Orthodox holiday Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God. Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God - icons

29.09.2019

So-boron of the Pre-Holy Bo-go-ro-di-tsy. On the next day, after the Nativity of Christ, the hundred-ve is celebrated-well-et-sya So-boron of the Pre-holy Bo-go-ro-di-tsy, in memory of St. Yosi -fa Ob-ruch-no-ka, tsar Da-vi-da (predecessor according to the flesh of the Lord-yes Jesus Christ) and St. Ia-ko-va, brother of the Lord, son of the first marriage of St. Joseph Ob-ruch-no-ka. Saint James co-leader gave together with his father Joseph the Mother of God and God-la-den-tsa Jesus when fleeing to Egypt.

To the history of the holiday. After the sorcerer left Beth-le-e-ma, An-gel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph-fu in a dream, commanding him to be together with the new-born baby Jesus Christ and His Ma-teriyu, Pre-chi-stand De-voi Ma-ri-she, fled to Egypt and stay there as long as it’s ve-le-but it will come back from there, because Herod wants to search for Mla-den -tsa, to-gu-beat Him. Joseph, getting up, took the Child and His Mother at night and went to Egypt. But sleep-cha-la, before-de-from-the-proceeding of his-e-th-y-yes, he-full-nil in the temple of So-lo-mo-no-vom everything that defines-de- le-but it would-be for-to-well the Lord-under-nu, for the days of purification Pre-clean-stand and Pre-not-roch-noy Bo-go-ma-te-ri already on-stu-pi-li, and in that temple we-me-ti-whether the Lord-yes-on-she-go elder Si-me-on and An-na pro-ro-chi-tsa. Therefore, after having used everything that was defined-de-le-but-lo in the law, Joseph went to Na-za-ret, to his house. For this is how holy Lu-ka says: "And when they did everything according to the Lord-under-nu, they returned to Ga-li-leya, to their city Na-za-ret "(). From-here-yes, it’s obvious that they didn’t immediately go right from Beth-le-e-ma to Egypt, but sleep-cha-la went to the temple of the Lord day, then to Na-za-ret and, finally, to Egypt. The saint also testifies about this in the interpretation on the Evangel-he-li-hundred Matthew, when he writes like this: " Question: How is it that the Evangelist-he-leaf of Lu-ka says that the Lord removed himself to Na-za-ret after 40 days after the birth of His and after the meeting of His own elder Si-meon-nom? And here Saint Matthew says that he came to Na-za-ret already after returning from Egypt? Answer: Know that the Evangelist-list Lu-ka mentions what the Evangelist-list Matthew kept silent about, namely, that the Lord (go-vo-rit Lu-ka) by birth, he went to Na-za-ret. And Matthew speaks of what happened already after that, namely: how our Lord fled to Egypt and how -ni from-that-yes again went to Na-za-ret. In general, Evan-ge-li-sta is not pro-ti-vo-re-chat to each other, but only Lu-ka-go-vo-rit about the removal of Christ from vith-le-e-ma in Na-za-ret, and Mat-fey tells-west-woo-et about His return to Na-za-ret from Egypt".

So, according to you-ho-de from the temple of the Lord-under-ny, the saints put-no-ki sleep-cha-la from-great-we-were in Na-za-ret and immediately-len-but -la-whether races-in-a-same-from-but-si-tel-but your-e-home, and then, for-hva-tiv-shi everything you need for a pu- those-movements, in a hurry, but-whose (so that the nearest co-se-di would not recognize this) on-right-we-were on the road to Egypt -that. At the same time, they took with them for the service and Ia-ko-va, the elder son of Iosi-fo-va, who was later called brother Lord-under-him, that it is visible from the churches-of-the-song-but-singing on October 23rd, where it says so: "Even in the flesh of the Lord -under-nya-la-niya wise-re, brother in-ka-hall-sya, student-nick, and sa-mo-vis-dets of divine secrets, be-ga-yay with him, and in Egypt being with Joseph, Ma-teriyu Jesus-with-howling: with them, could we save us ". From-here-yes, it’s obvious that Jacob also traveled with the holy family on the way to Egypt, serving him during the journey those steps. And the Lord fled to Egypt in part in order to show that He is a true human being incarnated, and not a spirit and pre-vi-de-nie (what does the saint indicate in the word on Pre-ob-ra-zh-ne, when he says: "If He was not flesh, then with whom did Joseph fled to Egypt "); and partly in order to teach us to run from the anger and fury of the human, and not with the mountain-to-stu about-ty-wit-sya them . So he explains: “In his flight,” he said, “the Lord teaches us to give a place of fury, i.e. run of human fury. make yourself dangerous." The purpose of the Lord’s flight to Egypt is to cleanse Egypt from idols and, as the holy pa-pa says, so that not without this country, in someone swarm for the first time through the laying of the lamb, would you pro-pro-ra-zo-va-na spa-si-tel-noe sign of the cross and Pas-ha of the Lord-under-nya, - oh-so-wa-elk the-in-stvo of the saints of the victim. So, too, to use the following pro-ro-che-thing Is-a-and-and-but: "The Lord rises on the field of light, and comes in Egypt. And shake the idols of Egypt from His face"(). In this place, under the ob-la-coma of the holy ra-zu-me-et Pre-chi-stuyu De-va, Someone-paradise brought-la on the hands of His Lords -yes, in Egypt, and pa-whether the idols of the Egyptian gods. That cloud, Pre-chi-flock De-va, is easy, for She does not o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o ha or carnal-th-wait-le-niya and knowledge of su-pru-same-stva.

Pe-re-yes-et-sya and the fact that when the righteous Joseph, the Pre-chi-flock of the Virgin and Bo-gom-la-de-nets went to Egypt, in one in some deserted place, on-pa-whether on them one-fight-no-ki and ho-te-whether to take away a donkey from them, on some rum they carried something a little -goe, what was necessary for them in the way-ro-gu, and on some-rum sometimes they themselves went-di-li. One of those times-fight-no-kov, seeing the virgin Mla-den-ts unusual tea-noy beauty and being surprised by such beauty, said-hall:

If God had taken on Himself a human body, then it could not have been more beautiful than this Young Child.

Having said this, he forbade his that-va-ri-sham, let’s say, break-no-kami, and did not give them anything to offend these put-no-kov. Then the Pre-chi-flock of Bo-go-ro-di-tsa said-for-la that once-a-fight-no-ku:

Know that This Mla-de-nets will reward you with a generous reward for protecting Him.

