The Great Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is approaching, which is dear and joyful to every Orthodox Christian! In the liturgical calendar, the Baptism of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ (Theophany of the Lord) is one of the twelve feasts.

In Slavonic "twelve" means twelve. Thus, the Twelve Feasts are the 12 greatest feasts of the Church, 12 most important events from the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, His Most Pure Mother, from the history of the Apostolic Church, which reveal the most significant moments of Sacred History. The feast of the Epiphany is celebrated no less solemnly than the Nativity of Christ. It can be said that Christmas and Epiphany, connected by Christmas time, constitute a single, majestic and soul-saving celebration - the feast of the Epiphany. It is in the unity of these feasts that all the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity appear to us. In the Bethlehem den, the Son of God was born in the flesh, and at His baptism, from the open heavens, “The Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove” (Luke 3:22) and the voice of God the Father was heard, saying: “You are My Son Beloved; My favor is in you!” (Luke 3:22).

The Monk John of Damascus said that the Lord was baptized not because He Himself had a need for purification, but in order to “bury human sin with the waters”, fulfill the law, reveal the sacrament of the Holy Trinity and, finally, sanctify the “water nature” and give us the image and example of Baptism .

In accordance with the foregoing, we note that the Baptism of the Lord is called:
1) Epiphany, because on this day God appeared, worshiped in the Holy Trinity: God the Father - in the voice, the Son of God in the flesh and the Holy Spirit - in the form of a dove;

2) Enlightenment, since from that day on Christ was the light that enlightens the world.
The name of the holiday comes from the Greek term baptisma (in the Slavic-Russian tradition - "baptism"), which literally means "immersion in water", "ablution"). Historically, it goes back to the Eastern Christian celebration, called Epiphany (from the Greek epiphaneia - means a miraculous Appearance, a manifestation of divine power), or Theophany (Teofaneia - “Epiphany”). The last name - Holy Theophany - is preserved as the main one in the modern Russian Orthodox calendar.

holiday event

According to the words of the Holy Gospel, Jesus Christ (at the age of 30 - Luke 3:23) came to John the Baptist, who was at the Jordan River in Bethabara (John 1:28), in order to be baptized. John, who preached a lot about the imminent coming of the Messiah, when he saw Jesus, was surprised and said: “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” To this, Jesus replied that "it behooves us to fulfill all righteousness" and was baptized by John. During the baptism, “...the sky was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form, like a dove, and there was a voice from heaven, saying: You are My Beloved Son; My favor is in you!” (Luke 3:21-22).

Thus, with the participation of John the Baptist, it was publicly testified that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. The baptism of the Lord, which took place then, is considered by all evangelists as the first event in his social activity. After the baptism of Jesus, “John also baptized at Aenon, near Salem, because there was much water; and they went there and were baptized” (John 3:23). Evangelist John connects the appearance of the first of the twelve apostles precisely with the sermon of John the Baptist: “The next day John stood again and two of his disciples. And when he saw Jesus walking, he said, Behold the Lamb of God. Hearing these words from him, both disciples followed Jesus” (John 1:35-37).

After his baptism, the Savior, led by the Spirit, withdrew into the wilderness in order to prepare in solitude, prayer and fasting for the fulfillment of the mission with which he came to earth. Jesus for forty days "... was tempted by the devil and did not eat anything during these days, but after they had passed, he finally became hungry" (Luke 4:2).

Speaking about the Baptism of the Savior, we point, first of all, to the external side of the event. Christ comes to John the Baptist on the banks of the Jordan River along with other people who are thirsty for the baptism of repentance. He comes, is baptized, descending into Jordanian waters along with all the people, and the Holy Spirit descends on Him in the form of a dove, and the voice of the Father is heard from heaven. But this, one might say, is the external, visible side - the Baptism of Jesus Christ itself, and the inner, semantic side - this is precisely the Epiphany.

The very name Epiphany reflects the inner side, the main meaning of this event. Theophany is the manifestation of God, the manifestation of the Holy Trinity to the world, of which extremely vivid gospel evidence has been preserved (see: Matt. 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; John 1:33 –34). This is the first clear proclamation of God by the Trinity: the witnessing voice of God the Father, the Son, baptized from John the Baptist and the Holy Spirit descending on the baptized.

Since ancient times, this holiday has also been called the Day of Enlightenment and the Feast of Lights, because God is Light and appeared to enlighten “those who sit in darkness ... and the shadow of death” (Matt. 4:16) and save by grace, which is the Enlightenment (appearance) of the Savior (see: 2 Tim. 1:9-10), the fallen human race. Let us note that on the eve of Theophany it was customary to perform the baptism of the catechumens, which is actually spiritual enlightenment and at which many lamps were lit.

The baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ is in the closest connection with the whole of His God-human work of saving people (the dispensation of our salvation), it constitutes the decisive and complete beginning of this ministry. The Baptism of the Lord in the redemption of the human race has a great saving ontological significance. Baptism in the Jordan exudes forsaken mortals, remission of sins, enlightenment, the restoration of human nature, light, renewal, healing, and, as it were, a new birth. The baptism of Christ in the waters of the Jordan, therefore, had not only the meaning of a symbol of purification, but also a transforming, renewing effect on human nature. The baptism of the Savior was in fact a prefiguration and foundation given after His Resurrection and Ascension of the grace-filled way of rebirth by water and the Spirit in the sacrament of Baptism. Here the Lord shows Himself to be the Founder of a new, gracious Kingdom, into which, according to His teaching, one cannot enter without Baptism (see Matt. 28:19–20).

The threefold immersion (of each believer in Christ) in the sacrament of Baptism depicts the death of Christ, and the coming out of the water is the communion of His three-day Resurrection.

At the Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan, true worship of God was revealed to people, the hitherto unknown mystery of the Trinity of the Godhead, the mystery of the One God in Three Persons, was revealed, the worship of the Most Holy Trinity was revealed.

Having been baptized by John, who trembled at the request of Christ, the Lord fulfilled “righteousness,” that is, faithfulness and obedience to the commandments of God. Saint John the Baptist received from God the command to baptize the people as a sign of the cleansing of sins. As a man, Christ had to fulfill this commandment and therefore be baptized by John. By this He confirmed the holiness and greatness of the actions of the Prophet John, and gave Christians for eternity an example of humility and obedience to the will of God.

