Why is it customary to go to church on Sunday in Orthodoxy? What is the history of Sunday? Are Sunday and Sunday connected? Why do we consider this day a day of rest and joy? How and why is this day called in other countries?

Sunday is the Sabbath day?

The veneration of Sunday has a rather long and complex history. There is disagreement about whether Sunday is the first or the seventh day of the week. It is sometimes said that Sunday completely replaced Saturday.

If we turn to the text of the Old Testament, we will find the following words: “And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, for in it he rested from all his works, which God created and made” (Genesis 2:3). It turns out that Saturday is the seventh day of the week, a day of rest, abstinence from worldly affairs, a day of rest. Among the Commandments of Moses, which he received from the Lord on Mount Sinai, we read: “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days work and do all your work; and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God: on it you shall do no work, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maidservant, nor your livestock, nor the stranger that is in your dwellings. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it" (Ex 20:8-10).

We also remember that the murder of Christ took place on Friday - "the day before Saturday" (Mark 15:42). The myrrh-bearing wife could come to the tomb of the Teacher only after the Sabbath day -. And after that, on the third day, the miracle of the Resurrection happened: « Rising early on the first day of the week Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he cast out seven demons. (Mark 16:9).

Faith in the Resurrection of Christ is the foundation of faith in Christ in general. The Apostle Paul in the First Epistle to the Corinthians says: "But if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:14).

On this day, everything that the people of the Old Testament were waiting for happened - but there is a rethinking of it: the day dedicated to God is now the one on which Salvation happened.

Birthday Sunday as a day off

Sunday received the status of a festive day off thanks to the holy emperor Constantine the Great. It was he who issued the Edict of Milan on religious tolerance, according to which Christianity acquired the status of the state religion.

In 323, when Constantine began to rule the entire Roman Empire, he extended the Edict of Milan to the entire eastern part of the empire.

March 7, 321 Emperor Constantine issued a decree according to which Sunday (in the Roman pagan tradition it was the day of the Sun) became a day of rest. Now on this day it was necessary to put aside all worldly affairs: the markets were closed, government offices stopped their work. Only land works were not subject to any restrictions.

Importance sunday confirmed by further instructions. In 337, a law was passed on the mandatory participation of Christian soldiers in the Sunday liturgy. Later, Emperor Theodosius issued an edict forbidding public spectacles on Sundays. This decree has not survived, but the edict of 386 forbade legal proceedings and trade on Sundays.

Who calls Sunday?

Sun Day

In the languages ​​of many peoples, the day corresponding to resurrection is called the day of the Sun. This tradition is clearly visible in the languages ​​of the Germanic group. In ancient Rome, the name of the day - dies Solis - "day of the Sun" was borrowed from the Greeks and is a literal translation of the Greek heméra helíou. The Latin name, in turn, passed to the Germanic tribes. So, in English, Sunday will be "Sunday", and in German - "Sonntag", in Danish and Norwegian - "søndag", in Swedish - "söndag", which literally means "day of the Sun".

In most languages ​​of India, Sunday is called - Ravivar (from "Ravi") or Adityavar (from "Aditya") - derived from the epithets of the solar deity Surya and one of Aditya.

Chinese uses characters for the numbers one through six to represent all days of the week, and Sunday is written with the character for "sun."

In Japan, the days of the week are also named using hieroglyphs, while their meaning is associated more with the traditions, life, historical past of the Japanese than with any particular system (Friday is written with the hieroglyph "money", and Saturday - with the hieroglyph "earth") . However, in writing Sunday, like the Chinese, there is a hieroglyph for "sun".

In a number of languages, the days of the week are named in order and the tradition of honoring Sunday as the first day is preserved. In Hebrew, Sunday is called "Yom Rishon" - the first day.

Day of the Lord

In Greek, all the names of the days of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are translated as "second", "third", "fourth" and "fifth". Sunday was once called the "beginning", but today the name "Kiryaki", that is, "the day of the Lord", has stuck to it. It is the same in Armenian - Monday is already the “second day”, and Sunday is “Kiraki”.

There is also a group of names that come from the Latin word Dominica (Lord). So, in Italian, Sunday sounds like "la domenica", in French - "dimanche", and in Spanish - "domingo".

In Russian, the day of the week "Sunday" is named after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The word originated from the Old Slavonic resurrection, resurrection, and came into the Russian language through Church Slavonic.

Day "week"

In other Slavic languages, names have been preserved that come from the Slavic ne dělati “not to do” and thus signify a “day of rest”: in Ukrainian this day is called “week”, in Belarusian - “nyadzelya”, in Polish - “niedziela”, in Czech - "neděle". Similar names exist in all Slavic languages. In Russian, such a meaning for the word "week" has not been preserved, however, it is present in church life: when we say "", "Fomin's week", etc. – .

Sunday's place on the calendar

Currently, in most European countries, Sunday is considered the final day of the week. There is an international standard ISO 8601, according to which the first day of the week is Monday, and Sunday is the last. However, Sunday officially continues to be the first day of the week in Poland, the USA, Israel, Canada and some African countries.

Sunday - little Easter

Every Sunday for a Christian is a small Easter. The main thing of this day is the presence at the liturgy in the temple. It is with this that the rule of not doing (see above the origin of the word week) ordinary everyday affairs on this day is connected - they should not interfere with prayer. Sunday is always a holiday. At the same time, the memory of the special status of the Sabbath is also preserved in the Orthodox tradition.

