Where does the blessed fire come from? "Holy light": can scientists explain the convergence of the blessed fire.

15.10.2019

April 24 is Easter. The culmination of the main Christian holiday will be the convergence of the Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Once again, disputes will arise about what the miraculous fire is, how to explain its occurrence? Atheists are convinced that this is just a hoax. Believers, on the contrary, that this is a real miracle. Who is right?

strange discharge

Quite recently, the press reported that a Russian physicist, an employee of the Kurchatov Institute, Andrey Volkov, attended the ceremony of the convergence of the Holy Fire last year and secretly made some measurements.

According to Volkov, a few minutes before the removal of the Holy Fire from Kuvuklia (the chapel where the miraculous fire lights up), the device that fixes the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation detected a strange long-wave impulse in the temple, which no longer manifested itself. That is, an electrical discharge has occurred.

The physicist came to Jerusalem as an assistant to one of the film crews who received permission to work inside the temple. According to him, it is difficult to judge anything reliably from one measurement, since a series of experiments is needed. But still, “it could also turn out that we detected the cause preceding the appearance of a genuine divine Holy Fire” ...

Today, closer to midnight, a plane with the Holy Fire landed at Vnukovo Airport. According to tradition, the sacred fire from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem was taken to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and the particles of Fire were delivered to various churches throughout the country.

But what is the Holy Fire - a focus for believers or the True Light - a Russian physicist managed to find out. A scientist from the Institute of Atomic Energy, using high-precision instruments, was able to prove that the Holy Fire actually has a divine origin.

Andrey Volkov, head of the laboratory of ionic systems at the Russian Research Center "Kurchatov Institute", succeeded in what no scientist in the world has been able to do so far: he conducted a scientific experiment in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

At the moment of the descent of the Holy Fire, the devices recorded a sharp burst of electromagnetic radiation.

Andrey Volkov, a 52-year-old candidate of physical and mathematical sciences, has always been interested in the phenomenon of an unusual self-ignition in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which happens on the eve of Orthodox Easter. This fire appears by itself, in the first seconds it does not burn, believers wash their faces and hands with it, as if with water. Volkov suggested that this flame is a plasma discharge. And the scientist came up with the idea of a bold experiment - to measure electromagnetic radiation in the temple itself during the convergence of the Holy Fire.

I knew that it would not be easy to do this - in Holy place with the equipment they could not miss, - Andrey Volkov told "Your DAY". - And yet I decided to take a chance, since all the devices fit in an ordinary case. In general, I hoped for good luck. And I'm lucky.

Radiation

The scientist set up the instruments: if during the convergence of the Holy Fire there is a jump in electromagnetic fields, the computer will record it. If the flame is a trick that is arranged for believers (such an explanation of the phenomenon is still in use among atheists), then no jump will occur.

Volkov watched as the Patriarch of Jerusalem, having taken off his vestments, entered Kuvuklia (the chapel in the Temple) in one shirt with a bunch of candles. People, frozen, waiting for a miracle. Indeed, according to legend, if the Holy Fire does not come down to people on the eve of Easter, this will be a sign of the approaching end of the world. Andrey Volkov found out that the miracle had happened before anyone else in the temple - his instruments caught a sharp jump!

For six hours of observing the electromagnetic background in the temple, it was at the moment of the descent of the Holy Fire that the device recorded a doubling of the radiation intensity, the physicist testifies. - Now it is clear that the Holy Fire was not created by people. This is not a deception, not a hoax: its material "traces" can be measured!

In fact, can this inexplicable surge of energy be called a message from God?

Many believers think so. This is the materialization of the Divine, a miracle. You won't pick another word. God's plan cannot be squeezed into mathematical formulas. But the Lord by this miracle every year gives us a sign that Orthodox faith- true!

"Fire Like a Cobra"

An argument in favor of the fact that the Holy Fire has a “natural”, and not a divine origin, is the fact that similar phenomena do occur. Of course, in no case should they be put on a par with the fire in the Temple of the Lord. However, there are some common features.

Let's start with such a sign as suddenness, the absence of a visible reason. The same property is characteristic of such a phenomenon as spontaneous combustion, which is not so rare. For example, “Buff-Sad” last month wrote about an abnormal fire on Bolshaya Podgornaya Street that occurred last spring. This is far from an isolated case. And not only for Tomsk. For example, causeless fires are not uncommon in Moscow. The most surprising thing is that this happens especially often on the Garden Ring. Moreover, not only apartments and offices are burning, but even car interiors.

