Miracles of the descent of the Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Where does the Holy Fire come from?

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

Holy Fire: miracle or man-made reality?

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

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

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

How to prepare for receiving the Holy Fire

It is not the first millennium that the Holy Fire descends in one place, only in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and only on the eve of Orthodox Easter, subject to several other conditions.

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

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

“….the patriarch bowed low to approach the Life-Giving Sepulcher. And suddenly, in the midst of dead silence, I heard some kind of tremulous, subtle rustling. It was like a subtle breath of wind. And immediately after that I saw a blue light that filled the entire internal space of the Life-Giving Tomb.

Oh, what an unforgettable sight it was! I saw how this light swirled, like a strong whirlwind or storm. And in this Blessed light I clearly saw the face of the Patriarch. Large tears flowed down his cheeks...

... the blue light again came into a state of movement. Then it suddenly became white... Soon the light acquired a rounded shape and stood motionless in the form of a halo above the Patriarch’s head. I saw how His Beatitude the Patriarch took bundles of 33 candles into his hands, raised them high above him and began to pray to God to send the Holy Fire, slowly extending his hands to the sky. He barely had time to raise them to the level of his head when suddenly all four bundles lit up in his hands, as if they were brought closer to a blazing furnace. At that same second, the halo of light above his head disappeared. From the joy that overwhelmed me, tears flowed from my eyes...”

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

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

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

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

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

1. Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem or, with his blessing, one of the bishops of the Jerusalem Patriarchate.
2. Hegumen and monks of the Lavra of St. Savva the Sanctified .
3. Local Orthodox Arabs, most often represented by Arab Orthodox youth, making themselves known by loud, unconventional performances of prayers in Arabic .

The festive procession is closed by the Orthodox Patriarch, accompanied by the Armenian Patriarch and clergy, who go around the holiest places of the temple, going around the Kuvuklia (chapel over the Holy Sepulcher) three times.

Then the Patriarch undresses from his vestments, demonstrating the absence of matches and other things that could cause fire, and enters the Edicule.

After which the chapel is closed, the entrance is sealed by a local Muslim key keeper.

From this moment those present are waiting for the Patriarch to emerge with Fire in his hands. Interestingly, the waiting time for convergence is different every year: from several minutes to several hours.

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

How the Holy Fire descends

This is roughly how the atmosphere of waiting for the Holy Fire is described by people present in the temple at different times. The phenomenon of convergence is accompanied by the appearance in the temple of small bright flashes, discharges, flashes here and there...

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

A moment later, the entire temple is illuminated by glare, lightning, and then... the doors of the chapel swing open, the Patriarch appears in his hands with that same Fire sent down from Heaven. At these moments, candles in the hands of individual people spontaneously ignite.

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

At first, Fire has amazing properties - it doesn’t burn at all, people literally wash themselves with it, scoop it up with their palms, and pour it on themselves. There are no cases of clothing, hair or other items catching fire. The fire temperature is only 40ºС. There are cases and witnesses of healing of illnesses and diseases.

They say that droplets of wax falling from candles, called the Holy Dew, will remain on human clothes forever, even after washing.

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

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

Video about the descent of Fire in Jerusalem.

Scientific explanation of the Holy Fire

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

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

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

The Holy Fire is a myth

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

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

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

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

Divine fire does not burn after a while.

• Here's another recipe for self-ignition:

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

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

But why here and at this time? Unconvincing!

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

Perhaps this fact contributes to the phenomenon.

• Or maybe the believers themselves, gathered at the Temple of the Lord, with their energy of excitement, the special state of the nervous system in anticipation of a miracle, are able to generate energy flows, which are already abundant in places of pilgrimage.
• The Catholic Church does not recognize the miraculous nature of fire.
• In 2008, Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem’s interview with Russian journalists caused a lot of noise, in which he brought the phenomenon of the descent of the Holy Fire closer to an ordinary church ceremony, without placing any emphasis on the miracle of the descent.

Scientific experiment confirming the divine essence of Fire

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

Literally a year ago, in 2016, Russian physicist, employee of the Kurchatov Institute RRC Andrei Volkov managed to bring equipment with him to the temple for the ceremony of the descent of the Holy Fire and take measurements of the electromagnetic field inside the room. Here's what the physicist himself says:

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

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

...One branch of Christianity considers a certain phenomenon a miracle, but the other does not. For example, the so-called phenomenon of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem today is considered a miracle by only one of the Christian churches - the Russian Orthodox. The rest honestly admit: this is just a ritual, an imitation, and not a miracle. But Orthodox sources continue to write: “One of God’s most remarkable miracles is the descent of the Holy Fire onto the Holy Sepulcher of the Lord at the bright Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem.

Is the Holy Fire a hoax or true?

This obvious miracle has been repeated for many centuries, since ancient times.”
What kind of “obvious miracle” is this? On the eve of Orthodox Easter, in the Jerusalem Church of the Holy Sepulcher, God creates an amazing miracle, accessible to any child - he lights a fire. This fire, however, does not “spontaneously ignite” in everyone’s sight! The principle here is the same as for all other tricks: the disappearance or appearance of an object is not carried out directly in front of the amazed public, but under the cover of a handkerchief or in a dark box, that is, hidden from the audience.

Two high-ranking priests enter a small stone chamber, which is called an edicule. This is a special room inside the temple, like a chapel, where supposedly there is a stone bed on which the body of the crucified Christ lay. Having gone inside, the two priests close the door behind them, and after a while they take out fire from the edicule - a burning lamp and bunches of flaming candles. Crowds of fanatics immediately rush to them to light the candles they brought with them from the blessed fire. It is believed that this fire does not burn in the first minutes, therefore pilgrims, who had previously languished in anticipation for many hours, “wash” their faces and hands with it.

“Firstly, this fire does not burn, which is proof of a miracle,” hundreds of believers write on dozens of forums. “And secondly, how, if not God’s miracle, can explain that with such crowded people and such an amount of fire, there were never fires in the Temple?”
Doesn’t it burn?.. There were no fires?.. The temple has already burned several times, which is not surprising given such an old building. During one of the fires in the temple, 300 people were burned alive. And another time, due to a fire, the dome of the temple even collapsed, seriously damaging the edicule with the “grave” of Christ.
Nevertheless, the tale that the “miraculous” fire does not burn continues to circulate among believers.

