Do Catholics believe in Holy Fire? Provocation before Easter: why Christians fight over the Holy Fire
Not only Orthodox Christians, but also representatives of various faiths are excitedly awaiting the greatest miracle. Therefore, on this day, tens of thousands of pilgrims flock from all over the world to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to wash themselves with its blessed light and receive God’s blessing.
Story
The miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire on the Holy Sepulcher has been known since ancient times; the fire that descended has a unique property - it does not burn in the first minutes.
The first witness to the descent of the blessed light into the Holy Sepulcher was, according to the testimony of the Holy Fathers, the Apostle Peter. Having run to the Tomb after the news of the Resurrection of the Savior, he, in addition to the burial shrouds, as stated in the Bible, saw an amazing light inside the Tomb of Christ.
The earliest written testimony of an eyewitness to the appearance of the Holy Fire on the Holy Sepulcher dates back to the 4th century and was preserved by the church historian Eusebius Pamphilus.
© photo: Sputnik / Tselik
Reproduction of the painting "Calvary" by M. van Heemskerck
Although according to many, both ancient and modern evidence, the appearance of the blessed light can be observed in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher throughout the year, the most famous and impressive is the miraculous descent of the blessed fire on the eve of the feast of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, in Holy Saturday.
Throughout almost the entire existence of Christianity, this miraculous phenomenon has been observed annually by both Orthodox Christians and representatives of other Christian faiths (Catholics, Armenians, Copts and others), as well as representatives of other non-Christian religions.
One of the most ancient descriptions of the descent of the Holy Fire belongs to Abbot Daniel, who visited the Holy Tomb in 1106-1107.
© photo: Sputnik / Yuri Kaver
Church ceremony
Approximately one day before the start of Orthodox Easter, a church ceremony begins. To see the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire, people have been gathering at the Holy Sepulcher since good friday. Many stay here immediately after procession performed in memory of the events of this day.
The descent of the Holy Fire itself takes place on Holy Saturday in the afternoon.
Around ten o'clock on Holy Saturday, all the candles and lamps in the entire huge architectural complex of the Temple are extinguished.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is a huge architectural complex, including Golgotha with the site of the Crucifixion, the rotunda - an architectural structure with a huge dome, under which the Kuvuklia (which means the royal bedchamber) is located directly - a chapel located directly above the cave where the body of Jesus was buried, the Catholicon - cathedral Patriarch of Jerusalem, underground Temple of the Finding Life-giving Cross, the Church of St. Helen of the Apostles, several chapels - small churches with their own altars. There are several active monasteries on the territory of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Nazi Zhorzholiani
Both historical and modern practice indicate that when the fire descends, there are three groups of participants.
First of all, the Patriarch of Jerusalem Orthodox Church or one of the bishops of the Jerusalem Patriarchate with his blessing, the abbot and monks of the Lavra of St. Savva the Sanctified, and local Orthodox Arabs.
20-30 minutes after the sealing of the Edicule, Arab Orthodox youth burst into the temple screaming, stomping, and beating drums and began to sing and dance. Their cries and songs represent ancient prayers on Arabic about the sending of the Holy Fire, addressed to Christ and Mother of God, St. George the Victorious, especially revered in the Orthodox East. Their emotional prayers usually last for half an hour.
At about 13 o'clock the litany (in Greek prayer procession) of the Holy Fire begins. In front of the procession are banner bearers with 12 banners, behind them are young men, a crusader cleric, at the end of the procession is the Orthodox patriarch of one of the local Orthodox churches (Jerusalem or Constantinople), accompanied by the Armenian patriarch and clergy.
© photo: Sputnik / Vitaliy Belousov
Procedures
The procession enters the Church of the Resurrection, heads to the chapel erected over the Holy Sepulcher, and, having walked around it three times, stops in front of its gates. All the lights in the temple have been extinguished. Tens of thousands of people: Arabs, Greeks, Russians, Georgians, Romanians, Jews, Germans, British - pilgrims from all over the world - watch the Patriarch in tense silence.
