Since when does the blessed fire come. How and when the convergence of the blessed fire occurs, or the legend of the end of the world

Blessed Fire. History, convergence ceremony, hypotheses, facts...

Description of the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire

Introduction

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

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

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

Story

The Holy Fire has been in the temple for more than a millennium. The earliest references to the descent of the Holy Fire on the eve of the Resurrection of Christ are found among Gregory of Nyssa, Eusebius and Sylvia of Aquitaine and date back to the 4th century. They also contain descriptions of earlier convergences. According to the testimony of the Apostles and Holy Fathers, the uncreated Light illuminated the Holy Sepulcher shortly after the Resurrection of Christ, which one of the apostles saw: and the night was, however, two images I saw internally - sensually and sincerely, "- we read from the church historian Gregory of Nyssa. "Peter appeared before the Sepulcher and the light was terrified in vain in the tomb," writes St. John of Damascus. Eusebius Pamphilus tells in his "Church History" that when one day there was not enough lamp oil, Patriarch Narcissus (II century) blessed to pour water from the Siloam font into the lamps, and the fire that descended from heaven lit the lamps, which then burned throughout the entire Easter service . Among the early mentions of the testimony of Muslims, Catholics. The Latin monk Bernard (865) writes in his itinerary: "On Holy Saturday, which is the eve of Easter, the service begins early and after the service is completed, Lord have mercy, until, with the coming of the Angel, light is kindled in the lamps hanging over the tomb."

Ceremony

The litany (church ceremony) of the Holy Fire begins about a day before the start of Orthodox Easter, which, as you know, is celebrated on a different day than other Christians. In the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, pilgrims begin to gather, wishing to see with their own eyes the descent of the Holy Fire. There are always many non-Orthodox Christians, Muslims, atheists among those present, the ceremony is monitored by the Jewish police. The temple itself accommodates up to 10 thousand people, the entire area in front of it and the enfilades of surrounding structures are also filled with people - the number of people who want is much more than the capacity of the temple, so it is not easy for pilgrims.

"On the eve of the temple, all the candles, lamps, chandeliers were extinguished. Even in the not-distant past (at the beginning of the 20th century - ed.), this was carefully monitored: the Turkish authorities carried out a strict search inside the chapel; on the slander of Catholics, they even reached the revision pockets of the clergy metropolitan, vicar of the Patriarch ... "

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

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

"At half past two, the bell rings in the patriarchy and the procession begins from there. The Greek clergy enter the temple with a long black ribbon, preceding his Beatitude, the Patriarch. He is in full vestments, a shining miter and panagias. The clergy with a slow tread passes the "stone of anointing", goes to the platform connecting the Kuvukliya with the cathedral, and then, between two rows of armed Turkish rati, barely holding back the onslaught of the crowd, disappears into the large altar of the cathedral" - narrates a medieval pilgrim.

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

"At a time when Jerusalem was under British mandate, the English governor once tried to ban these "savage" dances. The patriarch prayed in Kuvuklia for two hours: the fire did not come down. Then the Patriarch, by his will, ordered the Arabs to be let in ... And the fire came down." would appeal to all peoples: the Lord confirms the correctness of our faith by bringing down the Holy Fire on the eve of Orthodox Easter. What do you believe in?

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

A procession enters the Temple - the hierarchs of the confessions celebrating Easter. 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 the clergy. In its procession, the procession passes all the memorial places in the temple: the sacred grove where Christ was betrayed, the place where he was beaten by the Roman legionnaires, Golgotha, where He was crucified, the Anointing Stone - on which the body of Christ was prepared for burial.

The procession approaches Kuvukliya and goes around it three times. After that, the Orthodox Patriarch stops in front of the entrance to Cuvuklia; he is exposed from the robes and he remains in one linen cassock, so that it can be seen that he does not bring matches with him into the cave or anything that can light a fire. During the reign of the Turks, close "control" of the patriarch was carried out by the Turkish Janissaries, who searched him before entering Cuvuklia.

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

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

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

Prayer and ritual continue until the expected miracle happens. In different years, the agonizing wait lasts from five minutes to several hours.

Convergence

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

A moment later, the whole temple turns out to be belted with lightning and glare, which snake down its walls and columns, as if flowing down to the foot of the temple and spreading over the square among the pilgrims. At the same time, candles light up among those standing in the temple and on the square. A luminous pillar arose near the Kuvukliya, from below on the left a chain of lights that appeared in the air is visible. temple. “And suddenly a drop falls on the face, and then a cry of delight and shock is heard in the crowd.

Fire burns in the altar of the Katholikon! Flash and flame - like a huge flower. And Kuvuklia is still dark. Slowly, slowly, by candlelight, the fire from the altar begins to descend towards us. And then a thunderous cry makes you look back at Cuvuklia. It shines, the whole wall shimmers with silver, white lightning streams over it. The fire pulsates and breathes, and a vertical wide column of light descended from the sky from the opening in the dome of the Temple onto the Sepulcher. the Orthodox Patriarch comes out and blesses the audience and distributes the Holy Fire.

The patriarchs themselves tell about how the Holy Fire lights up. "I saw how the metropolitan bent over the low entrance, entered the nativity scene and knelt before the Holy Sepulcher, on which nothing stood and which was completely naked. Not even a minute passed, when the darkness was lit up with light and the metropolitan came out to us with a flaming beam candles." Hieromonk Meletios cites the words of Archbishop Misail: “When I entered the Holy Sepulcher of the Lord, I saw light on the entire lid of the tombs, light shines like scattered small beads, in the form of white, blue, scarlet and other flowers, which then copulated, blushed and turned into the substance of fire ... and from this fire prepared kandila and candles are kindled.

