Another interesting version of the life of the one who was called Christ and who lived in the 15-16th century.
The churchmen diligently destroyed the truthful information about Orthodoxy, and hoped that the flock would always stupidly and obediently follow the shepherds of the Jewish god Jehovah. Yes, yes, it is Jehovah who is the Christian God! He is also called Yahweh and Swaoth. And yet, Jesus Christ himself openly calls him the Devil. And it is written about this not anywhere, but in the most important Christian book of the Bible! When Christ came to the Jews, he directly told them (I quote): “Your father is the Devil; and you want to fulfill your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and did not stand in the truth, for there is no truth in him; when he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own, for he is a liar and the father of lies "(Gospel of John, Chapter 8, verses 43-44).
Jesus Christ- the central personality in, whom the Jewish high priests condemned to death, putting forward three charges: "corrupts our people, forbids giving tribute to Caesar, calls himself Christ the King" (Luke 23: 2). Moreover, the verdict was passed before the start of the trial and even before the start of the investigation.
(Behold, Man!). In the painting by Antonio Cisseri, Pontius Pilate shows the scourged Jesus to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, in the right corner is the grieving wife of Pilate.
During the trial, Pontius Pilate refused to give Christ to death three times, and offered the Jewish people to release Jesus. And the third time Pilate went out to the Jews, saying: “I find no fault in Him”; “So, having chastised Him, I will let him go. But they continued with a great cry to demand that he be crucified ... And Pilate decided to be at their request ...”(Luke 23:21). At the same time, he took water and washed his hands in front of the people, thus using the old Jewish custom, which symbolized innocence in the shedding of blood.
Fragment "The Passion of Christ" (anonymous artist of the 15th century, Netherlands)
Why did the Jews kill Christ by the hands of the Romans? After all, the Roman Vedic procurator, the polytheist Pontius Pilate, proposed that the Jewish people, led by the Jewish high priests, choose freedom for the preacher Christ or the robber and murderer Barabbas in honor of the Passover holiday. The Jews chose to crucify the preacher. Why kill a preacher? What were the Jews afraid of?
Christ
Christ means consecrated(knowing, knowing) and anointed one, tk. the dedication was accompanied by the anointing of the head with fragrant oil. Greece was a world center for science and culture. Christ was the name given to people initiated into the mysteries of the sciences of that time. The Hebrew word for "christ" does not exist. Greeks are one of the branches of Slavic (Aryan) migration. In addition, Christ called himself the son of God, and the descendants of the Gods at that time were called our ancestors, professing polytheism and. This means that Jesus Christ carried the Vedic knowledge of the Slavs (Aryans) to people, which is extremely dangerous for the Jewish priests. The knowledge of the freedom-loving Slavs would very quickly make the priests poor, depriving them of power and money.
Three centuries after the murder of Jesus, the Jewish high priests denied that Christ belonged to the Jewish people, calling him a Galilean. And only when the Roman emperor Constantine decided to use Christianity to control the masses, and Christianity spread throughout the world, the Jews came to their senses and decided to make money on Jesus Christ, changing everything beyond recognition. It became profitable for them to classify Christ among the Jews. Immediately appeared the "servants of God" - the servants of the Jews who betrayed and killed Christ. Notice not the slaves of Christ, but the slaves of the Jewish God (). The thought is constantly being imposed on us - live and suffer, instead - live and rejoice. Deliberately zombie for failure.
From all the Gospels, the period of Jesus' life from 13 to 30 years is cut out - the main period in the formation of personality. Where and what did Jesus learn? Who made him consecrated - Christ? The Jewish priests are afraid that the Slavs will learn about the travels of Jesus, learn the truth about his Vedic education in the Slavic lands from the Slavic teachers. That is why the disciple of Christ, Andrew the First-Called, set the main goal of his life to visit the slopes of the Dnieper. In these places Jesus received knowledge, and there he felt himself to be the son of God.
The Jewish puppeteers by repeated rewriting of the Gospels destroyed all the original meaning of the words and deeds of Jesus, altered everything for themselves. But they still can't explain why Christ rebelled against their "God-chosen" Jewish faith why did he claim that there would be a temple of the New Faith? The answer is simple - the Jewish "chosen by God" is to execute any dissent. There are many examples in world history of how the Jews did this. Notice who betrayed Jesus - Judas. The Jewish religion is called Judaism. Judaism and the betrayal of Judas are one and the same. It was the destruction of the initiated that the Jews first of all introduced into Christianity, organizing witch hunts, crusades, wars, the ruthless extermination of any manifestation of dissent or knowledge - the Vedas, by someone else's hands.
Christians, never forget who betrayed and who made the decision to execute Jesus Christ. Ask yourself why did the Jews do this? To love Christ means to know the truth about him.
