How to tell a child about the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ.

Name: Jesus Christ (Jesus of Nazareth)

Date of Birth: 4 BC NS.

Age: 40 years

Date of death: 36 g

Activity: central figure in Christianity, the Messiah

Jesus Christ: biography

The life of Jesus Christ is still the subject of speculation and gossip. Atheists claim that its existence is a myth, while Christians are convinced of the opposite. In the 20th century, scholars intervened in the study of the biography of Christ, who made strong arguments in favor of the New Testament.

Birth and childhood

Mary - the future mother of the holy baby, was the daughter of Anna and Joachim. They gave their three-year-old daughter to the Jerusalem monastery as God's bride. Thus, the girls atone for the sins of their parents. But, although Mary took an oath of eternal fidelity to the Lord, she had the right to live in the temple only until she was 14 years old, and after that she was obliged to get married. When the time came, Bishop Zakhariy (confessor) gave the little girl to wife to the eighty-year-old Joseph, so that she would not break her own vow with carnal pleasures.

Joseph was upset at this turn of events, but did not dare to disobey the priest. The newly-minted family began to live in Nazareth. One night, the couple had a dream in which the Archangel Gabriel appeared to them, warning that the Virgin Mary would soon become pregnant. Also, the angel warned the girl about the Holy Spirit, which will descend for conception. On the same night, Joseph learned that the birth of a holy baby would save the human race from hellish torments.

When Mary was carrying a child, Herod (king of Judah) ordered a population census, so the subjects had to appear at the place of birth. Since Joseph was born in Bethlehem, the couple went there. The young wife took the journey hard, as she was already eight months pregnant. Due to the crowd of people in the city, they did not find a home for themselves, so they were forced to go outside the city walls. There was only a barn built by the shepherds nearby.

At night, Mary is relieved of the burden by her son, whom she calls Jesus. The city of Bethlehem, located near Jerusalem, is considered the birthplace of Christ. With the date of birth, things are not unambiguous, as sources indicate conflicting figures. If we compare the time of the reign of Herod and Caesar of Rome Augustus, then this happened in the 5-6th century.

The Bible indicates that the baby was born on the night when the sky lit up brightest star... Scientists believe that such a star was a comet that flew over the Earth in the period from 12 BC to 4 BC. Of course, 8 years is not a small spread, but due to the remoteness of years and contradictory interpretations of the Gospel, even such an assumption is considered hitting the target.

Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on January 7th and Catholic Christmas on December 26th. But, according to the religious apocrypha, both dates are incorrect, since the birth of Jesus fell on March 25-27. At the same time, the pagan day of the Sun was celebrated on December 26, so the Orthodox Church moved Christmas to January 7. The confessors wanted to wean the parishioners from the "bad" holiday of the Sun by legalizing a new date. This is not disputed by the modern church either.

The Eastern sages knew in advance that a spiritual teacher would soon descend to Earth. Therefore, seeing a Star in the sky, they followed the glow and came to the cave, where they found the holy baby. Going inside, the Magi bowed to the newborn as a king and presented gifts - myrrh, gold and incense.

Immediately rumors about the newly-minted King reached Herod, who, angry, ordered the destruction of all the babies of Bethlehem. In the works of the ancient historian Josephus Flavius, information was found that two thousand babies were killed on a bloody night, and this is by no means a myth. The tyrant was so afraid for the throne that he even killed his own sons, let alone other people's children.

The holy family managed to escape from the anger of the ruler by fleeing to Egypt, where they lived for 3 years. Only after the death of the tyrant did the couple return to Bethlehem with the child. When Jesus grew up, he began to help his intended father in the carpentry business, which later earned his living.

At the age of 12, Jesus comes with his parents for Easter to Jerusalem, where for 3-4 days he conducts spiritual conversations with the scribes who interpreted the Holy Scriptures. The boy amazes his mentors with the knowledge of the Laws of Moses, and his questions baffle more than one teacher. Then, according to the Arabian Gospel, the boy withdraws into himself and hides his own miracles. Evangelists do not even write about the child's later life, explaining that the events of the zemstvo should not be reflected in the spiritual life.

Personal life

Since the Middle Ages, disputes about the personal life of Jesus did not subside. Many were worried - whether he was married, whether he left behind descendants. But the clergy tried to keep these conversations to a minimum, since the son of God could not become addicted to the earthly. Previously, there were many Gospels, each of which was interpreted in its own way. But the clergy tried to get rid of the "wrong" books. There is even a version that the mention of family life Christ is not inscribed in New Testament specially.

Other Gospels mention the wife of Christ. Historians agree that his wife was Mary Magdalene. And in the Gospel of Philip there are even lines about how the disciples of Christ were jealous of the teacher to Mary for a kiss on the lips. Although in the New Testament this girl is described as a harlot who took the path of correction and followed Christ from Galilee to Judea.

At that time, an unmarried girl did not have the right to accompany a group of wanderers, unlike the wife of one of them. If we remember that the risen Lord first appeared not to the disciples, but to the Magdalene, then everything falls into place. The apocrypha also contains indications of the marriage of Jesus when he performed the first miracle by turning water into wine. Otherwise, why would he and the Mother of God worry about food and wine at a wedding feast in Cana?

In the time of Jesus, unmarried men were considered strange and even god-loathing, so a single prophet would never have become a Teacher. If Mary Magdalene is the wife of Jesus, then the question arises as to why he chose her as a betrothed. Political trends are probably involved here.

Jesus could not become a pretender to the throne of Jerusalem, being a stranger. Taking as his wife a local girl belonging to the princely family of Benjamin's tribe, he was already becoming one of his own. A child born to a couple would become a prominent political figure and an unequivocal contender for the throne. Perhaps that is why persecutions arose, and subsequently the murder of Jesus. But the clergy represent the son of God in a different light.

Historians believe that this was the reason for the 18-year gap in his life. The Church tried to eradicate heresy, although the layer of circumstantial evidence remained on the surface.

This version is confirmed by the papyrus published by Harvard University professor Karin King, in which the phrase is clearly written: “ Jesus said to them: my wife ... ".

Baptism

God appeared to the prophet John the Baptist, who lived in the wilderness, and commanded him to preach among sinners, and to baptize those who wanted to be cleansed of sin in Jordan.

Until the age of 30, Jesus lived with his parents and helped them in every possible way, and after that an enlightenment descended on him. He longed to become a preacher, telling people about divine phenomena and the meaning of religion. Therefore, he goes to the Jordan River, where he receives baptism from John the Baptist. John immediately realized that before him was the same youth - the son of the Lord, and, perplexed, objected:

"I need to be baptized by You, but You come to me?"

Then Jesus went to the wilderness, where he wandered for 40 days. Thus, he prepared himself for the mission of atonement for the sin of the human race through the act of self-sacrifice.

At this time, Satan tries to prevent him through temptations, which each time became more sophisticated.

1. Hunger. When Christ was hungry, the tempter said:

"If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread."

2. Pride. The devil lifted the man to the top of the temple and said:

"If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, because the angels of God will support you and you will not stumble over stones."

