When and by whom was Solomon's temple destroyed? Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem: description and photo

According to Russian Orthodox tradition, God is in everyone’s soul, and in order to ask Him for something, it is not necessary to go to church, since the text of the prayer reaches God through the word. The order of service in the church is only earthly incarnation faith. You can come here, repent and receive a blessing.

It is very important for many people not only to feel the support of God in their souls, but also to see his embodiment in the icons that are in the temple. The church holds services according to certain canons. The duration and start time differ depending on the church holiday.

Schedule of liturgies

For church monasteries No general rule holding Divine Liturgies, matins, especially on weekdays. The temple opens early in the morning. The time of the event is determined by the priest himself. depending on the wishes of the people visiting it.

By large Christian holidays Evening and morning liturgies are held. In addition, a prayer service is held on Sunday. Church services on Sundays usually start at 7-8 am. In some churches Matins and Matins may be moved an hour later or an hour earlier. That's why about matins you need to check with the temple servants, where you go, how long the liturgy lasts in the morning, they decide. Vespers at 19-20 hours. Night service also happens, but only on major holidays: Epiphany, Easter. In addition, it is carried out religious procession for the glory of God.

How long a church service lasts depends on the significance of the holiday. IN weekdays it can be carried out for a maximum of 2 hours, and Sunday service V Orthodox Church up to three hours.

What time does it start evening service in the church, also depends on the scale of the holiday. The earliest start can be at 16:00, the latest at 18:00. This service takes place over 2-4 hours. If church holidays are celebrated, then it is divided into daily, small and great. carried out using the all-night language.

Types of services

Regardless of who holds it and in what place, all services are divided into daily, annual and weekly. Full services are held in monasteries, and it is the monks who follow all the canons of the church. The monks fully comply with the rules of church services, but in small churches they are held depending on the schedule created by the ministers.

Each day of the week is celebrated in the church and dedicated to certain moments:

Sunday is Little Easter, on this day the resurrection of Christ is remembered.
You can pray to the angels on Monday.
John the Baptist hears prayers on Tuesday.
On Wednesday they remember the betrayal of Judas and the memory of the Cross.
Thursday is considered an apostolic day and is dedicated to St. Nicholas.
On Friday, services are held dedicated to prayer for the suffering of Christ.
Saturday is dedicated to the Mother of God.

Therefore, if you do not have the opportunity to go to church regularly, then you can read prayers every day, depending on who they will be intended for.

Church services on weekdays

Believers visit the temple not only on Saturday or Sunday, but also on weekdays. You can go to church when it is convenient for the believer. At the same time Christian parish should always be open. The daily cycle of worship is divided into 9 different parts, And it includes:

The circle starts at 18:00.
Compline is the reading of prayers in the evening.
From 12:00 at night there is a midnight office.
Matins is divided into the following: the first hour - from 7:00, the third hour - from 9:00, the sixth hour - from 12:00, the ninth hour from 15:00.

Liturgy held from 6:00, 9:00 and until 12:00 is not included in the daily circle of church services. Speaking of ideal worship, every temple should be open at this time, and all of the listed services should be held.

The specifics of their implementation depend solely on the chief priest of the church. In villages, early and late readings of prayers occur only in large churches.

Service in the temple

As already mentioned, the service is held in each church, the only difference is in the time and its duration. During the day, the main worship service is Divine Liturgy.

At the service, a prayer is read, Christ is remembered, and it ends with an invitation to everyone who wants to undergo the sacrament of Communion. It is carried out between 6 and 9 o'clock.

On Sunday, as a rule, one service is held, and it is called the Eucharistic. Services on this day go one after another. Matins gives way to mass, and mass, in turn, gives way to evening service.

Not long ago in Church Charter There have been changes, and now Compline is held only during the beginning of Lent. If we are talking about church holidays, then the service may not stop, and one replaces the other.

In addition to large services, rituals and sacraments may be held in the church, reading of evening and morning prayers, reading akathists in church and much more. All services, regardless of the time, are conducted by the minister of the temple, and visitors become its participants.