...The technology is simple - you need to move the fire across your face in the area of ​​the chin or move your hand through the flame quickly. This is exactly what pilgrims do, as anyone can be convinced of by watching television footage from the scene of the event. And many of them - those who are not agile enough - end up being burned by a “non-burning” fire! They leave the temple with burns and singed beards. This is what it is - the descent of the Holy Fire!

As a matter of fact, having a head on your shoulders, you wouldn’t have to experiment with setting your own beard on fire. It is already clear that the beard will catch fire, and the fire will burn strongly, since believers light their candles from this fire. And this requires a temperature that is more than enough to ignite the beard!..

Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Descent of the Holy Fire and Paganism

These games with fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher bear such a clear trace of paganism that even some Orthodox priests write about it with displeasure.

The Slavs jumped over the fire on the night of Ivan Kupala, it was worshiped and used in rituals by pagans of all countries and peoples, Christians wash their chins with it in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This reverence for the flame has even penetrated into secular rituals - think of the Eternal Flame in honor of soldiers killed in the war. In its purest form, a rudiment of paganism! And even deeper: a ritual that has come down to this day from the caves of the Cro-Magnons...

A few words must be said about the Jerusalem Church of the Holy Sepulcher itself. Hundreds of years after Christ was crucified, Christian leaders became concerned with the production of various shrines. Since there was no historical evidence of where exactly the body of Christ was transferred after the crucifixion, the churchmen simply designated as such the place where the Church of the Holy Sepulcher now stands. Meanwhile, it was here that the body of Jesus could not be taken, since previously there was a pagan temple of Venus on this place!..
For some time, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the custom adopted from the pagans of maintaining an unquenchable fire in the cuvuklia was observed, which was then transformed into the “miracle” of its annual “spontaneous generation” on Easter. (In any case, historical evidence from the fourth century conveys to us information about the maintenance of fire, and not its “spontaneous combustion” according to a schedule.)

Holy Fire, scientific explanation
The trouble with Orthodox Christians living in Russia is that they simply are not aware that the “trick” was exposed long ago, by the clergy themselves, and these revelations were published.

In the middle of the 20th century, professor of the Department of the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament and the Department of Hebrew Language, famous Master of Theology and Archpriest Alexander Osipov, having sifted through a huge amount of historical material, showed that there had never been any “miracle of spontaneous combustion.” And there was an ancient symbolic rite of blessing the fire, which the priests lit over the Holy Sepulcher in a cuvuklia.

Around the same time as Osipov, similar work was carried out by Professor N. Uspensky, Master of Theology, Doctor of Church History, honorary member of the Moscow Theological Academy, as well as a member of two Local Councils. He is not the last person in the church and is very respected, awarded a whole bunch of church orders... So, in October 1949, at the Council of the Theological Academy, he gave an extensive scientific report on the history of the Jerusalem fire. In which he stated the fact of deception of the flock and even explained the reasons for the legend of spontaneous combustion:
“We are faced with another question: when do legends about the miraculous origin of the Holy Fire appear and what was the reason for their emergence?.. Obviously, once, without promptly giving an energetic explanation to their flock about the true meaning of the rite of the Holy Fire, in the future they (hierarch -hee. - A. N) were unable to raise this voice in the face of the ever-increasing fanaticism of the dark masses due to objective conditions. If this was not done in a timely manner, then later it became impossible to do without risking personal well-being and, perhaps, the integrity of the shrines themselves. All that remains for them is to perform the ritual and remain silent, consoling themselves with the fact that God “as He knows and is able, He will bring understanding and calm the nations.”

And as for the moral aspect of this deception, Uspensky exclaims: “How great and sacred in the Orthodox fatherland is the rumor about the kindling of the Holy Fire, so painful for the eyes and heart is the very sight of it in Jerusalem.”

After listening to Uspensky’s report, the churchmen were indignant: why turn out dirty linen in front of believers? The then Metropolitan of Leningrad, Grigory Chukov, expressed the general opinion: “I know as well as you that this is only a pious legend. Essentially a myth. I know that there are many other myths in the practice of the church. But do not destroy legends and myths. For by crushing them, you can crush faith itself in the trustingly believing hearts of ordinary people.”

Well, what can you say, except that the troublemaker Uspensky is an honest man?.. There are such people among the clergy. And, by the way, a lot! Here are some more examples of priests who came forward to expose deception...

Professor Uspensky’s namesake, Bishop Porfiry, who lived under the Tsar Father, published a book at the end of the 19th century in which he told the following story... This Porfiry, by the way, is also not the last person in the church, it was he who was the organizer of the first Russian mission in Jerusalem . That is, he knew what he was writing about: “In that year, when the famous lord of Syria and Palestine Ibrahim, Pasha of Egypt, was in Jerusalem, it turned out that the fire received from the Holy Sepulcher on Holy Saturday is not a blessed fire, but a kindled one, how every fire is lit. This Pasha decided to make sure whether the fire really suddenly and miraculously appeared on the lid of the Tomb of Christ or was lit by a sulfur match. What did he do? He announced to the patriarch’s governors that he wanted to sit in the edicule itself while receiving the fire and vigilantly watch how he appears, and added that in case of truth they would be given 5,000 pungs (2,500,000 piastres), and in case of lies, let them give him all the money collected from deceived fans, and that he will publish in all the newspapers of Europe about the vile forgery.
The governor of Petro-Arabia, Misail, and Metropolitan Daniel of Nazareth, and Bishop Dionysius of Philadelphia (currently of Bethlehem) came together to consult what to do. In moments of deliberation, Misail admitted that he was lighting a fire in a cuvouklia from a lamp hidden behind a moving marble icon of the Resurrection of Christ, which is near the Holy Sepulcher. After this confession, it was decided to humbly ask Ibrahim not to interfere in religious affairs, and the dragoman of the Holy Sepulcher monastery was sent to him, who pointed out to him that there was no benefit for his lordship to reveal the secrets of Christian worship, and that the Russian Emperor Nicholas will be very dissatisfied with the discovery of these secrets. Ibrahim Pasha, having heard this, waved his hand and fell silent. But from that time on, the Holy Sepulcher clergy no longer believed in the miraculous appearance of fire.
Having told all this, the metropolitan said that the end of (our) pious lies is expected from God alone. As he knows and can, he will calm the peoples who now believe in the fiery miracle of Holy Saturday. But we cannot even begin this revolution in the minds, we will be torn to pieces right at the chapel of the Holy Sepulchre.”