This robber was the same one, who later, at the Crucifixion of Christ, was hanged on the cross on the right side -well, and to someone-ro-mu the Lord said: "Now you will be with me in paradise"(). And the pro-ro-che-fore-saying of God-mother Ma-te-ri was used, that "This Mla-de-net will reward you."

When they entered the Egyptian country and went to the pre-de-lah of Thebe-and-dy, they approached the city Er-mo-on-lu. Near the entrance to this city, a very beautiful de-re-vo grew up, na-zy-vav-she-e-sya "Per-seya", some-tho-mosh- living in your own way ido-lo-clone-no-thing-usually like-chi-ta-li like a god because of his you-with-you and the great beauty of you, bowing to him and making sacrifices to him, for in that de-re-ve the demon also lived, in chi -ta-e-my them. When the Pre-chi-flock of the God-mother with the Divine Baby came close to that de-re-vu, that hour it is strong -but it was shaking, for the demon, having succumbed to the coming of Jesus-so-va, fled. And de-re-in-to-lo-ni-lo your top-hush-ku to my earth-whether, raising-yes-vay-to-ba-yu-che-clo-not-nie to its own So-create-te-lu and His Ro-di-tel-ni-tse, Pre-chi-stay De-ve, besides that, it encloses-di-lo their te-new of their many leaf-vein branches from the sun-nech-but-th heat and thus gave the opportunity to fatigue-lazy holy-shim put-no-kam from- breathe. And in such a clo-nen-nom-de-de-elk, there remained a de-re-vo in an obvious sign of the coming of the Lord in Egypt. After that, as under this de-re-vom, the Lord with His Ma-teriu and Joseph from-dy-ha-li, this is de-re-vo in-lu-chi -lo healing power, because from its branches all sorts of pains were used. Therefore, the holy paths, first of all, went into that city and the idol temple, which was in it, and that hour everything went ly pa-whether. About this temple, mention-mi-na-et in “Lav-sa-i-ke”: “We see-de-li,” he says, “there (in Yer-mo-po-le ) an idol temple, at some time during the advent of Spa-si-te-la, did all the idols prostrate on the ground. -le-nii, na-zy-va-e-mom "Si-ren", dropped three-hundred six-de-syat five idols in one temple, while that -Yes, Christ-stos entered with Pre-chi-stand Ma-te-ryu.

Yes, and in all of Egypt, at the time of the advent of the Lord, the underworld, idols were crushed, and the demons were be-zha-li from them, and was-half-no -moose in this event is that the fore-river of St. the prophet Jeremiah, being in Egypt, when he said, "All idols must fall, and all the images of the gods co- crashing then, when the Deva Mother comes here with the Baby, born in the manger. Since the time of this Iere-mi-and-on pro-ro-che-stva among the Egyptians, there was a custom-of-tea to portray De-vu, in-to- I-shu-yu-sya on the sta-li, and near Her Mla-den-ts, lying in the manger and in-so-pe-le-na-mi, and in-clo-nyat-sya this-mu iso-bra-zhe-niyu. When one day the king Pto-le-mey asked the Egyptian priests, for what they de-la-yut, they from-ve-ti-li "This is tai -na, raised-up to the ancient-our-ancestors by our one holy pro-ro-com, and we are waiting for the fulfillment of that pro-ro- values and races of this secret."

After this, the saints travel-te-she-stven-no-ki in-ver-well-whether a little a hundred-ro-well from the city-ro-da Yer-mo-po-la and , looking for a place to stop, went into the village, on-zy-vav-she-e-sya "Na-ta-reya", ko from Ilio-po-la. Joseph, near this village, left the Holy Virgin Mary with Christ the Lord, and he went to the village for the sake of about-re-te-niya as required. And then smo-kov-nothing de-re-vo, pri-yutiv-neck of the holy countries-ni-kov under the battle, one-two-and-moose from the top to the bottom and lower it -lo its top, forming, as it were, a canopy or a tent over their head: and below, at its root, it forms-ra-zo-va-lo in that ras-se-line, as it were, a deepening, convenient for pre-be-va-ing, and there the Pre-chi-flock of the Deva with the Child lay down and from-breath-well -la from traveling. That place, and until this time, in a big way in-chi-ta-nii, not only among christi-an, but also among sa-ra-tsinov, someone -rye and so far (as it is ras-say-zy-va-et-sya to-one-hundred-ver-us-mi eyes-vid-tsa-mi) barely eat in the ras-se-line de-re-va in honor of the de-you with the Baby. Yossi-fu and Pre-holy Bo-go-ro-di-tse for-ho-te-elk to stay in that se-le-nii and, find for yourself not-le-ko from then-de-re-va hi-zhi-well, they na-cha-whether live in it. Co-performed the elk and another miracle with the power of the Divine Child, for in the same place, near their place, there were near that miracle-des-no-go de-re-va, appeared out-of-the-west, but the source of living water, from someone-ro-go Pre-chi-flock De-va cher-pa-la for your own in-tre-be and in some way arrange-and-va-la ku-pa-nye for His-e-th Child-den-tsa. That source exists to this day, having very cold and healthy water. And what else is more surprising that in the whole land of Egypt this is the only source of living water, and he is famous in that -le-nii. Sim end-cha-et-sya in-vest-in-va-nie about pre-be-va-ni Pre-chi-stay Bo-go-ma-te-ri with Christ in Egypt, where they are about a few years. But there is no exact information about how many years the Lord spent in Egypt. St. go-vo-rit that - two years, and Ni-ki-for three years, and Ge-orgy Ked-rin five years; others, like Am-mo-niy Alek-san-driy-sky, do-ma-yut that it is seven years. In any case, it’s undeniable that until the end of Iro-do-howl, like the Evangel-ge-lie go-vo-rit: "And there Iro-da was before his death" ().

