Until August 26, the celebration of the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, in the temple you can hear the troparion "Thou hast been transfigured on the mountain, Christ God." Why it is written in the past tense, why it emphasizes our sinfulness and why the prayers of the Virgin are called, says Olga Sedakova
Honey, apple, nut... Three important holidays dedicated to the Savior are hidden behind delicious names: the Origin of the Holy Trees of the Cross of the Lord, the Transfiguration and the Image Not Made by Hands. How these holidays appeared and why they began to be called so among the people, says Yury RUBAN
The troparion "Thou hast been transfigured on the mountain, Christ God" is sung to the seventh tone, which is called "heavy" in church singing tradition. It's all about the Byzantines - it was with this term (Greek "vares") that this tradition tried to convey the majesty and power of the seventh voice. The priest Theodore LUDOGOVSKY and the poet Olga SEDAKOVA are talking.
The Transfiguration of the Lord is one of the central summer holidays of the Orthodox calendar. On this day, we remember the gospel story: Christ on Mount Tabor revealed to three disciples the dignity of his own Sonship of God. The Church believes that the light seen by the disciples that day was not a physical light, but a spiritual one; by the end of the Byzantine era, the doctrine of the Tabor light occupied a key place in church mysticism, and the Transfiguration became not only an episode of the gospel story, but also a symbol of our deification.
The Transfiguration of the Lord is a mysterious manifestation of the Divine majesty and glory of Jesus Christ in front of His three closest disciples during their prayer on Mount Tabor. In Greek, this word means "transformation into another form", "change of form". This is one of the most important events in gospel history, which is evidenced by three evangelists at once: Matthew, Mark and Luke
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' spent four days in the canonical territory of the Vatican - in Poland, where 500,000 Orthodox live among 33.5 million Catholics. The trip turned out to be both a new word in the dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, and “an inoculation against the minority complex”: the Patriarch spoke about how Christians of different faiths can find common solid foundations in a secularized world
On August 19, Orthodox Christians remember the Transfiguration of the Lord - an event witnessed by the disciples of Christ: Peter, James and John. The sign on Mount Tabor, the manifestation of the Divine majesty and glory of Jesus Christ before the three closest disciples during prayer on Mount Tabor is one of the key episodes of the New Testament. Our correspondent visited the site of the gospel events, almost 2000 years later
On August 19, the Church celebrates the Transfiguration of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ. On this day, fruits are consecrated in temples, and fish is allowed at the meal.
Soon the Transfiguration, the people call this holiday "Apple Savior". By tradition, in Rus', until this day, the peasants did not eat apples. Nowadays, apples are sold all year round, and we eat them all year round. What then is the meaning of the Apple Savior holiday? Maybe at some point in the year you need to stop buying apples so that after the Transfiguration you can start eating the consecrated ones again?
Blue, white, gold - with the help of three colors, the virtuoso icon painter of the XIV century. conveyed the divine uncreated energies of Christ, about which his contemporaries argued. Irina YAZYKOVA tells about a small masterpiece of Byzantine art from the manuscript of the defender of the Hesychasts, Emperor John Kantakouzenos
One person entered the font, and a completely different person came out? This rarely happens, usually the path to God is thorny and difficult even after Baptism. Archpriest Igor Gagarin tells the stories of different people, including his own
On April 8, on Palm Sunday, at the end of the liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the solemn carrying of the ark with a particle of the Robe of the Lord and the Nail from the Cross of the Lord to the middle of the temple will take place
It turns out that on Holy Week another rite of forgiveness is performed - for all the insults that we caused each other during Great Lent, and the reading of the 12 Gospels used to be a procession through the city - they read at stops, sang at the crossings. Ilya KRASOVITSKY, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Practical Theology, PSTGU, explains in more detail the structure of the Holy Week service
The central hymn of Paschal Matins is undoubtedly the canon of Holy Pascha, composed by the most famous theologian and hymnographer of the Orthodox Church, St. John of Damascus (8th century). Priest Mikhail ASMUS, teacher at PSTGU, tells about the main ideas of the Easter canon, dressed in enthusiastic poetic clothes.
In the Orthodox calendar, this holiday is called " Transfiguration of the Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ” and is now taking place on August 19. For many lovers of literature, he is associated with the wonderful poems of Boris Pasternak.
You walked in a crowd, apart and in pairs,
Suddenly someone remembered that today
sixth of august old
Transfiguration.
Ordinarily light without flame
Comes on this day from Tabor,
And autumn, clear as a sign,
Eye-catching!
"Light Without Flame"
These verses express the mood of the holiday - so aristocratically refined, brilliant. In the folk calendar, overwhelmed by culinary problems, it is called the Second, or even Apple, Savior.
Let's start from the first level of studying this calendar phenomenon - from clarifying the meaning of the evangelical event of the "transfiguration" itself. What does this term itself mean? What event of Sacred history and why was it given such a name?
Transformation: event and meaning
Eight days after the solemn confession, St. Peter of his Teacher the Messiah (Christ), - writes the Evangelist Luke, - Jesus, “taking with Him Peter, John and James, went up to the mountain to pray. And while praying, His face suddenly changed, and His clothes became sparkling white. And two people were talking with Him - they were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in the radiance of heavenly glory. And they spoke of the exodus which He was to accomplish in Jerusalem.