It is not for nothing that, almost literally repeating the thought of ancient Roman pagan thinkers about the benefits of religion for the common people, the Christian bishop Synesius wrote at the beginning of the 5th century: “The people positively demand that they be deceived, otherwise it is impossible to deal with them.” Gregory the Theologian (IV century) echoes him: “You need more fables to impress the crowd: the less they understand, the more they admire. Our fathers and teachers did not always * say what they thought, but what circumstances put into their mouths..."

And a few more words about the moral character of meek Christians. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher belongs in equal shares to a whole bunch of Christian denominations - Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Gregorian, Syriac, Coptic and Ethiopian churches. And they live in this Temple not at all according to the commandments of Christ, turning the other cheek, but like spiders in a jar. Despite the fact that the premises of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher are clearly divided between different faiths, serious conflicts often break out there. One day, after a huge fight, twelve Coptic monks were taken to the hospital. I wonder if they fought with brass knuckles or lamps?..
Another time, the patriarchs fought right in the edicule, entering there for the “wonderful fire.” One of them began to forcefully take away the burning candles from the other in order to be the first to go out with them and distribute them to the people. As a result of the ensuing brawl, the Jerusalem Patriarch Irenaeus defeated the Armenian Patriarch; the latter’s candles went out during the fight. Then the resourceful Armenian took a lighter from his pocket and lit his candles, after which he took them out of the edicule into the crowd.
Similar ugly scenes have happened before. The same Bishop Porfiry writes how in 1853 “in the Holy Sepulcher Church after mass, first the Syrians and Armenians, and then the Armenians and the Orthodox, fought. The reason for the fight was the disagreement between the Armenians and the Syrians over one cell in the rotunda of the Holy Sepulcher, which the Syrians demanded from the Armenians as their long-standing property, and they did not want to return it.

The Armenians, not recognizing who was whose, hit two or three of our people, and that’s why the fight became a general one. No one was killed. Armenian monks took part in the general dump. One of them threw a bench at the Orthodox Christians from above the rotunda. But, fortunately, they noticed her and parted. She fell to the floor. They immediately broke it into pieces and began to beat the Armenians with them...”
In the “Notes of a Pilgrim of 1869” we read: “Before the evening of Good Friday, a terrible fight took place between Armenians and Greeks in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. A Greek monk was filling a lamp in the rotunda of the Holy Sepulcher on the border of the temple between Orthodox and Armenians; the staircase stood on the Armenian half; she was pulled out from under the monk, and he fell unconscious on the floor; The Greeks and Arabs who were here stood up for him, and a fight began; The Armenians, who in all likelihood deliberately started it, had sticks and even stones with which they threw at the Greeks, and many Armenians from nearby monasteries came running to help.”

Holy people! And the people believe that their conscience will not allow them to deceive pilgrims by producing a fake miracle!..
What kind of fables people have come up with around the ritual of self-ignition of the “holy fire”! If you talk to a believer, you may hear, for example, that the patriarch who enters the edicule is undressed and searched beforehand so that he does not carry a lighter with him. The edicule itself is also searched. And not just anyone, but... the police!

All this is the wildest nonsense. Nobody searches anyone, of course. Just imagine: the naked patriarch is being harassed, forced, like in prison, to bend over and spread his buttocks! The police have nothing else to do!.. To be convinced of the delusion of these tales, you don’t even have to go to Jerusalem. Just watch the video of the ceremony...

But 99% of Russian Orthodox Christians were not at the ceremony and did not bother to watch it in the recording. But they are happy to tell each other stories about the search and so on.

will the holy fire go away-the essence of the Orthodox “miracle”
As I said above, only the Russian Orthodox Church still maintains the flame of deception in its parishioners, seriously speaking about the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire.
Neither Catholics, nor even Armenian and Greek Orthodox believe that the fire is lit by the Lord. And by the way, the representative of the Armenian church is just one of those two people who are included in the edicule. So, Armenian priests, who take their flock more seriously than Russians, do not talk about miracles. On the contrary, they directly assert that fire does not descend from heaven in the most miraculous way, but is lit from a lamp previously brought into the cuvouklia near the Holy Sepulcher.

As recently as 2008, answering questions from Russian journalists, Patriarch Theophilus of Jerusalem finally put an end to this issue, saying that the descent of fire is just an ordinary church ceremony, a performance the same as any other: “ A representation of how the news of the resurrection from the Edicule spread throughout the world.”
This confession caused a huge scandal. Not in the world, of course, where no one believes in the miracle of spontaneous combustion, but in one sixth of the Orthodox part of the world. Our church hierarchs themselves know everything about the deception of believers, but from the rostrum they are forced to defend the lies.

Not all, really. Theophilus of Jerusalem was actually supported by the famous Russian Orthodox publicist Andrei Kuraev, who was present at Theophilus’ press conference and heard the truth with his own ears. It was his principled position that served as the source of the scandal. The fact is that a delegation of journalists to Jerusalem was taken by the Foundation of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which is headed by the head of RAO Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin. He is a very religious person, so the foundation carries out a lot of extremely expensive events. I hope not with public money...
So, Yakunin was extremely outraged by Kuraev’s position. He even publicly called on the church authorities to roughly punish the deacon so that he would no longer dare to speak the truth.
After this, some publications published fake interviews with Theophilus, in which he allegedly confirmed the “miraculousness” of fire. The journalist who made them pulled legends from the Internet, put them in Theophilus’s mouth and obscured his real answer as much as possible. Subsequently, the fake was exposed, but how can this shake the true faith?
Do you know why this belief in the miracle of the descent of fire without matches is so valuable for Orthodox Christians? Including because this is one of the main reasons to brag to Catholics! If you take a couple of days and surf Orthodox websites, you will see that among the believers themselves it periodically flashes: “Our Orthodox faith is the truest. Only we have such a miracle as the descent of the Holy Fire! Not given to Catholics. Thus, the Lord shows the holiness of Orthodoxy and the heresy of Catholicism.” The Orthodox do not realize that Catholics also have their own miracles, and no worse.
All this Orthodox boasting reminds me of a kindergarten, doesn’t it? And what a piece of glass I have!.. But my mother loves me more!..
...It would seem that now, after numerous revelations and confessions by Christian hierarchs of the highest level, the issue of the Jerusalem “miracle” is closed once and for all. There is nothing more to discuss there. But no! Every year, NTV, RTR and Channel One show reports from Jerusalem before Easter, in which correspondents quite seriously tell people about this “miracle”.