After the murder of the Beth-le-em-children and after that, as the eye-yan-ny Herod died an evil death, An-gel of the Lord - the day again appeared in a dream to Joseph, instructing him to return from the country of Egypt to the land of Iz-ra-ile-va, for (say- hall it) "Did the is-kav-shie soul-shi of the baby-den-tsa". Joseph got up, took the Child and His Mother and went to Judea, somehow making up the best and most of the land Is-ra-il- skoy. Hearing that Ar-he-lai reigns in Judea instead of Hero-yes, his father, he was afraid to go there. For Herod left after himself three sons: the first Ar-he-lay, the other Iro-da An-ti-pu, and the third, my-my-youngest, Philip-pa. All of them, by the death of their father, from-great-went to Rome, to ke-sa-ryu, because of co-per-ni-thing, since each of they wanted to receive the kingdom of the father. Caesar, without giving any of them the royal honor, divided the kingdom into four parts, calling them tet-rar-khi -i-mi. He gave the elder brother Ar-he-lai Judea, Iro-du An-ti-pe gave Ga-li-lei, and the younger brother Philip-pu - Tra-ho-nit country; He gave Avi-li-nia to Li-sa-nia, the youngest son of Li-sa-nia, the older one, once a friend Iro-do-wa, and then kill so-and-so for them. Letting all of them out of Rome, Caesar promised Ar-he-lai and royal honor, if only he about-on-ru-lives a good-ro-neck and for -both-whether to manage your own part. But Ar-he-lai was in no way better than the hundredth father of his own, much-tea and killing many, for, having come to Jera -sa-lim, he immediately killed three ty-sya-chi on-ro-yes and ordered many citizens to torment on the day of the feast-no-ka in the middle of the temple -ma, before all the fellow Jews. Due to the reason of such a hardness of his own, after a few years, he was okle-ve-tan, deprived of power and exiled for some reason something. Joseph, with his return, heard that this evil Ar-he-lai reigns, even without the royal ti-tu-la, and killed -sya go to Judea, but after receiving something in a dream from that An-ge-la, someone who had already appeared to him before, left in pre-de-ly Ga-li-Lei-sky, in the power of Iro-da An-ti-py, brother of Ar-he-lai, for this Herod with a big neck right-for-ro-house than his brother; and Joseph poured in the city of Na-za-re-te, in his house, where they lived before, in order to use -said about Christ the Lord, in de pro-ro-ka-mi, that He is on-zo-vet-sya on-zo-re-em. Glory to him forever. Amen.

Notes

On the verse, sti-khi-ra 2nd.

Thebe-i-da - the area of \u200b\u200bknow-me-no-thing in the ancient egy-pet-city of Thebes; by the same name they call it by the name of the main city, and in general the whole Upper (South) Egypt. Yer-mo-pol - one of the significant cities of ancient Egypt, which served as a prominent re-li-gi-oz-ny language center -things.

(from 368 to 430) was a native of Ga-la-tia; in 388, he arrived in Aleksandria, from there, then, he removed himself to a nearby desert-nu for moving silently wiya, and then re-se-le-li-sya in Beth-le-em; in 399 he was elected episcopal of Ele-no-Polish, in Wifi, in Asia Minor. After that, im-pe-ra-tor Ar-ka-diy sent him as a side-by-ron to St. John-on Evil-mouth, in Upper Egypt, from-where-yes in 408 he was re-me-schen in An-ti-noy, and in 412 he returned puppy to his cafe in Yele-no-pol. At the request of the cap-pa-do-ki-sko-go pre-fek-ta Lav-sa in 420, he co-bred a collection of the lives of the saints in-movement and narration about them, someone called him “Lav-sa-i-com” in honor of him. - Pa-myat Pal-la-dia Barely-pol-sko-th in sub-bo-that cheese-ny.

All in detail about the journey of the Pre-holy De-you with God-la-den-ts Jesus and right. Joseph-thom in Egypt and about their presence there, as well as many in-details about the birth of Christ, for-him-stvo -va-ny from the apo-cree-fi-che-evangels, especially ben-no-sti from the so-called-zy-va-e-mo-go "Evan-ge-liya of childhood Spa-si-te-la "also from apo-cree-fi-che-so-co-chi-non-niya, from-west-no-go under the head of" Is- to-rya of the birth-de-niya of Mary and childhood Spa-si-te-la "- Pre-da-tion about the pa-de-nii of the idols of the Egyptians at the entrance of her se -me-stva in Egypt-pet upo-mi-na-et-sya and in aka-fi-ste Spa-si-te-lu, where go-in-rit-sya "Ido-whether our Spa-se, do not ter-pa-sche Your-her-for-sti, pa-do-sha"(Ikos 6th).

Ilio-pol is a city in Lower (Northern) Egypt.

The Orthodox calendar is rich in religious holidays. Significant dates within its framework are set as a sign of honoring God, numerous saints, certain events that played a significant role in the formation and strengthening of the Christian faith, and, of course, the Blessed Virgin Mary - the main intercessor and patroness of all mankind. Any, even the slightest believer, such major bright holidays glorifying the Virgin Mary as Christmas, the Annunciation, the Assumption are known. The day after Christmas, January 8, Orthodox Church marks one of these religious dates, which has a more specific character - the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Description of the holiday

January 8 is the day when the entire Orthodox world remembers the Virgin Mary as the mother of Jesus Christ: the son of God, the Savior of mankind, the Messiah. This earthly righteous woman was chosen by the Creator to give birth to a person in whom the Lord himself and his plan were embodied; a person for whom heaven has prepared an unusual and at the same time great fate in its essence - the atonement of human sins by sacrificing oneself.

It was in honor of the destiny of the chosen one that the Virgin Mary, with dignity and not without the help of God, brought to life, carried through the years of her earthly existence, and established the Christian Church such an important religious holiday - the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos - on January 8, immediately after the Nativity of Christ. On this day, clergy and believers turn to the Mother of God with solemn laudatory hymns, thanksgiving speeches. Services are held in the temples, as well as the day before this holiday, within the framework of which the troparion filled with genuine joy certainly sounds: “Most Pure Mother of God, Mother of God, Your honest Cathedral is decorated with various kindnesses, gifts are brought to you, Madam, by many worldly people. Tear apart the bonds of our sinners with Your mercy and save our souls.

The Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God is celebrated in accordance with church tradition: remember after important event, dedicated to God, the Son of God, or directly connected with him, the person who played the main role in the fact that this event happened. The Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos is not the only feast celebrated according to such a specific scheme. There is, for example, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, celebrated the day after the Baptism of the Lord; Cathedral of the Archangel Gabriel, erected immediately after the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, etc.