Location of the Baptism of the Lord

The place where John the Baptist preached and baptized, according to church tradition, was called Bethabara (the area beyond the Jordan, where there was a crossing over the river, which explains the name of the city - “the house of the crossing”). The exact location of Bethavara, possibly Beit Awara, has not been determined. Since the 16th century, it has been considered the place where the Greek monastery of St. John the Baptist is now located, a kilometer from modern Beit Avara, about 10 kilometers east of Jericho and 5 kilometers from the confluence of the Jordan River into the Dead Sea. Already in the time of King David, a ferry was arranged here, and in the 19th century this place was called the "Pilgrim's Ford", because of the many pilgrims who flocked here to bathe in the waters of the Jordan.

It was this way, 12 centuries before the birth of Christ, that ancient Israel, led by Joshua, entered the Promised Land. Here, a thousand years before the Incarnation, King David crossed the Jordan, fleeing from his own son Absalom, who had rebelled against him. In the same place, the prophets Elijah and Elisha crossed the river, and already in the Christian era, by the way, in the same way, St. Mary of Egypt went to the Jordanian desert to mourn her sins.

History and Patristic Exegesis of the Feast

The Holy Church on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord affirms our faith in the highest, incomprehensible mystery of the Three Persons of the One God and teaches us to confess and glorify the Holy Trinity, Consubstantial and Inseparable; exposes and destroys the delusions of the ancient false teachers who tried to embrace the Creator of the world with human thought and word. The Church shows the need for Baptism for those who believe in Christ, instills in us a feeling of deep gratitude to the Enlightener and Purifier of our sinful nature. She teaches that our salvation and cleansing from sins is possible only through the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit, and therefore it is necessary to worthily preserve these grace-filled gifts of holy Baptism in order to keep clean that precious garment that the Feast of Baptism tells us about: ” (Gal. 3:27). In these words, the Lord, through the mouth of the Apostle Paul, commands us to purify our souls and hearts, so that we may be worthy of a blessed life.

The celebration of the Theophany dates back to apostolic times, this is mentioned in the Apostolic decrees. The testimony of St. Clement of Alexandria (II century) has been preserved about the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord and about the night vigil performed on the eve of the holiday, held in the reading of Holy Scripture.

In the Apostolic Decrees we read: “Let the feast of Theophany be celebrated, because on that day there was a manifestation of the Divinity of Christ, testifying to His Father in Baptism, and to the Comforter of the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, showing the forthcoming Witnessed” (book 5, ch. 42; book. 8, ch. 33).

Until the 4th century, the Baptism of the Lord and the Nativity of Christ were celebrated together, on January 6, according to the old style. At the same time, the appearance of God in the world was noted, i.e. the coming, the incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity of Jesus Christ and at the same time the Epiphany, as a revelation, the manifestation to the world of the mystery of the Holy Trinity in the event of the baptism of the Savior. The separation of the Nativity of Christ and the transfer of its celebration to December 25 (according to the old style) occurred only in the 4th century. The Nativity of Christ as an independent holiday appears initially in the Christian West in the Roman Church, and somewhere by the end of the 4th century it has already gained fame in the Christian East. People who come to the temple on holidays can pay attention to how close and similar the services of these holidays are in their structure.

In the III century. on the feast of the Epiphany, conversations are known during the divine service of the holy martyr Hippolytus and St. Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea. At the same time, in line with the debate about the separate or syncretic celebration of Christmas and Epiphany, vivid works appear in which the first point of view is substantiated on solid theological grounds, but very emotionally. Thus, St. Proclus of Constantinople (5th century) preached: “On the previous feast of the Nativity of the Savior, the earth rejoiced; on today’s feast of the Epiphany, the sea rejoices greatly, because through the Jordan it received the blessing of purification.” And Cosmas Indikoplios (6th century) in his “Christian Topography” briefly recorded what all the Orthodox accepted over time: “Since ancient times, the Church, so as not to forget about one of the two holidays, if it began to celebrate them together, decided that they should be separated by twelve days according to the number of the apostles.

Subsequently, from the 4th to the 9th centuries, the great fathers and teachers of the Church (St. Gregory the Theologian, St. John Chrysostom, St. Ambrose of Milan, Blessed Augustine of Hippon, St. John of Damascus) created their festive homily, skillfully combining dogmatic content and symbolic-allegorical imagery.

The Holy Fathers - Anatoly, Archbishop of Constantinople (V century), Andrew and Sophrony of Jerusalem (VII century), Cosmas of Maium and John of Damascus (VIII century) - compiled the canons, and Herman, Patriarch of Constantinople, Joseph the Studite, Theophanes and Byzantium ( IX century) - many hymns for the feast of the Epiphany, still sung on this day.

Iconography of the holiday

The eventual complexity of the holiday, its significant dogmatic component influenced the fact that the images of the Epiphany, which appeared already in the first centuries of Christianity, captured not only the Baptism of the Savior in the Jordan from John the Baptist, but, above all, the appearance to the world of the incarnated Son of God as One of the Persons of the Holy Trinity to whom the Father and the Holy Spirit, who descended on Christ in the form of a dove, testify.

In early Christian monuments of the 4th-5th centuries, such as the ampullae of Monza, the mosaics of one of the baptistery in Ravenna, a plaquette from the throne of Archbishop Maximian, Christ being baptized by the Forerunner was represented as a young beardless youth. However, in the future, in accordance with church tradition, the image of the Baptism of the Savior in adulthood will become widespread.

Despite the fact that the main source of iconography for the event of the Epiphany was the Gospel, on whose testimony the descriptions of Baptism in the apocrypha are based, the images of the feast contained elements that were not borrowed from the narrative of the holy evangelists. Thus, following ancient pictorial techniques, in the scenes of Baptism, iconographers placed the personification of the Jordan River - a gray-haired old man sitting, as, for example, in the mosaic of the dome of the Arian baptistery, on the shore or in the river itself, along with the personification of the sea in the form of a floating woman.

In addition, the Gospel does not report the presence of angels at the Lord's Baptism, although their figures in varying numbers, starting from the 6th-7th centuries, are always depicted standing on the opposite bank of the Jordan from John the Baptist, usually occupying the right side of the composition.

