The prophet Isaiah, predicting the coming punishment of Jerusalem, says this about it: “Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will take away from Jerusalem and from Judah... a brave leader and a warrior, a judge and a prophet, and a seer and an elder, a Pentecostal and a nobleman and a counselor and a wise man.” artist and skilled in speech” (Isa. 3: 1-3).

If God decides to punish a person, then he deprives him of his reason, and if a certain people is ripe for an angry visit, then, as we see, the most important categories people without whom civil life would become impossible. This is a kind of taking away the supporting pillars, without which social and state life inevitably collapses, burying all living things under its rubble. And in the list of pillars to be taken away, the first place is occupied by the “brave leader and warrior.”

Even “prophets, seers and elders” follow military men in this list. We, Orthodox, should not miss this feature of prophetic speech. We traditionally complain about the impoverishment of spiritual leaders, elders and mentors. But it is unlikely that we connect this spiritual impoverishment with such national problems as the problems of the army. But the prophet Isaiah thinks differently.

The bravery of a leader and warrior is not just a personal, but a civic virtue. A bandit going to work, a rock climber crawling up a mountain, or any representative of extreme sports can be personally brave. But their contempt for danger is of a completely different nature. In their case, a person risks his health and life, and is even ready to sacrifice himself. But this sacrifice is made by oneself. This is not “Yours from Yours,” but “mine for me.”

Bravery is not always useful, just as contempt for money is not the same as almsgiving. It has been noticed that many characters who are capable of spending fabulous sums in a night are extremely stingy or even stingy, not only in alms, but even in tips. And the mechanism is clear: I throw money “for myself,” but I have to give it to someone else. It is precisely the attitude towards the “other” or “others” that transforms courage, along with other virtues, from a personal characteristic into a socially useful phenomenon.

A warrior is brave for “others.” “Others” for him are his country with its people or peoples, with its history and culture, with its shrines. A country must have shrines, and these shrines must have defenders. Throw away any of the links in this short chain - and in place of the country you will soon see a wasteland, or ashes, or “territory reclaimed by someone.”

Therefore, the army and the presence of its fighting and patriotic spirit must be looked at as the main indicator of the country’s health and its viability.

Warrior doesn't work. He serves. The difference is not only philological.

Service involves sacrifice. Patience, perseverance, readiness for danger stem from here. The military environment remains, in fact, the only environment in which the concepts of honor and duty are especially tenacious and stubbornly do not want to turn into anachronisms. That is why the army has always been considered the backbone of the state. A society that has lost the concept of duty, honor and conscience is an organism with a sick, broken spine.

Before the revolution on Athos in Russian Panteleimon, a fair share of monks were retired military men. These were soldiers who participated in battles and campaigns; These were also officers who gave their young and mature years to army service. Moreover, these former military men were far from the worst part of the monastics. For the most part, they were hardworking, patient, and obedient. The military past was for them a period of formation of many qualities that did not lose their value in the service of God. Elder Barsanuphius of Optina and Hieromartyr Seraphim (Chichagov) rose to high ranks in their time. These examples can be multiplied almost indefinitely.

That warmth in the relationship between the Church and the army, which catches the eye of every person who has “eyes to see,” is precisely rooted in spiritual affinity. The Church has always loved the soldier, not because it fulfilled government orders, but because it has always discerned the features of a spiritual feat in an army feat. And not only the bright faces of the martyred warriors, such as George, Demetrius, Theodore, are the reason for this. The reason for this is the hardening and that healthy outlook on life and death that the army cultivates in a person and which often coincides with what the Church wants to cultivate in a person.

Your life modern man wants to weave, like a web, from thousands of thin “I want - I don’t want” and “I will - I won’t.” There is nothing in our everyday life more opposite to this selfish madness than army life.

People no longer value the simplest and most priceless things, including bread and time. And spiritual laws operate in such a way that a person will certainly lose what is dear to him that he has ceased to value. The army will teach a person something like caring for every hour of personal time and every piece of bread, even without butter or sugar. This is that elementary education, of which there is so little in families and schools, and without which a person is doomed to a life that is ultimately mediocre and unhappy.

And the feeling of elbow? What about the need to share? What about the requirement to adapt to other people’s weaknesses and correct your own? Where will you raise all this in your future father and husband?

Is life difficult while serving? It’s difficult, who can argue. But life in general is difficult, and in the process of running away from difficulties it does not become easier. Quite the contrary, it makes sense to get used to the daily routine, discipline, simple food and physical activity, coupled with moral stress. You look, and your future life will pass without unnecessary snot.

Starting from “one hundred days before the order,” and maybe earlier, we are bombarded with tons of information about the negative army. All these problems exist and require correction. But the most important problem area also requires correction, namely, the attitude of society towards the army. The church must help form society's correct, high view of military service as one of the main types of service. The first teacher, people in white coats and people in uniform are not just representatives of some professions among all others. These are representatives of the “sacred professions”. They do not so much work as they serve, and a clear indicator of the health of the nation is their attitude towards their service, on the one hand, and the attitude of the people towards them, on the other.

Therefore, let’s finish where we started: let’s re-read the quote from the prophet Isaiah and draw the appropriate conclusions from it.

12.07.2007

The priest of the Church of the Nativity spoke about the meaning of the holiday of the glorious and all-validated chief apostles Peter and Paul Holy Mother of God father Boris KULIKOVSKY:

All the apostles worked on the organization of the Church of Christ, but the now honored saints Peter and Paul worked most of all and for their fiery zeal and ardent love for the Lord and their neighbors were called supreme as worthy of all praise.

Apostle Peter, formerly called Simon, was the son of the fisherman Jonah from Bethsaida of Galilee and the brother of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, who led him to Christ. Saint Peter was married and had a home in Capernaum. Christ called him while fishing. Being passionate by nature, Peter immediately saw God in Jesus and immediately repented that he was a sinner and not worthy to sit in the same boat with the Lord. And Christ said to him: “From now on you will be a fisher of men.”