It should be noted that the feast of January 8 is dedicated not only to the memory of the Virgin Mary, as the mother of Jesus Christ, but also to some persons who were directly related to the Most Pure during her life on sinful earth. As part of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, thus, the memory is commemorated:

St. Joseph the Betrothed, so called because, with the blessing of the high priest, he became engaged to the Virgin Mary in order to protect her purity and virginity;
King David, who was the ancestor of Jesus Christ according to the flesh;
Saint James, son of Joseph the Betrothed from his first marriage, who, together with his father, accompanied the Mother of God with the infant Jesus during the flight to Egypt.

history of the holiday

The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary has a fairly ancient origin. The establishment of this religious date occurred when the Christian Church, in fact, was just beginning its formation. The first mention of the feast of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos dates back to the 4th century. AD They were found in the teachings of Ambrose of Milan, Epiphanes of Cyprus and Augustine the Blessed, dedicated to the Nativity of Christ.

In these "lectures" the praise of Jesus Christ is smoothly interspersed with the glorification of the Mother of God who brought him into the world. Officially, the holiday date was set in 681 at the Sixth Ecumenical Council. An indication of this event and the Christian holiday itself are contained in rule 79 of a document relating to this kind of religious conference.

The Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, as well as most Christian dates connected in one way or another with the personality of the Virgin Mary, is dedicated to an icon. It is a symbolic version of the icon of the Nativity of Christ. In the center of the composition is the Mother of God with the baby Jesus in her arms, sitting on a throne. Around her are depicted angels, magi and shepherds, as well as the Church Fathers and Christian hymnographers, praising the Most Pure. Iconography of the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God of Serbian origin. In Russia, it has been known since the 14th century.

About the personality of the Virgin Mary

It makes no sense to tell about the life of the Mother of God, because for this there are other, more appropriate in meaning, religious holidays dedicated to the Most Pure. But it is very appropriate to talk about the virtues of the Most Holy Theotokos, which were inherent in this earthly woman chosen by the Creator.

First, the Virgin Mary is the embodiment of total devotion to God's will to the detriment of one's own. When the archangel Gabriel, at the direction of the Lord, brought the future Mother of God the good news of the future immaculate conception her Son of God, she answered: “Behold the servant of the Lord, be Me according to your word,” thereby expressing absolute humility before the will of the Most High.

It would seem that it is difficult to accept the great rank and title of the Mother of God, because this is connected with triumph, glory, and not with humiliation? However, an endless number of troubles, sorrows and temptations fell to the lot of the Mother of God, therefore meekness in this case turned out to be the crown of human selflessness. Agreeing with the will of God, the Virgin Mary voluntarily took on her shoulders all the oppression of possible (and accomplished!) suffering, deprivation: only one martyrdom Jesus for the atonement of the sins of mankind what was worth! Moreover, even this terrible event did not shake humility.

Secondly, the virtue of the future Mother of God consisted in the fact that throughout her earthly life she kept a vow of virginity and purity: both spiritual and bodily. Who knows whether the Virgin Mary would have agreed to become the mother of the Infant Jesus, sent by God to earth through an earthly birth, if it meant the need to break this vow? The Mother of God gave an answer to the Archangel Gabriel only after she learned about the virginity of conception, but not before, being in complete ignorance. The Holy Scripture also testifies to this, where it is said: “For what does she say to him? “What will it be if I don’t know a husband?”

Finally, the third virtue of the Virgin Mary was the courage with which the woman chosen by God endured all the hardships that befell her. In this sense, the Mother of God is the clearest example of this virtue, of course, after Jesus Christ.

Based on the foregoing, on the feast of January 8 of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, in prayers offered to the Virgin Mary, one should ask for the gift of just these three important virtues. After all, in our world, which is losing more and more grains of light every minute, we so lack precisely humility, spiritual purity of thoughts and courage to worthily carry our cross.

Interestingly, in pagan Russia On January 8, the Slavs celebrated the holiday "Women's porridge". On this day, midwives were honored, helping women in childbirth in the old days and possessing wise knowledge.

The Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos is celebrated on the day after the Nativity of Christ, on January 8 according to the Orthodox calendar. Officially, the celebration of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos was established at the Sixth Ecumenical Council in 681. This day is called a cathedral because, unlike individual holidays in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos (for example, Her Conception, Christmas, the Annunciation, etc.), a general (cathedral) celebration of other persons close to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ takes place on this day.

According to tradition, the Church addresses the Mother of God with songs of praise and thanksgiving, and this gathering of believers is called the "Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos", in which, together with the Mother of God, the memory of Saint Joseph the Betrothed, King David and Saint James, the brother of the Lord - the son of Saint Joseph the Betrothed from the first marriage, which, together with his father, accompanied the Mother of God and the Divine Infant during the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt.

On January 8, midwives were honored in Russia. Another name for this holiday is "women's porridge". It is associated with the custom of cooking porridge and treating it to doctors-"midwives".

Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary 2016: signs and traditions

If the house grows Small child, you need to raise it above your own head on this day - to be happy.
Cooking and eating jelly on this day is for the dead.
If guests or carolers come to you, they must be welcomed cordially and properly treated - to peace and tranquility in the family.
You can’t buy ropes and products made from them at the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos - otherwise someone will strangle themselves in the house.
Anyone who was born on this holiday will grow up economical and skilled.
If you pray to the prophet David on this day, you will be protected from predators in the forest!
January 8 outside the window snow and frost - to a cold and rainy summer.
After sunset in the north it is red - to severe frosts.

In the morning it is clear and sunny - millet will be born well.
Burnt porridge - it will snow.
Titmouse chirp - to night frosts.
Heard the singing of a finch - expect a thaw!
Take broken dishes out of the house, get rid of junk- Fortunately.
It is not a red, but a white flame that burns in the furnace - it will soon get warmer.
The day is especially favorable for carpenters and musicians - their work is arguing at this time.
Flocks of crows circle overhead - to a blizzard.
Snow sticks to hands - to heat.
A siverko (northern wind) blew - it will be cold.

Photo in text: Depositphotos.com

During the celebration of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Orthodox world with laudatory and thanksgiving songs turns to the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to the Savior.

Sputnik of Georgia asked what kind of holiday the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos is and what its essence and history are.

Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God

The holiday is called the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, because on this day the Saints who are directly related to the feast of the Nativity of Christ are venerated.

There is a peculiarity in the annual liturgical cycle - the next day after the great feast, the memory of the Saints who served this event is celebrated.

In the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, not only the Mother of God is venerated - on this day they remember Joseph, the elder who swore before God that he would preserve the virginity of the one who would give birth to the Savior of all things and for a long time helped the Virgin Mary.

