The MIracle of the Holy Light !!!!!

[Guest guest]

Description of the Miracle of Holy Light (Holy Fire) that happens

every year in Jerusalem

1) Where and when the miracle occure 2) Ceremony of Holy Light 3)

How the miracle happens 4) The history of the miracle 5) The

miracle that is unknown in the West 6) The question of the

authenticity of the miracle

 

 

 

 

Holy Fire is expected in 2007 on Saturday April, 7.

The next TV translations are planned on Russian and Ukrainian

channels

Where and when does the miracle occur?

The ceremony, which awes the souls of Christians, takes place in the

Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem. The date for Pascha is

determined anew for every year. It must be a first Sunday after the

spring equinox and Jewish Passover. Therefore, most of the time it

differs from the date of Catholic and Protestant Easter, which is

determined using different criteria. The Holy Fire is the most

renowned miracle in the world of Eastern Orthodoxy. IIt has taken

place at the same time, in the same manner, in the same place every

single year for centuries. No other miracle is known to occur so

regularly and so steadily over time. No other miracle is known to

occur so regularly and so steadily over time. It happens in the

Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the holiest place on earth

[2], where Christ was crucified, entombed, and where He finally rose

from the dead.

 

 

Ceremony of Holy Light

In order to be as close to the Sepulchre as possible, pilgrims camp

next to it. The Sepulchre is located in the small chapel called Holy

Ciborium, which is inside the Church of the Resurrection. Typically

they wait from the afternoon of Holy Friday in anticipation of the

miracle on Holy Saturday. Beginning at around 11:00 in the morning

the Christian Arabs chant traditional hymns in a loud voice. These

chants date back to the Turkish occupation of Jerusalem in the 13th

century, a period in which the Christians were not allowed to chant

anywhere but in the churches. " We are the Christians, we have been

Christians for centuries, and we shall be forever and ever. Amen! " -

they chant at the top of their voices accompanied by the sound of

drums. The drummers sit on the shoulders of others who dance

vigorously around the Holy Ciborium. But at 1:00 pm the chants fade

out, and then there is a silence. A tense silence, charged from the

anticipation of the great demonstration of God's power for all to

witness.

 

Shortly thereafter, a delegation from the local authorities elbows

its way through the crowd. At the time of the Turkish occupation of

Palestine they were Muslim Turks; today they are Israelis. Their

function is to represent the Romans at the time of Jesus. The Gospels

speak of the Romans that went to seal the tomb of Jesus, so that his

disciples would not steal his body and claim he had risen. In the

same way the Israeli authorities on this Holy Saturday come and seal

the tomb with wax. Before they seal the door, they follow a custom to

enter the tomb, and to check for any hidden source of fire, which

would make a fraud of the miracle.[1,2]

 

 

 

How the miracle occurs

" I enter the tomb and kneel in holy fear in front of the place where

Christ lay after His death and where He rose again from the dead...

(narrates Orthodox Patriarch Diodor - ed.). I find my way through the

darkness towards the inner chamber in which I fall on my knees. Here

I say certain prayers that have been handed down to us through the

centuries and, having said them, I wait. Sometimes I may wait a few

minutes, but normally the miracle happens immediately after I have

said the prayers. From the core of the very stone on which Jesus lay

an indefinable light pours forth. It usually has a blue tint, but the

colour may change and take many different hues. It cannot be

described in human terms. The light rises out of the stone as mist

may rise out of a lake — it almost looks as if the stone is covered

by a moist cloud, but it is light. This light each year behaves

differently. Sometimes it covers just the stone, while other times it

gives light to the whole sepulchre, so that people who stand outside

the tomb and look into it will see it filled with light. The light

does not burn — I have never had my beard burnt in all the sixteen

years I have been Patriarch in Jerusalem and have received the Holy

Fire. The light is of a different consistency than normal fire that

burns in an oil lamp... At a certain point the light rises and forms

a column in which the fire is of a different nature, so that I am

able to light my candles from it. When I thus have received the flame

on my candles, I go out and give the fire first to the Armenian

Patriarch and then to the Coptic. Hereafter I give the flame to all

people present in the Church. "