And Peter and his companions forgot themselves in a slumber, and when they woke up, they saw the radiance of His glory and two men standing next to Him. And as they were about to leave Him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, how good it is for us to be here! Let's build three tents here: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah!" “He didn't even know what he was talking about,” Luka remarks and continues. - And he did not finish, as a cloud appeared and covered them with its shadow. The disciples, being in the cloud, were frightened. But a voice came from the cloud, saying: "This is My chosen Son, listen to Him!" And when the voice stopped, it turned out that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this a secret and did not tell anyone at that time about what O seen" ( ).
And the evangelist Mark elaborates: “As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the tomb. They fulfilled this, but they explained among themselves: “What does it mean to rise from the grave?” ().
The historical and theological meaning of this important episode of Sacred History is clear. Let us remember that Jesus Christ was considered not only by ordinary people, but even by the disciples, first of all, as an earthly king-warrior. And the false messianic illusions persisted among the apostles even after His Ascension, right up to Pentecost! Therefore, the Lord opens the veil of the future to them and reveals Himself to be the Son of God, the lord of life and death. He assures his disciples in advance that near suffering is not defeat and disgrace, but victory and glory crowned with the Resurrection.
At the same time, Christ resorts to the judicial rule formulated in the Law of Moses: “At the words of two witnesses ... every deed will take place” ( ). By this He legally refutes the absurd accusations by the scribes and Pharisees of violating Jewish law. Calling to Himself as “witnesses” the Lawgiver himself (!) and the formidable prophet Elijah, who speak with Him about His “exodus” to death and Resurrection, Christ confirms the apostles in agreement with the Law of Moses. He hopes that at least the closest disciples will not succumb to despair, but will themselves become a support for the doubters. This is the meaning of the celebrated event.
On the icons of the holiday, Jesus usually appears in the halo of the "light of Tabor" - the radiance that appeared to the apostles. To the left and to the right of Him are Elijah and Moses, who holds in his hands the "Tables of the Covenant" - stone tablets with ten most important laws. At their feet are the apostles, who fall on their faces and cover them with their hands from the unbearable light rushing towards them in the form of broken rays.
Transformation: a single event and an annual celebration
But when did the event of the transfiguration itself take place - really at the end of the summer, and not before the sufferings of the Savior on the Cross, as is clear from the logic of the gospel narrative?
Outstanding Russian historian, prof. Petersburg Theological Academy, V. V. Bolotov convincingly proved that Christ was transfigured in front of the disciples shortly before His last Easter, in February or March according to our calendar. At the same time, analyzing the history of several holidays, he shows that in establishing the calendar dates of its celebrations, the Church was sometimes guided by "pedagogical" (missionary) considerations. Fixing the holidays deliberately on the days of pagan celebrations, the Church wanted to overcome local traditions, remnants of former religious customs.
This is what happened with the Feast of the Transfiguration. Earlier, according to V. Bolotov, it was established in Armenia and Cappadocia to replace the local veneration of the pagan goddess Astghik (analogous to the Greek Aphrodite) and fell on the sixth week after Easter.
This "missionary" logic was also relevant in other countries. So, in Greece and Italy, the end of the grape harvest was for a long time accompanied by pagan "bacchanalia" - a cheerful holiday in honor of the intoxicating god Bacchus. In order to force it out of everyday life (or “Christianize”), it was decided to celebrate the “Transfiguration” at this time, artificially combining with it a prayer of thanksgiving to God for giving “fruits of the earth”. (It was possible to gather the maximum number of villagers, especially those living in remote mountainous regions, in the church only on major holidays.) This is a continuation of the Old Testament custom of blessing the “firstfruits” - the first fruits. In Constantinople, the holiday was established only under the emperor Leo the Philosopher (886-912), moreover, it was fixed in a fixed, menaine calendar (the reason for the origin of the date on August 6 is still in question). And from the Byzantines, he moved to the Slavs.
It is interesting that this holiday, originating in the East, appeared in the West quite late. Here the Festum Transfigurationis Christi, as it is called in the Catholic calendar, was not universal for a long time. Only in 1457 did Pope Callixtus III make it ubiquitous and establish a rite of worship for it. Moreover, this was done in memory of the important victory of the Christian army gathered by St. John Capistran, over the Turks on August 6, 1456. As a result, the siege of Belgrade was lifted and Turkish expansion into Western Europe was stopped.
In the Orthodox Church, the Transfiguration has the status of the twelfth feast. In the Catholic Church, its liturgical rank is lower and corresponds to the feasts in honor of the apostles and evangelists. In this regard, the Lithuanian philosopher and theologian Antanas Maceina wrote: “The basis for the emergence of the holiday in the East is theological: these are the reflections of the writers and fathers of the Greek Church about God as the Light that shines in the depths of being and therefore a person can not only feel Him, but sometimes even see clearly. In the West, the incentive to celebrate it was of a public nature.
