The Baptism of the Lord: the history, features and main traditions of the holiday. Baptism of the Lord - history and traditions Epiphany of the Lord

Holy Epiphany. Baptism of the Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ

Description of the holiday

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord celebrated on January 19 (new style), is one of the twelfth feasts of the Lord and has 4 days of fore-feast and 8 days of after-feast.

Bishop Alexander (Mileant)
Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov)
Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky)
Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov)
Metropolitan Kirill
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
Saint Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky)

The establishment of the celebration of the Nativity of Christ dates back to the first centuries of Christianity. Until the 4th century, in the Eastern and Western Churches, the feast of the Nativity of Christ was celebrated on January 6, was known under the name of Theophany, and at first referred to the actual Baptism of the Savior.

The main and initial purpose of the establishment of the holiday is the remembrance and glorification of the event of the appearance in the flesh of the Son of God. But there was another reason and purpose for establishing the holiday. Somewhat earlier than in the Orthodox Church, the celebration of Baptism was introduced by Gnostic heretics (Ebionites, Docets, Basilidians), because they attached the most great importance in the life of the Savior to His Baptism. Thus, the Ebionites taught that Jesus was the son of Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary, and that Christ was united to Him at Baptism; the docets recognized in Christ the human nature only illusory; finally, the Basilidians did not recognize the incarnation and taught that “God sent his Mind, the first outflow of the Godhead, and he, like a dove, descended in the Jordan on Jesus, who before that was a simple man, accessible to sin” (). But nothing has drawn Christians into heresy, and especially into Gnosticism, as much as the worship of the Gnostics, full of harmonious and beautiful songs. It was necessary to oppose the Gnostic holiday with its own, the same.

And so, Orthodox Church established in itself the solemn feast of the Baptism of the Lord and called it Theophany, instilling the idea that on this day Christ did not become God for the first time, but only revealed Himself to be God, appearing as the One from the Trinity, the Son of God in the flesh. In order to undermine the false thinking of the Gnostics regarding the Baptism of Christ, the Church began to add to the remembrance of Baptism the remembrance of the Nativity of Christ. And thus, in the IV century throughout the East, Epiphany and Christmas were celebrated on the same day, namely January 6, under the common name of Epiphany. The initial basis for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ on January 6 (as well as Epiphany) was not the historical correspondence of this number to the birthday of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was not known exactly in ancient times, but the mysterious understanding of the relationship between the first and second Adam, between the culprit of sin and death and the Chief of life and salvation. The second Adam is Christ, according to mysterious contemplation ancient church, was born and died on the same day on which the first Adam was created and died - on the sixth, he corresponded to January 6, the first month of the year.

The feast of the Nativity of Christ was first separated from Baptism in the Roman Church in the first half of the 4th century (under Pope Julius). By moving the holiday to December 25, the Church had in mind to create a counterbalance to the pagan cult of the sun and to protect believers from participating in it. The transfer of the holiday to the 25th and its solemn worship was intended to counterbalance pagan superstitions and thereby turn the hearts of people to the knowledge of the true God. It is known that the Romans had a pagan holiday on December 25 in honor of the winter solstice - the day (birth) of the appearance of the invincible sun, which winter could not overcome and which from that time goes to spring. This holiday of the renewing "god of the sun" was a day of unbridled amusements of the people, a day of fun for slaves and children, etc. Thus, in itself this day was the most appropriate for remembering the event of the Nativity of Jesus Christ, Who in the New Testament is called the Sun of Truth, Light of the world, Savior of people, Conqueror of death.

The celebration of the Nativity of Christ on December 25 in the Eastern Church was introduced later than in the Western, namely, in the second half of the 4th century. For the first time, the separate celebration of the Nativity of Christ and the Baptism of the Lord was introduced in the Church of Constantinople around the year 377 at the direction of Emperor Arcadius, following the custom of the Roman Church and thanks to the energy and power of the eloquence of St. John Chrysostom. From Constantinople, the custom of celebrating the Nativity of Christ on December 25 spread throughout the Orthodox East.

The establishment of the celebration of the Nativity of Christ on December 25 had another reason. According to the Church Fathers of the III and IV centuries. (St. Hippolytus, Tertullian, St. John Chrysostom, St. Cyril of Alexandria, Blessed Augustine), the 25th of December historically corresponds most of all to the day of the very birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Of the stichera and troparia considered in this service, dedicated to the Nativity of Christ, the most ancient, presumably, are the 1st stichera on “Lord, I have called”, kontakion and ikos. The kontakion and ikos were composed in the 6th century by St. Roman the Sweet Singer. He compiled 24 ikos, of which the modern service retains only the first two (kontakion and ikos). The troparion and luminaries of the feast are also very ancient.

Already in the VII-VIII centuries. Menaia are known with services to the Nativity of Christ in their whole form. In the 10th century, there were already services of forefeast and afterfeast. And in the XI-XII centuries. the service dedicated to the Nativity of Christ takes on the same form in the east in its changing parts, like the modern service.

The compilers of the modern service at Christmas are mainly songwriters of the 6th-9th centuries: St. (kontakion and ikos), St. (stichera in praise), St. (a number of stichera on "Lord, I have called" and stichera on the lithium), St. (many of the stichera of vespers, canon), St. (canon) and others.

Epiphany

Our Lord Jesus Christ, upon his return from Egypt, dwelt in Galilee, in his city of Nazareth, where he was brought up, hiding from people the power of His Divinity and wisdom until the age of thirty, for it was not possible for the Jews to take the rank of teacher before the age of thirty. priest. Therefore, Christ did not begin His preaching and did not show Himself the Son of God and "a great high priest who passed through the heavens"(), until it reaches the indicated age. In Nazareth, He stayed with His Most Pure Mother, at first with His imaginary father, Joseph the woodworker, while he was alive, and was engaged in carpentry work with him; and then, when Joseph died, He Himself continued the same work, earning food for Himself and for the Most Pure Mother of God by the labors of His hands, in order to teach us diligence (). When the thirtieth year of His earthly life was fulfilled and the time of His Divine appearance to the people of Israel came, then, as the Gospel says, "the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness"(), - a verb that sent him to baptize with water and announced to him a sign by which John was to recognize the Messiah who had come into the world. The Baptist himself speaks of this in his sermon in the following words: “He who sent me to baptize in water said to me: on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, He is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit” ().

So John, listening to the word of God, went about all over the land of Jordan, preaching "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins"(), for He was the One whom Isaiah foretold: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make straight paths in the wilderness for our God"( ; cf ). And the whole Jewish country, and the Jerusalemites, went out to him, and they were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins (). Then Jesus also came from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized from him (). He came at a time when John announced Him to the people, saying: "The strongest of me is coming after me, in whom I am not worthy, bending down to untie the strap of His shoes; I baptized you with water, and He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (). After this announcement, Jesus came to be baptized. Although He did not need this, as sinless and blameless, born of the Most Pure and Most Holy Virgin Mary and Himself being the source of all purity and holiness, but since He took upon Himself the sins of the whole world, He came to the river to purify them through baptism. He came to be baptized, and in order to sanctify the nature of water, He came to be baptized in order to build for us the font of holy baptism. He also came to John so that he, seeing the Holy Spirit descending upon the baptized one and hearing from above the voice of God the Father, would be an honest witness about Christ.

"But John held Him back and said: I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"() He knew in spirit the One about Whom for thirty years "jumped happily" in his mother's womb (), therefore he himself demanded baptism from Him, as being under the sin of disobedience, which had passed from Adam to the whole human race. But the Lord said to John: "leave it now, for thus it behooves us to fulfill all righteousness" ().