Peter always expressed special devotion and determination, for which he was awarded a special approach to the Lord along with the apostles James and John the Theologian. Strong and fiery in spirit, he naturally took an influential place in the ranks of Christ's apostles. He was the first to decisively confess the Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah and for this he was awarded the name Stone (Peter). On this stone of Peter’s faith, the Lord promised to create His Church, which the gates of hell will not overcome.

The Apostle Peter washed his threefold renunciation of Jesus Christ after the Last Supper with bitter tears of repentance, as a result of which the Lord again restored him to apostolic dignity. The Apostle Peter was the first to promote the spread and establishment of the Church of Christ after the descent of the Holy Spirit, delivering a fiery speech to the people on the day of Pentecost and converting more than 3,000 souls to Christ. Some time later, having healed a man who was lame from birth, he converted another 5,000 Jews to faith with his second sermon. The spiritual power emanating from the Apostle Peter was so strong that even his shadow, overshadowing the sick lying on the street, healed them (Acts 5:15).

In 42 after R. X., the grandson of Herod the Great, Herod Agrippa the First, launched a persecution against Christians. He killed the Apostle Joakov of Zebedee and imprisoned the Apostle Peter. Christians, foreseeing the execution of the Apostle Peter, fervently prayed for him. At night, a miracle happened: an Angel of God came to Peter in prison, freed him from his shackles, and he left the prison unhindered, unnoticed by anyone.

The Holy Apostle Peter was condemned to crucifixion by Emperor Nero. But, considering himself unworthy to accept the same death as Jesus Christ, he asked to be crucified upside down, which was done.

Apostle Paul, originally worn Jewish name Saul belonged to the tribe of Benjamin and was born in the Cilician city of Tarsus (in Asia Minor), which was then famous for its Greek academy and the education of its inhabitants. Being a Roman subject, Paul received an excellent upbringing and education, which he continued in Jerusalem at the rabbinical academy with the famous teacher Gamaliel, who was considered an expert in the Law and, despite belonging to the Pharisees, was a free-thinking man and a lover of Greek wisdom.

Young Saul, apparently, was preparing for the position of rabbi (religious mentor), and therefore, immediately after completing his upbringing and education, he showed himself to be a strong zealot for the Pharisaic traditions and persecutors of the faith of Christ. He may have witnessed the death of the first martyr Stephen, and then received the power to officially persecute Christians even outside Palestine in Damascus.
The Lord, who saw in him “a chosen vessel for Himself,” miraculously called him to apostolic service on the way to Damascus. While traveling, Saul was struck by a bright light that caused him to fall blind to the ground. A voice came from the light: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” To Saul’s question: “Who are you?” - The Lord answered: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” The Lord commanded Saul to go to Damascus, where he would be told what to do next. Saul's companions heard the voice of Christ, but did not see the light. Brought by the hand to Damascus, the blind Saul was taught faith and on the third day baptized by Ananias, receiving the name Paul. At the moment of immersion in water, Paul received his sight. From that time on, he became a zealous preacher of the previously persecuted teaching.

The Apostle Paul wrote 14 epistles, representing a systematization of Christian teaching. These messages, thanks to his wide education and insight, are distinguished by great originality.

The Apostle Paul, like the Apostle Peter, worked hard in spreading the faith of Christ and is rightly revered along with him as a “pillar” of the Church of Christ and the supreme apostle. They both died as martyrs in Rome under Emperor Nero in 67, and their memory is celebrated on the same day. Prepared

Svetlana Nosenkova,
Kaliningradskaya Pravda, No. 75 (17203), July 12, 2007

http://gazetakoroleva.ru/?number=2007075&&st=355

Our Church shines with a great host of Church Fathers who made an invaluable contribution to the formation of Orthodox doctrine and earned enormous authority among the flock. But the conciliar church mind especially singles out three great saints among them - Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom - and reveres them as universal teachers. Teacher Sretensky Seminary Alexey Ivanovich Sidorov told how exactly they deserved special church veneration.
Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint John Chrysostom

- Alexey Ivanovich, what makes the three saints stand out from the many teachers of the Church?

Our Lord Jesus Christ, by His life on earth, showed us the true path of salvation. His disciples were close to the Savior throughout His earthly ministry. For the next Christian generations they captured in Holy Scripture all the fullness of Divine truths given to us through Jesus Christ. Over time, Christian teaching spread throughout the world, and at the same time its depth was gradually revealed. The ecumenical teachers were one of those Church Fathers who, having comprehended these depths, conveyed to Christians in their writings a coherent and very verified teaching about God the Trinity.

Why do you think the Russian Church celebrates the council of the ecumenical teachers of the Church, the Cappadocian fathers who lived in the Byzantine Empire, and honors them no less than the Greek Church?

The Greek Church reveres them as the pillars of Orthodoxy, and therefore the Russian Church, which adopted Orthodoxy from Byzantium, shows the three saints the same respect. However, there is one interesting fact here. At the Liturgy we commemorate the great ecumenical teachers - Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, but Gregory of Nyssa is not mentioned among them, and this point should be taken into account. Here the Church shows that of the three Cappadocian fathers, two seem to come to the fore, and the third - Gregory of Nyssa - is in some way shaded, because there were some miscalculations in his dogmatic teaching, such as, for example, the doctrine of universal salvation. He was, of course, an amazing, very deep thinker, but the Church does not mention him during everyday services, like Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian. And we must take this lowering of the status of the great father (the term, of course, is not entirely correct) into account.

