Exposing the "Holy Fire". Saturday of Holy Week

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

Not only Orthodox Christians, but also representatives of various faiths are excitedly awaiting the greatest miracle.

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 with scientific point vision.

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 Holy Saturday, the day before Happy Resurrection Christ's.

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.

About the miracle of convergence Holy Fire on the Holy Sepulchre, it has been known since ancient times that the fire that descended has unique property— it doesn’t burn you in the first minutes.

The first witness to the descent of the 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 as 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 mentions of 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, the cave in which the Lord was laid down from the cross, and the garden where Mary Magdalene was the first of the people to meet His resurrection.

Convergence

At approximately noon, a procession headed by the Patriarch. 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, Romanians, Jews, Germans, British - pilgrims from all over the world - watch the Patriarch in tense silence.

The Patriarch is unmasked, the police carefully search him and the Holy Sepulcher itself, looking for at least something that can produce fire (during Turkish rule over Jerusalem, Turkish gendarmes did this), and in one long flowing tunic, the Primate of the Church enters.

Kneeling in front of the Tomb, he prays to God to send down the Holy Fire. Sometimes his prayer lasts a long time, but there is interesting feature— The Holy Fire descends only through the prayers of the Orthodox Patriarch.

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.

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 a minute later the whole temple is on fire.

Miracle or trick

This one has miraculous phenomenon V different times there were many critics who tried to expose and prove the artificial origin of fire. Among those who disagreed was Catholic Church. In particular, Pope Gregory IX in 1238 disagreed 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 was allegedly produced using any means, substances and devices, but they had no direct evidence. At the same time, they did not even witness this miracle.

Modern researchers have 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 are similar to the appearance of the Holy Fire, especially with its amazing property- do not burn in the first minutes of your appearance.

Scientists and theologians, representatives of various faiths, including the Orthodox Church, have repeatedly stated that the lighting of candles and lamps in the Temple from the supposed “sacred fire” is a falsification.

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

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

Russian physicist Andrei Volkov allegedly managed to take some measurements at the Holy Fire ceremony several years ago. According to Volkov, a few minutes before the removal of the Holy Fire from Edicule, a device recording the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation detected a strange long-wave pulse in the temple, which no longer appeared. That is, an electrical discharge occurred.

In the meantime, scientists are trying to find scientific confirmation of this phenomenon, and in contrast to the complete lack of evidence of the skeptics’ statements, the miracle of the descent 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 people present in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher see: the Patriarch, whose clothes were specially inspected, entered the Edicule, which had been checked and sealed. 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 only be one answer - it is 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 always, even to the end of the age.”

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.

The material was prepared on the basis of open sources.

In 2001, the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne of the Church of Jerusalem, Metropolitan Cornelius of Petra, in an interview with the program “GCRIZES ZONES” on the Greek TV channel “MEGA”, recalled that “every creation of God is good, because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer” (1 Tim. 4:4- 5). According to him, in the case of the Holy Fire, or as it is called in Greek – the Holy Light, “ we're talking about about natural, natural light, but the prayers that are read by the Patriarch or another bishop replacing him sanctify this natural light, and as a result it has the grace of the Holy Light. This is natural light, which is lit from the Unquenchable Lamp, kept in the sacristy of the Church of the Resurrection. But prayers have the power to sanctify natural light, and it becomes supernatural light. The miracle is in the epiclesis, in the prayer of the bishop; this light is sanctified by it"

Of course, I am in awe of this event. And, of course, I really don’t like hysteria, no matter what authoritative mouth it comes from. I also want to say that we at the Russian Spiritual Mission began to study the text of the Rite of the Holy Light. In this rite we are talking about the fact that “Christ is the True Light”, that “the Light of Christ enlightens everyone.” When the Resurrection of Christ occurred, a glow was visible. It is clear that the Light of Christ or Favorsky light is not actually a flame, it is precisely the Divine Light. But we, people, are always trying to replace the living God with His image, His icon - it is more convenient for us to pray this way, otherwise we cannot accommodate Him in our limited consciousness. We have the Body and Blood of Christ under the guise of bread and wine, therefore the Divine Light is presented in the form of Fire, which we can actually see, which we can even kindle ourselves."

Scientists managed to get to the Holy Sepulcher and conduct research, the results of which shocked believers.