 

While the patriarch is inside the chapel kneeling in front of the

stone, there is darkness but far from silence outside. One hears a

rather loud mumbling, and the atmosphere is very tense. When the

Patriarch comes out with the two candles lit and shining brightly in

the darkness, a roar of jubilee resounds in the Church.[2]

 

The Holy Light is not only distributed by the Archbishop, but

operates also by itself. It is emitted from the Holy Sepulchre with a

hue completely different from that of natural light. It sparkles, it

flashes like lightning, it flies like a dove around the tabernacle of

the Holy Sepulchre, and lights up the unlit lamps of olive oil

hanging in front of it. It whirls from one side of the church to the

other. It enters some of the chapels inside the church, as for

instance the chapel of the Calvery (at a higher level than the Holy

Sepulchre) and lights up the little lamps. It lights up also the

candles of certain pilgrims. In fact there are some very pious

pilgrims who, every time they attended this ceremony, noticed that

their candles lit up on their own accord!his divine light also

presents some peculiarities: As soon as it appears it has a bluish

hue and does not burn. At the first moments of its appearance, if it

touches the face, or the mouth, or the hands, it does not burn. This

is proof of its divine and supernatural origin. We must also take

into consideration that the Holy Light appears only by the invocation

of an Orthodox Archbishop.[1]

 

The miracle is not confined to what actually happens inside the

little tomb, where the Patriarch prays. What may be even more

significant, is that the blue light is reported to appear and be

active outside the tomb. Every year many believers claim that this

miraculous light ignites candles, which they hold in their hands, of

its own initiative. All in the church wait with candles in the hope

that they may ignite spontaneously. OOften unlit oil lamps catch

light by themselves before the eyes of the pilgrims. The blue flame

is seen to move in different places in the Church. A number of signed

testimonies by pilgrims, whose candles lit spontaneously, attest to

the validity of these ignitions. The person who experiences the

miracle from close up by having the fire on the candle or seeing the

blue light usually leaves Jerusalem changed, and for everyone having

attended the ceremony, there is always a " before and after " the

miracle of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem.

 

 

How old is the wonder?

The first writtenaccount of the Holy Fire (Holy Light) dates from the

fourth century, but authors write about events that occurred in the

first century. So Ss. John Damascene and Gregory of Nissa narrate how

the Apostle Peter saw the Holy Light in the Holy Sepulchre after

Christ's resurrection. " One can trace the miracle throughout the

centuries in the many itineraries of the Holy Land. " The Russian

abbot Daniel, in his itinerary written in the years 1106-07, presents

the " Miracle of the Holy Light " and the ceremonies that frame it in a

very detailed manner. He recalls how the Patriarch goes into the

Sepulchre-chapel (the Anastasis) with two candles. The Patriarch

kneels in front of the stone on which Christ was laid after his death

and says certain prayers, at which point the miracle occurs. Light

proceeds from the core of the stone - a blue, indefinable light which

after some time kindles unlit oil lamps as well as the Patriarch's

two candles. This light is " The Holy Fire " , and it spreads to all

people present in the Church. The ceremony surrounding " The Miracle

of the Holy Fire " may be the oldest unbroken Christian ceremony in

the world. From the fourth century A.D. all the way up to our own

time, sources recall this awe-inspiring event. From these sources it

becomes clear that the miracle has been celebrated on the same spot,

on the same feast day, and in the same liturgical frame throughout

all these centuries.[2]

 

Every time heterodox have tried to obtain the Holy Fire they have

failed. Three such attempts are known. Two occured in the twelfth

century when priests of the Roman church tried to force out the

Orthodox church but by their own confession these ended with God's

punishment. [3,4] But the most miraculous event occured in the year

1579, the year when God clearly testified to whom alone may be given

His miracle.