Christ rejected this too, saying that he did not intend to test the power of God for the sake of his own whim.

3. Temptation by Faith and wealth.

"I will give you power over the kingdoms of the earth, which is devoted to me, if you worship me," Satan promised. Jesus answered: "Get away from Me, Satan, for it is written: God must be worshiped and only he must be served."

The Son of God did not give up and was not tempted by the gifts of Satan. The rite of Baptism gave him strength to fight the sinful parting words of the tempter.

12 apostles of Jesus

After wandering in the wilderness and fighting the devil, Jesus finds 12 followers and gives them a piece of his own gift. Traveling with the disciples, he brings the word of God to the people and performs miracles so that people believe.

Wonders

Turning water into fine wine.
Healing the paralyzed man.
The miraculous resurrection of Jairus's daughter.
The resurrection of the son of the widow of Nain.
Calming the storm on Lake Galilee.
Healing of the Gadarean demoniac.
A wonderful saturation of the people with five loaves of bread.
Walking of Jesus Christ on the water surface.
The healing of the daughter of the Canaanite woman.
Healing ten lepers.
Miracle on Lake Gennesaret - filling empty nets with fish.

The Son of God instructed people and explained each of his commandments, incline to God's teaching.

The popularity of the Lord grew every day and masses of people rushed to see the miraculous preacher. Jesus bequeathed the commandments, which later became the foundations of Christianity.

Love and honor the Lord God.
Do not worship idols.
Do not use the name of the Lord in idle talk.
Work for six days, and pray for the seventh.
Respect and honor your parents.
Don't kill the other or yourself.
Do not violate your marital fidelity.
Do not steal or appropriate other people's property.
Don't lie and don't be jealous.

But the more Jesus won the love of men, the more he was hated to know Jerusalem. The nobles were afraid that their power would be shaken and conspired to kill the messenger of God. Christ triumphantly enters Jerusalem on a donkey, thereby reproducing the legend of the Jews about the solemn coming of the Messiah. The people enthusiastically welcomes the New Tsar, throwing palm branches and their own clothes under his feet. People expect the age of tyranny and humiliation to end soon. With such a crowd, the Pharisees were afraid to arrest Christ and took a wait-and-see attitude.

The Jews expect from Him victory over evil, peace, security and stability, but Jesus, on the contrary, invites them to abandon everything worldly, to become homeless pilgrims who will preach the word of God. Realizing that nothing would change in power, people hated God and considered him a deceiver who destroyed their dreams and hopes. The Pharisees also played an important role here, instigating a revolt against the "false prophet." The environment becomes more and more tense, and Jesus, step by step, approaches the loneliness of the Gethsemane night.

Passion of Christ

According to the Gospel, it is customary to call Christ's passion the torments that Jesus suffered in the last days his earthly life. The clergy compiled a list of the sequence of passions:

Entry of the Lord into the Jerusalem Gates
Supper in Bethany, when a sinner washes Christ's feet with peace and her own tears, and wipes her with her hair.
Washing the feet of his disciples by God's son. When He and the apostles came to the house where it was necessary to eat the Passover, there were no servants to wash the guests' feet. Then Jesus himself washed the feet of his disciples, thereby teaching them a lesson in humility.

The Last Supper. It was here that Christ predicted that the disciples would abandon him and betray him. Soon after this conversation, Judas left for supper.
The road to the Garden of Gethsemane and prayer to the Father. At the Mount of Olives, he appeals to the Creator and asks for deliverance from the impending fate, but does not receive an answer. In deep sorrow, Jesus goes to say goodbye to his disciples, expecting earthly torments.

Judgment and crucifixion

Descending from the mountain in the middle of the night, informs them that the traitor is already close and asks his followers not to leave. However, at the moment when Judas arrived with a crowd of Roman soldiers, all the apostles were already fast asleep. The traitor kisses Jesus, ostensibly greeting, but thereby reveals the true prophet to the guards. And they put him in shackles and take him to the Sanhedrin to administer justice.

According to the Gospel, this happened on the night from Thursday to Friday of the week before Easter. The first to interrogate Christ was Anna, Caiaphas' father-in-law. He expected to hear about witchcraft and magic, thanks to which crowds of people follow the prophet and worship like a deity. Having achieved nothing, Anna sent the captive to Caiaphas, who had already gathered elders and religious fanatics.

Caiaphas accused the prophet of blasphemy for calling himself the son of God and sending him to the prefect Pontius. Pilate was a just man and tried to dissuade the audience from killing a righteous man. But judges and confessors began to demand that the guilty be crucified. Then Pontius suggested that the fate of the righteous be decided by the people gathered in the square. He announced: "I consider this person innocent, choose for yourself, life or death." But at that moment, only opponents of the prophet gathered near the court, shouting about the crucifixion.

Before the execution of Jesus, 2 executioners were beaten with lashes for a long time, torturing his body and breaking the bridge of his nose. After the public punishment, he was put on a white shirt, which was immediately soaked in blood. They put a crown of thorns on their heads, and a plaque with the inscription: "I am God" in 4 languages on the neck. The New Testament says that the inscription read: "Jesus of Nazareth - King of the Jews", but it is unlikely that such a text would fit on a small board, and even in 4 dialects. Later, Roman priests rewrote the Bible in an attempt to silence the shameful fact.

After the execution, which the righteous man endured without uttering a sound, he was to carry a heavy cross to Golgotha. Here the hands and feet of the martyr were nailed to the cross, which they dug into the ground. The guards tore off his clothes, leaving only in a loincloth. Simultaneously with Jesus, two criminals were punished, who were hanged on both sides of the inclined crossbar of the crucifix. In the morning they were released, and only Jesus remained on the cross.

At the hour of Christ's death, the earth shook, as if nature itself had rebelled against a cruel execution. The deceased was buried in the tomb, thanks to Pontius Pilate, who was very sympathetic to the innocent executed.

Resurrection

On the third day after his death, the martyr rose from the dead and appears in the flesh to his disciples. He gave them the last instructions before his ascension into heaven. When the guards came to check whether the deceased was in place, they found only an open cave and a bloody shroud.

All believers were told that Jesus' body had been stolen by his disciples. The pagans hastily covered Calvary and the Holy Sepulcher with earth.

Evidence for Jesus' Existence

After reviewing the Bibles, primary sources and archaeological finds, you can find real evidence of the existence of the Messiah on earth.

In the 20th century, during excavations in Egypt, an ancient papyrus was discovered containing verses from the Gospel. Scientists have proven that the manuscript dates back to 125-130 years.
In 1947, the oldest scrolls of biblical texts were found on the shores of the Dead Sea. This find proved that parts of the original Bible are closest to its modern sound.
In 1968, during archaeological research in the north of Jerusalem, the body of a man crucified on a cross was discovered - John (the son of Kaggol). This proves that then criminals were executed in this way, and the Bible describes the truth.
In 1990, a vessel with the remains of a deceased was found in Jerusalem. On the wall of the vessel, an inscription is engraved in the Aramaic dialect that reads: "Yosef, son of Caiaphas." Perhaps this is the son of the same high priest who subjected Jesus to persecution and judgment.
In Caesarea in 1961, an inscription was discovered on a stone associated with the name of Pontius Pilate, prefect of Judea. He was called the prefect, and not the procurator, like all subsequent successors. The same record is found in the Gospels, which proves the reality of biblical events.