Fine! - the impatient reader will exclaim. - These are theological subtleties! But where are the apples? Everything is very simple.
Indeed, the “Prayer in Communion of the Cluster on the 6th day of August” prescribed by the Church Charter speaks only of the blessing of the “new fruit of the vine” (grapes). But, having borrowed from the Greeks the calendar of holidays and the rituals accompanying them, which had formed in the Mediterranean region, the Russians involuntarily had to “violate” the charter and replace grapes with apples - the main fruits of the North. Hence the strange, albeit euphonious name of the holiday - "Apple Spas", which has nothing to do with its theological and historical basis.
For curious readers:
Bolotov V.V. Michaelmas. Why is the Cathedral of St. Archangel Michael takes place on November 8? (Eortological study) // Christian Reading. 1892. No. 11-12. pp. 616-621, 644;
Dmitrievsky A. A. Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor. SPb., 1913;
Ruban Yu."Light without flame" // "Water of life". St. Petersburg Church Bulletin. 2007. No. 8.
Prayers
Troparion of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Thou hast been transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God, / having shown Your disciples Your glory, / as if I can, / may Your everlasting light shine on us, sinners / by the prayers of the Theotokos, / / Giver of light, glory to Thee.
Translation: You were transfigured on the mountain, Christ God, showing Your disciples Your glory, as far as it was possible for them. May Your eternal light shine upon us, sinners, through the prayers of the Theotokos. Giver of light, glory to Thee!
Kontakion of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Thou hast been transfigured on the mountain, / and as if holding Thy disciples, / Thy glory, Christ God, you see, / yes, when they see You crucified, / they will understand suffering freely, / they will preach the world, / / as Thou art truly the Father.
Translation: You were transfigured on the mountain, and, as far as Your disciples could accommodate, they contemplated Your glory, Christ God, so that when they see You crucified, they would understand that Your suffering is voluntary and proclaim to the world that You are truly the Father's radiance.
The Greatness of the Transfiguration of the Lord
We glorify You, Life-Giver Christ, and honor the glorious Transfiguration of Your Most Pure Body.
Prayer to the Transfiguration of the Lord
Lord Jesus Christ, our God, unapproachable in the Living Light, this Radiance of the Glory of the Father and the Image of His Hypostasis! When the fulfillment of times came, You, for the unspeakable mercy to the fallen human race, belittled You, You took the form of a slave, You humbled You, obedient even to death. Both before the Cross and Thy free passion on Mount Tabor, thou wast transfigured in Thy Divine Glory before Thy holy disciples and Apostles, having little hidden the perception of the flesh, but when they see Thee crucified, and give over to death, and understand Thy suffering. Give us and all of us, the prayer of your deeds of the right, sourteen and non -violent will be able to move in your saint, in the villages of your glory, I have to do not know the voice of the right, and the vowel is the days of Thy Kingdom are not evening, and with all the saints who have pleased Thee from time immemorial, let us glorify Thy All-Holy Name with Thy Father without beginning and the Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Thy Spirit now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Canons and Akathists
Akathist to the Transfiguration of the Lord
Kondak 1
Chosen Voevodo and the King of glory, You the heavens and the earth of the Creator, seeing on Mount Favorstey transformed with glory, all creation was surprised, the heavens trembled, and all the earthly people rejoiced, but we are not worthy of Yours for the sake of the Transfiguration, gratefully bringing worship, with Peter from the heart crying out to You: Jesus, Eternal God, it is good for us to always be under the shelter of Your grace.
Ikos 1
Thy unfamiliar and unapproachable angel, O Light-giver Christ, Deity, with impenetrable lightning and rays of Thy Non-Evening Light, Thou didst appear on Mount Favorstey as Thy chief disciple; is: Jesus, Son of God, Immortal, enlighten us with the light of Your radiant face. Jesus, Good God Almighty, awaken us sleeping from the depths of the darkness of sinful sleep. Jesus, unapproachable in the living light, lead us out of the dark realm. Jesus, filling the whole world with Your glory, lead us into the abode of paradise. Jesus, Light of the world, free us from the evil world in the darkness of those who sit. Jesus, Sun of Truth, clothe us with strength and righteousness, in the shadow of death sleeping. Jesus, Eternal God, it is good for us to always be under the shelter of Your grace.
Kondak 2
Seeing that Your disciples, Humanity Lord, are still unenlightened, they do not understand how it is fitting for You to go to Jerusalem and there to suffer a lot and be killed, You from that time began to tell them that all this is due to You by the will of our endure for the sake of salvation. Both of you, not yet able to think, even the essence of God, but even the essence of man, for this sake, in six days, thou didst drink Peter, James and John, and I raised you to Mount Tabor to show them before the Cross Your Divine Glory, and even during Your suffering it is reasonable they will sing to you: Alleluia.