Gregory of Nyssa was a deep thinker, but there were some miscalculations in his dogmatic teaching, for example, the doctrine of universal salvation

Why are saints revered no less in Rus' than in Greece? The fact is that the authority of these fathers was confirmed at the Ecumenical Councils, at which they were quoted. The Cappadocian Fathers entered church tradition as one of the main bricks of the building of church doctrine, and, of course, the Russian Church honors them for their enormous services to Orthodoxy. For they quite clearly expressed the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, revealing the distinction between essence and hypostases, and their teaching became classic.

Three ecumenical saints (1815–1817). From the festive rite of the iconostasis of the priest's chapel in Khvalynsk- Produced inIVcentury, the most accurate teaching about God the Trinity, in your opinion, is the merit of the triad of Cappadocian fathers?

We cannot talk about a triad, because there was also a fourth father, Saint Amphilochius of Iconium, who also contributed to the formation of triadological teaching. Now almost all of his works have been translated, in which he appears as a wonderful preacher, although he is the youngest of the Cappadocians, he is still the fourth.

You spoke about the invaluable contribution that the Cappadocian fathers made to church doctrine. We are talking about the very ternary terminology in which they use the terms ancient philosophy, but with new and deeper semantic content?

Not only. Of course, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity occupies one of their central places. But at the Council of Chalcedon, the Christological message of St. Gregory the Theologian was read, in which in relation to Christ it was said that the Divinity and humanity in Him must be understood not as “other” and “other,” but as “other” and “other.” The Greeks expressed this very clearly. Two natures – “other” and “other”, but not two subjects. Therefore, Saints Gregory the Theologian and Basil the Great also determined the Christological component of Christian Orthodox doctrine.

- For what merits, in your opinion, did John Chrysostom become one of the ecumenical saints?

John Chrysostom surpasses many fathers in the number of his works. Basil the Great could not write as much as John; he still died at the age of 49. Gregory the Theologian survived Vasily, but also not by much. And after John Chrysostom, if you look at Russian translations, 12 volumes of works remained. This great amount sermons! After all, John Chrysostom became one of the ecumenical saints not only for his remarkable life. The height of his pious life is evidenced, for example, by the fact that he could allow himself to denounce those in power. But it is also important that in his sermons the saint touched on all the pressing problems of Christian life.

It was not for nothing that Saint John was called Chrysostom: people listened to his living word, which flowed

In the West they call him a moralist, and this is not an entirely adequate description. Saint John is not just a moralist, but a deep connoisseur of the Divine mysteries that God revealed to him, and a great preacher of these mysteries. No wonder they called him Chrysostom - golden lips. He could about some exquisite, complex places Christian doctrine speak in simple, understandable language, and this means a lot. In the Church, everyone organically takes their place, and everyone fulfills their purpose. And so John Chrysostom acted as a preacher. His preaching touched the masses of the people of both Antioch and Constantinople. Now, unfortunately, we cannot fully assess the significance of his sermons - the translation text cannot convey this in its entirety. But we know that people listened to his living word, which flowed.

Interviewed by Andrey Golovach

The visible embodiment of church symbolism - Orthodox church, which represents the most “open”, conscious, thoughtful system of meanings. An Orthodox church contains a complex symbol, inexhaustible in its visibility. Researchers V. Bobkov and E. Shevtsov believe that since “experience religious consciousness“, in essence, is an act of revelation, coming not from below (from the subject), but given from above - from God, that is, completely unknowable and indescribable, insofar as the ontological foundation of Orthodoxy is symbolism.” Therefore, speaking about Christian symbolism, it should be noted that understanding it outside the Church is impossible in principle.

Accordingly, a person who wants to join more closely ancient legend and traditions, one must, looking at the earthly in the construction of the temple, try to see the heavenly in it. For this, a person has many opportunities.

Architecture, like every type of art, has its own professional language - the language of architectural forms, inextricably linked with a person’s worldview, with his spiritual structure. That is why the meaning and significance of the architectural forms of a Christian temple can be understood by considering the temple in its idea - as the fruit of God’s economy based on tradition, carefully preserved by the Church.

As noted above, the Christian temple is a complex symbol, under the guise of the earthly, revealing to us the unknown Heavenly. The location of the temple, its architecture, decoration, and painting system symbolically express what is impossible to depict directly.

Thus, being in the temple is the most important aspect of complex spiritual work; it is a form spiritual development, this is the path through the visible to the invisible. In the temple, everything is subordinated to a single goal, the temple is the path to deification, it is a sacred place where members of the Church partake of the Divine life in the sacraments. Therefore, the temple is a particle of the coming Kingdom of God, anticipating His coming. At the same time, the temple is an image of the entire Divine Kingdom, to which the Church leads the whole world. And finally, the temple is the world, the universe, the meaning of which is given by participation in the work of Salvation.

The symbolism of the temple, therefore, is an expression of the liturgical life of the Church, the most important aspect of church tradition. Communion with God, rebirth for a new life, a “new heaven” and a “new earth”, is carried out, first of all, in the sacrament of the Eucharist, which takes place in the temple. That is why the temple - “the house of the Lord” - is different from any other building.

Basic principles of temple architecture, its internal structure and the paintings are passed down in church tradition, which goes back not only to the apostles, but also to the law Old Testament. Already from the 4th century. the symbolism of the temple begins to be explained in detail (see “History of the Church” by Eusebius). The symbolism of the temple was revealed in detail in the 4th–8th centuries. in the works of the holy fathers - the creators of the canons: Maximus the Confessor, Sophronius, Herman, Andrew of Crete, John of Damascus, Simeon of Thessalonica.