Joseph was the first to see the child - Jesus Christ, he helped her escape to Egypt from Herod and his minions. He also sacrificed much so that Christ could fulfill the predictions and fulfill his destiny.

On the feast of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, they also remember King David, who was a direct relative of Christ, and Saint James, the brother of the Lord, who was the son of Saint Joseph the Betrothed from his first marriage.

Saint James, together with his father Joseph, accompanied the Mother of God and the Divine Infant Jesus during their flight to Egypt.

History and traditions

Feast of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, the establishment of which refers to early times Christian Church, is of ancient origin.

Epiphanius of Cyprus, Blessed Augustine and Saint Ambrose of Milan, already in the 4th century, in their teachings on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, combined the praise of the Savior who had been born with the praise of the Virgin Mary who had given birth to Him.

The instruction to celebrate the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos on the day after the Nativity of Christ was recorded in Canon 79 of the VI Ecumenical Council, held in 681.

Icon "Our Lady of Vladimir" (1652. The front side of the double-sided icon. Simon Ushakov)

The Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos in Russia was considered even more important for women than the Nativity of Christ, since it is associated with the Mother of God. They believed in the old days that if a pregnant woman or her husband work on this day, even because of extreme necessity, then their child will be born with physical disabilities.

On the feast of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, women went from house to house with congratulations and sang carols - Christmas songs, visited midwives and communed them with dinner.

There is a belief that on the night of January 8, all the dead converge in the temple, and the deceased priests lead the services, so on this day they held dinners and memorial services for the dead.

By church calendar On January 8, they also honor the martyr Euthymius, the Monk Constantine, the Monk Evarest and eight icons Mother of God, including an icon called "Merciful".

Gracious

The icon of the Mother of God was painted, according to legend, by the Holy Evangelist Luke. The name "Kykkotis" (Residing in Kykkos) was given to the icon from Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus. The icon is located in the imperial monastery, in the temple built in her honor.

The miraculous image of the Virgin, wandered for a long time before reaching the island of Cyprus. At first he was in one of the first Christian communities in Egypt. When persecution of Christians arose there, the Kikk icon was sent to Constantinople in 980, but on the way the ship was captured by the Saracens.

In turn, the enemies of the Christian faith were captured by the Greeks, who brought the image to Constantinople, where the Kykk Icon was kept in the royal halls until the beginning of the 12th century.

Then the image was transported with great honors to the island of Cyprus, where it was placed in a temple built for it. A monastery gradually formed around the temple.

Many miracles began to be performed from the miraculous image of the “Merciful” Mother of God, therefore, from ancient times to this day, people obsessed with various ailments flock to the monastery from all sides, and receive healing according to their faith.

Not only Christians, but also non-Christians believe in the miraculous power of the Holy Icon.

The mercy of the Most Pure Mother of God, of all those who suffer, is inexhaustible, and the name "Merciful" is truly inherent in Her image.

The miraculous "Kykk" icon of the Mother of God has a remarkable feature: it is not known from what time it is half covered with a veil from the upper left corner to the lower right, so that no one can and does not dare to see the faces of the Mother of God and the Divine Infant.

On the icon, the image of the Mother of God is a type of "Eleusa", the face of the Most Holy Mother of God is tilted to the left, the Infant of God supports the edge of the maforium of the Mother of God with his hand, and in his hands joined together is a Greek scroll.

Copies of the miraculous image "Merciful" appeared in Russia in the 17th century - in Moscow's Zachatievsky convent one of the most famous and revered lists stayed and was its main shrine.

After the destruction of the monastery in the 20s of the last century, the miraculous list was transferred to the nearby church of the prophet Elijah in Obydensky Lane.

When monastic life in the monastery began to revive, the icon of the Mother of God "Merciful" returned in 1999 to its original place. Prayer in front of this icon strengthens and spiritually comforts everyone who, with faith and hope, turns to the Lady of Heaven.

Prayer

O Most Holy and Blessed Mother of the Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, Merciful Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary! Coming to the saints and miraculous icon Yours, we humbly pray to You, our Good and Merciful Intercessor: heed the voice of our sinful prayers, do not despise the sighs from the soul, see the sorrows and troubles that surround us, and like a truly loving Mother, try to help us helpless, dull, fallen into many and grave sins and perpetually angering the Lord and our Creator, pray to Him, our Representative, may he not destroy us with our iniquities, but show us His humane mercy. Ask us, Mistress, from His goodness, bodily health and spiritual salvation, a pious and peaceful life, fruitfulness of the earth, good air, timely rains and a blessing from above on all our good deeds and undertakings, and as if of old, you have graciously looked at the humble doxology of the novice of Athos who sang to Thee a song of praise before Your Most Pure Icon, and sent the Archangel Gabriel to him to teach him to sing the song of heaven, with which the angels of the mountain praise Thee, accept graciously and our prayers now diligently offered to You, and bring it to Your Son and God, but be merciful He will be a sinner to us, and will grant His mercy to all those who honor You and worship Your Holy Image with faith. O All-Merciful Queen, Mother of God, All-good, stretch out Your God-bearing hands to Him, in His image, as if You were carrying a baby, and beg Him to save us all and deliver eternal perdition. Reveal to us, Mistress, Your bounty: heal the sick, comfort the grieving, help the needy: make it easy for all of us to wear the yoke of Christ in patience and humility, make us piously end this earthly life, receive a Christian shameless death, and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, by Your motherly intercession to to Christ our God, who was born of Thee, Himself with His Beginningless Father and the Most Holy Spirit, befits all glory, honor and worship, now and forever, and forever and ever. Amen.

Material prepared on the basis of open sources

On the next day of the feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Church established the celebration of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos. The name of this feast "sobor" means the gathering of all feasts, the celebrations of the Most Holy Theotokos in one day, the gathering on this day of believers to glorify the Heavenly Lady who gave birth to our Savior. On the first day of the feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Church glorifies the Redeemer of the human race himself, who deigned to save the sinful world from the networks of the enemy, and on the second day after the remembrance of this great event, believers are called upon by the Church to honor and worthily appease the Ever-Virgin Mary, the Mother of our beloved Lord, who served the great event of the salvation of the race human.

Many holidays have a "cathedral" the next day. Such are the Nativity of the Virgin, on the second day after which the righteous Joachim and Anna are honored; after Theophany, on the second day, a feast was established in honor of John the Baptist, etc.

