Holy Fire
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The Holy Fire (Greek 'Αγιο Φως, "Holy Light") is believed by Orthodox Christians to be a miracle that occurs every year at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Holy Saturday, the day preceding Orthodox Easter. It is considered by many to be the longest attested annual miracle in the Christian world. It has only been consecutively documented, however, since 1106, previous mentions being sporadic. The ceremony is broadcast live in Greece, Russia and other Orthodox countries.
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[edit] Description
The ceremony begins at noon when the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem or another Orthodox Archbishop recites a specific prayer. The congregants will then chant "Lord, have mercy" (Kyrie eleison in Greek) until the Holy Fire descends on a lamp of olive oil held by the patriarch while he is alone in the tomb chamber of Jesus. The patriarch will then reveal himself from the tomb chamber and recite some prayers and light either 33 or 12 candles and distribute them to the congregants.
Pilgrims claim the Holy Fire will not burn their hair, faces, etc. in the first 33 minutes after it is ignited. Before entering the Lord's Tomb, the patriarch is examined by Israeli authorities to prove that he does not carry technical means to light the fire. This investigation used to be carried out by Turkish soldiers.
The Holy Fire is first mentioned in the documents dating from the 4th century. A detailed description of this phenomenon is contained in the travelogue of the Russian hegumen Daniil who was present at the ceremony in 1106. Daniel mentions a blue incandescence descending from the dome to the edicula where the patriarch awaits the holy fire. Some claim to have witnessed this incandescence in modern times.
During the many centuries of this phenomenon's history, the holy fire is said not to have descended only on certain occasions, usually when heterodox priests attempted to obtain it. According to the tradition, in 1099, for example, the failure of Crusaders to obtain the fire led to street riots in Jerusalem. It is also claimed that in 1579, the Armenian patriarch prayed day and night in order to obtain the holy fire, but the lightning miraculously struck a column near the entrance and lit a candle held by the Orthodox patriarch standing nearby. Upon entering the temple, the Orthodox Christians would embrace this column, which bears marks and a large crack which they attribute to the lightning-bolt.
In 2005, in the midst of a host of scandals, which would ultimately bring his ouster from the throne, Jerusalem Patriarch Irenaios shocked the public when he berated those who were skeptical concerning the "Holy Fire" miracle as "vermin."
[edit] Criticism
Skeptics question the validity of the Holy Fire phenomenon, noting that pilgrims generally withstand the fire for the same very brief periods of time as can be achieved with any fire. They assert that not only do those observed not expose their flesh to the fire for any appreciable period of time, they also frequently switch the candle between hands or move body parts through the fire very rapidly. However, believers claim that videos show worshippers having prolonged contact with the flame without discomfort or damage to skin or hair. Interpretation of video documentation of the Holy Fire continues to be a matter of dispute.
Criticism among skeptics of the phenomenon dates at least to the days of Adamantios Korais. In his treatise "On the Holy Light of Jerusalem", Korais strongly condemned what he considered to be religious fraud and theurgy. He referred to the recurring 'miracle' as "machinations of fraudulent priests" and to the "unholy" light of Jerusalem as "a profiteers' miracle".
The phenomenon continues to be the subject of contemporary criticism; in 2005 in a live demonstration on a Greek television programme hosted by journalist Spyros Karatzaferis, Michael Kalopoulos, an author critical of Christianity, dipped three candles in white phosphorus. The candles spontaneously ignited after approximately 20 minutes, in the same way that the Holy Fire does. White phosphorus will self-ignite when in contact with air.
According Kalopoulos' website, "if phosphorus is dissolved in an appropriate organic solvent, self-ignition is delayed, until the solvent has almost completely evaporated. Repeated experiments showed that the ignition can be delayed for half an hour or more, depending on the density of the solution and the solvent employed."
Kalopoulos has also pointed out that knowledge of chemical reactions of this nature was well known in ancient times, quoting Strabo, who states "In Babylon there are two kinds of naphtha springs, a white (colourless, clear) and a black (crude oil) The white naphtha is the one that ignites with fire." (Strabon Geographica 16.1.15.1-24)
Kalopoulos' further states that phosphorus was used by Chaldean magicians in the early fifth century BC, and by the ancient Greeks, in a way similar to its supposed use today by the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem.
However, no evidence has so far emerged to prove that the Patriarchate or worshippers at the Jerusalem event use phosphorus-dipped candles.
[edit] References
- Auxentios of Photiki, The Paschal Fire in Jerusalem: A Study of the Rite of the Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, 3rd edition, (St John Chrysostom Press, 1999), ISBN 0-9634692-0-7