The symbolism of the Christian temple was revealed gradually. The Old Testament tabernacle, a prototype of the Christian temple, embodied in its structure the idea of ​​the whole world. It was built in the image seen by Moses on Mount Sinai. God, as it were, gave not only its general plan, but also determined its entire structure. Here is the description of the tabernacle made by Josephus: “The interior of the tabernacle was divided lengthwise into three parts. This three-part division of the tabernacle represented in some way the view of the whole world: for the third part, located between the four pillars and inaccessible to the priests themselves, meant in some way Heaven, dedicated to God; a space of twenty cubits, as if representing the earth and the sea, over which free way people have, it was determined for some priests” (Jewish Antiquities, Book III, Chapter 6). The third part corresponded to the underworld, Sheol - the region of the dead. The symbolism of the Old Testament Church expressed the anticipation of the coming of the Savior, therefore neither the tabernacle nor the Temple of Solomon, which was built in its image, could express the idea of ​​the Church in its entirety. The temple acquires holistic significance only with the coming of the Savior into the world, with the advent of the Christian era.

Little is known about the symbolism of early Christian churches. With the advent of heresies, the need arises to theoretically formulate the dogmatic truths of the doctrine and the symbolic side of worship.

Already in early Christian monuments there is an indication that the temple should resemble a ship and should have three doors as an indication of the Holy Trinity. The image of the ship, especially Noah's Ark, often used to this day to refer to the Church. Just as Noah’s Ark was salvation from the waves of the sea, so the Church, led by the Holy Spirit, is a refuge for Christians in the sea of ​​life. That is why the middle part of the temple is still called the “ship”.

Let's consider the symbolism of individual parts of the temple inside and outside through the prism of the idea of ​​an Orthodox church.

Walls. Bringing the Church, the living temple of God, closer to the building of the temple itself, St. John Chrysostom teaches that each of the believers and all together is a temple, and all nations are four walls from which Christ created a single temple. Similar views on the temple can be found among Western theologians. Peter of Karnatsky (XII century) considers the temple as an image of the world. “At the foundation,” he wrote, “there is a stone with the image of the temple and 12 other stones, in commemoration of the fact that the Church rests on Christ and the 12 apostles. Walls signify nations; there are four of them, because they accept those converging on four sides."

Also the walls, according to St. Demetrius of Rostov, “interpreted as the law of God.” And in this sense, it is interesting to compare the wall paintings inside the temple with the symbolism of the architectural details outside. The content of wall paintings usually consists of the Gospel events of the earthly life of Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the apostles - a visible image of the law of God given to Christians in the New Testament. Images of saints are also painted on the walls - princes, saints, martyrs, saints, who fulfilled and preached the law of the Christian faith with their lives. Thus, the walls of the temple are also an image of the ministry of the heavenly Church to us, the earthly Church: the defense of the purity of Orthodoxy and the conciliar prayerful intercession of those who live before God.”

Cube As can be seen from the above, the temple has four walls corresponding to the four cardinal directions; they are built equal in size and form a cube. This symbol is fully consistent with the ancient architectural style churches, both Byzantine and Byzantine-Russian (Kiev, Novgorod, Vladimir, Moscow).

If the temple is an image of the world, then each wall should correspond to one of the cardinal points and at the same time to one or another area of ​​church life.

East End– region of the world, “land of the living”, country heavenly bliss. The paradise we lost was in the East, in Eden (Gen. 2:8). To the east of Jerusalem is also the site of the ascension of Christ. Finally, the coming of the future Kingdom of God, the “eighth day of creation,” is symbolized by the rising of the sun, the east.

“The building itself should face east. All together, standing up and turning to the east after the exit of the catechumens and repentants, let them pray to God, who has ascended to heaven in the east, also in remembrance of the ancient residence in paradise located in the east, from where the first man was expelled for breaking the commandment by the slander of the serpent.

Altar, most an important part temple, is always on east side temple. The word "altar" means "high altar" (alta aru). Traditionally, ancient peoples placed their altars and temples on hills, as if bringing them closer to the sky. The altar is the main shrine of the temple, consecrating the entire building, symbolically depicting the “village of God,” “heaven, heaven,” a place, according to St. Herman, Patriarch of Constantinople, where Christ sits on the throne with the apostles.

The altar is a symbol of the Sinai upper room, where the sacrament of the Eucharist was first celebrated. This is represented symbolically ciborium- a dome over the throne supported by columns. At the same time, the ciborium is a symbol of the place of crucifixion and reproach of the body of Christ.

The connection of the altar-altar with Mount Zion (the place of the first Eucharist - the Last Supper) is expressed by symbolic "Zions", or “arks” in which the holy gifts are placed - the body and blood of the Lord.

About the relationship between the entire temple and the altar, Fr. Pavel Florensky: “The temple is Jacob’s ladder, and from visible world it leads to the invisible; but the entire altar as a whole is already a place of the invisible, an area cut off from the world, an unworldly space. The entire altar is heaven: an intelligent, intelligible place... In accordance with the various symbolic signs of the temple, the altar means and is different, but always standing in relation to inaccessibility, transcendence to the temple itself.”

Solea- “elevation” (from the iconostasis some distance inside the temple, to the west, towards the worshipers), that is, a continuation of the altar elevation, therefore called the outer altar (in contrast to the inner one, which is in the middle of the altar). The Solea is also a place for singers and readers, called "faces", they symbolize the angels singing the praises of God.

pulpit– the semicircular protrusion of the sole opposite the royal doors, facing the inside of the temple to the west, is especially given the name of the outer throne.

On the throne inside the altar the sacrament of transmuting bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ is performed, and on the ambo the sacrament of communion with these holy gifts of believers is performed. The greatness of this sacrament also requires the elevation of the place from which the sacrament is given, and this place is likened to some extent to the throne inside the altar.

There is an amazing meaning hidden in such an elevation device. The altar does not actually end with a barrier - the iconostasis, it comes out from under it and from it to the people, giving everyone the opportunity to understand that it is for the people standing in the temple that everything that happens in the altar is done.