The establishment of the Cathedral of Our Lady belongs to very ancient times. In the IV century, some holy fathers, for example, St. Epiphanius of Cyprus, the teachings were already spoken on the day of this celebration.

In the ancient calendars, the feast of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos is also called "Maternity Gifts". They think that this name hides an indication of the gifts brought to the newborn King of the Jews - the God-child Jesus from the Eastern magi. The feast of the Cathedral of Our Lady is also called the “Flight into Egypt”. Probably in ancient church the remembrance of the worship of the Eastern sages and the flight to Egypt was combined with the celebration of the Cathedral of the Mother of God. Therefore, on the icons depicting the Nativity of Christ with the veneration of the shepherds and the Magi and the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt, one can often find the inscription "Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos."

Source: Book "E. Villager. Mother of God.
Description of Her earthly life and miraculous icons»

On the meaning of the holiday "Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos"

The birth of the Savior was from the Holy Spirit. This was not an ordinary birth. But in the earthly life of the Savior, His family played an important role: His Most Pure Mother, Joseph the Betrothed, His closest relatives - those who surrounded the Infant and Child Jesus. And therefore, the Church, paying special veneration to all that the Lord God brought into the world through the incarnation of His Son, at the same time remembers the earthly life of the Savior, and His loved ones and relatives. And it could not be otherwise, because in the Church the Divine and the human, the heavenly and the earthly are united, and in this union one is not diminished by the other.

It pleased God that human nature, human life, with its joys and sorrows, was raptured into the Mystery of the Holy Trinity, so that this human life would be deified. This was pleasing to the Lord in relation to His beloved Son, and after the incarnation of the Son of God, this God's plan for the glorification of all creation, for the glorification human nature became completely obvious, for in Christ the heavenly and the earthly, the divine and the human are united.

That is why a Christian, striving for the things above, striving for eternal salvation, should never follow the path to salvation, offending his relatives and friends, refusing good things. family relations and generally humiliating the human principle. It seems to some that in the human beginning there is sin. But sin is not in human nature itself, but in the evil human will. And everything that a person does for the glory of God, everything that is the result of his work, is blessed by God. This is a kind of shrine through which we serve God. That is why human creativity, both the highest and the most insignificant, is all our gift to God, it is a sacrifice that we bring to God.

If we have such an understanding of human existence, such an understanding of human nature, such an understanding of human relations, then this being, this nature and these relations will be filled with the grace of God - so that, according to the word of the apostle, the heavenly is united with the earthly and that at the head of everything is God, who fills everything and contains everything with His power.

The Nativity of Christ - the mystery of the Divine Incarnation - teaches us a lot, including the attitude of man to his earthly life that is pleasing to God. Let us glorify the Lord in our souls and bodies, which are God's, the apostle calls us. And today, emphasizing the kinship and human relations of the Savior with those who surrounded Him, again and again calls us all to a pious life, to good relations with our loved ones and relatives, to building human relationships according to the commandment of God, in order to truly glorify God and in our souls and in our bodies. Amen.

Word His Holiness Patriarch Kirill

worship

Dear brothers and sisters, today is the second day of the great feast of the Nativity of Christ. This day is called the day of the Cathedral of the Mother of God, because in ancient times the first Christians on the second day of the feast of the Nativity of Christ gathered in the temple to glorify the One Who gave the earth the Savior of the world. She was the culprit of our salvation, by Her humility, obedience to the will of the Lord, purity, the highest chastity, having become the Mother of Christ, the Son of God.

The Church during the celebration of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos in divine services calls on the faithful to glorify the Mother of God: “ Come, let us sing to the Mother of the Savior, after His birth, still remaining a Virgin: « Rejoice, City animated by the King and God - Christ, having settled in Him, accomplished salvation. With Gabriel we sing of Thee, with shepherds we glorify Thee, exclaiming: “Theotokos, intercede before the Incarnate of Thee for our salvation!»» (Mains of the feast).

The icon usually depicts the Theotokos seated on a throne with the Divine Infant in her arms. Above, next to and below are angels, wise men who bring gifts, and Old Testament elders.

Troparion of the Theotokos, tone 4:
Most Pure Mother of God, Mother of God, Your honest Cathedral is decorated with many kinds of goodness, the gifts of Thee are brought, Madam, by many worldly people, tear our sinful bonds with Your mercy and save our souls.

Establishment of the feast of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary

We do not have exact information about the origin of this holiday. It is known that the establishment of a special celebration of the Nativity of Christ immediately entailed the honoring of the Mother of God, already captured in the sermons of Sts. Epiphanius of Cyprus, Ambrose of Milan and Blessed. Augustine (in their teachings on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, they combined the praise of the born God-Man with the praise of the Virgin who gave birth to Him). However, the message found on some sites that “the official indication of the celebration of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos on the day after the Nativity of Christ can be found in canon 79 of the VI Ecumenical Council, held in 681,” is somewhat inaccurate.

Firstly, the canonical rules that refer to the VI Ecumenical Council, which actually took place (more precisely, ended) in 681, were not adopted at it (the V and VI Ecumenical Councils were devoted to dogmatic issues, and no canons were published), but at the so-called Trulli Council, convened in 691 (also called the "Fifth-Sixth"), which was considered by its participants as a continuation of the VI Ecumenical Council.

Secondly, in the mentioned rule there is no indication of the celebration of the memory of the environment of the Blessed Virgin, and even more so - there is no reason to consider this holiday a conciliar institution. The 79th canon indirectly points to the accustomed custom of commemorating the memory of the Most Holy Theotokos the day after the Nativity of Christ, but it concerns not so much the celebration itself as the widespread ritual form, which the fathers of the Council considered contrary to church teaching, and denounced the ignorance of the "Orthodox people", who , revering the Most Pure with the preparation of ritual food similar to that usually prepared in honor of “birth diseases” (“bread baking”), showed a lack of understanding of the exclusivity of the mystery of the Incarnation: the conception of the seedless and the birth of the painless, “for this is not an honor to the Virgin, more than mind and word, the flesh that gave birth to the inconceivable Word, even if its inexpressible birth is determined and presented according to the example of an ordinary and peculiar to us birth.

