What is the royal gate. Royal doors. theological opinion. Features of the manufacture and design of the Royal Doors
UNFORGETTABLE MEMORY
THE FRIEND OF THE KINGS THE MAN OF GOD GREGORY
AND THE ROYAL BISHOP ST. NEKTARIOS OF THE RUSSIAN,
OLD NICHOLAS (GURYANOV)
The gospel of the evil vinedressers (Matthew 21:33-42) tells us about the blackest and most terrible ingratitude of the Jewish people towards our Lord Jesus Christ, about the rejection and crucifixion of the Son of God - the Messiah, the Anointed One of Christ. “And that at the head of these atrocities were the spiritual leaders of Israel - the clergy, theologians, elders and high priests. And, of course, - says Rev. Georgy Breev, - this parable warns modern clergymen and theologians about the danger of being the same evil workers in the Vineyard of the New Testament. (one)
“Here is the front, not the rear” (2)
On the Island of Father Nicholas, as well as in the judgments around his name, as in a drop of water, all the unresolved issues of our church life are reflected, without a conciliar understanding of which it is impossible to fully understand and get rid of the spiritual causes that gave rise to the great confusion of the seventeenth, as a result of which there was abducted the Royal Throne and it became possible to "use the charisma of the Tsar's name as a tool in the struggle to seize legitimate power." (3)
At the head of the life-giving tasks of the Church is the realization of “the exceptional importance of the question of the divine veneration of the Name of God, on which our present and future, which extends into Eternity, depends,
and recognition namefighting , this fruit and cause of religious unbelief and fearlessness, most dangerous enemy Orthodoxy, striking basic nerve our Faith ". Shmch. Mikhail (Novoselov) urged "to give all our strength to the denunciation of this soul-destroying delusion and to the clarification of the Truth - Imyaslaviya".(4)
The Holy Tsar-Martyr Nicholas resolutely stood up for Imyaslavy and demanded from the Synod to remove all illegal prohibitions from confessors of the Name of God: who have been deprived of the joy of partaking of the Holy Mysteries and the consolation of being in church. Let's forget the strife: it's not for us to judge the greatest shrine - the Name of God, and thereby incur the wrath of the Lord on the Motherland; the court should be canceled and all the monks, following the example of Metropolitan Flavian, should be placed in monasteries, returned to their monastic rank and allowed to serve” (04/15/1914). (5)
The Elder himself was a skillful performer of the Jesus Prayer, a hesychast-name-glorifier, and considered “name-fighting heresy, equal to iconoclasm.” The apostolic husband Hermes asserted: “The name of the Son of God is great and immeasurable, and it holds the whole world”... Batiushka undoubtedly believed that with time the attitude to the Greatest Shrine - the Divine Name of God, the Sacred Mystery of the Church, will be considered with dignity and decided in favor of Name Glory by the entire Church Fullness, - for, according to the words of the prophet Joel: "Whoever calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved."
He noted that the destructive king fighting is a naturally rotten fruit namefighting : "Look who they are against, having invented "Tsar's God", against Whom are they going?! - Against king and God.See, they don't Tsar, neither God not needed".
Batiushka considered the “intoxication with Latinism” of Orthodox Theology and Divine services, piety and the church consciousness itself to be just as destructive, and as a result - the desire of some part of the clergy to "desacralize" the Royal Power. Let us recall the formula uttered during the glorification: "by canonizing the Tsar, we do not canonize the Royal Authority" - which indicates a clear disbelief in the Sacrament of Royal Anointing, perceived only as an external ritual form. And as a result of such misconceptions - the sharpness of the confrontation, which is higher and more important: “Kingdom or priesthood”, royal or church-hierarchical authority, who should be considered on earth as a “living icon of Christ” - the Tsar or the patriarch? “Which of them has a higher sacred status? Which of them is the true Anointed One of God? Who is the conductor of the Will of God? (6)
Batiushka sacredly believed in the Sacred Mystery of Royal Confirmation and lamented that clergy did not recognize the destructive crafty substitution - to place the Priesthood above the Kingdom. “They wanted to replace the Tsar. And this is a great delusion! And it's not just the violation of the oath. The very idea that the King is supplied by God was eclipsed, and the understanding God-established Royal Power».
The confession of the holiness of the First Russian Tsar John the Terrible, the creator of the Great Power, who was canonized by the Russian Church as a holy great martyr and included in the Saints on June 10/23, 1621, as well as the martyrdom of Gregory the New, “who suffered as for Orthodox fidelity to Christ, is now especially significant for the life of the Church. , and for their service not for fear, but for conscience - to the Tsar. (7)
Salvation of the soul and complicity in other people's sins
The milestones indicated above are a real spiritual “front”, and it passes through the heart of every Christian seeking personal salvation: “Remember that there is nothing more precious than your soul, for which Christ died” (Basil the Great). This follows from the Orthodox teaching about man as a rational and free person, called to unity and personal communion with Christ through grace. The free will given to man implies that he free do what one knows true and not to do what he considers false. Because everyone's soul yearns obedience, this greatest shrine, as a grace-filled guide, leading the soul to salvation, to God-commanded perfection. But obedience Truth and not human stumbling will.
It's important to know that true, something false, but for this you need to have a skill discernment of spirits.
Nowadays, we are increasingly confronted with a spiritual “stumbling” that corrodes Universal Orthodoxy, even a fall. Like a bolt from the blue - the visit of the Primate of the Serbian Church Irinej to the synagogue and the lighting of the Hanukkah candle on the occasion of the Jewish holiday. The reality is that this is not the only "thunder" that strikes the hearts of the Orthodox flock. Therefore, the question becomes burning for conscience: to what extent each believer personally participates in the affairs of his pastors, maintaining prayerful Eucharistic communion with them.
The answer, apparently, is this - to what extent each believer shares these “deeds” with his mind and heart, and says with his lips “ Amen!" Shmch. Joseph Mitr. Petrogradsky wrote that such actions of pastors should not be accepted: “Let these statements accept only one air and one all-tolerant paper, and not the souls of the faithful children of the Church of Christ.” “If the sheep follow a bad shepherd, then they themselves are responsible for this,” said Batyushka. - After all, the Lord in the Gospel warns us against wolves in sheep's clothing: "For someone else's go, but run away from him"(John 10:1-5)." In order to live according to the will of God, they seek the advice of spirit-bearing elders. We all understand that now only the blessed fathers, raised up by God, can direct the church life of society, because they see what is happening from the heights of the goals of the Kingdom of Heaven and penetrate into the internal causes of events.
The concept of " Church" and " Elder» in the patristic tradition are identical concepts. If we ask the Elder, then we know, we are sure that we do not receive an answer. his personal, but the Church. That is why we believed and still believe in the word and deed of Father Nicholas. In essence, with great spiritual clarity, without exaggeration or diminution, he always testified to the Truth, giving the conscience of everyone the choice - with Christ or not, with or without a king.
“Both destructive wars and revolutions were allowed to Russia, precisely for the sins of the Church”
I recently read an article that is in many ways consonant with what Batiushka said about our spiritual tragedy. Reflections of V. Vinogradov "Table of the 21st century", a remarkable director who most deeply conveyed the expiatory character of the Tsar's Sacrifice in documentary films. "Gethsemane Tsar Martyr". The film was awarded the 1st prize at the Golden Knight festival in 2000 and at the IX international festival of Orthodox television programs Radonezh in 2004.
He writes: “It would be good to inscribe in golden letters on the tablets of the 21st century this revelation, which they received in captivity under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, as prisoners of Jesus Christ, the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia: « And destructive wars and revolutions allowed to Russia, namely, for the sins of the Church, who loves the outside more than the inside, and the rite is more than the spirit.
And it would be good to put this tablet in front of the entrance of each temple, so that everyone who enters it, and especially the clergy, would learn that Russia cannot be revived if it is dangerous to walk ...
Sins of the Church! – In this revelation to the New Martyrs, the Russian word “Church” refers, of course, to just the outer courtyard of the temple. For the Church, the Body of Christ, has never had any sins, and cannot have any, because as soon as one of its members sins, then at that very moment, faster than at the speed of light, he falls away from the Church. And it turns out to be no longer in the Church, the Body of Christ, but in the outer courtyard of the temple, that is, in one of the many religious organizations. Although there is no change in the external, visible to the eye - both his vestments, and his stay in the temple building, and the services taking place in that building - everything remains externally well-decorated.
For: let the tares and wheat grow together until the harvest.
Thus, by the sins of the Church in this great revelation of the Holy Spirit to the New Martyrs, naturally, the sins of the clergy and the flock of the same mind are meant. Because of the spiritual blindness of the world, these members of the outer court of the temple are seen by most people as being in the Church. In fact, priests appear before the external eye of man, just having a form of godliness, but denying its power, which were named in the church history of the XX century renovationists" (8) .
spiritual forgery
The glorification of the memory of any ascetic is the introduction of his spiritual heritage into the age-old treasury of the entire Church. And of course, the “evil vinedressers”, who have long lost the love and respect of the church people, strive by force and all sorts of lies take possession the fruits of the spiritual labors of the ascetics of our Church, in order to subsequently try to “graft” people’s veneration on themselves as “heirs” of holiness. In a word, to reap where they did not sow, and " kidnap sown» fathers in the heart, seduce and « drown out word patristic, so that it would be fruitless (Matt. 13:18-23).
This is revealed in the parable of the Good Sower: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man sowing good seed in his field. When the people were asleep, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and left. When the grass sprang up and the fruit appeared, then the tares also appeared. When the servants of the householder came, they said to him: “Sir! Have you not sown good seed in your field? Why are there tares on it?” He said to them, "The enemy man has done this." And the slaves said to him: “Do you want us to go and choose them?” But he said, “No; lest, when you pick up the tares, you pull up the wheat with him. Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will say to the reapers, Gather first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them; but put the wheat into my barn.”(Matthew 13:24-30).
So, Father Nicholas sowed good seed in his field. "Field" is not only the Island itself, its parish, but, above all, the field is the souls of the flock.
On this field“servants of the outer court of the temple” deliberately violate the church foundations of life, which protect not only the canonical continuity of the hierarchy, but also the spiritual heritage of Russian holiness, the hereditary transmission from the spiritual father to the children of his blessings, instructions and direct testaments, which is commonly called the personal charisma of earthly exploits of one or another ascetic.
purposefully, but in vain they are trying to arrogate to themselves the exclusive right to possess the relics of Elder Nicholas, the icons in the Temple, the fertile cell with his personal belongings and shrines. They passionately desire to "enter into the inheritance", although they are aware of the illegitimacy of their claims to any succession, especially spiritual.
Recall that according to the legal law, the one to whom the testator disposed of his fortune enters into the inheritance. And in the spiritual world, the law of spiritual heritage presupposes taking upon oneself not glory of the righteous, a acceptance of the father's sufferings on the cross, reproach from the world, labors to bloody sweat, which is what the fathers acquired holiness from the Lord.
But the only thing that all the island “applicants to the throne of Batyushkin’s throne” are so passionately eager for is to share his glory.
The law of spiritual heritage presupposes indispensable storage words, commandments father by which the Lord will recognize us in the coming age as his successors. A spiritual child, and even more so, an heir, a kind of confessor witness. And his word, of course, is convincing for those who listen to him, only to the extent that he himself has joined the spiritual world of the Elder Father, about which he wants to tell. So, a person who does not share the confessor's beliefs, can he testify about him?! It's the same as a person who does not belong to the Church, will begin to testify about God.
As a small example: it is known that the children of schmch. Sergius Mechev had their own special rite of daily reading of a chapter from the Gospel. And when many of them ended up in the camps, they were able to recognize the new “camp” children of their shepherd from the gospel reading.
Veneration of the Ascetics of Piety
“The Holy Spirit commands believers not just to sing of God,” Vladyka Barnabas (Belyaev) wrote, “but to do it wisely. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the Christian to be aware of what he is doing and why.”
The destruction of the fresco on the Island is bitter and terrible reality, which testifies how the truth is distorted, how the personal and human prevails over the conciliar opinion of the Church, which alone is the guardian of the Truth. Iconography is a conciliar art, i.e. Churches. The true creators of icons are the holy fathers. So this canon has come down to us. And Elder Nicholas, from the Spirit of God, blessed to paint the Gates and personally indicated to the icon painters every step. It was an embodied prayer in the colors of an Elder enlightened by God. And these frescoes were created by prayer, for the sake of prayer, the driving force of which was the love of the holy ascetic for the Lord and His Living Icon on earth - the Anointed of God Orthodox Martyr-Tsar Nicholas.
Batiushka passionately loved the Church and always repeated: “To whom the Church is not the Mother, God is not the Father.” He deeply knew the church canon and the rules of the Holy Fathers. And not just "knew" or repeated the rules "in the ears" of others, he lived and breathed ancient patristic tradition. Carried out monastic obedience at the Holy Spirit Monastery in Vilnius setter and therefore it is unworthy of his memory to "correct" what he deemed necessary to leave to the Church.