The pulpit, “ascent,” also symbolizes the mountain or ship from which the Lord Jesus Christ preached. The pulpit also announces the resurrection of Christ, meaning the stone rolled away from the door of the Holy Sepulcher, which made all those who believe in Christ partakers of His immortality, for which they are given the body and blood of Christ from the pulpit, “for the remission of sins and eternal life.”

Middle part of the temple, "ship", represents the entire earthly space where the universal Christ Church. The Greeks called it apholikon - the universe. According to the ap. Peter, all believers enter the temple - “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a special people” (1 Peter 2:9). This part of the temple accommodates people preparing to receive the grace received in the sacrament of the Eucharist.

The middle part of the temple symbolizes the created world, but already deified, sanctified, justified. This is in the full sense of the word “new heaven” and “new earth.”

According to St. Maximus the Confessor, just as in a person the physical principle and the spiritual principle are united, and the latter does not absorb the first and does not dissolve in it, but exerts its spiritualizing influence on it, so that the body becomes an expression of the spirit, so in the temple the altar and the middle part enter into interaction . In this case, the first enlightens and guides the second, and the middle part becomes a sensual expression of the altar. With their relationship understood in this way, the order of the universe, disrupted by the Fall, is restored, that is, what was in paradise and what will happen in the Kingdom of God is restored.

Thus, the barrier between the altar and the middle part does not separate, but unites the two parts of the temple. The barrier came to Rus' in the form of an iconostasis, which is a complex symbol.

Iconostasis shows the formation and life of the Church over time. The iconostasis is a tiered existence; all its types, ultimately, are nothing more than the revelation of the meaning of the first and main icon - the image of Jesus Christ. The iconostasis consists of several rows of icons arranged in a certain order.

Most top row– forefathers, represents the Old Testament Church from Adam to the Law of Moses (the forefathers closest to the time of heavenly life: Adam, sometimes Eve, Abel, Noah, Shem, Melchizedek, Abraham, etc.).

Second row- these are persons standing under the law, this is the Old Testament Church from Moses to Christ (leaders, high priests, judges, kings, prophets; central figures - David, Solomon, Daniel).

Third row– festive, appears in the iconostasis later, from the 14th century. (in the 17th–18th centuries it was placed even lower, under the deisis). This row shows earthly life Christ (“Nativity of the Virgin Mary”, “Introduction into the Temple”, “Annunciation”, “Nativity of Christ”, “Candlemas”, “Baptism”, “Transfiguration”, “Entry into Jerusalem”, “Ascension”, “Trinity”, “Assumption” Our Lady", "Exaltation of the Cross", annual liturgical circle).

Fourth row - deisis(“prayer”, “supplication”). It symbolizes the fulfillment of the New Testament Church, the implementation of everything that is depicted in the top three rows of the iconostasis. This is the prayer of the Church for the whole world.

Bottom (local) row- images of locally revered saints, as well as an icon of the holiday to which the church is dedicated. In the center of this row are the royal doors, to the left (as seen from the person praying) is the icon of the Mother of God, to the right is the icon of the Savior.

In the iconostasis, from top to bottom, there are paths of Divine revelation and the implementation of salvation. In response to Divine revelation, there are paths of human ascension from the bottom up: through the acceptance of the Gospel gospel (evangelists at the royal doors), the combination of the human will with the will of God (the image of the Annunciation here is the image of the combination of these two wills) through prayer, and, finally, through communion Man realizes his ascent to what the deisis rite represents - to the unity of the Church."

West side of the temple symbolizes the “land of the dead” and hell. On this side, as a rule, the dead were buried - inside or outside the temple, in the vestibule, less often on the adjacent northwestern side. Sometimes on the western part of the temple non-dark images of prophecies and Last Judgment, and secular scenes of fun and games (the Church of St. Sophia in Kyiv), which were a reminder of an unreasonable, vain life leading to destruction.

The general idea of ​​the temple is expressed by the iconography of its middle part. Here the Ecumenical Church of Christ is depicted in its totality, in its history and perspective - from the beginning of the pristine Church to the Last Judgment - the end of its existence - by era.

The entire painting of the temple is a symbol of the Eternal Church. All church events, all participants in church life are located throughout the entire space of the temple, included in a complex symbolic hierarchy.

On the northern and southern walls of the temple there are images Ecumenical Councils – important events church history.

Narthex(corresponds to the courtyard of the tabernacle) - a symbol of the unrenewed world, still lying in sin, even hell itself. Therefore, the vestibule is located in the western part of the temple, opposite the altar - a symbol of heaven. Here stand the catechumens, those who are preparing to enter the Church and become its members, and the penitents who are under penance, that is, those whom the Church does not allow to receive the Holy Mysteries. They are between the Church and the world. They are not expelled from the temple and can remain in it until a certain moment, but cannot participate in inner life Church, its sacraments.

Vaults, dome. Since the middle part of the temple is a symbol of the transformed created world, the “new heaven” and the “new earth,” that is, the Church, the head of the Church is depicted in the dome - Christ the Pantocrator.

Above the four walls of the main part of the temple rises a vault, usually in the form of a hemisphere, just as the firmament extends above the four cardinal points. Then the idea of ​​the firmament was transferred to the dome - a semblance of the sky, and, accordingly, the idea of ​​God the Almighty was transferred to the temple dome.

The head of the temple, crowning the dome with the image of Christ, is a symbol of Christ - the Head Universal Church. If the temple itself is the body of the Church, then its head is the receptacle of Divine wisdom. In the early Christian churches the head of the temple resembled a skull, a head (for example, St. Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople, Transfiguration Cathedral in Chernigov).

Pillars. On the four pillars supporting the dome are depicted those who preached the word of God, who spread it, established it with words, deeds, and their way of life Christian faith. The true pillars of the Church are the apostles, bishops, ascetics, and martyrs.