Holy Fire, exposed

While writing this book, I visited Kyiv and did not fail to visit the main attraction of the city - the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. There, in underground corridors, the relics of Christian saints rest in special coffins covered with glass.

Everyone knows that some Christians are very fond of drying and dismembering the corpses of respected people, and then touring with the dried pieces throughout the country and giving the believers to kiss these pieces of corpses.

So, believers with candles wander through the narrow tunnels of the Lavra and fall to the relics, trying to kiss everything.

The spectacle is shocking and quite sickening. By God, the Kiev Sewerage Museum looks neater!..
Imagine glass stained by thousands of hands and lips, covered with a layer of dirt and sebum, which fanatics, lined up one after another, take turns kissing.
This is how European cities died out from the plague in the Middle Ages...

Since the early Middle Ages, a custom has 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, it appeared about the descent of the sacred fire, that is, that the fire on the eve of Easter is given to believers by God. Numerous evidence of the descent of fire dates back to the 10th century, and not only Christian, but also historians wrote about this miracle. Initially, the fire was lit in the morning, and the ritual itself is described in different ways, most often the appearance of lightning is mentioned. Only the place remains unchanged - the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

Some eyewitnesses of the events of the 10th century wrote that the fire was brought directly by an angel.

Modern ritual of the descent 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 to avoid conflict between representatives of various Orthodox Christians, as well as Orthodox Christians and Muslims.

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

The service on the day of the descent of the fire is conducted by the Patriarch of Jerusalem. Clergymen of other Orthodox churches, for example, the Armenian, also have the right to be with him. The priests put on festive white clothes, and then walk around the temple in a procession of the cross, offering prayers. After this, the patriarch, together with a representative of the clergy, can go to the 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 wait for the fire to descend both in the temple itself and outside it. There is also a television broadcast in many countries, including Russia. After the fire appears, the patriarch lights candles from it, from which, in turn, anyone can light a fire. After the Holy Fire ceremony

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

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

The Holy Fire is of divine origin. This is the most important myth regarding this phenomenon. As has already been said, doubts regarding the origin of fire have always been present. Not long ago, the Armenian priest Ghevond was even able to film a secret lamp, which is hidden behind a retractable icon in the Edicule. Schemes for priests to receive the Holy Fire have been written about for a long time. In the 12th century, the Arab Ibn al-Qalanisi wrote that thin wires rubbed with oil were stretched between the lamps. At the right moment, one of the threads was imperceptibly set on fire, as a result of which a fire as bright as lightning quickly lit all the lamps. It seemed to believers that fire had descended from heaven. Another Arab in the 13th century told how an iron casket was placed on the top of the dome with the time the fire would burn in it calculated in advance. At the right time, he sets fire to the lubricated chain, and along it the fire from above descends to the lamp. The literature describes that fire can also appear due to the combination of balsam oil with some other additives. Chemists are well aware of the spontaneous combustion of substances in air.

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

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

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

The Holy Fire has descended into the temple since time immemorial. In fact, the first mention of fire dates back to the 4th century. It was at that time that Christians ordered and canonized the four Gospels. Pilgrim Sylvia said that lamps are lit in the temple, and an unquenchable lamp is constantly burning inside the cave; fire is not brought here. Obviously, there was no miracle then, but simply a sacred fire burning in the Edicule. The initiates kept his secret from ordinary people. Blavatsky wrote that even in ancient Egypt, alchemists learned to create finely porous materials. They absorbed the oil like a sponge and then slowly let it burn. By the 9th century, believers began to perceive cold fire as a miracle. And for the priests, this attitude only benefited them, as it strengthened their religious influence. But even then, enlightened critics emerged who criticized the “divine manifestation.” However, people believed in miracles, and in the XII-XIII centuries, simply the sacred fire became the Holy Fire. And they lit it no longer in the presence of believers, but inside the Edicule, demonstrating a miracle to the believers.

The Holy Fire is a mysterious miracle. This is exactly what the Orthodox Church constantly talks about, emphasizing that the mystery of fire has never been solved by anyone. However, back in the 17th century, Patriarch Kirill Loukaris of Constantinople said that if this miracle really existed, then all Turks would have believed in Jesus Christ long ago. But this doesn’t happen!

The Holy Fire is a holy phenomenon that does not involve self-interest. In fact, the existence of such a “miracle” is beneficial to both Israel and the Orthodox Church. Previously, Arabs and Turks made money on it. They could not deny themselves the opportunity to make money from naive believers. People go to Jerusalem for a miracle, leaving money in the church and the city. Today, every year, about a hundred figures fly from Russia to meet the Holy Fire at the expense of the state, whose names are not advertised. This whole party is flying for a piece of fire, which is being delivered to Russia by plane. In our country, the journey of the shrine around the country is accompanied by performances and banquets. A religious event is given a commercial spin. The income from a miracle is really great. Previously, Palestine was generally fed by pilgrims from Europe; the Feast of the Holy Sepulcher was a holiday of happiness and prosperity for the entire country. And Muslims even charged an entrance fee to an Orthodox church.

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

The fire ceremony remains unchanged. Around the 13th century, the acquisition of the Holy Fire changed. Previously, it appeared in the form of a flash from above the Edicule, and then the priests began to go inside to get the fire. The previous revelations lost their force, but the Arabs immediately saw how the fire was lit - from a lamp hidden in a niche.