Regardless of whether a person considers himself a believer or not, at least once in his life he was interested in real evidence of the existence higher powers that every religion talks about.

In Orthodoxy, one of the evidences of miracles indicated in the Bible is the Holy Fire descending on the Holy Sepulcher on the eve of Easter. On Holy Saturday, anyone can see it - just come to the square in front of the Church of the Resurrection. But the longer this tradition exists, the more hypotheses journalists and scientists build. All of them refute the divine origin of fire - but can you trust at least one of them?

History of the Holy Fire

The descent of fire can be seen only once a year and in the only place on the planet - Jerusalem Temple Sundays. Its huge complex includes: Golgotha, a cave with the Cross of the Lord, a garden where Christ was seen after the resurrection. It was built in the 4th century by Emperor Constantine and the Holy Fire was seen there during the first service on Easter. Around the place where this happened, they built a chapel with the Holy Sepulcher - it is called Edicule.

At ten o'clock on the morning of Holy Saturday, all candles, lamps and other light sources in the temple are extinguished every year. The highest church dignitaries personally monitor this: the last test is the Edicule, after which it is sealed with a large wax seal. From this moment on, the protection of holy places falls on the shoulders of the Israeli police (in ancient times, the Janissaries of the Ottoman Empire handled their duties). They also put an additional seal on top of the seal of the Patriarch. What is not proof of the miraculous origin of the Holy Fire?

Edicule

At twelve o'clock in the afternoon, a procession of the cross begins to stretch from the courtyard of the Jerusalem Patriarchate to the Holy Sepulcher. It is led by the patriarch: having walked around the Edicule three times, he stops in front of its doors.

“The Patriarch dresses in white robes. With him, 12 archimandrites and four deacons put on white vestments at the same time. Then clerics in white surplices with 12 banners depicting the passion of Christ and His glorious resurrection, followed by clerics with ripids and life-giving cross, then 12 priests in pairs, then four deacons, also in pairs, and the last two of them, in front of the patriarch, hold bunches of candles in their hands in a silver stand for the most convenient transfer of the holy fire to the people, and, finally, the patriarch with a rod in right hand. With the blessing of the patriarch, the singers and all the clergy while singing: “Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven, and vouchsafe us on earth with a pure heart Glory to you” they go from the Church of the Resurrection to the edicule and go around it three times. After the third circumambulation, the patriarch, clergy and singers stop with the banner bearers and the crusader in front of the holy life-giving tomb and sing the evening hymn: “Quiet Light,” recalling that this litany was once part of the rite of the evening service.”

Patriarch and Holy Sepulcher

In the courtyard of the temple, the Patriarch is watched by thousands of eyes of pilgrims-tourists from all over the world - from Russia, Ukraine, Greece, England, Germany. The police search the Patriarch, after which he enters the Edicule. U entrance doors the Armenian archimandrite remains in order to offer prayers to Christ for the forgiveness of the sins of the human race.

“The Patriarch, standing before the doors of the holy tomb, with the help of the deacons, takes off his miter, sakkos, omophorion and club and remains only in the vestment, epitrachelion, belt and armbands. Dragoman then removes the seals and cords from the door of the holy tomb and lets the patriarch inside, who has the aforementioned bundles of candles in his hands. Behind him, one Armenian bishop immediately goes inside the edicule, dressed in sacred robes and also holding bunches of candles in his hands to quickly transfer the holy fire to the people through the southern hole of the edicule in the chapel of the Angel.”

When the Patriarch is alone, for closed doors, the real mystery begins. On his knees, His Holiness prays to the Lord for the message of the Holy Fire. His prayers are not heard by people outside the doors of the chapel - but they can observe their result! Blue and red flashes appear on the walls, columns and icons of the temple, reminiscent of reflections during a fireworks display. At the same time, blue lights appear on the marble slab of the Coffin. The priest touches one of them with a cotton ball - and the fire spreads to her. The Patriarch lights the lamp using cotton wool and hands it to the Armenian bishop.