By righteousness, Saint Chrysostom means here the commandments of God, as if Jesus had said this: "since I have fulfilled all the commandments that are given in the law, and only one remains - regarding baptism, then it is fitting for me to fulfill this one." The baptism of John was also a divine commandment, as can be seen from the words of John: "The one who sent me to baptize in water said to me"(). Who sent? Obviously God Himself "was- it is said in the Gospel, - word of God to John(). And also because Jesus was baptized, being thirty years old, because the age of thirty, according to Chrysostom and Fefilakt, is docile to every sin. For the age of youth is subject to the fire of carnal passions, while at the age of thirty - the time of full disclosure of male powers - a person submits to gold-loving, vanity, rage, anger and all kinds of sins. Therefore, Christ the Lord delayed accepting baptism until this age, in order to fulfill the law at all ages of human life and sanctify our whole nature and give us strength to overcome passions and beware of mortal sins.

After receiving baptism, the Lord immediately, without any delay, came out of the water. There is a legend that Saint John the Baptist immersed every person who was baptized by him up to the neck and held him like that until he confessed all his sins; after this, the baptized was allowed to come out of the water. But Christ, who did not have sins, was not detained in the water, and therefore the gospel added that He came out of the water immediately ().

When the Lord emerged from the water, the heavens opened above Him, a light flashed from above in the form of lightning, and the Spirit of God in the form of a dove descended on the Lord who was baptized. Just as in the days of Noah the dove announced the diminution of the waters of the flood, so here the likeness of the dove foretold the end of the flood of sin. And in the form of a dove, the Holy Spirit appeared because this bird is pure, loves people, meek, gentle and does not tolerate anything stinking: so the Holy Spirit is the source of purity, the abyss of philanthropy, the teacher of meekness and the organizer of the world: moreover, He always moves away from man groveling in the stinking mire of sins. When the Holy Spirit descended like a dove on Christ Jesus from heaven, a voice was heard saying: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased"(). And to him befits glory and power forever and ever. Amen.

Word of St. John Chrysostom on the Epiphany of the Lord

I want, beloved, to celebrate and triumph, for the holy day of enlightenment is the seal of the feast and the day of triumph. He captures the Bethlehem den, where the Ancient of Days, like a baby at his mother's breast, lay in a manger; he also opens the Jordanian sources, where the same Ancient of Days is now baptized with sinners, granting Measure with His pure body the remission of sins. In the first case, having come from the womb of the Most Pure Virgin, he appeared to babies as a baby, to a mother as a son, to the Magi as a gift to shepherds - as a good shepherd, who, according to the word of Divine Scripture, lays down His life for sheep (). In the second case, it is at His baptism that He comes to Jordanian waters in order to wash away the sins of tax collectors and sinners. Speaking of the extraordinary miraculousness of such an event, the wise Paul exclaims: "The grace of God has appeared, saving all men"(). For now the world is enlightened in all its parts: above all, heaven rejoices, transmitting to people the voice of God descending from heavenly heights, the air is sanctified by the flight of the Holy Spirit, the nature of water is sanctified, as if learning to wash souls along with bodies, and all earthly creatures rejoice. . Only the devil weeps when he sees the holy font prepared to drown his might.

What else does the gospel say? "Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him. John held Him back and said: I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" (). Who saw the Lord standing before the slave? Who saw the king bow his head before his warrior? Who has seen a shepherd to whom a sheep would show the way? Who has seen the leader of the races, who would receive an award from the one practicing on the run? "I need to be baptized by You," i.e. Teach me, Master, Thou Thyself the baptism which Thou wishest to give to the world. I need You to baptize me, because I am under the burden of the sin of my parents and carry the venom of the snake in me. I need to wash away the filth of an ancient crime, and for what sins did You come to be baptized? The prophet also testified about you, saying: "because he did no sin, and there was no deceit in his mouth"(). How then, by Himself giving deliverance, do You seek purification? Baptized, according to custom, confess their sins; What do you have to confess when you are completely sinless? Why do You require from me what I have not learned? I do not dare to do what exceeds my strength; I do not know how to wash the light; I do not know how to illuminate the sun of truth. The night does not illuminate the day, gold cannot be purer than tin, clay cannot mend the potter, the sea does not borrow streams from the spring, the river does not need a drop of water, purity is not sanctified by filth, and the condemned does not let the judge go free. "I need to be baptized by You." The dead cannot raise the living, the sick cannot heal the doctor, and I know the infirmity of my nature! "The student is not higher than the teacher, and the servant is not higher than his master"(). The cherubim do not approach me with fear, the seraphim do not bow to me and do not proclaim the Trisagion. I do not have heaven as a throne, the star did not foretell me to the magi, Moses, Thy saint, was barely able to see "behind you"(), how can I dare to touch your holy head? Why do you command me to do what exceeds my strength? I have no hand with which I could baptize God: "I need to be baptized by Thee." I was born of an old woman, for nature could not contradict Your command. Being in the womb of my mother and not the name of the opportunity to speak for myself, then I used her lips, and now with my own lips, I will glorify You, the Uncontainable, Whom the virginal ark contained. I am not blind like the Jews, for I know that You are the Lord, Who only for a time took the form of a slave in order to heal a person; I know that You have come to save us; I know that You are a stone cut from the mountain without the help of hands, a stone in which the believer will not be deceived. The visible signs of Your humility will not lead me astray, and I understand in spirit the greatness of Your Divinity. I am mortal, you are immortal; I am from a barren woman, but You are from a virgin. I was born before You, but not above You. I could only preach before You, but I do not dare to baptize You: I know that You are the ax lying by the tree (), that ax that cuts the barren trees of the Judaean garden. I saw a sickle ready to cut off passions and proclaimed that springs of healing would soon open everywhere, for what place would remain inaccessible to Your Jews? You will cleanse the lepers with one word, the flow of blood will stop through one touch to the edge of Your robes, from Your one command, the weakened will be strengthened again. You nourish the daughter of the Canaanite with grains of Your miracles, You open the eyes of the blind with clay. How are you asking me to lay my hands on you? "I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me; Looks at the earth, and it shakes"( ; ), they walk on water like on earth, - You, about Whom I exclaimed many times during the sermon: “The strongest of me is coming after me, in whose presence I am not worthy, bending down to untie the strap of His shoes!”() I rely only on Your inexpressible goodness and hope for Your immeasurable love of mankind, according to which You allow the harlot to wipe Your most pure feet and touch Your holy head.

What does the Lord say to him? "Leave it now, for thus it behooves us to fulfill all righteousness"(). Serve the Word like a human voice, work like a slave to the Lord, like a warrior to the king, like clay to the potter. Do not be afraid, but boldly baptize Me, for I will save the world; I give Myself to death in order to revive the mortified human nature. You, despite My command, are still slow to stretch out your hand, but the Jews will soon not be ashamed to stretch out their unclean hands on Me in order to deliver Me to death. "Leave it now, for it must be so." By My love for mankind, I decided before all ages to save the human race. For the sake of people I became a man. What could be more amazing than that that I, as a simple person, come to be baptized? I do this because I do not despise the creation of my hands, I am not ashamed of earthly nature. I have remained the same as I have been from time immemorial, and have taken on a new nature, and yet My being has remained unchanged: "I will leave you now." For the enemy of the human race, having been cast down from heaven and expelled from the earth, nestles in the nature of water, and from there I came to drive him out, as I announced about Me to the prophet: "You crushed the heads of the serpents in the water"() Leave now. "For this enemy wants to tempt Me as a man, and I endure this in order to prove his impotence, for I will say to him: "Do not tempt the Lord your God" ( ; ).