The descent of the fire is accompanied by wonderful flashes. Today in the temple there are many journalists with special equipment and amateur photographers. Flashes are indeed visible in the video, but it is impossible to distinguish them by color from a photo flash. At the same time, when there were no cameras, they did not talk about mysterious flashes at all, although this would have been an even greater miracle. A bright flash was present until the 13th century, when fire was expected outside the Edicule. However, this fits perfectly into the technology for creating a “miracle”.

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

The priests themselves believe in miracles. The highest clergy, who directly take part in the ritual, still avoid the words “miracle” or “convergence.” Patriarch Theophilos III said that this ceremony shows how the Easter message from the tomb illuminated the whole world. In the temple there is a performance, a reenactment of that event. It is not surprising that the main witness of the “miracle” answers questions about its nature evasively. The famous deacon Andrei Kuraev reacted to such a statement: “He could not have said more openly about the lighter in his pocket.”

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

Before entering the Edicule, the Patriarch is stripped of all vestments and searched. Such a measure should supposedly convince believers that it is impossible to bring fire from the outside. However, live television broadcasts show that only the outer part of the Patriarch’s clothing is removed, while the rest remains on him. And no one tries to search the priest - he enters the cave during the procession.

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

This is already the seventh topic. If anyone wanted to publish a topic suggested by readers, don’t hesitate to do so. Let me know and I'll repost your post. Now let's move on to our topic:

The Descent of Fire on Easter has been happening for about 2 thousand years. It is believed that the year when the Fire does not ignite will be the last in the history of mankind.

In the 4th century, by order of Saint Helen Equal to the Apostles, a magnificent temple, the Basilica, was erected over the site of the crucifixion and burial of our Lord Jesus Christ. Under its arches were both Golgotha ​​and the Holy Tomb. The basilica was rebuilt several times, destroyed (614), restored and is now known as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Since ancient times, directly above the burial cave of the Savior there has been a chapel - Kuvukpia, which means “royal bedchamber”, where the “King of kings and Lord of lords” was laid up for a three-day sleep. The Holy Tomb consists of two rooms: a small “burial chamber” almost half occupied by a stone bed - arcosapium, and an entrance room called the chapel of the Angel. In the middle of the Angel's chapel there is a pedestal with a part of the sacred stone, which was rolled away from the Holy Tomb by the Angel and on which he sat, addressing the myrrh-bearing women.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is a huge architectural complex that includes several churches and chapels belonging to different Christian denominations. For example, the Altar of Nails - to the Catholic Order of St. Francis, the Church of Equal-to-the-Apostles Helen and the chapel of the “Three Marys” - the Armenian Apostolic Church, the grave of St. Joseph of Arimathea - Ethiopian (Coptic) Church. But the main shrines - Golgotha, Edicule, Kaphopicon (cathedral Temple), as well as the general management of services in the Temple, belong to the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem.

During the descent of Fire, the presence of three groups of participants is necessary. First of all, the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem or one of the bishops of the Jerusalem Patriarchate with his blessing (as was the case in 1999 and 2000, when the Fire was received by the Guardian of the Sepulcher, Metropolitan Daniel). Only through the prayers of this obligatory participant in the sacrament does the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire take place.

Let's remember how this is happening now...

History remembers two cases when representatives of other Christian denominations tried to obtain 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, trying to find out where they kept the Cross and other relics. A few months later, Arnold was succeeded on the throne by Daimbert of Pisa, who went even further.

He attempted to expel all local Christians, even Orthodox Christians, from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and admit only Latins there, completely depriving the rest of the church buildings in or near Jerusalem. God's retribution soon struck: already in 1101 on Holy Saturday, the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire in Edicule did not happen until Eastern Christians were invited to participate in this rite. Then King Baldwin I took care of returning their rights to local Christians.”

In 1578, the Armenian priests agreed with the new mayor to transfer the right to receive the Holy Fire to a representative of the Armenian Church. The Orthodox Patriarch and the clergy in 1579 on Holy Saturday were not even allowed into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Standing at the closed doors of the Temple, Orthodox priests prayed to the Lord. Suddenly a noise was heard, the column located to the left of the closed doors of the Temple cracked, Fire came out of it and lit candles in the hands of the Patriarch of Jerusalem. With great joy, the Orthodox priesthood entered the Temple and glorified the Lord. Traces of the descent of Fire can still be seen on one of the columns located to the left of the entrance. Since then, none of the non-Orthodox has attempted to repeat such attempts, fearing the inevitable shame.

Mandatory participants in the sacrament of the descent of the Holy Fire are the abbot and the monks of the Lavra of St. Savva the Sanctified. Of all the ancient monasteries of the Judean Desert, which once flourished with great ascetics, only this monastery, seventeen kilometers from Jerusalem, in the Kidron Valley, not far from the Dead Sea, has been preserved in its original form. In 614, during the invasion of Shah Hasroi, the Persians killed fourteen thousand monks here. There are fourteen monks in the modern monastery, including two Russians.

And finally, the third group of obligatory participants are local Orthodox Arabs. On Holy Saturday, shouting, stomping, and beating drums, Arab Orthodox youth rush into the Temple on top of each other and begin singing and dancing. There is no evidence about the time when this “ritual” was established. The exclamations and songs of the Arab youth are ancient prayers in Arabic, addressed to Christ and the Mother of God, who is asked to beg the Son to send Fire, to St. George the Victorious, especially revered in the Orthodox East. 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.

Around ten o'clock on Holy Saturday, all the candles and lamps in the Temple are extinguished. After this, the procedure for checking Kuvukpiya for the presence of sources of fire and sealing the entrance to it with a large wax seal takes place. The representatives of the Jerusalem mayor's office, the Turkish guards, and the Israeli police who carried out the inspection put their personal seals on the large wax plaque. And soon, first occasionally, and then more and more strongly, the entire space of the Temple is pierced by flashes of light. They have a bluish color, their brightness and size increase in waves. At about thirteen o'clock the litany ("prayer procession") of the Holy Fire begins - a procession of the cross from the altar of the Catholicon through the entire Temple with a three-fold circumambulation of the Edicule. In front are the banner bearers with twelve banners, behind them are the youths with ripids, the crusader cleric and, finally, His Beatitude the Patriarch of Jerusalem himself. The abbot and the monks of the Monastery of Saint Sava the Sanctified also take part in the procession. Then the Patriarch is unmasked, remaining in only a white cassock. The Patriarch is searched, and he enters the Edicule. The tension reaches its highest point. The intensity and frequency of light flashes increases.