It can be said that by this conciliar instruction, the celebration of the Most Holy Theotokos, which spontaneously developed in the church environment, was cleansed of alien impurities, consecrated and churched, and then grew into the veneration of her entire inner circle. Celebrating this holiday, we seem to find ourselves at a quiet family celebration. Only the family in this case is special and honored guests are such that the mere mention of them causes a joyful respectful thrill from touching the mystery of the Incarnation, and it smelled like the air of those very days when, as it is said in the Christmas kontakion, “Angels with shepherds glorify travel with a star.

Archpriest Igor Prekup

VI Ecumenical Council- rule 79

“The divine birth from the Virgin, as having been without seed, confessing painless, and preaching this to the whole world, we subject those who create, out of ignorance, to correction, which is either not due. After all, some, on the day of the holy birth of Christ our God, are seen preparing bread biscuits, and passing each other, as if in honor of the birth diseases of the all-blameless Virgin Mother: then we determine that the faithful do not do anything like that. For this is no honor to the Virgin, more than the mind and the word, the flesh that gave birth to the incongruous Word; if its inexpressible birth is determined and presented according to the example of an ordinary and peculiar birth to us. If henceforth anyone who does such things is foreseen: then let the clergy be deposed, and let the layman be excommunicated.«.

Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary - a quiet family celebration

The veneration of the Most Holy Theotokos was naturally expressed in the fact that in the annual liturgical circle a day was allocated immediately following the feast of the Nativity of Christ, which gathers us in honor of the Mother of God, and also in the fact that on this day not only the memory of the Most Pure One herself is celebrated, but also those who turned out to be participants in the events connected with the appearance of the Divine Infant into the world. First of all, this is St. Joseph the Betrothed and his son from his first marriage, Jacob, brother of the Lord, first bishop of Jerusalem. This is also the day of St. King David, from whose family the Most Pure came, this is a holiday of all those who rejoiced with her about the birth of the Son of Man - both shepherds and magicians - all gathered around her, not only and not so much in the spatial, but in the spiritual sense.

- Saint Joseph the Betrothed;
- King David (an ancestor in the flesh of Jesus Christ);
- the holy apostle James, brother of the Lord (son from the first marriage of Joseph the Betrothed). Saint James, together with his father Joseph, accompanied the Mother of God and the Divine Infant Jesus during their flight to Egypt.

Being an 80-year-old elder, Joseph the Betrothed, with the blessing of the high priest, received the Virgin Mary in order to preserve her virginity and purity. And although he was betrothed to the Most Pure, his whole ministry was to protect the Mother of God.

“But for many people who did not know the mystery of the Incarnation, Joseph was the father of the Lord Jesus Christ,” we note that the Mother of God also said, referring to Jesus, who at the age of twelve remained in the Jerusalem temple and was lost for his parents, that the Servant grieved his father - after all, Joseph was like a father to those around him (cf. Luke 2:39-52).

The Church also remembers the king, the prophet, the psalmist David, a holy man who sinned grievously, but repented so that with his words people today call on the name of God, remembering the great lines addressed to the Creator: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy” (Ps. .50:1). “Prophet David was according to the flesh the ancestor of the Lord and Savior, because, as it should be, the Savior, the Messiah, came into the world from the lineage of David.”

The Apostle James is called the brother of God, because he was the eldest son of the Betrothed Joseph - from his first marriage. Jacob was a very pious man, and after the Resurrection of Christ he was chosen as the primate of the Jerusalem Church. James, fulfilling the prescriptions of the Old Law, was the bishop of the New Testament and proclaimed the Lord Jesus Christ both the Messiah and the Deliverer of Israel. The preaching of James was objectionable to all those who led Jesus Christ to Calvary, and the holy apostle James was thrown from the roof of the Jerusalem temple.

The Legend of the Flight of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the Divine Infant to Egypt

After the Magi left Bethlehem, the Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, commanding him that he, together with the newborn baby Jesus Christ and His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, fled to Egypt and remained there until he was led from there return, because Herod wants to look for the Child in order to destroy Him. Joseph got up, took the Child and His Mother by night and went to Egypt.

But first, before his departure there, he fulfilled in Solomon’s temple everything that was determined according to the law of the Lord, for the days of purification of the Most Pure and Immaculate Mother of God had already come, and in that temple the elder Simeon and Anna the prophetess met our Lord. Then, having fulfilled everything that was determined in the law, Joseph went to Nazareth, to his house. For this is what Saint Luke says: “And when they had done everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their city of Nazareth” (Luke 2:39). From this it is clear that they did not immediately set off from Bethlehem to Egypt, but first went to temple of the Lord, then to Nazareth, and finally to Egypt. Saint Theophylact also testifies to this in his interpretation of the Evangelist Matthew, when he writes: “Question: How does the Evangelist Luke say that the Lord withdrew to Nazareth after 40 days after His birth and after meeting His elder Simeon?

And here St. Matthew says that he came to Nazareth after his return from Egypt? Answer: Know that the Evangelist Luke mentions what the Evangelist Matthew kept silent about, namely, that the Lord (Luke says) after His birth went to Nazareth. And Matthew speaks of what happened after that, namely: how our Lord fled to Egypt and how, on his return from there, he again went to Nazareth. In general, the Evangelists do not contradict each other, but only Luke speaks of the removal of Christ from Bethlehem to Nazareth, and Matthew tells of His return to Nazareth from Egypt. So, after leaving the temple of the Lord, the holy travelers first went to Nazareth and immediately made arrangements for their house, and then, having taken everything they needed for the journey, hastily, at night (so that the nearest neighbors would not recognize this) set off along the road to Egypt. At the same time, they took with them, for service, and Jacob, the eldest son of Joseph, who was later called the brother of the Lord, as can be seen from the church hymn for October 23 (S.S.), where it is sung like this: “brother appeared to you, disciple, and seer of divine mysteries, run with him, and in Egypt be with Joseph. Hence it is clear that Jacob also accompanied the holy family on the way to Egypt, serving him during the journey.

And the Lord fled to Egypt in part in order to show that He is a true incarnate man, and not a spirit and a ghost (which Saint Ephraim points out in the word on the Transfiguration when he says: “If He were not flesh, then with By whom did Joseph flee to Egypt”); and partly in order to teach us to flee the wrath and fury of man, and not to resist them with pride. This is how Chrysostom explains: “In his flight,” he said, “the Lord teaches us to give place to rage, i.e. run around human fury. And if the Almighty flees, then we, the proud, learn by this not to endanger ourselves. The goal of the Lord’s flight to Egypt is also that to cleanse Egypt from idols and, as the holy Pope Leo says, so that not without this country, in which for the first time through the slaughter of a lamb the saving sign of the cross and the Passover of the Lord were foreshadowed, the sacrament of the most holy sacrifice was prepared. Also, to fulfill the following prophecy of Isaiah: “The Lord will sit on a light cloud, and come in Egypt. And the idols of Egypt shall shake at His presence” (Isaiah 19:1). In this place, under a cloud, St. Ambrose means the Most Pure Virgin, Who brought her Lord into Egypt in her arms, and the idols fell Egyptian gods. That cloud, the Most Pure Virgin, is light, for She is not weighed down by any burden of any sin or carnal lust and the knowledge of marriage.