Look at how the Jews later cleverly arranged everything: what is the gospel - a retelling of the life of Jesus by people who did not know Christ personally, but who had heard, allegedly, the story from someone. A sea of places for fantasies and falsifications. Why are we constantly being told that Jesus never wrote anything himself? That Jesus and all of his disciples were illiterate? We are being misled. Christ personally took notes, he was a dedicated literate man. But, he wrote in a language incomprehensible to Jews. Christ wrote in Sanskrit. It was this language that was the basis of Slavic writing and speech at that time. Foreseeing betrayal and death, Jesus gave his records for preservation to the only one whom he believed, his teacher - Svyatogor, the keeper of the knowledge of the ancient Slavic Vedic faith, the depth of historical memory of which is estimated at hundreds of thousands of years. All the rulers of the World hunted for these records of Christ, sparing no expense, but they still managed to be preserved to our time. Much of these records have already been deciphered by Slavic scientists. All the secrets become apparent sometime. Very soon, you will find out the truth about these recordings and their content.
Mission of Jesus Christ
This confrontation began long ago, in ancient times, two cults fought - the lunar (the cult of death) and the solar (the cult of life).
After the death of Jesus, a Christian was created for the goyim, which is perverted and opposed to the teachings of Christ. In Christianity, as in Judaism - the God Yahweh, who is called. That is, with whose authority Christ fought, that is now served by Christianity - it is looking for new slaves who are a source for Darkness.
The execution of the crucifixion was the most shameful, the most painful and most cruel. In those days, only the most notorious villains were executed with this: robbers, murderers, rebels and criminal slaves. The torment of the crucified man cannot be described. In addition to unbearable pains in all parts of the body and suffering, the crucified one experienced a terrible thirst and mortal mental anguish. Death was so slow that many suffered on crosses for several days. Even the perpetrators of the execution - as a rule, cruel people - could not calmly look at the sufferings of the crucified. They prepared a drink, with which they tried to either quench their unbearable thirst, or by adding various substances to temporarily dull consciousness and relieve torment. According to Jewish law, one who was hanged on a tree was considered cursed. The leaders of the Jews wanted to dishonor Jesus Christ forever by condemning Him to such a death.
When they brought Jesus Christ to Golgotha, the soldiers gave Him to drink sour wine mixed with bitter substances to relieve suffering. But the Lord, having tasted it, did not want to drink it. He did not want to use any means to relieve suffering. He took this suffering upon Himself voluntarily for the sins of people; therefore he wanted to carry them to the end.
When everything was ready, the soldiers crucified Jesus Christ. It was about noon, in Hebrew at 6 o'clock in the afternoon. When they crucified Him, He prayed for His tormentors, saying: "Father! forgive them because they don't know what they are doing. "
Two villains (robbers) were crucified next to Jesus Christ, one on the right and the other on the left of Him. This fulfilled the prediction of the prophet Isaiah, who said: "And he was numbered among the evildoers" ().
By order of Pilate, an inscription was nailed to the cross over the head of Jesus Christ, signifying His guilt. It was written in Hebrew, Greek and Roman: “ Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews", And many have read it. Such an inscription did not like the enemies of Christ. Therefore, the chief priests came to Pilate and said: "do not write: King of the Jews, but write that He said: I am the King of the Jews."
But Pilate replied, "What I wrote, I wrote."
Meanwhile, the soldiers who crucified Jesus Christ took His clothes and began to divide among themselves. They tore the outer garment into four parts, a part for each soldier. The chiton (underwear) was not sewn, but all woven from top to bottom. Then they said to each other: "We will not tear him apart, but let us cast lots for him, who will get it." And having cast lots, the soldiers sitting, guarded the place of execution. So, here, too, the ancient prophecy of King David came true: “They divided My garments among themselves, and they cast lots for My clothes” ().
The enemies did not stop insulting Jesus Christ on the cross. They, passing by, cursed and, nodding their heads, said: “Eh! Destroying the temple and building in three days! Save Yourself. If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. "
Also, the chief priests, scribes, elders and Pharisees, mocking, said: “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. If He is Christ, the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross so that we may see, and then we will believe in Him. I trusted in God; let God deliver Him now, if He is pleasing to Him; for He said: I am the Son of God. "
Following their example, the pagan warriors, who sat at the crosses and watched the crucified, mockingly, said: "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself."
Even one of the crucified robbers, who was on the left of the Savior, cursed Him and said: "If You are the Christ, save yourself and us."
Another robber, on the contrary, calmed him down and said: “Or are you not afraid of God when you yourself are condemned to the same (that is, to the same torment and death)? But we were justly judged, because we received what was worthy according to our deeds, but He did nothing wrong. " Having said this, he turned to Jesus Christ with a prayer: “ remember me(remember me) Lord, when you come to your kingdom!"