The fact that he blessed to paint an icon of St. Gregory, who has not yet been canonized by the fullness of the Church, is not a violation of the rules. In the Textbook of Church Law, Fr. Vladislav Tsypin. M. 2004. S. 496 we read: “In addition to the canonized saints, there is another special type of revered deceased - the ascetics of piety. Canonization is almost always preceded by the veneration of the saint as an ascetic without any official sanction. Admirers of the dead compose services and akathists for them, although they do not have church use. In their cell prayers, worshipers who believe in their holiness address them as saints standing before the Throne of God. [...] They also painted icons of non-canonized ascetics. Candles were lit before these icons, they were kissed; sometimes such icons were placed in churches. In most cases, the canonization of a saint is preceded by his popular veneration as an ascetic of piety.
Even for those who stay in the Church, based only on the old law, Father Nikolai blessed everything “legally”: he had the right in his parish, entrusted to him by the Lord, to paint an icon on the Royal Doors, since, like many church people, confessed holiness of the Martyr Gregory. He would have placed his image in the temple itself, but the temple was taken from him by "evil vinedressers."
The Holy Fathers put the icon on a par with preaching, which bears fruit in other hearts. This sermon of the spirit-bearing Elder was attempted to be destroyed. Batiushka fixed our eyes on the perfection of beauty and fullness of the Christ-like feat of the Royal Martyrs and Gregory.
Leonid Uspensky wrote about the lofty meaning of what is an icon: “The icon is the image of a person in whom the scorching passion and all-sanctifying Grace of the Holy Spirit really resides. Therefore, his flesh is depicted as essentially different from the usual corruptible human flesh. The image of the saint transformed by grace, imprinted on the icon, is the very likeness of God, the image of God's revelation, revelation and knowledge of the hidden.
Dropping symbols
What did the employees of the Pskov diocese rebel against? - The answer is obvious: against transformed Grace of God the image of St. Gregory. All that they have against him is only malicious slander and sinful gossip, which have nothing to do with the righteous, about the corruptible old flesh, which has long departed from the Martyr ... On the roll of Gregory it was written: “ The whole blow, but the Truth of God will remain "- indeed, it is!
Theologians are unanimous in asserting that the icon is the beginning of the contemplation of the invisible world. Therefore, not “we are looking at the icon, but the icon is looking at us,” E. Trubetskoy argued. And Father always said: "Read the akathist, let the icons listen."
Therefore, the deed of these people and the destructive example that they set for the flock are terrible. The icon must be treated as a shrine, through it Heaven speaks to us. This is a kind of church service. To icon painters, as well as to clerics, the Church has very high moral requirements. The royal fresco was the prayer service of Father Nicholas, through these icons revealed in colors, he turned to God. This is his priestly sermon, service. And in this ministry boldly intervenes another...
He casts out the Elder, tearing off his robes. That is how it is in the sight of God. That is how it is in the eyes of the Mother Church. This is exactly how it is in the eyes of the numerous flock of the Elder.
Once again, I never cease to be amazed at the depth of the insight of Father Nikolai, who said about the “growers”: “They don’t need any Elder! They are unbelievers!”
When, during the life of Batiushka, on February 16, 2001, these same people tried for the first time to destroy the image of Gregory on the Royal Doors, the Lord performed an obvious miracle, shaming their deeds. People in cassocks hastily, like thieves, covered the fresco with white nitro paint. When this outrage was going on, Batyushka and I clearly heard a loud shot in the cell. “Hurry run! There is trouble!” - he said. She ran out ... She returned and told who was shooting at our Russian saints again and again.
We remember how the tsarebortsy were angry before the murder of the man of God Grigory: “As long as Rasputin exists, we cannot win,” and how they scoffed after: “The bullet that killed Rasputin hit the very heart of the Reigning Dynasty.” - And again they “shoot” at Gregory. Alas, the clergy are also involved in this.
“Take baptismal water and restore the icon as soon as possible!” - said the Old Man. We did according to his word: we soaked a towel in water and began to rub it off - and a miracle: the paint came off, in spite of everything, abrasion remained, and the image seemed to cry, spoke with pain, groaned ... And I remembered the words of Gregory: “We are Christians, thank God, and not barbarians!” And his words about the persecutors: “Fathers [these] are not doing well. And why? They are dark people... They cannot understand Love... I pity them.”
Father Nikolai, in response to the blasphemy, said: “What a sin these people have committed! They did wrong and wrong. Gregory is needed here, he prays for us. He was an unfortunate man, he was unjustly persecuted all his life and tortured so much and is still being tortured! Father Paisios must be punished for what he did, and Vladyka—he is a Bishop—the Lord Himself will punish him... Lord, forgive them for trampling on the Faith... And Gregory is a good, our dear Russian saint. Thank God that it is written, makes people happy, does not leave them.”
The Church preaches both in word and image. Because the icon is a teacher. But, apparently, now some have ceased to look at it as theology in colors, and it does not occupy its proper significance in the Christian life, as it was under Father Nicholas. And the attitude towards her is not what it should be. And many do not even suspect that the newly painted fresco on the Island distorts the legacy of the Elder, just as it is done with a false word coming from the “growers”.
So, the destruction of the fresco of Father Nicholas testifies to true the attitude of the hierarchy of the Pskov diocese to the word and deed of the Elder, and about their lack of any continuity of his heritage.
The "growers" have their own paths-routes
Let's tell a story from island life. The monks arrived and told how Batiushka, after his Assumption, miraculously helped them in restoring the ruined monastery by sending funds through kind people, to which the temple employee got annoyed: “But no one gives us money here!” But now he is also satisfied: Talabsk is finally “included in the tour route” to the relics and shrines of Batyushka. “Assigned” to the Eleazarovsky Monastery, where recently, at the request of Vladyka, they transferred for storage the ancient image of the Almighty Savior, to which the believing people will reach out. And here Talabsk is within easy reach. “Moreover, writes Vladyka Eusebius, as Pskovskaya Lena Novosti informed us on December 10, 2009, that the icon will become even more accessible to pilgrims and believers, which will contribute to the development of pilgrimage tourism and the opening of new routes. For example, the water tourist route from the Eleazarovsky Monastery to the Talab Islands. This, in turn, will attract additional funds to the regional budget,” the letter says.
By the way, in the guidebook “Journey to Holy Places. Spaso-Eleazarovsky Monastery "- No. 63, 2010. P. 18 - The island is already listed as a monastery" neighborhood».
So soon they will build "Orthodox" hotels, cafes, set up stalls, equip beaches and arrange boat trips with fishing on the reserved lake. And the staff of the diocese, probably, recognize the holiness of Father Nikolai. After all, the people are “for” ... this will be taken there.
Therefore, they are urgently “cleansing” the space from the objectionable heritage of the Father, disfiguring the unique Royal Doors under the guise of “restoration”, seizing objectionable saints.
But what will the guides be talking about? What will they tell the heart of a pilgrim who travels in hope to distant lands for living water from the source of the Elder? Note, not from the "Orthodox" stalls. Behind his word of truth?
And then it will become completely clear to everyone that the hypocritical contact with the holy heritage of the Father painfully resembles a forgery in the Tsar's Cause. How can one not recall the words of an unforgettable father here: “ Not true will help to discover the Truth!”
After all, now even a fresco, instead of testifying to the truth, bears false witness. Instead of the icon of the Martyr Gregory, the holy venerable martyr Elizabeth is painted. But her did not have on the these Royal Doors, because, according to the words of the Elder, “she did not have that part of the spiritual Royal Cross, which together courageously carried the Royal Family and Their Friend Gregory the New - a prayer book for Holy Russia and Her Most Blessed Child Tsarevich Alexy. “He died to save Us,” testified the Martyr Empress Alexandra.
Confessor of Their Majesties Fr. Alexander Vasiliev recalled: somehow “the Sovereign invited G.E. Rasputin, and on the day of Communion, hugged him and said: We will never part with you! - Grigory Efimovich replied: We will not part for anything in the world!” What the Lord has united, man cannot separate... And as St. Nikolay Velimirovich: " New Martyrs under the damp hills, your victory over false Christianity!”
“Only our land will not be dividedyand the adversary will entertain himself: the Mother of God will spread Plath over the sorrows of the great ” (9)
The thoughtful researcher of the "Tsar's Case" Viktor Korn, who has been studying materials on regicide for many years and proving non-involvement in ritual savage atrocity Russian people, so beloved by the Sovereign, to which Father Nicholas always testified, noted: “Day 8/21 March 1917 was the last day of Nicholas II’s stay in Mogilev, where the Sovereign signed "farewell order to the armies",“where he said goodbye to all the ranks of the headquarters and departments ... to the officers and Cossacks of the convoy and the Consolidated Regiment - my heart almost broke!" - He wrote in the Diary. The entry ends with the words conveying His state: "hard, painful and depressing."(10)
Now everyone experiences these feelings when they see the faces of the Royal Saints on the Fresco, wounded and ruthlessly mutilated deprived by the iconoclasts the inscription of the word "holy", which, according to the teachings of the Church, sanctifies the image - the inscription of the name of the one who is depicted on it.
The father on the icon of the Sovereign wrote: « Holy Great Martyr and Passion-Bearer Blessed Tsar Nicholas - and so it is with all the Royal Martyrs. The “renovators” erased everything and left the mean: “Tsar Nicholas” ... And so the word “saint” was taken away from everyone. If someone objects that they did not know what they were doing, then we will answer - on the contrary, knew, and deliberately did it . For at Elizabeth Feodorovna, with whose face they recorded the Martyr Gregory, they inscribed in full: “Holy Rev. Martyr V.K. Elizabeth".
“We all know,” reflects the Greek Met. Hierofey, - that we live in a certain era of iconoclasm, when icons are being destroyed, religious, national and traditional symbols are being removed, and thus ties between people are drying up ... This is cruel and inhuman.
Alas, the hierarchies of the Pskov diocese, like a society of absolute freedom from conscience and morality, completely imputed the last will of the Elder and his works to nothing. Illuminated by the Divine Light of the Royal Faces, Batiushka continued to glorify Them until the last day of his earthly life and confessed the holiness of the man of God Gregory. He was the spiritual inspirer of the painting of the Gates and sanctified them myself . They destroyed the shrine of his heart! Preserving the Royal Gates was a duty of honor to the flock of Father Nikolai and the Pskov diocese, to which he brought and brings so much good.
“The abolition of symbols and the removal of icons expresses the presence of an iconoclastic consciousness in modern man,” a Greek theologian assesses such actions of the Renovationists. (eleven)
Royal Doors of the Father - his holy testament in stone, the repentant cry of Russia and the suffering Mother Church. The plot basis of the mural was a vision in the summer of 1919 to a former sailor from the Almaz cruiser, miraculously delivered from death by St. John of Kronstadt (12) .
Leaving for Eternity through these Royal Doors, Father Nikolai left us a spiritual testament: love for the Church of God, a prayer for the gift of a Tsar to Russia, love for the earthly Fatherland - everything that elevates to the Heavenly Fatherland.
It was the Gate of the Angel of Repentance. For apostasy, we all bear penance from the Lord: He took the Tsar away from us on earth, but Tsar Nicholas now abides in the face of great saints in Heaven - and we pray to Him, and the Sovereign hears us. “Blessed, Right-Believing Russia hid until the time under the Protection of the Queen of Heaven, invisible to the world,” the father consoled. People flocked to these Gates for penitential prayer, asking for one thing, to be together with the Lord inseparably in the Catholic Church until the end of time. "Don't leave the church!" Batiushka blessed. “Stay in it until the very end!” A grateful and reverent Russia, full of Faith and living life, gathered here, returning to its inner ideal. humility , obedience and loyalty to the King.
Quietly they went over the prayer rosary, which he blessed: Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, through the prayers of the Royal Martyrs, have mercy on us sinners and save the Russian Land.”
Here they penitently served "Prayer singing for the salvation of our Russian Orthodox Fatherland from the God-fighting yoke of the Jews and seduction near the coming Antichrist." (Ed. RV. M. 2002). It was this rite that the Elder blessed. It is fundamentally different from subsequent, modified ones. Thoughts uncharacteristic of repentance were introduced there, but most importantly - words are included about the direct “guilt” of the Russian people in regicide, which is false and does not correspond to spiritual truth, and which Father Nikolai resolutely denied: “The Russians did not kill the Tsar!”
As the poet Igor Grevtsev remarkably wrote:
You are ripe, the fruit of repentance, new feelings are burning in the souls.
The Russian People is rushing under the saving Scepter of the Tsar.
Faith is affirmed in the hearts, sin falls on the scales.
And the love of the Sovereign Father revives lost sons.
Instead of a conclusion
Obviously, in the current spiritual situation, official recognition by the hierarchy of the holiness of the feat of Gregory the New is hardly possible. All the more so important for the Church is the evidence of his veneration by one of the most worthy Bishops, Elder Nicholas, secret bishop Nektarios. This fresco was sadness Churches about the honor and dignity of the Royal Family and a Friend dear to Their hearts.
As Leonid Bolotin writes: “To an unbiased eye, it was quite obvious that the slanderously distorted mask of the Siberian peasant was necessary for the enemies of Orthodoxy and Autocratic Russia to mock the Tsar, His loved ones and the Tsar’s Power itself. Ordinary believers, having dealt with the slander against the Tsar long before the specialists from the synodal commission for the canonization of the Saints, began to reasonably believe that all the dirt that was imposed on them in connection with Grigory Rasputin was of the same nature as the slander against the Tsar. (thirteen)
“If the Lord Himself glorified the Royal Martyrs and Elder Gregory,” said Batyushka, “it would be impudent of us not to venerate Them as saints.”