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

However, not everyone lights a fire from a patriarchal candle; for some, it lights up on its own. "Brighter and stronger flashes of Heavenly Light. Now Holy Fire began to fly all over the temple. It scattered with bright blue beads over Kuvuklia around the icon of the Resurrection of the Lord, and one of the lamps flared up after it. He burst into the temple chapels, to Golgotha ​​(he also lit one of the lamps on it), sparkled over the Stone of Anointing (the lamp was also lit here). Someone's candle wicks were charred, someone's lamps, bunches of candles flared up by themselves. The flashes intensified more and more, sparks spread here and there through the bunches of candles. "One of the witnesses notes how the woman standing next to him lit up the candles themselves three times, which she tried to extinguish twice. At first, the Holy Fire does not burn at all

The first time - 3-10 minutes, the ignited Fire has amazing properties - it does not burn at all, regardless of which candle and where it will be lit. You can see how the parishioners literally wash themselves with this Fire - they drive it over their faces, over their hands, scoop it up in handfuls, and it does no harm, at first it does not even scorch their hair.

First time Holy Fire does not burn at all" Having lit 20 candles in one place and burned my brother with all those candles, and not a single hair writhed or burned; and having extinguished all the candles and then lit them with other people, he warmed those candles, and in the third those candles I also warmed up, and then I didn’t touch my wife, I didn’t scorch a single hair, nor squirmed ... "- wrote one of the pilgrims four centuries ago. The droplets of wax that fall from the candles are called the blessed dew by the parishioners. As a reminder of the Miracle of the Lord, they will remain on the clothes of witnesses forever, no powders and washings will take them.

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

There are also rarer miracles. Filming on one of the videotapes testifies to the healings taking place. Visually, the camera demonstrates two such cases - in a person with a mutilated rotting skhom, a wound smeared with Fire closes up right in front of his eyes and the ear takes on a normal appearance, and a case of the sight of a blind man is also shown (according to external observations, a person had thorns in both eyes before "washing "Fire).

In the future, from the Holy Fire, lamps will be lit throughout Jerusalem, and the Fire will be delivered by special flights to Cyprus and Greece, from where it will be transported all over the world. Recently, direct participants in the events began to bring it to our country. In the areas of the city adjacent to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, candles and lamps in churches light up by themselves.

Is it only Orthodox?

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

For only a few centuries, Jerusalem was under the control of Eastern Christians, but most of the time, as now, the city was ruled by representatives of other teachings that were unfriendly or even hostile to Orthodoxy.

In 1099, Jerusalem was conquered by the crusaders, the Roman church and local mayors, revering the Orthodox as apostates, boldly began to trample on their rights. The English historian Stephen Runciman cites in his book a narration about this by the chronicler of the Western Church: “The first Latin Patriarch Arnold of Choquet began unsuccessfully: he ordered the expulsion of heretic sects from their limits in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, then he began torturing Orthodox monks, seeking where they were keep the Cross and other relics… A few months later, Arnold was replaced on the throne by Daimbert of Pisa, who went even further. near him ... God's retribution soon struck: already in 1101, on Holy Saturday, the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire in Kuvuklia did not happen, until Eastern Christians were invited to participate in this ceremony. Then King Baldwin I took care of the return of their rights to local Christians ... "

The chaplain of the Crusader Kings of Jerusalem, Fulk, relates that when Western worshipers (from among the Crusaders) visited St. city ​​before the capture of Caesarea, for the celebration of St. Easter came to Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, because the holy fire did not appear and the faithful remained in vain waiting all day in the Church of the Resurrection. Then, as if by heavenly inspiration, the Latin clergy and the king with all his court went ... to the temple of Solomon, which they had recently converted into a church from the mosque of Omar, and meanwhile the Greeks and Syrians, who remained at St. Tomb, tearing their clothes, with cries called for the grace of God, and then, finally, came down St. Fire."

But the most significant event occurred in 1579. The owners of the Temple of the Lord are simultaneously representatives of several Christian Churches. The priests of the Armenian Church, contrary to tradition, managed to bribe Sultan Murat the Truthful and the local city authorities to allow them to celebrate Easter alone and receive Holy Fire. The column from which the Holy Fire came out still stands as a reminder of the will of God. At the call of the Armenian clergy, many of their fellow believers came to Jerusalem from all over the Middle East in order to celebrate Easter alone. The Orthodox, together with Patriarch Sophrony IV, were removed not only from the Kuvuklia, but from the Temple in general.

There, at the entrance to the shrine, they remained to pray for the descent of Fire, mourning the separation from Grace. The Armenian Patriarch prayed for about a day, however, despite his prayerful efforts, no miracle followed. At one moment, a ray struck from the sky, as is usually the case with the descent of Fire, and hit exactly the column at the entrance, next to which was the Orthodox Patriarch. Fiery bursts splashed from it in all directions and a candle was lit at the Orthodox Patriarch, who handed over the Holy Fire to the fellow believers.

This was the only case in history when the descent took place outside the Temple, in fact, through the prayers of an Orthodox, and not an Armenian high priest. "Everyone rejoiced, and the Orthodox Arabs began to jump and shout for joy: "You are our one God, Jesus Christ, our true faith is one - the faith of Orthodox Christians" - writes monk Parthenius. At the same time, on the enfilades of buildings adjacent to the temple square were Turkish soldiers. One of them, named Omir (Anvar), seeing what was happening, exclaimed: "The One Orthodox Faith, I am a Christian" and jumped down onto stone slabs from a height of about 10 meters. However, the young man did not crash - the slabs under his feet melted like For the adoption of Christianity, the Muslims executed the brave Anvar and tried to scrape off the traces that so clearly testify to the triumph of Orthodoxy, but they did not succeed, and those who come to the Temple can still see them, like the dissected column at the doors of the temple. The body of the martyr was burned, but the Greeks collected the remains, which until the end of the 19th century were in the convent of Great Panagia, exuding fragrance.