O new wonder! O unspeakable grace! Christ performs a feat, and I receive honor; He is at war with the devil, and I am the winner; He crushes the snake's head in the water, and I, as it were, are crowned with a real wrestler: He is baptized, and filth is removed from me; the Holy Spirit descends on Him, and remission of sins is given to me; of him the Father testifies as his beloved Son, and I become a son of God for his sake; the heavens are opened to him, and I enter into them; before Him, the Baptized is the heavenly kingdom, and I receive it in hereditary possession: the voice of the Father turns to Him, and together with Him I am called; The Father favors Him, and does not reject me either. For my part, I glorify the Father, who gave His voice from heaven, the Son who is baptized on earth, and the Spirit descended like a dove, God alone in the Trinity, Whom I will always worship. Amen.

Word on the Epiphany of the Lord

Saint Demetrius of Rostov

Celebrating the Epiphany of the Lord on the waters of the Jordan, let us remember that the Lord our God has also appeared above the waters in order to do various wondrous deeds. So when He appeared over the waters of the Black Sea, "the depths hid the whole bottom" and led His people on dry land; when he crossed the Jordan in the ark, he turned back the waters of this river: "Jordan," it is said, "turned back"(). Finally, at the beginning, when the Spirit of God hovered "above the water", God created heaven, earth, birds, beasts, man, and in general the whole visible world.

And now God alone appears in the Trinity over the Jordanian waters: the Father is in voice, the Son is in the flesh, the Holy Spirit is in the form of a dove. What does He produce in this manifestation of His? He creates new world, and renews everything, just as in the pre-holiday troparion to make a new world different from the first. "The old is gone, Scripture says, everything is new now(). The first world was by its nature heavy, could not ascend to heaven and needed land on which it could stand, as if hoisted. And the new world, brought out of the waters of the Jordan, is so light that it does not need dry land, is not built on earth, has no "barriers, but seeks heights," rushes quickly from the water to the heavenly doors opened above the Jordan: "Jesus immediately went up out of the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him"(). For the first world, burdened with worldly hardships, in the event that he desired to reach heaven, a ladder would be needed, established on earth, the top of which would reach heaven - but even that was only contemplated by Jacob, but he himself did not ascend her, - for the new world, ascending to heaven is possible even without a ladder. In what way? Behold, instead of a ladder, the Spirit of God, in the form of a dove, flies over the waters. And this means the following. The human race is no longer like a reptile that creeps on the ground or a crawling animal, but like a feathered bird comes out of the water of baptism; Therefore, the Holy Spirit also appeared like a bird over the waters of baptism, in order to raise up His chicks to heaven without a ladder, whom He gave birth to in the bath of baptism. And here the words of the song of Moses are performed: "hovering over his chicks"(), or, as it is read in the translation of Jerome, causes his chicks to fly. It is precisely this new world that God creates by His appearance on the waters of the Jordan, which does not cling to the earth, but, like a feathered bird, aspires on its wings to the open sky.

Let us recall here the expression of Scripture: "And God said: let the water bring forth, let the birds fly in the firmament of heaven"(), and let's see how one of the faces of the Holy Trinity, which has now appeared over the Jordanian waters during the renewal of the world, brings its spiritual chicks out of the water of baptism and calls them to fly, so that they ascend on their wings of virtue to the heavens opened above the Jordan. But before considering this, let us be convinced, on the basis of the teachers of the Church, that every person who is born of water and spirit is a celestial chick. St. John Chrysostom says: "It was said before: let the water bring forth reptiles, a living soul"; but since Christ entered the Jordanian streams, water no longer produces "reptiles, a living soul", but rational and spiritual beings - souls, who do not crawl on the earth, but like birds soar towards the sky, wherefore also David said: "our soul is like a bird"(). This bird is not earthly, but heavenly, for our habitation, which is prepared for us from baptism, is, according to the word of Scripture, in heaven. "Saint Gregory of Nyssa, reproaching those who, after being baptized, turn to former evil deeds, says:" shameless people who have received baptism, driven, by no one knows what, as if into a frenzy, lose the salvation received by the waters of baptism, although, being buried in the body of Christ, they put on the wings of an eagle and through this they have the opportunity to fly up to those heavenly birds, which are fearless spirits " Let us pay attention to these words: “being buried in the body of Christ (through baptism), they put on the wings of an eagle, so that they can fly up.” By this, this holy teacher convincingly proves that people emerging from the waters of baptism are like birds soaring to heaven. But we will also see this from history.

The Monk Nonn, Bishop of Illiopol, when he was supposed to convert the manifest sinner Pelagia to God in Antioch, saw such a vision at night in a dream: it seemed to him that he was standing in the church at the liturgy, and now some kind of black dove, stained with mud, began to fly near him ; he took her, washed her in the font, and after that the dove immediately became pure as snow, and beautiful, and flew straight from here to the sky. This vision indicated that this blessed father would turn a sinner to the Lord and enlighten her with holy baptism. So, the waters of holy baptism are so powerful that they can turn a person into a heavenly bird. The waters of Jordan also do this, giving a man wings on which he could fly into "the heavens that open before him." But not only update human nature in the waters of the Jordan it is depicted in a phenomenon, but the three venerable Persons of the Godhead who appeared take on the likeness of various birds. Thus we know that the Holy Scripture likens God the Father to an eagle: "as an eagle summons his nest"(). We also read that the Son is like a kokosh to God: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, he says, how many times have I wanted to gather your children together, as a bird gathers her chicks under her wings"(). Finally, we know that God the Holy Spirit also appeared over the Jordan in the likeness of a dove. So, why are the Persons of the Most Holy Trinity likened to the aforementioned three breeds of birds? Truly, because They bring flocks of the same chicks spiritually out of the water of baptism, that is, they make people spiritual chicks, some like an eagle, some like a kokosh, and some like a dove.

The Church triumphant in heaven divides the faithful servants of God, originating from the militant Church, in the heavenly village into three special faces: the face of teachers, the face of martyrs and the face of virgins. We will not be mistaken if we say that these three faces are three flocks of chicks born and brought out of the water of baptism. The face of teachers is a flock of eagles that soar in the sky and, without closing their eyes, look at the sunshine; for the holy teachers, implying God, fly high, as if having wings, and with a bright mind, as if with an eye, contemplating the light of the Thrice-radiant Deity, enlighten themselves and others with wisdom. The face of the martyrs is a flock of many children, for through the shedding of their blood for Christ, they gave birth to many other children for Christ: the blood of the martyrs, indeed, gave birth to many children for the primordial Church, who became more than the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. The face of the virgins has become pure doves, for they completely offer themselves as a living sacrifice to God and take care to please not the flesh, but one Lord. These three flocks of spiritual birds we said were born in the water of baptism. Let's see how this happens.

The Song of Songs says: "Turn your eyes away from me, for they disturb me"(). This means: look at me, Lord, with your merciful eyes and do not turn them away from me, for, by your mercy, I become a bird that climbs up to heaven. And in His appearances on the Jordan, God looked down on human nature: God the Father looked down, opening the heavens over the Son; God contemplated the Son, having come from Nazareth of Galilee to be baptized by John in the Jordan - contemplated, I say, for all the dirt of Adam's sin, all the infirmities of our nature He gathered and brought here in order to wash them and cleanse us from our sins - God also despised The Spirit descended upon the divine man who was baptized. Having looked upon us, God, one in the Trinity, has not really revealed human nature? He truly opened up, for through this divine charity, flocks of kokosh eagles and doves immediately appeared, that is, the faces of teachers, martyrs and virgins. Let us explain this on the basis of the Holy Scriptures.