Shortly before the Assumption, the Elder was a revelation that prompted him to bless the painting of the Royal Doors. It was a sincere, heartfelt testament our Churches. Dogmatic ecclesiastical canonical interpretation of the events of the turmoil of the seventeenth year and the disclosure of the Christ-imitating feat of the Royal Martyrs and the man of God Gregory.
Batiushka turned our spiritual gaze to the fact that in the ways of God's Providence, the torture, murder and burning of the Royal relics and the relics of the Russian righteous peasant Grigory by "monsters" - as the Sovereign called them - cases the only and inextricably related. That's why they were together on the fresco! As the church historian S. Fomin, who deeply comprehended the Royal Sacrifice, writes: “no one else from the Royal Family, the Russian aristocracy or the priesthood So(with ashes as a result) - they did not destroy. (fourteen)
It is known that the Holy Empress Empress Alexandra Feodorovna came to the perspicacious Blessed Martha Tsaritsynskaya in 1910 and heard from her what Blessed Pasha Sarovskaya had previously predicted about their martyrdom: “When the holy fool found herself in the presence of the Tsarina, she unfolded eight dolls wrapped in newspaper. (Father Nikolai said that they were the Royal Family and Their Friend Gregory). Throwing them forcefully to the floor, she screamed, "It's you, it's you, all of you!" Then she poured red liquid over the dolls from the teapot and set them on fire with a match. When all the dolls burst into flame, she exclaimed: “Here is your future! You will all burn! I see blood, lots of blood..."
They were internally united - the Royal Family and Gregory. "He shared their faith and desire for the renewal and salvation of Russia." They have become an ideal force, inaccessible to evil. With amazing clarity of vision of what is happening and the Future. With the holiness and greatness of humility, before which all violence and lies are powerless. Triumphing in the very torment and death. Holy Royal Martyrs, Prophet and Wonderworker Gregory, Saint Nectarios, pray to God for us sinners
In parting - The word of Gregory: "Run soon, while it's light"
“And you save yourself. And as soon as you feel that you are in yourself, like a river in the banks, to the brim - then everything will seem unnecessary: fame, money, and a career. I advise you not to pay attention to anyone. Do not instruct anyone, do not punish anyone for mistakes - and think about peace of mind. And then everything around you will become calm and clear, and everything will become clear. I was reviled, they wrote about me, and I still have no enemies; who does not know me is the enemy. I don’t do anything bad to anyone, I don’t bear anger at anyone and I’m all in sight. Here, like clouds, the anger against me also passes, I am not afraid of it; so do you, and the other, and the third. Here is your salvation in the world itself.
To the Coming...
“Now what is written must come true, let it come true. Amen" (15).
schema nun Nicholas,
cell attendant of Father Nicholas (Guryanov)
(1) Prot. Georgy Breev. Sooner or later. M. 2007. S. 57
(2) So archim. Lazar (Abashidze) speaks of spiritual warfare in the cloisters
(3) Andrei Shchedrin. Royal Charisma. M.2010. p.277
(4) Shchm. Mikhail (Novoselov). Letters to friends. In book: Holy P. Florensky. Correspondence between P.A. Florensky and M.A. Novoselov. Tomsk. 1998. P.181
(5) Ep. Hilarion (Alfeev). Sacred Mystery of the Church. T.2. SPb.2002.S.28
(6) Mikhail Babkin. Priesthood above Kingdom? Site Portal-Credo. Ru. 06/21/2010
(7), (13) Leonid Bolotin. Rising to the mediastinum
(8) Vadim Vinogradov. Tablet of the XXI century
(9) Anna Akhmatova
(10) Viktor Korn. Ash and diamond. RNL. 20.04.2010
(11) Metropolitan Hierofey. Theology and dignity of Symbols.
(12) Schema-nun Nicholas. Expiatory Sacrifice of the Royal Great Martyrs. RV dated 14.02.2002
(14) Sergei Fomin. Their ashes are in our hearts. RV No. 43-44.2002
(15) B. Pasternak
6 2
The iconostasis with (cf. Greek - εἰκονοστάσιον) is an altar barrier, more or less continuous, from the northern to the southern wall of the temple, consisting of several rows of ordered icons, separating the altar part of the Orthodox church from the rest of the room. The high iconostasis, which the Byzantine church did not know, finally formed in the Russian church by the 16th century, served not so much as a visible display of the main events of the entire sacred history, but embodied the idea of the unity of two worlds - heavenly and earthly, expressed the aspiration of man to God, and God to man . The classic Russian high iconostasis consists of five tiers or rows, or, in other words, ranks.
The iconostasis is located in a Russian church in an extremely important place: it separates the part of the church where the faithful are located, called in the interpretation "ship", "ship of salvation", from the altar, where only the clergy have access.
High iconostasis. (Scheme.) 1 - royal doors (a - the Annunciation, b, c, d, e - evangelists or creators of the liturgy); 2-Communion of the apostles; 3 - an icon of the Savior or a temple icon; 4 - icon of the Mother of God; 5-6 - northern and southern doors with images of archangels or holy deacons; 7-8 - other icons; 9 - deesis row; 10 - holiday row; 11 - prophetic row; 12-forefather row.
The first one is ancestral, located under the cross, at the very top. This is an image of the Old Testament Church, which has not yet received the Law. The forefathers appear with scrolls on which prophecies about the coming of Jesus Christ are inscribed. Here the forefathers from Adam to Moses are depicted. In the center of this row, the Old Testament Trinity icon is a symbol of the eternal council of the Holy Trinity about the self-sacrifice of God the Word to atone for the fall of man.
"Abraham". Icon from the forefather tier. The icon "Hospitality of Abraham" (or "Appearance to Abraham at the Oak of Mamre"), which is also placed in the center of the forefathers row, has a different theological meaning - it is an agreement concluded by God with man.
The second row is prophetic. This is the Church, which has already received the Law and proclaims through the prophets the Mother of God, from whom Christ will be incarnate. That is why in the center of this row is the icon "The Sign", depicting the Mother of God with her hands raised in prayer and with the Divine Infant in her bosom.
Prophetic series. The Incarnation is depicted in the center. On the sides of Her are the prophets: on the left - David and Moses, on the right - Solomon and Jonah.
The Prophetic row contains icons of the Old Testament prophets with scrolls in their hands, where quotes from their prophecies are written. Not only the authors of prophetic books are depicted here, but also kings David, Solomon, Elijah the prophet and other people associated with the foreshadowing of the birth of Christ. Sometimes in the hands of the prophets, the symbols and attributes of their prophecies that they bring are depicted (for example, Daniel has a stone that independently torn off the mountain as an image of Christ born from the Virgin, Gideon has a dewy fleece, Zechariah has a sickle, Ezekiel has the closed gates of the temple). Daniel, David and Solomon (Novgorod, c. 1497). An example of early iconography, when the Mother of God was not yet placed in the center.
Prophetic series. About 1502. From the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin in the Ferapontov Monastery. Prophets Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Jonah, Moses.
Prophetic series. About 1502. From the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin in the Ferapontov Monastery. Prophets Daniel, Jeremiah, Isaiah
Prophetic series. About 1502. From the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin in the Ferapontov Monastery. Our Lady of the Sign, the king-prophets David and Solomon
Prophetic series. About 1502. From the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin in the Ferapontov Monastery. Prophets Aaron, Gideon, Ezekiel
Prophetic series. About 1502. From the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin in the Ferapontov Monastery. Prophets Jacob, Zechariah, Malachi, Joel.
The third - festive - row tells about the events of the time of the New Testament: from the Nativity of the Virgin to the Exaltation of the Cross.
Festive row It contains icons of the main events of the Gospel history, that is, the twelfth feasts. The festive row, as a rule, contains icons of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ (“Descent into Hell”). Usually the icon of the Resurrection of Lazarus is included. In a more extended version, icons of the Passion of Christ, the Last Supper and icons associated with the Resurrection can be included - “Myrrh-bearing women at the tomb”, “Assurance of Thomas”. The series ends with the icon of the Assumption. Sometimes the feasts of the Nativity of the Mother of God and the Entry into the Temple are absent in the row, leaving more space for the icons of the passions and the Resurrection. Later, the icon "Exaltation of the Cross" began to be included in the row. If there are several aisles in the temple, the festive row in the side iconostases can vary and be reduced. For example, only gospel readings in the weeks after Easter are depicted.
The fourth, deesis (or in other words, deesis) order is the prayer of the whole Church to Christ; prayer that is happening now and which will end at the Last Judgment. In the center is the icon "The Savior in Strength", representing Christ as a formidable judge of the entire universe; left and right - images of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. John the Baptist, archangels, apostles and saints.
The Deesis rite is the prayer of the Church, reuniting people with Jesus Christ, a prayer that ends and is resolved only at the last, Last Judgment. The Deesis tier is the main row of the iconostasis, from which its formation began. In the center of the deesis is always the icon of Christ. Most often it is "The Savior in the Force" or "The Savior on the Throne", in the case of a half-length image, the Almighty. To the right and left are icons of those who are coming and praying to Christ: on the left - the Mother of God, on the right - John the Baptist, then the archangels Michael (left) and Gabriel (right), the apostles Peter and Paul.
Royal Doors - double doors opposite the Throne (in the altar), the main gate of the iconostasis in an Orthodox church. The royal doors lead to the altar of the temple and symbolize the gates of Paradise. As a rule, the four evangelists and the Annunciation are depicted on the gates as a symbol of the fact that the gates of Paradise have again become open to people. Royal Doors of the Yaroslavl parish church of the Fedorov Mother of God
The bottom row (or, in other words, the “rank”) is local. It houses the Royal Doors with the image of the Annunciation and the four evangelists on two wings. Sometimes only the Annunciation is depicted (figures of the Archangel Gabriel and the Mother of God in growth). There are full-length images of saints, most often the compilers of the liturgy - John Chrysostom and Basil the Great. The frame of the Royal Doors can have images of saints, deacons, and on top of the icon of the Eucharist - the Communion of the Apostles by Christ. To the right of the Royal Doors is the icon of the Savior, to the left is the icon of the Mother of God, occasionally replaced by icons of the Lord's and Mother of God holidays. To the right of the icon of the Savior is usually a temple icon, that is, the icon of that holiday or saint in whose honor this temple is consecrated.
Holy Evangelists. The author of the Gospel, which is considered the oldest, written before the other three, is the Apostle Matthew. The author of the Gospel - Mark, a native of Jerusalem, according to legend, was baptized by the Apostle Peter. Having been baptized by the chief apostle, he gained genuine spiritual strength and took upon himself the apostolic work, began preaching the teachings of Christ. The author of the third gospel is Luke, a Gentile Christian. John - the fourth evangelist - the son of Zebedee and Salome, who also followed Jesus Christ and served him, became one of the myrrh-bearing women. St. Mark. Mosaic of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv.
The four evangelists behind the creation of the Gospel were very often depicted on the royal doors - at the main entrance to the altar. On both wings of the gate, there are four compositions in pairs depicting four evangelists creating the Gospel. On the left - John, and under him Luke, on the right - Matthew, and under him Mark the Holy Evangelists. Fragment of the royal doors. Beginning of the 16th century.
Evangelists Matthew, Mark and Luke are depicted while working on the Gospels, sitting indoors behind open books, and the holy evangelist John is among the mountains on the island of Patmos, where, according to Tradition, he dictated the inspired text to his disciple Prochorus. Evangelist John Evangelist Matthew
The symbols of the Evangelists and the form of their traditional symbolic representation: Matthew is depicted as an angel, Mark as a lion, Luke as a calf, John as an eagle. Each of them is winged and holds the Gospel. "Saint Mark and the Lion"
Matthew Mark Luke John Man (angel) Leo Bull (Ox) Eagle The human nature of Christ, his incarnation Lordship and royal power of Christ the King, his Resurrection from the dead Sacred and priestly dignity of Christ, his sacrificial sacrifice Gift of the Holy Spirit, Ascension of the Lord
The Last Supper is the last meal of Jesus Christ with the disciples before his arrest. In honor of this event, there is no special holiday, the Last Supper is commemorated on Holy Week. The Communion of the Apostles icon depicted, as it were, the very essence of the event - that “distribution” of bread and wine to the disciples, communion with the body and blood of Jesus Christ, which became a prototype of the communion of all believers - the main sacrament of the church. Communion of the Apostles (communion with wine). Icons from the iconostasis of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra
Icon of the 19th century, depicting a church with a six-tiered iconostasis In the residential buildings of Orthodox Christians there is a place specially reserved for icons - a red corner - in the structure of which the principles of the church iconostasis are repeated. There are multi-figure icons containing images of the deesis, holidays and prophets, and sometimes (especially in the 19th century) of the entire multi-tiered iconostasis with a local row. In ancient Russia, such miniature iconostasis icons were called the Camping Church, that is, they could be taken with them on a trip. In an Orthodox church there is not a single thing or action that would not carry a semantic spiritual load.
Including the iconostasis and the veil over the Royal Doors are full-fledged "participants" of worship.
Photo: Alexander Shurlakov
What is the significance of these objects in the microcosm of an Orthodox church?
The architecture and interior decoration of an Orthodox church is, so to speak, heaven on earth. This is a model of the spiritual world - the Kingdom of Heaven - which the Lord revealed to us through the holy prophet Moses on Mount Sinai.
