Jesus Christ, crucified on the cross, was taken down for burial, and in honor of this event a miraculous icon was painted. Orthodox believers pray in front of her, asking the Higher Powers for protection and patronage.
Believers know several icons that depict the events of the last days of Jesus’ earthly life. There are also icons depicting the events that occurred after the execution of the Savior. The icon “Descent from the Cross” serves as a symbol of salvation for everyone.
History of the icon
The follower of Jesus and his secret disciple Joseph received permission from Pilate himself to take Jesus down from the cross standing on Mount Golgotha. Joseph took another disciple, Nicodemus, as his assistant, and together they removed the body of the Savior to bury him. According to custom, the body of the Lord was smeared with incense and wrapped in a shroud. The body was placed in a coffin, which was placed in a cave located not far from the place of execution. This event was reflected on the icon, which is revered among believers and helps them fight evil and negativity.
Description of the image
In the very center of the image, against the background of the cross, is the body of Christ, which is supported by his disciples. Nearby are the myrrh-bearing women, ready to smear his body with incense. They are on the left side of the icon, behind Christ’s disciple, Joseph. The Mother of God is depicted with her cheek pressed to the body of her son, and at the foot of the cross there are two disciples removing nails from the Savior’s feet. In Russian icon painting, a plot describing the removal of the Lord from the cross appeared in the 14th century, as indicated in surviving handwritten sources.
How does the icon “Descent from the Cross” help?
Before the holy icon, Orthodox believers pray not only to ask for help and protection, but also to glorify the Lord and his sacrifice. Prayer often contains words of repentance for sinful deeds and thoughts, requests for blessings for difficult matters associated with risk to life. Believers also pray in order to free themselves from physical and mental wounds, find spiritual comfort and resist negativity. People often resort to prayer in front of the icon before complex operations so that the treatment is successful. In case of any difficulty or in order to establish oneself in faith, prayer words can be offered in front of the icon.
Where is the divine image located?
The popularity of the icon grew, and now copies of it can be found in many temples and churches throughout Russia:
- Yaroslavl region, Semenovskoye village, painting on the wall of the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary;
- Yaroslavl region, Khaldeevo, remains of painting on the walls of the Kazan Church;
- Moscow region, Belousovo village, painting on the wall of the Church named after Michael the Archangel;
- Kostroma region, church in Nerekhta;
- Republic of Karelia, Church of the Intercession;
- city of Murom, painting in the Church of the Ascension.
Prayer before the icon
“Lord Almighty, with your sacrifice you have atoned for all the sins of earthly people, those who believe in You and those who do not believe. Bless your servant (name), help him live with dignity, get rid of the negativity that denigrates the soul, and from harmful influences. Save and preserve, Lord, my family and everyone living on earth. Intercede for the weak in spirit and show them the right path. Amen".
Date of celebration of the icon
Orthodox believers venerate the icon during Holy Week, on Holy Saturday. At this time, they remember not only the removal of the Lord from the crucifixion, but also his descent into hell for the souls of the righteous martyrs.
There are often times in people's lives when they cannot do without Divine support. In difficult times, pray to the Higher Powers and ask for help from your heavenly patrons. To offer words of prayer, it is not necessary to attend church every time. This can be done at home or on the road, the main thing is that your faith is sincere and the words come from the heart. Good luck to you, and don't forget to press the buttons and
05.04.2018 03:18
The icon of the Lord Pantocrator is one of the most important symbols among Orthodox believers. The famous image of Jesus Christ...
April 25, 2008
Good Friday Evening: Descent from the Cross and Burial
Priest Pavel Konotopov
Roman law did not allow those doomed to a shameful death to be removed from crosses and buried. The bodies of those executed remained hanging on the crosses even after death had already ceased their torment, finally falling to prey to wild animals and birds.
Only sometimes, on the solemn birthdays of emperors or on the eve of them, there were deviations from this custom, and the crucified were buried.