Visiting church, reading a prayer at night or during the day is solely everyone’s business. No one can force a person to go to church and pray. Only the person himself decides for himself what to do, what to visit and how to convey his prayer to God.

Epiphany Christmas Eve- the time when you need to be in the temple
On January 19, Orthodox Christians will celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany or Epiphany, which will be preceded by Christmas Eve on January 18. Archpriest Maxim Pervozvansky told “Foma” what Epiphany Eve is and what place it occupies in the Church.

What is Christmas Eve?
Epiphany Christmas Eve (Sochevnik) is the popular name for the day on the eve of the Epiphany holiday, coming from the word “sochivo” - a Lenten dish that believers eat on this day. Sochivo is boiled wheat grains seasoned with honey, dried fruits and other sweets. In church tradition, this time is called the Eve of Epiphany or the Eve of Epiphany.

Traditionally, the Hours and Vespers are celebrated in the church on this day with the reading of proverbs (excerpts from books Holy Scripture) and the Liturgy of Basil the Great, that is, this is a very large service, similar to those performed on Christmas Eve and Holy Saturday. All liturgical texts This day is dedicated to the Epiphany and Epiphany. The Liturgy on this day begins with Vespers, that is, this is an unusual type of Liturgy, which is performed only a few times a year - Christmas Eve, Epiphany Eve, Maundy Thursday and Holy Saturday.

Epiphany water and bathing

At Epiphany, the water is blessed twice: the first time on Christmas Eve, and the second, in fact, on the holiday. The most important folk tradition At Epiphany this means, of course, swimming in ponds and ice holes. To this the Church has different attitude, but I think that if everything is done correctly and consistently, then it is quite acceptable. I believe that it is important for the Church not to limit itself to the walls of the church, but to spread the joy of the holiday as much as possible even to people far from the Church. Moreover, such days in church calendar not so much. The only thing I would recommend to believers who want to swim for Epiphany is to do it at noon on January 19, because at night swimming, where many non-church people come, the atmosphere may not be very pious. Although, by and large, there is no fundamental difference here.

Fasting on Christmas Eve
On Epiphany Eve there is strict fasting and, in principle, one is not supposed to eat anything until the water is blessed, that is, until approximately noon on January 18th. According to tradition, believers eat richly. In fact, Epiphany Eve is the first day of fasting after Christmas, since before that the Church celebrates Christmastide, when there is no fasting. However, the day itself on the feast of the Epiphany is not fast.

How to spend your time
There is no special riotous fun on Epiphany Eve. If a person has the opportunity to be in church at this time, then it would be good to be there. Moreover, all the services of this cycle - Christmas - Christmas Eve - Epiphany - are special and very beautiful. This, by the way, is recognized by people who go to church for the first time on Christmas Eve.

Church services or, in popular words, church services are the main events for which churches are intended. According to Orthodox tradition, daytime, morning and evening rituals are performed there daily. And each of these services consists of 3 types of services, which are collectively combined into a daily circle:

vespers - from Vespers, Compline and the ninth hour;
morning - from Matins, the first hour and midnight;
daytime - from the Divine Liturgy and the third and sixth hours.

Thus, the daily circle includes nine services.

Service Features

In Orthodox services, much is borrowed from Old Testament times. For example, the beginning of a new day is considered to be not midnight, but 6 pm, which is the reason for holding vespers - the first service of the daily circle. It recalls the main events Sacred history Old Testament; we are talking about the creation of the world, the fall of our first parents, the ministry of the prophets and the Mosaic legislation, and Christians give thanks to the Lord for a new day lived.

After this, according to the Church Charter, it is necessary to serve Compline - public prayers for the coming sleep, which speak of the descent of Christ into hell and the liberation of the righteous from it.

At midnight, the 3rd service is supposed to be performed - the midnight service. This service is held to remind Last Judgment and the Second Coming of the Savior.