Ikos 2
The mind is unreasonable of Your free suffering, Your disciples are not understandable, Lord. For this sake, before Thy Cross, at night, Thou didst raise Thy best disciples on a high mountain, may they see the miracle of Thy terrible Transfiguration and the unbearable Divine coming of Thy from afar, everlasting splendor, but when they see Thee being crucified, Thy suffering, may they understand the free. For this reason, we cry out to you: Jesus, from the lands to the high mountain, your disciples have raised, raise us to the mountain, so that we learn to seek pleasures from above. Jesus, separating Peter and Zebedee from the cares of life and the multitude of the people, separate our minds from the blessings of the earth, so that we learn to avoid addictions. Jesus, who lifted up his friends with many labors to great heights, and teach us to strive with many labors and sweats all the days. Jesus, in the silence of the night prayer, showing Your Transfiguration as a disciple, and now to Your faithful ones, grant the sweetness of Your words to be enlightened in the night. Jesus, three witnesses of Thy glory in the silence of Tabor, revealing, and now to the silent and deserted, let Thy glory always behold. Jesus, Tabor and Hermon rejoicing in Your Name, give us by invoking the sweetest Name of Yours to make the rise of the mountain. Jesus, Eternal God, it is good for us to always be under the shelter of Your grace.
Kondak 3
With the power from above your chosen Apostles, Jesus, I raised Thou to Tabor, so that they would get used to the highest seek and mountain wisdom, and not earthly, clothes and us, the valley of the drooping and infirmity of the flesh, always defeated, by Your strength and glory, but Your strength in our weakness it will be done, for the sake of love let us sing to You: Alleluia.
Ikos 3
Having before the Cross and Your free suffering, to reveal Your glory to some extent as a disciple of the Godhead, Christ our Savior, You choose three to the point from those living on earth, so that the spectators of Your Divine glory will be, for these three before Your eyes are better than all nations and language: Peter, as if he loved you more than others, and as if he was the first of all to confess the Son of God to you, James, as if he was the first in the Apostles of hope for the sake of future blessings, bowing his head under the sword and thus beginning to be your martyr, John, as a virgin and more than all the purity of the flesh and spirit chastely preserving and for this sake a special grace, more than others, received to the sight of inexpressible revelations and Thy Divine Glory. With them, accept also from us the praises of You: Jesus, from Peter before the Transfiguration of Your confession of faith received, accept my warm confession. Jesus, to the same Peter on Tabor, granting boldness to speak with Thee, speak good and peaceful in my heart. Jesus, the sons of Zebedee for the flame of love, their thunderous sons, do not strike me with the thunder of Your anger. Jesus, by the same disciple, do not let down the fire from heaven on the Samaritans, extinguish the fire of passions in me. Jesus, with the virgin John in purity of flesh and spirit, raise me up on the mountain Tabor. Jesus, with the courageous Jacob, first of all who have drunk Your cup, lead me into paradise. Jesus, Eternal God, it is good for us to always be under the shelter of Your grace.
Kondak 4
The storm of Your Theophany on Mount Sinaistei was, when in thunder and lightning you gave the law to Your saint Moses, so also on Mount Horeb the spirit was strong, ruin the mountains, coward and fire, when Elijah the prophet wanted to see Thee, either not in a whirlwind of storm, not in a coward and not in fire, the Lord, but in the voice of coldness thin You showed them Your Face and the glory of Your Divinity, when on Mount Favorstei You appeared to them, with joy crying out to You: Alleluia.
Ikos 4
Hearing Moses and Elijah on Tabor your words about your departure, you want to end it in Jerusalem, be your witness to the whole world, Lord, as you are truly the Son of God for the salvation of people from God the Father, sent and shown by a voice from heaven. Moses was called from the dead to be a witness in hell to those who are held by Your coming into the world. Elijah, however, was called from paradise, may he tell Enoch Thy Glory in the Transfiguration of the most pure Thy Flesh seen. But we, wondering at the mystery of Your prophets on Tabor of the appearance, call with tenderness to You: Jesus, the God-seer Moses, whoever wants to see Your Face, appearing Face to face on Tabor, show us in the coming age of Your Face the sweetness of the most beloved. Jesus, in the vision of Thy back of old to Moses, the radiance of Thy Glory Showing, show us in Thy Kingdom, face to the Face of Thy Sight, unspeakable kindness. Jesus, in the silence and the voice of the cold thin Elijah instructed by Your revelation, instruct me miraculously in the silence of divine impassibility. Jesus, on the fiery chariot of Your non-disgraced celestial, Elijah, raised me to paradise, miraculously raise me to the height of the most perfect life. Jesus, who of old has spoken in many ways since the prophets, and proclaimed His outcome to them on Tabor, feed my hungry soul with the words of the eternal life. Jesus, at the mouth of two witnesses, revealing the Mystery of the Transfiguration by Your disciple, with the sighs of the unspoken Holy Spirit, ignite my cold faith. Jesus, Eternal God, it is good for us to always be under the shelter of Your grace.
Kondak 5
Like a star of God in the night that shone, become like, Light-giver, Lord, the inexpressible radiance of the most pure Thy Flesh, always as a sleeping disciple and the night, already approaching morning, You offered up Thy Father at the height of the mountain Your most peaceful prayer. Then shine on Your face, like the sun, and Your garments, shining, are white and green, like snow. The Apostles, having awakened from having found Divine power, having seen Your Glory, like the Only Begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth, and stand in awe, singing to You: Alleluia.