The Patriarch is exposed, and the police carefully search him and the Holy Sepulcher, looking for at least something that could produce fire (during Turkish rule over Jerusalem, Turkish gendarmes did this).
Shortly before the patriarch, the sacristan (assistant to the sacristan - the manager of church property) brings a large lamp into the cave, in which the main fire and 33 candles should flare up - according to the number of years of the Savior’s earthly life. Only after this, the Patriarch, wearing one long flowing tunic, enters the chapel and kneels to pray.
Convergence
All the people in the temple are patiently waiting for the patriarch to come out with fire in his hands. Over the years, the wait lasted from five minutes to several hours. The prayer and ritual continue until the expected miracle occurs.
And suddenly, on the marble slab of the coffin, fiery dew appears in the form of bluish balls. His Holiness touches them with cotton wool, and it ignites. With this cool fire, the Patriarch lights the lamp and candles, which he then takes into the temple and hands over to the Armenian Patriarch, and then to the people. At the same moment, tens and hundreds of bluish lights flash in the air under the dome of the temple.
Nazi Zhorzholiani
A moment later, the entire temple turns out to be surrounded by lightning and glare, which snake down its walls and columns, as if flowing down to the foot of the temple and spreading across the square among the pilgrims. At the same time, the lamps located on the sides of the chapel themselves are lit, then the Edicule itself begins to shine, and from the hole in the dome of the temple a wide vertical column of light descends from the sky onto the Tomb.
At the same time, the doors of the cave open and the Orthodox patriarch comes out and blesses those gathered. The Patriarch of Jerusalem transmits the Holy Fire to believers, who claim that the fire does not burn at all in the first minutes after the descent, regardless of what candle and where it was lit.
It’s hard to imagine the jubilation that filled the crowd of thousands. People shout, sing, the fire is transferred from one bunch of candles to another, and in a minute the whole temple is on fire.
Later, lamps throughout Jerusalem are lit from the Holy Fire. They say that in areas of the city close to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, candles and lamps in churches light up on their own. Fire is delivered on special flights to Cyprus and Greece, from where it is distributed throughout the world.
Recently, direct participants in the events began to bring the Holy Fire to Georgia.
Holy fire descends into the Church of the Holy Sepulcher only on Holy Saturday - the eve of Orthodox Easter, although Easter is celebrated every year on different days according to the old Julian calendar. And one more feature - the Holy Fire descends only through the prayers of the Orthodox Patriarch.
© photo: Sputnik / Vitaly Belousov
Holy fire heals
Parishioners call the droplets of wax that fall from the candles the Graceful Dew. As a reminder of the Miracle of the Lord, they will remain on the clothes of witnesses forever; no amount of powder or washing will remove them.
Orthodox Christians believe that the sacred fire that comes from the tomb of Christ represents the flame of the power of the Resurrection. It is believed that the year when the Heavenly Fire does not descend on the Holy Sepulcher will mean the end of the world and the power of the Antichrist.
One of the prophecies kept in the Jerusalem Orthodox Church says: “Since the blood of Christians has been shed at the Holy Sepulcher, it means that the entrance to this greatest shrine will soon be closed and especially difficult times will come for the Church of Christ.”
From the point of view of Orthodoxy, the Holy Fire is a guarantee between God and people, the fulfillment of the promise given by the risen Christ to his followers: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Traditions and customs
It is on Holy Saturday that Easter services begin in churches. Most believers in Georgia celebrate Easter in churches to take a piece of divine fire brought from the Holy Land to their homes. Holy Fire They are 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.
Fasting continues on Holy Saturday. On this day you can prepare festive Easter dishes, but you cannot eat them yet. From the very morning, housewives begin preparing dishes for the rich Easter table. According to traditions, on the feast of the Resurrection of Christ there should be at least 12 dishes on the table.
As throughout Holy Week, on Holy Saturday you cannot celebrate weddings, birthdays, various celebrations or generally have fun. According to legend, if a wedding took place on Holy Week, then the young people will not live together for long.
On the evening of Holy Saturday, churches and temples begin to bless Easter cakes, colored eggs and food for the Easter table, which housewives bring to church in special baskets.