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

It is difficult to enumerate all the numerous events that take place before the descent of the Holy Fire and during it. However, one thing deserves special mention. Several times a day or immediately before the descent of the Holy Fire, icons or frescoes depicting the Savior began to stream myrrh in the Temple. This happened for the first time on Good Friday in 1572. The first witnesses were two Frenchmen, a letter about this from one of them is kept in the Central Library of Paris. After 5 months - on August 24, Charles IX staged the Massacre of Bartholomew in Paris. In two days, a third of the population of France was destroyed. In 1939, on the night from Good Friday to Good Saturday, she again began to stream myrrh. Several monks living at the Jerusalem monastery became witnesses. Five months later, on September 1, 1939, World War II began. In 2001 it happened again. Christians did not see anything terrible in this (see the description of the witness) ... but the whole world knows about what happened on September 11 this year - five months after the myrrh-streaming.

In different years, different people used other names for the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire: the Holy Light, the Sacred Light, the miraculous Light, Grace.

How the Holy Fire lights up in the Holy Sepulcher

Sometime shortly after Easter, I, along with several newly arrived pilgrims, accompanied the Patriarch on his way to Jericho and the Jordan. Halfway through we were invited to his tent for dinner. One of these skeptics, choosing a convenient moment, suddenly put the question like this:

From where, your Bliss, would you like to receive Fire in the Kuvuklia?

The aged Archpastor, not paying attention to what was heard in the tone of the question, calmly answered as follows (I almost wrote down what I heard word for word):

I, dear sir, if you please know, am no longer a reader without glasses. When I first entered the chapel of the Angel and the doors closed behind me, twilight reigned there. The light barely penetrated through two holes from the rotunda of the Holy Sepulcher, also dimly lit from above. In the aisle of the Holy Sepulcher, I could not distinguish whether I had a prayer book in my hands or something else. A whitish spot, as it were, was barely noticeable against the black background of the night: it was obviously a white marble plaque on the Holy Sepulcher. When I opened the prayer book, to my surprise, the seal became completely accessible to my vision without the help of glasses. Before I had time to read three or four lines with deep emotional excitement, when, looking at the board, which was turning whiter and whiter and so that all four of its edges were clearly visible to me, I noticed on the board there, as it were, small scattered beads of different colors, or rather, as if pearls the size of a pinhead and even less, and the board began to positively emit, as it were, light. Unconsciously sweeping away these pearls with a fair piece of cotton wool, which began to merge like drops of oil, I felt a certain warmth in the cotton wool and just as unconsciously touched it with a candle wick. It flared up like gunpowder, and - the candle burned and illuminated the three images of the Resurrection, as it illuminated the face of the Mother of God and all the metal lamps above the Holy Sepulcher. I leave it to you, dear sir, to judge my emotional excitement at that moment and to derive an answer to the question raised.
Cit. Quoted from: Nilus S. Shrine in the shadows. Sergiev Posad, 1911, p. 183-187.

The most vivid description (of the burning of the Holy Fire by the Patriarch - ed.) refers to 1892, where a miraculous picture of the burning of the Holy Fire is given from the words of the Patriarch, he said that sometimes, having entered Cuvuklia, and not having time to read the prayer, he already saw how a marble tombstone was covered with small multi-colored beads, similar to small pearls. And the stove itself began to emit an even light. The patriarch swept away these pearls with a piece of cotton wool, which merged like drops of oil. He felt warmth in the cotton and touched the wick of the candle with it. The wick flared like gunpowder - the candle lit up. By the way, cotton wool is preliminarily placed on the stove. According to eyewitnesses, sometimes non-believers do this in order to eliminate doubts on this score.

There is other evidence as well. The Metropolitan of Trans-Jordan, who received the Holy Fire more than once, said that when he entered Kuvuklia, the icon lamp standing on the Tomb was burning. And sometimes - no, then he fell and with tears began to ask for mercy from God, and when he rose the lamp was already burning. From it he lit two bunches of candles, carried out and served fire to the people waiting for him. But he himself had never seen a fire ignite. Viceroy Peter Meletius said that for thirty years now, as God has been worthy of him to receive heavenly fire:

Now (1859) grace has already descended on the Tomb of the Savior, as soon as I entered Kuvuklia. It looks like you all prayed diligently, and God heard your prayers. Sometimes I pray for a long time with tears, and the fire of God does not descend from heaven until two o'clock, but this time I already saw it, as soon as they locked the door behind me!

After the Patriarch leaves the Cuvuklia, or rather, he is taken to the Altar, the people rush into the inside of the Coffin - to kiss. The whole slab is wet, as if wet with rain.
Cit. Quoted from: Yushina L. The Presence of God: Parables and Miniatures. - M.: INFRA-M, 2000, p. 18-19.
The excerpt is taken from the book: Holy Fire over the Holy Sepulcher, 1991.