Finally, the Fire descends. Even before the Patriarch appears at the door of Kuvukpia with candles lit from the Holy Fire, the light-bearers-fast-walkers, who received the Fire through the windows in the chapel of the Angel, are already spreading it throughout the Temple. And the joyful ringing of the bell informs everyone about the miracle that has taken place. The fire spreads like lightning throughout the Temple. Moreover, Fire does not burn: and not only from the Patriarchal candle, but also from all ordinary candles bought not in the Temple (there is no trade here), but in ordinary Arab shops in the Old City.

The Easter candle of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is thirty-three connected candles. Those present often carry two or three bunches of candles from other places in the Holy Land. In the Temple, people stand so densely that if the Fire were ordinary, someone would definitely catch fire. However, people are literally washed by the Holy Fire, which at first does not burn at all. Everyone's flame is so vast that it can be seen touching nearby people. And in the entire history of the descent of Fire - not a single accident, not a single fire.

Then a solemn procession with Fire begins in the Old City, which, by the way, is carried at the head of each column by Muslim Turks. The entire Christian and Arab community of Jerusalem (more than 300 thousand people) participates in the processions, and even Muslim Arabs consider it necessary to bring the Holy Fire into the house and light household lamps from it. They have a legend that in the year when the Fire does not descend, the end of the world will come. This day in Jerusalem is not celebrated only by Jews who prefer not to leave their homes. It is the Jews who mainly write about the imitation of the descent of the Holy Fire by “dishonest” priests, calling it Greek “tricks.” And this despite the fact that in the last almost fifty years the Jews have been participating in both the sealing of the Edicule and the search of the Patriarch of Jerusalem.

It should be noted here that the land on which the Temple is built belongs to a Turkish family. Every morning an interesting ritual takes place: the priests hand over the rent that was established a long time ago and after that, accompanied by members of the Turkish family, they go to the Temple. Any procession in the Temple, including the procession of the cross on Easter, is accompanied by kavas - Turks who protect the processions from provocations of Muslims and Jews. Before entering the Edicule of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, it stands sealed, under the supervision of two Turkish guards and the Israeli police. The safety of the seal on the entrance doors of the Edicule is checked before the Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Armenian high priest enter it. To receive Fire, two people enter the Edicule - the Patriarch of Jerusalem and a representative of the Armenian Church. The latter, waiting for the Fire, remains in the Angel’s chapel, sees all the actions and has the opportunity to intervene. Therefore, the version of forgery can only bring a smile to people living in Jerusalem.00″ hspace=”20″>

The question of how the Holy Fire descends interests many. In the letter of Arefa, Metropolitan of Caesarea of ​​Cappadocia, to the Emir of Damascus (beginning of the 10th century) it is written: “Then suddenly lightning appears and censers are lit, from this light all the inhabitants of Jerusalem flee and light a fire.” Hieromonk Meletius, who made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1793-1794, conveys the story of the descent of the Fire from the words of Archbishop Misaip, Epitrope of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, who received the Fire for many years. “When I went inside to the Holy Sepulcher, we saw on the entire” lid of the Tomb a shining light, like scattered small beads in the form of blue, white, scarlet and other colors, which then, copulating, turned red and transformed over time into the substance of fire; but this fire does not burn over the course of time, as soon as one can slowly read “Lord, have mercy” fourty times, and from this fire the prepared candlesticks and candles are kindled.”

All sources report either the condensation of liquid small drops of “fire beads” directly on the arcosalia of the Holy Sepulcher with the existing dome above the Edicule, or the fall of rain drops above the Edicule and the presence of “small beads” on the lid of the Holy Sepulcher due to rain with the open dome of the Temple and about bluish flashes - lightning that precede the descent of the Holy Fire. Both of these phenomena simultaneously take place during the kneeling prayer of the Patriarch of Jerusalem and at the present time. At the same time, the wicks of candles or lamps on the lid of the Holy Sepulcher are also spontaneously lit. It is also possible to light the wicks of Orthodox lamps hanging near the Edicule. Despite all possible options, during the Miracle of the Descent of the Holy Fire, the following phenomena remain absolutely inexplicable from the point of view of modern science.

Does fire appear in a miraculous or ordinary way?

A believer does not need any evidence, facts or theories. He believes that this is a miracle. This is his sacred right.

But for other people, you can mention these historical facts.

The first mentions of it date back to the 9th century.

Apologists for the miracle often mention the testimony of Sylvia, the 4th century pilgrims, as an argument in favor of the miracle, for example:

There are two fragments of what Sylvia wrote:

1. A 4th century pilgrim, mentioning the evening service, writes:

“At the ninth hour (which we call vespers),” writes this pilgrim, “everyone gathers in the Church of the Resurrection, all the lamps and candles are lit and there is a great light. And the fire is not brought from the outside, but is supplied from the inside of the cave, where an unquenchable lamp burns day and night, that is, inside the barrier” / http://www.orthlib.ru/other/skaballanovich/1_05.html/.

but, as a pre-revolutionary researcher noted:

“(...) the earlier evidence could be considered the story (227) of a pilgrim of the 4th century (Sylvia of Aquitaine?), but she does not yet speak of a miracle, but only of the custom of maintaining an unquenchable fire” /Krachkovsky/..

2. “Earlier liturgical evidence about the rite of St. We do not have fire, but we find some hints about its occurrence in the description of the Jerusalem worship of the 4th century pilgrim Sylvia of Aquitaine. She writes the following about the service of Great Saturday: “The next day on Saturday it is ruled according to custom at the third hour; also on the sixth; on the ninth Saturday there is no celebration, but the Easter vigil is prepared in a large church, i.e. in the martyrium. The Easter vigil is celebrated in the same way as ours, only here the following is added: children who have been baptized, dressed as they came out of the font, are led along with the bishop, first of all, to the Resurrection. The bishop goes beyond the barrier of the Resurrection, one song is sung, then the bishop says a prayer for them and then goes with them to the large church, where, according to custom, all the people are awake. There is done what usually happens with us, and after the liturgy there is a dismissal” / Prof. Uspensky N.D. On the history of the rite of holy fire performed on Holy Saturday in Jerusalem. Activity speech delivered on October 9, 1949, http://www.golubinski.ru/ecclesia/ogon.htm/.