© photo: Sputnik / Maria Tsimintia
Light Christ's resurrection. Orthodox Easter
BywhatmuBlagodateohrutь схodit
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“Why does the Holy Fire descend only on Orthodox Easter?” - some people are interested. The Easter fire, which is also called the Holy Fire, symbolizes the light of God, enlightening all nations after the Resurrection of Christ.
How and where does the Holy Fire come from at Easter? Every year on the eve of Holy Saturday on Orthodox Easter, this fire is lit during a service held in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem.
This church service is conducted by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Armenian, Coptic and Syriac Orthodox clergy. Believers pray, and after a while light appears inside the Edicule, then a bell rings in the temple.
This service is broadcast live in many countries, including Russia. Then the fire is delivered by plane to Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, Greece and other countries.
The Holy Fire is greeted by church leaders and government leaders. After arriving from Jerusalem, it is solemnly carried around Orthodox churches in large cities. The lamps that are lit from this fire are carried home by believers.
Why does the Holy Fire descend only on Orthodox Easter?
In earlier times, before the expulsion of the Crusaders from Jerusalem in 1187, Catholic priests they also took “participation in the ceremony of the descent of the Holy Fire and at the same time conducted their service in the temple with the Orthodox.”
A similar ritual still exists in the Roman Catholic Church. IN Catholic churches Before the start of services on Easter week, an Easter candle is lit - Paschal. All believers light candles from it.
In Germany, Easter bonfires are lit to symbolically burn Judas. This bonfire is also a symbol of the fire by which the Apostle Peter warmed himself, so anyone can warm himself near it.
The first evidence of the appearance of miraculous fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher dates back to the 9th century. Many believers believe that this fire, appearing supernaturally, comes down from above.
However, this is not confirmed by official sources of the churches holding the festive ceremony. Catholic Church also does not recognize the miraculous nature of the descent of the Holy Fire.
One of the reasons for believing in the descent of the Holy Fire on Orthodox Easter is the belief in the correctness of the Julian calendar.
In the Orthodox Church, Easter is always celebrated after the Jewish Passover, since Jesus Christ was resurrected on the first Sunday after it. According to the Gregorian calendar, adopted in Catholicism, Christian Easter is sometimes celebrated on the same day as the Jewish one or even earlier.
There is no documentary evidence of where and how the Holy Fire descends on Easter. However, many pilgrims who visited the temple in Jerusalem on Easter testified to miraculous phenomena occurring on Holy Saturday: spontaneous combustion of candles, flashes, lightning, etc. Such stories have been passed on from mouth to mouth for centuries.
The fact that only on Orthodox Easter does the Holy Fire descend from heaven (provided that an Orthodox patriarch serves in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher Orthodox calendar), God testifies to the truth of the Orthodox faith, the Orthodox Church.
A little history:
Disagreements between the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople began long before 1054, but it was in 1054 that Pope Leo IX sent legates led by Cardinal Humbert to Constantinople to resolve the conflict. It was not possible to find a path to reconciliation, and on July 16, 1054, in the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia, the papal legates announced the deposition of Patriarch Michael Kirularius and his excommunication from the Church.
In response to this, on July 20, the patriarch anathematized the legates. There was a split christian church, into the Roman Catholic Church in the West, centered in Rome, and the Orthodox Church in the East, centered in Constantinople.
For several centuries, Jerusalem was under the control of the Eastern Church. And there was not a single case when the Holy Fire did not descend on Christians.
In 1099, Jerusalem was conquered by the Crusaders. The Roman Church, having received the support of dukes and barons and considering the Orthodox to be apostates, began to literally trample on their rights and Orthodox faith. Orthodox Christians were forbidden to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, they were expelled from churches, property and church buildings were taken away from them, they were humiliated and oppressed, even to the point of torture.
This is how the English historian Stephen Runciman describes this moment in his book “The Fall of Constantinople”:
“The first Latin patriarch Arnold of Choquet started unsuccessfully: he ordered the expulsion of heretical sects (ed: Orthodox Christians) from their territory in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, then he began to torture Orthodox monks, asking where they keep the Cross and other relics...".