Of the last pilgrims of blessed memory, Andrey Nikolaevich Muravyov wrote that "cotton paper (cotton wool) is first placed on the Holy Sepulcher in order to collect holy Fire with it, which appears, as they say, with small sparks on the marble slab of the Holy Sepulcher." A. S. Norov describes: “I saw how the aged Metropolitan, bending over the low entrance, entered the nativity scene and knelt before the Holy Sepulcher, on which nothing stood and which was completely naked. A minute had not passed before the darkness was lit up with light and the metropolitan “came out to us with a flaming bunch of candles.” Hieromonk Meletius, the most pious Sarov elder, claims that “the manifestation of the holy Fire does not seem to come from an Indian, as it does from the very Tomb, consecrated by the Flesh of Christ, which annually exudes it as a sign this truth and orthodoxy." Not being personally a witness to the descent of the Holy Fire, Hieromonk Meletios cites the words of Archbishop Misail, who was then serving: "When I entered, - Archbishop Misail told him, - inside the Holy Sepulcher, we see a shining light on the entire lid of the tomb, like scattered small beads, in the form of white, blue, scarlet and other flowers, which then, copulating, turned red and turned into a substance of fire; but this Fire during the time, as soon as it is possible to read slowly fourty times "Lord, have mercy" does not burn and does not scorch, and from this Fire the prepared censers and candles are kindled; but by the way,” added the archbishop, “how, from where this phenomenon happens, I can’t say.”

Hieromonk Ippolit (XVIII century) writes in his native Ukrainian language that the slab of the Coffin was covered with "droplets, like living silver..."
Cit. Quoted from: Trinity evangelist No. 36, Edition of the Holy Trinity-Sergius Lavra. 1991

The latest pre-revolutionary evidence is the leaflet "Holy Fire", printed by the Russian artist I. I. Matveev in Jerusalem in 1907 and preserved in one of the files of the Foreign Policy Archive of the Russian Empire. "On the marble slab of the Holy Sepulcher, the Patriarch places the Ubrus Not Made by Hands. From the Face of the Lord, the blessed fire shines, like fiery beads rolling over the Sepulcher. Then the patriarch sweeps away the fiery beads with bunches of cotton wool. rolls on the leaves, on the petals, and the patriarch collects fire beads, and lights a candle, giving holy fire "
Cit. Cited from: Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire, f. RIPPO, on. 873/ 1, d. 472, l. 80-81 rev.

Why are we convinced that the Holy Fire is from God

Many miracles happen in the world, but, without a doubt, nothing like the convergence of the Holy Fire in scale, unusualness - healing people, giving them a sense of spiritual rebirth, condescension of Fire without the help of a person with miraculous properties; Blessed dew, Blessed Light and much more - is not known.

I would like to warn non-Orthodox Christians against trying to rank the miracle of the Lord among the works of the devil, because we have been given a correct guide on how to distinguish the works of God's hands from the machinations of the tempter:

"Then they brought to Him a demoniac, blind and dumb; and he healed him, so that the blind and dumb began to both speak and see. And all the people marveled and said, Is this not the Christ, the son of David? He does not cast out demons except by [power] Beelzebub, the prince of demons... But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them... every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men... Or make the tree good and its fruit good or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit (Matthew 12:22-33).

Therefore, we will ask those who dared to say the same about the Holy Fire: do they recognize the healing of the crippled and terminally ill as a bad deed? If this is a good deed, then who is the only one who could do such a thing?

Christians who do not profess Orthodoxy will not hurt to remember that the events described take place in the Holy of Holies of the entire Christian world - the Church of the Resurrection of Christ (see the guide to the Temple). Would the Lord have allowed the evil one to build his intrigues in the place where by the Resurrection He proved His Divine nature, won victory over death and the forces of darkness.

As life shows, the described miracle does not lead to the spiritual fall of the people who saw it, on the contrary, the pilgrims testify (see 1, 2, 3, 4) that they are overwhelmed during the descent with a sense of peace, grace, incomparable to anything in depth, people they repent of their sins and cry with joy, the memory that the Lord has condescended them to his mercy will remain with these people forever and is unlikely to make them worse, and many atheists who see the sign of the Lord become believers. Moreover, for many years and to this day, the descent of the Holy Fire has strengthened faith in the Savior in Christians who are under the yoke of the Gentiles.

So in 1580, when the Holy Fire once descended outside the Temple, where the Orthodox, local Christian Arabs were expelled, in the city where the death penalty was due for the preaching of Christianity, they shouted: "Thou art one our God, Jesus Christ, one our true faith is the faith of Orthodox Christians." And the Muslim Turk who saw him converted to Christianity, paying for his decision with his life.

Well, it won’t hurt the most ardent critics to know that for the first time the Holy Fire (Light) flared up on the Holy Sepulcher at the time of the resurrection of Christ, as already testified by the apostles. There is hardly any doubt that among the hierarchs of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church, which received the Holy Fire, was its first head, the Apostle James.

The symbolic connection between the Holy Fire (Light) and the Resurrection of Christ was accurately noted by Nikolai Lisovsky: “It is no coincidence that the Slavic enlighteners Saints Cyril and Methodius translated the Greek word Anastasis (“rebellion”) with the Slavic word “Resurrection.” “Resurrect” in the original and basic sense means "ignite, resurrect the fire". The resurrection of Christ is thus not just the resurrection from the tomb of his deified flesh, but also the resurrection of the New Fire and the New World. As Heraclitus said, the world, the cosmos is nothing but "fire, measuredly kindled and measured And as long as there is a Church and there are believers, while the annual sacrament of the Holy Fire is performed in the Church of the Holy Fire on Great Saturday, it means that God has not left us to the end, has not left the earth and the world, redeemed by the Calvary Sacrifice from the slavery of sin and death. "

From atheists and believers of other faiths, I would like to know if the events occurring during the descent of the Holy Fire were accidental, and not given for a specific purpose from above, how to explain such a clear favor of miraculous events specifically for the Orthodox (see 1, 2, 3a, 3b )? Why has nothing like this been given to anyone else. If the children of the Orthodox Church erred, would the Lord give them such a strong reason to strengthen themselves in their “delusion”, and after all, such an undoubted evidence not only strengthens Orthodox Christians in the faith, but also converts atheists and people of other confessions to the true faith.