“And all those people in the church and outside the church say nothing else, only: “Lord, have mercy!” they cry unremittingly and shout loudly, so that the whole place hums and thunders from the cry of those people. And here the tears of the faithful people flow in streams. Even with a heart of stone, a person can then shed tears. Each of the pilgrims, holding in his hand a bunch of 33 candles, according to the number of years of the life of our Savior ... hastens in spiritual joy to light them from the primary light, through clergymen from the Orthodox and Armenian clergy specially appointed for this purpose, standing near the northern and southern holes of the edicule and the first to receive holy fire from the holy tomb. From numerous boxes, from windows and wall cornices, similar bundles of wax candles are lowered on ropes, since the spectators occupying places at the top of the temple immediately strive to partake of the same grace.”

Transfer of the Holy Fire

In the first minutes after receiving fire, you can do whatever you want with it: believers wash themselves with it and touch it with their hands without fear of getting burned. After a few minutes, the fire turns from cold to warm and acquires its normal properties. Several centuries ago, one of the pilgrims wrote:

“He lit 20 candles in one place and burned his candle with all those lights, and not a single hair curled or burned; and having extinguished all the candles and then lit them with other people, he lit those candles, and on the third day I lit those candles, and then I touched my wife with nothing, not a single hair was scorched or curled.”

Conditions for the appearance of the sacred fire

There is a belief among Orthodox Christians that in the year when the fire does not ignite, the apocalypse will begin. However, this event already happened once - then a follower of a different denomination of Christianity tried to remove the fire.

“The first Latin patriarch Harnopid of Choquet ordered the expulsion of the heretical sects from their territory in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, then he began to torture Orthodox monks, asking where they keep the Cross and other relics. A few months later Arnold was succeeded on the throne by Daimbert of Pisa, who went even further. He tried to expel all local Christians, even Orthodox Christians, from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and allow only Latins there, depriving others altogether 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 happen until Eastern Christians were invited to participate in this rite. Then King Baldwin I took care of returning their rights to local Christians.”

Fire under the Latin Patriarch and a crack in the column

In 1578, clergy from Armenia, who had not heard anything about the attempts of their predecessor, tried to repeat them. They obtained permission to become the first to see the Holy Fire, prohibiting the Orthodox Patriarch from entering the church. He, along with other priests, was forced to pray at the gate on Easter Eve. See the miracle of God for minions Armenian Church It didn't work out that way. One of the columns of the courtyard, in which the Orthodox prayed, cracked, and a pillar of fire emerged from it. Traces of its descent can still be observed by any tourist today. Believers traditionally leave notes in it with their most cherished requests to God.

A series of mystical events forced Christians to sit down at the negotiating table and decide that God wants to transfer fire into their hands Orthodox priest. Well, he, in turn, goes out to the people and gives the sacred flame to the abbot and the monks of the Lavra Saint Sava Sanctified, Armenian Apostolic and Syrian Church. Local Orthodox Arabs must be the last to enter the temple. On Holy Saturday they appear in the square singing and dancing, and then enter the chapel. In it they say ancient prayers in Arabic, in which they turn to Christ and Mother of God. This condition is also mandatory for the appearance of fire.
conditions for the appearance of the sacred fire

“There is no evidence of the first performance of this ritual. The Arabs ask the Mother of God to beg her Son to send Fire to St. George the Victorious, especially revered in the Orthodox East. They literally shout that they are the most eastern, the most Orthodox, living where the sun rises, bringing with them candles to light the Fire. 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, but to no avail. Then the Patriarch ordered with his will to let in the Arab youth. After they performed the ritual, the Fire descended"

Have attempts to find a scientific explanation for the Holy Fire been successful?

It is impossible to say that skeptics managed to defeat believers. Among the many theories that have physical, chemical and even alien justification, only one deserves attention. In 2008, physicist Andrei Volkov managed to get into Edicule with special equipment. There he was able to make the appropriate measurements, but their results were not in favor of science!

“A few minutes before the removal of the Holy Fire from the Edicule, a device recording the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation detected a strange long-wave pulse in the temple, which no longer appeared. I don’t want to refute or prove anything, but this is the scientific result of the experiment. An electrical discharge occurred - either lightning struck, or something like a piezo lighter turned on for a moment.”

Physicist about the Holy Fire

The physicist himself did not set the goal of his research to expose the shrine. He was interested in the very process of the descent of fire: the appearance of flashes on the walls and on the lid of the Holy Sepulcher.

« So, it is likely that the appearance of Fire is preceded by an electrical discharge, and we, by measuring the electromagnetic spectrum in the temple, tried to catch it.”