The theologian saw in the revelation that was to him, before the throne of God, a sea of glass, as if from crystal (); this sea signified the mystery of holy baptism, for between the throne of God and a person who intends to approach the throne of God is the water of baptism, and no one else can approach God sitting on the heavenly throne, as by first crossing the sea of baptism, according to the Scriptures : "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God"(). But why is this sea, which signifies the mystery of baptism, made of glass and crystal? We know that the interpreters of Divine Scripture will say that it is made of glass because it has purity in it, which purifies the soul of a person receiving baptism, and crystal because it gives firmness to a person’s heart. Also because it is glass and crystal that, just as through glass and crystal passes Sunbeam So the grace of God penetrates through the mystery of baptism, and through it comes to a person and enlightens the temple of his soul. Finally, and for this, the sea, which is before the Throne of God and signifies the mystery of baptism, is glass and crystal, so that the Most Holy Trinity sitting on the throne is reflected and visible in it, as in a glass and crystal mirror, for in holy baptism the image of the Trinity appeared. "So go," said Jesus Christ, "teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit"(). According to human reasoning, if God the Father sat on His throne like an eagle, then in the sea, which is a throne, as it were in a glass and crystal mirror, the image of an eagle should have been reflected. If God the Son is on the throne as a kokosh - for that is how He calls Himself in the Gospel - then in that sea that was before the throne, it was as if in a mirror, the image of a kokosh would appear. If the Holy Spirit sat on that throne like a dove, then the image of a dove should have appeared in that sea. But let us explain the spiritual meaning of these images. We said that the sea seen before the throne of God means the mystery of holy baptism, in which our baptized nature is cleansed like glass, "from every filthiness of the flesh and spirit"(), our soul is strengthened and enlightened, as if crystal. And when God in the Trinity looks at this mysterious glass and crystal during our baptism, then the image of the Trinity truly appears in it. Whether God the Father looks like a spiritual eagle, or God the Son, like a spiritual kokosh, or God the Holy Spirit, like a spiritual dove, always mysterious glass and crystal, that is, our baptized nature, manifests in Himself a reflection of these spiritual birds and becomes an eagle chick or a kokosh or a dove, that is, a child of God, one in the Trinity - the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, as it is said: "To those who believe in His name, He gave power to become children of God"(). The Most Holy Trinity gazed upon human nature, those who were baptized in the waters of the Jordan, and was reflected in it, providing it, like a chick, with the spiritual wings of an eagle, kokosh and dove, that is, it multiplied teachers, martyrs of virgins in the militant church. So, it is clear that each person of the Most Holy Trinity brought forth their special spiritual chicks from the waters of the Jordan. God the Father, like an eagle, brought spiritual eagles out of the Jordan, that is, church teachers. St. Cyril of Jerusalem says: “The beginning of the world is water, the beginning of the gospel is the Jordan. The light of day shone from the water, for the Spirit of God, hovering first “above the water”, commanded the light to shine out of the darkness. The light of the holy Gospel shone from the Jordan. The first Teacher of the whole world , Christ is God's power and God's Wisdom, from where did He begin His teaching? "Since then,- it is said in the Gospel, - Jesus began to preach and say, repent"(). And immediately many teachers appeared behind Him - these are the holy apostles, whom He sent to preach. Thus, the waters gave life to both natural birds () and spiritual birds. For from where were Peter and Andrew, James and John () called to the apostolic and teaching ministry? Isn't it from water? From the fishermen the Lord chose His apostles. Where did the Samaritan woman come from as a preacher about the true Messiah in her city? Is it not from the water of the source of Jacob (). Where did the sighted blind man stand as a witness to the miraculous power of Christ? Is not the font of Siloam from the water ()? All this was a foreshadowing of holy baptism, in which spiritual blindness is healed, sinful filth is washed away, and church teachers receive divine wisdom. For by baptism that grace is given to a person, with the help of which he can acquire great understanding, from there spiritual wings grow from the teachers of faith, according to the word of Scripture: "They will raise their wings like eagles, they will flow - and they will not get tired" ().

God the Son, like a kokosh, gathering under His wings displaced children, brings forth His chicks, the holy martyrs, from the water of baptism, Himself first of all giving to the wounds His flesh baptized in water, Himself first of all laying down His life for us on the Cross, so that we too were willing to die for him. Let us recall here the words of the apostle: "We who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death"(). This means almost the same as if the apostle said: everyone who is baptized into Christ must die for Him, must "to be united with Him in the likeness of His death"(). And who was so baptized into His death, if not the holy martyrs, who say: "for you they kill us every day"()? Who else was like that "united with Him in the likeness of His death"() to which He "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter"(), if not the holy martyrs, saying: "they consider us to be sheep doomed to the slaughter"(). That is why they sing: "having preached the lamb of God, be doomed to the slaughter, like lambs." In his death, the holy forty-nine were baptized, as well as ten thousand martyrs who, along with Saint Romil, were crucified on the same day in the Armenian desert. Yes, and all the holy martyrs, who shed their blood for Christ, drew near "to the likeness of His death," as those who were baptized into His death. Even in the water of their baptism they were already predestined to the crown of martyrdom. The common kokosh has a habit of choosing the best grains for food, and, finding them, calls his chicks to him. Taking it for granted that all virtues are spiritual food, everyone must admit that there is no better grain, or there is no higher virtue, than love: "but love is greater than all"(), - and it is precisely such love that lays down its soul for the beloved: "There is no greater love than if a man lays down his life for his friends"(). This grain of love was found and pointed out to His chicks by the spiritual kokosh - Christ the Lord, laying down His soul for friends: "You, He said to the apostles, my friends"(). The called chicks flocked to this grain - the holy martyrs and began, prompted by love, to lay down their souls for the Lord, as one martyr broadcasts to the Lord: "I love you, my bridegroom, and for you I will accept suffering", martyrs who, having been thrown with the saint Callistratus into the lake, "united with Him in the likeness of His death", , . From where were these spiritual chicks called to the seed of love? Is it not from the water of baptism in which they were baptized into his death? Let us listen to St. Anastasius of Sinai, who speaks of the prudent robber, for whom the water that flowed from the ribs of Christ became the water of baptism, says: air in a swarm of birds together with the king - Christ.

God the Holy Spirit, like a dove, brings forth his chicks from the water of baptism - pigeons that are clean in body and soul, that is, virgins. For until human nature in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, through the condescension and action of the Holy Spirit, was united with the Divinity and washed by the waters of Jordan, until then marriage was higher than virginity, until then there is little about virginal purity, observed to the glory of God. where it was known. "What is born of flesh is flesh"() . Then the flesh alone gave birth, but the spirit remained barren, which is why God once said: "My Spirit will not be forever neglected by men, for they are flesh"(). When human nature descended on the Jordan, and the Holy Spirit descended on it, then suddenly from the Spirit was born into the life of higher matrimony virginity, striving not for the carnal, but for the spiritual, according to the words of John the Theologian: "what is born of the Spirit is a spirit"(). And since the spirit has a greater honor than the flesh, then virginity, united in one spirit with the Lord, has become more honorable than carnal conjugal union. Our nature, ascended into a spiritual marital union with Christ in the Jordan, became fruitful and produced from itself whole virgin faces. And such a spiritual marriage cannot produce anything other than virginity, as the prophet Zechariah pointed out when he said: "wine - at the maidens"(). By virgins the prophet means virgin faces. The Holy Spirit, according to the prophet, pours out like wine and produces virgins, for where the Holy Spirit pours out His grace, virginity cannot but be born. Blessed Jerome, in his translation of the Holy Scriptures, successfully conveys the meaning of the indicated place with the words: "wine that produces virgins." In fact, that wine of the grace of the Holy Spirit once poured out on the apostles and made them drunk so that some of them seemed to be intoxicated with wine and made them such virgins that no blemish remained in them and they became pure and whole like doves. On the feast of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Church also sings: "the spirit of salvation creates pure apostolic hearts." So now, this wine is poured out on the waters of the Jordan, and who doubts that the waters of baptism, mixed with the wine of the Holy Spirit, produce virginity, according to the words of the prophecy: “wine that gives birth to virgins,” and moreover such virgins to whom the apostle says : "I betrothed you to one man, to present you to Christ as a pure virgin"()? From the spiritual matrimony of our nature with God, virginity is born from the Spirit, which the Holy Spirit, having led out of the water of baptism, introduces into the heavenly abode.