In addition, the descent of the Holy Fire today has no remote similarity (with the exception of the Light of Tabor) - after all, this is not an episodic event that, once it happened, cannot be seen and verified by skeptics. This Miracle happens every year (already for almost 2000 thousand years - see early testimonies - at a certain time and in a certain place, so that everyone can see it with their own eyes, regardless of religion or beliefs.

Convinced atheists would like to be reminded that not a single person has yet been able to present an explanation that does not contradict the facts of at least part of the events we have described. If such attempts were made, they were more likely to be explained by ignorance of the scale and essence of the events taking place (see the analysis by E. Barsukov. "Easter Fire", the theories of O. Sleznyak, as well as the Answer to the article by V. Kiselevich "A flame will ignite from a drop"). The same pundits who are well aware of miraculous events or have seen it with their own eyes, perfectly understood all the futility of attempts to explain the Holy Fire by "nature's leprosy" or "priests' machinations." So we will simply advise skeptics to get to know the alleged "object of criticism" more closely.

However, the Lord always leaves an opportunity for choice. As the saying goes "Free will ..."

Responses to typical accusations of falsification

Lightning-like flashes are made with the help of lighting equipment and mirrors by the priests themselves

1) On slow-motion tapes, you can see how the icon of the Savior became the source of the flashes, in some cases the light came from the high-altitude windows of the dome of the Temple (helicopters with priests, according to eyewitnesses, do not fly around the dome either).
2) It is doubtful that such a "light show", if it actually took place, would not have been exposed by the Turkish guards (who were ordered to chop off the head of anyone who brought Fire or objects to kindle it into the temple) and the Turkish administration, under whose control Passover used to pass .

The patriarch brings something to Cuvuklia with which you can get fire and lights it there.

1) It is appropriate to recall that before the Patriarch enters, they are searched, and if now this is more of a symbolic action, then during the reign of Muslim Arabs and Turks it was a real search (the death penalty was imposed for carrying such items).
2) It is very doubtful that more than a hundred Patriarchs, who chose to serve God as their destiny, I believe, well understanding that a lie cannot benefit the truth, unanimously deceived their flock, so much so that no one could notice or learn anything.
3) Such accusations generally do not make much sense, since usually some pilgrims' candles light up by themselves (which is documented on videotape), often the lamps hanging in the temple also light up on their own.

Non-burning fire is obtained with the help of ether, therefore it does not burn 1) Candles with the Holy Fire are not burned at any point in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, incl. on its upper tiers 1.1) It is impossible to fill a huge room with ether 1.2) In addition, a certain concentration of it is required. How it is established by Orthodox priests, despite the fact that the temple belongs to several denominations and their similar actions are not observed. 2) The fire retains non-burning properties outside the temple. How is ether stored there? why is it not blown away by the wind 3) Where did the priests receive and received ether in huge quantities? 4) Why does the ether burn with a flame atypical for it? 5) How is it that the candles light up by themselves? 6) Why, if, as some critics say, the temple is filled with ether, it does not explode when a fire ignites (imagine a spark in a gas cylinder)? Why does not the whole space or some of its individual volumes ignite, but only candles and lamps burn? 7) Why don't pilgrims notice an unusual smell?

Believers simply pass their hands quickly and therefore do not get burned.

Some special chemical composition of the burning material is used (option - a special atmosphere is created), with the help of which a non-burning (warm) flame is achieved.

1) Most pilgrims bring ordinary candles from home or buy them from Arabs on the street; there is no special trade in the temple at all. However, Fire does not burn no matter what candle it is lit from.
2) The Orthodox accepted the Holy Fire for thousands of years under the rule of hostile Muslim Arabs, Turks, Latins, Jews, nevertheless, no one could convict the Orthodox clergy of any fraud.
3) According to eyewitnesses, the temperature of the Fire is about 40-45 degrees C. Chemistry does not know substances that burn under normal conditions with such a flame temperature.
4) It is interesting to hear what special atmosphere Orthodox priests could create, for example, in the 12th century, when there was no dome as such (when it rained, it dripped on the parishioners), especially considering that the keys to the temple are owned by the Muslim family, the temple itself closes daily at night.

Believers lubricate parts of the body with a special composition so that it does not burn.

1) What is this composition, who will make science happy with its formula?
2) I wonder why beards do not burn (and they are also washed by Fire).
3) Is it possible that all 10,000 pilgrims who annually attend the Feast in the Temple, who arrived from different parts of the world, would do this in unison, and even so that no one is still aware of this trick. Would they really agree to wait for the Miracle in terrible crowding for a day?

The Holy Fire is a natural phenomenon. Easter Day was specially calculated by the Orthodox, who knew astronomy, a special place was chosen.

1) The date of the celebration of Orthodox Easter is set according to the Julian calendar, so as to always be after the Jewish one, as happened in the time of the Savior.
2) From year to year, the position of the planets and even the phase (age, distance, position in the sky) of the Moon on Easter changes significantly (see table), which indicates the complete failure of the hypothesis of any connection between the descent of the Holy Fire and astronomical phenomena.
3) This "natural phenomenon" must be very fastidious and disobedient, if in 1580 it descended outside the Temple, when there was no Orthodox priest in it; "expected" the Orthodox hierarchs, who were removed from the Temple by the Latins on Easter 1101.
4) If we agree with these assumptions, it turns out that the "natural phenomenon" includes a) the descent of Fire from nowhere, b) spontaneous combustion of lamps, candles and even non-burning objects (water, iron) c) lightning-like flashes of light, d) lightning , e) healing people (fixed on tape), etc.