Science was able to confirm the existence of Jesus, confirming the facts of the legend of the Covenant. And even a famous scientist said in 1873:

“It is extremely difficult to imagine that this immense and wonderful universe, just like man, arose by chance; it seems to me the main argument in favor of the existence of God. "

New religion

He also predicted that at the turn of the century a new religion would emerge, carrying light and positive. And so his words began to come true. A new spiritual group was born quite recently and has not yet received public recognition. The term NRM was introduced into scientific use as an opposition to the words of a sect or cult, which obviously carry a negative connotation. In 2017, there are more than 300 thousand people in the Russian Federation attached to any religious movement.

Psychologist Margaret Theler compiled a classification of NRMs, consisting of ten subgroups (religious, oriental, by interests, psychological and even political). New religious movements are dangerous because the goals of the leaders of these groups are not known for certain. And also the bulk of the groups of the new religion is directed against the Russian Orthodox Church and carries a latent threat to the Christian world.

14.05.2016

The last chapters of all four Gospels, which narrate the appearances of Christ after His Crucifixion, death on the Cross and the glorious Resurrection, are colored with a special mystical mood. These are those forty days, from the Resurrection to the Ascension, when the resurrected Christ walked the earth, usually invisible or unrecognized, and - with his own eyes - appeared to his disciples and loved ones.

Immediately striking are inconsistencies and contradictions in the description of these phenomena by the four evangelists, to which we can also add the apostle Paul's mention of Christ's appearance separately to Cephas (1 Cor. 15: 3-7) and to James, His brother in the flesh (namely - youngest son Joseph the Betrothed, who, according to legend, accompanied his father and Mary on their journey to Bethlehem for the census and back - already with the Christ Child, as well as on their flight to Egypt; he later headed the Jerusalem Christian community, becoming its first bishop and martyr).

Indeed, all four evangelists give four different versions, which partially coincide, partially complement the other (and this is natural when witnesses testify, for example, in court), but sometimes they directly contradict each other or even confuse the picture of what is happening.

First, why do the Myrrh-Bearing Wives go to the Tomb of the Teacher early Sunday morning? Matthew (28: 1) writes "to see the Sepulcher"; Mark - “bought fragrances to go to anoint Him; in Luke they also go, “carrying prepared aromas” ... John has no talk of aromas, because on the eve Nicodemus “brought a composition of myrrh and aloe, about a hundred liters”, and they, together with Joseph of Arimathea, “took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in swaddling clothes with incense, as the Jews are usually buried ”(19: 39-40). Well, well, let's say they decided to add more aromas and how to ritually mourn the Dead Man, because on the eve of the coming of the festive Saturday, everything was done in a hurry.

So, the Myrrh-Bearing Wives come to the Sepulcher and see either one angel or two, flee from the Sepulcher in fear and either remain silent, shocked (Mark 16: 8), or tell the apostles about what they saw, as well as the Angel (Angels) told them. In general, strange things are happening to Mary Magdalene: either she comes along with the others (Matthew 28-1, Mark 16-1, Luke 24-10), or alone (John 20-1), or remains , when the rest run away (and there are no grounds for this in the text), either comes back again and then already sees the Risen Christ, and then again together with another Maria (according to Father Seraphim Slobodsky's version). According to the tradition of the Church, the Mother of God was the first to receive the message of the Resurrection from an angel ("An angel cries out more gracefully ..."), but this fact, very likely, is not recorded in any canonical text. St. Gregory Palamas (Omilia 18) writes that the Mother of God went to the Sepulcher together with other Myrrh-Bearing Wives, obviously relying on a very ancient Tradition, since on some very early icons, one of them has three stars on the maforia (see below for the icon on the lid of the Vatican reliquary). However, there is no reason for this in the texts of the Gospels.

All these contradictions at one time gave critics a reason to doubt the authenticity of the testimonies of the evangelists.

However, it seems to me that all these "inconsistencies" can only be explained by the aberrations of time, which began to occur at the time of Christmas, as soon as the Lord of Time and Eternity appeared in the fallen world. As stated in the apocryphal Proto-Gospel of James (the Church did not include it in the canon, but considered it quite pious reading - it was almost entirely included in the Tradition and some plots served as the basis for the iconography of some holidays), time stopped at the time of the Nativity of Christ. And then, as it seems to me, it began to turn in the other direction - back, to the moment of the fall of the forefathers, to the "point Alpha", which should coincide with the "point Omega" - "the end of times" and the Second and glorious Coming of Christ, and then there will be "New earth and new heaven" (Rev. 21: 1). Therefore, the times after the Incarnation of the Son of God on earth are called LAST, and how long they last - a year, a century, two thousand years or more - does not matter at all, because the countdown has started anyway.

So, starting from Christmas and throughout the entire earthly life of the Son of God, time - even in the conditions of a fallen earth - does not flow quite linearly. We can assume that immediately after Christmas it seemed to split in two, flowed along two channels (at the time of the Meeting, i.e. forty days after Christmas, when the Holy Family was in the Jerusalem Temple and - at the same time - was also in Egypt), and then reconnected.

The same effects over time, only on an even larger scale, we then observe at the very end of the Gospels: firstly, this is an endless night after the Last Supper and the arrest of the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane, the courts of the Sanhedrin, Herod and Pilate, when so many events happened that they physically cannot fit in one night (is the time stretched out?); then at the moment of the Crucifixion and death of the Savior the Sun darkened, in the afternoon the night suddenly fell and how long it lasted is unknown. May have taken place solar eclipse and, if so, then it was providential - natural phenomena often coincide with significant events human history, the consequences of which are felt for a very long time, in this case - until the very end. But the fact that “... the coffins were opened; and many bodies of the departed saints were resurrected and, coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, entered the holy city and appeared to many "(Matthew 27: 52-53), this is definitely a phenomenon of an unusual order - these departed saints were clearly ahead of the time when all the dead will rise to the Last Judgment at the Second Coming of the Son of God.

It is believed that Christ was resurrected three days after the Crucifixion. But even if we count Friday (half a day), and the whole day of Saturday (from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset), as well as 4-5 hours of early Sunday morning (or rather, the first day of the next week), then the full three days will not be typed. At the same time, we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ at midnight, and the Holy Fire descends in Jerusalem even earlier - on Saturday at two or three in the afternoon, i.e. about two days after the death of the Savior. Therefore, here again there is an aberration of linear time - in those days it either stretched out, or shrank. And since the moment of the Resurrection, it has completely spread along several channels. The four Gospels describe, respectively, four options. And how many were there actually? In any case, we can add the apocryphal Gospels of Peter and Nicodemus, i.e. two more.

"In the grave of the flesh, in hell, like God in soul, in paradise with the robber, and on the Throne, if, Christ, with the Father and the Spirit, fill the whole undescribed ..."