 

" Once the Armenians (monophysites - ed.) paid the Turks, who then

occupied the Holy Land, in order to obtain permission for their

Patriarch to enter the Holy Sepulchre, the Orthodox Patriarch was

standing sorrowfully with his flock at the exit of the church, near

the left column, when the Holy Light split this column vertically and

flashed near the Orthodox Patriarch.

 

A Muslim Muezzin, called Tounom, who saw the miraculous event from an

adjacent mosque, immediately abandoned the Muslim religion and became

an Orthodox Christian. This event took place in 1579 under Sultan

Mourad IV, when the Patriarch of Jerusalem was Sophrony IV.(The above

mentioned split column still exists. It dates from the twelfth

century. The Orthodox pilgrims embrace it at the " place of the split "

as they enter the church).[2, date and name are corrected]

 

Turkish warriors stood on the wall of a building close to the gate

and lightning-struck column . When he saw this striking miracle he

cried that Christ is truly God and leaped down from a height of about

ten meters. But he was not killed-the stones under him became as soft

as wax and his footprint was left upon them. The Turks tried to

scrape away these prints but they could not destroy them; so they

remain as witnesses [5].

 

He was burned by the Turks near the Church. His remains, gathered by

the Greeks, lay in the monastery of Panagia until the 19th century

shedding chrism.

 

Muslims, who deny the Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection of

Christ, tried to put obstacles in the way of the miracle. Well known

Muslim historian Al Biruni wrote: " … a (note: Muslim) governor

brought a copper wire instead of a wick (note: for the self lighting

oil lamps), in order that it wouldn't ignite and the whole thing

would fail to occur. But as the fire descended, the copper

burned. " [6]

 

This was not the only attempt. The report written by the English

chronicler, Gautier Vinisauf, describes what happened in the year

1192.

 

" In 1187, the Saracens under the direction of Sultan Salah ad-Din

took Jerusalem. In that year, the Sultan desired to be present at the

celebration, even though he was not a Christian. Gautier Vinisauf

tells us what happened: " On his arrival, the celestial fire descended

suddenly, and the assistants were deeply moved...the Saracens... said

that the fire which they had seen to come down was produced by

fraudulent means. Salah ad-Din, wishing to expose the imposter,

caused the lamp, which the fire from Heaven had lighted, to be

extinguished, but the lamp relit immediately. He caused it to be

extinguished a second time and a third time, but it relit as of

itself. Thereupon, the Sultan, confounded, cried out in prophetic

transport: 'Yes, soon shall I die, or I shall lose Jerusalem.' " [7]

 

 

A miracle that is unknown in the West

One can ask the question of why the miracle of the Holy Fire is

almost unknown in Western Europe. In Protestant areas it may, to a

certain extent, be explained by the fact that there is no real

tradition of miracles; people don't really know in which box to place

the miracles, and they rarely feature in newspapers. But in the

Catholic tradition there is vast interest in miracles. Thus, why is

it not more well known? For this only one explanation suffices:

Church politics. Only the Orthodox Churches attend the ceremony which

is centered on the miracle. It only occurs on the Orthodox date of

Easter and without the presence of any Catholic authorities.[2]

 

 

The question of the authenticity of the miracle

As with any other miracle there are people who believe it is a fraud

and nothing but a masterpiece of Orthodox propaganda. They believe

the Patriarch has a lighter inside of the tomb. These critics,

however, are confronted with a number of problems. Matches and other

means of ignition are recent inventions. Only a few hundred years ago

lighting a fire was an undertaking that lasted much longer than the

few minutes during which the Patriarch is inside the tomb. One then

could perhaps say, he had an oil lamp burning inside, from which he

kindled the candles, but the local authorities confirmed that they

had checked the tomb and found no light inside it.