Since ancient times, a segment of the sky has been depicted above the Savior in the water, from which a dove descends to Christ - a symbol of the Holy Spirit, rays of trinity light, as well as the blessing right hand of the Almighty, meaning a “speech gesture” - a voice from heaven (painting in the monastery of Daphne near Athens, second half of the 11th century). Thus, the moment of the appearance of the Deity, the theophany, is emphasized.
Over time, more details appear on icons, mosaics, book miniatures, and so on: on the banks of the Jordan, people are shown undressing, waiting for their turn to be baptized; sometimes a cross is depicted on the water, the confluence of the streams of Jor and Dan, etc. (Church of the Savior on Nereditsa, Novgorod, 1199; St. Catherine's Monastery on Sinai; Pskov churches, first half of the 14th century).

The greatest attention in all the images of the Epiphany is attracted by the figures of the Savior and John the Baptist, who lays his right hand on the head of Christ, which correlates with the Gospel and the hymnography of the holiday (icons from the Sergiev Posad sacristy museum and St. Sophia Cathedral, XV century).

In Russian monuments of the 16th-17th centuries, despite the prohibition by Church Councils to portray God the Father, in the Theophany in the segment of the sky, the figure of Hosts is often present. And usually a ray comes out of His mouth, in which the Holy Spirit is depicted in the form of a dove.

The rite of the great consecration of water

The Church annually renews the remembrance of the Jordanian event with the rite of the great blessing of water.

The consecration of water was accepted by the Church from the apostles and their successors. But the first example was given by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, when He plunged into the Jordan and sanctified the whole nature of water.

Holy water cleanses believers from spiritual defilements, sanctifies and strengthens them for the feat of salvation in God, has the power of healing from diseases and all sorts of infirmities. It is important to note that the consecration of water, performed on January 18 (Epiphany Eve), does not in any way affect the grace-filled power of the Great Blessing of Water on this day, in comparison with the consecration on the very day of the holiday on January 19.

This rite originated in the Jerusalem Church and in the 4th-5th centuries was practiced only in it alone: ​​according to custom, everyone went to the Jordan River for water blessing in remembrance of the Baptism of the Savior. Therefore, in the Russian Orthodox Church, the consecration of water on eve is performed in temples, and on feast days it usually takes place on rivers, springs and wells - in the so-called Jordans, for Christ was baptized outside the temple. The rite of consecrating water is attributed to the Evangelist Matthew. Several prayers for this rank were written by St. Proclus of Constantinople. The final design of the rank is attributed to St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem. Tertullian and Saint Cyprian of Carthage already mention the consecration of water on the feast. The Apostolic Decrees also contain prayers that were said during the consecration of water. In the second half of the 5th century, Patriarch Peter Fulon of Antioch introduced the custom of consecrating water not at midnight, but on the eve of Theophany. In the Russian Church, the Moscow Council of 1667 legalized the consecration of water twice - on eve and on the feast of the Epiphany. The succession of the great consecration of water both on eve and on the feast itself is, of course, one and the same, and in some parts resembles the following of the small consecration of water. It consists in remembering the prophecies relating to the event of Baptism (paroemia), the event itself (the Apostle and the Gospel) and its meaning (litanies and prayers), in invoking the blessing of God on the waters and thrice immersing the Life-giving Cross of the Lord in them.

The story about the special properties of the water collected on the day of the Baptism of the Lord, we can already see in one of the sermons of St. John Chrysostom (VI century): “On this holiday, everyone, having drawn water, brings it home and keeps it all year long, since today the waters are consecrated; and a clear sign occurs: this water does not deteriorate in its essence over time, but, drawn today, it remains intact and fresh for a whole year, and often two or three years.

It is necessary to remember that holy water is beneficial to us - it is necessary to take care of the purity of our own soul, the lordship of our thoughts and deeds, and with each touch to the shrine, offer up a prayer in our mind and heart.

Saint Theophan the Recluse wrote about the help of holy water: “All the grace that comes from God through the Holy Cross, holy icons, holy water, relics, consecrated bread (artos, antidor, prosphora) and others, including the Most Holy Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, has strength only for those who are worthy of this grace through prayers of repentance, repentance, humility, service to people, deeds of mercy and the manifestation of other Christian virtues. But if they are not there, then this grace will not save, it does not act automatically, like a talisman, and is useless for impious and imaginary Christians (without virtues).”

For all of us, Orthodox Christians, participation in the prayerful remembrance of the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, its experience, reflection on its significance in the history of salvation should lead to reflection on our place in this salvation. In fact, when we enter the Church in our personal baptism, being adopted or adopted by God, we accordingly enter the Church as into the Body of Christ, forming its members. It would not be superfluous to recall that in the Sacrament of Baptism, each of us made a promise to God through the mouth of his godparents that he would always renounce Satan and his works and would always unite, “combine” with Christ.

Based on materials from the site: http://eparhia-kaluga.ru

1 Baptism in the New Testament has types in the Old Testament: cleansing and ritual ablutions

8 He who is cleansed will wash his clothes, cut off all his hair, wash himself with water, and be clean; then he will enter the camp and stay seven days outside his tent;
(Lev.14:8)

5 and whoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening;
(Lev.15:5)

16 But if he does not wash [his clothes] and wash his body, he will bear his iniquity.
(Lev.17:16) and so on.

which in prophetic predictions become a symbol of cleansing from sins

16 Wash yourself, cleanse yourself; remove your evil deeds from my eyes; stop doing evil;
(Isaiah 1:16)

25 And I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean from all your filthiness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
(Ezek. 36:25)

1 In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem to wash away sin and uncleanness.
(Zech. 13:1)

Along with these Old Testament patterns, John's eyes probably also included contemporary phenomena. Among them is the baptism of proselytes, supposedly introduced in the 1st century BC. according to R.H.

This baptism, along with circumcision, was performed on Gentiles, and for girls and women it was the only external sign of their conversion to Judaism. John may also have been aware of the baptism of novices into the Essenes sect at Qumran (Dead Sea Scroll).