Great Saturday - "In the sepulcher of the flesh ..." Church of St. Nikita, Chucher, Macedonia, early. 14th century Artists Mikhail Astrapa and Evtikhiy.

It is clear that the Son of God, as an equally honorable Person of the Most Holy Trinity, can be simultaneously everywhere and everywhere, in any point of the created world and at the same time outside it - in the depths of the Most Holy Trinity. But in the flesh, albeit thin and resurrected, but still material, the One Person even of the Son of God cannot be torn to pieces. Therefore, this troparion is a clear illustration of several temporal layers involved in the "current moment" of the Resurrection and forty days after, plus the Son's eternal stay in divine timelessness ("on the Throne ... with the Father and the Spirit"). An amazing, prophetic penetration of the songwriter into the essence of what was happening, taken by the Church for granted.

Therefore, all attempts to compose one Gospel out of four turned out to be unsuccessful - the Church rejected Tatian's opus along with Tatian himself (although his Diatessaron was popular for many centuries), however, it allowed different interpretations the holy fathers and modern writers, for example, Father Seraphim Slobodsky in his "Law of God" (in fact, one must somehow explain to the children the events after the Resurrection). Here's another one, modern version- Elizabeth Mitchell: http://www.origins.org.ua/page.php?id_story=1429. And, nevertheless, all such attempts suffer from strains.

For the sake of fairness, it should be noted right away that the ancient and medieval Christians were not aware of such concepts as “time aberrations”, “nonlinearity of time”, etc. They operated with only two concepts - "time" (meaning by this word only linear time, that is, "chronos") and "eternity" ("aeon"), although some writers (for example, St. Basil the Great in "Shestodnevo" ), perhaps even on a subconscious level, felt that these two terms were not enough. However, this topic is very broad and deep and deserves a separate discussion. In the meantime, what has been said, I think, prevails.

Christian artists, on the other hand, had no choice but to choose one of the options and present it on the icon (whether on a board, wall, ivory plate, casket, etc.). However, on the walls of large cathedrals one could give two or more options, or somehow combine the incompatible.

Therefore, in order not to fall into fantasies, you will have to analyze examples Byzantine iconography, relying on the Gospel texts, but placing them - very conditionally - in a temporal sequence, "in a ruler" (although, I repeat, this is actually impossible).

It is impossible to describe the unspeakable event of the Resurrection of Christ in human words. First of all, because no one saw him. The apocryphal Gospel of Peter is also a story from the outside - the witness watches the exit of the Risen One from the cave tomb, hiding in the garden at night. And it is unlikely that it was the Apostle Peter, who, as is known from the canonical Gospels, did not even believe the words of the Myrrh-Bearing Women, until he himself saw the Savior with his own eyes.

Therefore, the earliest Christian images of the Resurrection of Christ are precisely the visit of the Holy Sepulcher by the Myrrh-Bearing Wives. The Descent into Hell iconography, based on the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus, appeared later, already in the post-iconoclastic period.

The oldest surviving icon depicting the Myrrh-Bearing Woman at the Tomb of Christ was found on the territory of present-day Syria, in the one who died in 257 AD. the city of Dura-Europos on the banks of the Euphrates river. During excavations already in the 20th century. the oldest building of a Christian church, decorated with wall paintings, was found there. Among other sacred images there are "Myrrh-Bearing Wives".

The Holy Sepulcher is shown very conditionally - as a large sarcophagus of the Roman type with a lid - probably the "duro-European" Christians had a very vague understanding of the Jewish burial customs, and even if they did, they could not see the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem - after the capture and destruction The city was buried by Roman troops under heaps of rubbish and, in part, under the temple of Venus, built under the Emperor Hadrian. But it is very clearly shown that the Myrrhbearers came at dawn - a bright full moon to the right of the Tomb it sets, and to the left, right in front of the Myrrh-bearers, the "morning star" (Venus) shines.

In the 3rd century we see the flowering of Christian painting in the Roman catacombs. The technique is typically Roman; the best examples are reminiscent of the frescoes of Pompeii. The first Christians used the catacombs as cemeteries, and the main theme of the images there is death and resurrection. Therefore, the icons of the appearances of the Risen Christ would be quite organic and logical there. However, oddly enough, they are not there. In general, the number of plots on the walls of the catacombs is very limited. These are, basically: Christ - the Good Shepherd, Adam and Eve, the story of Jonah, the resurrection of Lazarus, Noah crawling out of the ark, three youths in a cave of fire, Daniel in the lion's den, the Last Supper (or the Eucharist of Christians themselves - the scenes of the meal are similar, and not you can always distinguish them) and numerous orants. There are images of miracles - basically, this is the saturation of many people with bread and fish and the healing of the paralytic, who walks and drags his bed on his back.

And here is a plot rare for the Roman catacombs:

This fresco is interpreted both as the healing of a bleeding wife, and as the appearance of the Risen Christ to Mary Magdalene. It seems to me the second. If we compare it with the famous painting of the early 19th century, then doubts disappear by themselves. A. Ivanov, most likely, visited the catacombs and saw this fresco, as Leonardo da Vinci once "spied" his Madonna Litta in the same place.

The tradition of such iconography was not interrupted - there are icons with the appearance of Christ to Mary Magdalene and two Mary at once. But about them a little later.

Let us now consider the iconography of the "Myrrh-Bearing Women at the Tomb" of the post-Constantine era.

As you know, under Emperor Constantine, the Holy Sepulcher (as well as His Cross, and Golgotha, and the entire complex of shrines), found by the efforts of his mother, Equal to the Apostles, Helen, was hewn out of a large monolithic rock, and what remained of this rock was covered with an umbrella dome, forming a chapel-altar inside a round church-martyria, which was named "Anastasis" ("Resurrection") and became a place of pilgrimage.

And the myrrh-bearing wives on Christian icons began to come ... to Constantine's rotunda.

Ravenna, Basilica of Sant Apollinare Nuovo, 6th century

Inside the circular building with a tiled dome, a stone plaque is clearly visible - perhaps the fallen lid of a sarcophagus. or a broken door, despite the fact that the Angel is sitting on a heaped stone.

On the lid of a 6th century wooden reliquary box. (now kept in the Vatican) with the image of the Crucifixion and four holidays there is also the Resurrection, that is, according to the custom of that time - “Myrrh-Bearing Women at the Tomb”.

The angel sitting on the stone invites the myrrh-bearers with a gesture to enter the Coffin-Kuvuklia under the umbrella dome (on top there is another dome - hemispherical with windows), inside which there is a throne on an avalanche, where during the Sabbath the dead Body of Christ lay and where the Eucharist was celebrated since Apostolic times.

Pilgrims loved to take away with them as souvenirs-blessings ("Eulogius") small ampoules with holy water from Jordan, oil from lamps from "Anastasis" or simply with the land of Palestine. The cheapest ones were made of lead and had various sacred images on the barrels, including the Myrrh-Bearing Women at the Tomb.

Several pieces were sent as a gift to the Lombard Queen Theodelinde by Pope Gregory I the Great around 600 and the entire collection is now kept in Monza.

Sometimes such ampoules were cut in half and icons-medallions were made from each side.