The morning service in the Orthodox Church (Matins) is one of the longest services. It is dedicated to the events and circumstances of the Savior’s earthly life and consists of many prayers of repentance and gratitude.

The first hour is performed around 7 o'clock in the morning. This is a short service about Jesus' presence at the trial of the high priest Caiaphas.

The third hour takes place at 9 am. At this time, the events that took place in the Upper Room of Zion are remembered, when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, and in Pilate’s praetorium the Savior received a death sentence.

The sixth hour is held at noon. This service is about the time of the Lord's crucifixion. The ninth hour should not be confused with it - the service about His death on the cross, which takes place at three o'clock in the afternoon.

The main divine service and the peculiar center of this daily circle is considered to be the Divine Liturgy or mass, distinctive feature which from other services is the opportunity, in addition to memories of God and the earthly life of our Savior, to unite with Him in reality, participating in the sacrament of Communion. The time of this liturgy is from 6 to 9 o'clock until noon before lunch, which is why it was given its second name.

Changes in the conduct of services

Modern practice of worship has brought some changes to the instructions of the Charter. And today Compline is held only during Lent, and Midnight - once a year, on the eve of Easter. Even less frequently, the ninth hour passes, and the remaining 6 services of the daily circle are combined into 2 groups of 3 services.

The evening service in the church takes place in a special sequence: Christians serve Vespers, Matins and the first hour. Before holidays and Sundays, these services are combined into one, which is called the all-night vigil, that is, it involves long night prayers until dawn, carried out in ancient times. This service lasts 2-4 hours in parishes and from 3 to 6 hours in monasteries.

Morning worship in the church differs from past times with the successive services of the third, sixth hours and mass.

It is also important to note the holding of early and late liturgies in churches where there is a larger congregation of Christians. Such services are usually performed in holidays and on Sunday. Both liturgies are preceded by the reading of the hours.

There are days when there is no morning church service or liturgy. For example, on Friday Holy Week. In the morning of this day, a short sequence of visual arts is performed. This service consists of several chants and seems to depict the liturgy; However, this service has not received the status of independent service.

Divine services also include various sacraments, rituals, reading akathists in churches, community readings of evening and morning prayers and rules for Holy Communion.

In addition, services are held in churches according to the needs of parishioners - demands. For example: Wedding, Baptism, funeral services, prayer services and others.

In each church, cathedral or temple, service hours are set differently, therefore, in order to obtain information about the holding of any service, clergymen recommend finding out the schedule compiled by a specific religious institution.

And to those who doesn't know him, you can adhere to the following time periods:

from 6 to 8 and from 9 to 11 am - early and late morning services;
from 16 to 18 hours - evening and all-night services;
During the day there is a festive service, but it is better to check the time of its holding.

All services are usually performed in a church and only by clergy, and believing parishioners participate in them by singing and praying.

Christian holidays

Christian holidays are divided into two types: transferable and non-transitionable; They are also called the twelve holidays. To avoid missing services regarding them, it is important to know the dates.

Not transferable

Rolling for 2018

April 1 - Palm Sunday.
April 8 - Easter.
May 17 - Ascension of the Lord.
May 27 - Pentecost or Holy Trinity.

Duration church services on holidays is different from each other. This mainly depends on the holiday itself, the performance of the service, the duration of the sermon and the number of communicants and confessors.

If for some reason you are late or do not come to the service, no one will judge you, because it is not so important what time it starts and how long it will last, it is much more important that your arrival and participation are sincere.

Preparation for Sunday ritual

If you decide to come to church on Sunday, you should prepare for this. Morning service on Sunday - the strongest, it is held for the purpose of communion. It happens like this: the priest gives you the body of Christ and his blood in a piece of bread and a sip of wine. Prepare for this The event needs at least 2 days in advance.

You should fast on Friday and Saturday: remove fatty foods and alcohol from your diet, exclude marital intimacy, do not swear, do not offend anyone and do not be offended yourself.
The day before communion, read 3 canons, namely: the repentant prayer to Jesus Christ, the prayer service to the Most Holy Theotokos and the Guardian Angel, as well as the 35th Follow-up to Holy Communion. This will take about an hour.
Read a prayer for the coming sleep.
Do not eat, do not smoke, do not drink after midnight.