It is also transmitted that when righteous Joseph, the Most Pure Virgin and the Divine Infant were going to Egypt, in one deserted place robbers attacked them and wanted to take away their donkey, on which they carried the little that they needed on the road, and on which sometimes and they went on their own. One of those robbers, seeing the Baby of extraordinary beauty and being surprised at such beauty, said:

“If God took on a human body, he would not want to be more beautiful than this Infant.

Having said this, he forbade his comrades, other robbers, and did not allow them to offend these travelers in any way. Then the Most Pure Theotokos said to that robber:

“Know that this Child will reward you with a generous reward for protecting Him.

This robber was the one who later, at the crucifixion of Christ, was hanged on the cross according to right side, and to whom the Lord said: “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). And the prophetic prediction of the Mother of God was fulfilled, that "This Child will reward you."

When they entered the Egyptian country and were within the boundaries of Thebaid, they approached the city of Hermopolis. Near the entrance to this city grew very beautiful tree, called "Perseus", which the local inhabitants, according to their idolatrous custom, revered as a god, because of his height and majestic beauty, worshiping him and bringing sacrifices to him, for in that tree there also lived a demon revered by them. When the Most Pure Mother of God with the Divine Child approached that tree, it immediately shook violently, for the demon, fearing the coming of Jesus, fled. And the tree bowed its top to the very ground, giving proper worship to its Creator and His Parent, the Most Pure Virgin, in addition, it protected them from the heat of the sun with the shadow of its many leafy branches and thus gave the weary holy travelers the opportunity to rest. And in such an inclined form, that tree remained as an obvious sign of the coming of the Lord into Egypt. After the Lord with His Matter and Joseph rested under this tree, this tree received healing power, because all kinds of diseases were healed from its branches. Then the holy travelers first of all entered that city and the idol temple that was in it, and immediately all the idols fell. Palladius mentions this temple in Lavsaik: “We saw,” he says, “there (in Hermopol) an idol temple in which, during the coming of the Savior, all the idols fell prostrate to the ground. Also in one village, called "Siren", three hundred and sixty-five idols fell in one temple, while Christ entered there with the Most Pure Matter.

After this, the holy travelers turned a little away from the city of Hermopol and, looking for a place to stop, entered the village called "Natareya", which lies not far from Iliopol, near this village, Joseph left the Most Pure Virgin Mary with Christ the Lord, and he himself went to the village in order to acquire needed. And that fig tree, which sheltered the holy wanderers under it, forked from top to bottom and lowered its top, forming, as it were, a canopy or tent over their head: and below, at its root, it formed, as it were, a recess in that cleft, convenient for staying, and there the Most Pure Virgin with the Child lay down and rested from her journey. That place is still in great veneration not only among Christians, but also among the Saracens, who still (as it is told by reliable eyewitnesses) light a lamp with oil in a cleft of a tree in honor of the Virgin with the Child who rested there.

Joseph and the Most Holy Theotokos wanted to stay in that village and, having found a hut for themselves not far from that tree, they began to live in it. Another miracle took place by the power of the Divine Infant, for in the same place, near their place of residence and near that wonderful tree, there suddenly appeared a source of living water, from which the Most Pure Virgin drew for her needs and in which she arranged a bath for Her Infant. That spring exists to this day, having very cold and healthy water. And what is even more amazing is that in all the land of Egypt it is the only source of living water, and it is famous in that village. This ends the story of the sojourn of the Most Pure Mother of God with Christ in Egypt, where they spent several years. But there is no exact information about how many years the Lord spent in Egypt. St. Epiphanius says that two years, and Nikifor three years, and George Kedrin five years; others, like Ammonius of Alexandria, think that it is seven years. In any case, it is certain that until the death of Herod, as the Gospel says: "And there he was until the death of Herod" (Matt. 2:15).

After the slaughter of the Bethlehem babies and after the accursed Herod died an evil death, the Angel of the Lord again appeared in a dream to Joseph, commanding him to return from the land of Egypt to the land of Israel, “for (he said) those who sought the soul of the baby died.” Joseph got up, took the Child and His Mother and went to Judah, which was the best and most part of the land of Israel. When he heard that Archelaus reigned in Judea instead of Herod his father, he was afraid to go there. For Herod left behind him three sons: the first Archelaus, another Herod Antipas, and the third, the youngest, Philip. All of them, after the death of their father, went to Rome, to Caesar, because of rivalry, since each of them wanted to receive the kingdom of his father. Caesar, without giving any of them royal honor, divided the kingdom into four parts, calling them tetrarchies. He gave Judea to his elder brother Archelaus, Galilee to Herod Antipas, and Trachonite country to his younger brother Philip; He gave Avilinia to Lysanias, the younger son of Lysanias the elder, once a friend of Herod, and then killed by him out of envy.

Releasing all of them from Rome, Caesar promised Archelaus royal honor, if only he would show good and careful management of his part. But Archelaus was no better than his cruel father, tormenting and killing many, for, having come to Jerusalem, he immediately killed three thousand people in vain, and ordered many citizens to be tortured on the day of the holiday, in the middle of the temple, in front of the entire assembly of the Jews. Because of his cruelty, he was, after a few years, slandered, deprived of power and exiled to prison. Joseph, on his return, heard that this evil Archelaus reigns, although without a royal title, and was afraid to go to Judea, receiving the same a notice in a dream from that angel who had already appeared to him before, went to the Galilee, into the possession of Herod Antipas, brother of Archelaus, for this Herod ruled the people with greater meekness than his brother; and Joseph settled in the city of Nazareth, in his house, where they had lived before, so that what was predicted about Christ the Lord by the prophets, that He would be called a Nazirite, would be fulfilled. To Him be glory forever. Amen.

Dimitry, Metropolitan of Rostov "Lives of the Saints"

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