The Holy Fire is a reminder of the Resurrection of Christ, according to the Russian Orthodox Church

The convergence of the Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem on the eve of Orthodox Easter annually reminds of the miracle of the Resurrection of Christ, and believers are free to perceive it as a sign or as a miracle, representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church said on Tuesday at an online conference in RIA Novosti.

From year to year, thousands of pilgrims come to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, founded in the 4th century on the place where the earthly journey of Jesus Christ ended, in order to become witnesses of a miracle. Until now, the annual appearance of the Holy Fire in this church on the eve of Orthodox Easter has not been explained from a scientific point of view. And many Christians believe in its divine origin in response to the prayers of pilgrims and the Orthodox Patriarch.

"The descent of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem, in the main temple of the entire Christian world, in the place where the miracle of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ took place, is an image that goes back to the prototype. This is an extraordinary, supernatural or close to supernatural event that does not matter in itself by itself, but as a reminder that the Lord has risen and the laws of nature are being overcome," said Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, First Deputy Chairman of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church, rector of the Church of the Holy Martyr Tatiana at Moscow State University.

He called the tradition of bringing the Holy Fire to the churches of Russia, which has been established in recent years, good.

“You don’t just need to make it absolute and the center of the Easter celebration - touching the Resurrection of Christ - is transferred to the expectation of the Holy Fire. You don’t need to be upset if it isn’t delivered to your church. light your personal candle," said the archpriest.

Another participant in the online conference, Vladimir Legoyda, chairman of the Information Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, noted that the Church never uses a miracle "as the last trump card or argument" in matters of faith. The representative of the Russian Orthodox Church considers the existing doubts of skeptics about the miraculous nature of the Holy Fire to be normal.

“A miracle, unlike scientific conclusions, does not have a violent character. A person is always free to accept something as the actions of God, or not. For me, there are just existing doubts about what is happening there in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and there is one more confirmation of the authenticity of a miracle, because a miracle is always free. You are always free to accept it or not," Legoyda said.

Several times he was in Jerusalem "at the descent of the Holy Fire" and always heard different reviews. “Even different people performed actions there. Someone really washed himself with this fire - and his big beard did not light up ... And someone said:“ Oh, it burns me, ”and so on. That is, there is some kind of freedom perception. And this, it seems to me, is very important - this is what corresponds to the Gospel. Because never in the Gospel do we see the affirmation of faith on a miracle or the requirement to accept a miracle as the basis of faith, "said the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Material prepared:

On the eve of one of the main Christian holidays, people from all over the world come to Jerusalem to watch how the blessed Easter fire descends. On this day, according to the Orthodox calendar, pilgrims yearn to see the miracle of the Lord with their own eyes, wash themselves with the sacred flame and receive God's blessing.

The Holy Fire is a self-igniting flame on the Holy Sepulcher, which is then taken out to the people by priests, and the patriarch lights lamps and candles with it, thus symbolizing the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his exit from the grave. Fire, or Light (as the participants in the ceremony call it by analogy with the True Light - the resurrected Savior), appears in the process of conducting a special ritual dedicated to the celebration of Easter.

Jerusalem is famous for the fact that every year for almost two millennia, the Holy Fire descends in it. This takes place in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher - a majestic structure built in the 4th century over the place of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ. Currently, it has been restored and adapted to the needs of modern confessions and the magnificent ceremony of the descent of the holy flame.

Written evidence of self-igniting fire corresponds to the time of the construction of the temple - the 4th century, but they also mention convergence that occurred much earlier. According to legend, the Apostles of Christ were the first to see the miraculous light shortly after his resurrection. The next people to whom the Holy Fire appeared were a holy monk and an Orthodox patriarch, this happened in the 1st and 2nd centuries.

The sign of the Lord took on a regular character after the construction of Kuvuklia (a chapel located above the cave where Jesus was buried) and a special sacrament that promoted the convergence of fire.

The Ceremony Preceding the Miracle and Its Appearance

Litany (a ceremony dedicated to the descent of the flame) begins the day before Easter. The most important moments are controlled by the police and representatives of other faiths. This is done to prevent manual ignition of the fire.

The phenomenon of fire is seen not only by those who are inside Kuvuklia. Those standing in different corners of the temple can also watch the miracle approach. Indeed, some time before this, the air begins to sparkle and light up with the light of small lightnings that do not harm people.

The fire that descended immediately after its appearance does not burn, and you can even have time to wash yourself with it before it acquires its usual properties.

Reasons for the appearance of a miracle only to Orthodox Christians

For many people, and especially representatives of other religious movements, the question arises why the flame descends precisely on. Particular interest in this arose after documented cases when Orthodox were expelled from the temple and not allowed to conduct the Litany, or restrictions were imposed on the process of the ceremony. As a result of such actions, the fire either did not descend until the intervention of true believers, or did not appear in its usual place, but where the Orthodox Patriarch prayed with priests and parishioners.

Versions in favor of Orthodoxy.

1. Light descends on the Orthodox, because Orthodoxy stands for “right” and “glory”, that is, the correct glorification of God, the correct faith, for which He rewards Christians.
2. Only the old Julian calendar, according to which Orthodox Christians pray and celebrate Easter, is correct, which affects the time of the fire.
3. Only the Patriarch and the priests know the sequence of the Litany. Only they believe in the Lord so much that they are worthy for a miracle to happen.