This is how Andrey comments on what happened. It turns out that modern technology cannot solve the mystery of the sacred Holy Fire...

This miracle happens every year on the eve Orthodox Easter in the Jerusalem Church of the Resurrection, which covers with its huge roof both Calvary and the Cave in which the Lord was laid down from the Cross, and the garden where Mary Magdalene was the first of the people to meet Him risen. The temple was erected by Emperor Constantine and his mother Queen Helena in the 4th century.

This is how the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire happens in our days. Around noon, a procession led by the Patriarch leaves the courtyard of the Jerusalem Patriarchate. The procession enters the Church of the Resurrection, heads 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 have been extinguished. Tens of thousands of people: Arabs, Greeks, Russians, Romanians, Jews, Germans, British - pilgrims from all over the world watch the Patriarch in tense silence. The Patriarch is unmasked, the police carefully search him and the Holy Sepulcher itself, looking for at least something that can produce fire (during Turkish rule over Jerusalem, Turkish gendarmes did this), and in one long flowing tunic he goes inside. There, kneeling in front of the Tomb, he prays to God to send down the Holy Fire. Sometimes his prayer lasts a long time... And suddenly, on the marble slab of the Tomb, fiery dew appears in the form of bluish balls. He 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 this moment, hundreds of bluish lights flash in the air under the dome of the temple. Witnesses of this miracle described it in 1988 as follows: “Each person feels this grace in his own way, to the extent of the human heart, as much as he can contain.

Some see a blessed stream of some bluish color coming from Golgotha, or like a cloud. The entire edicule (chapel) is shrouded in this cloud.

Sometimes it’s as if lightning strikes a wall and shines directly, illuminating everything. And the glow is kind of bluish.

Another time - how the northern lights play under the dome of the Edicule.

One sister said that a Greek woman was standing next to her, and when she saw the flow of grace, she screamed with joy and threw the candles up, and they returned to her already lit. And this joy cannot be conveyed.

The expectation itself is so palpable that you begin to feel and understand the conciliarity: here stands a Romanian woman, there a Greek woman, here a Russian woman, an American woman, everyone gets the same prayer, everyone asks for one thing - grace. This is such a touching feeling, so strong - one prayer! There was a man standing on the right, and he started crying. The gray-haired, respectable man began to cry like a child, fearing that the prophecy would not be fulfilled (in recent times the Holy Fire will not descend).

And so, when grace is distributed, imagine - a sea of fire, and there is never a fire, never. When grace - this sea of fire - spills, some cry, some scream, some laugh. This feeling must be experienced, it cannot be conveyed like that. And you clearly feel that Christ Himself is here, like the invisible manifestation of the Lord, so convincing and obvious, here He is here, Christ. All our troubles, all our sorrows - everything that a person endures seems insignificant. For the sake of this miracle, for the sake of this grace, everything can be experienced.”

At first, the Holy Fire has special properties - it does not burn, although everyone has a bunch of 33 candles burning in their hand according to the number of years of the Savior. It is amazing how people wash their faces in this flame, pass it through their beards and hair, and it does not harm them. Some more time passes, and the fire begins to burn. Numerous police forces people to put out the candles, but the rejoicing continues.

The 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 the old way Julian calendar. And one more feature - the sacred fire descends only through the prayers of the Orthodox Patriarch. Although non-believers tried to receive the Holy Fire, they were unsuccessful, but Roman Catholics withdrew from participating in this grace-filled celebration inaccessible to them.

Once another community, Christian Armenians, but who had retreated from Holy Orthodoxy back in the 4th century, bribed the Turkish authorities and it was they, and not the Orthodox Patriarch, that the Turkish authorities allowed into the “Holy Sepulcher” cave on Holy Saturday. The Armenian high priests prayed for a long time and unsuccessfully, and the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem together with his flock he cried on the street at the locked doors of the Temple. And suddenly, as if lightning struck the marble column, it split and a pillar of Fire came out of it, which lit the Orthodox candles (the column is visible in the photo).

Since then, none of the representatives of numerous Christian denominations have dared to challenge Orthodox law pray on this day at the Holy Sepulcher.