How to behave during communion

In order not to miss the start of the church service on Sunday, you need to come to the church early, around 7.30. Until this time, you should not eat or smoke. There is a certain procedure for visiting.

After communion, under no circumstances rush to get what you want. e, that is, get high and so on, don’t desecrate the sacrament. It is recommended to know moderation in everything and read grace-filled prayers for several days so as not to desecrate this service.

The need to visit the temple

Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who came to earth for our sake, founded the Church, where today everything we need is present and invisible, which is given to us for eternal life. Where “the invisible Heavenly Powers serve for us,” they say in Orthodox chants, “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am among them,” is written in the Gospel (chapter 18, verse 20, Gospel of Matthew), - this is what the Lord said to the apostles and everyone who believes in Him, therefore invisible presence of Christ During services in the temple, people lose if they do not come there.

An even greater sin is committed by parents who do not care about their children serving the Lord. Let us remember the words of our Savior from Scripture: “Let your children go and do not hinder them from coming to Me, for for them is the Kingdom of Heaven.” The Lord also tells us: “Man shall not live by bread, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (chapter 4, verse 4 and chapter 19, verse 14, the same Gospel of Matthew).

Spiritual food is also necessary human soul, as well as bodily to maintain strength. And where will a person hear God's word, if not in the temple? After all, there, among those who believe in him, the Lord himself dwells. After all, it is there that the teachings of the apostles and prophets are preached, who spoke and predicted by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, there is the teaching of Christ Himself, who is true Life, Wisdom, Path and Light, which enlightens every parishioner coming into the world. The temple is heaven on our earth.

The services that take place there, according to the Lord, are the works of angels. By being taught in a church, temple, or cathedral, Christians receive God's blessing, contributing to success in good deeds and beginnings.

“You will hear the church bell ringing, calling for prayer, and your conscience will tell you that you need to go to the house of the Lord. Go and put all your business aside, if you can, and hurry to God's Church“- advises Theophan the Recluse, a saint of Orthodoxy, “Know that your guardian angel is calling you under the roof of the house of the Lord; it is he, your celestial being, who reminds you of earthly Heaven so that you can sanctify your soul there by your grace of Christ and delight your heart with heavenly consolation; and - who knows what will happen? “Perhaps he is also calling you there in order to ward off temptation from you, which cannot be avoided in any way, because if you stay at home, there will be no shelter for you under the canopy of the Lord’s house from the great danger...”

A Christian in church learns the Heavenly wisdom that the Son of God brings to earth. He learns the details of the life of his Savior, and becomes acquainted with the teachings and lives of the saints of God, and takes part in church prayer. A cathedral prayer- great power! And there are examples of this in history. When the apostles were awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit, they remained in unanimous prayer. Therefore, in the church, in the depths of our souls, we expect that the Holy Spirit will come to us. This happens, but only if we do not create obstacles for this. For example, insufficient openness of heart can prevent parishioners from uniting believers when reading prayers.

In our time, unfortunately, this happens quite often, since believers behave incorrectly, including in church, and the reason for this is ignorance of the truth of the Lord. The Lord knows our thoughts and feelings. He will not leave those who sincerely believe in him, as well as a person in need of communion and repentance, therefore the doors God's house always open to parishioners.

January 19th is celebrated as a great Orthodox holiday- Baptism. On this day, all water has beneficial properties, so it is used to cleanse the body, give strength and fortitude to the spirit. Epiphany water is consumed internally, people bathe in it, and they bless their houses and livestock. That's why everyone Orthodox man should know when the water for Epiphany is blessed on January 18 or January 19. In this article we will look at when to correctly collect and consecrate water for Epiphany, and the main traditions of the holiday.