The merciful Savior accepted the heartfelt repentance of this sinner, who had shown such a wondrous faith in Him, and answered the prudent thief: " truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise".
At the cross of the Savior stood His Mother, the Apostle John, Mary Magdalene and several other women who venerated Him. It is impossible to describe the grief of the Mother of God, who saw the intolerable torment of her Son!
Jesus Christ, seeing His Mother and John standing here, whom he especially loved, says to His Mother: “ Wife! behold thy son". Then he says to John: “ behold your mother". From that time on, John took the Mother of God to his home and took care of Her until the end of Her life.
Meanwhile, during the suffering of the Savior, a great sign happened on Calvary. From the hour the Savior was crucified, that is, from the sixth hour (and according to our account, from the twelfth hour of the day), the sun darkened and darkness fell throughout the earth, and lasted until the ninth hour (according to our account, until the third hour of the day) , that is, until the death of the Savior.
This extraordinary, universal darkness was noted by pagan historians: the Roman astronomer Phlegont, Fallus and Junius Africanus. The famous philosopher from Athens, Dionysius the Areopagite, was at this time in Egypt, in the city of Heliopolis; observing the sudden darkness, he said: "either the Creator suffers, or the world is being destroyed." Subsequently, Dionysius the Areopagite converted to Christianity and was the first Athenian bishop.
The Holy Cross of Christ is the Holy Altar, on which the Son of God, our Lord, sacrificed Himself for the sins of the world.
Among all Christians, only Orthodox and Catholics venerate crosses and icons. Crosses decorate the domes of churches, their homes, and are worn around the neck.
The reason why a person wears a pectoral cross is different for everyone. Someone thus pays tribute to fashion, for someone the cross is a beautiful piece of jewelry, for someone it brings good luck and is used as a talisman. But there are those for whom the pectoral cross worn at baptism is really a symbol of their infinite faith.
Today, shops and church stalls offer a wide variety of crosses of various shapes. However, very often, not only the parents who are going to baptize the child, but also the sales assistants cannot explain where the Orthodox cross is and where the Catholic one, although it is, in fact, very simple to distinguish them. In the Catholic tradition, it is a quadrangular cross with three nails. In Orthodoxy, there are four-pointed, six and eight-pointed crosses, with four nails for the arms and legs.
Cross shape
Four-pointed cross
So, in the West, the most common is four-pointed cross... Since the 3rd century, when such crosses first appeared in the Roman catacombs, the entire Orthodox East still uses this form of the cross as equal to all others.
Eight-pointed orthodox cross
For Orthodoxy, the shape of the cross does not really matter, much more attention is paid to what is depicted on it, however, the most popular are eight-pointed and six-pointed crosses.
Eight-pointed orthodox cross most consistent with the historically accurate form of the cross, on which Christ was already crucified. The Orthodox cross, which is most often used by the Russian and Serbian Orthodox Churches, contains, in addition to a large horizontal crossbar, two more. The upper one symbolizes a tablet on the cross of Christ with the inscription “ Jesus the Nazarene, king of the Jews"(INCI, or INRI in Latin). The lower oblique crossbar - the support for the feet of Jesus Christ symbolizes the "righteous measure" weighing the sins and virtues of all people. It is believed that it is tilted to the left, symbolizing the fact that the repentant robber, crucified on the right side of Christ, (first) went to heaven, and the robber, crucified on the left, with his blasphemy against Christ, further aggravated his posthumous fate and fell in hell. The letters IC XC are the Christogram symbolizing the name of Jesus Christ.
Saint Demetrius of Rostov writes that “ when Christ the Lord bore the cross on His shoulders then the cross was still four-pointed; because there was not yet a title or a foot on it. There was no foot, because Christ had not yet been raised on the cross and the soldiers, not knowing where the feet of Christ would reach, did not attach a foot, having finished this already at Calvary". There was also no title on the cross before the crucifixion of Christ, because, as the Gospel reports, at first “ crucified him"(John 19:18), and then only" Pilate wrote the inscription and put it on the cross"(John 19:19). It was at first that “His garments” were divided by lot by the soldiers “ who crucified him"(Matt. 27:35), and only then" placed over His head an inscription signifying His guilt: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS”(Matt. 27:37).
The eight-pointed cross has long been considered the most powerful protective agent against various kinds of impurity, as well as visible and invisible evil.
Six-pointed cross
Widespread among Orthodox believers, especially during the time of Ancient Russia, was also six-pointed cross... It also has an inclined bar: the lower end symbolizes unrepentant sin, and the upper end symbolizes deliverance by repentance.