In May 1992, for the first time after a 79-year break, the Holy Fire was again delivered to Russian soil. A group of pilgrims - clergy and laity - with a blessing His Holiness Patriarch carried the Holy Fire from the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem through Constantinople and all Slavic countries to Moscow. And since then this unquenchable fire burning on Slavyanskaya Square at the foot of the monument to the holy teachers Slovenian Kirill and Methodius.

Was Christ resurrected?

This is the fundamental question of all religion, all philosophy, all sciences concerning human views, for only God could rise again. Therefore, the question of resurrection is the question of whether there is a God. It is not surprising, therefore, that almost all works of anti-religious literature dwell on the question of the resurrection, and all of them, as everyone knows, answer this question in the negative. They probably don't realize that after some most important discoveries(we will talk about them later) the fact of the resurrection of Christ towards the end of his life was recognized by none other than Friedrich Engels.

The basis for anti-religious people, in particular for those who deny the resurrection, is, as they claim, the lack of evidence of the resurrection.

What is the reality like? Is there really no such evidence? One of the most frequently speaking authors is a certain Duluman. states: “At the time when, according to the teachings of the churchmen, Christ was supposed to exist on earth, there were scientists and writers living with me: Josephus Flavius, Austin of Tiberias, Plexitus, Seneca, etc., but they all did not say a word about Christ.”

Only one thing is true here. Neither Austin of Tiberias, nor Liberius Sulius, nor Balandius really wrote about Christ, but they did not write for the reason that these “ancient writers” (as anti-religious literature calls them) never existed in nature. No Liberia Sulius existed either in antiquity or in later times. Lavrenty Sury existed, but he also lived not at the time of Christ, but exactly ten centuries later. An even greater embarrassment ensued with the “ancient writer” Balandius. He also did not exist, but there was a monk Bollan, but he lived one thousand five hundred years later than Christ, so it is not surprising that, when describing contemporary events, he might not have touched specifically on the resurrection of Christ. Austin of Tiberias is equally fictional. Ossia Tverdite, who lived during the Palestinian events, is known in literature, but he is not a writer at all, but a literary character, the hero of an old Byzantine story.

So, these “ancient writers” can hardly be taken into account. But besides them, our atheists also mention Josephus, Pliny the Elder, and Tacitus. They, as atheists say, also did not leave any evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Is it so?

Let's start with Josephus. He is known to be one of the most reliable historical witnesses. Karl Marx said: “Reliable history can only be written on the basis of such documents as the works of Josephus and equivalent ones.”

In addition, Flavius may also not have been aware of the events described in the Gospel. Finally, Josephus was not a follower of Christ, and therefore there is no reason to expect from him any exaggerations in favor of Christianity. Does Josephus really say nothing about the resurrection of Christ, as atheists claim?

Those who declare this should, at least once in their lives, at least glance at the excerpts from his works published in the Soviet edition of the USSR Academy of Sciences. It is written there in black and white: “At this time, Jesus Christ appeared, a man of high wisdom, if one can call Him a man, a performer of wonderful deeds; When, following the denunciation of our leading people, Pilate crucified Him on the cross, those who first loved Him wavered. On the third day He appeared to them alive again.” How does this fit in with the statements and assurances that Josephus never again mentions Christ?

The Greek Hermidias, who held the official position of biographer of the ruler of Judea, also wrote a biography of Pilate. His messages deserve special attention for two reasons. First, they contain an extremely large amount of reliable data on the history of Palestine and Rome and formed the basis of the history of Judea. Secondly, Hermidius stands out sharply in his style of presentation. This person is not able to succumb to any impressions, to be surprised, or to get carried away. According to the definition of the famous historian, academician S. A. Zhebelev: “He narrated everything with the impartial accuracy of a photographic apparatus.” The testimony of Hermidius is also valuable because he, too, was near that place during the resurrection of Christ, accompanying one of Pilate’s assistants. It is important to add one more circumstance. “Hermidius was at first opposed to Christ and, as he himself said, persuaded Pilate’s wife not to restrain her husband from sentencing Christ to death. Until the crucifixion, he considered Christ a deceiver. Therefore, on his own initiative, he went to the tomb on the night before the resurrection, hoping to make sure that Christ would not be resurrected and His body would remain in the earth forever. But it turned out differently.