Features of water for Epiphany

On the eve of Epiphany, after the festive service, a great purification of water takes place in churches. It is so called because of the solemn rite, which consists of mentioning the event that became the prototype of the sacrament of washing sins with water. It's about about the baptism of Jesus, who blessed the water in the Jordan River. Therefore, the water on this day is called Epiphany. The blessing of water occurs twice. The first time was on January 18, and the second time on the holiday itself.

The blessing of water on Epiphany or Epiphany, as well as on Epiphany Eve, occurs in the same way. Therefore, the water blessed these days is no different. To bless the water, you need to come to the temple courtyard, where there are long queues these days. If a person cannot come to the temple due to illness or because he lives too far from the temple, he can draw water on Epiphany night from any reservoir. Such water is also considered baptismal, but it does not acquire the metaphysical power of holy water.

On the feast of Epiphany, the water in the temple is blessed in a special manner. Therefore, such water is not only holy, but also baptismal. There should be a special attitude towards such water. After Baptism, water must be stored in the house so that it protects it from evil spirits, and people from diseases and problems. However, you should not stock up on water. After all, such an attitude is considered greed.

When to collect and bless water

Many people believe that water on Christmas Eve and Epiphany has different properties. However, the double rite of consecrated water is inherent only in the Russian Church. It is believed that greatest strength possesses water on the night of Epiphany. Therefore, to the question of when to collect Epiphany water on the 18th or 19th, the answer is simple. It is advisable to collect water at night.

The festive service takes place in the church on the evening before Epiphany. After which the Great Blessing of Water takes place at the source. However, due to the fact that the distance between villages in Russia is large, and not every village has its own church, the custom arose of re-blessing the water on the Epiphany holiday itself. This allows everyone to get to the church to collect baptismal water. However, according to tradition, it is better to take water on Christmas Eve after the festive service. But if it is not possible to take blessed water on Christmas Eve, then you can dial it on January 19th. But water blessed on Christmas Eve and Epiphany has similar properties, so you definitely shouldn’t fill it twice.

The main properties of Epiphany water and its treatment

Epiphany water is one of the most powerful, so it helps against illnesses and strengthens the spirit. You need to drink this water little by little. It is believed that if you drink a teaspoon of Epiphany water every day, there will be no health problems. In the morning you should get up, cross yourself, thank God for the new day and pray. Then drink a teaspoon of holy water on an empty stomach. If a person is prescribed any medications that must also be taken on an empty stomach, then first you need to drink holy water, and then the medications. Only after this can you have breakfast and go about your usual activities.

Orthodox Christians believe that holy water is the best cure for mental and physical ailments. When children are sick, it is also recommended to give them a teaspoon of Epiphany water. But do not forget that such water will have power only if a person believes in God and in the power of water. As they say, with faith even a spoon will help, but without faith even half a canister will not help. Also Epiphany water You can wash the patient. Women in critical days It is not recommended to drink water. But if a woman is sick these days, then Epiphany water will help her too.

There is also a tradition of consecrating your home with Epiphany water. It is recommended to do this on the holiday itself. However, if problems arise, frequent quarrels or financial losses, you can sprinkle your home with Epiphany water any day. With this we ask the Lord for the blessing of our home, we ask for help in living a godly and honest life. This ritual also allows you to protect your home from evil spirits. Before sprinkling the house with Epiphany water, the housewife must draw crosses over all the doors and windows in the house. This will provide additional protection from evil forces.

How to collect and store Epiphany water

Blessed water is a shrine that requires reverent treatment. Therefore, you need to store it near your home icons. It has amazing strength, so it does not deteriorate for several years.

If you are unable to visit the temple to collect holy water in 2018, you can collect water from the tap. This must be done from 00.10 to 01.30 on the night of Epiphany. You can get water from the tap at other times on January 19, but it is during this period that it is considered the strongest. Of course, such water cannot be called holy, but it also has unique metaphysical properties. Despite the fact that the water was not blessed, any water on this day has unique properties.