So each Person of the Most Holy Trinity, who appeared on the Jordan, from the waters of baptism of his special spiritual chicks and, having brought them out, calls to fly on the wings of virtues given to them into the openings of heaven.

Firstly, God the Father, as a spiritual eagle, calls to flight His chicks - spiritual eagles, i.e. teachers, as having special wings, about which the Church sings: "God distributed to the flying chicks, and they ascended to heaven." What kind of wings do those chicks have? Undoubtedly, besides other virtues common to all, there are two: deed and word. That one is a church teacher, that one is a high-flying eagle, who himself actually fulfills what he teaches others in words. And that the wings of spiritual eagles are indeed words and deeds, this is clearly shown in the book of the prophet Ezekiel, who once saw four animals with four wings each, drawing the chariot of God. Those animals made noise with their wings: “And as they walked, I heard,” says the prophet, “the noise of their wings, like the sound of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty (i.e., the almighty or, but the translation of Symmachus, like the thunder of the mighty God), a loud noise, like noise in a military camp "(). Truly great was that voice, an extraordinary song! However, it is not so much the voice itself that is surprising, but where this voice came from. This voice did not come from the larynx, the word did not come from the tongue, the song did not come from the mouth, but from the wings of these animals. The prophet says: "I heard the sound of their wings." They sang, but not with their larynx, they praised God, but not with eloquent and eloquent lips and tongue, but with the same wings on which they flew: "I heard the sound of their wings."

What is the secret here? This mystery is this: the animals carrying the chariot of God meant the teachers of the church, who are the vessels chosen to spread the name of God throughout the universe, and with their teaching they carry the Church of Christ to the straight road leading to heaven, as if God's chariot , in which there are many tens of thousands of believing souls. The wings of these animals, which emit a voice and sing, mean the deed and word of the teacher. The wings that make it possible to fly indicate that the church teacher himself must first be a model of virtue, he himself must first ascend to heaven in his charitable life, as if feathered. The voice that came out of the wings of these animals means a teaching word; the teacher must emit such a voice that would be consistent with the strength of his flight, that is, he must teach the flock and at the same time he himself is obliged to live as he teaches. For the voice of a teacher does not bring such benefit when he does not see the wings of a charitable life. Only that teacher ascends directly to the sky opened above the Jordan, who flies not on one wing of the word, but also on the other wing - a virtuous life, who at the same time teaches in word and deed. It is not so easy to lift up to heaven both a teacher and a student an intricately left word or a sweet-voiced mouth or a loud larynx, like the wings of good deeds.

God the Son, like a spiritual kokosh, calls to fly His chicks - the holy martyrs. And the wings of virtue, which belong to them alone, besides other common virtues, are the following two: faith and confession. Of these martyr's wings the Apostle says: "because with the heart they believe unto righteousness, but with the mouth they confess unto salvation"(). Unshakable faith in the heart is one wing; bold confession through the mouth of the name of Christ before kings and tormentors is another wing. The first spiritual bird that flew into paradise, the prudent thief who suffered with Christ on the cross, took off precisely on such wings of Faith and confession. For at a time when our Lord, who voluntarily suffered for us, was abandoned by all, and when even Peter denied Him, promising to die with Him, one thief believed in Him with his heart and confessed with his lips, calling him King and Lord: "Remember me, Lord," he said, "when you come into your kingdom." How great was this faith of the thief, when it became impoverished in all the disciples of Christ ()! When all those who believed were offended in Christ, He alone was not offended, but prayed to him with faith, which is why He heard these words from Him: "Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise"(). St. Ambrose speaks of it this way: "at the hour when Paradise received Christ, it also received the thief, but faith alone bestowed this glory on the thief." So it is clear that this bird, i.e., the martyr crucified with Christ on the cross, flew into paradise not on any other wings, but only by faith, confessed by the lips. "This glory," says St. Ambrose, "was bestowed upon the thief by faith alone."

Finally, God the Holy Spirit, appearing in the form of a dove, calls to fly His chicks - virgins, for it is his nature to make a person a winged bird that could penetrate the highest regions. Saint Damascus sings, calling spiritual doves, holy virgins to fly. The special wings of the virtues of those doves are: the mortification of the flesh and spirit. And that the mortification of the flesh is one of the wings that lift a person to heaven, about this Saint Ambrose (Mediolansky), interpreting the words of the Gospel: "you are better than many birds"(), says this: "The flesh, disposed to the fulfillment of the Law of God and stripped of sin, according to the purity of feelings, is likened to the nature of the soul and ascends to heaven on spiritual wings." Here the holy teacher of the Church speaks of assimilation to the nature of the soul, meaning mortification, which the actual nature of the flesh, as it were, passes into the nature of the soul, when the worst is subject to the best and the flesh is enslaved to the spirit, when a person is freed from sin and purifies his feelings, which is not possible without killing. Having mortified his flesh, a person becomes light and feathered like a bird, and ascends to heaven on spiritual wings. So the mortification of the body for virginity, soaring to heaven, is the first wing, for whoever wants to keep purity, first of all, it is fitting to mortify his flesh, as indicated by the words of the prophet David, the Holy Spirit when he addresses Christ with these words: "All Your garments are like myrrh and scarlet and cassia"(). Here the interpreters of Divine Scripture mean by myrrh - the mortification of passions, by stacts - humility, by cassia - faith. These fragrances come from the garments of Christ, that is, from his holy Church, from the believers, in whom He put on as a garment, taking on flesh and dwelling in those who live pure and holy. So the Holy Spirit seems to say this: the mortification of passions, humility and faith, like precious aromas, are fragrant before Your Father from Your Church, from pure and virgin people who keep the indicated virtues in their hearts, as it were in vessels for preserving aromas. But let us ask: why does the Holy Spirit, glorifying the Church of Christ for various virtues, first of all praise her for mortifying the passions of believers, putting myrrh in the first place? In truth, in order to show that after the suppression of lawless lusts, after the cessation of carnal voluptuousness, after the mortification of the body, all other virtues follow, as if following their leader. So, the spiritual chicks of the Holy Spirit, i.e. virgins, who want to have heaven as their nest, first of all, need to have this wing, i.e. mortification of the flesh.

Their second wing is the mortification of the spirit, which consists in not only not committing sin by deed, but also not wanting it in the spirit, not thinking about it in the mind. One can be pure in body, but at the same time have various unlike desires, delighting in thoughts of the impure. Not in vain does the apostle exhort: "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit"(). These words clearly testify to the fact that there is a pure filth - the impurity of the flesh and the impurity of the spirit. For the flesh is accustomed to manifest itself - in deeds, and the spirit - in thoughts and dispositions of the heart. In vain does it boast of its purity and hopes to achieve heavenly glorification, that virginity, which keeps only the body uncorrupted, does not try to purify the soul, which is defiled by thoughts and desires. For just as a bird cannot fly on one wing, so a virgin with only bodily purity, without spiritual purity, will not enter the chamber of heaven. The one who carefully preserves this and that purity, like a dove, will fly in the wake of the One who appeared "in the form of a dove."

And so we heard what God alone did in Three Persons, appearing on the waters of the Jordan at the time of the renewal of the world - how He brought out from the waters of baptism the spiritual chicks of the church - teachers, martyrs, virgins and called them "into the opened heavens." May it be both from teachers, martyrs and virgins, and from us sinners - to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit - to God who appeared on the Jordan, honor, glory, worship and thanksgiving now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.