“Approaching the coffin and being about one hundred and fifty steps from it,” writes Hermidius, we saw in the faint light of the early dawn the guards at the coffin: two people were sitting, oval ones were lying on the ground, it was very quiet. We walked very slowly, and we were overtaken by the guards who were going to the coffin to replace the one who had been there since the evening. Then suddenly it became very light. We couldn't figure out where this light was coming from. But they soon saw that it was coming from a shining cloud moving from above. It sank to the coffin, and a man appeared above the ground, as if completely glowing. Then there was a clap of thunder, not in the sky, but on the earth. From this blow the guards jumped up in horror and then fell. At this time, a woman was walking towards the coffin to the right of us along the path, she suddenly shouted: “It’s opened! It’s opened!” And at this time it became clear to us that it was really very big Stone, leaned against the entrance to the cave, rose as if by itself and opened the coffin (opened the entrance to the cave). We were very scared. Then, some time later, the light above the coffin disappeared, and it became quiet, as usual. When we approached the coffin, it turned out that the body of the buried person was no longer there.”

...The Syrian Yeishu (Eishu), a famous doctor close to Pilate and who treated him... is among the most outstanding people of its time. On Pilate's instructions, from the evening before the resurrection he was near the tomb along with his five assistants, who always accompanied him. He also witnessed the burial of Christ. On Saturday he examined the coffin twice, and in the evening, by order of Pilate, he went here with his assistants and was supposed to spend the night here. Knowing about the prophecies regarding the resurrection of Christ, Yeishu and his medical assistants were interested in this from the point of view of natural scientists. In general, Yeishu was a skeptic. In his works, he invariably repeated the expression, which later, thanks to him, became a proverb in the East: “What I myself have not seen, I consider a fairy tale.” Therefore, they carefully examined everything connected with Christ and His death. On Sunday night they took turns staying awake. In the evening, his assistants went to bed, but long before the resurrection they woke up and resumed their observations of what was happening in nature. We are all doctors, guards. - writes Yeishu, - they were healthy, cheerful, and felt the same as always. We didn't have any premonitions. We did not believe at all that the dead could be resurrected. But He really rose again, and we all saw it with our own eyes.” What follows is a description of the resurrection...

It is extremely significant that we find a number of evidence of the resurrection in Jewish authors of that time, although it is quite understandable that Jews (who did not accept Christianity) tend to suppress the fact of the resurrection in every possible way.

Maferkant was one of the members of the Sanhedrin, treasurer. It was from his hands that Judas received thirty pieces of silver for betrayal. But He had to be at the Holy Sepulcher just before the moment of the resurrection: he arrived here to pay for the guards standing at the tomb (the hired guards received payment, so to speak, on a piece-by-piece basis, after each one stood guard). He saw that the tomb of Christ was reliably guarded. Having paid the money, he left, the guards remained at their post. But before Maferkant had time to move far, a thunderclap was heard, and a huge stone was thrown away by an unknown force. Returning, Maferkant saw from afar a disappearing light above the coffin. When, after the resurrection of Christ, alarm arose among the Jews. Maferkant was the first member of the Sanhedrin to arrive on the scene to investigate. He became convinced that the resurrection had taken place. All this was described by him in the essay “On the Rulers of Palestine,” which is one of the most valuable and truthful sources.

In total, according to the calculations of the greatest expert on Roman historical literature, Academician I. V. Netushil (1850-1928), the number of completely reliable evidence of the resurrection of Christ exceeds two hundred and ten; according to our calculations, this number is even greater - two hundred and thirty, because to the data of Netushil we need to add those historical monuments, which were discovered after the publication of his work

(Based on materials from Orthodox publishing houses)

The priest brought this leaflet for reproduction, and thought that posting it on the Internet would also be useful...

“Orthodoxy and peace. Digital library” ().

“There are many substances that can spontaneously combust.”

The descent of the Holy Fire is a great Easter miracle. This year, on April 7, thousands of pilgrims will be waiting for his appearance, as always, in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ. However, for many years, skeptics have been arguing: is fire really of divine origin, or is it the work of human hands? The latest scandal associated with the exposure of this miracle occurred almost a month before Easter: the representative of the Armenian Patriarchate Samuil Agoyan said that the patriarchs themselves light wax candles from an oil lamp.