The apostle speaks about the apostles as pillars. Paul: “And when James and Cephas and John, who were esteemed as pillars, learned of the grace given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the hand of fellowship, that we might go to the Gentiles, and them to the circumcision” (Gal. 2:9).

The pillars that support the vaults inside the temple, and the pillars built into the walls and protruding from them in the form of blades, are the structural basis of the entire material temple. They are in spiritual sense- the image of the “pillars of the Church” - the apostles, saints, teachers of the Church.

So, we have analyzed the meanings of the internal symbolic parts of the temple, now we will consider the external symbolic components.

The top of the temple consists of a base, which is sometimes called a “tribune”, as well as a “neck” (in art history, the “neck” of the top is usually called a “drum”, which does not reflect the essence of this part of the temple and has no historical basis), a chapter consisting of “ poppy" (which is often called "onion", which also does not correspond to historical sources), and the cross.

Cross- the main Christian symbol. Worshiping the image of the cross, we see in it, first of all, the symbol of Christ Himself and the symbol of the way of the cross that He commanded us: “If anyone wants to come after Me, deny himself, take up your cross, and follow Me.” The appearance of the cross also points to the mystery of the Trinity: with its vertical it points us to the Most High Father, with its transverse crossbar - to the Son and the Holy Spirit, for David says: “Thy hands made me, and will create me, that is, the Son and the Holy Spirit created.”

The Byzantine shape of the head is a hemisphere - an image of the even radiance or light of God descending from heaven onto us. The image of the flame is our prayerful burning towards God and the Divine fire overshadowing us. In the work “Primordial Essence” A.F. Losev, based on the works of the holy fathers of the Church, concludes that a ball, a sphere is “a symbolic image of the existence of ethereal forces.” And Nikolai Troitsky says: “The world of ethereal forces surrounds the primary center of existence with concentric spheres located in accordance with the hierarchy angelic ranks» .

The helmet-like shape is characteristic of the period of the Horde yoke. The poppies resemble a military helmet.

Multi-domed temples. The number of heads of the temple reveals in numerical symbolism the hierarchy of the structure of the heavenly Church.

One chapter signifies the unity of God.

Two chapters correspond to the two natures of the God-man Jesus Christ.

Three chapters commemorate the Holy Trinity.

The four chapters represent the Four Gospels and its spread to the four cardinal directions.

The five chapters represent the Lord Jesus Christ and the four evangelists.

The seven chapters commemorate the seven sacraments of the Church, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven Ecumenical Councils.

The nine chapters are associated with the image of the heavenly Church, consisting of nine orders of angels and nine orders of righteous people.

Thirteen chapters are the sign of the Lord Jesus Christ and the twelve apostles.

The twenty-five chapters may be a sign of the apocalyptic vision of the throne of the Holy Trinity and the twenty-four elders (Rev. 11, 15–18) or indicate praise of the Most Holy Theotokos (25 ikos and kontakia of the most ancient akathist to the Theotokos), depending on the dedication of the temple.

Thirty-three chapters are the number of earthly years of the Savior.

The number of chapters is associated with the dedication of the main altar of the temple, and also often with the number of altars connected in one volume.

And I would like to say a few more words about the symbolism of the materials themselves from which the temples of God were built - about stone and wood.

Stone- a symbol, first of all, of Christ Himself. The prophets spoke about this. The fourth kingdom, which King Nebuchadnezzar saw in a dream in the form of an idol made of clay and iron, represented the Roman kingdom. The stone that came off the mountain and hit this idol and scattered it into dust is a prototype of Christ, the founder of a new kingdom above kingdoms, “which will never be destroyed,” according to the prophecy of the prophet Daniel (Dan. 2:44).

The great Isaiah calls Christ “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”, over which many will stumble “and fall and be broken... A tried stone, a cornerstone, a precious stone, firmly established; he who believes in him will not be put to shame” (Isa. 8:14; 28:16; Rom. .9, 33).

Symbolizing Christ, the stone also symbolizes firm faith in Christ. Thus, expressing his faith, the Apostle Peter said to the Lord: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” The Lord answered him: “You are Peter (meaning stone), and on this stone I will build My Church.” The Apostle Peter in his letter calls the faithful “living stones,” saying: “Coming to Him (Jesus), a living stone... you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house” (1 Pet. 2:45). The many stones in the world symbolize the multitude of the faithful - from the beginning to the end of time - according to God’s promise to Abraham that his descendants, according to the right faith, will be “like the sand on the seashore” (Gen. 22:17).

If the walls of the temple are all the peoples from which Christ created His Church, according to St. John Chrysostom, and the stone is a symbol of a Christian faithful to the Lord (according to Apostle Peter), then the stones in the wall of the temple symbolize souls righteous people, constituting the Church of Christ.

Tree- a symbol of the Tree of Life of the Garden of Eden, in which righteous souls abide.

Thus, even the material foundation of the temple itself carries deep christian symbols. Therefore, in our time of new technologies and materials, a careful and reasonable attitude towards the tradition of building Orthodox churches is necessary.

To sum up, we can say with all confidence that the study of the Russian Orthodox church as a phenomenon of beauty is the most open to the world and embodying symbols Orthodox faith can become for a person seeking salvation a step on the ladder, leading him to the Creator of Good, Love and Beauty Himself.

Kudryavtsev M., Kudryavtseva T. Russian Orthodox Church: Symbolic language of architectural forms // To the Light. 1994. No. 17. P. 60

Mokeev G.Ya., Kudryavtsev M.P. About a typical Russian church of the 17th century. // Architectural heritage. 1981. No. 29. pp. 70–79

We must ask the reader to open the Bible and read the passage from the book of Hebrews, ch. 10.7-24, on which our further reasoning will be based. These verses give us a profound and wonderfully accurate view of the Christian position.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the apostle points to the three indestructible pillars on which the edifice of Christianity is built. This is, firstly, the will of God, secondly, the sacrifice of Christ, thirdly, the testimony of the Holy Spirit in the Holy Scriptures. If our faith is based on these essential truths, the soul will find permanent peace and quiet. And it is certain that no power of the world or hell, no power of people or the devil will be able to disturb our inner peace or undermine our faith.