Jewish law saw this differently. Wanting to make the execution of a criminal especially shameful, the Jews sometimes hung the corpse of the executed person on a tree, but never left it there overnight. This would mean, according to the word of God himself, to desecrate the land given to the chosen people as an inheritance. This happened during the period of better life for the Jewish people. But even now, when the right to the death penalty was taken away from him by the Romans, who began to often practice their execution on the cross in a foreign country, Israel could not completely forget this decree of Jehovah and be indifferent to those nailed on the unfortunate tree, according to Roman laws. At least for him it would be the greatest insult to leave such in their shameful position at the place of execution on the night against the Sabbath or a holiday. Saturday, on the eve of which the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, was also a great and especially solemn day, since it coincided with the Easter holiday.
After this, the request of the Jews before Pilate for permission to remove the crucified from the crosses is understandable. But in order to be able to do this, it was first necessary to kill them, so the Jews propose to break their legs. Having received an order from Pilate, the soldiers not only broke the legs of each of the robbers, but also struck them with a spear, after which death was already certain. Having killed both robbers, the soldiers approach the cross of the Lord; but in this body with its head bowed on its chest, they see no signs of life and therefore consider themselves entitled not to break the legs of someone who is already dead. So that there would be no doubt about His death, in order to extinguish the last spark of life, if for some reason such a one was still preserved in His heart, one of the warriors struck the side of the Crucified One with the blade of his spear. Wishing to strike a fatal blow, the warrior had to choose the left side of the chest as the seat of the heart; the same side in this case was also more convenient for striking. From the pierced chest of Jesus Christ “blood and water flowed.”
For us, as for everyone, as for the warrior who, through his action, fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah, one thing should be clear: at that moment on the hill of Calvary, on the cross, there remained only one body of the Only Begotten Son of God who died for the whole world.
Meanwhile, the sun was already standing on the outskirts of the sky and that time had come, between three and six o’clock according to our reckoning, which the Jews called “evening.” If, respecting the sanctity of the quickly approaching Great Saturday, the Jews did not want to leave those crucified on the crosses, then they needed to hurry. Therefore, as soon as the legs of the two robbers were broken and there was no doubt about their death, their bodies were hastily removed from the crosses.
Perhaps the same rough hands of the soldiers who, a few hours earlier, had lifted these bodies onto the cross with ropes, now also roughly and quickly tore them off and threw them to the ground. Then, if there were good and pious people among the Jews, they quickly buried these bodies in special tombs specially designated for the burial of those executed. If there were no people capable of such a feat, the same soldiers quickly took them to some local cave and left them there as prey for hyenas and jackals. But for the one who died on the cross next to the villains, Providence determined to be buried by a rich man.
Among the people who were disposed towards the Lord Jesus Christ and who stood on Calvary at some distance from the cross was probably Joseph from Arimathea. A rich man and a prominent member of the Sanhedrin, he was a secret disciple of the divine Teacher. Unable to prevent the lawless night proceedings, Joseph did only one thing - he avoided participating in this wicked “counsel and deed.” Now, forgetting his previous fear and caution, he goes to Pilate and asks the governor to give him the body of Jesus Christ. Probably very recently those who asked for permission to break the legs of the crucified left the procurator; in any case, so little time passed after that that Pilate, having heard a new request, was very surprised at such an unusually quick death of the main condemned man. Nevertheless, having certain provisions of the law in this regard and having inquired from the centurion about the death of Jesus Christ, he gave the body at the complete disposal of Joseph. Then the latter, without wasting a minute, hurries back to Golgotha and on the way buys a shroud, the most necessary thing for burial.
Perhaps, even in the moments of the Savior’s suffering on the cross, the idea was born in Joseph’s head to bury the body of the divine Teacher in his own tomb. We do not know what exactly motivated the secret disciple of Jesus Christ in choosing a place for this tomb near the shameful and terrible place of execution. That new tomb, which Joseph carved into the rock, was located very close to the place of execution of the Savior. No one has been laid here yet; the tomb was probably not even finished yet and represented only one chamber, when the only simple bed near its wall was supposed to serve as a temporary burial vault for the brief mortal rest of the Lord Jesus Christ.