However, the phenomenon of the convergence of fire is also of interest to skeptical people who have drawn their conclusions about why only Orthodox priests can receive the flame. They believe that everything is explained quite simply: only this church considers it necessary to falsify miraculous signs for its own benefit and gain even more followers.

Its representatives have many opportunities to imitate the gathering of fire: from the simplest (the Patriarch ignites the flame in Kuvuklia with his own hands) to more complex ones, for example, hidden lamps or verified techniques with threads stretched through the temple, treated with a special composition and fire sources connected to them, taken out of temple. And Jerusalem earns fabulous money from this show every year, and it is in the interests of the government not to interfere with arranging “holy signs” for a gullible people, skeptics believe.

Despite the many observers of the process of convergence of fire and the research of scientists, there is still no consensus on the origin of the holy flame. The reason that the fire is only an Orthodox believer has not been solved either. And at this time, while the study of the phenomenal phenomenon is underway, believers every year observe a miracle testifying to the power of the Lord, wash themselves with holy light and rejoice at the Bright Resurrection of Christ.

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

Story

The miracle of the descent of the blessed fire on the Holy Sepulcher has been known since ancient times, the descending fire has a unique property - it does not burn the first minutes.

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

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

© photo: Sputnik / Rear sight

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

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

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

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

© 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 people stay here immediately after the procession, performed in memory of the events of this day.

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

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

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is a huge architectural complex, including Golgotha ​​with the place of the Crucifixion, the rotunda - an architectural structure with a huge dome, under which Kuvuklia (which means the royal bedchamber) is directly located - a chapel located directly above the cave where the body of Jesus was buried, Katholikon - the cathedral church of the Jerusalem Patriarch, the underground church of the Finding of the Life-Giving Cross, the church of St. Helena Equal to the Apostles, several aisles - small churches with their own thrones. On the territory of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher there are several active monasteries.

Nazi Zhorzholiani

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

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

20-30 minutes after the sealing of Kuvuklia, Arab Orthodox youth burst into the temple with shouting, stomping, drumming and begin to sing and dance. Their exclamations and songs are ancient prayers in Arabic for the sending of the Holy Fire, addressed to Christ and the Mother of God, George the Victorious, especially revered in the Orthodox East. Their emotional prayers usually last for half an hour.

At about 13:00, the litany (in Greek, a prayer procession) of the Holy Fire begins directly. Banner-bearers with 12 banners march ahead of the procession, followed by young men, a crusader cleric, at the end of the procession is the Orthodox patriarch of one of the local Orthodox churches (Jerusalem or Constantinople), accompanied by the Armenian patriarch and clergy.

Procedures

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

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

Shortly before the patriarch, a sacristan (an assistant to the sacristan - the head of church property) brings a large lamp into the cave, in which the main fire and 33 candles should flare up - according to the number of years of the Savior's earthly life. Only after this, the Patriarch, in one long, flowing chiton, enters the chapel and prays on his knees.

Convergence

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

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

Nazi Zhorzholiani

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

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

It is difficult to imagine what kind of jubilation seizes the crowd of many thousands. People shout, sing, the fire is transferred from one bunch of candles to another, and in a minute the whole temple is on fire.

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

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

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

© photo: Sputnik / Vitaly Belousov

Holy fire heals

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

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

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

From the point of view of Orthodoxy, the blessed fire is a pledge between God and people, the fulfillment of the vow given by the risen Christ to his followers: "I am with you all the days until the end of the age."

Traditions and customs

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

For those who for some reason could not come to the service, church ministers recommend that that night light a candle in front of the icon of Jesus Christ and pray.

© photo: Sputnik / Mikhail Mokrushin

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

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

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

As throughout Holy Week, on Holy Saturday you cannot celebrate weddings, birthdays, various celebrations, and generally have fun. According to popular beliefs, if the wedding was played on Holy Week, then the young people will not live together for a long time.

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

© photo: Sputnik / Alexander Imedashvili

Signs

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

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

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

© photo: Sputnik / Maria Tsimintia

From the early Middle Ages, a custom appeared. according to which, on the eve of Easter, the hierarchs of the Orthodox Church lit a fire in Jerusalem and blessed it in honor of the main holiday of believers. However, from the end of the first millennium, judging by the reports of religious historians of that time, there appeared a descent of the sacred fire, that is, that the fire on the eve of Easter is given to the believing God. Numerous testimonies of the convergence of fire date back to the 10th century, and not only Christians, but also historians wrote about this miracle. Initially, the fire was lit in the morning, and the rite itself is described in different ways, the appearance of lightning is most often mentioned. Only the place remains unchanged - the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

Some eyewitnesses of the events of the X century wrote that the fire was brought directly by an angel.

Modern rite of convergence of fire

By the 19th century, the ceremony of the descent of the Holy Fire acquired modern features. It was even enshrined in a special document issued by the government of the Ottoman Empire. This was done in order to avoid conflict between representatives of various Orthodox Christians, as well as Orthodox Christians with Muslims.

The keys to the chapel of the Holy Sepulcher have been kept for many generations in one Arab family, whose representative passes the keys to the patriarch once a year.

The service on the day of the convergence of fire is conducted by the Jerusalem Patriarch. Priests of other Orthodox churches, for example, the Armenian one, have the right to be with him. Priests put on festive white clothes, and then go around the procession around the temple, offering prayers. After that, the patriarch, together with a representative of the clergy, can go to a small ancient chapel, over which the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was built. They take candles with them, which will later be lit from the Holy Fire. The patriarch offers a special prayer directly at the Holy Sepulcher. At this time, believers are waiting for the convergence of fire both in the temple itself and outside it. There is also a television broadcast in many countries, including Russia. After the appearance of fire, the patriarch lights candles from it, from which, in turn, anyone can light a fire. After the Holy Fire ceremony

The descent of the Holy Fire is a miracle that happens every year on the eve of Orthodox Easter in the Jerusalem Church of the Holy Sepulcher. In 2018, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Bright Resurrection of Christ on April 8.