Despite the possibility of such connections, John's nickname "the Baptist" indicates that the baptism he performed was regarded as something completely new;

2 John's baptism with water, inextricably linked with his preaching of repentance, involves the confession of the baptized of their sins and the realization of their sinfulness.

6 And they were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 And when John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to him to be baptized, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers! who inspired you to flee from future wrath?
8 Bring forth fruit worthy of repentance
9 And do not think to say within yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father," for I tell you that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
10 Even the ax lies at the root of the trees: every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
(Mat. 3:6-11)

4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
5 And all the land of Judah and Jerusalem went out to him, and they were all baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
(Mark 1:4,5)

3 And he went through all the surrounding country of the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,
4 as it is written in the book of words of the prophet Isaiah, which says: The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths;
5 Let every valley be filled, and let every mountain and hill be lowered, crookedness straightened, and uneven paths made smooth;
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
7 [John] said to the people who came to be baptized by him: You brood of vipers! who inspired you to flee from future wrath?
8 Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say within yourselves, Abraham is our father, for I tell you that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
(Luke 3:3-8) etc.

These circumstances, as well as an indication of the baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire

11 I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who comes after me is stronger than I; I am not worthy to bear His shoes; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire;
(Mat. 3:11)

as to a higher stage of baptism, which will become possible only with the appearance of Christ,

1 During the stay of Apollos in Corinth, Paul, passing through the upper countries, came to Ephesus, and finding [there] some disciples,
2 He said to them, Have you received the Holy Spirit by believing? They said to him: We have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.
3 He said to them, What were you baptized into? They answered: in John's baptism.
4 Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in him who would come after him, that is, in Christ Jesus.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus,
6 And when Paul laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit descended on them, and they began to speak with [other] tongues and prophesy.
7 There were about twelve of them in all.
(Acts 19:1-7)

they say that John's baptism takes the place of preliminary baptism in the sacred historical sequence. Through the activities of John, the community of people who associate their salvation with the appearance of the Messiah prepares for the coming of Christ and unites.

II. Baptism of Jesus

1 Baptism in the Jordan

Jesus was baptized in the Jordan (see Mark 1:9 and parallels) to "fulfill all righteousness." The significance of this baptism referred only to Him as God's Messiah, for nowhere in the New Testament is baptism in the ancient Church established by this baptism of Jesus or associated with Him.

9 And it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
10 And as he was coming out of the water, immediately [John] saw the heavens open, and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.
11 And a voice came from heaven: You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
(Mark 1:9-11)

Jesus in this baptism joins us, sinful people. On the one hand, at the beginning of Jesus' public ministry, God proclaims and confirms that Jesus is His Son (v. 11), and on the other hand, Jesus, as the Lamb (John 1:29), submits Himself to the Law of God's judgment, like all sinful flesh ;

29 The next day John sees Jesus coming towards him and says, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
(John 1:29)

2 Baptism by suffering

Based on this premise, the entire suffering of Jesus, up to His death on the cross, can also be called “baptism” (Mk 10:38; Lk 12:50).

38 But Jesus said to them, You don't know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?
(Mark 10:38)

50 Baptism must I be baptized; and how I long for this to be done!
(Luke 12:50)

This is what Paul means when he speaks of K. Jesus as K. "to death."

3 Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
(Rom 6:3ff.)

III. Baptism in the ancient church

1 For understanding the essence of New Testament baptism, the fact that in the Church of Christ the baptism with the Holy Spirit,

11 I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who comes after me is stronger than I; I am not worthy to bear His shoes; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire;
(Mat. 3:11 and parallel places)

prophetically foretold by John becomes the event that establishes and marks this Church.

The disciples of Jesus continued to perform water baptism for some time as a (John's) baptism for repentance,

26 And they came to John and said to him, Rabbi! The one who was with you at the Jordan, and of whom you testified, behold, he baptizes, and everyone goes to him.
(John 3:26)

2 Although Jesus himself did not baptize, but his disciples,
(John 4:2)

but under the influence of the acts of Jesus Himself, starting from the day of Pentecost, they began to baptize anew - now “in the name of Jesus Christ”

38 But Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
(Acts 2:38)

16 For He had not yet descended upon any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
(Acts 8:16)

48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay with them for a few days.
(Acts 10:48)

15 lest anyone say that I baptized in my name.
(1 Corinthians 1:15)

11 And such were some of you; but washed, but sanctified, but justified by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit of our God.
(1 Corinthians 6:11)

27 All of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
(Gal. 3:27)

or, following Jesus' command to be baptized, in the name of the triune God.

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
(Matt.28:19)

The Baptism of the Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ is one of the most important Christian holidays. On this day, Christians around the world remember the gospel event - the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River.

The Savior was baptized by the prophet John the Baptist, who is also called the Baptist.

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

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

When is the Baptism of the Lord celebrated?

The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord on January 19 according to the new style (January 6 according to the old style).
The Feast of the Epiphany has 4 days of forefeast and 8 days of afterfeast. Prefeast - one or several days before a big holiday, the divine services of which already include prayers dedicated to the upcoming celebrated event. Accordingly, the afterfeast is the same days after the holiday.

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

Events of the Baptism of the Lord

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

The people believed the prophecies of John the Baptist, many were baptized in the Jordan. And then, one day, Jesus Christ himself came to the banks of the river. At that time He was thirty years old. The Savior asked John to baptize Him. The Prophet was surprised to the core and said: “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Christ assured him that "We must fulfill all righteousness." At the time of baptism the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and there was a voice from heaven, saying: You are My Beloved Son; My favor is in you!(Luke 3:21-22).

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

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

What can you eat at the Baptism of the Lord

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

The Baptism of the Lord - the history of the holiday

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

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

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

Iconography of the Baptism of the Lord

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

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

The central figures on all the icons of the holiday are Christ and John the Baptist, who lays his right hand (right hand) on the head of the Savior. The right hand of Christ is raised in a blessing gesture.

Features of the service of the Baptism of the Lord

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

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

Prayers of the Baptism of the Lord

Troparion of the Baptism of the Lord

voice 1

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

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


Kontakion of the Baptism of the Lord

voice 4th

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

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

Magnification of the Baptism of the Lord

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

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

Epiphany Cathedral in Yelokhovo

Epiphany Cathedral is located in Moscow, on Spartakovskaya street, 15, not far from the Baumanskaya metro station. In the XIV-XVII centuries, the village of Eloh was located here.