Ikos 5
Seeing the Apostles Thee on Tabor in the form of a human being, transfigured by the glory of the Divine and talking with Moses and Elijah about Your outcome, conversing, understanding Your everlasting power and the Divinity under the cover of the flesh is hidden, and terrifying the former, listening to the verbs and enjoying the sight of Your Divine glory, videsha, fir-tree of bodily eyes, the sight of them can be accommodated. With them, we also sing to Thee this: Jesus, having shone forth Thy inexpressible and Divine Glory to Thy disciple, exalt Thy everlasting Light in our souls. Jesus, having communed the chiefs of the law and grace of Thy most peaceful Light, by partaking of That, gather our ever-astray mind. Jesus, revealing the lightning of Your Godhead hidden in the flesh on Tabor a little, exposing the hidden sins in my wretched conscience, Jesus, uncreated Light of Your with rays from Your Flesh illuminating the Holy Mountain, illumine the light of Your commandments in my gloomy soul. Jesus, by the Transfiguration of the pure Flesh of Yours, enlightening the ends of the world, enlighten and adorn us darkened. Jesus, by the brilliance of Thy Tabor Light, cleansing like snow, your disciples, cleanse and renew us darkened. Jesus, Eternal God, it is good for us to always be under the shelter of Your grace.
Kondak 6
Seeing Thy most gracious and saving conversation, Christ our God, with Moses and Elijah on Mount Taborstey, Thy disciples rejoiced zealously: Peter, James and John. Peter, in a voice filled with divine love, said: “Lord, it is good for us to be here; We are unworthy, we do not dare to directly ask You, but both humbly pray for mercy to Thee and with a trembling voice cry out to Thee: Alleluia.
Ikos 6
Ascension on Tabor, as a sign of the whole universe, the clouds were bright, asking Peter about the canopy, announcing the revelation of the voice of the Father and announcing the coming of the Holy Spirit, and always in the autumn the Apostles, the top of the mountain surrounding, were more afraid and entered the clouds with fear, feeling Your impregnable Divinity, and with With the boldness of many, I cried out to Thee this: Jesus, Israel of old as a pillar of the cloud in the wilderness, guiding, Thyself and now show us the way to Thy Kingdom. Jesus, Thy Apostles in a bright cloud on Tabor autumn, with the dew of Your Holy Spirit us in autumn. Jesus, in the Temple not made by hands Living in heaven, the temple is luminous and the most pure shade show me Your Divinity. Jesus, the tabernacle of the man-made is not willing to come to earth, make me an inner fine tabernacle of Your Spirit, in a hedgehog to ascend to heaven. Jesus, clothe yourself with light, like a robe, clothe me naked in richly woven robes of chastity and purity. Jesus, stretch out the sky like skin; clothe me, stubborn, in the snow-white clothes of Your heavenly beauty. Jesus, Eternal God, it is good for us to always be under the shelter of Your grace.
Kondak 7
Although reveal the secret of Thy, Christ, Divinity, hidden from the ages, Thy Heavenly Father, as before at the Jordan at the time of Thy Baptism, raise Thy Sonhood and thus with a voice from the cloud of the former testimony, saying: “This is My Beloved Son, listen to Him.” The apostles, having lost their strength from the great horror, fell on their faces on the ground, crying out to You: Alleluia.
Ikos 7
The new one who saw and glorified on Tabor the former, Thy Word, Lord God, self-seeing and servants, and the voice of the Father and the noise from the cloud heard, terrifying bysha and suddenly illuminated by a new light, each other in vain, wondering and to the earth fell prostrate, to Thee, Lord of all things bow , Praises to You sending such: Jesus, the Image of the Most Luminous Hypostasis of the Father, transform my gloomy and impure life. Jesus, Glory of the Father's Radiance, enlighten my soul that has fallen and plunged into darkness. Jesus, marvelous and terrible in the glory of Thy divine image, renew our spirits corrupted by corruption. Quiet Jesus, full of love, with the inexpressible lordship of Your Flesh, all the uncleanness of my flesh is whiter than snow. Jesus, Light Without Beginning, in Your light, on Tabor revealed, Light show us the Father. Jesus, unchanging Light, in the invisible Light of Your Kingdom, show us the Light and the Spirit. Jesus, Eternal God, it is good for us to always be under the shelter of Your grace.
Kondak 8
Miraculously and strangely, Moses and Elijah appear to You on Tabor, Lord Lord, who saw the mark of the Divine Hypostasis, and spoke about Your free suffering, sacredly coming to You. Having overshadowed them with a bright cloud and a former voice from heaven, the Glory of the Lord is taken from the vision of Your disciples, and the prophets also take up their places, singing to You: Alleluia.