On Holy Saturday, tens of thousands of pilgrims flock to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher from all over the world to wash themselves in its blessed light and receive God's blessing.

The greatest miracle is awaited with excitement not only by Orthodox Christians, but also by representatives of various denominations.
For many hundreds of years, people have been trying to understand where the Holy Fire comes from. Believers are sure that this is a real miracle - God's gift to people. Scientists do not agree with this statement and try to find an explanation for this phenomenon from a scientific point of view.

Holy Fire
According to many testimonies, both ancient and modern, the appearance of the Holy Light can be observed in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher throughout the year, but the most famous and impressive is the miraculous descent of the Holy Fire on Great Saturday, on the eve of the Bright Resurrection of Christ.

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

The miracle of the descent of the blessed fire on the Holy Sepulcher has been known since ancient times, the descended fire has a unique property - it does not burn the first minutes.
The first witness to the convergence of fire was the Apostle Peter - having learned about the Resurrection of the Savior, he hurried to the tomb and saw an amazing light where the body had previously lay. For two thousand years, this light has descended every year on the Holy Sepulcher with the Holy Fire.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was erected by Emperor Constantine and his mother Queen Helena in the 4th century. And the earliest written references to the descent of the Holy Fire on the eve of the Resurrection of Christ date back to the 4th century.

The temple with its huge roof covers Golgotha, and the cave in which the Lord taken down from the cross was laid, and the garden where Mary Magdalene was the first of the people to meet His resurrected.

Convergence
Around noon, a religious procession led by the Patriarch leaves the courtyard of the Jerusalem Patriarchate. The procession enters the Church of the Resurrection, goes to the chapel erected over the Holy Sepulcher, and, after going around it three times, stops in front of its gates.

All the lights in the temple are extinguished. Tens of thousands of people: Arabs, Greeks, Russians, Romanians, Jews, Germans, Englishmen - pilgrims from all over the world - are watching the Patriarch in tense silence.

The patriarch undresses, the police carefully search him and the Holy Sepulcher itself, looking for at least something that can make fire (during Turkish rule over Jerusalem, Turkish gendarmes did this), and in one long flowing chiton, the primate of the Church enters.

On his knees in front of the Tomb, he prays to God for the sending down of the Holy Fire. Sometimes his prayer lasts a long time, but there is an interesting feature - the Holy Fire descends only through the prayers of the Orthodox Patriarch.

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

It is difficult to imagine what kind of jubilation seizes the crowd of many thousands. People shout, sing, the fire is transferred from one bunch of candles to another, and in a minute the whole temple is on fire.

Miracle or trick
This wonderful phenomenon at different times had many critics who tried to expose and prove the artificial origin of fire. The Catholic Church was among those who disagreed. In particular, Pope Gregory IX in 1238 spoke out with disagreement about the miraculous nature of the Holy Fire.

Not understanding the true origin of the Holy Fire, some Arabs tried to prove that the Fire is allegedly obtained using any means, substances and devices, but they have no direct evidence. At the same time, they did not even witness this miracle.

Modern researchers also tried to study the nature of this phenomenon. In their opinion, it is possible to produce fire artificially. Spontaneous combustion of chemical mixtures and substances is also possible.

But none of them is similar to the appearance of the Holy Fire, especially with its amazing property - not to burn in the first minutes of its appearance.
Theologians, representatives of various faiths, including the Orthodox Church, have repeatedly stated that the ignition of candles and lamps in the Temple from the supposedly "sacred fire" is a falsification.

The most famous are the statements in the middle of the last century by professor of the Leningrad Theological Academy Nikolai Uspensky, who believed that in Cuvuklia the fire is lit from a secret hidden lamp, the light of which does not penetrate into the open space of the Temple, where all the candles and lamps at this time are extinguished.

At the same time, Uspensky argued that "the fire lit on the Holy Sepulcher from a hidden lamp is still a sacred fire received from a sacred place."

Russian physicist Andrey Volkov allegedly managed to make some measurements at the Holy Fire ceremony a few years ago. According to Volkov, a few minutes before the removal of the Holy Fire from Kuvuklia, a device that fixes the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation detected a strange long-wave impulse in the temple, which no longer manifested itself. That is, an electrical discharge has occurred.

In the meantime, scientists are trying to find scientific confirmation of this phenomenon, and in contrast to the complete unsubstantiated claims of skeptics, the miracle of the convergence of the Holy Fire is an annually observed fact.

The miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire is available to everyone. It can be seen not only by tourists and pilgrims - it takes place in front of the whole world and is regularly broadcast on television and the Internet, on the website of the Jerusalem Orthodox Patriarchate.

Every year, several thousand of those present in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher see: the patriarch, whose clothes were specially examined, entered Kuvuklia, which was checked and sealed, with a bunch of candles. He came out of it with a burning torch of 33 candles, and this is an indisputable fact.
Therefore, the answer to the question of where the Holy Fire comes from can be only one answer - it's a miracle, and everything else is just unconfirmed speculation.

And in conclusion - the Holy Fire confirms the promise of the Risen Christ to the apostles: "I am with you all the days until the end of time."

It is believed that when the Heavenly Fire does not descend on the Holy Sepulcher, this will be a sign of the onset of the power of the Antichrist and the imminent end of the world.