In the second half of the 15th century, the famous Moscow saint, Basil the Blessed, was born in the parish of the local church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.

At that time, the Cathedral of the Epiphany was an ordinary rural church. In 1712-1731, it was rebuilt in stone, Emperor Peter I personally granted a brick to it. The new building was consecrated in 1731.

At the end of the 18th century, the Pushkin family became parishioners of the Epiphany Church. It is known that the great poet was born in the German Quarter and was baptized in the old Epiphany Cathedral in 1799. The godparents were my grandmother, Olga Sergeevna, nee Chicherina, and Count Vorontsov, the grandson of Minister Artemy Volynsky, tortured under Biron.

The old Peter's Cathedral stood until the middle of the 19th century. In the 1830s, the famous Moscow architect Evgraf Tyurin received an order for its reconstruction. The renovated cathedral was consecrated in 1853.

During the years of Soviet power, the temple was not closed. On the Feast of the Meeting in 1925, His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon served a solemn Liturgy there. In 1935, the Baumansky District Council decided to open a large cinema in the Epiphany Cathedral, but the decision was soon canceled.

And a few more facts from the history of the temple. The relics of St. Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow, are buried in the Epiphany Cathedral, and His Holiness Patriarch Sergius of Moscow and All Rus' and His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' are buried. In 1992, the Epiphany Cathedral became a cathedral.

Shrines of the cathedral: the Miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the relics of St. Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow, the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow", particles of the relics of St. John Chrysostom, Apostle Andrew the First-Called and St. Peter of Moscow.

Folk traditions of the Baptism of the Lord

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

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

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

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

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

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


Holy Epiphany water

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

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

When to collect baptismal water?

Water on the Epiphany is consecrated twice. On the eve of January 18, on Epiphany Christmas Eve, the Rite of the Great Blessing of Water, which is also called the Great Agiasma. And the second time - on the day of the Epiphany, January 19, at the Divine Liturgy. When to sanctify water, it does not matter at all.

Is all water for baptism holy?

Archpriest Igor Fomin, rector of the Alexander Nevsky Church at MGIMO, answers:

I remember that in childhood we left the church for Epiphany and carried a three-liter can of Epiphany water with us, and then, already at home, we diluted it with tap water. And the whole year they accepted water as a great shrine - with reverence.

On the night of the Epiphany of the Lord, indeed, as Tradition says, the entire watery nature is sanctified. And it becomes like the waters of the Jordan, in which the Lord was baptized. There would be magic if the holy water became only where the priest consecrated it. The Holy Spirit breathes wherever it wants. And there is an opinion that at any moment of Baptism, holy water is everywhere. And the consecration of water is a visible, solemn church rite that tells us about the presence of God here on earth.

Epiphany frosts

The time of the feast of the Epiphany in Rus' usually coincided with severe frosts, so they began to be called "Epiphany". People used to say: "Crack frost, don't crack, but Vodokreschi passed."

Swimming in the hole (Jordan) for Epiphany

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

Epiphany Christmas Eve

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

Sochivo

To prepare juicy you will need:

Wheat (grain) - 200 g
- peeled nuts - 30 g
- poppy - 150 g
- raisins - 50 g
- fruits or berries (apple, blackberry, raspberry, etc.) or jam - to taste
- vanilla sugar - to taste
- honey and sugar - to taste
- cream - 1/2 cup.

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

A poem about baptism

What are the life-giving and what are the terrible waters... At the beginning of the Book of Genesis, we read about how the breath of God hovered over the waters and how all living beings arose from these waters. During the life of all mankind - but so vividly in the Old Testament - we see the waters as a way of life: they preserve the life of the thirsty in the wilderness, they enliven the field and forest, they are a sign of the life and mercy of God, and in the sacred books of the Old and New Testaments of water represent an image of purification, washing, renewal.

But what terrible waters there are: the waters of the Flood, in which all those who could no longer stand before the judgment of God perished; and the waters that we see throughout our lives, terrible, destructive, dark flood waters ...

And so Christ came to the Jordanian waters; into these waters is no longer a sinless land, but our land, defiled to its very depths by human sin and betrayal. People came to these waters to bathe, repenting according to the preaching of John the Baptist; how heavy were these waters by the sin of the people who washed them! If only we could see how those washing these waters gradually became heavy and became terrible with this sin! And Christ came into these waters to plunge at the beginning of His feat of preaching and gradual ascension to the Cross, to plunge into these waters, bearing the entire burden of human sin - He, sinless.

This moment of the Baptism of the Lord is one of the most terrible and tragic moments of His life. Christmas is the moment when God, out of His love for man, who wants to save us from eternal perdition, takes on human flesh, when human flesh is permeated with the Divine, when it is renewed, it becomes eternal, pure, radiant, the flesh that through the Cross, the Resurrection , Ascension will sit at the right hand of God and the Father. But on the day of the Baptism of the Lord, this preparatory path ends: now, having already matured in His humanity, the Lord, having reached the full measure of His maturity, the Man Jesus Christ, united by perfect love and perfect obedience to the will of the Father, goes free will, freely fulfill what the Eternal Council has ordained . Now the Man Jesus Christ sacrifices this flesh and as a gift not only to God, but to all mankind, takes on His shoulders all the horror of human sin, human fall, and plunges into these waters, which are now the waters of death, the image of death, carry all evil, all poison, and all sinful death.

The Baptism of the Lord, in the further development of events, most closely resembles the horror of the Garden of Gethsemane, the excommunication of death on the cross and the descent into hell. Here, too, Christ unites with human destiny in such a way that all its horror falls on Him, and the descent into hell is the last measure of His unity with us, the loss of everything - and victory over evil.

That is why this majestic feast is so tragic, and that is why the waters of Jordan, bearing all the weight and all the horror of sin, by touching the body of Christ, the body of the sinless, all-pure, immortal, permeated and radiant with the Deity, the body of the God-man, are cleansed to the depths and again become primary, primeval waters of life, capable of cleansing and washing away sin, renew a person, restore incorruption to him, commune him with the Cross, make him a child no longer of the flesh, but of eternal life, the Kingdom of God.