However, it is not in the shape of the cross or the number of ends that all its strength lies. The cross is famous for the power of Christ crucified on it, and all its symbolism and miraculousness is in this.
The variety of forms of the cross has always been recognized by the Church as quite natural. In the words of the Monk Theodore the Studite - “ a cross of every shape is a true cross"And has unearthly beauty and life-giving power.
« There is no significant difference between Latin, Catholic, Byzantine, and Orthodox crosses, as well as between any other crosses used in the service of Christians. In essence, all crosses are the same, the only differences are in the form”, - says the Serbian Patriarch Irinej.
Crucifixion
In the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, special importance is attached not to the shape of the cross, but to the image of Jesus Christ on it.
Until the 9th century, inclusively, Christ was depicted on the cross not only alive, resurrected, but also triumphant, and only in the 10th century did images of the dead Christ appear.
Yes, we know that Christ died on the cross. But we also know that then He was Risen, and that He suffered voluntarily out of love for people: to teach us to cherish the immortal soul; so that we too can be resurrected and live forever. This Easter joy is always present in the Orthodox Crucifixion. Therefore, on the Orthodox cross, Christ does not die, but freely stretches out his arms, the palms of Jesus are open, as if he wants to embrace all of humanity, giving them his love and opening the way to eternal life. He is not a dead body, but God, and his whole image speaks of this.
The Orthodox cross above the main horizontal crossbar has another, smaller one, which symbolizes a tablet on the cross of Christ indicating the offense. Because Pontius Pilate did not find how to describe the guilt of Christ, the words appeared on the tablet “ Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews»In three languages: Greek, Latin and Aramaic. In Latin in Catholicism, this inscription has the form INRI, and in Orthodoxy - IHTSI(or INHI, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews"). The lower slanting bar symbolizes the leg support. It also symbolizes two robbers crucified to the left and right of Christ. One of them, before his death, repented of his sins, for which he was awarded the Kingdom of Heaven. The other, before his death, blasphemed and reviled his executioners and Christ.
The inscriptions are placed above the middle crossbar: "IC" "XC"- the name of Jesus Christ; and below it: "NIKA"- Winner.
Greek letters were necessarily written on the cruciform halo of the Savior UN, meaning - "truly I am", because " God said to Moses: I am who I am”(Ex. 3:14), thus revealing His name, which expresses the identity, eternity and immutability of the essence of God.
In addition, in Orthodox Byzantium, nails were kept with which the Lord was nailed to the cross. And it was known for sure that there were four of them, not three. Therefore, on Orthodox crosses, Christ's feet are nailed with two nails, each separately. The image of Christ with crossed feet, nailed by one nail, first appeared as an innovation in the West in the second half of the 13th century.
Orthodox Crucifixion Catholic Crucifixion
In the Catholic Crucifixion, the image of Christ has naturalistic features. Catholics depict Christ dead, sometimes with streams of blood on his face, from wounds on his arms, legs and ribs ( stigmata). It manifests all the human suffering, the torment that Jesus had to endure. His arms sag under the weight of his body. The image of Christ on the Catholic cross is plausible, but this is an image of a dead person, while there is no hint of the triumph of victory over death. The crucifixion in Orthodoxy just the same symbolizes this triumph. In addition, the Savior's feet are nailed down with a single nail.
The meaning of the Savior's death on the cross
The emergence of the Christian cross is associated with the martyrdom of Jesus Christ, which he accepted on the cross under the forced sentence of Pontius Pilate. Crucifixion was a common method of execution in ancient Rome, borrowed from the Carthaginians - the descendants of Phoenician colonists (it is believed that the first crucifixion was used in Phenicia). Usually robbers were sentenced to death on the cross; many early Christians who were persecuted from the time of Nero were also executed in this way.
Crucifixion among the Romans
Before the suffering of Christ, the cross was an instrument of shame and terrible punishment. After His suffering, he became a symbol of the victory of good over evil, life over death, a reminder of God's endless love, an object of joy. The incarnate Son of God sanctified the cross with His blood and made it a conduit of His grace, a source of sanctification for believers.
The Orthodox dogma of the Cross (or Atonement) undoubtedly implies the idea that the death of the Lord is the ransom of all, the vocation of all peoples. Only the cross, unlike other executions, made it possible for Jesus Christ to die with outstretched hands calling "all the ends of the earth" (Isa. 45:22).
Reading the Gospels, we are convinced that the feat of the Cross of the God-man is the central event in His earthly life. Through His sufferings on the Cross, He washed away our sins, covered our debt to God, or, in the language of Scripture, “redeemed” us (redeemed). In Golgotha is hidden the incomprehensible secret of the infinite truth and love of God.