A few months later Arnold was succeeded on the throne by Daimbert of Pisa, who went even further. He tried to expel all local Christians, even Orthodox Christians, from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and allow only Latins there, generally depriving the rest of the church buildings in or near Jerusalem...
God's retribution would soon strike. In 1101, on Holy Saturday, the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire in Edicule did not occur until Eastern Christians were invited to participate in this rite. Then King Baldwin I took care of returning their rights to local Christians.
Middle Ages
In 1578, after the next change of the Turkish mayor of Jerusalem, the Armenian priests agreed with the newly-minted “mayor” that the right to receive the Holy Fire instead of the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem would be given to a representative of the Armenian Church. At the call of the Armenian clergy, many of their fellow believers came to Jerusalem from all over the Middle East to celebrate Easter alone...
On Holy Saturday 1579, Orthodox Patriarch Sophrony IV and the clergy were not allowed into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. They stood in front of the closed doors of the Temple from the outside. The Armenian clergy entered the Edicule and began to pray to the Lord for the descent of the Fire. But their prayers were not heard.
Standing at the closed doors of the Temple Orthodox priests also turned to the Lord with prayers. Suddenly a noise was heard, the column located to the left of the closed doors of the Temple cracked, Fire came out of it and lit candles in the hands of the Patriarch of Jerusalem. With great joy, the Orthodox priesthood entered the Temple and glorified the Lord. Traces of the descent of Fire can still be seen on one of the columns located to the left of the entrance.
This was the only case in history when the descent took place outside the Temple, actually through the prayers of the Orthodox, and not the Armenian high priest.
“Everyone rejoiced, and the Orthodox Arabs began to jump for joy and shout: “You are our only God, Jesus Christ, our only true faith- the faith of Orthodox Christians,” wrote the monk Parthenius.
The Turkish authorities were very angry with the arrogant Armenians, and at first they even wanted to execute the hierarch, but later they had mercy and decided to edify him about what happened at the Easter ceremony to always follow the Orthodox Patriarch and henceforth not take direct part in receiving the Holy Fire.
Although the government has long since changed, the custom continues to this day. By the way, this was not the only attempt by the Muslim authorities to prevent the descent of the Holy Fire. Here is what the famous Islamic historian al-Biruni (IX-X centuries) writes: “...once the governor ordered the wicks of copper wire to be replaced, hoping that the lamps would not light up and the miracle itself would not happen. But then, when the fire died down, the copper caught fire.”
HE SAW A MIRACLE...
141st Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III. Full title: His Beatitude and All-Holiness Cyrus Theophilus, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and all Palestine, Syria, Arabia, Jordan, Cana of Galilee and Holy Zion. Once a year, at a service held in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Holy Saturday, on the eve of Orthodox Easter, at exactly 12:55 he, together with the Armenian archimandrite, enters the Holy Sepulcher. There, kneeling before the Bed of the Savior, they read a prayer, after which they light their bundles of candles from the fire that miraculously appeared, and bring it out to the waiting people.
XX century
According to traditions that have taken root over 2000 years, the obligatory participants in the sacrament of the descent of the Holy Fire are the abbot, the monks of the Lavra of St. Savvas the Sanctified and local Orthodox Arabs.
On Holy Saturday, half an hour after the sealing of the Edicule, Arab Orthodox youth, screaming, stomping, drumming, sitting astride each other, rush into the Temple and begin singing and dancing. There is no evidence about the time when this ritual was established. The exclamations and songs of the Arab youth are ancient prayers in Arabic, addressed to Christ and the Mother of God, who is asked to beg the Son to send Fire, to St. George the Victorious, especially revered in the Orthodox East.
According to oral traditions, during the years of British rule over Jerusalem (1918–1947), the English governor once tried to ban “savage” dances. The Patriarch of Jerusalem prayed for two hours: The fire did not go down. Then the Patriarch ordered with his will to let in the Arab youth. After they performed the ritual, the Fire descended...