Actually speaking about the service.

But both do not talk about a miracle, the first about the lighting of a fire from a lamp, the second about the fact that at the usual hour of the evening service is not held, but they are preparing for the all-night vigil, and there is also no mention of a miracle during earlier services.

Up until the 9th century, we lose traces of BO; it can be assumed that during this period it began to be perceived as a miracle, and almost with the first evidence of a miraculous nature, we encounter the first evidence of criticism. During this period, criticism came from Muslims who, although they exposed this “miracle,” for the most part did not seek to prevent its occurrence.

Here you need to pay attention to two points.

Firstly, only after the 12-13th century did priests begin to enter the Edicule. In other words, the fire did not descend into the presence of man.

Secondly, subsequent critics took information from previous ones, although the BO ritual itself had already changed significantly.

Based on these features of the ritual before the 12th -13th centuries, the evidence of whistleblowers points primarily to a system of devices for delivering fire without human participation.

Let's look at the evidence:

Ibn al-Qalanisi (d. 1162)

“When they are there on Easter... they hang lamps in the altar and arrange a trick so that the fire reaches them through the oil of balsam tree and devices made from it, and its property is that fire arises when combined with jasmine oil. it has a bright light and brilliant radiance. They manage to place a stretched iron wire like a thread between adjacent lamps, running continuously from one to the other, and rub it with balsam oil. hiding it from view. until the thread passes to all the lamps. When they pray and the time of descent comes, the doors of the altar are opened; and they believe that there is the cradle of Jesus, peace be upon him, and that from there he ascended to heaven. They enter and light a lot of candles, and the house becomes hot from the breath of so many people. Someone standing tries to bring the fire closer to the thread, he catches on it and moves along all the lamps from one to another until he lights everything. Whoever looks at this thinks that fire came down from heaven and lamps were lit” /Krachkovsky/.

al-Jaubari (d. 1242)

“But the fact is that this lamp is the greatest of the tricks performed by the first generations; I will explain it to you and reveal the secret. The fact is that at the top of the dome there is an iron box connected to a chain on which it is suspended. It is strengthened in the very vault of the dome, and no one except this monk can see it. On this chain there is a box, inside of which there is emptiness. And when the evening of the Sabbath of Light comes, the monk goes up to the box and puts sulfur in it like a “sanbusek”, and under it a fire, calculated until the hour when he needs the descent of the light. He smears the chain with oil of balsam wood and, when the time comes, the fire ignites the composition at the junction of the chain with this attached box. Balsam oil collects at this point and begins to flow along the chain, down to the lamp. The fire touches the wick of the lamp, and it is previously saturated with balsam oil, and lights it. Understand all this." /Krachkovsky/.

Mujir ad-din, writing around 1496

“They play tricks on him, so that the fools among their ignorant people think that fire comes from heaven. In fact, it comes from the oiling of balsam on high-stretched silk threads, rubbed with sulfur and other things.”

If we omit some dubious details of Ibn al-Qalanisi's description, then from these three descriptions we can make the following simple scheme for obtaining fire, which Muslim critics suspected. A lit candle (or something more complex, representing an iron chest) was hidden in the Edicule, most likely in its dome. A silk thread (more precisely, copper wire and silk thread) or an iron chain, lubricated with a burning substance, was connected to the candle. At the moment when the candle burned out to the point of contact with the thread, the fire transferred to the thread and followed the thread to the required lamps. The burning time of a candle is easy to calculate. It is not difficult to disguise a burning candle inside the Edicule. Since there is also a large space in the dome, there are niches in which the candle can stand and burn quietly without the risk of being detected. In addition, dozens of lamps are suspended on chains above the coffin itself, and it is not difficult to disguise another chain.

During a search, such a system can only be exposed either by completely disassembling the Edicule, or by knowing in advance where the hidden niche is located.

This method of working miracles can be modified by adding a movable platform for a candle, controlled outside the Edicule using a rope attached to the back of the Edicule. Again, disguising this rope is not a problem.

As we see, natural scientists of that time already had substances capable of causing spontaneous combustion upon interaction. Moreover, this is far from the only fiery composition known since ancient times. Self-ignition is caused by a mixture of concentrated sulfuric acid with potassium permanganate powder or potassium chromate. In ancient civilizations, gold-plated items were made using aqua regia, a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids. Both of these acids were obtained only by the action of sulfuric acid on their salts - saltpeter and table salt. This means that sulfuric acid has been known for a long time. And potassium chromate has been used since ancient times for tanning leather, that is, it was also available to ancient chemists.

In 1834, a fight in the temple escalated into a brutal massacre, in which the Turkish army had to intervene. About 300 pilgrims died (*_*). The English traveler left memories of a conversation with the local chief Ibrahim Pasha, which describes the ruler’s determination to publicly expose this deception, but also his fear that this action could be perceived as oppression of Christians in the holy land (*_*)

We learn about the actions taken by Ibrahim Pasha after 15 years from the diaries of a prominent scientist and leader of the Orthodox Church, founder of the Russian Orthodox Mission in Jerusalem, Bishop Porfiry (Uspensky). Porfiry kept a diary, where he recorded his impressions of events of historical scale, thoughts on abstract topics, descriptions of monuments and various little things. They were published in 8 volumes by the Imperial Academy of Sciences at the expense of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society under the editorship of P. A. Syrku after the death of Uspensky, the third volume was published in 1896.