"MK" decided to experiment and get fire chemically- without matches, lighters or other attributes that the priest definitely cannot carry with him.

Let us note right away: we do not want to offend anyone’s feelings with this text and do not set ourselves the goal of disproving the divine origin of fire. If a certain phenomenon can be imitated with the help of a trick or experiment, this does not mean that the phenomenon itself is a trick. We show that with the help of simple chemical manipulations you can reproduce something similar, get fire. But whether the Holy Fire itself is a miracle or the result of a chemical reaction - everyone decides for himself. In the end, everyone will be given according to their faith.

What do we know about the environment in which the fire descends? It is known that this is a closed phenomenon - only one person enters the chapel over the Holy Sepulcher, the Patriarch of the Jerusalem Greek Orthodox Church. Even those who stand directly next to the walls of the edicule cannot see what is happening inside. It is also known that the patriarch, before he goes inside to pray for the descent of the fire, is searched: he should not have any matches or lighters with him.

Fire - ordinary, human - can be obtained different ways. Mechanical: for example, by friction, or using a magnifying glass, glasses or binoculars, or even making a lens out of ice. However, it is unlikely that the priest will be able to carry some kind of device with him - then it would be easier to actually hide the lighter. The best way to simulate sudden spontaneous combustion of a candle is to use chemical methods.

Eat classic way, which was used by magicians back in the 19th century. A piece of white phosphorus is dissolved in carbon tetrachloride, a volatile, poisonous liquid. A wick is dipped into the solution. After the carbon tetrachloride evaporates, the phosphorus ignites itself and lights the candle. It is convenient that spontaneous combustion does not occur immediately - there is just enough time to move the candle or lamp to the right place.

There are many substances that can spontaneously ignite, for example alkali metals,” a professor at the Russian Chemical Technical University named after A. Mendeleev Dmitry Mustafin. - If you take a piece of potassium or sodium and throw it into water, it will start to burn. In addition, alkali metal carbides burn. Quite a lot active metals, especially if they are crushed into powders, aluminum, zinc, cobalt - all spontaneously ignite in air. Some immediately, others after some period of time. You can mix two substances - an oxidizing agent and a reducing agent. If you take saltpeter or potassium permanganate and mix it with alcohol, the mixture should catch fire.

You can’t just buy white phosphorus or other self-igniting substances in a store. We chose the simplest and relatively safe way to obtain fire - mixing glycerin and potassium permanganate, known as potassium permanganate. We warn you: do not repeat this experience at home. This should only be done in areas specially designed for this purpose (for example, chemical laboratories) and only with a fire extinguisher at the ready.

Potassium permanganate is a strong oxidizing agent. When reacting, it decomposes to atomic oxygen, which oxidizes glycerol. The reaction is exothermic, that is, it is accompanied by a strong release of heat and ignition of the suspension.

Simple glycerin from the pharmacy will not work. In fact, it is not even glycerin, but glycerol - an 85% solution. This concentration of the active substance is not enough: the solution boils, but does not burn. Therefore, we bought a 99.5% glycerin solution at a specialized chemical store. Potassium permanganate, in turn, is simply not sold in pharmacies - only by prescription. We got it from our own old stocks.

The experiment should only be carried out in glass or porcelain dishes - in no case in plastic and preferably not in metal. We will not reveal the secret of “how much to weigh in grams”. IN glassware glycerin is poured (in concentrated form - a viscous transparent liquid). Potassium permanganate powder is added - there is no need to dilute it before this. After some time, the reaction begins sharply - everything seethes, boils and burns with a bright bluish flame. We placed a candle nearby, the wick of which was lit by chemical fire.

It is clear that no glassware will be brought into the edicule, and it is unlikely that members of the clergy are quietly chemistry in the corner. But there is a similar method, where instead of glycerin they take concentrated sulfuric acid. The components taken in a certain ratio are used to make a paste. A small amount of it - literally a match head or less - is applied to the candle wick, which after some time lights up. To be sure, you can attach a tiny piece of paper to the wick. Alas, when we experimented with glycerin, we needed a fairly large volume of potassium permanganate, which definitely wouldn’t be possible to apply to the candle unnoticed.

There is one more property of the Holy Fire - it does not burn in the first minutes, and pilgrims can even wash themselves with it. A similar phenomenon of chemical nature is used by illusionists in their work.