First of all, we will notice how the apostle reveals in this surprisingly capacious phrase:

God's will

At the beginning of the chapter we read about the imperfection of the sacrifice made under the law. These sacrifices could never make a conscience spotless; through the offering of these sacrifices, a person would never fulfill the will of God, would not be able to comprehend the good desire and intentions of the heart of God.

“The Law, having a shadow of future benefits, and not the very image of things, with the same sacrifices, constantly offered every year, can never make those who come with them perfect. Otherwise they would cease to offer them, because those who offer the sacrifice, having been purified once, do not would no longer have any consciousness of sins" (Heb. 10:12).

As it is powerfully said: “Those who offer sacrifice, having once been purified, would no longer have any consciousness of sins.” The Jews have not yet had such sovereign liberation from the power of sin, but the Christian no longer needs to make new sacrifices to God, since he has been cleansed once and for all by the precious blood of Christ.

But some believers are in the habit of talking about their constant need to turn to the blood of Christ. Is this consistent with the teaching of Scripture? At first glance, such a person may seem to be a zealous and completely submissive Christian to the will of God. But true submission can only be based on a complete, clear, well-founded understanding of the truth of God and His good, merciful will for us. If His will is that we “no longer have any consciousness of sins,” then would it be obedience on our part to stubbornly refuse to get out from under the weight of sin and to trample in one place from day to day, from year to year? If the truth is that Christ took upon us our sins and, by making one perfect sacrifice, delivered us from them forever, then does this not mean that we are completely forgiven and completely cleansed? And then will there not be a constant need to turn to the blood of Christ, reducing it to the level of the blood of bulls and goats? This has actually already been done by those who speak of constant recourse to the blood of Christ, although we understand that this is undoubtedly unintentional. One of the reasons why God rejected the sacrifices offered under the law is pointed out by the apostle: “By sacrifices every day sins are brought to remembrance.” But such a reminder did not correspond to God’s intention; the Lord God wanted every trace of sin and any reminder of it to be destroyed, crossed out once and for all. And, therefore, it cannot be God's will that His people should be permanently bowed down under the terrible, deadly weight of unforgiven sin. Moreover, such a position of man is contrary to God's will, because it destroys faith and spiritual world man, diminishes the glory of Christ and calls into question the atoning power of His sacrifice.

In the tenth chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, the apostle wants to emphasize that the constant reminder of sins and the constant repetition of sacrifices go inextricably with each other, and therefore, if a Christian now has a constant weight of sins on his heart and conscience, then Christ must offer sacrifice again and again. But the atonement for human sins has already happened once and finally, and the weight of sin has been removed from the human heart forever. By God's will, we are sanctified by the one-time sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ.

Here the essence of God's will, His intention and plan, drawn up by Divine thought even before the foundation of the world, before the creation of living beings, before the existence of sin and Satan, is revealed to us with all clarity and convincingness. And the will of God was that the Son had to come in due time and atone for human sin. This is the foundation of Divine glory and this is the fulfillment of all the plans and intentions of the Divine Trinity.

And it would be a mistake on our part to believe that the idea of ​​redeeming man from sin and saving him from eternal death came to God after the fall of man. It is naive to assume that God was taken by surprise when Adam broke His commandment in the Garden of Eden. God knew everything in advance. And in vain did the enemy celebrate victory when man succumbed to his temptation in the Garden of Eden, because from that moment the fulfillment of God's plan for His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, began. There was no basis for this plan before the Fall. But the intervention of Satan, the fall of man into the power of sin and into the power of death, opened up the opportunity for God the Savior to show the unlimited wealth of His mercy and His love and to reveal to all the minds He created the Divine path of salvation.

There is enormous depth and power in the words of the Son: “As at the beginning of the book it is written about Me.” What book is He referring to here? Perhaps this refers to the book of God's eternal purposes, in which is entered the "vast plan" according to which the Son came at a certain time and carried out God's will, confirmed God's glory, destroyed the plans of the enemy, removed sin and saved perishing man. And in the sacrifice of the Son, the harvest of God’s glory is much greater than if this harvest were gathered in the fields of a creation that had not fallen into sin.

All this gives unlimited firmness and steadfastness to the souls of believers. It is difficult to convey in words the feeling of happiness and consolation that comes to a religious soul from the consciousness that Christ came into this world to fulfill the will of God, whatever that will may be.

“Behold, I come to do Your will, O God.” This was the one indivisible purpose of the perfect heart of Christ. He never did His own will in anything. He said: “For I came down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 6:38). For Christ, it did not matter how fulfilling the will of the Father could turn out for Him personally. He had to come and fulfill the Divine will written in eternal book. And He fulfilled it perfectly. And therefore Christ could say: “You did not desire sacrifices and offerings, but you prepared a body for Me” (Heb. 10:5). "I clothe the heavens with darkness, and make sackcloth for their covering. The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the wise, that I may speak a word to strengthen the weary; every morning He awakens, He awakens My ear, that I may listen like the disciples. The Lord God has opened My ear, and I I did not resist, I did not turn back. I gave My back to the smiters, and You did not hide My face from mocking and spitting" (Is. 50:36).

And now we come to the second point of our thoughts:

Sacrifice of Christ

The heart of Jesus was filled with boundless joy when He fulfilled the will of His Father and finished His work. From the manger of Bethlehem to the cross of Calvary, only one great purpose guided His obedient heart to do the will of God. He glorified God perfectly in everything. This absolutely guarantees our complete and eternal salvation. And the apostle with complete clarity and certainty formulates the fact of salvation as an accomplished fact. “It is by this will that we were sanctified by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ for once” (Heb. 10:10).