As you can see, the rotunda itself is depicted rather conditionally (as, incidentally, on other icons of the Myrrh-Bearing Women at the Tomb). However, some details were conveyed: in the first case, the grate around the Cuvuklia, in the second - the lamp over the avalanche throne.

The same - on an ivory reliquary box, made approx. 500 years.

The coffin is also conditionally rendered on a unique carved wooden door preserved in the Basilica of Santa Sabina in Rome (c. 430).

For ancient artists, it was not the accuracy in the transmission of details that was important, but the symbol, the sign. Therefore, in the Gospel of Rabula (Syria, 6th century), the image of the Tomb is completely schematic and looks more like a Roman mausoleum with double doors, from behind which three beams break out and hit the guardian warriors; between them and the "Coffin" - a large stone rolled away with a seal, which, it would seem, is useless when there are doors. For some reason, the angel sits not on a stone, but on a stool.

However, on ivory plates of the 5th-6th centuries. "Anastasis", as a rule, is depicted somewhat more accurately - as a two-tiered rotunda with a dome.

It's amazing how the masters fit several scenes at once on small-sized discs.

Diptych of Milan, 5th century
1st wing: Washing the feet, arresting Christ + Pilate washes his hands, Judas returns the money and right there he is already hanging next to him, the Roman guard at the Sepulcher (two-tier rotunda).
2nd wing: fleeing soldiers + an angel (still without wings) at the Tomb announces the Resurrection to the Myrrhbearers, the appearance of the Risen Christ to the two Mary, the appearance of the eleven apostles in the evening of the same day, the assurance of Thomas.
The second panel depicts the apparitions of Christ after the Resurrection.

But there are bone plates-icons with two or even one plot.

Roman plate, 4th century. from the Bavarian Museum. Above is the scene of the Ascension, a very early version of iconography.

Plate from the British Museum, 420-430

Diptych Trivulci, con. 4 c.

However, here, too, the scene with the Myrrhbearers takes place against the backdrop of half-open doors. Let's remember this detail. We will return to it a little later (in part 2).

Let's note only one interesting detail: the scene of the Resurrection of Lazarus is depicted on the door, as it were, an obvious proof of the Resurrection and Christ Himself, who first raised Lazarus, and then He himself was resurrected. Moreover, on the icon from the Bavarian Museum, Lazarus seems to emerge from the tomb (or is it Christ himself?), On the other two - the usual familiar iconography, typologically reminiscent of the iconography of the Annunciation. Like an icon in an icon. But after several centuries it was the scene of the Annunciation that migrated from the altar pillars on the doors of the royal gates of Russian Orthodox churches. An interesting coincidence. Provident? But the Resurrection for Christ is also the second birth (in the flesh), and Christmas is often called “winter Easter”. In addition, for us, Christ by His Resurrection opened the way to the second birth - to eternal life. And the good news about this to the Myrrh-Bearing Women at the “doors” of the Tomb is announced by an Angel.

The parallel between the Resurrection of Lazarus and the Resurrection of Christ will be drawn by artists throughout the centuries of the existence of Byzantine sacred art, placing these two events on the walls of churches in close proximity to each other.

Here are the earliest surviving examples.

Cappadocia, Chavushin, c. John the Theologian ("Big dovecote"), ser. 10 c.

On the south wall, in the upper row, "The Resurrection of Lazarus" and "Entry into Jerusalem", in the lower row - "Entry into the Tomb" and "Myrrh-Bearing Women at the Tomb", then at an angle on the western wall - "Descent into Hell", that is ... Resurrection of Christ. The parallel is very clear.

Cappadocia, Goreme, c. Ascension ("With Sandals"), 11th century.

To the left of Deisis in the lunette is the "Resurrection of Lazarus", and directly opposite - "The Resurrection of Christ" ("Descent into Hell"), and "The Myrrh-Bearing Women at the Tomb" - above the niche of the deacon with the Archangel (behind the column).

The "Myrrh-Bearing Wives" by the same artist in another Cappadocian rock church, "Dark", have been better preserved (or brutally restored).

This icon (as well as the Cappadocian wall painting in general) is very peculiar, if not unique. The figures of the Myrrh-Bearing Women seem very small in comparison with the grandiose figure of the heavenly Messenger, even sitting. And the Shroud of Christ, to which he points with his finger, is coiled. Let us note, by the way, that the maforia of both Wives are decorated with stars - this is how the holy wives were sometimes depicted in the East, for example, in Cyprus, in the Church of Asin, as being likened to the Mother of God.

In the Tokaly (Buckle) church, the Gospel scenes merge into one another - not only in the “New” part of it, but also in the “Old” part, where they are located in three rows on both sides of the semicircular vault.

In the bottom row: "Crucifixion", "Descent from the Cross", "Entry into the Tomb", "Myrrh-Bearing Women at the Tomb" turn into "Descent into Hell" in a very peculiar way.

Directly from behind the empty Tomb, the figures of the king's prophets David and Solomon peep out, which already refer to the next scene - "Descent into Hell". Here (as well as in Chavushin) there is a complete impression of the sequence of events in linear time: first, Christ is resurrected, i.e. leaves the Coffin, then descends into hell - therefore, bodily, even in thin body surrounded by radiance. There is no effect of simultaneity (“In the Sepulcher fleshly, in hell for the soul ...”) there is no. And Christ tramples Satan in a human body also very concretely - "with death you come to death." Blessed are the simple-minded. And pure in heart. And it is precisely this innocence and purity of the heart, combined with a sincere and ardent faith, that is so attractive in Cappadocian - mainly monastic - painting.

The mosaics in the large cathedrals of Italy, made by masters invited from Byzantium, look quite differently - exquisitely and luxuriously.

Starting from the 10th-11th centuries. and then, already confidently - in the 12th century. The Holy Sepulcher with empty burial shroud begins to be depicted as it really was - a cave carved into the rock. This can be explained by the fact that the grandiose buildings of the Emperor Constantine, including "Anastasis", were destroyed and scattered stone by stone by the Muslims who conquered Jerusalem, and the remnant of the rock with the cave of the Holy Sepulcher appeared on the surface and stood like this for some time, but soon enough it was covered with garbage, i.e. .e. completely disappeared from human eyes. And the crusaders who conquered Jerusalem cost a lot of work to find the Holy Sepulcher. After that, they erected a new Kuvuklia and a large temple over the Tomb, which covered the Tomb, Calvary and other shrines and which still stands today.

So on Orthodox icons the Holy Sepulcher appears in the form of a cave. But even now there is a considerable amount of conventionality inherent in Byzantine sacred art, generally more symbolic than naturalistic.

Cathedral of San Marco, Venice.

Cathedral in Montreal (Palermo), 12th century

The scene "The Appearance of the Risen Christ to the Myrrh-Bearing Women in the Garden", placed immediately after the scene "At the Tomb", looks much more logical, since in both cases, it is about the bodily Resurrection of the Savior, and the temporal sequence is justified. (The figures of Christ and Mary Magdalene in the second scene are the result of a late restoration, and this is immediately evident, but does not change the meaning). And subsequently, the placement of scenes on the walls of Byzantine churches will be just that. The details of the images varied depending on which version of the four was chosen by the artist or the customer.