Then God commanded to create the Old Testament tabernacle according to a clear pattern, given by Him to Moses down to the smallest detail. The New Testament Orthodox Church has the same structure as the Old Testament one, with the difference that our Lord Jesus Christ became man and accomplished the work of saving the human race. It was because of this grandiose event that changes occurred in the New Testament temple relative to the Old Testament.
But the three-part structure of the temple remained unchanged.
Under the holy prophet Moses, these were: the court, the sanctuary, and the Holy of Holies.
In the New Testament temple, this is the narthex, the middle part of the temple and the altar.
The vestibule and the middle part of the temple symbolize the Church on earth. All believing Orthodox Christians can be here. The middle part of the temple corresponds to the Old Testament sanctuary. Previously, no one could be in it, except for priests.
But today, since the Lord cleansed us all with His pure blood and united us with the Sacrament of Baptism, then in the middle part of the temple - this New Testament sanctuary - all Orthodox Christians can stay.
The holy of holies of the Moses temple corresponds to the altar in the New Testament church.
He is a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven. No wonder it is built on an elevation relative to the middle part of the temple and the vestibule. The very word "altus" in Latin means "high".
The center of the altar is the throne. This is the throne on which God himself sits invisibly in the temple.
The main place of the Orthodox Church. Even a clergyman without special need (worship, trebe) and the necessary liturgical clothing (for example, a cassock) should not touch him - this is holy land, the place of the Lord.
Throne with Gifts
Usually, a special wall, decorated with icons, is erected between the altar and the middle part of the temple.
It's called the iconostasis.
The word is Greek, compound, formed from the words "icon" and "stand". This partition was erected, as others incorrectly think, not so that it would not be visible what the priest was doing in the altar. Of course not. The iconostasis has a well-defined liturgical and spiritual load.
The practice of erecting iconostases is very ancient.
According to church tradition, the first who commanded to close the altar with a curtain was St. Basil the Great in the second half of the 4th century.
But the partitions between the altar and the middle part of the temple are known even earlier. For example, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
The modern look of the iconostasis was practically formed in church art by the beginning of the 15th century.
So, what does the iconostasis mean in the spiritual and liturgical sense?
It symbolizes the world of saints and angels - the Kingdom of Heaven, still inaccessible to us.
This is the place and state of mind to which we need to strive. The Kingdom of Heaven for us - living on earth - is still separated and inaccessible. But every Orthodox Christian is obliged to go to it and strive with the help of those saving means that the Church and Its Head, Christ, offer us.
The visual separation of the altar from the middle part of the church should motivate us to strive there - to the mountain, and this desire is the core of the life of every Orthodox Christian.
We believe that one day the merciful Lord will open the doors to paradise for us and lead us into it, like a Father who loves His child...
On the other hand, the icons of the iconostasis tell us the story of the salvation of the human race by our Lord Jesus Christ.
For example, the iconostasis can be single- or multi-tiered.
Iconostasis in Myshkin
In the first tier in the middle is the Royal Doors.
It is also the place of God.
Even a priest does not have the right to pass through them: only in vestments and at a strictly defined time of service.
To the right and left are the so-called deacon's gates.
Through them, clergymen and clergymen can enter the altar. They are called deacons.
because through them the deacons leave the altar and come back during the pronunciation of special prayers (litanies) in front of the Royal Doors.
To the right of the Royal Doors is placed the icon of the Savior, and to the left of the Most Holy Theotokos, on the deacon gates themselves, as a rule, the icons of the holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel are placed - these heavenly deacons of God, or the holy deacons of the First Martyr and Archdeacon Stephen and Martyr Lawrence.
Less often - other icons. Behind the deacon's gate on the right is a temple icon.
If there is a second tier in the iconostasis, it is called the “deesis tier”. "Deisis" in Greek means "prayer, petition."
We often have an incorrect form of translation into modern Russian of this word - “deesis”.
In the center of the row is depicted Christ the Pantocrator (Almighty) on the throne, to the right of him (when viewed from the side of the temple, then to the left) - the Most Holy Theotokos in a prayer pose, and to the left (if from the temple - then to the right) - the holy Prophet Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John also with outstretched hands in prayer.
Directly above the Royal Doors is the icon of the Last Supper - which became the first Liturgy performed by God himself.
This is a symbol of the main ministry of the Church and the temple, including the service of the Holy Eucharist - the Body and Blood of Christ.
If there is a third tier in the iconostasis, then icons of the Twelve Feasts are placed on it.
It is they who symbolize the salvation of fallen mankind by Christ.
Less common (only in large cathedrals) are the fourth and fifth tiers. The fourth row depicts the holy prophets, the fifth - the forefathers (the holy forefathers Adam and Eve, the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, etc.).
The icon of the Holy Trinity is placed in the center of the top row of the iconostasis.
And it is crowned with the Holy Cross as the main instrument of our salvation.
The veil in the church is called the Greek word "katapetasma" (translated as "curtain").
It separates the Royal Doors from the side of the altar from the Holy Altar.
The veil on ordinary days (during Lent it changes to a black cloth)
Veil during the Easter period (required in red)
Everything in the temple: both the Royal Doors and the veil have a strictly defined meaning.
For example, the Royal Doors are, so to speak, the doors of Christ. Therefore, round icons of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos and the four holy evangelists are often placed on them - they preach the gospel of the God-Man Christ.
The opening of the Royal Doors at the divine service and the passage of the clergy through them is a symbol of the fact that the Lord is present in the temple and blesses those who pray.
Example.
The beginning of the all-night vigil. After the ninth hour, the Royal Doors open, and the priest in silence performs incense, then he proclaims the doxology to the Holy Trinity and other statutory prayers before the altar, then through the Royal Doors he leaves the altar and censes the entire church, icons, and those who pray.
All this symbolizes the beginning of the Sacred history, the creation of the world, humanity.
The censing of the altar by the priest and those praying symbolizes that God was in paradise with people, and they directly visibly communicated with Him. After censing, the Royal Doors are closed.
The fall into sin and the expulsion of people from paradise took place. The gates open again at Vespers, a small entrance is made with a censer - this is God's promise not to leave sinning people, but to send His Only Begotten Son to them for salvation.
The same is true of the Liturgy. The royal doors open in front of the small entrance - a symbol of Christ's entrance to preach, therefore, after this and a little later, the Apostle and the Gospel are read. The Great Entrance with the Chalice and the paten is the entrance of the Savior to the suffering on the cross.
Closing of the catapetasma before the exclamation “Let's go. Holy to the saints ”- a symbol of the death of Christ, the position of His body in the tomb and the closing of the tomb with a stone.
For example, many Lenten services are held not only with the Royal Doors closed, but also with the veil closed. This is a symbol of the fact that humanity has been expelled from paradise, that we must now weep and lament over our sins before the closed entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven.
The opening of both the veil and the Royal Doors during the Easter service is a symbol of the restoration of the lost communion with God, the victory of Christ over the devil, death and sin, and the opening of the path to the Kingdom of Heaven for each of us.
All this tells us that in Orthodox worship, as well as in the construction of a church, there is nothing superfluous, but everything is harmonious, harmonious and designed to lead an Orthodox Christian into heavenly palaces.
Priest Andrei Chizhenko
Holy or Royal Gates
The Royal Doors, apparently, have existed since the construction of the original altar barriers. They are double doors with a figured top, mounted on wooden posts. According to church writers, the Royal Doors have been decorated with icons since ancient times. The usual order of their distribution, as well as on the reproduced gates, is as follows: in the upper part - the Annunciation, the Mother of God on the right wing from the viewer, the Archangel Gabriel - on the left. Below are four Evangelists, two on each leaf: under the Archangel Gabriel - Sts. John the Theologian and Luke, under the Mother of God - Evangelists Matthew and Mark. On the sides, on the columns to which the Royal Doors are attached, are placed images of Sts. liturgical fathers.
The Royal Doors - the entrance to the Holy of Holies, the altar; only clergymen can enter through them, and, moreover, only at certain moments in connection with the requirements of worship. In accordance with the symbolism of the altar, the Gates represent the entrance to the Kingdom of God. Therefore, they depict the evangelists of this Kingdom - the Evangelists, and above them - the Annunciation as the personification of the message that they proclaim.
Directly above the Royal Doors, on the shield, which forms a cutout for their upper part, is placed the image of the divine meal - the communion of the apostles by Christ. This image is a liturgical translation of the image of the Last Supper, which, as a historical scene from the life of the Savior and the moment of the establishment of the sacrament of the Eucharist, usually, if there is space, is placed in the festive tier of the iconostasis. The theme of the communion of the apostles emphasizes and highlights the high priestly ministry of Christ, which is expressed here in His direct actions as a Priest. A characteristic feature of this image is that in it, in essence, one composition is repeated twice (see pp. 114–115), i.e., communion, obligatory in the Orthodox Church, is depicted under two forms. On the one hand, the six apostles approach to receive bread, in accordance with the words of the Lord: Take, eat: this is my Body...; on the other hand, the other six proceed to the cup in accordance with the words: Drink from her ecu: for this is My Blood, of the New Testament…(Matthew 26:26-28). This sacrament, depicted directly above the place where the communion of believers takes place, continues, taught by the successors of the apostles to the members of the Church, uniting them among themselves and raising them to Christ, making them partakers of His flesh and Divinity, as St. John of Damascus.
Royal Doors. Russia. 16th century La Vieille Russie. New York
Such, in brief and general terms, is the content and significance of the individual tiers of the classical Orthodox iconostasis. At the heart of its disclosure (growth and distribution of icons) lies, of course, the need to assimilate Christian dogma. Therefore, the role that the altar barrier had was not only preserved, but also acquired a meaning that it did not have before. Separating the altar from the nave (divine from the human), the iconostasis, like the ancient barrier, indicates their hierarchical difference, the importance and significance of the sacrament performed in the altar. But at the same time, just like the barrier, meaning the connection between the two worlds, between heaven and earth, it clearly reveals this connection in the image, showing in a compressed form, on the same plane, directly in front of the eyes of those praying, the path of reconciliation of God and man, the goal and the consequence of the atoning sacrifice of Christ, the descent of God and the ascent of man.
Communion of the Apostles. Around 1500 Temple Gallery. London.
In separate belts, in orderly order and strict sequence, the stages of God's economy are shown. From God to man, from top to bottom, goes the path of Divine revelation: gradually, through the preparations of the Old Testament, the prefiguration in the patriarchs and the prophetic foreshadowing of a series of feasts, to the fulfillment of what was prepared by the Old Testament, and through this series to the coming completion of dispensation, the image of the Kingdom of God, the rank . Below is the direct communication of man with God. These are the ways of man's ascent. They go from bottom to top. Through the acceptance of the gospel gospel and prayerful communion, through the combination of the will of man and the will of God (in this aspect, the icon of the Annunciation is the iconography of the combination of two wills) and, finally, through communion with the sacrament of the Eucharist, a person realizes his ascent to the rank, i.e., enters the unity of the cathedral of the Church, becomes "a fellow-steeler of Christ" (cf. Eph. 3:6). Outwardly, this unity is expressed in worship, among other things, in the symbolic gesture of burning incense. The priest or deacon, censing first to the icons, and then to those present, greets the image of God in man and unites in one gesture the depicted saints and those praying, the Church in heaven and the Church on earth.
Canopy from the Royal Doors. Novgorod. First half of the 16th century timing
Ended at the beginning of the 16th century. The opening of the iconostasis took place in Russia mainly in the era of the greatest flowering of its holiness and icon painting, in the XIV and XV centuries. Therefore, the depth of penetration into the meaning and significance of the image, especially characteristic of this period, affected both the content and the form of the classical iconostasis. Drawing a parallel between holiness and iconography, we can say that it was the external expression and completion of the highest period of Russian holiness.
The iconostasis reproduced here, which is one of the best examples of a marching iconostasis known to us, is still insufficient, despite explanations and descriptions, in order to form an idea of the classical temple iconostasis. It should be remembered that size plays a big role. But still, if we mentally increase the figures of the rank to three meters, and in accordance with them everything else, we can get an idea, for example, of that grandiose ensemble in Vladimir, in the creation of which in 1408 he took part in. Andrei Rublev.
Christ Pantocrator. 6th century Monastery of St. Catherine. Sinai
From the book Deity of the 12th Planet the author Sitchin ZechariahCHAPTER 10 ROYAL DREAMS, FATE-BREAKING ORACLES "To fall asleep, perhaps to dream," says Hamlet in Shakespeare's tragedy "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark." The ghost of the murdered king appears to Hamlet, and in the play itself, great attention is paid to heavenly signs. In ancient times in the Middle East
From the book Critical Study of the Chronology of the Ancient World. Bible. Volume 2 author Postnikov Mikhail Mikhailovich"Saints" and "heroes" The vast majority of pagan gods and heroes have come down to us in the form of "saints" and "martyrs" of the Christian church. For example St. Dionysius corresponds to Dionysus, St. Cosmas and St. Damion to the Dioscuri brothers, etc. Interestingly, this fact is reflected even in
From the book The Deity of the 12th Planet [ill., fitz.] the author Sitchin Zechariah From the book Conspiracies of the Siberian healer. Release 10 author Stepanova Natalya Ivanovnaholy faces
From the book Names and Surnames. Origin and meaning author Kublitskaya Inna ValerievnaPatron saints According to Orthodox tradition, Apostle Andrew helps fishermen, St. Nicholas helps sailors, Frol and Laurus help peasants, Zosima and Savvaty help beekeepers. Vlasiy, under whose name the Slavic pagan god Veles is seen, looks after the cattle.