Let's take another sign of the Holy Fire - the property not to burn, at least at first. This already looks like a so-called cold plasma, a low-temperature ionized substance. It seems that such a plasma exists not only in physical laboratories.

Here is a quote from the newspaper "Miner's Territory", Novokuznetsk. A case is described when a firefighter went to a call and saw something completely unusual before his eyes. “Somehow I break into a room, in the middle of which an orange-blue selective column of flame hangs. Fire like a cobra stood upright, as if preparing to jump. I took a step towards the flame, and it was immediately sucked with a whistle into a hole in the floor ... And when we extinguished the barracks on Vera Solomina Street, the fire seemed to be hiding from us, spreading from one wall to another ... ". Note that the flames writhed, "hidden", but did not cause ignition.

Science and myths

There are cases when a mysterious flame or glow, taken for miracles, eventually found a scientific explanation. According to old beliefs, the lights flickering in the swamps are candles that light the way for lost souls. It is now reliably known that wandering fires are nothing more than combustible swamp gas released from rotting plants. The bluish glow on the masts and frames of ships - the so-called "St. Elmo's fires", observed since the Middle Ages - are caused by lightning discharges in the sea. BUT Northern Lights, which in Scandinavian myths is a reflection of the golden shields of the Valkyries? Scientists explain this phenomenon by the interaction of streams of charged particles passing through the upper atmosphere, through magnetic field Earth.

However, some cases still remain a mystery. In 1905, the mysterious lights visited the Welsh preacher Mary Jones. Their appearance ranged from small fireballs, pillars of light a meter wide, to a faint glow reminiscent of fireworks disintegrating in the sky. Moreover, some researchers explained the appearance of mysterious lights by the mental overstrain experienced by Jones during the sermons.

We must not guess, but explore

Let us return to where we started, to the miraculous Holy Fire in Jerusalem. It turns out that the Moscow physicist Andrey Volkov was almost outstripped by the Tomsk residents. The year before last, a research group was going to Jerusalem, including the director of the Biolon center Viktor Fefelov and the famous photojournalist Vladimir Kazantsev.

“We wanted to study the Holy Fire with the help of physical instruments,” says Viktor Fefelov. - With the help of scientists from the Tomsk Scientific Center, they assembled equipment: an automatic spectrophotometer, all kinds of other devices for studying electromagnetic waves of the widest range ... Outwardly, everything would look like shooting with an ordinary video camera, in fact, a thorough analysis would be carried out from X-ray and gamma radiation to low-frequency. We quite openly hoped to find an answer - either this is a miracle, or a natural phenomenon or deception.

Alas, due to problems with visas, the trip fell through. Although many Tomsk residents provided this or that support: corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Zuev, deputy Nikolai Vyatkin, director of the television studio Elena Ulyanova and others. The researchers also received approval in church circles. Perhaps it will succeed in next year.

* * *
Perhaps the answer lies in geophysics? That is, the whole point is the release of a bunch of tectonic, underground energy to the surface in the form of low-frequency electromagnetic radiation, which Volkov was able to fix?

- The Earth is a very large, extremely complex electromagnetic object, - says Viktor Fefelov, - and extremely little studied. It is likely that this phenomenon also has a tectonic contribution. No need to guess, you need to explore.

Indeed, perhaps the Holy Fire is due to many reasons? Edicule is located in a unique place in terms of the dynamics of tectonic plates. Perhaps the believers who have gathered at the Temple of the Lord also generate energy, which, thanks to a large number emotionally excited people is multiplied? Let us recall the case of the preacher Mary Jones mentioned above.

There may be other factors that we don't yet know about.

Holy Fire- one of the strongest symbols of faith and confirmation of its truth among Orthodox Christians. Once again, he descended from heaven last Saturday, April 15 in Jerusalem in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (erected in the 4th century by decree of the Roman Emperor Constantine and his mother Queen Helena at the place where Christ's earthly path was completed) on the eve of the Great Feast of Orthodox Easter Christ. This year the Easter holidays of the Orthodox and Catholic faiths coincided.

Holy Fire: miracle or man-made reality?

Scientists and atheists have been trying to explain the power and nature of the Holy Fire for a long time, but so far the attempts have not been successful. Believers accept fire as the highest grace of God, without questioning even the slightest doubt about its divine nature. Skeptics and atheists carefully try to explain this phenomenon from a scientific point of view, and I think this is also normal.

I did not publish this article on the eve of the Easter holiday, as was originally intended, respecting the feelings of true believers, so that my reasoning would not look like an attempt on the shrine of saints.