The Son of God voluntarily took upon Himself the guilt of all people and suffered for it a shameful and painful death on the cross; then on the third day he rose again as the conqueror of hell and death.
Why was such a terrible Sacrifice needed to cleanse the sins of mankind, and was there an opportunity to save people in a different, less painful way?
The Christian doctrine of the death of the God-man on the cross is often a "stumbling block" for people with already established religious and philosophical concepts. Many Jews and people of the Greek culture of the apostolic times thought it contradictory to assert that the almighty and eternal God descended to earth in the form of a mortal man, voluntarily endured beating, spitting and shameful death, that this feat could bring spiritual benefit to mankind. " It's impossible!"- some objected; " It's not needed!"- asserted others.
St. Paul the Apostle in his Epistle to the Corinthians says: “ Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in the wisdom of the word, so as not to abolish the cross of Christ. For the word about the cross is foolishness for those who are perishing, but for us, who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will reject the understanding of the prudent. Where is the sage? where is the scribe? where is the co-questioner of this age? Hasn't God turned the wisdom of this world into madness? For when the world by its wisdom did not know God in the wisdom of God, then it was pleasing to God to save the believers by the foolishness of preaching. For both the Jews demand miracles, and the Greeks seek wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, for the Jews a temptation, and for the Greeks folly, for the very called ones, the Jews and Greeks, Christ, God's power and God's wisdom"(1 Cor. 1: 17-24).
In other words, the apostle explained that what in Christianity was perceived by some as a temptation and insanity, in fact, is a matter of the greatest Divine wisdom and omnipotence. The truth of the atoning death and resurrection of the Savior is the foundation for many other Christian truths, for example, about the sanctification of believers, about the sacraments, about the meaning of suffering, about virtues, about deeds, about the purpose of life, about the impending judgment and resurrection of the dead, and others.
At the same time, the redemptive death of Christ, being an event inexplicable in terms of earthly logic and even "tempting for the perishing," has a regenerating power that the believing heart feels and strives for. Renewed and warmed by this spiritual strength, both the last slaves and the most powerful kings bowed before Calvary with awe; both the dark ignoramuses and the greatest scientists. After the descent of the Holy Spirit, the apostles were convinced by personal experience of what great spiritual benefits the atoning death and resurrection of the Savior brought them, and they shared this experience with their disciples.
(The mystery of the redemption of mankind is closely related to a number of important religious and psychological factors. Therefore, in order to understand the mystery of redemption, it is necessary:
a) understand what actually is the sinful injury of a person and the weakening of his will to resist evil;
b) it is necessary to understand how the devil's will, thanks to sin, got the opportunity to influence and even captivate human will;
c) it is necessary to understand the mysterious power of love, its ability to positively influence a person and ennoble him. Moreover, if love reveals itself most of all in the sacrificial service of one's neighbor, then there is no doubt that giving life for him is the highest manifestation of love;
d) from understanding the power of human love, one must rise to understanding the power of Divine love and how it penetrates into the soul of the believer and transforms his inner world;
e) in addition, there is a side in the redemptive death of the Savior that goes beyond the human world, namely: On the cross, a battle took place between God and the proud Dennitsa, in which God, hiding under the guise of weak flesh, emerged victorious. The details of this spiritual battle and divine victory remain a mystery to us. Even the Angels, according to ap. Peter, they do not fully understand the mystery of the atonement (1 Peter 1:12). She is a sealed book that only the Lamb of God could open (Rev. 5: 1-7)).
In Orthodox asceticism there is such a concept as bearing one's cross, that is, patient fulfillment of Christian commandments throughout the life of a Christian. All difficulties, both external and internal, are called "the cross." Everyone carries their own cross of life. The Lord said about the need for personal achievement: “ He who does not take up his cross (deviates from the deed) and follows Me (calls himself a Christian) is not worthy of Me”(Matthew 10:38).
« The cross is the guardian of the entire universe. Cross the beauty of the Church, Cross of kings orb", - affirms the absolute Truth of the luminaries of the feast of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross.
The motives for the outrageous desecration and blasphemy of the Holy Cross by conscientious cross-haters and crucifixes are quite understandable. But when we see Christians involved in this heinous affair, it is all the more impossible to be silent, for - according to the word of Saint Basil the Great - “God is given over to silence”!
Differences between Catholic and Orthodox cross
Thus, there are the following differences between the Catholic cross and the Orthodox:
Catholic cross Orthodox cross
- Orthodox cross most often it has an eight-pointed or six-pointed shape. Catholic cross- four-pointed.
- Words on the plate on the crosses are the same, only written in different languages: Latin INRI(in the case of the Catholic cross) and Slavic-Russian IHTSI(on the Orthodox cross).
