White vestments. Color of vestments. Red vestments of the priest

Also, different attire is used for religious services and for everyday wear. Robes for worship look luxurious. As a rule, to sew such vestments they use expensive brocade, which is decorated with crosses. There are three types of priesthood. And each has its own type of vestment.

Deacon

This is the lowest rank of clergy. Deacons do not have the right to independently perform the sacraments and services, but they assist bishops or priests.

The vestments of the clergy-deacons conducting the service consist of a surplice, an orari and a bridle.

The surplice is a long garment that does not have slits at the back or front. A special hole was made for the head. The surplice has wide sleeves. This clothing is considered a symbol of the purity of the soul. Such vestments are not limited to deacons. The surplice can be worn by both psalm-readers and those laypeople who simply regularly serve in the church.

The orarion is presented in the form of a wide ribbon, usually made of the same fabric as the surplice. This robe is a symbol of God's grace, which the deacon received in the Sacrament. The orarion is worn on the left shoulder over the surplice. It can also be worn by hierodeacons, archdeacons and protodeacons.

The priest's vestments also include straps designed to tighten the sleeves of the surplice. They look like tapered sleeves. This attribute symbolizes the ropes that were wrapped around the hands of Jesus Christ when He was crucified on the cross. As a rule, the handrails are made of the same fabric as the surplice. They also depict crosses.

What is the priest wearing?

The clothing of a priest differs from that of ordinary ministers. During the service, he must wear the following attire: cassock, cassock, armband, legguard, belt, epitrachelion.

Only priests and bishops wear a cassock. All this can be clearly seen in the photo. The clothes may differ slightly, but the principle always remains the same.

Cassock (cassock)

The cassock is a kind of surplice. It is believed that Jesus Christ wore a cassock and cassock. Such robes are a symbol of detachment from the world. The monks in the ancient church wore such almost beggarly clothes. Over time, it came into use among the entire clergy. The cassock is long, reaching to the toes, with narrow sleeves. As a rule, its color is either white or yellow. The cassock of the bishop has special ribbons (gammata) with which the sleeves are tightened around the wrist. This symbolizes the streams of blood flowing from the perforated hands of the Savior. It is believed that it was in such a tunic that Christ always walked the earth.

Stole

Epitrachelion is a long ribbon that is wrapped around the neck. Both ends should go down. This is a symbol of double grace, which is provided to the priest for conducting divine services and sacred sacraments. The epitrachelion is worn over a cassock or cassock. This is a mandatory attribute, without which priests or bishops do not have the right to conduct sacred rites. Each stole should have seven crosses sewn on it. The order of arrangement of the crosses on the stole also has a certain meaning. On each half, which goes down, there are three crosses, which symbolize the number of sacraments performed by the priest. One is in the middle, that is, on the neck. This is a symbol that the bishop has given the priest the blessing to perform the sacrament. It also indicates that the minister has taken upon himself the burden of serving Christ. It can be noted that the vestments of a priest are not just clothes, but a whole symbolism. A belt is worn over the cassock and epitrachelion, which symbolizes the towel of Jesus Christ. He wore it on his belt and used it to wash the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper.

Cassock

In some sources, the cassock is called a chasuble or phelonion. This is the priest's outerwear. The cassock looks like a long, wide dress without sleeves. It has a hole for the head and a large cutout in the front that almost reaches the waist. This allows the priest to move his hands freely while performing the sacrament. The mantles of the cassock are stiff and high. The upper edge at the back resembles a triangle or trapezoid, which is located above the priest's shoulders.

The cassock symbolizes the purple robe. It is also called the garment of truth. It is believed that it was worn by Christ. Over the cassock the clergyman wears

The gaiter is a symbol of the spiritual sword. It is given to clergy for special zeal and long service. It is worn on the right thigh in the form of a ribbon thrown over the shoulder and freely falling down.

The priest also puts on a pectoral cross over the cassock.

Clothes of a bishop (bishop)

The robes of a bishop are similar to those worn by a priest. He also wears a cassock, epitrachelion, armbands and a belt. However, the bishop's cassock is called a sakkos, and instead of a legguard, a club is worn. In addition to these vestments, the bishop is also dressed in a miter, panagia and omophorion. Below are photos of the bishop's clothing.

Sakkos

This robe was worn in the ancient Jewish environment. At that time, sakkos was made from the coarsest material and was considered a garment worn in mourning, repentance and fasting. The sakkos looked like a piece of rough cloth with a cutout for the head, completely covering the front and back. The fabric is not sewn on the sides, the sleeves are wide but short. The epitrachelion and cassock are visible through the sakkos.

In the 15th century, sakkos were worn exclusively by metropolitans. Since the establishment of the patriarchate in Russia, patriarchs began to wear them. As for spiritual symbolism, this robe, just like the cassock, symbolizes the scarlet robe of Jesus Christ.

Mace

The vestment of a priest (bishop) is incomplete without a club. This is a board shaped like a diamond. It is hung at one corner on the left thigh on top of the sakkos. Just like the legguard, the club is considered a symbol of the spiritual sword. It is God's word that should always be on the minister's lips. This is a more significant attribute than the loincloth, since it also symbolizes a small piece of the towel that the Savior used to wash the feet of his disciples.

Until the end of the 16th century, in the Russian Orthodox Church, the club served only as an attribute of bishops. But from the 18th century it began to be given as a reward to archimandrites. The liturgical vestments of the bishop symbolize the seven sacraments performed.

Panagia and omophorion

An omophorion is a long ribbon of fabric decorated with crosses.

It is put on the shoulders so that one end goes down in front and the other end goes down at the back. A bishop cannot perform services without an omophorion. It is worn over the sakkos. Symbolically, the omophorion represents a sheep that has gone astray. The good shepherd brought her into the house in his arms. In a broad sense, this means the salvation of the entire human race by Jesus Christ. The bishop, dressed in an omophorion, personifies the Savior Shepherd, who saves the lost sheep and brings them in his arms to the house of the Lord.

A panagia is also worn over the sakkos.

This is a round icon framed with colored stones, depicting Jesus Christ or the Mother of God.

The eagle can also be considered a bishop's vestment. A rug on which an eagle is depicted is placed under the bishop’s feet during the service. Symbolically, the eagle says that the bishop must renounce earthly things and ascend to heavenly things. The bishop must stand on the eagle everywhere, thus always being on the eagle. In other words, the eagle constantly carries the bishop.

Also during worship, bishops use a symbol of supreme pastoral authority. The staff is also used by archimandrites. In this case, the staff indicates that they are abbots of monasteries.

Hats

The headdress of a priest conducting a service is called a miter. In everyday life, clergy wear skufia.

The miter is decorated with multi-colored stones and images. This is a symbol of the crown of thorns placed on the head of Jesus Christ. The miter is considered to be an ornament on the priest's head. At the same time, it resembles the crown of thorns with which the Savior’s head was covered. Putting on a miter is a whole ritual during which a special prayer is read. It is read during the wedding. Therefore, the miter is a symbol of the golden crowns that are placed on the heads of the righteous in the Heavenly Kingdom, who are present at the moment of the union of the Savior with the Church.

Until 1987, the Russian Orthodox Church prohibited anyone except archbishops, metropolitans and patriarchs from wearing it. The Holy Synod at its meeting in 1987 allowed all bishops to wear the miter. In some churches it is permissible for subdeacons to wear it, decorated with a cross.

Miter comes in several varieties. One of them is the crown. Such a miter has a crown of 12 petals above the lower belt. Until the 8th century, this type of miter was worn by all clergy.

Kamilavka is a headdress in the form of a purple cylinder. Skufya is used for everyday wear. This headdress is worn regardless of degree and rank. It looks like a small round black hat that folds up easily. Its folds around the head form

Since 1797, the velvet skufia has been given to members of the clergy as a reward, just like the legguard.

The priest's headdress was also called a hood.

Black hoods were worn by monks and nuns. The hood looks like a cylinder, widened at the top. There are three wide ribbons attached to it that fall down the back. The hood symbolizes salvation through obedience. Hieromonks may also wear black hoods during services.

Apparel for everyday wear

Everyday vestments are also symbolic. The main ones are the cassock and cassock. Servants leading a monastic lifestyle must wear a black cassock. The rest can wear a cassock of brown, dark blue, gray or white. Cassocks can be made of linen, wool, cloth, satin, chesuchi, and sometimes silk.

Most often the cassock is made in black. Less common are white, cream, gray, brown and dark blue. The cassock and cassock may have a lining. In everyday life there are cassocks that resemble coats. They are complemented with velvet or fur on the collar. For winter, cassocks are sewn with a warm lining.

In a cassock, the priest must conduct all services, with the exception of the liturgy. During the liturgy and other special moments, when the Rule forces the clergyman to put on full liturgical attire, the priest takes it off. In this case, he puts a chasuble on the cassock. During the service, the deacon also wears a cassock, over which a surplice is worn. The bishop is obliged to wear various vestments on top of it. In exceptional cases, at some prayer services, the bishop may conduct the service in a cassock with a mantle, on which an epitrachelion is worn. Such priestly clothing is the obligatory basis of liturgical vestments.

What is the significance of the color of a clergyman’s vestments?

Based on the color of the clergyman’s robe, one can speak about various holidays, events or days of remembrance. If the priest is dressed in gold, this means that the service is taking place on the day of remembrance of the prophet or apostle. Pious kings or princes may also be venerated. On Lazarus Saturday, the priest must also dress in gold or white. A minister can be seen wearing a golden robe at Sunday services.

White color is a symbol of divinity. It is customary to wear white robes on holidays such as the Nativity of Christ, the Presentation, the Transfiguration, and also at the beginning of the service on Easter. White color is the light emanating from the tomb of the Savior at the Resurrection.

The priest wears a white robe when he performs the sacrament of baptism and wedding. White robes are also worn during the initiation ceremony.

The blue color symbolizes purity and innocence. Clothes of this color are worn during holidays dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos, as well as on days of veneration of icons of the Mother of God.

Metropolitans also wear blue robes.

During Lent and on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Great Cross, clergy wear a purple or dark red cassock. Bishops also wear purple headdresses. The color red commemorates the memory of the martyrs. During the service held on Easter, the priests also wear red robes. On the days of remembrance of martyrs, this color symbolizes their blood.

Green symbolizes eternal life. Servants wear green robes on the days of remembrance of various ascetics. The robe of the patriarchs is the same color.

Dark colors (dark blue, dark red, dark green, black) are mainly used on days of mourning and repentance. It is also customary to wear dark clothes during Lent. On holidays, during fasting, robes decorated with colored trim may be used.

The colors used symbolize the spiritual meanings of the events being celebrated.

Some parishioners of Orthodox churches have a tradition of wearing clothes of the appropriate color (especially women's scarves), and also covering the red corner shelf at home with a scarf of the corresponding color.

Symbolism

Liturgical literature does not contain explanations about the symbolism of the colors used, and iconographic originals only indicate what color should be used when painting the clothes of a particular saint, but do not explain why. The symbolism of flowers can be determined based on a number of instructions from the Old and New Testaments, interpretations of John of Damascus, the works of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, as well as the acts of the Ecumenical and Local Councils.

The established canon of colors for liturgical vestments consists of white (symbolizing the divine uncreated light), seven primary colors of the spectrum of sunlight, of which white is composed (in fulfillment of the words of John the Theologian - “there was one sitting on the throne... and a rainbow around the throne” (Rev. 4: 3-4), as well as black (symbolizes the absence of light, non-existence, death, mourning, or vice versa, renunciation of worldly vanity).

Use of colors

In ancient times, the Orthodox Church did not use black liturgical vestments, although the everyday clothes of the clergy (especially monks) were black. According to the Charter, during Lent they dressed in “ scarlet vestments“that is, in dark red vestments. For the first time in Russia, the St. Petersburg clergy was officially invited to wear black vestments if possible in 1730 to participate in the funeral of Peter II. Thus, black vestments came into use during funeral and Lenten services. However, traditionally, during burial and funeral services, white vestments are used, symbolizing the white vestments of Divine Light prepared for the righteous in the Kingdom of Heaven.

The color orange, although often found in church vestments, does not have its place in the canon. If its shade is closer to yellow (golden color can often give an orange tint), then it is perceived and used as yellow, and if it is predominantly red, then it is classified as red.

It must be emphasized that the above combination of certain holidays and certain colors of vestments is set out in accordance with the customs of the Russian Orthodox Church. The customs of other Local Churches may not coincide with those stated above.

On all Saturdays and Sundays of Lent, the color purple is used exclusively.

In the modern Russian Orthodox Church there is a tendency to abandon the use of black and replace it with purple, a darker shade than those traditionally used for Saturday and Sunday services during Lent.

What do the colors in the church mean: why do priests wear purple or white, why are churches sometimes red or green, and some have 1 cupola, and some have as many as 15. I tried to systematize everything and supplement the material with photographs.
I would especially like to remind you that it is not appropriate for a Christian, Baptized in Orthodoxy, not to go to church for more than 3 Sundays in a row. For Salvation is not in the symbols we are now discussing, but in deeds.
However, often it is symbols: beautiful singing, rich decoration and clothing that become the first step on the path to practical Orthodoxy...

A little about strange beliefs

Any church of God has a Holy Altar - the place where the main Orthodox service - the Liturgy - is performed. And the Liturgy can only be celebrated on the Antimension - a plate in which the bishop, during the consecration of the temple, sews up a special capsule with the relics of the Saints. Those. There are always pieces of Holy relics in the temple. But now the temple is consecrated in honor of some holiday (and not for “health” and “peace”). There may be several altars in a temple, but there is always a main one, after which it is named, and there are side chapels. You've probably heard: Trinity churches - in honor of the feast of the Holy Trinity, or Pentecost, which occurs on the 50th day after Easter, there are Annunciation churches - the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (April 7), there are St. Nicholas churches - in honor of Nicholas the World of Lycia the Wonderworker, etc. This means that the main altar of the temple was consecrated in honor of this holiday. All Sacraments (Baptism-Confirmation, Confession, Communion, Wedding) can take place in any Orthodox church. The exceptions are monasteries; in them, as a rule, the Sacraments of Marriages (and sometimes Baptisms) are not performed. It was also strange to hear the superstition that in a church with red exterior walls it is impossible to get married and baptize children. Don't listen to such horror stories, it's all nonsense.

About flowers

In Orthodoxy they use: Yellow, White Blue (Blue), Green, Red, Purple, Black and Burgundy. Each of the flowers in the Church has a symbolic meaning:
Yellow (Gold) - Royal color. For vestments it is used on most days of the year.
The white color of vestments is used when performing the Sacraments of Baptism and Priesthood (ordination of the clergy), on the holidays of the Nativity of Christ, Holy Epiphany, Candlemas, Lazarus Saturday, Ascension, Transfiguration, on the days of remembrance of the dead and the funeral rite.
The color red is used from Easter to Ascension, and at other times on the days of remembrance of martyrs, symbolizing their closeness in martyrdom with Christ and the Resurrection.
Green is the color of life-giving and eternal life - green vestments are used on the Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), on the day of Holy Pentecost (Trinity), as well as on Holidays in memory of saints, ascetics, and holy fools.
Blue (blue) color symbolizes the highest purity and innocence - vestments of blue (blue) color are used on the feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The purple color symbolizes the Cross and the Passion of Christ - purple vestments are used on the Feasts of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord (Cross Veneration Week of Lent, Origin (wearing out) of the honorable trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord on August 14, Exaltation of the Cross), as well as on Sundays during Lent, on Maundy Thursday of Holy Week.
Black is the color of fasting and repentance - Lenten vestments are usually black or very dark shades of blue, purple, and are used during the weeks of Great Lent.
Burgundy (Crimson) color symbolizes blood and martyrdom. Burgundy vestments are used very rarely - on days of special commemoration of martyrs (red vestments are also used) and on Holy Thursday, the day of the establishment of the Last Supper (purple vestments are also used on this day).
And if the color of the vestments is recommended, then there is no strict rule (Charter Instruction or Canon) for choosing the color of the temple walls or domes. During construction, the architect is puzzled by this. Throughout life, the color of the walls can change: a new abbot has come, and the temple is no longer yellow, but blue. Often churches are left unplastered, and then the walls have the color of brick: red or white. However, the color of the walls is still given according to tradition. Thus, the walls of churches consecrated in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos are most often painted blue (blue is the color of the Holy Spirit). The walls of the Holy Cross Churches are painted in a rare purple color. Green is the color most often found on Trinity churches. The red color is more often found at Resurrection churches or at churches dedicated to the memory of the Holy Martyrs. Yellow wall color is a universal color, the color of Truth. Just as yellow (golden) clothes are used in worship whenever there is no need to use clothes of a different color (more on this later), yellow can also be found on the walls of temples very often. The white color of the walls may mean that the temple was built quite recently and they have not yet gotten around to painting it, or it may also mean that the parish does not have enough money for painting. White is no less universal color than yellow. And I repeat - the color of the walls can symbolize something, but not necessarily.

About the number of temple domes

The dome of the temple does not depict Christ, it is a symbol of Him. In the traditions of the Church, color is considered to have a symbolic meaning.
Gold is a symbol of Truth. Historically, the domes of the main cathedrals were gilded, but recently this tradition has not been maintained.
Silvery domes are found mainly at churches in honor of saints.
Green domes - at churches in honor of the Trinity or St.
Blue domes (often with stars) are at churches in honor of the Mother of God feasts.
Black domes are often found in monasteries, although the copper used to cover the domes quickly darkens and the domes become dark green.
There are also quite exotic ones - for example, St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg. This is what they try to be guided by when choosing the color of the domes.
The main temples and the temples dedicated to Christ and the twelve feasts had golden domes.

Blue domes with stars crown churches dedicated to the Mother of God, because the star recalls the birth of Christ from the Virgin Mary.

Trinity churches had green domes, because green is the color of the Holy Spirit.

Temples dedicated to saints are often topped with green or silver domes.

In monasteries there are black domes - this is the color of monasticism.

The number of domes on the temple also has symbolism. One dome symbolizes the One God, two - the two natures of Christ: human and Divine, two denotes something fundamental (two tablets of the Decalogue, two pillars at the gates of the Temple, the Law and the Prophets, personified on the Mount of Transfiguration by Moses and Elijah, the departure of the apostles in twos, two witnesses Christ at the end of times in Rev. 11:3), three - the Holy Trinity, four - Universality (four cardinal directions), the Four Gospels; five domes - Christ and the four evangelists, six - the number of days of the creation of the world, seven chapters - the seven Sacraments of the Church; eight - Eight souls were saved by Noah after the Great Flood; on the eighth day there is the Feast of Tabernacles, Circumcision, etc.; nine domes - according to the number of angelic ranks, according to the number of beatitudes; 10 - one of the symbols of complete completeness (10 Egyptian plagues, 10 commandments) 12 -
According to the number of apostles, thirteen are Christ and the twelve apostles, 15 are the fifteen steps to Easter, the Proverbs of Holy Saturday number 15, revealing the events in the Old Testament from the creation of the world to the Resurrection. The number of chapters can reach up to thirty-three - according to the number of years of the Savior’s earthly life. However, the color and number of domes is determined by the architect’s idea and the possibilities of the arrival in any variations. There is no canonical indication of the number and color of cupolas.

The color scheme of liturgical vestments consists of the following primary colors: red, white, gold (yellow), green, blue (light blue), purple, black. They all symbolize the spiritual meanings of the saints and sacred events being celebrated. On Orthodox icons, the colors in the depiction of faces, garments, objects, the background itself, or “light”, as it was accurately called in ancient times, also have a deeply symbolic meaning.
Red. The Feast of Feasts - Easter of Christ begins in white vestments as a sign of Divine light. But already the Easter Liturgy (in some churches it is customary to change vestments, so that the priest appears each time in vestments of a different color) and the entire week is served in red vestments. Red clothes are often used before Trinity. The feasts of martyrs adopted the red color of liturgical vestments as a sign that the blood shed by them for their faith in Christ was evidence of their fiery love for the Lord.
The white color of liturgical vestments is accepted on the holidays of the Nativity of Christ, Epiphany, and Annunciation because it signifies the uncreated Divine Light coming into the world and sanctifying God’s creation, transforming it. For this reason, they also serve in white vestments on the feasts of the Transfiguration and Ascension of the Lord. White color is also adopted for funeral services and commemoration of the dead, because it very clearly expresses the meaning and content of funeral prayers, which ask for repose with the saints for those who have departed from earthly life, in the villages of the righteous, clothed, according to Revelation, in the Kingdom of Heaven in the white vestments of the Divine Sveta. White is the Angelic color, and it is the Angels who greet all those who have departed to the Lord.
Sundays, the memory of the apostles, prophets, and saints are celebrated in golden (yellow) colored vestments, since this is directly related to the idea of ​​Christ as the King of Glory and the Eternal Bishop and of those His servants who in the Church signified His presence and had the fullness of grace highest degree of priesthood.
Feasts of Our Lady are marked by the color blue. The blue color symbolizes Her heavenly purity and purity.
The green color of vestments for the days of remembrance of ascetics and saints means that spiritual feat, while killing the sinful principles of the lower human will, does not kill the person himself, but revives him by combining him with Jesus Christ the King of Glory (yellow color) and the grace of the Holy Spirit (blue color) to eternal life and renewal of all human nature. On the Feasts of the Holy Trinity and the Day of the Holy Spirit, green clothes are worn. And the ordinary earthly greenery of trees, forests and fields has always been perceived with religious feeling, as a symbol of life, spring, renewal.
If the spectrum of sunlight is represented in the form of a circle so that its ends are connected, then it turns out that the violet color is the mediastinum of two opposite ends of the spectrum - red and cyan (blue). In paints, the color violet is formed by combining these two opposite colors. Thus, violet color combines the beginning and end of the light spectrum. This color is appropriated to the memories of the Cross and Lenten services, where the suffering and Crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of people are remembered. The Lord Jesus said about Himself: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the First and the Last” (Rev. 22:13). The Savior's death on the cross was the repose of the Lord Jesus Christ from His works of saving man in earthly human nature. This corresponds to the repose of God from the works of creating the world on the seventh day, after the creation of man. Violet is the seventh color from red, from which the spectral range begins. The purple color inherent in the memory of the Cross and Crucifixion, containing red and blue colors, also denotes a certain special presence of all the Hypostases of the Holy Trinity in Christ’s feat on the cross. And at the same time, the purple color can express the idea that by His death on the Cross Christ defeated death, since combining together the two extreme colors of the spectrum does not leave any place for blackness as a symbol of death in the resulting color vicious circle. The color violet is striking in its deepest spirituality. As a sign of higher spirituality, combined with the idea of ​​the Savior’s feat on the cross, this color is used for the bishop’s mantle, so that the Orthodox bishop, as it were, is fully clothed in the feat of the cross of the Heavenly Bishop, whose image and imitator the bishop is in the Church. The award purple skufiyas and kamilavkas of the clergy have similar semantic meanings.

You can often hear that the Christian Scripture is corrupted: the original, they say, has not reached us, Jesus at one time preached one thing, and his disciples (primarily Paul) added to his preaching something of their own, something else. And the press periodically reports on the discovery of some new “sensational” document, presenting the Gospel story in a completely different light... So, do we have the original text of the Holy Scriptures? > Original or copy? The originals of biblical books - that is, manuscripts written by the prophet Moses or the Apostle Paul -, of course, have not reached us. The material for writing in their times was papyrus - wide, long sheets made from the stems of a plant common in the Nile Delta and some other wetlands of the Middle East, or, much less commonly, parchment - specially tanned animal skin. But parchment was too expensive, and papyrus was too short-lived - rarely did any papyrus book last longer than half a century. In fact, all the originals of ancient manuscripts that have reached us are scraps of private correspondence and business papers that were once thrown into Egyptian trash heaps (only in Egypt the dry climate allowed them to be preserved), and inscriptions on hard surfaces (clay tablets, shards, stones) . And all ancient literary works have come down to us in later copies. The first known copies of Homer's poems are no less than half a millennium distant from the death of their creator. The manuscripts of the Iliad, the most read and revered work in ancient Greece, have reached us a little over six hundred, the tragedies of Euripides - about three hundred, and the first six books of the Annals of the Roman historian Tacitus are generally preserved in a single copy of the 9th century. For comparison: today more than five thousand manuscripts are known containing certain parts of the New Testament. The earliest of them were made on papyri in Egypt at the turn of the 1st-2nd centuries. AD, just a few decades after the death of the apostles. They, in particular, contain passages from the Gospel of John, written at the very end of the 1st century. But how, in fact, is it known that this or that manuscript actually contains the original text of Homer’s poems or the Bible? Nowadays, it is quite easy to detect a fake. Manuscripts are studied and compared - as for the New Testament, an entire scientific institute in the German city of Münster is engaged in this. And then, a few manuscripts may turn out to be fake, but not a thousand. But even in cases where an ancient text has reached us in one or two copies, its authenticity can be confirmed or rejected based on many data. Is the author confused about the historical details of the period he describes? Is he familiar with the geography of the place where the action takes place? What language does he write in, what words does he use? Is his evidence corroborated by independent sources? Is his book quoted by other authors, is it known to readers of more recent times? So distinguishing a fake is not at all as difficult as it seems at first glance. In the five thousand New Testament manuscripts that have reached us, there are some discrepancies, but we will not see any other Message than the Gospel in them. None of them say that Jesus was not the son of God or did not die on the Cross. If all this is the result of some huge gang of forgers working throughout the Mediterranean no later than the beginning of the 2nd century AD, then it is obviously impossible to create any plausible history in this world at all. > The Bible is the book of the Church The Bible says not only about Christ, but also about itself something fundamentally different than, for example, the Koran. This is one of those obvious platitudes that people tend to forget. Muslims believe that the Koran is a revelation of God, sent down to one single person - Muhammad, who wrote it down “under the dictation” of God and did not add a single word of his own. Therefore, for them, any earthly text of the Koran is just a copy of the heavenly Koran, the true word of God, above which there is nothing on earth, has not been and never will be. First there was the Koran, then Islam was born from it. Therefore, by the way, the Koran, from the point of view of Islam, is untranslatable: any translations of it are just auxiliary aids, and only the Arabic text can be considered authentic. For a Christian, the Word of God that came to earth is, first of all, not a book, but a Person, Jesus Christ, who existed from eternity and founded his Church on earth. They say that once an Orthodox priest in the USA met with a street preacher of one of the Protestant denominations. “Would you like me to tell you about a church that is based on the Bible?” – he happily suggested. “Do you want me to tell you about the Church that wrote the Bible?” - the priest answered him. And he was right, because Christ Himself did not leave us any written texts. Even the Gospel was first transmitted as oral history, and the epistles were written by various apostles (primarily Paul) as pastoral instructions on various specific occasions. And by the time the last book of the New Testament, the Gospel of John, was completed, the Christian Church had already existed for more than half a century... Therefore, if we want to understand the Bible, we need to turn to the Christian Church, for it is primary. > Where did the biblical canon come from? But where did we even get the idea that the Bible is Holy Scripture? Maybe this is just one of the collections of ancient tales, of which there are many? At all times there were even more people who called themselves prophets, messengers, Christs - what, should we believe everyone, recognize everyone’s writings as Scripture? A book can become Scripture only in a community of believers who accept its authority, determine its canon (exact composition), interpret it, and finally rewrite it. Christians believe that all this happened not without the participation of the Holy Spirit, Who spoke in the authors of biblical books, and whose help we need today for a correct understanding of this book. But the Spirit does not abolish the human personality; rather, on the contrary, He allows it to reveal itself in its entirety.

When attending an Orthodox service in a church, you certainly pay attention to the beauty and solemnity of the vestments. Color diversity is an integral part of church-liturgical symbolism, and each color has the spiritual meaning of the event in honor of which the service is performed.

The color scheme of the vestments consists of all the colors of the rainbow: red, yellow, orange, green, blue, indigo, violet, as well as their combination - white and the opposite of the latter - black. Each color is assigned to a specific group of holidays or fasting days.

White

It combines all the colors of the rainbow, a symbol of the Divine light that shone from the Tomb of the risen Savior and sanctified God’s creation.

All great holidays are celebrated in white vestments: the Nativity of Christ, Epiphany, Ascension, Transfiguration; Easter Matins begins in them as a sign of the Light that has shone from the Tomb of the risen Savior. White vestments are used for baptisms and burials (since for a Christian, death is a transition to another, better world).

Red

In red vestments, following the white ones, the Easter service continues and remains unchanged until the Feast of the Ascension. This is a symbol of God’s inexpressible, fiery love for the human race and the victory of the “Sun of Truth” - the risen Lord Jesus Christ.

But this is also the color of blood, and therefore services in honor of the holy martyrs are held in red or crimson vestments as a sign that the blood shed for the faith of Christ was evidence of their fiery love for the Lord.

Yellow, gold or orange colors

The color orange has no place in the canon of liturgical vestments. However, it has been present in the Church since ancient times. This color is very subtle and is not perceived correctly by every eye. Being a combination of red and yellow colors, orange color in fabrics almost constantly slides: with a tint towards yellow it is perceived as yellow, and with a predominance of red it is perceived as red. Such instability of the orange color deprived it of the opportunity to occupy a certain place among the generally accepted colors for vestments. But in practice, it is constantly found in church vestments, which are considered either yellow or red.

These are royal colors. They are the colors of glory, greatness and dignity. Used on holidays in honor of the Lord Jesus Christ and on Sundays. Christ is the King of Glory, and His servants have in the Church the fullness of grace of the highest degree of priesthood; In addition, in golden robes the Church celebrates the days of His special anointed ones - prophets, apostles and saints.

Green

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1 Indications on the color of vestments are set out taking into account established church practice, as well as the chapter of the 4th volume of the “Handbook of the Clergyman” (M., 1983, p. 148) - “Colors of liturgical vestments. The symbolism of flowers."

2 There is a practice of performing services in honor of the Cross of Christ in burgundy vestments or in red vestments, but of a darker shade than Easter ones.

3 In ancient times, the Orthodox Church did not have black vestments at all, and during Lent they served in “crimson vestments,” that is, in dark burgundy. Thus, on the weekdays of Lent, services can also be performed in purple vestments, but in a darker shade than on St. Sundays. Pentecostals.

4 There is a practice according to which blue vestments are used throughout the entire Dormition Lent (except for the Transfiguration).

5 The vestments on weekdays are replaced by vestments corresponding to the face of the saint, in the event of a polyeleos or service with great doxology being performed for the saint. During post-feast periods, the color of vestments for the celebration of the polyeleos saints in many churches does not change. When the saint’s memory coincides with Sunday, the color of the vestment does not change and remains golden.

6 On the days of remembrance of noble princes who have taken monastic vows (for example, the Holy Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow), services are performed in green vestments. The service in honor of the faithful princes-martyrs or passion-bearers is performed in the robes of martyrdom.

There is also a pious tradition for the laity to dress in the appropriate colors of the holidays, for example: for women to wear a headscarf in the color of the holiday. There is nothing reprehensible in this, but on the contrary it should be encouraged.

Our church does not have several types of liturgical vestments, so in the photographs, the color assigned to the day of the service and in which the service is performed may differ.