And yet, let's try to understand the mystery and nature of the descent of the Holy Fire.

How is the preparation for the reception of the Holy Fire

Not for the first millennium, the Holy Fire descends in one place, only in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, and only on the eve of Orthodox Easter, subject to a few more conditions.

The first mention of this phenomenon dates back to the 4th century, they are found among church historians.

A vivid description, full of depth of experienced feelings, is given in his book “I saw the Holy Fire” by Archimandrite Savva Achilleos, who for more than 50 years was the main novice at the Holy Sepulcher. Here is a fragment of a book about how the Holy Fire descends:

“... the patriarch bowed low to approach the Life-Giving Tomb. And suddenly, in the midst of dead silence, I heard some kind of quivering, barely perceptible rustle. It was like a thin breath of wind. And immediately after that, I saw a blue light that filled the entire inner space of the Life-Giving Tomb.

Oh, what an unforgettable sight it was! I saw this light whirl like a strong whirlwind or storm. And in this blessed light, I clearly saw the face of the Patriarch. Big tears were running down his cheeks...

… the blue light has returned to a state of motion. Then it suddenly turned white... Soon the light took on a rounded shape and in the form of a halo stood motionless above the head of the Patriarch. I saw how His Beatitude the Patriarch took bundles of 33 candles into his hands, raised them high above him and began to pray to God to send down the Holy Fire, slowly stretching his hands to the sky. As soon as he raised them to the level of his head, all four beams suddenly lit up in his hands, as if they were brought close to a flaming furnace. At the same moment, the halo disappeared from the light above his head. Tears flowed from my eyes from the joy that engulfed me .... "

Information taken from the site https://www.rusvera.mrezha.ru/633/9.htm

Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, preparation for the descent

The ceremony of preparation for the descent of Fire begins almost a day before the start of Orthodox Easter. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which can accommodate 10 thousand people, is in a hurry to visit these days not only Orthodox believers, but also other Christians, Muslims, and atheist tourists. Representatives of the Jewish police are also present here, vigilantly monitoring not only order, but also ensuring that no one brings fire or devices into the temple that cause it.

Then, an unlit oil lamp is placed in the center of the bed of the Holy Sepulcher, and a bunch of candles in the amount of 33 pieces is placed here - the number of years of the life of Jesus Christ. Pieces of cotton wool are laid around the perimeter of the bed, a tape is attached along the edges. Everything is done under the strict supervision of the Jewish police and Muslim representatives.

It is important that the manifestation of the descent of Fire is ensured by the obligatory presence in the temple three groups of participants:

Patriarch of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church or, with his blessing, one of the bishops of the Jerusalem Patriarchate.
Abbot and monks of the Lavra of St. Savva the Sanctified .
Local Orthodox Arabs, most often represented by Arab Orthodox youth, who make themselves known by noisy non-traditional performance of prayers in Arabic .

The Orthodox Patriarch closes the festive procession, accompanied by the Armenian Patriarch and the clergy, who go around the most holy places of the temple, go around Kuvuklia (the chapel above the Holy Sepulcher) three times.

Then the Patriarch undresses from the vestments, demonstrating the absence of matches and other things that can cause fire, and enters Kuvukliya.

After that, the chapel is closed, the entrance is sealed by a local Muslim keykeeper.

Those present from this moment are waiting for the Patriarch to come out with Fire in his hands. Interestingly, the waiting time for convergence varies from year to year, from a few minutes to several hours.

The moment of expectation is one of the strongest in faith: believers know that if the Fire is not sent from above, the temple will be destroyed. Therefore, the parishioners take communion and pray fervently, asking to grant them the Holy Fire. Prayers and rituals continue until the appearance of the blessed Fire.

How the Holy Fire descends

Approximately this is how the atmosphere of expectation of the Holy Fire is described by people present in the temple in different time. The phenomenon of convergence is accompanied by the appearance in the temple of small bright flashes, discharges, flashes here and there ...

When shooting with a slow-motion camera, the lights are especially clearly visible near the icon located above Kuvuklia, in the area of the dome of the Temple, near the windows.

A moment later, the whole temple is already lit up with glare, lightning, and right there .. the doors of the chapel swing open, the Patriarch appears in his hands with the same Fire sent down from Heaven. At these moments, candles in the hands of individuals spontaneously ignite.

An incredible atmosphere of joy, delight and happiness fills the entire space, it truly becomes an energetically unique place!