However, here in Montreal it seems different variants turned out to be combined. In fact, Matthew has two myrrh-bearers, Mark has three, and Luke three are named by their names, “and with them some others,” that is, exact amount unknown, and, finally, John has only Mary Magdalene. But usually the icons depict two or three named by name, among which is necessarily - Mary Magdalene, who is mentioned by all four evangelists. The left scene here is given exactly after Mark. But on the adjacent icon of the apparition of the Risen One, scenes from Matthew 28: 9-10 are combined (the apparition of Mary Magdalene and the “other” Mary, where both “grasped His feet and worshiped Him”) and John. 20: 11-17 ("Do not touch Me ..." with this very inscription: "Noli Me tangere"). Nothing to say, a witty decision.

In the church of St. George (Stare Nagorochino, Macedonia, 1317-18) on the southern wall of Vima, both options are given - the appearance of two Mary to the left of the Sepulcher with two Angels and the appearance of only Mary Magdalene to the right.

And if you try to explain this discrepancy in a more, so to speak, positivist key, without "aberrations of time", then maybe the matter was not quite the way Father Serafim Slobodskoy explains, for example? Let's look first at the Gospel of John. After all, only he was a direct witness and even a participant in the events. Matthew saw the Risen Savior along with the rest of the apostles on the evening of the same day, Mark wrote, according to legend, from the words of Peter, Luke gathered information and compiled his story from many sources.

So, according to John, Mary Magdalene was the first to come to the Sepulcher (and he does not mention other Wives at all). One came, “when it was still dark” (20: 1), ie. BEFORE dawn, therefore, earlier than other Myrrhbearers. And she didn’t come with aromas, but simply “cry”. But she also found the stone already rolled away, and the Coffin - empty. And she did not recognize the Teacher simply because it was dark, despite the brilliance of the Angels. And, perhaps, precisely because because of the bright shining of the Angels, the figure of the Savior in the darkness was poorly visible. Hearing His voice calling her by name, she immediately recognized Him and threw herself at His feet. And His warning “do not touch Me” is also understandable. If Christ came out of the Tomb just now, and was still on the verge between death and life, it was better not to touch Him - better for Mary, of course. And, delighted by the unexpected meeting, Mary Magdalene ran to the apostles to inform about the Resurrection. Meanwhile, two other Mary approached the Sepulcher, to whom Christ appeared already in a sufficiently "dense" and tangible body, and therefore allowed them to fall at His feet. And then, perhaps, others came up - Salome, John and others like them. Some of them, who did not participate in the burial, could carry aromas in the vessels, not knowing that they were no longer needed. Forecasters tell of the trip to the Sepulcher of other wives who followed Jesus from Galilee, listened to His sermons and served Him. And each of them names Mary Magdalene, knowing that she was also on the Sepulcher, but together with others or separately - it doesn't matter to them. The very fact of her presence is important to them.

In this way, one can also explain the inconsistency in the last, sixteenth chapter of Mark - between the eighth and ninth verses. Indeed, according to some researchers, this piece (verses 9-20) was attached to the main text of the Gospel of Mark a little later (it is not in the earliest manuscripts, but St. Irenaeus of Lyons already mentions it), and the meaning is as if with the ninth verse begins a new story that is not related to what was said earlier: “9 Having resurrected early on the first day of the week, Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and announced to those who were with him, weeping and weeping; 11 but when they heard that He was alive and she saw Him, they did not believe ... ”But this passage completely coincides with the story of John. Then it turns out that it was Mary Magdalene who conveyed the good news to the apostles. And the rest, according to Mark, (8) “... leaving, ran away from the grave; trembling and horror seized them, and they did not say anything to anyone, because they were afraid. " It's hard to believe that the commentators believe they quickly recovered from the shock and ran to the apostles. It seems that it was not just fear, but precisely the fear of God, i.e. that awe that Rudolph Otto writes about in his book. It is this fear of God that is "the beginning of Wisdom", because it stems from the meeting with the Divine, from the experiences of this meeting, when hands go numb and legs give way, when frost on the skin, when the head is spinning ... Mark's story ends here ...

I think that inconsistencies and imaginary "contradictions" prevail. Each text is valuable in itself. And there is something in each passage that deserves special attention.

The myrrh-bearers go to the Sepulcher, which, as mentioned earlier, was "carved in the rock" (Matt. 15:46; Luke, 23:56; Mark. 15:46), and a stone was rolled at the entrance.

Such cave graves of those times are still found in the vicinity of Jerusalem, and some even together with a stone, which is rather difficult to roll away (or rather, roll away).

Sometimes the entrance was decorated with a kind of Roman portal:

Or the deceased was placed in a specially built Roman-type mausoleum - perhaps, according to this model, a canopy was made over the remnants of the cave - Kuvuklia.

But Joseph, most likely, did not have time to formalize the entrance to his burial cave. And she remained untreated, virgin.

Here again the connection with the cave of the Nativity comes to mind. In the cave, the Savior was born on the fallen earth on the darkest and coldest night of the winter solstice, and in the cave He was laid dead and rose again, i.e. as if reborn at the time of spring flowering, when people in the East celebrate the equinox or Navruz - New World, New Russia. It is no coincidence, of course, that many cave temples arose throughout the Christian world, where the Eucharist was celebrated and man seemed to die for this fallen world and was reborn into eternal life.

The body itself was first covered with a shroud, then wrapped in swaddling-bandages and laid in the cave (which Joseph of Arimathea had arranged for himself, but yielded to the Teacher) on an avalanche - a stone ledge inside the cave, the size of which turned out to be providentially! - exactly according to the height of the earthly body of Christ (1 m 75 cm).

Lavica inside Cuvuklia.

Why did they put the sir next to the body of the deceased? Here we must take into account the attitude of the Jews to blood. They believe (and still) that the human soul is in the blood. And all even small drops of blood flowing out of the body must be buried together with the body. Therefore, righteous Joseph collected the blood that flowed from the wound from the spear into a special vessel (aka the Grail). Maybe he put it in the coffin according to custom, but then he took it back and kept it as the greatest shrine.

(I will mark an interesting point in parentheses. I remember how a few years ago the scene of a terrorist attack in one of the cities of Israel was shown on television: policemen collected on the asphalt, just scraped off even the smallest fragments of the Israeli bodies torn apart by a terrorist's bomb and removed the blood stains along with the asphalt. The commentator explained why and why).

* * *
A great many of the Byzantine icons with the Myrrh-Bearing Women have survived. And this is natural, since The Romans paid increased attention to this topic. Among them are many truly beautiful and deeply spiritual works of art. It is simply impossible to show them all here.

I will post some of them later, when I finish the story about the appearances of Christ after the Resurrection, because they should be considered in conjunction with other adjacent images and constituting integral compositions.

Until then, wonderful Russian icons.

Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Festive rank.

Novgorod icon c. 1475 g.

Interestingly, there are seven Myrrh-Bearing Women.
And the Risen Christ leaves the place of His bodily burial, unnoticed by anyone ...