How awesome is this holiday! That is why, when we bless the waters on this day, we look at them with such amazement and reverence: these waters, by the descent of the Holy Spirit, become the waters of the Jordan, not only the primordial waters of life, but waters capable of giving not only temporal life, but also eternal; that is why we partake of these waters reverently, reverently; that is why the Church calls them a great shrine and calls us to have them in our homes in case of illness, in case of spiritual sorrow, in case of sin, for purification and renewal, for communion with the newness of a purified life. Let us taste these waters, let us touch them reverently. Through these waters began the renewal of nature, the sanctification of the creature, the transfiguration of the world. Just as in the Holy Gifts, here we see the beginning of the future age, the victory of God and the beginning of eternal life, eternal glory - not only of man, but of all nature, when God becomes all in all.

Glory to God for His infinite mercy, for His Divine condescension, for the feat of the Son of God, who became the Son of man! Glory to God that He renews both man and our destinies, and the world in which we live, and that we can still live with the hope of a victory already won and rejoicing that we are waiting for the day of the Lord, the great, wondrous, terrible when the whole world will shine with the grace of the received, and not just the given Holy Spirit! Amen.

Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh. Sermon on the Baptism of the Lord

With what a feeling of reverence for Christ and gratitude for the relatives who lead us to faith, we remember our Baptism: how wonderful to think that since our parents or people close to us discovered faith in Christ, vouched for us before the Church and before God, we , the Sacrament of Baptism, became Christ's, we are called by His name. We bear this name with the same reverence and amazement as a young bride bears the name of a man whom she loved for life and death and who gave her his name; how we protect this human name! How dear it is to us, how holy it is to us, how terrible it would be for us to give it away for blasphemy to ill-wishers in our own way ... And this is how we unite with Christ, the Savior Christ, our God, who became a Man, gives us to bear His name. And just as on earth, according to our actions, they judge the whole generation that bears the same name, so here, according to our actions, according to our life, Christ is judged.

What a responsibility! The Apostle Paul almost two thousand years ago warned the young Christian Church that for the sake of those of them who live unworthy of their calling, the name of Christ is blasphemed. Isn't it like that now? Are millions of people all over the world now who would like to find the meaning of life, joy, depth in God, do not move away from Him, looking at us, seeing that we are, alas, not a living image of the gospel life - either personally or as a society? ?

And on the day of the Baptism of the Lord, I want to speak before God on my own behalf and call on everyone to say to whom it was given to be baptized in the name of Christ: remember that you have now become bearers of this holy and divine name, that you will be judged by God, your Savior, the Savior of all what if your life is my life! - will be worthy of this gift of God, then thousands around will be saved, and if it is unworthy, they will disappear: without faith, without hope, without joy and without meaning. Christ came to the Jordan sinless, plunged into these terrible Jordanian waters, which, as it were, became heavy, washing away human sin, figuratively became like dead waters - He plunged into them and partake of our mortality and all the consequences of human fall, sin, humiliation in order to to make us capable of living worthy of our human calling, worthy of God Himself, Who called us to be related to Him, children, to be related to Him and our own ...

Let us respond to this work of God, to this call of God! Let us understand how high, how majestic our dignity, how great is our responsibility, and let us enter the year that has already begun so as to be the glory of God and the salvation of every person who touches our lives! Amen.

Saint Theophan the Recluse. Thoughts for every day of the year - The Baptism of the Lord

Epiphany (Tit 2, 11-14; 3, 4-7; Matthew 3, 13-17). The baptism of the Lord is called the Epiphany because in it the one true God in the Trinity, worshiped, revealed Himself so tangibly: God the Father - by a voice from heaven, God the Son - incarnate - by baptism. God the Holy Spirit - descending on the Baptized. Here the sacrament of the relationship of the persons of the Most Holy Trinity is revealed. God the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and rests in the Son, but does not proceed from Him. It is also shown here that the incarnate economy of salvation was accomplished by God the Son incarnate, co-inherent with Him the Holy Spirit and God the Father. It is also revealed that the salvation of everyone can be accomplished only in the Lord Jesus Christ, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, according to the good will of the Father. All the Christian sacraments shine here with their divine light and enlighten the minds and hearts of those who celebrate this great feast with faith. Come, let us rise wisely to grief, and let us plunge into the contemplation of these mysteries of our salvation, singing: in the Jordan, to You who are baptized, O Lord, the worship of the Trinity has appeared, the salvation that arranges for us in Trinity and saves us in Trinity.

Baptism of Jesus Christ

At the time when John the Baptist preached on the banks of the Jordan and baptized people, Jesus Christ was thirty years old. He also came from Nazareth to the Jordan River to John to be baptized by him.

Jordan River

John, however, considered himself unworthy to baptize Jesus Christ and began to restrain Him, saying: "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"

But Jesus said to him in answer: “leave me now,” that is, do not hold me back now, “because this is how we need to fulfill all righteousness” - to fulfill everything in the Law of God and set an example for people.

Then John obeyed and baptized Jesus Christ.

Epiphany

After the completion of baptism, when Jesus Christ came out of the water, the heavens suddenly opened up (revealed) over Him; and John saw the Spirit of God descending on Jesus in the form of a dove, and the voice of God the Father was heard from heaven: " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased".

Then John finally became convinced that Jesus is the expected Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior of the world.

NOTE: See the Gospel of Matthew, ch. 3, 13-17; from Mark, ch. 1, 9-11; from Luke, ch. 3, 21-22; from John, ch. 1, 32-34.

The Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated by the Holy Orthodox Church as one of the great feasts, January 6th(January 19, N.S.). The feast of the Baptism of the Lord is also called the feast Epiphany, because during baptism God revealed (showed) Himself to people that He is the Most Holy Trinity, namely: God the Father spoke from heaven, incarnate God's Son baptized and Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove. And also at baptism for the first time people could see that in the face of Jesus Christ appeared not only a person, but together and God.

On the eve of the holiday, a fast was established. This day is called Christmas Eve. In memory of the fact that the Savior consecrated the water with His baptism, on this holiday there is a consecration of water. On Christmas Eve, the water in the temple is consecrated, and on the very holiday in the river, or in another place where water is taken. The procession for the blessing of water is called the Procession to the Jordan.

