Holy Jerusalem fire: miracle or hoax?
For many centuries, on Saturday, on the eve of the Easter holiday, the Holy Fire descends into the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The temple is lit up with flashes, plunging believers and clergy into delight, and for some time the mystical fire has an amazing property not to burn. How does this fire appear? Does a miracle really happen in Jerusalem every year?
Of course, disappointment is always bad, but it's time to find out the truth. We will not delve into the scientific side of the issue and operate with the laws of physics and chemistry that are difficult to understand. To be objective, let's turn to the clergy themselves, who, as it turned out, themselves reveal the thousand-year-old secret of the Holy Fire.
Here is what Bishop Porfiry (Uspensky), who is, without a doubt, a competent person, writes on this issue:
As you understand, the matter was taking a serious turn and required a responsible decision. To discuss the situation, the governor of Petroarabia, Misail, the Nazarene Metropolitan Daniel, and the Philadelphian Bishop Dionysius gathered.
Only Misail knew the technology of the appearance of fire in Kuvuklia thoroughly, therefore all questions were addressed to him. The clergyman admitted to his colleagues that the fire is not of divine origin, but is lit from a lamp hidden behind a moving marble icon of the Resurrection of Christ, located near the Holy Sepulcher.
Even in the event that someone else gets into the room, he will not be able to find the source of the fire, since it is securely hidden in a niche behind the icon. Where is the lamp from which the sacred fire is lit, only Misail and his entourage know, and it is they who give people the Easter "miracle".
However, it was impossible to admit to the forgery that had been going on from year to year for many centuries, and the church patriarchs decided to humbly ask the Egyptian Pasha Ibrahim not to interfere in Christian issues. As a negotiator, a dragoman of the Holy Sepulchre was sent to the skeptical eastern monarch.
During the conversation, the cunning intermediary diluted the religious aspects with completely mundane ones. He informed the pasha that his lordship would not benefit from a loud exposure of the hoax. On the contrary, the Russian sovereign Nicholas will be very annoyed by this turn of affairs, which may affect the political situation.
Ibrahim Pasha, after listening to the dragoman, waved his hand and abandoned his idea, which was not very successful for everyone. However, after this incident, the Holy Sepulcher clergy of all denominations no longer believe in the miraculous origin of fire. Having met again, Misail, Daniel and Dionysius began to hold advice on how to proceed and whether it was worth informing everyone about the forgery.
The word was taken by Metropolitan Daniel, who reasoned that it is not worth notifying the faithful about the man-made origin of fire, since it is harmful and dangerous. In his opinion, the Lord, who allowed pious lies for so long, will himself arrange everything as it should. At the same time, if Christians are told about the lies that many generations have believed, they can be torn to pieces by believers right at the temple.
After that, it was decided to notify Patriarch Athanasius, who was in Constantinople, about the incident with Ibrahim Pasha.
Note that the Holy Sepulcher clergy are talking about the loss of faith in the Holy Fire not by a non-Gentile or a secular person, but by a clergyman with a high rank. The miracle that delights Christians all over the world exists only because its existence is beneficial to both the Christian clergy and Jews and Muslims.
The Holy Fire attracts a mass of believers and forces them to leave a huge amount in Jerusalem. Also in the last couple of centuries, international prestige has also played a role. In this regard, one has only to express a share of doubt about the divine origin of fire, as accusations of inciting religious hatred and oppression immediately pour in from all sides.
By the way, the Egyptian pasha Ibrahim is not the first of the Gentiles who doubted the Easter miracle. The Arab historian Al-Jawbari, in his notes dated as early as 1242, reports:
The income brought by the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem was truly enormous. Strange as it may sound, but a century ago the Easter holiday was eagerly awaited not only by the Christians of the city, but in general by all its inhabitants, regardless of religion and belief. It was safe to say that Jerusalem is fed by the gifts of believers who flock here on holidays from all over the world.
Thus, it is regrettable to state, but miracles do not happen, and what happens in the main Christian church is nothing more than a beautiful religious ceremony. But, as Metropolitan Grigory of Leningrad once said, “Do not touch pious legends, otherwise faith itself will fall!”