Ikos 8
You were all from the highest, the Innumerable Word of God, when Your most pure Flesh was transfigured on Tabor, but you didn’t retreat from the bottom either, when the departed prophet and the vision had already died, You approached Your disciple lying in fear for the sake of the earth, and touched them with your hand Thou said unto them, Arise, fear not. The disciples, having lifted up their eyes and seeing no one, who is the One with them, rejoiced zealously and thanked God, singing to You like this: Jesus, having the words of the Life Eternal, always be with us in the wandering of the earth. Jesus, filling us with the sight of Your Divinity, do not leave us orphans in Your service. Jesus, before Thy Cross, having clarified the Mystery of free suffering, grant us always to remember Thy us for the sake of exhaustion. Jesus, before you die, showing us Your glory, give us always to understand Your Flesh deification. Jesus, the immutable image of the Existing One, renew in my soul the longed-for vision of Your image and likeness. Jesus, seal equal to the Father, imprint in the flesh of my unspeakable goodness Thy goodness. Jesus, Eternal God, it is good for us to always be under the shelter of Your grace.
Kondak 9
All nature is confused, in vain Your glorious Transfiguration on Tabor, Christ the Savior: Angels, invisibly coming, with fear and trembling I serve You, heaven is afraid, moving and trembling was the whole earth, seeing the glory of the Lord, “Mount Tabor, before dark and smoky”, covered with a bright cloud, “on her” cleanliness “Your feet stand”, but Your disciples, Lord, do not tolerate the sight of Your unbearable sight, throwing themselves down to the ground, covering their faces, until You Yourself, the vision of the deceased, raised up Thou who cry to Thee : Alleluia.
Ikos 9
Witnesses of superstition, by the grace of unenlightenment, cannot understand Your glorious Transfiguration of the sacrament, Lord. For this reason, when you descended from the disciples from the mountain, the day that began to shine, You commanded that you were Your friend, that the visions of the former would lead no one, until, after accepting suffering and death, you were resurrected on the third day from the tomb. And you kept silent, and announced to no one in your days, no one else from those who have seen and heard, either way in my heart I cry out to you: Jesus, wrap yourself around all of Adam, enlighten the blackened nature of ancient times. Jesus, in the cloud, carried by fire and darkness, by Your Grace, consume all the darkness of the soul in us. Jesus, delighting Your Apostles with the radiance of Divine noise, always delight us with the words of Your Divine revelation. Jesus, Thy Enlightening disciples with a begetting cloud, always enlighten us with the dawns of Thy glorious Transfiguration. Jesus, having sanctified Mount Tabor with Your pure feet, direct our feet to serve You faithfully. Jesus, with innocent hands to ascend Your mountain commanded, raise our hands to the prayerful uplifting of the mountain. Jesus, Eternal God, it is good for us to always be under the shelter of Your grace.
Kondak 10
Save the world, at Tabor, Thou hast been transformed for us, Lord, may we be worthy of the heavenly glory prepared for Your chosen ones, and may we transform the body of our humility, as if to be in accordance with the body of Thy Glory in the general resurrection of all and in Thy infinite Kingdom, which thou hast prepared from the creation of the world by those who love Thee, in it also grant us, as Moses and Elijah on Tabor face to face to see Thee and with all the saints sing to You the eternal song: Alleluia.
Ikos 10
Eternal King! Do everything for our salvation. For the sake of me, you took on the most pure flesh from the Most Holy Virgin Mary, and in the sight of a slave you came into this world. So you were transformed on the holy mountain, not pleasing yourself, the Light of enlightenment does not require more, but for the sake of the condemned, yes, enlighten our darkness and us, sitting in the darkness and in the midst of the canopy of death, from the sons of anger into your beloved children, transform. For this reason, we thankfully cry out to You like this: Jesus, transforming the sight of the slave on Tabor, make us from the slaves of sin the children of God. Jesus, even depleting Yourself to the flesh, transform our fallen nature with You. Jesus, revealing the unspeakable splendor of Your Kingdom on Tabor, affirm joy, peace and the truth about the Holy Spirit in us. Jesus, by the Divine brilliance of Thy flesh, deifying all creation, renew us by the deification of the flesh at Your Second Coming. Jesus, the fire of Your Godhead on Tabor is revealed, my sins have fallen into an immaterial fire. Jesus, having nourished Your disciples with Your sweetest conversation there, Sanctify my smooth soul with Your Holy Mysteries. Jesus, Eternal God, it is good for us to always be under the shelter of Your grace.
Kondak 11
I offer the singing of all tenderness to Thee, unworthy of Thy Transfiguration, making a bright triumph and crying out to Thee: the height of the heavenly life and the glory of the everlasting Divine radiance grant now to Thy servant, with a pure heart, make us mentally ascend to Thy holy mountain, to see with reasonable eyes Thy glorious Transfiguration, let us sing brightly To you: Alleluia.
Ikos 11
This Light is Unapproachable and the Giver of Light, Jesus, Beginningless and Eternal Light, Thou didst bring Thy Light into the world, when Thou entered Mount Tabor with Thy most pure flesh, and there the Uncreated and Divine Light showed Thy disciples, showing the glory of the Father. Partakers of this unnatural Light of Yours, wishing to be, from the depths of our souls we cry out to You such: Jesus Christ, the True Light, live my soul with good thoughts all the days of my earthly journey. Jesus the King, the Beginningless Light, kindle the extinguished lamp of my soul again until the day of my death. Jesus, Quiet Light, give life, give light and life to my soul at the terrible hour of my death. Jesus, Holy Light, shine and burn, from the unquenchable fire and outer darkness, rescue me then. Jesus, Sweetest and Most Holy Light, lead me to the light of Your heavenly chamber among the bitter ordeals of the air. Jesus, the brightest Light of every sun, in the lightness of Thy saints in the non-evening days of Thy Kingdom, enlighten me. Jesus, Eternal God, it is good for us to always be under the shelter of Your grace.