 

The best arguments against a fraud, however, are not the testimonies

of the shifting Patriarchs. The biggest challenges confronting the

critics are the thousands of independent testimonies by pilgrims

whose candles were lit spontaneously in front of their eyes without

any possible explanation. According to our investigations, it has

never been possible to film any of the candles or oil lamps igniting

by themselves. However, I am in the possession of a video filmed by a

young engineer from Bethlehem, Souhel Nabdiel. Mr. Nabdiel has been

present at the ceremony of the Holy Fire since his early childhood.

In 1996 he was asked to film the ceremony from the balcony of the

dome of the Church. Present with him on the balcony were a nun and

four other believers. The nun stood at the right hand of Nabdiel. On

the video one can see how he films down on the crowds. At a certain

point all lights are turned off - it is time for the Patriarch to

enter the tomb and receive the Holy Fire. While he is still inside

the tomb one suddenly hears a scream of surprise and wonder

originating from the nun standing next to Nabdiel. The camera begins

to shake, as one hears the excited voices of the other people present

on the balcony. The camera now turns to the right, whereby it is

possible to contemplate the cause of the commotion. A big candle,

held in the hand of the Russian nun, takes fire in front of all the

people present before the patriarch comes out of the tomb. She holds

the candle with shaking hands while making the sign of the Cross over

and over again in awe of the miracle she has witnessed. This video

appears to be the closest one gets to an actual filming of the

miracle.

 

 

 

Miracle of Holy Fire in different languagers:

 

Bulgarian - Áëàãîäàòíèÿò îãúí

Croatian - Pojava Sv. Ognja ã Jerusalimu

Danish - Lysunderet i Jerusalem

French - La lumière sainte provenant du Tombeau de notre Seigneur

Dieu et Sauveur Jésus Christ

Greek - & #928; & #949; & #961; & #953; & #949; & #967; & #972; & #956; & #949; & #957; & #945;

& #963; & #949; & #955; & #943; & #948; & #945; & #962; & #913; & #947; & #943; & #959; & #965;

& #934; & #969; & #964; & #972; & #962;

Italian - Un Grande Miracolo Dell'Ortodossia Rinnovato Annualmente Da

Secoli

Polish - Cud & #346;wi & #281;tego Ognia w Jerozolimie

Serbian - Pojava Sv. Ognja ã Jerusalimu

Spanish - El Milagro del Fuego Santo en Jerusalén

 

 

 

References:

 

1. Light at the Holy Sepulchre, Great Miracle Given by God, Only to

the Orthodox Church // The Christian Life. 1 January - 31 March 1999

(Vol. 42 / No. 1-3)

2. Niels Christian Hvidt. An Explanation of the Holy Week

Services // " Berlingske Tidende " , 15 September 1998

3. Steven Runciman. Eastern schism. Moscow, " Nauka " , 1998, pp.69-70

(in Russian). English edition: Oxford, 1955.

4. Michaud, Historie des Croisades, T.11 Liv. V.

5. Holy Fire appears from Holy Sepulchre of Christ the Savior.

Moscow, 1887, pp. 51-54 (in Russian). Narrates Andrey N. Muravyeff

(1832).

6. Chronology of the Muslim scholar Al-Biruni (973 - 1048). Al

Biruni / In the Garden of Science / Reklam - Leipzig 1991.

7. Hvidt N.C. Miracles - Encounters Between Heaven And Earth,

Gyldendal. Pp. 203-229.

Translated by Gotthard trohmaier

Photos taken from:

- http://www.orthodoxy.ru/nevskiy/Lifesobor/st_fair.html

- Gubanov Vladimir. Holy Fire: miracles on Holy Sepulchre.

Moscow, " Lestvica " , ed. 4, 2000, p. 280.

- from Internet version of printed article: © " Blagovest " , Samara

(Russia), 17 May 2002.

 

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See also about the miracle of Holy Fire:

 

Miracle pictures of Holy Fire

The miracle stories

Witnesses of the Holy Light miracle

 

 

 

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Description of miracle of Holy Fire that happens every year