- Another principled position is the position of the legs on the Crucifix and the number of nails... The feet of Jesus Christ are positioned together on the Catholic Crucifixion, and each is nailed separately on the Orthodox cross.
- Different is the image of the Savior on the cross... The Orthodox cross depicts God who opened the way to eternal life, and the Catholic cross depicts a person in torment.
Prepared by Sergey Shulyak
“The execution of the crucifixion was the most shameful, the most painful and most cruel. In those days, only the most notorious villains were executed with such a death: robbers, murderers, rebels and criminal slaves. The torment of the crucified man cannot be described. In addition to unbearable pains in all parts of the body and suffering, the crucified one experienced a terrible thirst and mortal mental anguish. Death was so slow that many suffered on crosses for several days. Even the perpetrators of the execution - as a rule, cruel people - could not calmly look at the sufferings of the crucified. They prepared a drink, with which they tried to either quench their unbearable thirst, or by adding various substances to temporarily dull consciousness and relieve torment. According to Jewish law, one who was hanged on a tree was considered cursed. The leaders of the Jews wanted to dishonor Jesus Christ forever by condemning Him to such a death.
When they brought Jesus Christ to Golgotha, the soldiers gave Him to drink sour wine mixed with bitter substances to relieve suffering. But the Lord, having tasted it, did not want to drink it. He did not want to use any means to relieve suffering. He took this suffering upon Himself voluntarily for the sins of people; therefore he wanted to carry them to the end.
When everything was ready, the soldiers crucified Jesus Christ. It was about noon, in Hebrew at 6 o'clock in the afternoon. When they crucified Him, He prayed for His tormentors, saying: "Father! forgive them because they don't know what they are doing. "
Two villains (robbers) were crucified next to Jesus Christ, one on the right and the other on the left of Him. This fulfilled the prediction of the prophet Isaiah, who said: "And he was numbered among the evildoers" (Is.53: 12).
By order of Pilate, an inscription was nailed to the cross over the head of Jesus Christ, signifying His guilt. It was written in Hebrew, Greek and Roman: “ Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews“And many have read it. Such an inscription did not like the enemies of Christ. Therefore, the chief priests came to Pilate and said: "do not write: King of the Jews, but write that He said: I am the King of the Jews."
But Pilate replied, "What I wrote, I wrote."
Meanwhile, the soldiers who crucified Jesus Christ took His clothes and began to divide among themselves. They tore the outer garment into four parts, a part for each soldier. The chiton (underwear) was not sewn, but all woven from top to bottom. Then they said to each other: "We will not tear him apart, but let us cast lots for him, who will get it." And having cast lots, the soldiers sitting, guarded the place of execution. So, here, too, the ancient prophecy of King David came true: “They divided My garments among themselves, and they cast lots for My clothes” (Ps.21: 19).
The enemies did not stop insulting Jesus Christ on the cross. They, passing by, cursed and, nodding their heads, said: “Eh! Destroying the temple and building in three days! Save Yourself. If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. "
Also, the chief priests, scribes, elders and Pharisees, mocking, said: “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. If He is Christ, the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross so that we may see, and then we will believe in Him. I trusted in God; let God deliver Him now, if He is pleasing to Him; for He said: I am the Son of God. "
Following their example, the pagan warriors, who sat at the crosses and watched the crucified, mockingly, said: "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself."
Even one of the crucified robbers, who was on the left of the Savior, cursed Him and said: "If You are the Christ, save yourself and us."
Another robber, on the contrary, calmed him down and said: “Or are you not afraid of God when you yourself are condemned to the same (that is, to the same torment and death)? But we were justly judged, because we received what was worthy according to our deeds, but He did nothing wrong. " Having said this, he turned to Jesus Christ with a prayer: “ remember me(remember me) Lord, when you come to your kingdom!»
The merciful Savior accepted the heartfelt repentance of this sinner, who had shown such a wondrous faith in Him, and answered the prudent thief: “ truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise«.
At the cross of the Savior stood His Mother, the Apostle John, Mary Magdalene and several other women who venerated Him. It is impossible to describe the grief of the Mother of God, who saw the intolerable torment of her Son!
Jesus Christ, seeing His Mother and John standing here, whom he especially loved, says to His Mother: “ Wife! behold thy son". Then he says to John: “ behold your mother". From that time on, John took the Mother of God to his home and took care of Her until the end of Her life.
Meanwhile, during the suffering of the Savior, a great sign happened on Calvary. From the hour the Savior was crucified, that is, from the sixth hour (and according to our account, from the twelfth hour of the day), the sun darkened and darkness fell throughout the earth, and lasted until the ninth hour (according to our account, until the third hour of the day) , that is, until the death of the Savior.