At first, Fire possesses amazing properties- does not burn at all, people literally wash themselves with it, scoop it up with their palms, pouring it on themselves. There are no cases of ignition of clothes, hair and other objects. The temperature of the fire is only 40ºС. There are cases and witnesses of the healing of ailments and diseases.

They say that droplets of wax falling from candles, called the Blessed Dew, will remain on people's clothes forever, even after washing.

And in the future, from the Holy Fire, lamps are lit throughout Jerusalem, although there are cases in areas near the temple of their spontaneous combustion. Fire is delivered by air to Cyprus and Greece, and so all over the world, including to Russia. In the areas of the city adjacent to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, candles and lamps in churches light up on their own.

There were fears that this year the Fire would not come down due to the fact that archaeologists in the fall of 2016, for scientific purposes, opened the tomb with the Holy Sepulcher, in which, according to giving, the body of Jesus Christ rested after the crucifixion. The fears were in vain.

Video about the descent of Fire in Jerusalem.

Scientific explanation of the Holy Fire

How does science explain the nature of the Holy Fire? No way! There is no scientific evidence for this phenomenon. Just as there are no scientific interpretations of all things that happen according to the will of God. One must accept the fact of Fire as a divine essence.

Attempts to somehow explain the nature of this phenomenon are rather revealing, as is usually the case, the desire to convict the Church of insincerity, deceit, and concealment of the truth.

But in fact, why does the Fire come down only among Orthodox Christians? Well, God is one, faiths are just different? And why does Orthodox Easter fall on different calendar dates every year, and why does the fire come down at the right time? By the way, in the past, its convergence was observed at night with the onset of Holy Saturday before Easter, now it happens during the day, closer to noon.

Holy Fire is a myth

What arguments do skeptics give, exposing the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire, thereby trying to dispel the myths about the divine nature of fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher:

Fire at the right moment is obtained from essential oils, pre-sprayed into the atmosphere of the temple and capable of self-ignition.
The candles that are given out in the temple shop are impregnated with a special composition that saturates the atmosphere of the temple, causing the same flashes and spontaneous combustion of candles.

But after all, other candles were lit, which passionate skeptics brought with them to the temple.

Some substances, such as white phosphorus, exhibit spontaneous combustion. Concentrated sulfuric acid, when combined with manganese, ignites spontaneously, while the flame does not burn. The fire does not burn for some time when the ethers are burning. But only the first moments.

Divine fire does not burn after a while.

Here is another recipe for self-ignition:

“... they hang lamps in the altar and arrange a trick so that the fire reaches them through the oil of the balsam tree and accessories from it, and its property is the appearance of fire when combined with jasmine oil. Fire has a bright light and brilliant radiance.

The phenomenon of fire can be explained as a result of the interaction of streams of charged particles passing through the upper layers of the atmosphere, through the Earth's magnetic field.

But why here and now? Unconvincing!

Perhaps the answer lies in geophysics? The land of Jerusalem is very old, in addition, the temple is located in a unique place, on ancient tectonic plates.

Perhaps this fact contributes to the phenomenon.

Or maybe the believers themselves, gathered at the Temple of the Lord, with their energy of excitement, a special state nervous system in anticipation of a miracle, they are able to generate energy flows, which are not poor in places of pilgrimage anyway.
Does not recognize the miraculous nature of fire and the Catholic Church.
A lot of noise in 2008 was made by the interview of the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III to Russian journalists, in which he brought the phenomenon of the descent of the Holy Fire closer to an ordinary church ceremony, without any emphasis on the miracle of the descent.

Scientific experiment confirming the divine essence of Fire

Professor Pavel Florensky in 2008 took measurements and recorded three flashes-discharges, akin to those that happen during a thunderstorm, and thereby confirmed the special atmosphere during the appearance of Fire, that is, simply its Divine origin.

Just a year ago, in 2016, a Russian physicist, an employee of the Russian Research Center "Kurchatov Institute" Andrey Volkov, managed to bring equipment to the temple for the ceremony of the convergence of the Holy Fire and take measurements electromagnetic field indoors. Here is what the physicist himself says:

- For six hours of observing the electromagnetic background in the temple, it was at the moment of the descent of the Holy Fire that the device recorded a doubling of the radiation intensity.

- Now it is clear that the Holy Fire was not created by people. This is not a deception, not a hoax: its material "traces" can be measured.

Every year on the eve of Orthodox Easter, a special service is held in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem. It is characterized by the removal of a special fire from the Holy Sepulcher, which, according to believers, appears in a supernatural way.