Troparion of the holiday

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

(When You, Lord, were baptized in the Jordan, then the appearance of the Holy Trinity was revealed (on earth with particular clarity): for the voice of the Father testified of You, calling You the beloved Son, and the Spirit, in the form of a dove, confirmed the truth of this word (i.e. confirmed the testimony of God the Father).

Izvestvoshe word statement- confirmed the truth of this word; be- appeared; enlightened world- enlightened world.

From the book of the Bible retold to older children the author Destunis Sofia

From the book of the Bible, retold to older children. New Testament. [(Illustrations - Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld)] the author Destunis Sofia

III. John the Baptist. Baptism of Jesus Christ. Temptation of Jesus Christ by an evil spirit. At an early age, John retired to the desert and - the desert brought him up. It was as if nothing worldly, worldly had touched him ... How he grew in the face of the one God, how he led the inner

From the book The Holy Bible History of the New Testament author Pushkar Boris (Ep Veniamin) Nikolaevich

Appearance of Jesus Christ to the people. His baptism in the Jordan. In. 1:29-34; Matt. 3:13-17; Mk. 1:9-11; OK. 3:21-22 The long-awaited day has finally arrived. On the banks of the Jordan, in Befabar, Jesus Christ appeared in the simple clothes of a Galilean carpenter. He was already thirty years old, and the voice of the Father

From the Bible in Pictures author bible

From the book Lessons for Sunday School author Vernikovskaya Larisa Fedorovna

The Baptism of Jesus Christ John the Baptist lived in the wilderness with great austerity and abstinence. When he was 30 years old, the Lord commanded him to go preach repentance to the people of Israel, that is, to convince the people to correct their lives and repent of their sins. He began to preach

From the book The Law of God author Sloboda Archpriest Seraphim

Baptism of Jesus Christ At the time when John the Baptist preached on the banks of the Jordan and baptized people, Jesus Christ was thirty years old. He also came from Nazareth to the Jordan River to John to be baptized by him. Jordan River, John considered himself

From the book of the Missal author Adamenko Vasily Ivanovich

From the book The Illustrated Bible of the author

Baptism of Jesus Christ. Matthew 3:13-17 Then Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him. John held Him back and said: I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me? But Jesus answered and said to him, Leave it now, for it is so

From the book Explanatory Bible. Volume 9 author Lopukhin Alexander

12. The Baptism of Jesus Christ 12. His shovel is in His hand, and He will cleanse His threshing floor and gather His wheat into a barn, and burn the chaff with unquenchable fire. Speech is full of images. The coming one takes a shovel and is ready to clear the threshing floor; but has not yet begun the action itself, which pertains to

From the book Jesus Christ and the Bible Mysteries author Maltsev Nikolay Nikiforovich

9. The baptism of Jesus Christ The baptism of a Jew according to Christian rites, even performed by the pope himself or the patriarch of the Orthodox Church, provided that the baptized Jew voluntarily and without any coercion converts from Judaism to Christianity, may temporarily

From the book of the Bible. Modern translation (BTI, per. Kulakov) author bible

The Baptism of Jesus Christ 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, so that John would baptize Him also. 14 He wanted to hold Jesus back, saying, “Are you coming to me? But it is I who should be baptized by You.”15 “So be it this time,” Jesus objected. - We need

From the book of the Gospel in the monuments of iconography author Pokrovsky Nikolay Vasilievich

Chapter 1 THE BAPTISM OF JESUS ​​CHRIST. THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS ​​CHRIST IN THE DESERT The baptism of Christ is the first manifestation in the history of public ministry to His world. An extremely important event, already marked in ancient times by the establishment of a special holiday, should have

From the book Bible tales author author unknown

Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ At the time when the people came to John to be baptized, the Lord Jesus Christ also came to him, wishing to receive baptism from him. Jesus Christ

From the book Bible Stories author Shalaeva Galina Petrovna

From the Bible for Children author Shalaeva Galina Petrovna

The Baptism of Jesus Christ Many people asked John who he was, maybe he is the Savior whom the Lord God promised to send to earth and whose coming, as they knew, was written in the Holy Scriptures. – No, I am not the Savior, - John answered them, - I am a voice,

From the book Explanatory Bible of Lopukhin. The Gospel of Matthew the author

12. Baptism of Jesus Christ. 12. His shovel is in His hand, and He will cleanse His threshing floor and gather His wheat into a barn, and burn the chaff with unquenchable fire. The speech is full of images. The coming one takes a shovel and is ready to clear the threshing floor; but has not yet begun the action itself, which pertains to

EPIPHANY

HISTORY OF BAPTISM

At the age of 26, after a long five-year absence, Jesus returned to his native land. Learning that John the Baptist was at home, Jesus immediately hurried to see him. On September 3, a meeting of two friends took place.

The rite of baptism arose after the crucifixion of Christ. By accepting baptism, a person began to believe in Christ crucified on the cross. At the time of John, there was still no crucifixion as a symbol of Christianity. John, in those days, simply dipped a person into water, washing away all past sins from him.
Having cleansed himself, the person was ready for a new life, he was, as it were, ready to accept a new faith.
To this, John answered them: - I baptize you in water, but someone who is more powerful than me will come, I am not even worthy to untie the straps of His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. The shovel, with which He sifts the grain from the straw, is already in His hands, He will collect the grain in storage, and burn the straw in unquenchable fire.. This expression was misunderstood and used by those who wanted to impose a new faith with fire and sword. During the Middle Ages, the inquisitors "in the name of Christ" burned heretics alive at the stake, they converted entire nations around the world to Christianity, baptizing not with water and God's word, but with fire and a sword.
John never "baptized" crowds of Jews from all over Judea - no one would have allowed him to do this. The army of thousands of Pharisees, Sadducees and priests stood guard over the Jewish faith. The "Torah" had a sharply negative attitude towards those who betrayed the faith of their ancestors, and in such cases advised throwing stones at the apostate. But the Romans banned this type of execution. Only the governor of Judea, the procurator, had the right to pass death sentences.