Kondak 12
Grant Thy grace to me, Jesus my God, even on Tabor you gave Thou to Thy chosen disciples Peter, John and James, and receive us, like them, but clothed with Thy power from above and the Holy Spirit of enlightenment, but having a pure heart and a renewed spirit, we will ascend to mental Tabor, ascending from strength to strength, and most of all, laboring in fasting and prayer, remaining in chastity and purity, and there let us sing to You: Alleluia.
Ikos 12
Singing the Most Pure Flesh of Thy most glorious Transfiguration, we glorify Thy Divine Glory on Tabor revealed, we worship Thy everlasting Power and Divinity, Thou hast exposed His little dawn there, O Christ, and we believe with Peter, as Thou art truly the Christ, the Son of the Living God, who has come into the world of sin save, in the same way we cry with him from the depths of our souls: it is good for us to be here with you. For this reason, do not disgrace us in Thee the right of those who believe, both weak and clothed with flesh, and cover us with the Light of Thy God-shining Flesh, with love calling to You: Jesus, the Unsetting Sun, ascended on Tabor. Shine on me with Your Divine radiance, Jesus, the Light unconcealed in the Transfiguration, warm me with Your grace by communion. Jesus, the Temple of the Eternal Heavenly Jerusalem, in the tabernacle of God with the people instilled me. Jesus, Flower of the Incense of the All-Holy Paradise, fragrant me with heavenly aromas of holiness and purity. Jesus, Cleansing Fire, cleanse heaven and earth from all filth at all, cleanse me from the filth of the flesh and spirit. Jesus, O all-dreading Stone, Have heavenly Zion instead of the sun with Divine beauty, deliver me from the sight of other beauty more than Thee. Jesus, Eternal God, it is good for us to always be under the shelter of Your grace.
Kondak 13
Oh, Sweet and All-Generous Jesus, shining with divine glory on Tabor! Now accept this little prayer of ours, and as if you received worship from Your disciples on the holy mountain, so vouchsafe us to worship Your glorious Transfiguration, shining in the light of good deeds, may the sinful darkness living in us be enlightened by You, and may we appear worthy of being the heirs of the infinite Thy kingdom in heaven, even with all the saints, vouchsafe us to sing to you: Alleluia. (Thrice).
(This kontakion is read three times, then ikos 1 and kontakion 1)
Prayer to the Transfiguration of the Lord
Lord Jesus Christ, our God, unapproachable in the Living Light, the Radiance of the Glory of the Father and the Image of His Hypostasis! When the fulfillment of times came, You, for mercy unspeakable to the fallen human race, belittled You, You accepted the sight of a slave, You humbled You, being obedient even to death. Both before the Cross and Thy free passion on Mount Favorstey, thou wast transfigured in Thy Divine Glory before Thy holy disciples and Apostles, having little hidden the perception of the flesh, so that when they see Thee being crucified, and betrayed to death, they will comprehend Your free suffering and Divinity. Grant to all of us, O pure Thy Flesh, the Transfiguration of the celebrating, pure heart and undefiled minds to ascend to Thy Holy Mountain, to the villages of the holy glory of Thy, where the voice of the celebrating is pure, the voice of unspeakable joy, and there together with them face to face we will see Thy Glory in the non-evening days of Your Kingdom, and with all the saints who have pleased You from the ages, we will glorify Your All-Holy Name with Your Beginningless Father and Your Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit now and ever and forever and ever.
Sermon of St. Luke (Voyno-Yasenetsky). Word on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord about spiritual light.
Sermon of St. Philaret of Moscow. Word on the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Sermon by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh. Transfiguration.
The resurrection of Lazarus precedes the Resurrection of Christ. Therefore, already on Lazarus Saturday, in the second exapostilary of Matins, we hear “Death, where is your sting?” Priest Theodore LUDOGOVSKY tells
On April 21, the troparion of St. Mary of Egypt - "In you, mother, you know you have been saved." The same troparion is laid in the services of other reverend wives. It is written in the form of an appeal “to you”: as if it were her, the reverend, we are talking about her exploits and salvation. The reversed speech speaks of her presence. Priest Feodor LUDOGOVSKY and poet Olga SEDAKOVA comment
Joyful hymns, in which "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord" are repeated, will be heard in churches on the day of Palm Sunday and the day before at the all-night vigil. Priest Alexander LAVRUKHIN and Nikita TAU NALEDI show how to sing them. VIDEO
Of the woman who brought the ointment, it is said: “Wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, it will be said in memory of her and about what she did.” No one else in all four Gospels is promised such a memory. This makes us think for a long time about what "what she did" means. The verse “Even the wife who has fallen into many sins” by nun Cassia is commented on by the priest Fyodor LUDOGOVSKY and the poet Olga SEDAKOVA.