And here is what the English historian Stephen Runciman writes about the persecution of Orthodox Christians after the capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders in 1099.
The facts are based on Western chronicles: “The first Latin Patriarch Arnold of Choquet started unsuccessfully: he ordered the expulsion of heretical sects from their territory in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, then he began to torture Orthodox monks, trying to find out where they kept the Cross and other relics... A few months later Arnold was replaced on the throne by Daimbert of Pisa... He tried to expel all local Christians, even Orthodox, from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and allow only Latins there, generally depriving the rest of the church buildings in or near Jerusalem... God's retribution soon struck: already in 1101 On Holy Saturday, the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire in Edicule did not occur until Eastern Christians were invited to participate in this rite. Then King Baldwin I took care of returning their rights to local Christians...”
They also talk about one case. The Holy Fire did not appear on sad Easter in 1923. At this time, Patriarch Tikhon was removed from the administration of the Russian Orthodox Church.
One day, the Turks, who captured Jerusalem, forbade the Orthodox to serve, and those who were not allowed into the temple stood at its entrance, crying and praying - the Holy Fire suddenly burst out of one of the columns of the temple, watering the Orthodox people.
This crack in the column, formed contrary to all the laws of nature, still serves as evidence of the triumph of Orthodoxy.
A few weeks before Easter, disputes usually begin about how exactly the Holy Fire will appear in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher: will it miraculously descend from heaven or be lit from a match in the hands of the Patriarch of Jerusalem. This time, a big scandal was caused by the revelations of an Armenian priest, who said in an interview with Israeli journalists that it was all about a “special lamp.” Read about why the Holy Fire kindles serious passions among believers in the RIA Novosti material.
Miracles are not "for fun"
"Stop filming, he's lying!" — a Greek temple servant intervenes in the conversation between the Armenian priest Samuil Agonyan and journalists, covering the camera with his hands. But the Armenian continues to tell how he noticed three times that the patriarch was lighting the bundles wax candles from an oil lamp and there is nothing mystical about it. “God works miracles, but not for the amusement of people,” concludes the interlocutor of Israeli TV.
The ceremony of the descent of the Holy Fire takes place in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher every year on the eve of Orthodox Easter - on Holy Saturday. According to the most common version, the fire miraculously lights up as a result of the prayers of the Jerusalem Patriarch and thousands of believers inside the temple, in the most sacred place for Christians - the Edicule, a chapel built over the Holy Sepulcher itself (the stone bed where the body of Christ rested after death on the cross and burials).
However, there are other versions of the origin of fire. For example, the Patriarch of Jerusalem allegedly secretly carries a lighter with him. Or a lamp with ready fire is hidden in the Edicule a week before Easter. Or, if you believe some legends, this secret lamp miraculously lit up somewhere in the 5th century, and since then the clergy have kept it burning. In other words, the Holy Fire did miraculously descend, but only once.
"What if it's not a miracle?"
Orientalist historian Mikhail Yakushev has been present at the ceremony every year since 2003. And he has no doubt that the Holy Fire is a miracle.
“If it were not a miracle, I would even say, not God’s providence, then I would not have participated in this twenty times. Anyone who comes to this event experiences awe, joy, delight and constantly strives to go there again, although this extremely difficult,” he admits.
And he cannot describe the experience during the ceremony other than the word “delight.” “Especially when at first the whole temple freezes in anticipation of the fire, and then finally it appears,” adds Yakushev.
The well-known resuscitation specialist in Moscow, hieromonk Theodorit (Senchukov), was also present more than once at the main temple of Christianity on Holy Saturday and categorically disagrees with the version of Father Samuil Agonyan.
“Of course, we can assume that this fire comes from the lighter of the Jerusalem Patriarch Theophilos. But on the temple walls before the descent of the Fire, flashes appear, and in the most unexpected places, and they were described long before the invention of photo flashes. I saw with my own eyes how they suddenly ignite candles. And I consider impossible the popular idea that a person buys them in a store, goes to the temple and, immediately before the descent of the Fire, specially smears them with white phosphorus (a flammable substance. - Ed. - The Holy Fire is truly a miracle," Father Theodorit says.