Jesus was “baptized” on January 19, 23 CE. He was then 27 years old, John the Baptist - 33 years old.
"Baptism" was held on the Jordan River in the presence of a huge crowd of people - Jesus already had disciples and followers. At the moment of "baptism" a flock of pigeons appeared from nowhere - about two hundred birds began to circle over the gathered. And when John said the last words of the prayer, ending the sacrament, thunder sounded from heaven. It was night, the stars shone in the sky, and nothing foreshadowed bad weather. Birds and thunder in the middle of the night made an indelible impression on people, everyone understood that it was the Heavenly Father who would bless Jesus on his difficult path.
At that time, Jesus came from the Galilean city of Nazareth, and John also baptized Him in the Jordan. As Jesus emerged from the water, He saw the heavens open before Him and the Spirit descending on Him in the form of a dove. Words sounded from heaven: - You are My beloved Son! In You is the fulfillment of My good will!
Immediately after the baptism, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, and He was there alone, surrounded by wild animals. For forty days Satan tempted Him, and angels served Jesus. Gospel of Mark 2.
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. John wanted to stop Him: - I need to be baptized by You, why did You come to me?
But Jesus answered: - Everything should be so, we need to fulfill all the truth. John agreed. As soon as Jesus was baptized and came out of the water, the heavens opened up and He saw the Holy Spirit descending on Him in the form of a dove. And a voice sounded from heaven: - This is My beloved Son, in Him is the fulfillment of My good will! Gospel of Matthew 4.
As soon as John performed the rite of "baptism" on Jesus, the news of this spread throughout the region. John was soon arrested by King Herod Antipas (son of Herod the Great).

On Christmas Eve of Theophany (as well as on Christmas Eve of the Nativity of Christ), the Church prescribes a strict fast: eating once after the blessing of water.

The last holy divination. Epiphany Christmas Eve was not complete without fortune-telling. The whole family, from young to old, and sometimes several families took part in Christmas divination. Divination was passed down from generation to generation. This rite has been preserved since pagan times. Divination was one of the main rituals of serving Gad, the god of fortune and happiness among the Semitic peoples. The Christian church has persecuted divination as witchcraft. But the desire of people to penetrate into the future hidden from them was indestructible.

THE MYSTERY OF BAPTISM

The rite of initiation - baptism - dedication to the Egregor of Christianity.
"The sinless one, like sinners, accepts baptism from John in order to make it saving for sinners. He is immersed in the Jordan with His most pure Body - and imparts to the watery nature from Himself the power of cleansing sins in the Holy Sacrament of Baptism, which He established by His example for all who enter His Holy Church After immersion, it immediately comes out of the water - and His first action after baptism is intercession for us sinners, a prayer to the Heavenly Father.
Baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire the descent of the Holy Spirit upon man .
See the Sacrament of Baptism
About the baptism of a child.
Congratulations on baptism in verse.
Name naming.

Epiphany NIGHT

Dark spruce forest with snow, like fur,
Gray frosts have sprung,
In spangles of frost, as if in diamonds,
Dozed off, bowed, birches.
Their branches froze motionless,
And between them on a snowy bosom,
Just through the lace silver,
A full moon looks from the sky.
He rose high above the forest,
In its bright light, numb,
And strangely shadows creep,
Blackening in the snow under the branches.

© Bunin


Baptism. Intercession-on-the-Nerl



HOLY WATER

"Holy Water" is water charged with certain auspicious information. It has great cleansing abilities from black energy.

Twice a year in open reservoirs all the water on earth becomes "holy". And then gradually the water in natural reservoirs returns to its normal state..

Water collected on Epiphany night from 18 to 19 January, from 24.00 to 4.00 in the morning is "Living Water".
The descent of the Holy Spirit on water is nothing but the irradiation of water with positive, pure information.
« living water» (catholyte, alkaline water, biostimulant) - a very soft, colorless liquid with an alkaline taste. After the reaction, precipitation falls in it - all water impurities, incl. and radionuclides and water is purified. This water is an excellent stimulant, restores the immune system of the body, provides antioxidant protection to the body, especially in combination with the use of vitamins, a source of energy. It is not in vain that it was called "living water". It activates the body's bioprocesses, increases blood pressure, improves appetite, metabolism, food passage, and general well-being. It quickly heals various wounds, incl. gastric and duodenal ulcers, bedsores, trophic ulcers, burns. This water softens the skin, gradually smoothes wrinkles, eliminates dandruff, makes hair silky, etc. Withered flowers and green vegetables quickly come to life in the “living water” and are preserved for a long time, and the seeds, after soaking in this water, germinate faster, more amicably, and when watered, they grow better and give a greater yield.

When mixing "living" and "dead" water, mutual neutralization occurs and the resulting water loses its activity.

Prayer

Before taking "Holy water" a prayer is read:
"Lord my God, may Your holy gift and Your holy water be for the remission of my sins, for the enlightenment of my mind, for the strengthening of my spiritual and bodily strength, for the health of my soul and body, for the subjugation of my passions and infirmities through Your boundless mercy through the prayers of the Most Pure Your Mother and all Your saints. Amen".

Sharp dipping into cold baptismal water heals the body. The mechanism behind this extremely powerful tool is simple. The skin is compressed, the heat exchange with the surrounding air is sharply reduced, the energy, as it were, is accumulated inside the body. And most importantly, your Aura not only takes the most economical form (eggs), but also thickens and, as it were, pushes out part of the negative energy, and therefore becomes less penetrable for external influences.

JORDAN SHADE XVII century

City of Suzdal

The only surviving example in Russia. The canopy was erected on the Kamenka River on the feast of the Epiphany, dedicated to the baptism of Christ in the Jordan. On this day, a procession was made to the “Jordan”, and the priest lowered the cross into the hole three times, consecrating the water, and after that everyone could take a bath. As they say, the water in the Epiphany font is crystal clear and has great healing power.
It was assembled annually on the feast of Epiphany, and the rest of the time it was kept disassembled. The canopy is made of 260 parts, cut down and hewn with an ax from pine logs, it is a canopy in the form of a five-domed tent on four round carved pillars. The height of the tent is 8.5 meters. The canopy and the fence are painted with “herbs”: an ornament of woven branches, leaves, flowers, and floral curls. The painting was made with tempera paints at the end of the 17th century.
See Jordan Canopy. John the Baptist.
Baptism of Rus' .

Copyright © 2015 Unconditional Love