Sermon by Archpriest Rodion Putyatin. On the day of the Epiphany of the Lord.

Sermon of St. Luke (Voyno-Yasenetsky). Word on the day of the Epiphany.

Sermon by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh. Epiphany.

What are the life-giving and what are the terrible waters... At the beginning of the Book of Genesis, we read about how the breath of God hovered over the waters and how all living beings arose from these waters. During the life of all mankind - but so clearly in the Old Testament - we see the waters as a way of life: they preserve life... !" He is the one who was foretold through the prophet Isaiah, who said: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the ways of the Lord, straighten His paths!" This John had a garment of camel's hair, and a belt of leather around his hips; and his food was locusts and wild honey Then they went out to him from all Jerusalem and all Judea, and were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. Theophany, Baptism of the Lord

The Baptism of the Lord, or Epiphany, Orthodox Christians celebrate on January 19. On this day, the Church remembers the gospel event - how the prophet John the Baptist baptized the Lord Jesus Christ in the Jordan River.

Baptism. I. Aivazovsky. 1890s Feodosia Art Gallery. I. K. Aivazovsky

The Baptism of the Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ is one of the most important Christian holidays. On this day, Christians around the world remember the gospel event - the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. The Savior was baptized by the prophet John the Baptist, who is also called the Baptist.

The second name, Epiphany, is given to the holiday in memory of the miracle that happened during baptism. The Holy Spirit descended on Christ from heaven in the form of a dove, and a voice from heaven called him the Son. Evangelist Luke writes about this: The sky was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and there was a voice from heaven, saying: You are My Beloved Son; My favor is in you! (Matthew 3:14-17). Thus, the Holy Trinity was revealed in visible and accessible to man images: the voice is God the Father, the dove is God the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ is God the Son. And it was testified that Jesus is not only the Son of Man, but also the Son of God. God appeared to people.

The Baptism of the Lord is the twelfth feast. The Twelfth are called holidays that are dogmatically closely connected with the events of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Mother of God and are divided into the Lord's (dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ) and the Theotokos (dedicated to the Mother of God). Theophany is the Lord's feast.

Epiphany Christmas Eve (Novel) is the popular name of the day on the eve of the feast of the Epiphany, which comes from the word "sochivo" - a lenten dish that believers eat on this day. Sochivo are boiled wheat grains seasoned with honey, dried fruits and other sweets. In church tradition, this time is called the Eve of the Baptism of the Lord or the Eve of Theophany.

Traditionally, the Hours and Vespers are celebrated in the temple on this day with the reading of proverbs (excerpts from the books of Holy Scripture) and the Liturgy of Basil the Great, that is, this is a very large service, similar to those celebrated on Christmas Eve and Holy Saturday.

All liturgical texts of this day are dedicated to the Baptism of the Lord and Theophany. Liturgy on this day begins with Vespers, that is, it unusual view Liturgy, which takes place only a few times a year - Christmas Eve, Epiphany Christmas Eve, Maundy Thursday and Holy Saturday.

On Epiphany Christmas Eve, fasting is strict and, in principle, nothing is supposed to be eaten until the water is blessed, that is, until about noon on January 18th. According to tradition, believers eat sochivo. In fact, Epiphany Christmas Eve is the first fast day after Christmas, since before that Christmas time is celebrated in the Church when there is no fast. However, the day itself on the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord is not fasting.

After fasting and wandering in the desert, the prophet John the Baptist came to the Jordan River, where the Jews traditionally performed religious ablutions. Here he began to speak to the people about repentance and baptism for the remission of sins and baptize people in the waters. It was not the Sacrament of Baptism as we know it now, but it was a type of it.

The people believed the prophecies of John the Baptist, many were baptized in the Jordan.

And then, one day, Jesus Christ himself came to the banks of the river.

At that time He was thirty years old. The Savior asked John to baptize Him. The Prophet was surprised to the depths of his soul and said: “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Christ assured him that "it behooves us to fulfill all righteousness." At the time of baptism the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and there was a voice from heaven, saying: You are My Beloved Son; My favor is in you! (Luke 3:21-22).

The Baptism of the Lord was the first appearance of Christ to the people of Israel. It was after the Epiphany that the first disciples followed the Teacher - the apostles Andrew, Simon (Peter), Philip, Nathanael.

In two Gospels - from Matthew and Luke - we read that after Baptism the Savior withdrew into the wilderness, where he fasted for forty days in order to prepare for a mission among people.

He was tempted by the devil and did not eat anything during these days, and after the end of them he became hungry (Luke 4:2). The devil approached Christ three times and tempted Him, but the Savior remained strong and rejected the evil one (as the devil is called).

The Baptism of the Lord began to be celebrated even when the apostles were alive - we find a mention of this day in the Decrees and Rules of the Apostles. But at first, Epiphany and Christmas were a single holiday, and it was called Epiphany.

Since the end of the 4th century (in different places in different ways), the Baptism of the Lord has become a separate holiday. But even now we can observe echoes of the unity of Christmas and Baptism - in worship. For example, both holidays have an eve - Christmas Eve, with strict fasting and special traditions.

In the first centuries of Christianity, new converts were baptized on Theophany (they were called catechumens), so this day was often called the “Day of Enlightenment”, “Feast of Lights”, or “Holy Lights” - as a sign that the Sacrament of Baptism cleanses a person from sin and enlightens with the Light of Christ . Even then there was a tradition to consecrate the waters in reservoirs on this day.

In the early Christian images of the events of the Baptism of the Lord, the Savior appears before us young and without a beard; later He was portrayed as a grown man.

From the 6th-7th centuries, images of angels appear on the icons of Baptism - most often there are three of them and they stand on the opposite bank of the Jordan from the prophet John the Baptist. In memory of the miracle of the Epiphany, an island of heaven is depicted above the Christ standing in the water, from which a dove descends to the Baptized in rays of light - a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

January 19 Orthodox will celebrate the feast of the Baptism of the Lord or Epiphany, which January 18 will be preceded by Christmas Eve. The Baptism of the Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ is one of the most important Christian holidays. On this day, Christians around the world remember the gospel event - the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. The Savior was baptized by the prophet John the Baptist, who is also called the Baptist.

The second name, Epiphany, is given to the holiday in memory of the miracle that happened during baptism. The Holy Spirit descended on Christ from heaven in the form of a dove, and a voice from heaven called him the Son. Evangelist Luke writes about this: Heaven opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and there was a voice from heaven, saying: You are My Beloved Son; My favor is in you!(Matthew 3:14-17). So was revealed in images visible and accessible to humans, the Holy Trinity: the voice is God the Father, the dove is God the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ is God the Son. And it was testified that Jesus is not only the Son of Man, but also the Son of God. God appeared to people.

When is the Baptism of the Lord celebrated?

The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord on January 19 according to the new style (January 6 according to the old style).

The Feast of the Epiphany has 4 days of forefeast and 8 days of afterfeast.

Prefeast - one or several days before a big holiday, the divine services of which already include prayers dedicated to the upcoming celebrated event. Accordingly, the afterfeast is the same days after the holiday.

The celebration of the holiday takes place on January 27 according to the new style. The giving of the holiday is the last day of some important Orthodox holidays, celebrated with a special divine service, more solemn than on ordinary days of the afterfeast.

Events of the Baptism of the Lord

The people believed the prophecies of John the Baptist, many were baptized in the Jordan. And then, one day, Jesus Christ himself came to the banks of the river. At that time He was thirty years old. The Savior asked John to baptize Him. The Prophet was surprised to the core and said: “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Christ assured him that "We must fulfill all righteousness." At the time of baptism the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and there was a voice from heaven, saying: You are My Beloved Son; My favor is in you!