It is noteworthy that the Patriarch of Jerusalem enters the Edicule wearing only a linen cassock. To make it clear: he does not carry matches or anything else that can light a fire. The door to the chapel is then sealed in the presence of Israeli police.
Other story
The Armenian Apostolic Church generally looks at the history of the origin of the Holy Fire differently.
Latin and Arabic sources mention the miracle of self-igniting lamps at the Holy Sepulcher starting in the 7th century. The Armenian Church connects the tradition of the Holy Fire with its founder, Saint Gregory the Illuminator, who lived much earlier.
According to the teachings of the Armenian Church, Gregory, not considering himself worthy to enter the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, went to the surrounding caves and prayed for a long time. In response to his prayer, on Saturday, the day before Easter, all the candles and lamps were miraculously lit at the Tomb. It was after this that he was called the Enlightener.
Scandal before Easter
The statement of a representative of the Armenian Church about lighting a fire in the Edicule simply from a burning lamp caused a negative reaction in Russia, where the solemn bringing of the Holy Fire at the night Easter service has been considered for many years one of the culminating moments of the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ. Thus, the press secretary of Patriarch Kirill, priest Alexander Volkov, directly left what was said “on the conscience of the clergy of the Armenian Church.” And the deputy head of the synodal department for relations between the Church and society and the media, Vakhtang Kipshidze, called Agonyan’s act unacceptable.
“We, when the entire Orthodox world is preparing for Easter, are greatly disappointed by attempts to scandalize the topic of the descent of the Holy Fire. For the entire Orthodox world, this is a spiritual event in which millions of believers participate. The intention to compromise this centuries-old tradition is unacceptable and has as its indirect result a violation of the state of prayer , in which Orthodox believers abide during preparation for happy holiday The Resurrection of Christ,” Kipshidze emphasized.
However, the current scandal should not be surprising, says orientalist Mikhail Yakushev. It's all about resentment - the Holy Land, alas, is not able to accommodate all Christians, so they argue with each other. Especially when it comes to being present and serving in what is most sacred. Christendom place - at the Holy Sepulcher.
“When I worked there as a diplomat, Patriarch Diodorus allowed the presence of an Armenian priest in the chapel of the Angel (part of the Edicule in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. - Ed.). And this was accepted in the Armenian Church as an established tradition. But after the death of Diodorus in 2000, when Patriarch Irenaeus, representatives of the Armenian Church were no longer allowed there again, which caused clashes and even fights,” recalls Yakushev.
As you know, the East is a delicate matter. Just a couple of weeks ago, Christian denominations in Jerusalem unanimously staged a “strike” against the Israeli authorities, closing the Church of the Holy Sepulcher for three days. And now Christians are temperamentally quarreling with each other over the Holy Fire. However, history has repeatedly proven that believers will hug each other on Easter.
Easter is celebrated by followers of different religions. Its name comes from the Hebrew word "Pesach", which means "deliverance", "exodus", "mercy". The Old Testament Passover was celebrated in memory of the liberation of the Jews from Egyptian captivity, although the custom of its celebration appeared much earlier.
For Christians, this holiday acquired a different meaning - “the passage from death to life, from earth to heaven.” This main date in Orthodox church calendar It’s not for nothing that Easter is called “the holiday of holidays and the triumph of celebrations.”
One of the traditions of this day is the descent of the fire, which is called the Holy Fire. It symbolizes the light of God, which enlightens all nations after the Resurrection of Christ.
On what Easter does the Holy Fire fall in 2020?
Every year this fire is lit at a service held in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem. This church was built in the 4th century by Emperor Constantine and his mother Helena over the site of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ.
There are several churches and chapels belonging to different Christian denominations here. Among them is the Altar, which belongs to the Catholic Order of St. Francis; the Church of Equal-to-the-Apostles Helen and the chapel of the “Three Marys”, which belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Church; grave of St. Joseph of Arimathea - Ethiopian (Coptic) Church.