On the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women, the stichera of Holy Week is sung about the removal from the Tree of Christ and weeping for him: “To you, dressed in light like a robe.” This is no coincidence: on the Sunday of the myrrh-bearing women, celebrating the resurrection of Christ, we must not forget that the resurrection cannot be without death.
On the day of Midnight, the Gospel is read about the preaching of Christ in the middle of the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), and not Pentecost. The Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated in autumn, not spring. Why did such a discrepancy arise between history and worship and why the hymns of the holiday are dedicated to living water - the grace of the Holy Spirit, says priest Theodore LUDOGOVSKY
In the verse to John the Forerunner of the service of his Nativity, it is said that he preached "Christ's exhaustion to men", which he himself shared: "He must increase, but I must decrease." Why did God and the great prophet diminish? What is the meaning of this for Christians? Priest Fyodor LUDOGOVSKY answers
In the troparion "In the Nativity Thou Preserved Her Virginity," the hymnographers seem to enjoy the multiplication of a number of "impossibility" arising from one name: Mother of God. The Virgin becomes the Mother; a woman gives birth to Him whom the whole world cannot contain, a mortal woman is born into eternal life. The priest Theodore LUDOGOVSKY and the poet Olga SEDAKOVA comment.
We place the text for the general folk singing for the Saturday Vigil and Sunday Liturgy
Remember the motif of the troparion "In the Nativity you kept virginity", and you will be able to sing hymns of the 1st tone, learn the kontakion "In prayers the unsleeping Mother of God" - and you will be able to sing in the 2nd tone. Priest Alexander LAVRUKHIN and Nikita TAU NALEDI show how to sing
Until August 26, the celebration of the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, in the temple you can hear the troparion "Thou hast been transfigured on the mountain, Christ God." Why it is written in the past tense, why it emphasizes our sinfulness and why the prayers of the Virgin are called, says Olga Sedakova
Caracas is the capital of Venezuela. Bishop JOHN (Berzin) of Caracas governs the most turbulent South American diocese abroad. A significant part of the Latin American parishes that were part of the Church Abroad went into schism on the eve of the signing of the act of canonical communion between ROCOR and the Moscow Patriarchate on May 17, 2007. On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the reunification, we are publishing our interview with Vladyka.
At every all-night service in the third psalm, from which the Six Psalms begins, we hear "Rise, Lord, save me, my God, for you have struck down all those who are at war with me in vain: you have crushed the teeth of sinners." These words baffle me. Why are teeth so important to the psalmist? Nowhere in the patericons did I read that God punished someone for sins by losing teeth. And what does "destroyed" mean? It is clear that it does not mean a blow to the jaw, as in a fight between people. Maybe one of the holy fathers has an interpretation of this passage? Vladimir
Andrey Desnitsky: "The debate about the liturgical language is so stubborn and heated because it is rather about the place of the Church in our society and in this world, about its meaning and purpose here and now, in relation to us personally. The correct answers can be found in catechisms, but they will be too general and of little help. Perhaps partly because the questions themselves are usually not spoken aloud"
On the feast of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple (December 4), churches begin to sing the Christmas canon at the Vespers. At first everything is clear: "Christ is born - praise!" But the further, the more difficult. The meaning of the hymns is explained by Archpriest Vitaly GOLOVATENKO, Rector of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin at the St. Petersburg Conservatory
Liturgical language: "sea of life"
The life of the Mediterranean civilization - Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, etc. - was closely connected with the sea. It was vital to get along with the water element in order to use it for good. But at all times, the deep sea even among experienced sailors caused fear, melting in its depths an unpredictable destructive force. The Apostle Paul, traveling with the preaching of Christianity in the Mediterranean, suffered a shipwreck three times, spending night and day "in the depths of the sea" (see II Cor. 11, 25). How was the image of the sea refracted in the liturgical texts that came to us from Mediterranean Byzantium?
Orthodox piety, which developed under the auspices of the Royal court in the main temple of the Byzantine Empire, Hagia Sophia, surrounded the bringing of gifts to the Throne with a procession that received the name "Great Entrance" by analogy with the royal "entrances". On major holidays, the Emperor himself walked at the head of the procession with a censer in his hands, accompanying the prepared gifts, which are about to become the Body and Blood of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. The meaning of the moment in connection with the hymns accompanying it is revealed by the heading deacon Mikhail ASMUS
"We can't just turn the toggle switch and translate it into Russian," His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said about the service of the Russian Church at a meeting with Smolensk students. Alexei Shmelev, Head of the Russian Speech Culture Department at the Institute of the Russian Language of the Russian Academy of Sciences, explains how to make the service understandable while preserving the Church Slavonic language
"Glory to Thee, Who showed us the light!" - these words from the Great Doxology in the ancient Divine Liturgy sounded at the moment when the edge of the sun was shown. At the heart of Matins - the second part of the Vespers - is a service that prayerfully accompanies the onset of the day. Only day here means not just a part of the day, but light - not just the morning dawn.