From the book Astrology Name author Globa Pavel PavlovichRoyal surnames In Russia, surnames were also born along the branches of the genealogical tree. It was also in the ruling dynasties of the Rurikovichs, the Romanovs, and in other princely and boyar families. In the chronicle "The Tale of Bygone Years" it is mentioned that the legendary Varangian Rurik came to
From the book Magic and Religion in Dreams by Noar KaylaThe Holy Domes of St. Luke's CathedralAuthor: artship, 2/21/2003 I am walking along the long corridors of a fairly old building, many doors, all closed. I'm not looking for anything, I'm just walking. The building itself resembles a cross between a hostel and a university (St. Petersburg). Behind, somewhere
From the book A book about the obvious and the non-obvious. Guide for those who want to change themselves author Zhukovets Ruslan VladimirovichHow do the saints live? Question: if all people live by their desires and the pursuit of their satisfaction, then how do the saints live? Of course, we are talking about those saints who have changed the quality of their being, and not about those whom the church recognized as such, following its inner
From the book Phoenix or revived occultism author Hall Manly PalmerTHE HOLY MEN For centuries, the form of government in Asia could be defined as theocratic begging. And just as medieval Europe was literally crushed by the begging monks of the mendicant orders, so India was devastated by its saints.
From the book Yoga does not work. The Amazing Secret of Spiritual Awakening author Tom John RobertsonChapter 2. GATES OF SELF-KNOWLEDGE THE FIRST GATES When a person first knows his true "I", something else rises from the depths of his being and takes possession of him. It is something beyond the mind, it is infinite, divine and eternal. Ramana Maharshi In 1937, at the age of 34, Pandit Gopi Krishna
From the book Himavat author Roerich Nicholas KonstantinovichHoly Guardians This is how the Mongolian lama said: “Holy holders were also in our villages. Nobody knows when they will pass. It is not known from where and where, but for the most part they are in a hurry. They say that they are looking for treasures, while others say that they will pawn something where necessary. Sometimes
From the book Mysterious Places of Russia author Shnurovozova Tatyana VladimirovnaGolden Gates (Tsar's Gates, Sverdlovsk Region) As if anticipating the destructive energy of the Golden Gates, nature hid the anomalous arches away from humans. Even today, when the entire remote mountainous region of the northern part of the Sverdlovsk region is covered
From the book Golden Angels author Klimkevich Svetlana TitovnaHoly Places 547 = Holy places are marked by the Light of the Lord forever and ever (5) "Numeric Codes". Kryon Hierarchy July 27, 2011 I Am What I Am! I Am Manas! Greetings, Vladyka! Svetlana, you were visiting your son in Sweden, what did you like about this trip?
From the book The Big Book of Secret Sciences. Names, dreams, lunar cycles the author Schwartz TheodorePatron Saints According to Orthodox tradition, Apostle Andrew helps fishermen, St. Nicholas helps sailors, Frol and Laurus help peasants, Zosima and Savvaty help beekeepers. Vlasiy, under whose name the Slavic pagan god Veles is seen, looks after the cattle.
From the book The Golden Book of Old Russian Magic, Divination, Spells and Divination author Yuzhin V.I.33. "Royal Eyes" Grass Royal Eyes, and that grass is very small, growing to a needle, thin as a needle, and yellow like gold. The color is scarlet (th), and all sorts of flowers and patterns seem to appear in it, as you go against the sun and look, but there are no leaves, but it grows in bushes. And that grass is pleasing in your house, and your stomach
From the author's bookHoly Attributes Absolutely exceptional and almost the only remedy is Epiphany water for diseases of infants. Sometimes, completely denying all other medicines, they are limited only to the use of this water, washing, sprinkling, soaking
The Orthodox liturgy, being in its essence and name a common cause and common service, has developed over the centuries and has been supplemented by various rites and outward attributes.
At the present stage, it is difficult to talk about the Orthodox liturgy outside the architectural space of the temple. And modern liturgical theology must have the courage to evaluate the existing order of celebrating divine services in our country. Often we just postfactum we try to justify the emerging order without thinking about its theological value.
A modern temple of the Orthodox Church is inconceivable without an altar barrier with its gates (lateral and central, "Royal"). But the altar barrier and its gates can function differently during worship. They can unite the people with the priesthood, or they can separate. The liturgical life of the Church is an icon of her spiritual and moral state. Worship and prayer, like an ultra-sensitive photographic film, captures in itself all the features, both positive and negative, of the spiritual image of a parish, community, even entire dioceses and Local Churches. The Eucharist is the sacrament of all sacraments, but the sacrament requires a living attitude, not a formal and technical one.
And when interest in the meaning and essence of the liturgy cools, random elements fall into its rites that do not reflect its meaning, but only close it from full perception by the people. The liturgy itself ceases to be the living heart of the life of believers. That is, in a mysterious sense, she remains such a heart, but this is not felt and is not realized by that mass of clergy and people who only “come” to the liturgy and “defend” it.
The “royal doors” of the altar have become a “stumbling block” for many, especially the fact that only in the Russian Church their opening for the entire liturgy is the “highest church award”. The author of these lines suggests looking at the liturgy through the prism of patristic theology and trying to comprehend the role of the altar barrier and its gates in it, as well as their use in other Orthodox Local Churches.
History reference
From the time of the apostles and during the long three centuries of persecution, the ancient Church celebrated the Eucharist not in specially arranged churches, but in the homes of believers, or even simply in the catacombs (in Rome these were underground cemeteries and communications). Nevertheless, archaeological research has shown that even there, in rather poor conditions, there was a special allocation of the "altar", that is, the place of spiritual sacrifice.
As a rule, it was a table standing on a small elevation (hence the Latin name altar- "elevation"). In buildings with an apse (conch), as a rule, this elevation was located in the apse, which was hung with a curtain during non-liturgical hours. This was especially characteristic of catacomb temples, and later - stone temples of apse architecture.
That is, the sanctuary stood out and emphasized by all possible means. But at the same time, during the meeting of the community for joint worship, the sanctuary was opened before the gaze of all those praying, who gathered around the Eucharistic altar meal like a family around the festive table.
When the Church emerged from the catacombs and the Christian religion was legalized in the Empire, large temples began to appear, and the type of “temple architecture” gradually formed. But before the appearance of the iconostasis with gates (central and side) it was still far away. In the first centuries of “free existence”, two types of temple architecture were outlined: apse (elevation in a niche at the end of the temple) and basilica (an oblong rectangular room, a spacious hall, at the end of which there was a throne). Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus (4th century) mentions a curtain that hid the apse of the temple with the throne located there during non-liturgical hours. But it was problematic to hang an altar in churches of the basilic type (the width of the altar there corresponded to the width of the temple). Therefore, Chrysostom ("Conversations on the Epistle to the Ephesians") mentions the "barrier", which, according to him, before the start of the service is not opened, but "removed".
Apparently, initially it was something like a "portable picket fence", a "movable lattice", which was removed for the duration of the service and exhibited only outside the service. However, the influx of the masses of the people set before the clergy a new, purely practical (not at all theological) task: how to protect the altar from the random onslaught of a crowded mass of parishioners? This is especially true on big holidays. This is how the first version of the “solid” (not portable) barrier of the altar arises. It will not take long to look for samples of such an obstacle.
It is enough to study the architecture of ancient temples located in large pilgrimage centers. Such centers, of course, are Bethlehem and Jerusalem. According to Tarkhanova 1's research on the architecture of the ancient Bethlehem Basilica and the ancient Church of the Resurrection of Christ, the barrier consisted of pillars set around the altar (the so-called "stasis" 2 resting on the ceiling, which means "pillars" in translation), between which there were large "spans".
>In the central "span" was the entrance to the altar, and between the other pillars were installed bronze bars (or plates), less than one and a half meters high from the ground. Such barriers successfully coped with the task 3 .
Over time, there were attempts to draw a symbolic parallel between the temple and Moses' "tabernacle of the Covenant." It is important to bear in mind that all these parallels have always arisen post factum introduction to the use of one or another detail of the temple decor and never arose per fact, as a kind of speculative principle on which the builders of the temple should be guided. First, for practical reasons, a form of interior decoration convenient for the temple appears, and then (and even then not immediately) “symbolic explanations” of this form appear.
The architecture of the "Byzantine" temple goes back to the architecture of the Old Testament temple in Jerusalem, as well as to the prototype of the latter - the "tabernacle of the Testament." In this matter, Tarkhanova's study of the Old Testament prototypes of our iconostasis is truly invaluable for the Russian-speaking reader. Both late Byzantine exegetes-liturgists and modern scholars speak of this Old Testament root.
However, Tarkhanova, having delved into the features of the prototype itself, comes to the conclusion: “Architecture (of the altar. - Ig. F.) the barriers of the early Christian time are oppositeness Old Testament, borrowing from the biblical descriptions only the factual and symbolic basis: instead ofhide Holy of Holies of the temple, barrier of the first temples, onagainst, opens the altar and the liturgy taking place in itfor all believers" 4 .
This is how the iconostasis is born. A great connoisseur of the Byzantine tradition, Father Robert Taft (like Tarkhanova) says the following about Byzantine altars: “The altar barrier was made open: everything that happened inside was visible. Therefore ... the altar (i.e. the throne) stood in front of the apse, and not in the apse itself. In the apse itself there was a throne (of a bishop) and a co-throne (of presbyters)” 5 . And this situation existed for quite a long time.
In the 8th century St. Herman of Constantinople compiled his explanation of the Divine Liturgy, as well as the structure of the temple. Firstly, he only mentions the existence of a pillar barrier and a “cosmite adorned with the Cross” in his time 6 . “Cosmit” is a beam-beam above the pillars of the “iconostasis” (the “stasis” themselves, apparently, in this case did not rest against the ceiling, representing a kind of antique portico).
Secondly, having described the sacred rites of the Divine Anaphora, he addresses the readers with the words: “Having thus become eyewitnesses Divine Sacraments, ... let us glorify ... the Sacrament of the Dispensation of our Salvation” 7 .
That is, the saint explained the meaning of the fact that at each liturgy seen readers of his interpretation. But they could not see all this if there was a deaf iconostasis and the closed Royal Doors.
He goes on to explain why the priest bows in prayer. This is also an interpretation of that action, which for the contemporaries of the saint was visible, but incomprehensible, and therefore needed interpretation. “At least until the 11th century in Constantinople, the altar was not hidden from human eyes, and the throne was not hidden behind a curtain, which is shown by frescoes and miniatures of that time. The first mention of the closing of the gates of the altar barrier after the Great Entrance and the pulling of the veil is contained in the commentary on the liturgy of the middle of the 11th century by Nicholas of Andides Proteorius. The author calls this custom monastic” 8 .
A similar interpretation is given by the 12th-century author Theodore, Bishop of Andides: usually done in monaswarms, as well as the covering of the Divine Gifts with the so-called air, marks think, that night on which the betrayal of the disciple took place, leading (Jesus) to Caiaphas, presenting Him to Anna and pronouncing perjury, then - reproaches, beatings and everything that happened then ”9. It can be seen from the quotation that the drawing of the veil and the closing of the gates is a private monastic custom, and not a statutory provision.
Moreover, this text itself is a quotation from an earlier creation - a commentary on the liturgy of St. Herman of Constantinople, and expresses only the private opinion (as indicated by the word "I think") of the author 10 . From the quotation itself it is not clear where the gates and curtain were located: whether on the way from the porch to the temple, or on the way from the temple to the altar.
And only Theodore of Andides himself adds: “For at the time when the gates are closed, and the veil is lowered, subdeacons, according to the decree of the divine fathers, who tried to eliminate temptations and restrain those who, to the detriment of the weak, impiously and impiously walk there and here, like servants, they stand outside, in the space of the divine temple, as if in the courtyard of the altar. Below we will touch on this text again when we analyze the theological side of the issue.
But the iconostasis itself with two side and central Royal Doors already existed in the church of Sophia of Constantinople, only now it was not at the entrance to the altar, but at the entrance to the temple from the vestibule (narthex).
Here, for example, is how Archbishop Simeon of Thessalonica describes the entry of a priest into the temple at the beginning of Matins (after singing the Midnight Office, which, according to the Book of Hours, should still be performed in the vestibule): “Midnight singing is over.
The doors of the temple open (!), like heaven, and we enter it... the abbot will pass through the Royal Doors, and the others - on either side of him... The priest at the throne utters an exclamation» 12 .
We see that, firstly, we are talking about entering the temple from the vestibule, and secondly, upon entering the temple, the priest suddenly finds himself at the throne, but it is not said that he passes through some other gates.
Consequently, blessed Simeon did not know about any gates separating the temple from the altar 13 . At least he does not say that in order to get into the altar, one must also open some gate or enter some door. Similarly, in chapter 200, the same author, in the same book of conversations about the sacraments of the church, explaining the rite of ordaining a patriarch, says that the bishops enter the altar "from the side, and not from the middle." And in the book "On the Temple" the same blessed Simeon of Thessalonica mentions only a curtain around the throne and some "barriers" that separated the altar from the temple 14 .
In the same place, in the "Book of the Temple", Simeon writes that after the placing of the Gifts on the throne at the liturgy, "the Royal Doors are closed, for not everyone should be able to see the Sacraments performed in the altar" 15. At first it may seem that Simeon contradicts himself. But things are different. The royal doors were between the temple and the porch (narthex). In the narthex there were catechumens (who did not enter the temple together with the faithful). And since the altar did not have blind gates, everything that was happening in the altar could be seen from the naretx. And saying that “the Sacraments should not be visible to everyone,” he means those standing in the nartext (i.e. catechumens, as well as excommunicated, penitent and possessed by unclean spirits). The closing of the Royal Doors of the temple made it impossible for those standing in the nartext to see what was happening in the altar. But this did not in the least prevent those standing in the temple from contemplating the service at the altar.
But even if we agree that there are contradictions in the works of Simeon of Thessalonica, it is important to consider that Simeon himself was strongly influenced by the pseudo-Areo-pagite corpus with its Monophysite opposition of the people and the priesthood. On the other hand, apparently, this pseudo-Areopagite theory has not yet been universally assimilated by Orthodox churches, and therefore Simeon could speak more theoretically.
Ivan Dmitrievsky cites the words of another contemporary scholar who visited the Orthodox shrines of the East: “Vasily Grigorievich Barsky, in his journey to the holy places, testifies that he saw in Jerusalem, in Gethsemane, at the tomb of the Most Holy Theotokos, in Sinai - at the very place of the appearance of the Burning Bush , such temples, inwhich have neither royal, nor northern, nor southern doors. And inJerusalem by no barrier The altar from the temple is not fromdivided.
For the priesthood there is only the throne. See Barsky's Journey on pages 107 and 270 for details on this. 16 It is important to bear in mind that, according to Kondakov, it was “in the holy places of Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, Bethlehem… that the original forms of the altar, its barrier, and the altar were formed” 17 . The influence of the architecture of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the ancient temple of Bethlehem on the design of the altars of Byzantine churches is also noted by Tarkhanova 18 . Therefore, the testimonies of people who visited ancient temples in the past centuries, until they were touched by the hand of "restorers" 19, are especially significant for us.
The question arises: how did Russian Christians deserve such a punishment - excommunication from contemplation of the sacrament of the altar? And if Jerusalem and the Holy Sepulcher are the “Mother of the Churches,” as we sing at the Sunday service 20, then it should be a guide for all of us. Otherwise, by making an attempt to be holier than the Temple of Jerusalem itself, we may turn out to be boring Pharisees, and by no means bearers of holiness.
Theology of the liturgical space
When we speak of a liturgical space, the theology of this space cannot be "autonomous" from the theology of the Eucharistic liturgy itself. What actually takes place at the Eucharist? The most basic is touching the Eternity of God. According to the wise expression of Archpriest A. Schmemann, the boundaries of time and space are overcome, and we enter into God's eternity. During the service of the liturgy, in addition to the consecration of the Gifts, there is also a spiritual movement forward, towards eternity, of the people participating in the sacred service. We can outline three main aspects of the liturgical action that directly relate to our topic: entry into glory, contemplation of glory, and the unity of the space of the temple and the altar.
In the Divine services of the Orthodox Church, the idea is often emphasized that this service itself became possible only due to the fact that the Divine and the human in Christ were united, heaven and earth were united, the "mediastinum of the barrier" was destroyed. Being present at the liturgy, standing before the Face of God, we are present in heaven, before God, in His Mysterious and Glorious Kingdom.
According to St. Maximus the Confessor, eternal realities, "future" blessings, "primordial sacraments" are communicated in the Church by the faithful "through sensual symbols." And everything in worship has its own meaning - symbolic in the highest sense of the word (ie organic, not allegorical symbolism) 21 . To understand the meaning of "entrance into the temple" as a sacrament, it is necessary to turn to the "little entrance" of the liturgy 22 .
In ancient Byzantine and Roman practice, the people gathered and waited for the priest in the temple, and when the priest entered the temple, the people greeted the incoming priest by singing psalms or, more precisely, verses from the psalms, which were called "entrance verses" (lat. introit, Greek είσοδικόν). That is why the prayer with which the divine service began was called the “prayer of the assembly of the people” or “the prayer of the entry of the people into the temple.” This prayer now stands at the beginning of the divine service in the order of the Liturgy of the Apostle James, Bishop of Jerusalem 23.
The same prayer stood at the beginning of the liturgy of John Chrysostom in the first of the Greek codes that have come down to us, i.e. in the Barberini code (VIII century). This prayer was read in the middle of the temple 24 . This prayer, in its meaning, refers specifically to the “gathering of the faithful at the liturgy.” It is noteworthy that in the Barberini code there is, firstly, that “small entrance” prayer, which is known from our current liturgical books, and secondly, there is no mention at all that after the priest entered the temple there was another entrance to the altar as a special procession. One has to agree with Golubtsov's opinion that in the ancient Byzantine rites, the entire first part of the service before the catechumens left was in the church, and the entrance to the altar was already along with the "brought" gifts for the Eucharist 25 .
Sophia of Constantinople, built by Emperor Justinian the Great, had a charter that was completely different from all of the above. The difference between the actual Byzantine rite of Hagia Sophia (and, perhaps, almost the only temple) was that in Rome (and elsewhere) the people gathered in the temple before the arrival of the priesthood, and waited for the priests in the temple.
In the "Great Church" (Hagia Sophia) of Constantinople, everything was different. The people gathered at the entrance to the temple in a special atrium (covered western gallery), which was specially attached outside along the entire perimeter of Hagia Sophia. It was precisely for worship in this church and under these conditions that the prayer of the “Little Entrance” was composed, which is now thoughtlessly reprinted by all our existing missal books. Here is this prayer: “Lord Lord our God! You established in heaven the ranks and hosts of angels and archangels for liturgical celebrations to Your glory. Make, together with our entrance, the entrance of Your holy angels, serving with us the liturgy, and together with us glorifying Your goodness, for all glory, honor and worship befits You - the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and at all times and forever and ever ". It was the entrance of all the faithful who had gathered for the liturgy, and not just the priests. Therefore, the words of the prayer for the angels "celebrating the Liturgy with us" do not refer to the clergy going to the altar, but to the entire assembly of the Church. By the way, in its meaning, this prayer does not contradict at all, but on the contrary, emphasizes the thoughts set forth in the above ancient prayer “gatherings of the people in the temple”.
There the people are called the “gathering Church,” but here this very thought is expressed in the request for the participation of “all of us” (all those standing in the atrium at the entrance to the church) in “common liturgical celebration.” That is why the "modern" practice of reading this prayer on the steps of the ambo at the "improvised" entrance to the altar (after exiting from there) greatly distorts not only the very meaning of the entrance, but also the understanding of the words of the prayer. After all, only clerics enter the altar, and therefore the meaning of the prayer for entering the altar can only apply to them, and, consequently, the people drop out of the number of “soliturges” along with the angels of this service. And it is to all the people that the "blessing of the entrance of the saints" applies. Saints are here called all Christians who begin the service of the Eucharist 26 .
The comments of Simeon of Thessalonica about the “entrances” at the service are very significant for us. Matins (like the Liturgy) began in the narthex (porch), where both the catechumens and the excommunicated stood together with the faithful. But then the faithful entered the temple. And this is how the sequence of worship in this place is commented on by the descriptor: “Now, at the beginning of prayer, we stand outside the temple, as if outside paradise, or outside heaven itself, depicting only earthly life. Sometimes those who repent, or those who turn after renunciation, sometimes stand with us, and sometimes they are announced by the word of faith.
When the gates are opened - at the end of the hymns sung outside the temple - we enter the Divine temple, as if into paradise or heaven, and those (excommunicated and penitent with catechumens) remain outside. This action (entering the temple) means that the heavens have already been opened to us, and we have already gained accessin the holy of holies(sic) we rise to the light, and approaching, atwe go to the throne of the Lord(!). For we go to the east, to the altar, and ascend, like clouds, divine words and hymns, to the inner temple, as if in the air to meet the Lord, who, having ascended into heaven, erected andus up, and prepared the way for us- Himself, so that we allwhere to abide with our Lord, who ministers for us.Therefore the gates are opened, and the veils are drawn back, so thatby this to show that the villages of the celestials are opening up and enteringcome into unity with the inhabitants of the earth" 21 .
And St. Maximus the Confessor speaks of the participation of the faithful in the Eucharist as an entry into the future life, as the “fulfillment” of the yet “future” appearance of Christ at His Second Coming. Commenting on the meaning of the fact that after the apostolic readings at the liturgy, the bishop descends from the pulpit and after that the catechumens are removed, he writes: “The descent of the bishop from the pulpit and the removal of the catechumens means in general, the Second Coming of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ, the separation of sinners from the saints, and a righteous recompense for everyone” 28 .
If we take into account that for Saint Maximus the words “depicts” and “means” have the meaning not of an allegory, but of an actual phenomenon, the presence of the depicted, then his text acquires a fundamental meaning for liturgical theology. In the symbolic system of Saint Maximus, the catechumens were removed and the doors of the temple were closed behind them, which showed that they were still outside the Kingdom of God. Therefore, close the doors of the altar at this moment- znacheat (if you follow the logic of the interpretation of St. Maxim) simvoluntarily show that for those who stand outside the altar of the faithful, twori rai are closed! Saint Maximus never says that the doors of the altar are closed to the faithful.
So, the cited texts contain important dogmatic information: entering the temple mystically, mysteriously depicts the entry into the Eternity of God Itself, into the Heavenly Kingdom, where Christ ascended and us with Himself and in Himself exalted. And the removal of the catechumens from the temple is actual in the symbol - we are given participation in the παρουσία (Coming) of Christ: we are already in His saving Kingdom, and they (the catechumens and excommunicated) are still outside the presence of Christ. The Archbishop of Thessalonica emphasizes that we all ascend to the altar, we approach the throne of God - all together, the whole Church. And this entry is a sacrament, for it depicts and celebrates our prayerful ascension to the One Who is on the throne of Glory. “The heavenly cities have been opened, and we have already gained access to the holy of holies!” And St. Maximus speaks of entering the realm of the already realized (mysteriously) Second Coming of Christ and receiving from Him the blessed reward of glory.
Blessed Simeon of Thessalonica gave us an excellent theological presentation of the concept of serving the Church in common liturgical space not divided into parts. He emphasized the universal dignity of the faithful who approach the Heavenly Altar through the medium of the earthly altar. What can be higher than the sky? And now Heaven is opened to all of us, and we are all led into it. And what?
Gained access to the holy of holies in heaven, and the reflection of this heavenly sanctuary - the altar - closed before the eyes of the majority of believers? The earthly altar is a symbol and icon of the Heavenly Altar, and if the faithful are brought into the fullness of communion with God and placed before the Heavenly Altar, then no one can close the earthly altar from the gaze of those who pray! On earth is the image of what is in heaven. Who would decide to forbid a person to hold a photograph of the king in his hands, but at the same time allow this same person to have direct access to the king, introduce him to the royal chambers, put him at the royal table and invite him to the royal family's companions?
From this it is clear that the canonical prohibition of those who are not initiated into the clergy to enter the altar refers to discipline measures designed to ensure order in the celebration of worship in the altar. There is no dogmatic, theological obstacle to entering the altar of all full members of the Church. But if small barriers are not placed in the temple for those who pray, then during a large gathering of people there may be vanity, a crush that will prevent the priesthood from serving on the altar of the Lord. The low bars did the job calmly: They did not prevent the faithful from seeing everything that happened in the altar, but at the same time they kept the shrines of the altar from unforeseen circumstances. Therefore, the modern practice of serving the Eucharist in a tightly closed altar does not fit into any norms - not only theological, but even disciplinary ones. The closed Royal Doors are not justified even from the point of view of practical benefits, i.e. for reasons of convenience of the serving priest.
contemplation of glory
But Orthodox liturgical theology pays attention not only to the place of service, but also to the condition of the persons participating in the service. And it can be described in two ways: From the side of God there is a revelation of the Glory of God towards us. In this case, our participation in the service is contemplation the glory of God. In general, in Orthodox spiritual experience, in asceticism and mysticism, in prayer, contemplation as a touch on the Uncreated Light of God is of great importance. This is how this universal contemplation of the faithful is expressed in the liturgy of the Apostle James: Before the start of the Eucharistic Canon, when the gifts covered with “veils” are placed on the throne, the priest “removes the veils from the gifts”, while publicly explains the meaning of this sacred rite: “Having opened the mysterious veils that significantly clothe this sacred sacrifice, clearly show us and illuminate our mental eyes with an incomprehensible light. Let us note that in the authentic rite of the liturgy of the Apostle James, the altar stands outside the "vima" (otherwise called the "apse"). In the apse are the seats of the bishop and presbyters, but not the throne itself. The throne stands on a dais, and everything that happens on the throne and around it is perfectly visible to the worshipers 31 .
And people participate in the contemplation of the glory of Divine service. This is just directly opposite to everything that we have at the moment: we “hide” the Gifts, and in the authentic apostolic and patristic tradition, on the contrary, the Gifts, initially hidden under the “veils” in the sentence, are opened after enthronement, thereby portrayingEpiphany, the Revelation of God to the whole Church. How, after all, do the words of the prayer of the liturgy of the Apostle James echo with the words from the Epistle to the Hebrews of the Apostle Paul: hope, which for the soul is like a safe and strong anchor, and enters into the innermost behind the veil, where Jesus entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 6:17-20). Let's see what a complex, ornate path of thought to lead to the conclusion: everything had as its goal to introduce everyone us(Paul wrote to all Christians baptized and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and not just to bishops and presbyters) "into the inner" village of God's glory, "beyond the veil." But where for the veil? Is it not in the Jerusalem temple? No, but where “Jesus entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” That is, the Holy of Holies leads us into His Heavenly. Again, what is the liturgy? This is the ministry "behind the veil", within the Eternity of God, in the service of angels and all the saints. All the sacred vessels and the throne in the Church on earth are so holy and majestic because they are a reflection and, to some extent, the “embodiment” of what is now present in heaven - the One service of the entire Church gathered around the throne and before the throne of the Lamb. There all the faithful are gathered together!
It is to contemplation that St. Maximus the Confessor calls in his "Mystagogue" (by the way, we note that the entrance of the Holy Gifts into the altar is performed, according to St. Maximus, after closing the gates of the Church, i.e. again, we are talking about the closing of the gates of the temple, and not the altar, otherwise, how could one “enter” the closed altar through the “shuttered doors”?): closing the gates and entering the saints yesditch, to the contemplation of intelligible logoi and things" 32 . Here it is important to pay special attention to the fact that the contemplation of the logoi, according to St. Maximus, is always accomplished in material things and through things. “The intelligible world (i.e. the logoi) is in the sensible, just as the soul is in the body” 33 . And things (material or, in the language of Saint Maximus, “sensual”) are the flesh of the intelligible world.
So, when Saint Maximus says that God invites His faithful to contemplation of intelligible logoi and things, then this emphasizes the importance of contemplation of the performed sacred action! Let us repeat: the logos can be seen only in its flesh and through the flesh - through things, and therefore the things themselves are contemplated (it is not for nothing that St. Maximus emphasizes the importance of contemplating not only logoi, but also things). And only in things, through a subtle, mysterious contemplation, does a person see the logos of a thing. It is impossible to be a participant in the liturgy and not be a contemplator of the logoi of this service.
The unity of the temple and the altar
Saint Maximus the Confessor, in his wonderful Mystagogy, explains the structure of an Orthodox church. He clearly distinguishes the altar, in which physically only priests and a common temple (ναός) can be present. But at the same time, he makes the greatest remark about the special “transfiguration” of the temple and the change in its structure during the liturgy: “The temple is an altar in the possibility, since it is sanctified when the sacred action ascends to its highest point. But the altar, on the contrary, is always a temple. These words are commented on by the greatest connoisseur of the Orthodox tradition, modern patrologist A. Sidorov: “The temple is an altar only in potency, actualizing as such (i.e. becoming an altar)only at the highest moment of service. But the altar is always actually part of the temple” 35 .
So, at the time of the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist the whole temple is relevant(!) becomes an altar. The space of the altar expands and goes beyond its usual limits. The altar fills the whole temple with itself, turns the whole temple into an altar. This is a very important remark of St. Maxim: all the faithful stand in the altar at the Liturgy. But why then these closed gates, if all people really, together with us priests, stand in the altar, only behind us? The inadmissibility of the “closed Royal Doors” is self-evident, for it is precisely this that emphasizes the separation of the temple from the altar, and this separation is abolished in the unity of the celebration of the liturgy by the whole Church, in a single altar. That is why the priest, standing at the throne, even if he celebrates the liturgy alone, in prayer says that God "vouchsafed us stand before his saint altar (altar), and also "granted us serve the holy altar." If there is only one priest in the altar, then it would be logical to make a remark: “For the sole service of a priest, read “I” instead of “we”. But nothing of the kind, thank God, is found in our service books.
I would like to complete this theological part with the words of the Apostle of Christ Paul: “So, brethren, having the audacity to entertake to the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus Christ, the new and living way, which He has revealed to us again through the veil that is, our own flesh, and [having] a great Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart, with full faith, having cleansed our hearts from an evil conscience by sprinkling, and having washed our bodies with pure water, let us hold fast to the confession of hope unswervingly, for he who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:19-23).
Contemplation of the Lamb
There is one more detail in the Orthodox liturgy (and not only, but even in the Catholic Mass). This is the contemplation by believers of the Holy Lamb, which the priest lifts up before the eyes of the people during the exclamation "Holy to the holies." Patristic liturgical exegesis devotes a special place to this ancient act. The Corpus Areopagitica contains the following commentary: “The clergyman, having sung the sacred deeds, performs the Divine Mysteries. And sanctify them voznosit before your eyes and them shows them... And thus, having shown the Gifts of Divine Action, he proceeds to communion of them himself, and calls others” 36 .
The pseudo-Areopagite is echoed by Saint Nicholas Cabasilas: “Then the priest intends to proceed himself and invite others to the Meal ... He took and showing The Life-Giving Bread calls for communion... And it proclaims “The Holy One to the Saints”, as if saying: “Here is the Bread of Life, which you seethose. Go, therefore, take communion”” 37 . Evidence of Kava power is of particular value. He himself belongs to an era when the trend towards the construction of high iconostasis and the presence of the closed Royal Doors of the altar at the liturgy was already in full bloom. It can be said that Nicholas Cabasilas swam against the current, was a kind of prophet of the Eucharistic rebirth in his contemporary environment. It can be called "Byzantine John of Kronstadt".
An undoubted connoisseur of Orthodox liturgy and its history, Professor Ivan Dmitrievsky describes this moment in the following way: “The action to exalt the Body of Christ when proclaiming “Holy to the Holy” is mentioned in the liturgy of the Apostle James and in the liturgy of the Apostle Peter. About this elevation write St. Dionysius (pseudo) Areopagite and St. Maxim the Confessor. Therefore, This establishment dates back to the timeapostolic. In the primordial Church, when there were no altars and thrones (similar to the present ones), the sacred service was performed on a wooden table set in the temple, where all those present could see all the actions of the Eucharist. And when the time for communion came, the presbyter or bishop... lifted up the Holy Gifts in view of everyone and loudly proclaimed: Holy to the saints. "The bishop or presbyter, raising the Holy Gifts up and showing them to the people, exclaims: “The holy one is holy” 39 .
So, we see that the rite of the offering of the Divine Bread during the pronouncement of "Holy to the Holy" has a completely unambiguous and the only one meaning: to present to the participants in contemplation Divine Food - Source of Incorruptibility. If the rite does not achieve its inherent purpose, it loses its meaning, it becomes profanation. I think no one will deny that behind the drawn veil (and even without it, with the gates of the iconostasis closed) it is impossible to “see” this Divine exaltation. Consequently, we will have to admit that a secret act loses its meaning and is performed with a different meaning than it definitely prescribed consent fromtsov in the Orthodox tradition!
Allegorism and Liturgy
The allegorical interpretation of the actions and decor of the liturgy was an attempt to comprehend the structural changes that had arisen in its order of rites. It is useless to talk about the reasons for the changes themselves, since we can only talk in the subjunctive mood (documents that testify to the time and reasons for such a change have not come down to us). Only one thing can be said with certainty: the allegorical explanation of the custom of closing the gates of the altar and drawing the veil appears much later than the custom itself. Almost the first written monument that gives an allegorical interpretation of this action is an explanation of the liturgy of Bishop Theodore of Andides (XII century): usually businesseats in monasteries, as well as the covering of divine gifts with the so-called air, I think, marks the night on which the betrayal of the disciple took place, the bringing (Jesus) to Caiaphas, the presentation of His Anna and the pronunciation of perjury, then - reproaches, beatings and everything that happened then.
For at the time when the gates are closed and the veil lowered, the subdeacons, according to the decree of the divine fathers, who tried to eliminate temptations and restrain those who, to the detriment of the weak, unseemly and impiously walk hither and thither, like servants, stand outside, in the space of the divine temple, as if in the courtyard of the altar” 40 . The first thing that catches your eye is just the mystical separation of the temple and the altar during the liturgy. That is, the exact opposite of what St. Maximus the Confessor said! The second is a comparison of the “yard of the altar” (temple) with the court of the high priest, and the subdeacons standing in the temple with a maid, from fear of whom Peter denied Christ. You can't say anything, a worthy comparison for clerics!
Later, allegorical "interpretations" began to spring up like mushrooms after rain, crowding out the interpretations of the Church Fathers of the early era, who explained the connection of the temple and the altar with worship through the prism of the participation of the faithful in the Eucharist. To “justify” manipulations with the Royal Doors, they usually refer to the symbolic meaning of the liturgy, during which the whole life of Christ on earth is depicted (for example, closing the gates after the Cherubic Hymn “depicts” the Savior’s position in the tomb and the sealing of the tomb). But the liturgy is precisely a symbol, not a drama. There are no "actors and scenery" in the symbol.
There are priests in the symbol, and the latter include not only the priesthood, but also the entire church people consecrated in the sacrament of Baptism and Confirmation. And all who are in the temple participate in this sacred service, all the faithful participate in the fullness of the symbolism of the liturgy. In this sense of the word, “not the altar is the “sepulcher of Christ”, but the whole Church as a single liturgical space, and even all the faithful,” as St. Nicholas Cabasilas writes, are the Tomb into which the Body and Blood of Christ descends, and from which Christ resurrects, resurrecting man with Himself.
In addition, at the liturgy of the bishops (or at the liturgy of the “awarded” archimandrites and archpriests) there are no many manipulations with the gates and curtains: the gates are opened at the beginning of the service and closed during the communion of the priesthood 41 . The question arises (in the context of the symbolic interpretation of the "opening-closing" of the holy gates): except during the service of "special" archimandrites and during the liturgical service of the bishopthere is no need to depict from the altar the coffin in which he believesis the Body of Christ? And what about the open-air liturgy service (when the Patriarch of Moscow himself servestour in Diveevo on the square of the monastery)? There isn't at allneither an iconostasis, nor, moreover, a closed altar spacestva. Is this liturgy "less fertile"? Or is it “inferior in terms of the symbolism of the sacrament”, because no gates and no catapetasma? Hardly anyone will allow themselves to say this, but these are the logical conclusions from the demands that are made today by the “zealots” of the existing order.
The same applies to another “theological” argument about the need to keep the gates of the altar closed: “This Sacrament is performed in the altar by the clergy ... with the Royal Doors closed (if a priest, not a bishop, serves), because initially this Sacrament was performed by Christ in the presence of one only disciples… and also to keep this sacrament from unworthy eyes, for the human heart and eye are deceitful and unworthy to see this Sacrament,” Bishop Benjamin writes with reference to St. John of Kronstadt 42 .
Firstly, all those baptized and received the Gift of the Holy Spirit are the disciples of Christ, called to His meal. (after all, the one who takes communion is a participant in the Sacrament). All who are present at the liturgy are its participants. And Christ did not divide the participants in the Last Supper into two classes: those who see what He is doing, and those who do not see, but to whom the Body of Christ is only “carried out” from the upper room. Secondly, the question again arises: if a bishop serves, then the eye of those standing in the temple is not unclean and the heart is not deceitful? 43 What is the point of dividing the single sacred mystical space of the Body of Christ (Church) during the liturgy - at a time when all obstacles must be overcome? Liturgy - the feast of the Kingdom of God is already here on earth. And the open gates of Eternity should become the symbol of this feast, which unites heaven and earth, throughout the whole service, and the service of Eternity is performed by the whole Church in a single and indivisible space.
About how the altar partition negatively affects the clergy themselves, such persons as Father A. Schme-man and Father N. Afanasiev wrote. A brief summary of their thought is as follows: separated from the eyes of those praying, the clergy in the altar often conduct conversations during the service, sit, read letters, communicate with the brothers. The absence of an iconostasis or - at least - low iconostasis and wide Royal Doors 44 , holed whole service will serve to increase the prayerful piety of the clergy themselves.
Statutory matters
When we propose any kind of liturgical transformations, we cannot pass by the typikon and confine ourselves to one theology. Let us consider, firstly, headings 45, officially adopted in the Russian Orthodox Church, the Service Book, and secondly, the 23rd chapter of our Typicon, also officially adopted.
Our Slavic Priestly Missal regarding the veil in the liturgy, he says nothing: neither about its pulling after the Cherubic Hymn and opening before the singing of the Creed, nor about its pulling before the exclamation "Holy to the Holies." The Missal does not even say that after the Great Entrance the gates of the altar are closed. It is said that they open to the small entrance at the third antiphon and close after reading the Gospel 46.
The Missal only mentions that the gates are opened before the communion of the people, which implies their closing before this (but does not say at what time of the Liturgy they should be closed). However, the pre-Nikonian Missal gives an indication that before the beginning of the liturgy, at the end of the proskomedia, “the priest, having opened the holy gates, takes an hour off” 47 . The same indication of the end of the hours after the proskomidia is present in the manuscript of the liturgy of Basil the Great, published by Professor Archpriest M. Orlov: “For this reason, the holy priest incense. And the reception of the censer, the deacon opens the Royal doors, and censes the holy altar around the cruciform, saying in himself the 50th psalm. And the saint and the whole altar incense. And becoming at the royal doors censes the abbot ... Therefore, the priest, standing in the royal doors, creates a vacation (proskomedia.- Ig. F.).... The deacon bowed to the priest, comes out through holy doors and, standing in his usual place, bowing three times, he says: Bless, lord.
In addition, in the Missal there is an interesting prescription for the deacon before the exclamation "Holy to the Holy": "The deacon, standing before St. gates (!), Seeing that the priest takes the Holy Bread, he says: "Let's listen." I wonder with what eyes he can see this if the gates are closed (sometimes they are deaf) and the kata-petasma is closed? Is it not "with the eyes of faith"?
Concerning the liturgical practice existing in the Russian Orthodox Church, Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, in response to a letter from his bishop, who ordered to observe the instructions of the charter on the Royal Doors and the Veil, wrote: "I I think that it is a big and even tragic mistake to absolutize what the Church herself did not absolutize, arguing that only this or that practice is correct, and any other is incorrect. For example, in no place in the text of the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, as it is printed in Russian “standard” books (I have before me the excellent Moscow Synodal edition of 1904), is the veil even mentioned. If the closing of the royal doors during the divine service were really an organic and essential part of the Eucharistic service, they would not remain open when a bishop is serving or, as is customary in Russian practice, a priest of a certain rank ... Personally, I am convinced that modern Greek practice, in which the doors are not at allclosed during the entire liturgy, much moreon the true spirit of the Eucharist and the Orthodox understanding of the Church than the practice of the Russian Church, which seems toconstantly emphasizes the division between the people of God and the clergy" 49 .
23rd chapter of the Slavonic Typikon of the Russian Church
“But what about the Typicon?” - zealots of "fatherly traditions" will sigh. Indeed, the 23rd chapter of our Typicon gives instructions regarding the timing of the use of the veil. But why did the Typicon talk about the actions of the clerics in the altar? After all, the Typikon has never touched the service in the altar. The Typicon is a kliros book, in which "we" always refers to the choir, while the priesthood is always referred to in the third person. Therefore, it is strange that the Typicon gives instructions regarding the veil of the gates, when this is not the work of the readers, but the work of the clergy. There can be only one conclusion here: there is no indication of catapetasma in the Missal, while overzealous scribes-scribes decided to reflect the correct, in their opinion, order of hanging the altar in the Typikon, as if making up for the "omission" of the Missal.
But it is striking that the zealots of the "Typicoine piety" simply do not want to pay attention to the fact that most of the modern worship goes against the Typicon that we have. And it is not known what, from the point of view of the compilers of the Typika, was a great evil: to serve Matins in the evening, and Vespers - barely “rising from the bed” (as we have during Great Lent), or to violate their instructions regarding the Royal Doors and the Catapetasma? fifty
From the point of view of modern historical and liturgical science, it is important to answer the question: how and when the 23rd chapter got into our Typicon?
An undoubted connoisseur of the liturgical tradition of the Church, the great luminary of Russian liturgical science, Professor of the Kiev Theological Academy Mikhail Skaballanovich, also dealt with this issue. Here is the information he provides about the development of the Slavic Typikon: Slavic copies from the Jerusalem Typikon contained many contributions by scribes. “Some manuscripts even introduce whole new articles, some of them are accepted in our current Typicon. For example, in the Typicon of the beginning of the 16th century (manuscript of the Moscow Synod, Bibl. No. 336/338), a chapter is introduced “On the zap of the holy altar when it is opened” 51 .
The indicated time (beginning of the 16th century) is the era of the formation in Russia of that very self-consciousness, which subsequently led to a crisis with the Old Believers. This culture can be called "Monophysite" in its attitude to worship and ritual, to the letter of the Rule. It was at this time that the charter in Russia (as in its time among the Monophysites) in the name of the "sacredness of worship" was overgrown with secondary elements, behind which the content and meaning of the sacraments of the holy altar were no longer visible.
But no matter how we relate to the Typicon, we must remember that the very word "Typicon" means "Collection of samples", sketches of worship. This is not a canon with its strict requirements, but only a model, touches that are not eternal and unshakable.
In different places and at different times, different traditions were observed regarding the use of the veil and the Royal Doors in the liturgy. What is unconditional is the primordial and venerable genuine Christian antiquity, the antiquity that does not decay, but is renewed, the tradition of serving the liturgy in co-service of the whole people, in its full participation in this service - hearing, prayer, contemplation, communion, thanksgiving.
Conclusion
The Church is a living organism and not a soulless building. Any living organism is subject to suffering, metamorphoses. And the task of any living organism is to defeat diseases, “shake off the dust” and develop further. I would like to hope that the research carried out by the theological school will not “fall into a folder”, will not be covered with “secular dust”, but will become an incentive for real activity to transform our liturgical life. Now this topic is especially relevant, because without a full-fledged introduction of a believer into Orthodox worship, we risk losing this believer, if not for the Church as a whole, then for worship. Our people use all kinds of liturgical surrogates, apocryphal prayers due to the inaccessibility of worship for them. And one catechesis is not enough here. Coming to the temple, a person (if he wants to become a member of the community, and not just come in to “light a candle”) looks for his place in worship. But it turns out to be closed to him.
Notes
1 See Tarkhanova S. Old Testament prototypes of the altar barrier of Byzantine churches // Alpha and Omega, no. 2 (52); 3 (53), 2008.
2 Later, these pillars began to be decorated on top with icons and carved decorations. Hence the name: "Iconostasis".
3 In our churches, this is also relevant: if barriers are not put up in cathedrals, then, for example, on Easter, the people can simply “sweep away” the priesthood along with the throne.
4 Tarkhanova S.
5 Taft R. Byzantine Church Rite. SPb., 2000. S. 79.
6 Germanus of Constantinople, set. The Tale of the Church and the Consideration of the Sacraments. M., 1995. Ch. 8. P. 47.
7 Ibid. Ch. 41. P. 81.
8 Nicholas Kim, Rev. Note No. 8 to the Letters of St. Nikita Stifata // Rev. Nikita Stefat. About Ray. SPb., 2005.
9 Theodore, Bishop of Andides. A brief discourse on the mysteries and images of the Divine Liturgy, compiled at the request of the God-loving Basil, Bishop of Phytia. Pech. by ed.: KrasnoseltsevN. F. Explanation of the liturgy compiled by Theodore, Bishop of Andides // Orthodox interlocutor. Kazan, 1884. Book. I. Ch. 21.
10 See: PG 98: 425-428.
11 Theodore, Bishop of Andides. Brief discussion… Chap. 21.
12 Simeon of Thessalonica, blzh. Talk about the holy rites and the sacraments of the Church. Ch. 274.
13 Although in the 147th chapter of this work some special “gates of the altar” are mentioned, but here openings in stasis with a small “gate” can be called gates, as can now be found in Greek types of iconostasis.
14 Simeon of Thessalonica, blzh. Temple Book IIDmitrievsky 77. Historical, dogmatic and sacramental interpretation of the Divine Liturgy. M., 1884. S. 385. But the “sacred doors of the altar” are also mentioned there. (Simeon of Thessalonica, blzh:. The Book of the Temple... S. 402), which were opened at the small entrance during the bishop's service. However, we could assume - because. there is no description of the iconostasis from the time of Simeon of Thessalonica, which means all the same partitions knee-deep to a man of average height.
15 Simeon of Thessalonica, blzh:. The book about the Temple ... S. 410.
16 Ibid. S. 130.
17 Kondakov 77. 77. Archaeological journey through Syria and Palestine. SPb., 1904. S. 31.
18 Tarkhanova S. Old Testament prototypes… // Alpha and Omega, No. 2 (52), 2008. P. 306.
19 Many temples in the Holy Land had architecture consistent with Barsky's description. However, as soon as "zealots of piety" from the countries of the former USSR appeared in Palestine and Israel, who undertook to "bring the temples into the right form" with their own money, the temple interior changed. In temples that had never seen iconostases over the centuries of their existence, “deaf” “Russian” iconostases appeared with icons of dubious value (picturesque “pictures” of the Russian Baroque era). The author of these lines considers such “help” to be criminal when the beauty of the ancient diversity of temple architecture is destroyed.
20 See: Octoechos. Tone 8. Saturday. Great Vespers, stichera on "Lord, I have called."
21 Articles on Orthodox theology of the symbol: Schmemann A., prot. Sacrament and symbol // Orthodox community, No. 32. P. 39-52; Losev A. Dialectics of myth (corresponding section on the symbol). M., 2002;
Averintsev S. S. Symbol (encyclopedic article) // Vestnik VSU, 1998. Pilipenko E. Patristic theology of the symbol // Alpha and Omega, No. 27. S. 328-349, No. 28. S. 310-333.
22 It is the small entrance that marks the beginning of the entrance of the Eucharistic. Divine services began at the small entrance both in the East and in the West. In the “classic” version of the modern liturgy of the “Byzantine rite”, only the “entrance with the Gospel” remained, which consists in taking the Gospel out the side (northern) door of the altar and then bringing it through the Royal Doors into the altar. This is a relic form of what was performed according to the ancient Charter of worship in Hagia Sophia
Constantinople. Actually, a lot of studies and articles have already been written about the fact that the small entrance was the beginning of the Eucharistic service (See. Taft R. Byzantine church ... S. 34; Solovsh Meletsh, Fr. Divine Sturpya. Lev1v, 1999. S. 239-246). “The service of God begins with a small entrance, that is, the entry of a bishop or presbyter into the sanctuary. Liturgy begins at the small entrance in the Apostolic Decrees, in the Pilgrimage of Sylvia Eteria, and in those descriptions of the service that St. John Chrysostom... The clergyman entered the temple, and at this time the choir sang the "entrance" hymn. After that, the priest gave "peace" to the people and entered the high seat for the holy meal. After that, the reading of the Holy Scriptures and the sermon began, the prayer for the catechumens and their removal from the temple "( Solovsh Meletsh,priest Divine Sturpya. S. 240).
23 To be more precise, the first prayer refers to the priest himself and is read on the threshold of the temple (in a whisper, without the participation of the people). The second prayer is an extended initial exclamation "Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit - the Trinity and the Single Light ...", and it is immediately followed by the prayer of the entrance of the people into the temple.
24 Here is its text: “Benefactor and Creator of all things, accept Thy converging Church, make up for every deficiency, lead everyone to perfection and make us worthy of Thy Kingdom by the grace and love of mankind of Thy Only Begotten Son, with whom You are blessed together with the Most Holy Spirit, now and in every time and forever and ever." This prayer is present at the beginning of the text of the liturgy of John Chrysostom in the Slavic missal of Anthony the Roman (according to modern scientific dating of the text, the document belongs to the beginning of the 14th century). See: Missal of Anthony the Roman. pp. 15, 30 (State Historical Museum, Sin. 605/342. Preparation of the text and commentary by Y. Ruban); goar. Eujcolovgion. P. 83; Swainson. The Greek Liturgies. P.
88; OrlovM. 77., arch. Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. SPb., 1909. S. 384. It is also present in the ancient Slavic rite of the liturgy of the Apostle Peter (a translation of the Latin Mass, which was strongly influenced by the Byzantine rite). See this text: Sircu P. On the history of the collection of books in Bulgaria in the 14th century. SPb., 1890. T. I. (Issue II). pp. 221-222. In this order, the first prayer refers to the entrance of the clergy to the temple, the second to the offering, and the third to the entrance
people to the temple (which, by the way, corresponds to the arrangement of prayers in the Liturgy of the Apostle James). This prayer is present (with minor discrepancies) in all ancient Eucharistic codes.
25 See: Golubtsov A. 77. From readings ... S. 91, 153-155. Which, by the way, explains why in the modern rite of the Liturgy of the Apostle James (published by Metropolitan Dionysius of Zakynthos), the prayer of “entering the veil” is immediately after the offering of the Gifts to the altar. Apparently, at this time the priest with gifts entered the altar. And if this is so, then it means that the existing rite of the Liturgy of the Apostle James is greatly “supplemented”, including the prayer of entering the altar before the “trisagion”. Moreover, the “prayer of the veil” and the “prayer of the small entrance” of the clergy to the altar actually duplicate each other, repeating one another almost word for word.
26 This is, in fact, purely biblical terminology. The Apostle Paul in his epistles very often calls believers "saints" - Rom. 1:7; 15:24,26,31; 16:2, 15. 1 Cor. 1:2. 2 Cor. 1:1, 9:1. Eph. 1:1, 15; 5:3. Phil. 1:1. Qty. 1:2. 1 Thess. 5:27. Heb. 13:24. Acts. 9:32.
27 Simeon of Thessalonica, blzh. Conversation about the holy rites and sacraments of the Church. Ch. 123. S. 204-205.
28
Maxim the Confessor, Rev. Creations. V. 2 vols. T. 1. M., 1993. S.
179.
29
Surprisingly, much has been said lately about the significance of "Palamist" theology for the correct setting of the spiritual life not only of monks, but also of the laity involved in a life in God, which
there is life in the glory of Christ, the contemplation of this glory. But at the same time, the liturgical, Eucharistic aspect of this contemplation is completely ignored, to which we will try to pay at least a minimum of attention.
30 Liturgy of the Apostle James. S. 173.
31 In this regard, the modern “adapted” rite of the Liturgy of the Apostle James, published by the Lesna Monastery, is a vivid example of liturgical illiteracy. On the one hand - ancient prayers, on the other - the modern position of the ritual. But prayers reveal the content of the ritual. We emphasize: the prayers of the liturgy of James reveal completely other the content of the ritual.
32 Maxim the Confessor, teacher Mystagogia, XIII, cf. from XV // Creations. T. 1. S. 171, 172.
33 Ibid., VII. S. 167
34 Ibid., P.S. 159.