With a long piece of thin linen in his hands, Joseph hurries from Pilate to Golgotha. Meanwhile, the latter completely changed its appearance during this time. The guards are not visible, who, having carried out Pilate’s order, considered their work over. The large crowd that had recently crowded here also dispersed. The miraculous events that accompanied the death of the God-Man forced these frivolous people to instinctively feel something great and extraordinary and, “beating themselves in the chest,” go home. The voice of the leaders of the crowd, who now could only celebrate the success of their cause, also fell silent. Quiet on Calvary. Only a few eyes rest pleadingly on the Deceased One and a few hearts beat faster than usual, eagerly awaiting Joseph’s return. Here stand Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James the less and Josiah, and perhaps some more of the Galilean women devoted to the Savior. Here, probably, both the disciple whom the Deceased loved so much and the Holy Mother, left by the Son in the care of this disciple, stand waiting. Here, finally, is another secret disciple of the Lord, Nicodemus, who came to Him for a night conversation. Having joyfully heard the good news from the returned Joseph, they hastily begin to pay their last debt on earth to the Deceased.
It is not the rough hands of executioner soldiers, but the loving hand of Joseph that removes the body from the cross. The new rock-cut tomb was surrounded by a shady garden, and the latter was so close to Calvary that the Evangelist John directly places it where Jesus Christ was crucified. Such proximity to a place much more convenient for making the necessary preparations for burial than the open top of Golgotha probably prompted the transfer of the Lord’s body to Joseph’s garden immediately after the removal from the cross. And here, having washed the wounds clotted with blood, they wrap Him in a clean shroud, and the royal head in a special cloth, generously sprinkling the funeral shrouds with 100 liters of myrrh and aloes brought by Nicodemus. After this, silent and immersed in deep sorrow, Joseph and Nicodemus quietly lift the holy body and, entering the tomb, carefully place it on the only bed carved here. Having thus paid the last earthly tribute to the Deceased, with joint efforts they roll up a large stone and block the entrance to the tomb chamber. The rapidly approaching twilight, which has already begun the holiday, makes one rush into the burial. Nevertheless, considering the ritual unfinished, the women present here, returning home, prepare more “incense and ointments” with the goal of anointing the body with them as soon as the Sabbath has passed. But their concern was in vain and their incense no longer had to touch the most pure body of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This event constitutes the last, final link in the history of the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ. A few more hours after it, and those whom Providence destined to be the first followers of the divine Teacher, with joy and fear conveyed to each other the news of His resurrection.
Compiled from: Nicholas Maccabee, “Archaeology of the history of the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Peter Paul Rubens. Descent from the Cross.
JEAN JOUVENET Descent from the Cross, 1697.
Rouen, 1644 - Paris, 1717
Canvas, 424 x 312 cm. Painted for the Capuchin Church on Place Louis-le-Grand in Paris. Transferred to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1756; Royal Academy collection
I’ll say right away that we should not confuse the teachings of Jesus Christ and the ascetic activity of the elders of the Russian church with the occult set of rituals that we are now faced with. The most beautiful teaching can be neutralized using occult techniques.
As you yourself understand, Jesus Christ has nothing to do with them.
Moreover, he himself still hangs on the cross thanks to the efforts of the occultists and our misunderstanding.
It is no coincidence that I devoted several chapters to the power of the energy of human thought, with the help of which people can form images. If this is clear, then tell me, what is the most striking image of Jesus Christ in your thoughts, in the thoughts of the majority of believers? The survey shows the image of Jesus Christ crucified on the cross.
You will see an image of the crucifixion in every Orthodox and Catholic church. Who came up with such an occult technique and for what purpose? Did Jesus Christ himself want this image to be the main one, dominant over all the others? Of course not!
But we, precisely we, with the power of our thoughts continue to design the crucifixion, mind you, not the resurrection, but the crucifixion. And we kiss not the resurrection, but the crucifixion. Thus we keep Him on the cross.
This simplest occult technique uses the energy of collective human thought when forming an image.
And Jesus Christ will continue to hang on the cross until we understand and remove it with our thoughts. Until we stop falling for occult tricks.
Even initially, when forming religions, priests sought to incorporate their own occult rituals and doctrines into each of them.