The phenomenon is certainly ancient. However, the divine origin of fire is questioned, as a result, this phenomenon has both its supporters and opponents. It is time for us to debunk the myths about the Holy Fire.

The Holy Fire is of divine origin. This is the most important myth regarding such a phenomenon. As already mentioned, doubts about the origin of the fire were always present. Not so long ago, the Armenian priest Ghevond was even able to film a secret lamp, which is hidden behind a retractable icon in Kuvuklia. Schemes for priests to receive the Holy Fire have been written about for a long time. In the 12th century, the Arab Ibn-al-Kalanisi wrote that thin wires rubbed with oil were stretched between the lamps. At the right moment, one of the threads was imperceptibly set on fire, as a result of which, bright as lightning, the fire quickly lit all the lamps. It seemed to believers that fire came down from heaven. Another Arab in the 13th century told how an iron box was placed on top of the dome with a pre-calculated time of burning fire in it. At the right time, he sets fire to the oiled chain, and along it the fire descends from above to the lamp. The literature describes that fire can also appear due to the combination of balsam oil with some other additives. The self-ignition of substances in air is well known to chemists.

The Holy Fire does not burn. This fact is cited by many as proof of the divine nature of fire. However, ordinary fire will not burn in the first minutes, you can even wash your face with it. Such features will be present if the fuel is a low-calorie substance, such as balsam oil. In addition, it is worth making allowances for religious ecstasy, which can reduce pain sensitivity. Yes, and a draft in the temple deflects the flame and creates air cushion. The pilgrims themselves say that some people were even burned by the fire. In the video, you can see people who do not so much hold their hands or beard over the fire, but spend it over it.

The Holy Fire unites people. While thousands of pilgrims are anxiously awaiting the descent of the Holy Fire, real intrigues and showdowns are unfolding behind the scenes. Greek priests protect this phenomenon, not allowing strangers. But Armenian priests are outraged by such open business. This conflict has been going on for hundreds of years. Priests, in search of truth, sometimes even engage in assault right in the premises of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. As a result, the fighting is separated by the police. What kind of unification of people can we talk about when even the church employees themselves are fighting for the right to manage a miracle? In 1834, the fight turned into a massacre, then about 300 pilgrims became victims.

The Holy Fire is a miracle for all Christians. In fact, not all Christians have the opportunity to touch this miracle. The Holy Fire appears only in the presence of the Orthodox Patriarch. But why are these believers better than Catholics and Protestants? Why did the great God make happy only the Orthodox with his attention? They say that once the Catholics did not let the Orthodox into the temple. Then God not only did not give fire to the stubborn, but also struck here with lightning. A trace of it still remains on one of the columns. Since then, Catholics have nothing to do with the miracle. Is it correct? Or is religion once again dividing people?

The Holy Fire descended into the temple from time immemorial. In fact, the first mention of fire dates back to the 4th century. Just at that time, Christians streamlined and canonized the four Gospels. The pilgrim Sylvia said that lamps are lit in the temple, and an unquenchable lamp is constantly burning inside the cave, fire is not brought here. It is obvious that there was no miracle at that time, but simply a sacred fire was burning in Cuvuklia. The secret of his initiates kept from ordinary people. Blavatsky wrote that in ancient egypt alchemists have learned to create finely porous materials. They soaked up the oil like a sponge, and then slowly gave it to the burning. By the 9th century, believers began to perceive cold fire as a miracle. And for the priests, such an attitude was only on hand, as it strengthened their religious influence. But even then there were enlightened critics who criticized the "divine manifestation." However, people believed in a miracle, and in the XII-XIII centuries, simply the sacred fire became already blessed. And they lit it no longer in the presence of believers, but inside Kuvuklia, demonstrating a miracle to believers.

The Holy Fire is a mysterious miracle. This is what the Orthodox Church constantly talks about, emphasizing that the mystery of fire has not been solved by anyone. However, back in the 17th century, Patriarch of Constantinople Cyril Loukaris says that if this miracle really existed, then all Turks would have believed in Jesus Christ long ago. But that doesn't happen!