Related materials

How to tell a child about the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ - such questions are often asked by parents. How to tell simply and how to tell about the essence? One of the best answers to this question is chapters from Maya Kucherskaya's book “Gospel Stories for Children”. With the kind consent of the author, we publish the chapters of the book.

Crucifixion

Wicked people crucified Jesus on the Cross. They nailed His hands and feet with nails. Only terrible robbers were punished in this way. Jesus Christ was the best on earth, but many did not understand this, because they envied Him. After all, everyone loved Him, but they do not.

Jesus Christ died on the Cross. The sky darkened, the sun stopped shining, and the earth shook. Trees and stones wept for the dead Lord.

One man named Joseph removed the body of Jesus from the Cross, wrapped it in a white cloth and placed it in a cave, in a stone coffin carved into the rock. The cave was in large garden... The entrance to the cave was closed with a huge stone so that no one could enter.

Joseph was a disciple of the Savior, but no one knew about this before. He was not afraid of anyone and himself arranged for Christ's burial.

Resurrection of christ

Mary Magdalene came to the cave where Jesus lay. It was early morning. It was quiet. Someone had already pushed the heavy stone away from the entrance. Maria went inside. But the cave was empty. Where is the Lord?

Maria began to cry. And suddenly I saw two young men in white robes. They were Angels. They were sitting where the body of Jesus used to lie.

- Why are you crying? - asked the Angels.

“Someone took Him away, but I don't even know where,” Maria answered, wiping away her tears. She didn’t think she was talking to the Angels, because she had never seen them before.

Then Mary turned and saw the Man. It was Christ, but Mary did not recognize Him. She thought it was the gardener.

- Did you take Him? Tell me where you put It.

Jesus said:

And she suddenly recognized Him. The teacher stood before her alive. So He didn't die?

“Go tell all My friends and brothers what you saw,” the Lord told her.

Mary Magdalene ran into the city. Jesus' disciples sat at home and wept bitterly. They thought they would never see Him again. Maria entered and said:

- Do not Cry. Christ is risen!

I can tell right away what not to do. Neither adults nor children should be shown Mel Gibson's film "The Passion of the Christ", where with an ugly naturalism a man who dares to portray Christ the Savior, grimaces, replacing Christ's suffering with no one knows what. This leaves a murderous impression in the soul, completely ruins the mind and heart, deprives Orthodox Christian prayer spirit.

But our great-grandmothers, Arina Rodionovna, have always been able to communicate with children and adults, to retell the Gospel to them.

It is a big mistake to think that it is necessary to lisp with five or six-year-old babies, adapting the Holy Scriptures and resorting to some diminutive suffixes. This is the lot of Protestants who carry neither the spirit of reason nor the spirit of love.

Experience testifies that one-year-old babies also sharpen their eyes and accept grace not through the intellect, which has not yet developed in them, but with their sensitive and pure heart, which, like a sponge, absorbs everything that is light, graceful, high and genuine.

That is why those mothers who read aloud the Gospel over one-year-old babies sleeping in a cradle or in an arena were not mistaken. Because, I repeat, God's grace acts on the immortal human soul in a superior way.

“So, dear children, sit closer to me. Before you go to sleep, listen, friends, about what happened on the Great Four, Thursday, in our opinion, ”says a modern, intelligent grandmother enlightened by Christian knowledge.

“Christ the Savior brings His disciples — Peter, John, Matthew, Bartholomew — remember these names — into a large room, which is called the Upper Room of Zion in the Gospel. It is located in Jerusalem. Many candles were lit in this room, and the floor and walls were covered with carpets. And Christ the Savior, from Whom comes love, peace, and beauty, girding himself with a white linen towel, approaching the apostles - Judas, Peter, Matthew - knelt down and washed their feet, dusty after traveling to Jerusalem from the surrounding villages. "

You need to know the Russian literary language, ladies and gentlemen. Pedagogical, pastoral, and parental experience shows that the words that come from the depths of the soul, the words that we draw from the heart's box, are simple and uncomplicated, clear and beautiful, like manna from heaven, they condescend and remain in the memory of our listeners - and simple people and wise men.

And we would not have had either Pushkin, or Dostoevsky, or Chekhov, or Lermontov, if they did not receive such open lessons at a young age, which we have now tried to produce. So, taking these memories from their golden childhood, the geniuses of Russian literature subsequently enriched world literature with their own masterpieces. Which is what I wish for you.

Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov

An important question arises in families when we must reveal the secret of life and death to our children. When we have to talk to our most beloved children about the worst thing in our existence - about the end of our life.

And, probably, the death and suffering of Christ can become a way to reveal this secret to those little ones who are not yet familiar with death.

There is such a general and, probably, correct idea that a child does not feel death. Havehe has a sense of eternal life. And it is correct - because there really is no death.

There is death of only one kind - death of the body, temporary, inconclusive. After all, the human soul remains alive, feeling, loving or hating. This is what the child feels.

But as he grows, he sees that people are leaving this life - grandmothers, grandfathers, and maybe someone younger. And so the suffering and death of Christ can lead a child to a deep rethinking, the experience of death - not as the final departure of a person, not as an endless tragedy, as a person who lives in the flesh feels it.

There is hardly anything to explain here - we need to slowly reveal the secret of our salvation.

What is it? The fact that we are imperfect, sinful and even can be rejected. But there is one who loved us even to death, and to the death of the godmother.

Christ, who loved us, is clearly dying as a living person. As a person who does not want to die, who would like not to die, but dies, because it is necessary for us.

A child who begins to understand something about this, you can say so. Naturalism is not needed, as, for example, in the film directed by Mel Gibson - I think that not every adult can watch it.

But it is precisely in these mean expressions to a child, who in fact is a very thoughtful and receptive being, one can say: Yes, He lived for us. And He died for us. Yes, it was painful and scary. (And what is "painful" and "scary" every child understands). But He loved us so much that He did it without doubting that it had to be done.

Yes, He worried, suffered, but he did it without thinking, because this is the solution to our problem.

If we had some other problem - not the problem of eternal death, which stands before all of us, but something more solvable and earthly, perhaps Christ would not have to die for this.

But it so happened that we had to die. And He died for us. And we will live. And He was resurrected, and we are resurrected.

By gradually revealing this secret, you can convey the foundations of Christianity to both the child and those adults who are still far from some theological topics, which are rather difficult.

Little by little, little by little, through love. After all, death itself is powerless and sometimes meaningless. And when this happens through love, when this very truth is revealed to a person - greatest love Of God to us. Then everything can be explained.

Priest Dimitri Turkin

Of course, there are different children, different parents, different spiritual experience, different circumstances, so there is no universality. But, in any case, one must speak with reverence. The child should feel that we are in awe of this. This is very significant for us, very important.

How can children be told about the suffering of Christ? They just don't understand if the child is five or six years old. He does not understand, he thinks perfectly like a child. He has never suffered before, and God grant that he will live more in joy in his nursery.

But the child must be told with reverence. And if he does not understand something, then all this is deposited in his heart, in the memory of his heart. But, first of all, a reverence for the shrine, before Christ, before the sacred history is deposited in the memory of the heart.