Any religion, even the lightest one, calling for goodness and goodness, when introducing priestly nuances, became for them a powerful weapon-mechanism. With the help of this mechanism, they completely subjugated entire nations, pitting them against each other, right up to complete self-destruction. So it was and so it is today. Many religions today still contain occult rituals and doctrines, the meaning of which and the degree of influence on humanity are known only to the priests.
The projection of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ into the thoughts of many people occurs due to an occult ritual.
But the people themselves who carry out such a projection, or rather, their souls will be crucified as long as they project the crucifixion.
The collective thought of the crucifixion is so strong that it even penetrates into the flesh of modern people. The bleeding wounds of Jesus Christ periodically appear on the bodies of some believers; they are called the “mystery of the stigmata.” Many scientists believe that stigmata - bleeding wounds - are a consequence of mental illness. I would add to this that this is a disease not of an individual person, but of a part of society, and its root cause is the occult ritual introduced by the priests.
However, instead of fully understanding this phenomenon, enterprising people build their own businesses on it.
For example, in the Argentine city of San Nicolos there lives a stigmatic woman, Gladys Motta. And around her house there is a brisk trade in everything that is directly or indirectly connected with her.
The Siberian elder said:
The killing of people by each other, and what you call terrorism, is a consequence of the priestly doctrine introduced into many large and small religious denominations.
It was they who came up with the doctrine that the true divine life of man is not on earth, but somewhere in another dimension. It was they who came up with the image of paradise outside the earth created by God. Thanks to this doctrine, many religious fans have a disdain for earthly life; they are ready to kill themselves and others with very little impact on their psyche.
Anastasia tries to convey this information with many phrases and different words. Not everyone will understand what Anastasia said. Not everyone will understand my words. You, Vladimir, your readers should carefully think about what has been said, give your own examples and arguments. Different languages, merging together, can free people.
Look carefully at the origins of wars and terrorist manifestations today and you will clearly see the influence of a monstrous doctrine.
The Siberian elder spoke for some time on this topic. It seemed to me that he was a little worried, sometimes he stopped his speech, quickly stroked a piece of cedar hanging on his chest and again returned to what we ourselves should see and feel the manifestation of occult rituals and doctrines.
“No spiritual teachers will be able to save people from them unless people themselves begin to think and learn to distinguish between them,” said grandfather.
I think I understood the significance of his statements and decided to look at the phenomenon of terrorism in our lives. In the future, we need to figure it out together. I'll just start.
The Descent from the Cross is a picturesque image of the scene described in the Gospels of the removal of the body of Jesus Christ from the cross. “The Descent from the Cross” painting by Raphael Santi, 1507 “The Descent from the Cross” painting by Cigoli “The Descent from the Cross” painting by Peter Paul Rubens “The Descent from ... ... Wikipedia
Peter Paul Rubens Descent from the Cross, 1612 Kruisafneming Oil on wood. 420.5×320 cm Cathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp, Antwerp ... Wikipedia
This term has other meanings, see Descent from the Cross (picture) ... Wikipedia
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Peter Paul Rubens ... Wikipedia
This term has other meanings, see The Exaltation of the Cross (Rubens) ... Wikipedia
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAE- [Greek ᾿Ιωσὴφ [ὁ] ἀπὸ ᾿Αριμαθαίας; lat. Ioseph ab Arimathea], St. right (memorial on the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women; Greek memory on July 31); an influential member of the Sanhedrin and a secret disciple of Jesus Christ (Matthew 27.57-60; Mark 15.43-46; Luke 23.50-53; John 19.38-42). I.A.... ... Orthodox Encyclopedia
GOOD FRIDAY- [Tserkovnoslav. ; Greek ῾Η ἁγία καὶ μεγάλη Παρασκευὴ; lat. Feria VI in Parasceve], Friday of Holy Week, one of the main days of the church calendar, dedicated to the remembrance of the day of redemptive suffering and death on the Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.… … Orthodox Encyclopedia
VATOPED- [Greek ῾Ιερὰ Μεγίστη Μονὴ Βατοπαιδίου, Βατοπεδίου; Βατοπαίδιον, Βατοπέδιον], in the name of the Annunciation of the Most Holy. Our Lady's hostel husband. mon ry; located on the shore of a small bay located approximately in the middle of the north. eastern coast of the Athos Peninsula... ... Orthodox Encyclopedia
Books
- Descent from the Cross
- The Descent from the Cross, Paul Clemens. The corpse of a young woman is found in the park of an ancient French castle. A few days later, someone kills the castle keeper. Then the murders follow one after another: an elderly lady from...
That same evening, soon after everything had happened, a famous member of the Sanhedrin, a rich man, came to Pilate Joseph of Arimathea(from the city of Arimathea). Joseph was a secret disciple of Jesus Christ, secret - out of fear of the Jews. He was a kind and righteous man, who did not participate in the council or in the condemnation of the Savior. He asked Pilate for permission to remove the body of Christ from the cross and bury it.
Pilate was surprised that Jesus Christ died so soon. He called the centurion who was guarding the crucified, learned from him when Jesus Christ died, and allowed Joseph to take the body of Christ for burial.
Joseph, having bought a shroud (cloth for burial), came to Golgotha. Another secret disciple of Jesus Christ and a member of the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus, also came. He brought with him for burial a precious fragrant ointment - a composition of myrrh and aloes.
They took the body of the Savior from the Cross, anointed Him with incense, wrapped Him in a shroud and laid Him in a new tomb, in the garden, near Golgotha. This tomb was a cave that Joseph of Arimathea carved into the rock for his burial, and in which no one had yet been laid. There they laid the body of Christ, because this tomb was close to Golgotha, and there was little time, since the great holiday of Easter was approaching. Then they rolled a huge stone to the door of the coffin and left.
Mary Magdalene, Mary of Joseph and other women were there and watched how the body of Christ was laid out. Returning home, they bought precious ointment, so that they could then anoint the body of Christ with this ointment as soon as the first, great day of the holiday had passed, on which, according to the law, everyone should be at peace.
But the enemies of Christ did not calm down, despite their great holiday. The next day, Saturday, the high priests and Pharisees (disturbing the peace of the Sabbath and the holiday) gathered, came to Pilate and began to ask him: “Sir! We remembered that this deceiver (as they dared to call Jesus Christ), while still alive, said: “After three days I will rise again.” Therefore, order that the tomb be guarded until the third day, so that His disciples, coming at night, do not steal Him and tell the people that He has risen from the dead; and then the last deception will be worse than the first.”
Pilate said to them: “You have a guard; go and protect it as best you can.”
Then the high priests and the Pharisees went to the tomb of Jesus Christ and, having carefully examined the cave, they applied their (Sanhedrin’s) seal to the stone; and they placed a military guard at the tomb of the Lord.
When the body of the Savior lay in the tomb, He descended with His soul into hell to the souls of people who died before His suffering and death. And He freed all the souls of righteous people who were waiting for the coming of the Savior from hell.
NOTE: See the Gospel of Matthew (); fromMark(); from Luke(); from John ().
The suffering of Christ is remembered by the Holy Orthodox Church in the week before Easter. This week is called Passionate. Christians should spend this entire week in fasting and prayer.
IN Great Wednesday Holy Week remembers the betrayal of Jesus Christ by Judas Iscariot.
IN Maundy Thursday in the evening, during the all-night vigil (which is Good Friday matins), twelve parts of the gospel about the suffering of Jesus Christ are read.
IN Good Friday during Vespers(which is served at 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon) is taken out of the altar and placed in the middle of the temple shroud, i.e. a sacred image of the Savior lying in the tomb; this is done in remembrance of the taking down of the body of Christ from the cross and His burial.
IN Holy Saturday on matins, during the funeral bells ringing and while the song “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us” is sung, the shroud is carried around the temple in memory of the descent of Jesus Christ into hell, when His body was in the tomb, and His victory over hell and death .
We prepare ourselves for Holy Week and Easter by fasting. This fast lasts forty days and is called Holy Pentecost or Great Lent.
In addition, the Holy Orthodox Church has established fasting according to Wednesdays And Fridays every week (except for some, very few, weeks of the year), on Wednesdays - in remembrance of the betrayal of Jesus Christ by Judas, and on Fridays in remembrance of the suffering of Jesus Christ.
We express our faith in the power of Jesus Christ’s suffering on the cross for us sign of the cross during our prayers.