Here our souls, the believing reader, can rest in joyful peace and cloudless confidence. It is God's will that we should be saved by Him according to all the love of His heart and all the requirements of His throne. As it is said, “at the beginning of the book”: Our Lord Jesus Christ, fulfilling an eternal purpose, in His time came forth from the glory which He had with the Father, and accomplished a work which gave an indestructible basis for all the Divine plans and our salvation.

Christ, blessed be His Name, completed His work. He glorified God perfectly in those places where God had been so offended. At great cost, Christ defended and fulfilled every God's commandment. He defeated all enemies, removed all barriers, destroyed all obstacles, overcame the punishment and wrath of God, removed the sting of death. Christ miraculously fulfilled everything that was written at the beginning of the book about Him. And now we see Him crowned with glory right hand from God the Father in heaven. Christ passed from the Throne of God to the dust of death to fulfill the will of God, and having fulfilled It, returned to the Throne in a new capacity and on a new basis. His path from birth into the world to the cross was marked by traces of the Divine eternal love, and His path from the cross back to the Throne was sprinkled with His Blood. He came down from heaven to earth to fulfill the will of God and, having fulfilled It, returned again to heaven, thus opening for us a new way of life, by which we approach God in boldness and freedom, as redeemed servants.

Everything is done. All barriers have been removed. The curtain is covered. The mysterious veil, which for centuries and generations separated man from God and did not allow man to approach God, is torn into two parts from top to bottom, thanks to the death of Christ. Now we can look beyond open skies and to see God the Son on the Throne, who bore the weight of our sins on His body, on the cross. Christ, seated on the Throne, proclaims in the ear of faith the sweet, liberating news that all that must be accomplished has been accomplished. Done forever. It happened for God, it happened for us. Now all is put in order, and God can justly give free rein to the love of His heart, destroying our sins and bringing us to Himself with the approval of Him who sits at His right hand on the Throne.

Let the reader pay attention to the phrase in which the apostle compares Christ seated in heaven with the ministry of a priest on earth. “And every priest stands daily in ministry and repeatedly offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. He, having offered one sacrifice for sins, sat down forever at the right hand of God, then waiting until His enemies were made His footstool . For by one offering He has made perfect forever those who are sanctified" (Heb. 10:14).

This is amazingly accurate.

A priest from the tribe of Levi could never sit in ministry, and this once again emphasized that his work could never be done. There was no seat in the temple or tabernacle. The most convincing and impressively inspired apostle speaks of this: “And every priest stands daily in ministry and repeatedly offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.” It is difficult to more accurately and clearly describe the monotony and complete lack of effectiveness of the Levitical rites. But how strange it is that, contrary to this quotation from the Holy Scriptures, the Christian world strives to have a clergy chosen by human will and daily performing sacrifices, a clergy that does not originate from the tribe of Levi, does not belong to the house of Aaron, and therefore does not seem to have the right to do so from God and His support. In addition, modern sacrifices are selfless and therefore sacrifices without forgiveness, for it is said: “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Heb. 9:22).

The priests about whom the apostle speaks in chapter 10, were the priests of the tribe of Levi and the house of Aaron, were appointed by God for that time, but even then there were never sacrifices. They did not bring joy to God because they could not cleanse them from sins. And so God abolished those sacrifices forever. Do we need to offer new sacrifices to God, besides the sacrifice of praise? Does the Christian world need sacrifices and priests who offer them? Wouldn't this be absurdity and deception?

Only by the precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is the soul of a Christian cleansed from all sin, and therefore Christ sitting on the Throne and repeated sacrifices cannot but be a contradiction. If sacrifices must be repeated, then Christ has no right to His Throne. May God forgive me for writing such words! But Christ sat on the Throne, clothed with glory and power, and after this new sacrifices will be simply blasphemy against His cross, against His name, against His glory. And repeated sacrifices in any form will deny the reality and sovereign power of Christ's sacrifice and will not bring anyone's soul closer to true and complete forgiveness of sins. New sacrifices and God’s complete forgiveness of man, which has already taken place, are completely incompatible things.

And now we come to the third point of our chapter:

Testimony of the Holy Spirit

How do we know that Christ fulfilled God's will completely and perfectly? The Holy Spirit testifies to this in the Holy Scriptures, and the testimony of the Holy Spirit is the third pillar on which the Christian position is built. And this support, just like the previous two, is completely independent of the will of man and is Divine in nature. It is quite obvious that there is no human merit in the Calvary sacrifice of Christ. All this is clear, as well as the fact that man has no relation to the authoritative source from which our souls receive the joyful news about the will of the Creator and about the atoning sacrifice of Christ, since this is nothing more than the testimony of the Holy Spirit. In Holy Scripture we read:

“The Holy Spirit also testifies to you about this; for it is said: “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their hearts and write them in their minds, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” ( Heb. 10.1517).

And we must accept this truth without doubt, trusting in the absolutely authoritative source of the Divine witness, because it is not a matter of our feelings, moods, experiences or conclusions. Here we have before us a completely unshakable foundation of the Christian position and Christian spiritual peace and tranquility. Everything is God's from beginning to end. Will, sacrifice and testimony are all Divine, and in this is the perfect glory of our Lord! IN modern world, when a person is subjected to incredible pressure of temptations, when on the one hand rationalism with its daring blasphemy is established, and on the other hand spiritualism, which has made a terrible deal with the demons of darkness, is gaining strength, when confusion, anxiety and tragic forebodings, confusion and chaos reign in souls, when religion is understood as the performance of rituals and rituals, when the true foundations of faith remain unclaimed, how important it is for a Christian to know that these foundations really exist and that only in them can a person find true support and peace of mind.

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