The child then, gradually growing, remembering, putting all this in memory and using his life experience, adds to this the reverence that he remembered from childhood.

And then faith becomes alive, then he treats it as a shrine, and not as just some story that was once told by mom or dad.

Why was Jesus Christ crucified? This question may arise from a person who either refers to this event only as to historical fact, or makes the very first steps to faith in the Savior. In the first case, the most correct decision is to try not to satisfy your idle interest, but to wait to see if, over time, a sincere desire will appear with your mind and heart to understand this. In the second case, you need to start looking for an answer to this question, of course, with reading the Bible.

In the process of reading, various personal considerations in this regard will inevitably arise. This is where a kind of separation begins. Some believe that everyone has the right to their own reading. Holy Scripture and remain in their opinion, even if it is fundamentally different from the opinion of other people. This is the position of the Protestants. Orthodoxy, which is still the main Christian denomination in Russia, relies on the reading of the Bible by the Holy Fathers. This also applies to the question: why was Jesus Christ crucified? Therefore, the next right step in trying to understand this topic is to turn to the creations of the Holy Fathers.

Don't look for an answer on the Internet

Why Orthodox Church recommends this approach? The fact is that any person who tries to live a spiritual life necessarily reflects on the meaning of events related to the earthly life of Christ, on the meaning of His sermons, and if a person moves in the right direction, then the meaning, the hidden subtext of Scripture is gradually revealed to him. But attempts to combine into one knowledge and understanding accumulated by all spiritual people and those who try to be people, gave the usual result: how many people - so many opinions. For each, even the most insignificant issue, there were so many understandings and assessments that, as inevitability, a need arose to analyze and summarize all this information. As a result, we got the following picture: several people necessarily covered the same topic absolutely, almost literally, in the same way. Having traced the pattern, it was easy to notice that the opinions exactly coincided among a certain kind of people. Usually these were saints, theologians who chose monasticism or simply led an especially strict life, more attentively than other people, treated their thoughts and actions. Purity of thoughts and feelings made them open to communion with the Holy Spirit. That is, they all received information from one source.

Discrepancies arose from the fact that, nevertheless, not a single person is perfect. No one can escape the influence of evil, which will surely seduce, try to mislead a person. Therefore, in Orthodoxy, it is customary to consider as true the opinion confirmed by the majority of the Holy Fathers. Single assessments that do not coincide with the vision of the majority can be safely attributed to personal speculation and delusion.

It is better to ask the priest about everything related to religion.

For a person who has just begun to be interested in such questions, the most the best solution there will be an appeal to the priest for help. He will be able to advise the literature suitable for the beginner. You can ask for such help at the nearest temple or in a spiritual and educational center. In such institutions, priests have the opportunity to devote a sufficient amount of time and attention to the issue. It is more correct to look for the answer to the question "Why was Jesus Christ crucified?" just that way. An unequivocal answer to it simply does not exist, and independent attempts to seek clarifications from the Fathers are dangerous, since they wrote mainly for monks.

Christ was not crucified

Any Gospel event has two meanings: explicit and hidden (spiritual). If you look from the point of view of the Savior and Christians, then the answer could be this: Christ was not crucified, He voluntarily allowed himself to be crucified for the sins of all mankind - past, present and future. The obvious reason is simple: Christ questioned all the customary views of the Jews on piety, undermined the authority of their priesthood.

The Jews, before the coming of the Messiah, consisted in excellent knowledge and accurate execution of all laws and rules. The Savior's sermons made many people think about the falsehood of such a view of the relationship with the Creator. In addition, the Jews were looking for the King promised in the prophecies. Old Testament... He had to free them from Roman slavery and stand at the head of the new earthly kingdom. The high priests were certainly afraid of an open armed uprising of the people against their power and the power of the Roman emperor. Therefore, it was decided that "it is better for us that one man should die for the people than that the whole nation should perish" (see chapter 11, verses 47-53). That's what Jesus Christ was crucified for.

Good friday

On what day was Jesus Christ crucified? All four Gospels unanimously state that Jesus was arrested on the night of Thursday to Friday of the pre-Easter week. He spent the whole night in interrogation. The priests delivered Jesus into the hands of the viceroy of the Roman emperor, the procurator Pontius Pilate. Wanting to avoid responsibility, he sent a captive to King Herod. But he, not finding anything dangerous for himself in the person of Christ, wanted to see some miracle from a well-known prophet among the people. Because Jesus refused to entertain Herod and his guests, He was again brought back to Pilate. On the same day, that is, on Friday, Christ was brutally beaten and, having placed on His shoulders the instrument of execution - the Cross, was taken outside the city and crucified.

Good Friday, which occurs in the week leading up to Easter, is a day of especially deep sorrow for Christians. In order not to forget on what day Jesus Christ was crucified, Orthodox Christians observe fasting every Friday throughout the year. As a sign of compassion to the Savior, they limit themselves to food, try to especially carefully monitor their mood, not swear, and avoid entertainment.

Calvary

Where was Jesus Christ crucified? Turning again to the Gospel, one can be convinced that all four "biographers" of the Savior unanimously point to one place - Calvary, or This is the hill outside the city walls of Jerusalem.

One more difficult question: who crucified Christ? Is it correct to answer like this: centurion Longinus and his colleagues are Roman soldiers. They drove nails into the hands and feet of Christ, Longinus pierced the already cooling Body of the Lord with a spear. But he gave the order. So he crucified the Savior? But Pilate tried in every possible way to persuade the Jewish people to let Jesus go, since he had already been punished, having been beaten, and there was “no guilt” in Him worthy of a terrible execution.

The procurator gave an order under pain of losing not only his place, but, possibly, life itself. After all, the accusers argued that Christ threatened the power of the Roman emperor. Does it mean that the Jewish people crucified their Savior? But the Jews were deceived by the high priests and their deceitful witnesses. So after all, who crucified Christ? The honest answer would be: all these people together executed an innocent person.

Hell, where is your victory ?!

It would seem that the high priests won. Christ accepted the shameful execution, the shelves of angels did not descend from Heaven to remove Him from the cross, the disciples fled. Only mother best friend and a few devoted women stayed with Him to the end. But that was not the end. The apparent victory of evil was destroyed by the resurrection of Jesus.

At least see

Trying to erase every memory of Christ, the pagans covered Calvary and the Holy Sepulcher with earth. But at the beginning of the 4th century, the Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helen arrived in Jerusalem to find the Cross of the Lord. For a long time she unsuccessfully tried to find out where Jesus Christ was crucified. She was helped by an old Jew named Judas, who reported that on the site of Golgotha there is now a temple of Venus.

After excavations, three similar crosses were found. To find out on which of them Christ was crucified, the crosses were alternately attached to the body of the deceased person. At the touch of the Life-giving Cross, this man came to life. A huge number of Christians wished to worship the shrine, so they had to raise the Cross up (erect) so that people could at least see it from afar. This event took place in 326. In memory of him, Orthodox Christians celebrate on September 27 a holiday, which is called so: Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord.