1. Pentecost- holiday Orthodox Church, belongs to . Otherwise called. Celebrated on the fiftieth day after Easter (Sunday). The Feast of Pentecost is dedicated to the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles: on the fiftieth day after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (and on the tenth day after the Ascension of the Lord), when the Apostles gathered together, “suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as if from a rushing strong wind, and it filled the whole house, where they were. And cloven tongues as of fire appeared to them, and one rested on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (; see also below).

Pentecost ends the Easter cycle, and the following weeks are numbered in the liturgical calendar as “weeks after Pentecost.”

2. Pentecost– fifty days from the day before the feast of the Holy Trinity.

• On the first Sunday after Easter (the second Sunday of Pentecost), the appearance of the risen Jesus Christ to the apostles and the assurance of the apostle are remembered. Thomas (see).
• On Tuesday of the second week in the Russian Orthodox Church a pan-church commemoration of the dead is performed -.
• The Third Sunday of Pentecost is dedicated to St. to myrrh-bearing wives (see).
• On the fourth Sunday, we remember Jesus Christ’s healing of the paralytic at the Sheep Font ().
• Fifth - the meeting of Jesus Christ and the Samaritan woman ().
• The sixth is dedicated to the memory of the healing of a blind man ().
• On the fortieth day of Easter (Thursday of the sixth week) is celebrated.
• On the seventh Sunday, Sts. Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council.
• Saturday of the seventh week is Trinity Parents' Saturday.
• On the fiftieth day, Sunday of the seventh week, the day of the Holy Trinity and the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles is celebrated; this day is also called the Feast of Pentecost.
• Monday after the Holy Trinity is the day.
• On the first Sunday after Pentecost, the memory of All Saints is celebrated.
• Peter's Fast begins on Monday of the second week after Pentecost.
• In the Russian Orthodox Church, on the second Sunday, the memory of All Saints who shone in the Russian land is celebrated.

Services for Pentecost, Holy Spirit Day and All Saints' Day are held in Tsvetnaya.

Decorating the Temple for the Feast of Pentecost

“Decoration of young trees of birch and other species is not established church rules, A folk custom. The Holy Synod prohibited (Decree of 1875, May 23) the use of young birch trees for this decoration, and allowed the use of flowers, artisanal and semi-artisanal plants and tree branches. The Novgorod Spiritual Consistory explained to the local clergy that the ancient custom of decorating churches and houses with greenery on the day of the Holy Trinity must be supported, and not be concerned about its complete cessation. Order of the Holy Synod “on the preservation of young trees from being used for decoration in some holidays temples, residential premises, etc.” The goal was not to destroy this custom, but only to prevent the unnecessary destruction of young birch trees, in view of the public benefit, which, of course, did not mean areas where the very density of forest growth requires the cutting down of excess trees to free the growth of other trees. Therefore, the Novgorod Consistory ordered the deans that in the future they should stop reporting information regarding young trees in their semi-annual reports.”

Manual for Rural Shepherds, 1889, 19

Trinity Day is celebrated on the fiftieth day after Easter, which is why this holiday is also called Pentecost.

Afterwards, His disciples continually lived in a sense of celebration. For another forty days He appeared to them one by one and gathered together. Before the eyes of the disciples, the Lord rose above the earth, as if assuring them that on the last day of the world He would come to earth in the same way as He had gone to God the Father. Saying goodbye to them for the time being, He promised to send them the Comforter - the Holy Spirit emanating from God the Father. The disciples did not know what this meant, but they believed that everything would be according to the word of the Lord.

Like fire in a hearth, they maintained the blessed state of that day in their souls, gathering every day in one house on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. In a secluded upper room they prayed and read the Holy Scriptures. This is how another ancient prophecy came true: “Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord out of Jerusalem.” This is how the first Christian temple arose. Near that house was the house of Christ’s beloved disciple, the Apostle John the Theologian; according to the will of the Lord, His Mother, the Virgin Mary, also lived there. Disciples gathered around Her; She was a consolation for all believers.

The Feast of Pentecost, or the Day of the Holy Trinity, went like this. On the tenth day after the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, on the day of the Jewish holiday of the first harvest, when the disciples and with them were in the Zion Upper Room, at the third hour of the day a strong noise was heard in the air, as if during a storm. Bright, flickering tongues of fire appeared in the air. It was not a material fire - it was of the same nature as the Holy Fire, which descends annually in Jerusalem on Easter; it shone without burning. Rushing over the heads of the apostles, tongues of fire descended on them and laid them to rest. Immediately, along with the external phenomenon, the internal one took place, taking place in the souls: “ being all filled with the Holy Spirit.”“Both the Mother of God and the apostles felt at that moment an extraordinary power acting in them. Simply and directly, they were given from above a new grace-filled gift of the verb - they began to speak in languages ​​that they did not know before. This was the gift needed to preach the Gospel throughout the world.

Washed, generously gifted by the One Spirit, feeling that this was only part of the spiritual gifts they had received from the Lord, they held each other’s hands, forming a new shining bright Church, where God Himself is invisibly present, reflected and acting in souls. Beloved children of the Lord, united with Him by the Holy Spirit, they emerged from the walls of the Zion Upper Room to fearlessly preach Christ’s teaching about love.

In memory of this event, the Feast of Pentecost is also called the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit, as well as the day of the Holy Trinity: in the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, who came from God the Father according to the promise of God the Son, the mystery of the unity of the Holy Trinity was revealed. This day received the name Pentecost not only in memory of the ancient holiday, but also because this event occurred on the fiftieth day after Christian Easter. Just as Easter replaced the ancient Jewish holiday, so Pentecost laid the foundation of the Church of Christ as union in the Spirit on earth.

Hymns for the Feast of the Holy Trinity: Troparion of the Trinity, Kontakion of the Trinity, Glorification of the Trinity

Troparion for the Feast of the Holy Trinity, tone 1

Kontakionfeast of the Holy Trinity, voice 2

Greatnessfeast of the Holy Trinity

We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, and honor Your All-Holy Spirit, Whom You sent from the Father as Your Divine disciple.

Articles about the Feast of the Holy Trinity (Pentecost)

Trinity-Sergius Lavra

• Photo report
• – What do the monks and inhabitants of the monastery eat? We offer you a report from the refectory, kitchen, bakery and salting room of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
• – Why does a novice need to pray the rosary? They took away the rosary. For what strict fast? So, the “sentence” came: “If only we lived like people, there would have been a monk long ago, otherwise he’s playing the saint.”
• article about the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary

Icons of the Holy Trinity

What date does Trinity Day fall on in 2019? What is the history of this Orthodox holiday?

What date is Trinity, Trinity Day in 2019?

The color of the Trinity holiday is emerald green. This is the shade of fresh, lush grass or foliage that has not had time to get tired and absorb the heavy dust of the city. The churches glow from the inside like an emerald cloud - hundreds of birch branches are carried by parishioners, the floor of the church is densely covered with grass, the musty smell of June is intensified by the rays of the sun from the church windows, mixed with subtle notes of incense and wax candles. The candles are no longer red, but honey-yellow - “Easter is given away.” Exactly 50 days after the Resurrection of the Lord, Christians celebrate the Holy Trinity. Great Holiday, beautiful Holiday.

… Fifty days after the Passover, the Jews celebrated the day of Pentecost, dedicated to the legislation of Sinai. The apostles did not take part in mass celebrations, but gathered together with Mother of God and other students in one person's house. History has not preserved evidence of his name and what he did, we only know that it was in Jerusalem... It was about three o'clock in the afternoon according to Jewish time (about nine o'clock in the morning according to modern reckoning). Suddenly, from heaven itself, from above, an incredible noise was heard, reminiscent of the howl and roar of a rushing strong wind, the noise filled the entire house in which the disciples of Christ and the Virgin Mary were located. People began to pray. Tongues of fire began to play between people and began to dwell for a moment on each of the worshipers. So the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit, with which they received the amazing ability to speak and preach in many languages, previously unknown to them... The Savior’s promise was fulfilled. His disciples received special grace and gift, power and ability to carry the teachings of Jesus Christ. It is believed that the Holy Spirit descended in the form of fire as a sign that it has the power to scorch sins and cleanse, sanctify and warm the soul.

On the occasion of the holiday, Jerusalem was full of people; Jews from different countries converged on the city on this day. A strange noise from the house where the disciples of Christ were, caused hundreds of people to run to this place. Those gathered were amazed and asked each other: “Are they not all Galileans? How do we hear each of our own languages ​​in which we were born? How can they speak with our tongues about the great things of God?” And in bewilderment they said: “They got drunk on sweet wine.” Then the Apostle Peter, standing up with the other eleven apostles, said that they were not drunk, but that the Holy Spirit had descended on them, as was predicted by the prophet Joel, and that Jesus Christ, who had been crucified, had ascended into heaven and poured out the Holy Spirit on them. Spirit. Many of those who listened to the sermon of the Apostle Peter at that moment believed and were baptized. The apostles initially preached to the Jews, and then dispersed different countries for preaching to all nations.

So Saint Andrew, who is also called Andrew the First-Called, went to preach the Word of God to the eastern countries. He passed through Asia Minor, Thrace, Macedonia, reached the Danube, passed the Black Sea coast, the Crimea, the Black Sea region and along the Dnieper rose to the place where the city of Kyiv now stands. Here he stopped at the Kyiv Mountains for the night. Getting up in the morning, he said to the disciples who were with him: “Do you see these mountains? The grace of God will shine on these mountains, there will be a great city, and God will build many churches.” The apostle climbed the mountains, blessed them and planted a cross. After praying, he climbed even higher along the Dnieper and reached the Slavic settlements where Novgorod was founded.

Miraculously, the Apostle Thomas, who believed in Christ, reached the shores of India. To this day, in the southern states of this country, Kerala and Karnataka, there live Christians whose ancestors were baptized by St. Thomas.

Peter visited various regions of the Middle East, Asia Minor, and later settled in Rome. There, according to a very reliable tradition of the late 1st and early 2nd centuries, he was executed between 64 and 68 AD. According to Origen, Peter, at his own request, was crucified upside down, since he considered that he was unworthy to undergo the same the execution that the Lord suffered.

While enlightening the nations with the teachings of Christ, the Apostle Paul also undertook long journeys. In addition to his repeated stays in Palestine, he preached about Christ in Phenicia, Syria, Cappadocia, Lydia, Macedonia, Italy, the islands of Cyprus, Lesbos, Rhodes, Sicily and other lands. The power of his preaching was so great that the Jews could not do anything to oppose the power of Paul’s teaching; the pagans themselves asked him to preach the word of God and the whole city gathered to listen to him.

That grace of the Holy Spirit, which was clearly taught to the apostles in the form of tongues of fire, is now given invisibly in the Orthodox Church - in its holy sacraments through the successors of the apostles - the shepherds of the Church - bishops and priests.

The holiday of Christian Pentecost contains a double celebration: and to the glory Holy Trinity, and to the glory of the Holy Spirit, who descended on the Apostles and sealed the new eternal covenant of God with man.

On the Feast of the Holy Trinity, established at the end of the 4th century, after the dogma of the Trinity - the Trinitarian God - was officially adopted at a church council in Constantinople in 381, we are talking about one more important aspect Christian faith: the incomprehensible mystery of the trinity of God. God is one in three persons and this mystery is incomprehensible to the human mind, but the essence of the Trinity was revealed to people on this day.

By the way, for a long time Christian artists did not depict the Trinity, believing that God can only be depicted in the person of Jesus Christ, the son of God. But not God the Father, not God the Holy Spirit should not be written... However, over time, a special iconography of the Holy Trinity was formed, which is now divided into two types. The Trinity of the Old Testament is familiar to each of us famous icon Andrew of Radonezh (Rublev), on which God is depicted in the form of three angels who appeared to Abraham. The icons of the New Testament Trinity are images of God the Father in the form of an old man, Jesus Christ as a youth in his bosom or an adult husband, according to right hand from him, and the Spirit - above them in the form of a dove.

In Rus', they began to celebrate Holy Pentecost not in the first years after the baptism of Rus', but almost 300 years later, in the 14th century, when St. Sergius Radonezh

From this day until next holiday The Holy Pascha people begin to sing the troparion to the Holy Spirit “Heavenly King...” From this very moment, prostrations to the ground are allowed for the first time after Easter.

... The Divine Service on the Feast of Holy Pentecost is touching and beautiful. The temple is decorated, the priests are dressed in green vestments, the smell of grass and fresh greens, the choir “... renew in our hearts, O Almighty, the true, right Spirit,” sounds solemnly and lightly, the parishioners kneel and read the special prayers of St. Basil the Great. And it's juicy outside early summer- a reminder of that beautiful and profound “summer of the Lord” that Jesus Christ promised the righteous.

What is Pentecost? What do we celebrate on Trinity Day? What day does this holiday fall on in 2019? Read about it on the Pravmir portal.

Holiday dates:

• Pentecost in 2020 – June 7
• Pentecost 2021 – June 20
• Pentecost in 2022 – June 12

Pentecost in 2019 – June 16

“Three thousand people responded to the first apostolic sermon. On the same day they were baptized and joined the disciples of Christ.
Thus, the Church of Christ was born by the Holy Spirit.”

Suddenly everyone heard a loud noise, like a gust of wind during a storm. It approached the house from the sky and gradually filled all the rooms. The next moment, something similar to fire appeared in the upper room, then the flames split into separate tongues, which fell on Christ’s disciples. They, looking in amazement at the fiery crowns on each other’s heads, suddenly felt that the Holy Spirit was descending on them. Having received the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the apostles began to prophesy and praise God different languages, which were never known before.

At this time, a crowd had already begun to gather near the house. Many people were attracted by the unusual sound coming from the sky. The strange phenomenon aroused curiosity: what was happening inside this house? When the apostles and those who were with them went out into the street, the curiosity of the crowd grew into surprise: the pilgrims who had arrived from distant countries saw and heard Galilean commoners speaking without any accent in their native languages ​​and dialects. However, the local Jews, who themselves did not know any languages, mistook the multilingual speech of Christ’s disciples for the muttering of drunks and began to laugh at the apostles, saying: “Yes, they got drunk on sweet wine!” The apostles did not leave these ridicule unanswered, for the Holy Spirit not only gave them the opportunity to speak in different languages, but also changed their souls. Now these were not timid Galilean fishermen, but fearless preachers of the gospel truth.

The Apostle Peter, raising his voice, addressed the Jews surrounding the house with a sermon. He said that before them were not merry people who drank for the sake of celebration, but people on whom the Holy Spirit had descended. Referring to the book of the prophet Joel, the apostle announced to those gathered that a great day had come when the ancient prophecies about the descent of the Holy Spirit on those who believe in the Savior of the world were fulfilled.

The Apostle Peter spoke so convincingly and his words had such a strong effect on the hearts of his listeners that many of them immediately believed him. The Holy Spirit clearly helped the apostle. Never before distinguished by deep knowledge Holy Scripture, he now freely quoted Old Testament books. Moreover, the truths hidden in them, which the Israeli sages had only guessed at, were revealed to his mind. Seeing the attention of the listeners, the apostle fearlessly began to preach about Jesus Christ, proving that He was the Messiah long awaited by the Jews. The Apostle Peter ended his speech with the words:

Know therefore, all the house of Israel, that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Impressed by what they heard and feeling the influence of the grace of the Holy Spirit, the crowd was moved” and exclamations were heard in it:
- What should we do?
“Repent,” said Peter, “and be baptized each of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” For the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call(8).

Three thousand people responded to the first apostolic sermon. On the same day they were baptized and joined the disciples of Christ.
Thus, the Church of Christ was born by the Holy Spirit. The world still knew nothing about this great event. Even in Jerusalem itself, most residents had no idea about the grace-filled birth of the Church, whose teachings over time spread throughout the entire earth and became the property of all countries and peoples. Although the Church was in obscurity, the invisible forces of evil were already preparing to destroy it.

Holy Spirit- the third Person, or third Hypostasis, of the Holy, Consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity. He pre-eternally comes from God the Father and is sent into the world from the Father by the Son. The Holy Spirit is the true God, having one nature with God the Father, from Whom he emanates outside of time. In His dignity He is equal to the Father and the Son. In His essence, the Holy Spirit is one with God the Father and God the Son. As true God, the Holy Spirit has all divine properties except the personal properties of the Father and the Son. The personal property of the Father is ungeneracy, the personal property of the Son is begetting, the personal property of the Holy Spirit is procession.
The Christian Church is the area of ​​special action of the Holy Spirit. Nothing grace-filled is accomplished without His participation in it. Since the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit has lived invisibly in the Church, and the Church has lived by the Holy Spirit.

Trinity (Pentecost) (Greek: Pentekoste), the greatest Christian holiday celebrated on the 50th day of Easter in memory of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and dedicated to the glorification of the Holy Trinity. In the Orthodox Church there is a great twelfth holiday.

Name Pentecost the holiday was received because the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles took place on the Old Testament holiday of Pentecost, established in memory of the giving of the Law to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai; it was celebrated on the 50th day after Easter and coincided with the end of the harvest and gathering of fruits, the first fruits of which were sacrificed in the temple.

Preparing to return to His Heavenly Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, before the crucifixion, devotes His farewell conversation with the apostles to the upcoming descent of the Holy Spirit. The Lord explains to the disciples that the Comforter - the Holy Spirit - must soon come to them in order to complete the work of saving people. “I will ask the Father,” says the Lord to the apostles, “and He will give you another Comforter, may He abide with you forever, the Spirit of Truth... He will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I have told you... He is the Spirit of Truth... The Spirit of Truth He who proceeds from the Father will testify about Me” (John 14:16-17).

This day is called Trinity because it was precisely through the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles that the perfect activity of the third person of the Most Holy Trinity was revealed, and the teaching of Jesus Christ about the Triune God reached perfect clarity and completeness. God the Father creates the world, God the Son redeems people from enslavement to the devil, God the Holy Spirit sanctifies the world through the founding of the Church and the worldwide preaching of the faith. The event of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles is considered the beginning of the Christian Church.

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples

It was on this day, on the 50th day after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, that all twelve apostles gathered together. Preparing to receive the Holy Spirit after the Ascension of the Lord into Heaven, the disciples of Christ, together with Holy Virgin Mary, with some myrrh-bearing wives and other believers (about 120 people) were in Jerusalem in the so-called “Zion Upper Room.”

Zion Upper Room

It was probably in that large room where, shortly before His suffering, the Lord committed last supper. The apostles and all those gathered were waiting for the Savior to send them the “Promise of the Father” and they would be clothed with power from above, although they did not know what the coming of the Comforter Spirit would actually consist of (Luke 24:49). Since the Lord Jesus Christ died and rose again during the period of the Old Testament Easter, the feast of the Old Testament Pentecost fell that year on the 50th day after His resurrection.

And so, at nine o’clock in the morning, when the people usually gathered in the temple for sacrifice and prayer, suddenly there was a noise above the Zion Upper Room, “as if from a rushing strong wind... and divided tongues appeared to them, as if of fire,” which began to descend on each of them. These tongues had an extraordinary property: they shone, but did not burn. But even more extraordinary were the spiritual properties that these mysterious languages ​​communicated. Everyone on whom this language descended felt a great surge of spiritual strength and, at the same time, unspeakable joy and inspiration. He began to feel like a completely different person: peaceful, full of life and ardent love for God. The apostles began to express these internal changes and new unexperienced feelings in joyful exclamations and loud praise of God. (Acts of the Apostles, 2:1-47).

And then it turned out that they were speaking not in their native Hebrew, but in some other languages ​​unknown to them. This is how the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire took place over the apostles, as predicted by the prophet John the Baptist.

The apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit, began to glorify God in different languages ​​that they did not know before. When the noise occurred, many of the people ran to the house where the apostles were, and hearing that they were speaking different languages, they said to each other in surprise: “ Are they not all Galileans (that is, Jews from the place of Galilee, and those who know one Hebrew language)? How do we hear them speaking different languages?"And the people who didn't understand foreign languages, mocked and said: “ They must be drunk" Then the Apostle Peter stood on an elevated place and said to the assembled people: “ Why are you surprised at us? And others also say that we are drunk. No, we're not drunk. But we received the Holy Spirit. You knew Jesus sent from heaven. He performed great miracles among you, and you killed Him by nailing Him to the cross. This Jesus rose again, ascended into heaven, and sent the Holy Spirit upon us.”.

This sermon was short and simple, but since the Holy Spirit spoke through the mouth of Peter, these words penetrated the hearts of those listening. Those who heard the apostle’s words were moved and said to Peter and the other apostles: “ What do we do?" Peter said: " Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and you will also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" Many who believed in Christ according to the word of the Apostle Peter immediately publicly repented of their sins and were baptized. Their number was about 3,000 people.

With such a miraculous event, the existence of the Church of Christ began - this grace-filled community of believers, in which everyone is called to save their souls. The Lord promised that the Church would remain undefeated by the gates of hell until the very end of the world!

History of the Holy Trinity Day holiday

The celebration of the Day of the Holy Trinity or Pentecost, like the Easter holiday, has its roots in Old Testament times. On the 50th day after the Old Testament Passover (the day of the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt), at Mount Sinai, the prophet Moses gave his people God's law and founded the Old Testament priesthood. So this day became the day of the founding of the Old Testament Church.

In a similar way, the Day of the Holy Trinity is connected with the New Testament Easter, because on the 50th day after his resurrection from the dead and on the 10th day after the Ascension to his Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ sent the Comforter to the apostles - the Holy Spirit.

By the descent of the Holy Spirit, the gracious law of love was given to all humanity and the New Testament priesthood was established.

The Zion Upper Room, in which the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles in the form of tongues of fire, became the first Christian temple, and the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit became the day of the founding of the New Testament Church on earth.

From the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Christian faith began to spread rapidly, with the help of God; the number of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ increased day by day. Taught by the Holy Spirit, the apostles boldly preached to everyone about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, about His suffering for us and the resurrection from the dead. The Lord helped them with great and numerous miracles that were performed through the apostles in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Initially, the apostles preached to the Jews, and then dispersed to different countries to preach to all nations. To perform the sacraments and preach Christian teaching, the apostles appointed bishops, presbyters (priests or priests) and deacons through ordination.

That grace of the Holy Spirit, which was clearly taught to the apostles, in the form of tongues of fire, is now given invisibly in our Holy Orthodox Church - in its holy sacraments, through the successors of the apostles - the shepherds of the Church - bishops and priests.

The Feast of Pentecost has one day of forefeast and six days of afterfeast. The Church dedicates the first day of Pentecost, that is, Resurrection, primarily to the glory of the Most Holy Trinity; and this day is popularly called Trinity day, and the second, that is, Monday - for the glory of the Holy Spirit, which is why it is called Spiritual day. The celebration of Pentecost takes place on the Saturday following the holiday.

On the Feast of Pentecost, it is customary to decorate the temple and your homes with tree branches and flowers, and to stand in the temple with flowers in your hands. Decorating churches and homes on this day with greenery and flowers is, firstly, a confession of the creative power of the Life-giving Spirit; and secondly, by properly consecrating the firstfruits of spring to Him.

Troparion, tone 1:
Blessed are you, Christ our God, / who are wise fishers of phenomena, / sending down the Holy Spirit to them, / and with them you caught the universe, / loving of mankind, glory to you.

Magnification:
We magnify Thee, / Life-giving Christ, / and honor Thy All-Holy Spirit, / Whom Thou didst send from the Father as Thy divine disciple

The Law of God is the Feast of the Holy Trinity. Pentecost

Trinity (Pentecost) (Greek: Pentekoste)- the greatest Christian holiday, celebrated on the 50th day of Easter in memory of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and dedicated to the glorification of the Holy Trinity. In the Orthodox Church great twelfth holiday .

Name Pentecost got a holiday because the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles took place on the Old Testament holiday of Pentecost, established in memory of the giving of the Law to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai; it was celebrated on the 50th day after Easter and coincided with the end of the harvest and gathering of fruits, the first fruits of which were sacrificed in the temple.

Preparing to return to His Heavenly Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, before the crucifixion, devotes His farewell conversation with the apostles to the upcoming descent of the Holy Spirit. The Lord explains to the disciples that the Comforter - the Holy Spirit - must soon come to them in order to complete the work of saving people. "I will ask the Father,- says the Lord to the apostles, - and He will give you another Comforter, may He abide with you forever, the Spirit of Truth... He will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I have told you... He is the Spirit of Truth... The Spirit of Truth Who proceeds from the Father , will testify about Me"(John 14:16-17).

This day is called Trinity because it was precisely through the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles that the perfect activity of the third person of the Most Holy Trinity was revealed, and the teaching of Jesus Christ about the Triune God reached perfect clarity and completeness. God the Father creates the world, God the Son redeems people from enslavement to the devil, God the Holy Spirit sanctifies the world through the founding of the Church and the worldwide preaching of the faith. The event of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles is considered the beginning of the Christian Church.

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples

It was on this day, on the 50th day after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, that all 12 apostles gathered together. Preparing for the reception of the Holy Spirit after the Ascension of the Lord into Heaven, the disciples of Christ, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary, with some myrrh-bearing women and other believers (about 120 people) were in Jerusalem in the so-called “Zion Upper Room”.

This was probably in that large room where, shortly before His suffering, the Lord celebrated the Last Supper. The apostles and all those gathered were waiting for the Savior to send them the “Promise of the Father” and they would be clothed with power from above, although they did not know what the coming of the Comforter Spirit would actually consist of (Luke 24:49). Since the Lord Jesus Christ died and rose again during the period of the Old Testament Easter, the feast of the Old Testament Pentecost fell that year on the 50th day after His resurrection.

And so, at nine o’clock in the morning, when the people usually gathered in the temple for sacrifice and prayer, suddenly there was a noise above the Zion Upper Room, “as if from a rushing strong wind... and divided tongues appeared to them, as if of fire,” which began to descend on each of them. These tongues had an extraordinary property: they shone, but did not burn. But even more extraordinary were the spiritual properties that these mysterious languages ​​communicated. Everyone on whom this language descended felt a great surge of spiritual strength and, at the same time, unspeakable joy and inspiration. He began to feel like a completely different person: peaceful, full of life and ardent love for God. The apostles began to express these internal changes and new unexperienced feelings in joyful exclamations and loud praise of God. (Acts of the Apostles, 2:1-47).

And then it turned out that they were speaking not in their native Hebrew, but in some other languages ​​unknown to them. This is how the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire took place over the apostles, as predicted by the prophet John the Baptist.

The apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit, began to glorify God in different languages ​​that they did not know before. When the noise occurred, many of the people ran to the house where the apostles were, and hearing that they were speaking different languages, they said to each other in surprise:“Are they not all Galileans (that is, Jews from the place of Galilee, and knowing one Hebrew language)? How do we hear them speaking different languages?” And people who did not understand foreign languages ​​mocked and said:"They must be drunk." Then the Apostle Peter stood on a high place and said to the assembled people:“Why are you surprised at us? And others also say that we are drunk. No, we're not drunk. But we received the Holy Spirit. You knew Jesus sent from heaven. He performed great miracles among you, and you killed Him by nailing Him to the cross. This Jesus rose again, ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit upon us.”

This sermon was short and simple, but since the Holy Spirit spoke through the mouth of Peter, these words penetrated the hearts of those listening. Those who heard the apostle’s words were moved and said to Peter and the other apostles: "What do we do?" Peter said: “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and you also will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”. Many who believed in Christ according to the word of the Apostle Peter immediately publicly repented of their sins and were baptized. Their number was about 3,000 people.

With such a miraculous event, the existence of the Church of Christ began - this grace-filled community of believers, in which everyone is called to save their souls. The Lord promised that the Church would remain undefeated by the gates of hell until the very end of the world!

History of the Holy Trinity Day holiday

The celebration of the Day of the Holy Trinity or Pentecost, like the Easter holiday, has its roots in Old Testament times. On the 50th day after the Old Testament Passover (the day of the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt), at Mount Sinai, the prophet Moses gave his people God's law and founded the Old Testament priesthood. So this day became the day of the founding of the Old Testament Church.

In a similar way, Trinity Day is connected with the New Testament Easter, because on the 50th day after his resurrection from the dead and on the 10th day after his Ascension to his Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ sent the Comforter to the apostles - the Holy Spirit.

By the descent of the Holy Spirit, the gracious law of love was given to all humanity and the New Testament priesthood was established.

The Zion Upper Room, in which the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles in the form of tongues of fire, became the first Christian temple, and the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit became the day of the founding of the New Testament Church on earth .

From the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Christian faith began to spread rapidly, with the help of God; the number of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ increased day by day. Taught by the Holy Spirit, the apostles boldly preached to everyone about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, about His suffering for us and the resurrection from the dead. The Lord helped them with great and numerous miracles that were performed through the apostles in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Initially, the apostles preached to the Jews, and then dispersed to different countries to preach to all nations. To perform the sacraments and preach Christian teaching, the apostles appointed bishops, presbyters (priests or priests) and deacons through ordination.

That grace of the Holy Spirit, which was clearly taught to the apostles, in the form of tongues of fire, is now given invisibly in our Holy Orthodox Church - in its holy sacraments, through the successors of the apostles - the shepherds of the Church - bishops and priests.

DOGMA OF THE HOLY TRINITY

The dogma of the Holy Trinity is the main dogma of Christianity. God is one in Essence and trinity in Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Trinity is consubstantial and indivisible.

Belief in the Holy Trinity distinguishes Christianity from other monotheistic religions: Judaism and Islam.

The word “Trinity” itself, of non-biblical origin, was introduced into the Christian lexicon in the second half of the 2nd century by St. Theophilus of Antioch. The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is given in Christian Revelation.

The dogma of the Holy Trinity is incomprehensible, it is a mysterious dogma, incomprehensible at the level of reason. For the human mind, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is contradictory, because it is a mystery that cannot be expressed rationally.

The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is comprehended, and only partially, in the experience of spiritual life. This comprehension is always associated with ascetic feat.

According to the teachings of St. fathers, Without faith in the Trinity, the very existence of the Church is impossible , because “The Church is founded on it, and whoever falls away from this faith cannot be or even be called a Christian.” “For the Orthodox Church, the Most Holy Trinity is the unshakable foundation of all religious thought, all piety, all spiritual life, all spiritual experience.”
The doctrine of the Trinity is the basis of all Christian doctrine and morals. The doctrine of God the Savior, God the Sanctifier, etc. is based on it. However, according to V.N. Lossky, the doctrine of the Trinity “not only the basis, but also the highest goal of theology, for... to know the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity in its fullness means... to enter into the Divine life, into the very life of the Most Holy Trinity.”

The doctrine of the Triune God comes down to three points:

1. God is trinity and trinity consists in the fact that in God there are Three Persons (hypostases): Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

2. Each Person of the Most Holy Trinity is God, but They are not three Gods, but are one Divine being.

3. All three Persons differ in personal or hypostatic properties.

Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed , compiled at the First and Second Ecumenical Councils, and fixing the dogma of the Holy Trinity, occupies a central place in the liturgical practice of many Christian churches and is the basis of Christian doctrine.

According to him:

• God the Father is not born from anyone and does not come from anyone
• God the Son is eternally born of God the Father
• God the Holy Spirit proceeds eternally from God the Father

All three Persons (Hypostases, Personalities) of the Trinity exist in complete unity, which creates the world, provides for it and sanctifies it.

According to the teachings of the church, God, one in three persons, is an incorporeal invisible spirit (John 4:24), alive(Jer.10; 1Thess.1:9), eternal(Ps.89:3; Ex.40:28; Rom.14:25), ubiquitous(Ps. 139:7-12; Acts 17:27) and all-good(Matt. 19:17; Ps. 24:8). It's impossible to see him , since God does not have in himself such things as the visible world consists of.

The Orthodox Church allows only a symbolic representation of the invisible and incomprehensible Trinity. The generally recognized icon of the Trinity is the image of the Russian icon painter Andrei Rublev. This image emphasizes the equality of all three Figures and Their complete unity (almost mirror-like), despite the fact that Their faces and clothes on Them are different.

Icon of the Trinity by Andrei Rublev

Celebration of Holy Trinity Day

The Feast of Pentecost has one day of forefeast and six days of afterfeast. The Church dedicates the first day of Pentecost, that is, Resurrection, primarily to the glory of the Most Holy Trinity; and this day is popularly called Trinity day , and the second, i.e. Monday - for the glory of the Holy Spirit, which is why it is called Spiritual day . The celebration of Pentecost takes place on the Saturday following the holiday.

On the Feast of Pentecost, it is customary to decorate the temple and your homes with tree branches and flowers, and to stand in the temple with flowers in your hands. Decorating churches and homes on this day with greenery and flowers is, firstly, a confession of the creative power of the Life-giving Spirit; and secondly, by the proper dedication of the firstfruits of spring to Him.