The Holy Fire is a holy phenomenon that does not provide for self-interest. In fact, the existence of such a “miracle” is beneficial to both Israel and the Orthodox Church. Previously, Arabs and Turks earned on it. They could not deny themselves the opportunity to cash in on naive believers. People go to Jerusalem for a miracle, leaving money in the church and the city. Today, every year about a hundred figures fly from Russia to the meeting of the Holy Fire at the expense of the state, whose names are not advertised. This whole party flies for a piece of fire, which is delivered by plane to Russia. In our country, the journey of the shrine around the country is accompanied by performances and banquets. Religious event gets commercial overtones. Income from a miracle is really great. Previously, Palestine generally ate at the expense of pilgrims from Europe, the feast of the Holy Sepulcher was a holiday of happiness and prosperity for the whole country. And Muslims even took a fee to enter an Orthodox church.

The fire comes on schedule. The ceremony of receiving the Holy Fire is not scheduled by the minute - they do not require a miracle from God on a schedule. After the patriarch in one linen robe enters Kuvuklia, the entrance is sealed, and the expectation of a miracle begins. Believers may wait a few minutes, or they may wait several hours. All this time, people pray for the descent of the holy fire and for the remission of sins. They say that if one day the fire does not come down, then this will be a terrible sign for humanity, and everyone in the temple will die.

The fire gathering ceremony is unchanged. Around the 13th century, the acquisition of the Holy Fire changed. Previously, he appeared in the form of a flash from above Kuvukliy, and then the priests began to go inside for fire. Former revelations lost their force, but the Arabs immediately spied how the fire was lit - from a lamp hidden in a niche.

The descent of the fire is accompanied by miraculous flashes. Today in the temple there are many journalists with special equipment, as well as amateur photographers. Flashes are indeed visible in the video, but it is impossible to distinguish them by color from a photo flash. At the same time, when there were no cameras, there was no talk of mysterious flashes at all, although this would have been an even greater miracle. A bright flash was present until the 13th century, when fire was still expected outside Kuvuklia. However, this fits perfectly into the technology of creating a “miracle”.

The candles of the pilgrims light themselves. This is a very beautiful legend, which is not confirmed in the video. On the contrary, you can see how people take fire from their neighbors. But then they tell how the “miracle” descended on them.

The priests themselves believe in miracles. The higher clergy, directly participating in the rite, still avoid the words "miracle" or "descent". Patriarch Theophilos III said that this ceremony shows how the Easter message from the tomb lit up the whole world. In the temple, a performance is held, a reproduction of that event. Not surprisingly, the main witness of the "miracle" evasively answers questions about its nature. The well-known deacon Andrei Kuraev reacted to such a statement: “He could not have been more frank about the lighter in his pocket.”

The Holy Light was seen in the Holy Sepulcher by the Apostle Peter. They say that when Peter came to this place after the Resurrection, he saw the light here. However, the Gospel itself says nothing about this.

Before entering Cuvuklia, all vestments are removed from the Patriarch and searched. Such a measure supposedly should convince believers of the impossibility of bringing fire from outside. However, live TV broadcasts show that only the upper part of the clothes is removed from the Patriarch, while the rest remains on him. And no one tries to search the priest - he enters the cave during the procession.

In Russia, they have always believed in the miraculous nature of the Holy Fire. Even Orthodox figures, and even more so scientists, at the end of the 19th century were rather skeptical about the nature of the Holy Fire. Such scientists as I. Krachkovsky, A. Dmitrievsky, as well as Bishop Porfiry (Uspensky) doubted the existence of a “miracle”. Professor N. Uspensky in 1949 in an act speech described in some detail the history and essence of this rite. And only in our time, when religion is planted almost by force, there are few critics left. Almost the only major Orthodox scholar who questions the Divine origin of the Holy Fire is Alexander Musin, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Candidate of Theology. The disgraced, of course, the priest cites the testimony of Hieromonk Gevonid Oganesyan, who personally saw how Armenian and Greek priests deceive believers. But who wants to hear and listen to the truth?

The greatest miracle is awaited with excitement not only by Orthodox Christians, but also by representatives of various denominations. Therefore, on this day, tens of thousands of pilgrims flock to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher from all over the world to wash themselves with its blessed light and receive God's blessing.

Story

About the miracle of convergence blessed fire on the Holy Sepulcher it is known from ancient times that the descended fire has unique property— it does not burn the first minutes.

The first witness of the descent of the blessed light in the Holy Sepulcher was, according to the testimonies of the Holy Fathers, the Apostle Peter. Running to the Sepulcher after the news of the Resurrection of the Savior, he, in addition to the burial sheets, as it is said in the Bible, saw an amazing light inside the Sepulcher 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 Heemskerk

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 convergence of the blessed fire on the eve of the Feast of the Light Christ's Resurrection, on Great Saturday.