However, the main shrines - Golgotha, Edicule, Kafopicon (Cathedral Temple) - belong to the Jerusalem Orthodox Church. Thousands of pilgrims flock here to see the miracle of the Lord with their own eyes.
On what Easter does the Holy Fire descend in Jerusalem? This occurs during the celebration of this date by Orthodox believers, which in 2020 falls on April 19.
The church service, which begins a day before the holiday, is conducted by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Armenian, Coptic and Syrian Orthodox clergy. Believers pray, and after a while light appears inside the Edicule (the chapel located above the cave where Jesus was buried), then the bell rings in the temple.
After the fire descends, the believers are filled with rejoicing. People hold in their hands bundles of thirty-three candles - according to the number of years of the Savior's earthly life - and pass the fire to each other, lighting from the candles.
The service is broadcast live in many countries, including Russia. Then the fire is delivered by plane to Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, Greece and other countries.
The Holy Fire is greeted by church leaders and government leaders. After arriving from Jerusalem, it is solemnly carried to Orthodox churches in major cities. The lamps that are lit from this fire are carried home by believers.
In what year did the Holy Fire descend for the first time on Easter?
The first reports of the appearance of miraculous fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher date back to the 4th century, but there is also earlier evidence. So, according to legend, the apostles of Christ were the first to see a wonderful light here shortly after He rose from the dead.
In the 1st and 2nd centuries, a holy monk and an Orthodox patriarch witnessed the appearance of the Holy Fire. After the erection of the Edicule and the holding of a special sacrament, this wonderful event occurs constantly.
Does the Holy Fire descend on Catholic Easter?
To answer this question, it is worth turning to history. In earlier times, before the expulsion of the Crusaders from Jerusalem in 1187, Catholic priests “took part in the ceremony of the descent of the Holy Fire and at the same time conducted their service in the temple with the Orthodox.”
A similar ritual still exists in the Roman Catholic Church. In Catholic churches, before the start of services on Easter week, an Easter candle is lit - Paschal, from which the believers then light candles.
In Germany, Easter bonfires are lit to symbolically burn Judas. Such a fire is also a symbol of the fire by which the Apostle Peter warmed himself, so anyone can warm up near it.
And yet the Holy Fire does not descend on Catholic Easter, and the Roman Catholic Church does not recognize its appearance as a miracle (although it does not deny it).
Pope Gregory IX opposed the recognition of this phenomenon as supernatural as early as 1238, half a century after Catholics were banned from the Temple in Jerusalem. By this time, the division of the Western and Eastern Churches was complete.
As for the Orthodox believers, they constantly served in the Edicule; this tradition continues today. Representatives of the Orthodox churches (Russian, Ukrainian, Armenian, Greek and several others) recognize the miraculous nature of this phenomenon.
Perhaps this is the reason why the Holy Fire descends only on Orthodox Easter. There were cases when Orthodox believers were expelled from this temple or their ceremony was limited.
As a result, the fire either did not go down until the intervention of believers, or appeared not where before, but at the place where prayers were offered Orthodox Patriarch with priests and parishioners.
Another reason can be called the belief of these believers in the correctness of the Julian calendar. In the Orthodox Church, Easter is always celebrated after the Jewish Passover, since Jesus Christ was resurrected on the first Sunday after it.
Pope Gregory XIII introduced a new Paschal (Gregorian) in the Roman Catholic Church in 1583, as a result of which the entire calendar changed. In accordance with it, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox, sometimes on the same day as the Jewish one or even earlier.
When and what time will the Holy Fire descend in 2020?
There is no documentary evidence of where and how the Holy Fire descends. Scientists still cannot solve this phenomenon, but believers observe a miracle every year, testifying to the power and mercy of the Lord.
Many pilgrims visiting the temple in Jerusalem testify to the miraculous phenomena occurring here: spontaneous combustion of candles, flashes, lightning, etc. Such stories have been passed on from mouth to mouth for centuries.
The descent of the Holy Fire takes place on the eve of Easter, on Holy Saturday. In 2020, this will happen on April 18, Moscow time from approximately 13.15 to 15.00. The broadcast of this event can be seen on TV channels.