This extraordinary, universal darkness was noted by pagan historians: the Roman astronomer Phlegont, Fallus and Junius Africanus. The famous philosopher from Athens, Dionysius the Areopagite, was at this time in Egypt, in the city of Heliopolis; observing the sudden darkness, he said: "Either the Creator suffers, or the world is being destroyed." Subsequently, Dionysius the Areopagite converted to Christianity and was the first Athenian bishop.
At about nine o'clock, Jesus Christ loudly exclaimed: “ Or or! lima sawahfani! " that is, “My God, My God! Why did you leave me? " These were the opening words from Psalm 21 of King David, in which David clearly predicted the suffering of the Savior on the cross. With these words, the Lord reminded people for the last time that He is the true Christ, the Savior of the world.
Some of those who stood on Calvary, having heard these words spoken by the Lord, said: "Behold, He is calling Elijah." Others said, "Let's see if Elijah comes to save Him."
But the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that everything had already happened, said: "I am thirsty."
Then one of the soldiers ran, took a sponge, moistened it with vinegar, put it on a cane and brought it to the Savior's withered lips.
After tasting the vinegar, the Savior said: “ Done“That is, the promise of God has been fulfilled, the salvation of the human race has been completed.
And so, the curtain in the temple, which covered the Holy of Holies, was torn in two, from the top to the bottom, and the earth shook and the stones were split; and the coffins were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered Jerusalem and appeared to many.
The centurion, (the leader of the soldiers) and the soldiers with him, who were guarding the crucified Savior, seeing the earthquake and everything that happened in front of them, were frightened and said: “ verily, this man was the Son of God". And the people, who were at the crucifixion and saw everything, began to disperse in fear, striking themselves in the chest.
It was Friday evening. This evening was to eat Easter. The Jews did not want to leave the bodies of those crucified on the crosses until Saturday, because Easter Saturday was considered a great day. Therefore, they asked Pilate for permission to break the legs of the crucified, so that they would die sooner and they could be removed from the crosses. Pilate allowed. The warriors came and broke the shins of the robbers. When they approached Jesus Christ, they saw that He had already died, and therefore did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers, so that there would be no doubt about His death, pierced His side with a spear, and blood and water flowed from the wound.
NOTE: See in the Gospel: Matt. ch. 27, 33-56; from Mark, ch. 15, 22-41; from Luke, ch. 23, 33-49; from John, ch. 19, 18-37.
The Holy Cross of Christ is the Holy Altar, on which the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, sacrificed Himself for the sins of the world. "
We often had to contemplate reproductions of paintings of world painting depicting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. And there are a lot of such canvases, written by old masters from different countries and artistic directions. However, few of us thought about the meaning of the abbreviation on the tablet above the Savior's head and why some artists depicted him alive and triumphant on the crucifix, while others - dead and frozen in the pose of a martyr.
Crucifixion - an ancient form of execution
Crucifixion is a type of execution that was very common in many countries of the world. So they executed in Japan, China, Babylonia, Greece, Palestine, Carthage. However, it was especially often resorted to in ancient Rome. And interestingly, she was a fairly common punishment in the Roman Empire long before the birth of Christ.
Crucifixion among the Romans. Author: Vasily Vereshchagin. "The reason people were crucified was often that, in addition to killing, they also wanted to publicly humiliate the enemy to intimidate others. There are descriptions of how the executioner left the crucified in this position for a couple of hours or until sunset, and then killed with their sword "- wrote in his writings professor of history Tymon Scrich.
Jesus is universal love
However, for many of us the crucifixion is associated with only one historical event - the execution of Jesus Christ, who willingly took upon himself the guilt of all people and suffered a shameful and martyr's death for it.
Iconography. Leading to the Cross. In those distant times, all dissidents were persecuted and punished mercilessly. But Jesus and his disciples, despite the mortal danger, carried faith to the people, conquered heart by heart, country by country, and not with weapons at all, but with love. This is centuries later, when the Christian religion begins to have a state basis, forced baptism will begin, the terrible times of the crusaders and the Inquisition will come.
At Calvary. (1841). Author: Steiben Karl Karlovich. Until then, the Son of God, who loves all people, the entire human race, will ascend to Calvary and be crucified, in the name of the salvation of our souls. Therefore, in each of us there is a spark of God and we all walk with it in our hearts, both believers and unbelievers. And we all thirst for love and kindness.
Yes we know "that Christ died on the cross, but we know that later he was resurrected, and that he suffered voluntarily in order to teach us to cherish the immortal soul; so that we, too, could be resurrected and live forever."