Throughout almost the entire time of the existence of Christianity, this miraculous phenomenon observed annually by both Orthodox Christians and representatives of other Christian denominations(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 blessed fire belongs to the 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 people stay here immediately after the procession, performed in memory of the events of this day.

The very descent of the Holy Fire takes place on Great Saturday afternoon.

Somewhere by ten o'clock in the afternoon of Holy Saturday, all 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 place of the Crucifixion, the rotunda - an architectural structure with a huge dome, under which Kuvuklia (which means the royal bedchamber) is directly located - a chapel located directly above the cave where the body of Jesus was buried, Katholikon - Cathedral Church of the Jerusalem Patriarch, Underground Temple of the Finding Life-Giving Cross, the Church of St. Helena Equal to the Apostles, several aisles - small churches with their own thrones. On the territory of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher there are several active monasteries.

Nazi Zhorzholiani

Both historical and modern practice shows that three groups of participants are present during the convergence of fire.

First of all, the patriarch of 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 Kuvuklia, Arab Orthodox youth burst into the temple with shouting, stomping, drumming and begin to sing and dance. Their cries and songs are ancient prayers in Arabic for the sending down of the Holy Fire, addressed to Christ and Mother of God, George the Victorious, especially revered in the Orthodox East. Their emotional prayers usually last for half an hour.

At about 13:00, the litany (in Greek, a prayer procession) of the Holy Fire begins directly. Banner-bearers with 12 banners march ahead of the procession, followed by 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, goes to the chapel erected over the Holy Sepulcher, and, after going 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, Englishmen - pilgrims from all over the world - are watching the Patriarch in tense silence.

The patriarch undresses, and the police carefully search him and the Holy Sepulcher, looking for anything that can make fire (during Turkish rule over Jerusalem, this was done by Turkish gendarmes).

Shortly before the patriarch, a sacristan (an assistant to the sacristan - the head 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, in one long, flowing tunic, enters the chapel and prays on his knees.

Convergence

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

And suddenly, on the marble slab of the coffin, a kind of 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 lampada and candles, which he then takes out to the temple and passes to the Armenian Patriarch, and then to the people. At the same moment, dozens and hundreds of bluish lights flash in the air under the dome of the temple.

Nazi Zhorzholiani

A moment later, the whole temple turns out to be belted with 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 themselves are lit, then the Edicule itself begins to shine, and a vertical wide column of light descends from the sky from the hole in the dome of the temple onto the Tomb from the sky.

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

It is difficult to imagine what kind of jubilation seizes the crowd of many 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, from the blessed fire, lamps are lit throughout Jerusalem. They say that in the areas of the city adjacent to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, candles and lamps in churches light up by themselves. Fire is delivered by special flights to Cyprus and Greece, from where it is transported all over the world.

Recently, the 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 Great Saturday - on 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

The droplets of wax that fall from the candles are called the blessed dew by the parishioners. As a reminder of the Miracle of the Lord, they will remain on the clothes of witnesses forever, no powders and washings will take them.

Orthodox Christians believe that the sacred fire that emanates 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: "If the blood of Christians was 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 blessed fire is a pledge between God and people, the fulfillment of the vow given by the risen Christ to his followers: "I am with you all the days until the end of the age."

Traditions and customs

It is on Great Saturday evening that Easter services begin in churches. Most believers in Georgia meet Easter in churches to take a piece of divine fire delivered 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 could not come to the service, church ministers recommend that that night 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 definitely ask for forgiveness from everyone you could offend. Make peace with everyone with whom you were in a quarrel, so as not to overshadow the upcoming holiday with negative feelings and emotions.

Also, on the Saturday before Easter, be sure to distribute alms to all the needy whom you meet on your way. And also give Easter gifts to relatives and friends.

Fasting continues on Holy Saturday. On this day, you can cook festive Easter dishes, but you can’t eat them yet. From the very morning, the housewives start 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, and generally have fun. According to legend, if the wedding was played on Holy Week, then the young will not live together for a long time.

On the evening of Great Saturday in churches and temples, they begin to consecrate Easter cakes, colored eggs and products for the Easter table, which housewives bring to church in special baskets.

Signs

As on the previous two days, on the Saturday before Easter, nothing should be given away from home, no matter who asks you for anything. Thus, you can give away your health, well-being, good luck.

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

If the weather on Great Saturday is warm and clear, then the summer will be hot and dry. And if that day is cold and rainy, then the summer will be cool.

