It is generally accepted that only religious people believe in the existence of religious miracles. In this case, the phenomenon of such a miracle as the Holy Fire can not be explained by any skeptic, no matter what arguments he tried.
What is the Holy Fire?
An amazing phenomenon was repeatedly studied by scientific and religious figures who could not find at least a proof of the natural origin of the phenomenon called the "leniency of the Holy Fire." It includes:
- Ceremony of preparing for the appearance of a flame. There is a special ritual, without which the main event of the Great Sabbath will not take place and the celebration will be spoiled.
- Verification of the Patriarch and his entry into the Church of the Holy Sepulcher . From this moment, the international broadcast of the ceremony begins with TV channels.
- The appearance of the Holy Fire and its transfer to other clerics.
- The beginning of the first celebrations in honor of Easter .
How does the Holy Fire come about?
The process of occurrence of flame tongues deserves special attention. About 10 o'clock in the morning the religious procession begins to move towards the Jerusalem Orthodox Church, headed by the Patriarch and the higher clergy. After they come close to Kuvuklia (the chapel of the Holy Sepulcher), the events begin to develop as follows:
- That the believers did not have doubts as to where the Blessed Fire originates from, the Patriarch reveals himself and remains in one white sub-figure, under which nothing can be carried.
- He is examined by representatives of the police of Turkey and Israel by tradition, which has existed since the 14th century.
- Toward the entrance to the Cusculos, the Patriarch is approaching along with similar ranks from the Armenian, Coptic and Syrian apostolic churches. They will see the Blessed Fire first after the Patriarch.
- The doors of the chapel are closed, and the faithful remain waiting for a miracle outside the door.
How does the Holy Fire come down?
After the Patriarch and priests remain behind the first doors of the Cubiculum, they appear in front of the room with the Coffin of Christ. In her, the Metropolitan of Jerusalem will go alone, but a few steps away from him will be a representative of the Armenian church. The descent of the Holy Fire takes place in several stages:
- The Patriarch starts prayers praising Jesus Christ.
- Appeal to God can take as many hours, and several minutes.
- On the stone slab, lights flash, flowing like drops.
- The patriarch picks them up with a cotton ball and lights up a bunch of candles.
Why does the Holy Fire do not burn?
The sheaf of candles held by the Patriarch consists of 33 pieces (according to the number of years spent on the Earth, Jesus). The only one who personally saw the secret of the Blessed Fire takes out a bundle from Kuvuklia and passes it to the Armenian Metropolitan. He shows it to the believers, and they light their candles from it. Weakened after the patriarch's earnest prayer, as soon as he appears in the doorway, he is picked up and carried to the exit with hymns. Meanwhile, the first time visitors to Jerusalem, with surprise note the special properties of the flame:
- Knowing where the Blessed Fire actually comes from, experienced tourists fearlessly wash it, put candles on their faces and bring their fingers to it.
- The color of fire varies from light blue to blue, which can not be seen anywhere else in the world.
- After 5-10 minutes after convergence, the flame on all sheaves acquires normal properties and heats up.
How can I bring the Holy Fire home?
Not less important for the believer is not only the opportunity to contemplate the Fire, but also the desire to carry his particle with him. The Holy Fire of the house can be placed in front of the iconostasis or lighted from it by the lamps and placed them in the rooms on the eve of Easter. To carry out the plan, you will need:
- A small candle, which in the temples is allowed to touch the flame from the Holy Sepulcher;
- A small lamp with a lid protecting the lamp from fading;
- Vaseline oil, which is used to support combustion.
What should you do with the Holy Fire?
Most spiritual teachers do not recommend turning into idolaters and turning fire into a kind of cult. Believers should treat him appropriately: they can find a flame in the parishes to which they bring it by plane from Jerusalem. It is believed that the Holy Fire is what allows:
- Orthodox, who could not come to the temple, personally see a miracle;
- to remind of the bright holiday of Easter, which he marks;
- to find spiritual strength for fasting on Great Saturday.
Blessed Fire - true or false?
If church officials consider sinful itself a doubt in the sacred nature of the phenomenon, then journalists and scientists are not shy in the boldest assumptions that the descent of the Holy Fire is of a completely terrestrial origin. Supporters of different versions are leading such options as:
- Hiding the fire from the inspecting patriarch. Since on the Great Sabbath day he does not have the opportunity to carry a flame with him, it can be decided that the Fire is carried and hidden from the Grave in advance.
- The chemical reaction caused by the special composition of the slab on the grave of Christ. Ethers of organic acids can give a cold fire, but its color will not be blue, but green.
- Spontaneous combustion. Some natural substances at a certain temperature of the environment and humidity can break out. This property is possessed by: white phosphorus, boric acid, jasmine oil.
Fertile fire - scientific explanation
In 2008, the skeptics had a chance to learn the nature of the Holy Fire. Before the Great Saturday, a Russian physicist Andrei Volkov was admitted to Kuvuklia, who received the approval of the Orthodox Church for the installation of equipment with sensitive sensors. Before him, no one knew the answer to the slippery question, how scientists explain the convergence of the Holy Fire, the research of Andrei Volkov gave mixed results:
- A few seconds before the appearance of the flame at the Holy Sepulcher, the physicist recorded an unusual long-wave electrically impulse that arose spontaneously.
- During the ignition of cotton wool, spread on the headstone cover, the oscillations of the pulses multiplied.
- Measurements of power have shown that a flash of fire can be compared with the operation of a low-power welding machine.
- Scientific diagnostics of the crack on the column at the entrance to Kuvukliya proved that such damage could occur solely under the influence of electricity.
Fertile fire - interesting facts
The mystical nature of the nature of Fire in history has repeatedly been associated with curious events. It was necessary to break even one tradition of his appearance, as the course of the ceremony changed in front of all the witnesses. The miracle of the convergence of the Holy Fire underwent sharp interventions twice:
- In 1101, the Latin Patriarch of Choquet decided to take the reins of the reign by the greatest Christian miracle into his own hands. The desire to unravel his mystery had taken hold of the heretic so much that he tortured the monks and received from them all the details of the procedure for the extraction of Fire. The flame did not appear after a day of vain attempts.
- In 1578 a priest from Armenia decided that the mystery of the Holy Fire would be revealed to him and obtained permission from the clergy to enter first into the Kuvukyla. Orthodox priests did not protest and remained at the door. The column before the entrance to the Sepulcher of the Lord cracked and the flames began to emanate from it.