to the Orthodox. No matter how hard the poor Catholics tried, no matter what tricks they resorted to, the sacred fire never agreed to respond to their prayers! It is reliably known that in 1101, that is, two years after the conquest of Jerusalem by the Crusaders, no miracle occurred in the Temple.

During the entire short century of Crusader rule in the Holy City, from 1099 to 1187, there were very few mentions of the miracles of the descent of the sacred fire in Jerusalem. But since the conquest of the city by the Muslim ruler Sallah ad-Din (Saladin, as he was called in Europe), enlightened Arab historians began to again show interest in this miracle. Already in the 13th century, the writer Al-Jaubari, in his book on secrets and tricks, calls the actions of Christian monks “cunning.” He is echoed by Ibn al-Jawzi, who speaks of the source of the hidden fire in the Temple chapel.

Christian apologists, naturally, come to the defense of a supernatural phenomenon that excites the minds of pilgrims and drives them on their way to the Holy Land. After all, it was there, in Jerusalem, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, rebuilt by the crusaders, on Holy Saturday before the Holy Christ's Sunday The sacred blessed fire descends from heaven, illuminating the entire Temple with its light! But already in the 15th century, a certain traveler named Paul Walter says that the doors of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher are opened for pilgrims by Muslims, and three bishops pray for the descent of the sacred fire. One of them is Greek, the second is Armenian, and the third represents the Coptic Orthodox community. It turns out that by that time the Vatican had already lost all control over the Jerusalem shrines. And if you look closely at the list of those who have since testified to this universal miracle, then it contains mainly Orthodox, Russians and Greeks.

But enough history, let's look at this miracle through the eyes of a modern Orthodox person! Precisely Orthodox, because Catholics no longer take any part in prayers for the descent of the Holy Fire. There is no need to talk about reformists - Protestants, Baptists, evangelists and others. Their shrines - Golgotha and the Holy Sepulcher - are not in the Temple, but in a completely different place in Jerusalem. And no sacred fire was ever observed in these places.

Several years ago, the Russian media and the Russian Orthodox Church witnessed a scandal that erupted after the statement of “Deacon of All Rus'” Andrei Kuraev that the descent of the Holy Fire was nothing more than a “trick with a lighter.” I would like to add that modern chemistry has dozens of ways to ignite the “sacred fire” without the help of a lighter. So, the formal search of the Greek Patriarch Theophilos at the entrance to the Edicule (“Tomb of the Holy Sepulcher”) in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on the morning of Holy Saturday is only a pro forma that is observed in the centuries-old tradition established by Muslims. As I already said, it was they who were the first to doubt the truth of the Christian miracle. By the way, the Armenians, who played a secondary role in this whole story with fire, also more than once accused their Greek competitors of forgery.

They say that in a personal conversation between Kuraev and Theophilus, the Patriarch of Jerusalem admitted that if he revealed the whole truth to the world, he would simply be torn to pieces. But this is so, idle gossip... In fact, the Orthodox Church, both Russian and Greek, has long been using the sacred fire as a popular talk show, attracting a huge number of viewers. It is clear that visiting the Temple at this time is available only to a lucky few. Is it true, local residents from among the Arabs, they may not help free of charge those who really want to spend the night in the Temple and get to the ceremonial descent from the sky of bright golden sparks, illuminating the Rotunda of the Temple immersed in darkness. Well, the rest can see how the Holy Fire descends on their TV screens. It is clear that the organizers of such a show, the Orthodox Greeks in Jerusalem, would never refuse to earn a couple of million from it!

The idea that the lighting of candles and lamps in the Temple from the supposed “sacred fire” is a falsification is not new. Scientists and theologians, representatives of various faiths, including the Orthodox Church, spoke about it. The most famous statements were made in the middle of the last century by the late professor of the Leningrad Theological Academy Nikolai Dmitrievich Uspensky. He believed that in Edicule the fire is lit from a secret hidden lamp, the light of which does not penetrate into the open space of the Temple, where all the candles and lamps are extinguished by the time of prayers. And yet, the professor claims that “ “The fire lit on the Holy Sepulcher from a hidden lamp is still sacred fire, received from a sacred place...”

One way or another, we don’t know. What the sacred blessed fire in Jerusalem actually is is a matter of faith. If you believe in his miraculous descent, come to Jerusalem on the eve of Great Easter! Maybe you will be lucky and, like other lucky ones, you will witness this miracle that takes place annually in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

In the meantime, listen to the story of an eyewitness and participant in these events...

(video by Vladislav Kipnis)

The Resurrection of Christ - Easter, before which the described event occurs - the greatest event for Christians, which is a sign of the Savior’s victory over sin and death and the beginning of the existence of the world, redeemed and sanctified by the Lord Jesus Christ.

For nearly two thousand years, Orthodox Christians and representatives of other Christian denominations have been celebrating their greatest holiday - the Resurrection of Christ (Easter) in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Resurrection) in Jerusalem. In this greatest shrine for Christians, there is the Tomb where Christ was buried and then resurrected; Holy Places where the Savior was condemned and executed for our sins.

Every time, everyone who is inside and near the Temple on Easter witnesses the descent of the Holy Fire (Light).

Story

The Holy Fire has been appearing in the temple for more than a millennium. The earliest mentions of the descent of the Holy Fire on the eve of the Resurrection of Christ are found in Gregory of Nyssa, Eusebius and Silvia of Aquitaine and date back to the 4th century. They also contain descriptions of earlier convergences. According to the testimony of the Apostles and Holy Fathers, the uncreated Light illuminated the Holy Sepulcher shortly after the Resurrection of Christ, which one of the Apostles saw: “Peter believed, he saw not only with his sensual eyes, but also with the lofty Apostolic mind - the Sepulcher was filled with light, so that, although and the night was, however, two images I saw internally - sensually and spiritually,” we read from the church historian Gregory of Nyssa. “Peter presented himself to the Sepulcher and the light in the tomb was in vain terrified,” writes St. John of Damascus. Eusebius Pamphilus narrates in his “Church History” that when one day there was not enough lamp oil, Patriarch Narcissus (2nd century) blessed to pour water from the Pool of Siloam into the lamps, and the fire that came down from heaven lit the lamps, which then burned throughout the entire Easter service . Among the earliest mentions are the testimonies of Muslims and Catholics. The Latin monk Bernard, (865) writes in his itinerary: “On Holy Saturday, which is the eve of Easter, the service begins early and after the service, Lord have mercy is sung until, with the coming of the Angel, the light is lit in the lamps hanging over the Tomb."

Ceremony

The litany (church ceremony) of the Holy Fire begins approximately one day before the start of Orthodox Easter, which, as you know, is celebrated on a different day than other Christians. Pilgrims begin to gather in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, wanting to see with their own eyes the descent of the Holy Fire. Among those present there are always many heterodox Christians, Muslims, and atheists; the ceremony is monitored by the Jewish police. The temple itself can accommodate up to 10 thousand people, the entire area in front of it and the enfilade of surrounding buildings are also filled with people - the number of people willing is much greater than the capacity of the temple, so it can be difficult for pilgrims.

"The day before, all the candles, lamps, and chandeliers in the church had already been extinguished. Even in the recent past (at the beginning of the 20th century - editor's note), this was carefully observed: the Turkish authorities carried out a strict search inside the chapel; according to the slander of Catholics, they even went as far as to audit pockets of the officiating metropolitan, the vicar of the Patriarch..."

A lamp filled with oil, but without fire, is placed in the middle of the bed of the Life-Giving Sepulcher. Pieces of cotton wool are laid out throughout the bed, and tape is laid along the edges. Thus prepared, after inspection by the Turkish guards, and now by the Jewish police, the Edicule (Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher) is closed and sealed by the local Muslim key keeper.

“And so on the morning of Holy Saturday, at 9 o’clock local time, the first signs of Divine power began to appear: the first rumbles of thunder were heard, while it was clear and sunny outside. They continued for three hours (until 12). The temple began to be illuminated with bright flashes of light. In one place or another, lightning began to shine, foreshadowing the descent of the Heavenly Fire," writes one of the eyewitnesses.

"At half past two o'clock, the bell rings in the Patriarchate and the procession begins from there. The Greek clergy enters the temple with a long black ribbon, preceding His Beatitude, the Patriarch. He is in full vestments, a shining miter and panagias. The clergy slowly walks past the “stone of anointing,” goes to the platform connecting the edicule with the cathedral, and then between two rows of armed Turkish army, barely holding back the onslaught of the crowd, disappears into the large altar of the cathedral,” says the medieval pilgrim.

20-30 minutes after the sealing of the Edicule, Orthodox Arab youth run into the temple, whose presence is also an obligatory element of the Easter celebrations. Young people sit on each other's shoulders like riders. They ask Mother of God and the Lord, so that he would grant the Holy Fire to the Orthodox; “Ilya din, ilya vil el Messiah” (“there is no faith except the Orthodox faith, Christ is the true God”) - they chant. For European parishioners, accustomed to other forms of expression of feelings and calm worship services, it can be very unusual to see such behavior of local youth. However, the Lord reminded us that He accepts such a childishly naive, but sincere appeal to God.

“During the time when Jerusalem was under the British Mandate, the English governor once tried to ban these “savage” dances. The Patriarch prayed in the Edicule for two hours: the fire did not descend. Then the Patriarch, of his own will, ordered the Arabs to be allowed in... And the fire descended.” The Arabs seem to be addressing all nations: the Lord confirms the correctness of our faith by bringing down the Holy Fire on the eve of Orthodox Easter. What do you believe in?

“Suddenly, inside the temple above the Edicule, a small cloud appeared, from which a light rain began to drizzle. I was standing not far from the Edicule, and therefore small drops of dew fell on me, a sinner, several times. I thought, probably, there was a thunderstorm outside, rain, and the roof was in The temple is not tightly closed, so the water penetrates inside. But then the Greeks shouted: “Dew, dew...” The blessed dew descended on the Edicule and moistened the cotton wool lying on the Holy Sepulcher. This was the second manifestation of God's Power." - writes the pilgrim.

A procession of hierarchs of Easter-celebrating denominations enters the Temple. At the end of the procession is the Orthodox Patriarch of one of the local Orthodox churches (Jerusalem or Constantinople), accompanied by the Armenian Patriarch and clergy. In its procession of the cross, the procession passes all the memorable places in the temple: the sacred grove where Christ was betrayed, the place where he was beaten by Roman legionnaires, Golgotha, where he was crucified, the Stone of Anointing - on which the body of Christ was prepared for burial.

The procession approaches the Edicule and circles it three times. After this, the Orthodox Patriarch stops opposite the entrance to the Edicule; he is stripped of his vestments and remains in only a linen cassock, so that it can be seen that he does not bring matches or anything else capable of lighting a fire into the cave. During the reign of the Turks, close “control” of the patriarch was carried out by the Turkish Janissaries, who searched him before entering the Edicule.

Hoping to catch the Orthodox in a fake, the city's Muslim authorities placed Turkish soldiers throughout the temple, and they drew scimitars, ready to cut off the head of anyone who was seen bringing or lighting a fire. However, in the entire history of Turkish rule, no one has ever been convicted of this. At the present time, the Patriarch is being examined by Jewish police investigators.

Shortly before the patriarch, the sacristan brings a large lamp into the cave, in which the main fire and 33 candles should flare up - according to the number of years of the Savior’s earthly life. Then the Orthodox and Armenian Patriarchs (the latter is also unmasked before entering the cave) go inside. They are sealed with a large piece of wax and a red tape is placed on the door; Orthodox ministers put their seals. At this time, the lights in the temple turn off and a tense silence sets in - waiting. Those present pray and confess their sins, asking the Lord to grant the Holy Fire.

All the people in the temple are patiently waiting for the patriarch to come out with Fire in his hands. However, in the hearts of many people there is not only patience, but also a thrill of expectation: in accordance with the tradition of the Jerusalem Church, it is believed that the day when the Holy Fire does not descend will be the last for the people in the Temple, and the Temple itself will be destroyed. Therefore, pilgrims usually take communion before coming to the holy place.

The prayer and ritual continue until the expected miracle occurs. Over the years, the agonizing wait lasts from five minutes to several hours.

Convergence

Before the descent, the temple begins to be illuminated with bright flashes of the Holy Light, small lightning flashes here and there. In slow motion, it is clearly visible that they come from different places in the temple - from the icon hanging above the Edicule, from the dome of the Temple, from the windows and from other places, and fill everything around with bright light. In addition, here and there, between the columns and walls of the temple, quite visible lightning flashes, which often pass through standing people without any harm.

A moment later, the entire temple turns out to be surrounded by lightning and glare, which snake down its walls and columns, as if flowing down to the foot of the temple and spreading across the square among the pilgrims. At the same time, the candles of those standing in the temple and in the square light up, the lamps located on the sides of the Edicule light up themselves (with the exception of 13 Catholic ones), like some others within the temple. "And suddenly a drop falls on the face, and then a cry of delight and shock is heard in the crowd. The fire is burning in the altar of the Catholicon! The flash and flame are like a huge flower. And the Edicule is still dark. Slowly - slowly, along the candles, the Fire from the altar begins to descend to us ". And then a thunderous cry makes you look back at the Edicule. It shines, the whole wall shimmers with silver, white lightning streams along it. The fire pulsates and breathes, and from the hole in the dome of the Temple a wide vertical column of light descended from the sky onto the Tomb." The temple or its individual places are filled with an unparalleled radiance, which is believed to have first appeared during the Resurrection of Christ. At the same time, the doors of the Tomb open and the Orthodox Patriarch emerges, blessing those gathered and distributing the Holy Fire.

The patriarchs themselves talk about how the Holy Fire ignites. “I saw how the Metropolitan bent over the low entrance, entered the den and knelt down before the Holy Sepulcher, on which nothing stood and which was completely naked. Not even a minute passed before the darkness was illuminated with light and the Metropolitan came out to us with a flaming bundle candles." Hieromonk Meletius quotes the words of Archbishop Misail: “When I entered inside the Holy Sepulcher, I saw light shining on the entire lid of the Tomb, like scattered small beads, in the form of white, blue, scarlet and other colors, which then copulated, turned red and turned into the substance of fire ... and from this fire the prepared kandil and candles are lit."

Messengers, even when the Patriarch is in the Edicule, spread Fire throughout the temple through special holes, the circle of fire gradually spreads throughout the temple.

However, not everyone lights the fire from the patriarchal candle; for some, it lights the samtemple. It scattered with bright blue beads over the Edicule around the icon of the “Resurrection of the Lord,” and one of the lamps flared up after it. He burst into the temple chapels, onto Golgotha (he also lit one of the lamps on it), sparkled over the Stone of Confirmation (a lamp was also lit here). For some, the wicks of candles were charred, for others, lamps and bunches of candles flared up on their own. The flashes became more and more intensified, sparks spread here and there through the bunches of candles." One of the witnesses notes how the woman standing next to him had her candles light up on their own three times, which she twice tried to extinguish.

The first time - 3-10 minutes, the ignited Fire has amazing properties - it does not burn at all, regardless of what candle and where it is lit. You can see how parishioners literally wash themselves with this Fire - they rub it over their faces, over their hands, scoop up handfuls of it, and it does not cause any harm, at first it does not even scorch their hair. “I lit 20 candles in one place and burned my candles with all those candles, and not a single hair curled or burned; and having extinguished all the candles and then lit them from other people, I lit those candles, and on the third day I lit those candles , and even then nothing touched my wife, not a single hair was singed, nor was it writhing..." - one of the pilgrims wrote four centuries ago. Parishioners call the droplets of wax that fall from the candles the Graceful Dew. As a reminder of the Miracle of the Lord, they will remain on the clothes of witnesses forever; no amount of powder or washing will remove them.

The people who are in the temple at this time are overwhelmed with an indescribable and incomparable in its depth feeling of joy and spiritual peace. According to those who visited the square and the temple itself when the fire descended, the depth of feelings overwhelming the people at that moment was fantastic - eyewitnesses left the temple as if reborn, as they themselves say, spiritually cleansed and cleared of sight. What is especially remarkable is that even those who are uncomfortable with this God-given sign do not remain indifferent.

Rarer miracles also happen. One of the videotapes shows the healings taking place. Visually, the camera demonstrates two such cases - in a person with a disfigured rotting tskh, the wound, smeared with Fire, heals right before his eyes and the ear takes on a normal appearance, and also shows a case of a blind man’s epiphany (according to external observations, the person had cataracts on both eyes before “washing” "Fire).

In the future, lamps will be lit from the Holy Fire throughout Jerusalem, and the Fire will be delivered by special flights to Cyprus and Greece, from where it will be transported throughout the world. Recently, direct participants in the events began to bring it to our country. In areas of the city close to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, candles and lamps in churches light up on their own."

Is it only the Orthodox?

Many non-Orthodox people, when they first hear about the Holy Fire, try to reproach the Orthodox: how do you know that it was given to you? But what if he was received by a representative of another Christian denomination? However, attempts to forcefully challenge the right to receive the Holy Fire from representatives of other denominations have happened more than once.