The descent of the Holy Fire takes place every year in Great Saturday, on the eve of the Orthodox Easter. An early evidence of the convergence of fire in Jerusalem dates back to the 4th century and belongs to the pilgrim Etheria. The fire descends only on the eve of Easter, celebrated in the old way, julian calendar, and we know that the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ falls on different days every year. The Holy Fire descends only through the prayers of the Orthodox Patriarch.

Jerusalem Church of the Resurrection covers Mount Golgotha with its roof, and the cave of the Holy Sepulcher, and the garden where the first appearance of the resurrected Christ the Savior to Mary Magdalene took place. This temple was erected in the 4th century by the holy emperor Constantine and his mother, Saint Helena.

In our days, the miracle of the descent of heavenly fire takes place like this. Around noon, the Patriarch of Jerusalem with the clergy and worshipers procession goes from the Patriarchy to the Church of the Resurrection. The procession enters the temple and, having three times bypassed the chapel of the Holy Sepulcher, located inside the temple, stops near the entrance to it. Pilgrims from all over the world gather in the temple, all the candles and lights in the temple are extinguished.

Every year, several thousand of those present in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher see: the patriarch, whose clothes were specially examined, enters Kuvuklia, which has been checked and sealed. Every year, representatives of other Christian denominations and police officers participate in the examination of Kuvuklia, in its sealing and examination of the patriarch. The inspection is carried out to prove that the patriarch cannot bring a source of fire to Cuvuklia. This custom was established by the Turks, who took possession of Palestine in 1517. After a search in Kuvuklia, they sealed it and placed guards until the entrance of the patriarch.

The patriarch, dressed in one linen cassock, with thirty-three unlit candles in his hand, enters the chapel. On bended knee, he prays before the tomb of the Lord for the sending of the Holy Fire.

The convergence of fire is preceded by flashes in the form of bluish lightning, piercing the entire air space of the temple. Then, on the marble slab of the Holy Sepulcher, fiery balls of blue flame appear, as if in the form of drops of rain or dew. Sometimes the Holy Fire itself lights the lamps at the tomb. The patriarch lights cotton wool from them and then sets fire to candles with this fire. Leaving the chapel, he passes the fire to the Armenian Patriarch and the people. The whole temple is filled with jubilation, the fire is passed to each other, lighting it from already burning candles. People hold bundles of thirty-three candles in their hands - according to the number of years of the Savior's earthly life. The Holy Fire at first has a wonderful property - not to burn. Those standing in the temple spend the flame on their face and hair, “wash themselves”: for the first few minutes, the fire does not burn the skin and does not scorch the hair.

The miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire precisely on Orthodox Easter after the prayer of the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem - proof of the truth of our faith. In 1579, the Armenian community obtained from the Turkish authorities that their primate, and not the Orthodox patriarch, be allowed into the chapel. (It must be said that the Armenians, although they are Christians, distorted the Orthodox faith as early as the 4th century and adhere to the Monophysite heresy, that is, they recognize in Christ only one - Divine - nature.) The Orthodox humbly prayed to closed doors temple, the Armenians were waiting for the descent of the Holy Fire in Cuvuklia. And the Lord performed a miracle: the Holy Fire descended, but not on the tomb of the Lord. Lightning struck the column next to which the Orthodox were praying, and fire came out of it. The scorched marble column still testifies to this miracle.

eyewitness account

The famous traveler Abraham Sergeevich Norov was present at the descent of the holy fire. Norov traveled to Jerusalem in 1835, was in the chapel. From the chapel, Angela saw Metropolitan Misail taking the fire: “Thus, we reached the chapel of the Holy Sepulcher in the midst of a wonderful spectacle of the people, agitated or hanging from all the arcades and cornices.

Only one of the Greek bishops entered the chapel of the Holy Sepulcher, the Bishop of Armenia (who had recently received the right to do so), the Russian consul from Jaffa, and we three travelers. The doors closed behind us. The never-extinguishing lamps over the tomb of the Lord were already extinguished, only weak illumination passed to us from the church through the side openings of the chapel. This moment is solemn: the excitement in the temple has subsided; everything was expected. We stood in the chapel of the Angel, in front of a stone that had been rolled away from the den; only the Metropolitan entered the den of the Holy Sepulcher. I have already said that the entrance there has no doors. I saw how the aged metropolitan, bowing before the low entrance, entered the nativity scene and knelt before the holy tomb, before which nothing stood and which was completely naked. Less than a minute passed, when the darkness was illuminated with light, and the Metropolitan came out to us with a flaming bunch of candles.