The image of the Savior in Orthodoxy and Catholicism
In Catholicism and Orthodoxy, there are not only differences in the shape of the cross (the first is four-pointed, the second is eight-pointed), but also in the very image of Jesus Christ on it. So, until the 9th century, in iconography, the Savior was portrayed on the crucifixion not only alive, but also triumphant. And starting from the 10th century, images of the dead Jesus began to appear in Western Europe.
Crucifixion of Christ. Author: Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov. On the Orthodox interpretation of the crucifixion, the image of Christ remained triumphant. On the cross he "does not die, but freely stretches out his arms, his palms are open, as if he wants to embrace all of humanity, giving him his love and opening the way to eternal life."
Crucifixion (1514) Author: Albrecht Altdorfer. In the Catholic crucifixion, the image of Christ is much more realistic. It depicts Jesus dead, and sometimes with streams of blood on his face, from wounds on his arms, legs and ribs. The iconography reveals all the suffering of the tortured person and the torment that the Son of God had to experience. There are traces of unbearable pain on his face, his arms sagged under the weight of his body, which is very believably bent.
Rogier van der Weyden. On the Catholic cross, Christ is dead, in him there is no triumph of victory over death, that triumph that we see in Orthodox iconography.
Crucifixion. Author: Andrea Mantegna. The cross accompanies a Christian all his life, he sees it in churches and wears it on his chest as a protection. Therefore, everyone will be interested to learn about the meaning of the abbreviation on the title of crucifixion.
The inscription on the instrument of the Savior's execution is "I.N.C.I." stands for "Jesus of Nazarene King of the Jews". Initially, this phrase was written on a tablet in Hebrew, Greek, Roman and attached to the cross on which Christ was martyred. According to the law of that time, such inscriptions were relied on to each condemned to death, so that everyone could find out about the guilt he was charged with.
Titlo INRI (Latin titulus) is a Christian relic found in 326 by Empress Helena. As you know from Scripture, Pontius Pilate could not find how to describe the guilt of Christ in another way, so the words "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" appeared on the tablet
Over time, this inscription was replaced by an abbreviation in iconography. In Latin, in Catholicism, this inscription has the form INRI, and in Orthodoxy - IHTSI (or ІНВІ, "Jesus Nazarene, King of the Jews").
Jesus on the cross. Author: Jusepe de Ribera. There is also another Orthodox inscription - "King of the world", in Slavic countries - "King of glory." In addition, in Orthodox Byzantium, nails were preserved with which the Son of God was nailed to the cross. According to the biography of Jesus, it is known for sure that there are four of them, and not three as it is customary to depict on a Catholic crucifixion. Therefore, on Orthodox crosses, Christ's feet are nailed with two nails - each separately. And the image of Christ with crossed feet, nailed by one nail, first appeared in the West in the second half of the 13th century.
The crucifix has a few more abbreviations: above the middle crossbar there are inscriptions: "IC" "XC" - the name of Jesus Christ; and below it: "NIKA" - the Winner.
Crucifixion in German painting
Many painters, referring to this topic, have brought many different interpretations of this execution to the history of art. The word "crux" in translation from the Latin "cross" originally had a broader meaning, and could mean any pillar on which those sentenced to death were hung. For example, on many canvases we see the crucifixion of the Savior on a T-shaped cross.
Author: Lucas Cranach the Elder. 
Albrecht Altdorfer. (1520).
Author: Hans Memling. 1491 year. 
Author: Hans Memling. 
Author: Robert Campen. 
Author: Matthias Grunewald. Crucifixion in Spanish painting
As we can see, on the crucifixes of the best masters of Spanish painting, there is no background, no multi-figured compositions - only the figure of Jesus himself.
Author: El Greco 
Author: Francisco de Zurbaran. 
Author: Francisco Goya. 
Author: Diego Velazquez.
Author: Giovanni Bellini. 
Author: Paolo Veronese.
Crucifixion of Jesus. Author: Karl Bryullov. 
Author: Vasily Vereshchanin. 
Author: V.A. Kotarbinsky. 
Author: V. L. Borovikovsky. 
Crucifixion of Christ. Author: Mikhail Nesterov. 
Crucifixion of Christ. V.V.Belyaev. Mosaic of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ. Saint Petersburg The execution and death of Christ was accompanied by terrible natural phenomena: an earthquake, thunder and lightning, a darkened sun and a crimson moon, which we see in the works of some painters.
Author: V.A. Golynsky. Returning to the history of the terrible execution on the cross, I would like to note that the Roman emperor Constantine, having converted to Christianity, in the 4th century AD introduced a decree prohibiting execution by crucifixion. However, 1000 years later, she returned to the other side of the earth - this is how Christians were executed in Japan. In 1597, 26 Christians were crucified in Nagasaki, and then, over the next century, hundreds more were executed in such a horrific way.
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