In two Gospels - from Matthew and Luke - we read that after Baptism, the Savior withdrew into the wilderness, where he fasted for forty days in order to prepare for a mission among people. He was tempted by the devil and did not eat anything during these days, and after the end of them he became hungry (Luke 4:2). The devil approached Christ three times and tempted Him, but the Savior remained strong and rejected the evil one (as the devil is called).

Features of the service of the Baptism of the Lord

Clergy on holiday Baptism of the Lord dressed in white robes. main feature Epiphany worship is the blessing of water. The water is blessed twice. The day before, January 18, Epiphany Christmas Eve- The rite of the Great Consecration of Water, which is also called the Great Agiasma. And the second time - on the day of the Epiphany, January 19, on Divine Liturgy.

The first tradition most likely goes back to the ancient Christian practice of baptizing catechumens after the morning service of Theophany. And the second is connected with the custom of Palestinian Christians to march on the day of Theophany to the Jordan to the traditional place of the baptism of Jesus Christ.

Prayers of the Baptism of the Lord

Troparion of the Baptism of the Lord
voice 1

In Jordan, baptized by You, Lord, Trinity worship appeared: For the voice of the parents testified to You, calling Your beloved Son, and the Spirit in the form of a dove, known to your word affirmation. Appear, Christ God, and enlighten the world, glory to Thee.

Translation:

When You, Lord, were baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Most Holy Trinity appeared, for the voice of the Father testified of You, calling You the beloved Son, and the Spirit, who appeared in the form of a dove, confirmed the truth of this word. Christ God, who appeared and enlightened the world, glory to Thee!

Kontakion of the Baptism of the Lord voice 4th

Thou hast appeared today to the universe, and Thy light, O Lord, is signified upon us, in the mind of those who sing Thee: Thou hast come, and Thou hast appeared the unapproachable Light.

Translation:

You have now appeared to the whole world; and Your light, O Lord, has imprinted itself upon us, consciously singing to You: “You have come and appeared, Light impregnable!”

Magnification of the Baptism of the Lord

We magnify Thee, Life-Giver Christ, for the sake of us now baptized in the flesh from John in the waters of the Jordan.

Translation:

We glorify You, Christ, the Giver of life, because You are now baptized for us in the flesh from John in the waters of the Jordan.

Holy Epiphany water

Water on the Epiphany is consecrated twice. On the eve of January 18, on Epiphany Christmas Eve, the Rite of the Great Blessing of Water, which is also called the Great Agiasma. And the second time - on the day of the Epiphany, January 19, at the Divine Liturgy. The first tradition most likely goes back to the ancient Christian practice of baptizing catechumens after the morning service of Theophany. And the second is connected with the custom of Christians of the Jerusalem Church to march on the day of Theophany to the Jordan to the traditional place of the baptism of Jesus Christ.

By tradition, Epiphany water is kept for a year - until the next Epiphany holiday. They drink it on an empty stomach, reverently and with prayer.

When to collect baptismal water?

Swimming in the hole (Jordan) for Epiphany

In Rus' simple people called the Epiphany "Water Baptism" or "Jordan". Jordan - an ice hole in the shape of a cross or a circle, cut in any reservoir and consecrated on the day of the Baptism of the Lord. After the consecration, the daring guys and men dipped and even swam in ice water; It was believed that in this way one could wash away one's sins. But this is only popular superstition. The Church teaches us that sins are washed away only by repentance through the sacrament of Confession. And swimming is just a tradition. And here, firstly, it is important to understand that this tradition is completely optional for execution. Secondly, one should remember the reverent attitude towards the shrine - baptismal water. That is, if we still decide to bathe, then we must do it reasonably (taking into account the state of health) and reverently - with prayer. And, of course, not replacing the presence of a festive divine service in the temple with bathing.

Epiphany Christmas Eve

The Feast of the Epiphany is preceded by Epiphany Christmas Eve, or the Invocation of the Epiphany. On the eve of the holiday, Orthodox Christians observe a strict fast. A traditional dish this day - sochivo, which is prepared from cereals (for example, wheat or rice), honey and raisins.

Sochivo
To prepare juicy you will need:
- wheat (grain) - 200 g
- peeled nuts - 30 g
- poppy - 150 g
- raisins - 50 g
- fruits or berries (apple, blackberry, raspberry, etc.) or jam - to taste
- vanilla sugar - to taste
- honey and sugar - to taste
- cream - 1/2 cup.

Wash the wheat well hot water, covering the grain, and cook in a saucepan over low heat until soft (or in a clay pot, in the oven), periodically adding hot water. Rinse the poppy seeds, steam with hot water for 2-3 hours, drain the water, grind the poppy seeds, add sugar, honey, vanilla sugar or any jam, crushed nuts, raisins, fruits or berries to taste, add 1/2 cup of cream or milk or boiled water, and combine all this with boiled wheat, put in a ceramic bowl and serve chilled.

According to the materials of the magazine "Foma" and the site http://foma.ru/

What is the Baptism of the Lord

The second name, Epiphany, is given to the holiday in memory of the miracle that happened during baptism. The Holy Spirit descended on Christ from heaven in the form of a dove, and a voice from heaven called him the Son. Evangelist Luke writes about this: Heaven opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and there was a voice from heaven, saying: You are My Beloved Son; My favor is in you!(Matthew 3:14-17). This is how the Holy Trinity was revealed in visible and accessible to man images: the voice is God the Father, the dove is God the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ is God the Son. And it was testified that Jesus is not only the Son of Man, but also the Son of God. God appeared to people.

The Baptism of the Lord - the history of the holiday

Events of the Baptism of the Lord

In two Gospels - from Matthew and Luke - we read that after Baptism the Savior withdrew into the wilderness, where he fasted for forty days in order to prepare for a mission among people. He was tempted by the devil and did not eat anything during these days, and after the end of them he became hungry (Luke 4:2). The devil approached Christ three times and tempted Him, but the Savior remained strong and rejected the evil one (as the devil is called).

Baptism. I. Aivazovsky. 1890s Feodosia Art Gallery. I. K. Aivazovsky

What can you eat at the Baptism of the Lord

There is no fasting on the Feast of Epiphany. But on Epiphany Christmas Eve, that is, on the eve of the holiday, the Orthodox observe a strict fast. The traditional dish of this day is sochivo, which is made from cereals (such as wheat or rice), honey and raisins.

Folk traditions of the Baptism of the Lord

Each church holiday is reflected in folk traditions. And the richer and more ancient the history of the people, the more complex and interesting weaves of folk and church are obtained. Many customs are far from true Christianity and close to paganism, but they are nevertheless interesting from a historical point of view - to get to know the people better, to be able to separate the essence of this or that Christ's holiday from the colorful stream of folk fantasy.

In Rus', Baptism was the end of Christmas time, the girls stopped fortune-telling - a purely pagan occupation. Ordinary people were preparing for the holiday, which, it was believed, would cleanse them of sins, including the sins of Christmas divination.

At Baptism they made a great blessing of water. And two times. The first is on Epiphany Christmas Eve. Water was consecrated in the font, which stood in the center of the temple. The second time the water was consecrated already on the feast of Epiphany itself - in any local reservoir: a river, a lake, a well. A "Jordan" was cut through the ice - a hole in the form of a cross or a circle. A lectern and a wooden cross with an ice dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit, were placed nearby.