Here's the exact quote:

“In that year, when the famous lord of Syria and Palestine Ibrahim, Pasha of Egypt, was in Jerusalem, it turned out that the fire received from the Holy Sepulcher on Holy Saturday is not a blessed fire, but a kindled one, just as any fire is kindled. This Pasha decided to make sure whether the fire really suddenly and miraculously appeared on the lid of the Tomb of Christ or was lit by a sulfur match. What did he do? He announced to the patriarch’s governors that he wanted to sit in the edicule itself while receiving the fire and vigilantly watch how he appears, and added that in case of truth they would be given 5,000 pungs (2,500,000 piastres), and in case of lies, let them give him everything money collected from deceived fans, and that he will publish in all the newspapers of Europe about the vile forgery. The governors of Petro-Arabia, Misail, and Metropolitan Daniel of Nazareth, and Bishop Dionysius of Philadelphia (currently of Bethlehem) came together to consult what to do. During the minutes of deliberation, Misail admitted that he was lighting a fire in a cuvuklia from a lamp hidden behind a moving marble icon of the Resurrection of Christ, which is near the Holy Sepulcher. After this confession, it was decided to humbly ask Ibrahim not to interfere in religious affairs and a dragoman of the Holy Sepulcher monastery was sent to him, who pointed out to him that there was no benefit for his lordship to reveal the secrets of Christian worship and that the Russian Emperor Nicholas would be very dissatisfied with the discovery of these secrets. Ibrahim Pasha, having heard this, waved his hand and fell silent. But from that time on, the Holy Sepulcher clergy no longer believed in the miraculous appearance of fire. Having told all this, the Metropolitan said that God alone is expected to stop (our) pious lies. As he knows and can, he will calm the peoples who now believe in the fiery miracle of the Great Saturday. But we cannot even begin this revolution in minds; we will be torn to pieces right at the chapel of the Holy Sepulchre. “We,” he continued, “notified Patriarch Athanasius, who was then living in Constantinople, about Ibrahim Pasha’s harassment, but in our message to him we wrote instead of “holy light,” “sanctified fire.” Surprised by this change, the most blessed elder asked us: “Why did you start calling the holy fire differently?” We revealed to him the real truth, but added that the fire lit on the Holy Sepulcher from a hidden lamp is still sacred fire, received from a sacred place” (*_*).

In this post, it is important to pay attention to the following points:

1. The recognition was made in a close circle of the highest hierarchs of the Orthodox Church.
2. A direct participant in the events told Uspensky what happened. An eyewitness to the confession of forgery.
3. Ibrahim was threatened with aggravation of relations with Russia. The Crimean War showed how dangerous it is for the authorities to interfere in the religious life of the Orthodox Church in the Holy Land.
4. “But from that time on, the Holy Sepulcher clergy no longer believed in the miraculous appearance of fire.” This means that the result of the recognition was the loss of faith in the miracle of the Holy Sepulcher clergy. Bishop Porfiry himself has already witnessed this.

The entries in the diary of Bishop Porfiry seem to be the most valuable of all sources. Firstly, they were not intended for wide publicity, secondly, the bishop had very great authority both among the clergy and among the scientific community, and thirdly, the situation of recognition is well described here: “...Misail admitted that he Edicule lights the fire from the lamp...".

“From that time on, the Holy Sepulcher clergy no longer believed in the miraculous appearance of fire.” The priest, not the Gentiles, speaks about the loss of faith of the Holy Sepulcher clergy.

As for the non-burning properties of fire, there is a simple explanation for this miracle. Chemists are well aware of the so-called cold fire. Many esters of organic and inorganic acids burn with it. The temperature of such combustion depends on the concentration of ether in the air and heat exchange conditions. You can wipe your body with burning ether, and its cloud can easily move in space, since it is heavier than air. That is, you can make “special” candles in advance and then sell them to visitors (in the temple they offer to light bundles of candles of 33 pieces, which are sold nearby). Naturally, the ether burns out quickly, so the “miracle” can only last for a short time. Next, the “magic” fire acquires the usual properties of burning everything it touches. Naturally, these comments are not particularly popular and therefore are not known to the general public. The miracle of the Holy Fire can be tested by lighting the candle you brought with you from it after the event and touching the flame with your hand.

The fact that the miracle still exists is most likely explained by the large income that both Muslims and Israelis receive for it. Although, over the last 200 years, international prestige has also played a significant role. One has only to mention the tricks of the monks, and they will immediately accuse him of inciting hatred, oppression, etc.

Al-Jaubari (before 1242) under the heading “The trick of the monks in lighting the fire in the Church of the Resurrection” says: “Al-Melik al-Mauzzam, the son of al-Melik al-Adil entered the Church of the Resurrection on the day of the Sabbath of Light and said to the monk (assigned) to it: “I am not I’ll leave until I see this light go away.” The monk said to him: “What is more pleasing to the king: the wealth that flows to you in this way, or the acquaintance with this (business)? If I reveal this secret to you, then the government will lose this money; leave it hidden and receive this great wealth.” When the ruler heard this, he understood the hidden essence of the matter and left him in his previous position.” (Krachkovsky, 1915).

The income is so enormous that, in fact, the entire population of Jerusalem was fed from it. Prof. Dmitrievsky quotes the following observation from Prof. Olesnitsky: “In Jerusalem and Palestine, this holiday belongs to the non-Orthodox population only: all local residents take part in it, not excluding Muslims... The entire population feels this, and cannot help but feel it, because Palestine feeds almost exclusively on the gifts that are brought to her by the admirers of the Holy Sepulcher from Europe. (Dmitrievsky, 1909).

From Soviet literature we have received the testimony of the former famous theologian A.A. Osipova. He recalls a prominent theologian, professor at the Leningrad Theological Academy, who became interested in the problem of the “holy fire” on the Holy Sepulcher. “Having studied ancient manuscripts and texts, books and testimonies of pilgrims,” writes A.A. Osipov, “he proved with exhaustive accuracy that there was never any “miracle”, but there was and is an ancient symbolic rite of lighting a lamp over the coffin by the clergy themselves.” If only readers could imagine what a howl the churchmen raised after the speech of a believing professor of theology who dared to tell the truth he had discovered!

As a result of this whole matter, the now deceased Metropolitan of Leningrad Gregory, also a man with a theological academic degree, gathered a number of theologians of Leningrad and told them: “I also know that this is only a legend! What... (here he is named after the author of the study) is absolutely right! But don’t touch the pious legends, otherwise faith itself will fall!” (Osipov A.A. Frank conversation with believers and non-believers. Reflections of a former theologian. Leningrad, 1983).