Epiphany water, unlike ordinary water, does not spoil for a long time and remains transparent. Therefore, it does not need to be stored in the refrigerator. Even in cool dark place it can be stored for several years without the appearance of an unpleasant odor or taste, and also remaining perfectly transparent. However, Epiphany water must be stored exclusively in a glass container covered with a paper napkin.

Traditions at Epiphany

All traditions and customs of this holiday are somehow connected with water. After the morning service, it is customary to go to a river or other open body of water. Everyone present must collect water from the river, which is holy on this day. It used to be believed that the sooner you draw water from the river, the more power it will have.

There is also a tradition of swimming in the river on this day. It is believed that it is impossible to catch a cold on Epiphany from swimming in ice water. The girls washed themselves in the river that day. It was believed that this helped preserve youth for a long time and gave beautiful color faces.

For several days after the holidays, it was forbidden to wash clothes in the river. According to legend, when the priest immersed the cross in the water, she jumped out evil spirits. And according to dirty laundry the evil spirits could climb back into the river. The longer women do not wash after the holiday, the more evil spirits will freeze out.

This Friday, all Orthodox Christians will celebrate one of the greatest holidays - Epiphany, or Epiphany. It has been celebrated here since the baptism of Rus', and church customs closely intertwined with folk beliefs.

History of the holiday Epiphany

According to the stories in the Gospels, Jesus Christ came to the Jordan River before the start of His ministry and asked for baptism from the prophet John the Baptist. It was on this day that Jesus turned 30 years old.

The holiday is called Epiphany because during the baptism the voice of God the Father was heard from heaven, calling Jesus his Son. At the same time, the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove.

The Jordan River, in which John the Theologian baptized the Son of God, symbolizes human souls mired in sin and vice. Jesus did not go into the water to be cleansed, but to purify it.

Water blessed by three times immersing the holy cross in it on the eve of Epiphany, on Christmas Eve, and on the very feast of Epiphany is called holy Epiphany water.

Traditions and folk customs for Epiphany

On the eve of Epiphany, January 18, believers fast during the day, and in the evening - on Epiphany Eve - they celebrate the second Holy Evening or “Hungry Kutya”. The whole family, like at Christmas, gathers around the table. Served for dinner Lenten dishes – fried fish, dumplings with cabbage, buckwheat pancakes with butter, kutya and uzvar (dried fruit compote).

On Epiphany there is a festive service in the church. According to tradition, during Jordanian worship, doves are released into the sky - they symbolize the Spirit of God, who descended from heaven on Christ in the form of a dove, and also that the Christmas holidays have come to an end and they should be released into the wild.

In memory of the fact that Christ consecrated water with His Baptism, on the eve of the holiday, water is consecrated in churches, and on the feast of Epiphany itself - in rivers or other places where water is taken. On the eve of the holiday, men cut a hole in the ice in the form of a cross, and the ice cross itself is installed nearby. The rite of the Jordanian Blessing of Water takes place above the river near the cross. During this ritual, the priest lowers a cross and a lit three-candlestick into the hole three times - the water is baptized with fire.

It is believed that Epiphany water washes away all sins, so at Epiphany people plunge headlong into the water three times.

Signs and beliefs for Epiphany

A person baptized on this day will be accompanied by happiness all his life.

It was considered a good omen if they agreed on a future wedding on this day. "Epiphany handshake - to a happy family."

Any agreement ending with a handshake promised further support from above.

If it snowed on this day, it foreshadowed a good harvest.

A clear day for Epiphany promised, according to folk signs, bad year.

If there is a full moon on the night of Epiphany, then they feared a flood in the spring.

The girls were washing their faces Epiphany ice and snow, they said that then they would be “white without whitening, ruddy without rouge.”

Dreams on Epiphany night were considered prophetic, and fortune telling was similar to Christmas.

It is believed that on this day, from midnight to midnight, the water acquires healing properties and keeps them throughout the year. It is given to seriously ill people to drink, and temples, houses and animals are blessed with it. Epiphany water is credited with the ability to cleanse and treat diseases of the body and soul, and wash away accumulated negativity.