On the day of Epiphany, after the liturgy, people went to the ice hole in a procession. The priest served a prayer service, lowered the cross into the hole three times, asking for God's blessing on the water. After that, all the villagers collected holy water from the hole and merrily poured it over each other. Some daredevils even bathed in icy water in order, according to popular belief, to cleanse themselves of sins. It should be noted that this belief has nothing to do with the teachings of the Church. Swimming in the hole (Jordan) is not church sacrament or a rite, that's it folk tradition celebration of the baptism of the Lord

They consecrated not only rural reservoirs, but also rivers in large cities. For example, here is a story about how water was blessed in Moscow on the Neglinnaya River on January 6, 1699. Emperor Peter I himself took part in the ceremony. And the Swedish envoy in Moscow, Gustav Korb, described the event:

“The Feast of the Three Kings (Magi), or, rather, the Epiphany of the Lord, was marked by the blessing of the Neglinnaya River. The procession moved towards the river in the following order. The regiment of General de Gordon opened the procession ... Gordon's regiment was replaced by another, called Preobrazhensky and attracting attention with new green clothes. The place of the captain was occupied by the king, who inspired respect for his Majesty with his tall stature. ... A fence (theatrum, Jordan) was built on the solid ice of the river. Five hundred ecclesiastics, subdeacons, deacons, priests, archimandrites (abbates), bishops and archbishops, dressed in robes appropriate to their rank and position and richly decorated with gold, silver, pearls and precious stones, gave the religious ceremony a more majestic appearance. In front of a wonderful golden cross, twelve clerics carried a lantern in which three candles burned. An incredible number of people crowded on all sides, the streets were full, the rooftops were occupied with people; spectators also stood on the city walls, closely clinging to each other. As soon as the clergy filled the vast space of the fence, the sacred ceremony began, many candles were lit, and, first of all, the invocation of the grace of God followed. After a meritorious call for the mercy of God, the metropolitan began to walk around the entire fence, incense, in the middle of which the ice was broken by a pick in the form of a well, so that water was found. After three censings, the metropolitan would consecrate her by immersing a burning candle three times and the usual blessing. ... Then the patriarch, or in his absence the metropolitan, leaving the fence, usually sprinkles his Royal Majesty and all the soldiers. For the final completion of the festive celebration, a volley was fired from the guns of all regiments. ... Before the start of this ceremony, a vessel covered with red cloth was brought on six white royal horses. In this vessel, it was then necessary to take the blessed water to the palace of His Royal Majesty. In the same way, the clergy carried a certain vessel for the patriarch and a lot of others for the boyars and Moscow nobles.

Epiphany night

Dark spruce forest with snow, like fur,
Gray frosts have sprung,
In spangles of frost, as if in diamonds,
Dozed off, leaning over the birches.

Their branches froze motionless,
And between them on a snowy bosom,
Just through the lace silver,
A full moon looks from the sky.

He rose high above the forest,
In its bright light, numb,
And strangely shadows creep,
Blackening in the snow under the branches.

The bowls of the forest were covered with a blizzard, -
Only traces and paths wind,
Running away between pines and fir trees,
Between the birches to the dilapidated gatehouse.

Gray-haired blizzard lulled
With a wild song, the forest is empty,
And he fell asleep, covered with a blizzard,
All through, motionless and white.

Mysteriously slender thickets sleep,
They sleep, dressed in deep snow,
And glades, and meadows, and ravines,
Where once the streams roared.

Silence - even the branch does not crackle!
And, perhaps, behind this ravine
The wolf makes his way through the snowdrifts
Cautious and insinuating step.

Silence - and, perhaps, he is close ...
And I stand, filled with anxiety,
And I look tensely at the thickets,
On footprints and bushes along the road.

In the distant thickets, where the branches are like shadows
Patterns weave in the moonlight
Everything seems to me something alive,
Everything looks like animals are running.

Light from the forest guardhouse
Cautiously and timidly flickers,
As if he hid under the forest
And waiting for something in silence.

A diamond radiant and bright,
Now green, then blue playing,
In the east, at the throne of the Lord,
A star shines quietly, as if alive.

And above the forest, higher and higher
The moon rises, and in wondrous peace
Freezing midnight freezes
And the crystal kingdom of the forest!

Orthodox Christians celebrate on the night of January 18-19 one of the most important and most ancient holidays - Epiphany. They began to celebrate Epiphany even earlier than the Nativity of Christ; written references to it are found in manuscripts of the second century. The history of Baptism is interesting not only for Orthodox Christians, but also for people who want to broaden their horizons.

What is the meaning of the holiday of Epiphany

The day of the Baptism of Jesus is considered the day of people's knowledge of the great mystery of worship of God. It was at the moment of the Baptism of Christ that ordinary mortals witnessed the appearance of the Holy Trinity: the Father (God), the Son (Jesus) and the Spirit, who appeared in the form of a dove. It turns out that Baptism symbolizes the beginning of the emergence of the Christian religion, the moment from which the worship of God began, which ceased to be unknown. In the old days, Baptism was called the Holy Lights - this meant that the Lord descended to earth and revealed the Unapproachable Light to the world.

"Baptism" literally means "immersion in water". The miraculous properties of water were spelled out in the Old Testament - water washes away everything bad and gives rise to good. Water can destroy or revive. In pre-Christian times, washing was used for moral cleansing, and in the New Testament, baptism with water came to symbolize deliverance from sins and the birth of spiritual life.

How Jesus Christ was baptized

According to biblical traditions, on January 6, according to the old style, thirty-year-old Jesus Christ came to the Jordan River. At the same time, there was John the Baptist - the prophet, who was sent to perform such an important ceremony by the Lord God himself. John knew that he was to be baptized as a son of God, but for a long time he did not dare to proceed to the sacrament, considering himself an unworthy performer of such an important work. Jesus insisted on doing the will of God the Father and entered the waters of the Jordan.

When John began to baptize God the Son, a loud voice of the Father was heard over the earth, and the Spirit of God descended on Jesus in the form of a dove. So God the Father appeared to people and pointed them to his son, who was destined to become the Savior. After the Baptism, Jesus began to do the will of God and bring new light into the world.

How Orthodox Christians Celebrate Baptism

The Great Feast of Theophany is preceded by Epiphany Christmas Eve, a strict one-day fast that falls on January 18th. During this short fast, it is allowed to eat only lean cakes in hemp oil, popularly called sochen, and kutya. In the house on the eve of the holiday, they must do a general cleaning, throw out excess garbage and clean the corners.

The main event of Baptism is the blessing of water in all churches. On this day, water acquires miraculous power, it heals the body from diseases and cleanses the soul. Christians use baptismal water to treat illnesses, cleanse their homes, and protect them from troubles and evil forces. Water brought from the temple is necessarily sprinkled on every corner of the house, it is given to drink to the sick and children. Surprisingly, Epiphany water retains its properties for exactly one year. All this time it does not deteriorate and does not rot.

Epiphany bathing in open water is another holiday tradition that has been revived in Russia after the departure of communist principles into oblivion. It is believed that during immersion in water, all earthly sins and diseases are washed away. Ablution on the feast of the Epiphany enables a sinful person to be born again and appear before God in a renewed form. Traditionally, believers perform a threefold immersion in water, symbolizing the death of Christ and communion with his resurrection. In reservoirs covered with January ice, ice-holes in the form of crosses are cut down; such baths are usually called "Jordan".

For the holiday, many delicious treats are prepared from meat, honey and cereals. The main dishes on the Epiphany table were sweet dough crosses, pancakes and a roasted pig. Before the meal, they always ate biscuits-crosses and washed them down with consecrated water. After that, they ate pancakes with honey, and then they tasted all the available dishes. It is believed that the heavens open at Baptism, so all sincere prayers must come true.

Pre-Christian traditions

The Feast of Epiphany coincides with the end of Christmas time - festivities originating from pagan times. The evening of January 18 is the last day when it is allowed to guess the future. Fortune-telling has always been of particular interest to young girls who are interested in marriage. On the night of Epiphany and now it is customary to look into future events, but you need to know that the church does not approve of this and the direct relationship of baptismal fortune-telling to church holiday They don't have epiphany.