Only for several centuries was Jerusalem under the control of Eastern Christians; most of the time, as now, the city was ruled by representatives of other teachings that were unfriendly or even hostile to Orthodoxy.

The chaplain of the Crusader kings of Jerusalem, Fulk, says that when Western admirers (from among the crusaders) visited St. city before the capture of Caesarea, for the celebration of St. Easter came to Jerusalem, the whole city was in confusion, because the holy fire did not appear and the faithful remained in vain expectations all day in the Church of the Resurrection. Then, as if by heavenly inspiration, the Latin clergy and the king with their entire court went... to the Temple of Solomon, which they had recently converted into a church from the Omar Mosque, and meanwhile the Greeks and Syrians who remained with St. The coffins, tearing their clothes, called upon the grace of God with cries, and then, finally, St. descended. Fire."

But the most significant incident occurred in 1579. The owners of the Temple of the Lord are simultaneously representatives of several Christian Churches. To the priests Armenian Church, contrary to tradition, they managed to bribe Sultan Murat the Truthful and the local mayor to allow them to individually celebrate Easter and receive the Holy Fire. At the call of the Armenian clergy, many of their co-religionists came to Jerusalem from all over the Middle East to celebrate Easter alone. The Orthodox, together with Patriarch Sophrony IV, were removed not only from the edicule, but also from the Temple in general. There, at the entrance to the shrine, they remained to pray for the descent of the Fire, grieving over their separation from Grace. The Armenian Patriarch prayed for about a day, however, despite his prayer efforts, no miracle followed. At one moment, a ray struck from the sky, as usually happens during the descent of Fire, and hit the column at the entrance, next to which the Orthodox Patriarch was located. Splashes of fire splashed out from it in all directions and a candle was lit by the Orthodox Patriarch, who passed on the Holy Fire to his co-religionists. This was the only case in history when the descent took place outside the Temple, actually through the prayers of the Orthodox, and not the Armenian high priest. “Everyone rejoiced, and the Orthodox Arabs began to jump for joy and shout: “You are our one God, Jesus Christ, our one true faith is the faith of Orthodox Christians,” writes monk Parthenius. At the same time, in the enfilades of buildings adjacent to the temple square there were Turkish soldiers. One of them, named Omir (Anvar), seeing what was happening, exclaimed: “One Orthodox faith, I am a Christian" and jumped down onto the stone slabs from a height of about 10 meters. However, the young man did not crash - the slabs under his feet melted like wax, capturing his traces.For the adoption of Christianity, Muslims executed the brave Anwar and tried to scrape off the traces that so clearly testified to the triumph of Orthodoxy, but they failed, and those who come to the Temple can still see them, as well as the dissected column at the door of the temple. The body of the martyr was burned, but the Greeks collected the remains, which were in storage until the end of the 19th century. convent Great Panagia, exuding fragrance.

The Turkish authorities were very angry with the arrogant Armenians, and at first they even wanted to execute the hierarch, but later they had mercy and decided to edify him about what happened at the Easter ceremony to always follow the Orthodox Patriarch and henceforth not take direct part in receiving the Holy Fire. Although the government has long since changed, the custom continues to this day. However, this was not the only attempt by Muslims who deny the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord to prevent the descent of the Holy Fire. Here is what the famous Islamic historian al-Biruni (IX-X centuries) writes: “...once the governor ordered to replace the wicks with copper wire, hoping that the lamps would not light up and the miracle itself would not happen. But then, when the fire died down, the copper caught fire.” .

It is difficult to list all the numerous events that occur before and during the descent of the Holy Fire. However, one thing deserves special mention. Several times a day or immediately before the descent of the Holy Fire, icons or frescoes depicting the Savior began to stream myrrh in the Temple. This first happened on Good Friday in 1572. The first witnesses were two Frenchmen; a letter about this from one of them is kept in the Central Paris Library. Five months later, on August 24, Charles IX carried out the St. Bartholomew's Massacre in Paris. In two days, a third of the population of France was destroyed. In 1939, on the night from Good Friday to Holy Saturday, she again cast myrrh. Several monks living at the Jerusalem monastery became witnesses. Five months later, on September 1, 1939, II began World War. In 2001 it happened again. Christians did not see anything terrible in this... but the whole world knows what happened on September 11 of this year - five months after the myrrh streaming

For those who are interested in this topic, there is a website that provides a large amount of information about this miracle. His address is http://www.holyfire.org.

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