The festivity of these days is reflected in church canons. Some of them are unknown even to many church people - for example, on Sunday and Saturday it is not supposed to bow to the knees.

This is most clearly seen in the example of order, the main tone of which is repentance.

Sundays and Saturdays are distinguished from the days of Great Lent. In them, a festive, non-fasting service is performed. A full Liturgy is served, and not, penitential is not read, prostrations are not made.

Combining with every day of the week the remembrance of this or that sacred event, of the exploits of this or that saint, the Christian Church especially honors and singles out Sunday as the day of remembrance of the resurrection and the risen Savior. The beginning of its celebration dates back to the first days of Christianity, it was supposed, if not by Jesus Christ himself, as Athanasius the Great claims in a conversation about the sower, then, in any case, by the apostles. On Saturday before the resurrection of the Savior, they “remained at rest according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56), and the “first day of the week” following it was considered everyday (Luke 24:13-17). But on that day, the resurrected Christ appeared to them, and “the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord” (John 20:19-20). From this moment on, the “first day of the week” becomes for the apostles a day of special joy, and then, one might think, the beginning of its celebration, its separation from a number of others, is supposed to begin. And indeed, “in the days of Osmich” after the first appearance of the Lord (John 20:26), i.e., according to the Jewish account, on the same first day of the week they again gather together, and again the Savior appears to them. On the first day of the week, the Jewish holiday of Pentecost also fell in the year of the resurrection of Christ, and the apostles again gather in the Zion upper room (Acts 2, 1). And if the Savior marked His first appearance with the "breaking of bread", now He sent down on the apostles and those who were with them St. Spirit (Acts 2:3-4). And this time, the “first day of the week” became for them a day of bright celebration, close communion with God and spiritual joy. All this taken together served, without a doubt, as a sufficient reason and basis for its selection, celebration. The events of subsequent time as well as possible confirm the validity of such an assumption. From the years 57 and 58, two indications have been preserved, testifying to the custom of celebrating Sunday with liturgical meetings and charitable deeds in Galatia, Corinth and Troas, that is, in the churches founded by the apostle. Pavel. “On the first day of the week, when the disciples gathered (at Troas) to break bread, Paul talked with them and spent the whole night in conversation,” we read in verses 7-11. 20 ch. book. Acts of the Apostles. “When collecting for the saints, writes St. Corinthians, do as I have ordained in the churches of Galatia. On the first day of the week, let each of you set aside and save as much as his condition allows, so that he does not have to collect when I come” (1 Cor. 16:1). After the death of App. Paul (66), during the activity of John the Theologian, the celebration of Sunday. day has become so established that it already has its own technical term, which determines its significance in the life of a Christian. If hitherto it was called " μἱα τὡν σαββἁτων ”, - one from Saturdays, the first day of the week, now it becomes known under the name “ χυριαχἡ ἡμἑρα" or simply " χυριαχἡ", i.e., the day of the Lord (Apocal. 1, 10). An indirect indication of the celebration of Sunday. day under the apostles presents the testimony of Eusebius of Caesarea about the heretics of the apostolic time - the Ebionites. “The Ebionites,” he notes in 27 ch. III book. of their Church History, calling the apostles apostates of the law .., they kept the Sabbath; however, like us, we also celebrated Sunday. days to remember the resurrection of the Lord. As for the celebration of Sunday. day in the following period, then it turns out to be universal and ubiquitous. Known as “the day of the Lord”, “the day of the sun” (the name occurs no more than three or four times: in Justin the Philosopher in 67 ch. 1 of the Apology and in Tertullian in ch. 16 of the apology and 13 ch. 1 of the book “to the peoples”; in the law of Valentinian of 386, it is explained by the addition: “which very many people are in the habit of calling the day of the Lord”, “Sunday of the Lord”, “queen of days”, etc., it is mentioned by many persons. and the beginning of the second century (97-112) - “ Διδαχἡ τὡν δὡδεχα ἁποστὁλων ", prescribing in the XIV ch. celebrate it with the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist. About the same time, Pliny the Younger remarks about Christians that they are in the habit of gathering on an appointed day and singing a song to Christ as to God. What kind of "established day" Barnabas points out when he says: "we celebrate the eighth day in which Jesus rose from the dead." No less clearly speaks of the celebration of Sunday. days and the third monument of the 2nd century, - the message of Ignatius the God-bearer to the Magyesians, prescribing in the IX ch. no longer honor the Jewish Sabbath, but live according to the day of the Lord. Explaining this place, Clement of Alexandria remarks: “he who fulfills the commandment of the gospel makes that day the Lord’s, when, having rejected the evil thought of the soul and having received the thought and knowledge of the Lord himself, he glorifies the resurrection.” The same testimonies about the celebration of Sunday. days are found in Dionysius of Corinth, Justin the Philosopher, Theophilus of Antioch, Irenaeus of Lyon, Origen, in the 64th Apostolic Rule, in the Apostolic Lent. etc. According to the testimony of 26 ch. IV book. Church History of Eusebius, Meliton of Sardis even wrote an essay on Sunday, but it, unfortunately, has been lost.

Starting the celebration of Sunday day, the apostolic age also indicated the very way of celebrating. According to 7 st. 20 ch. book. Acts of the Apostles, Sunday was the day of public worship under the apostles, the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist. It has always remained so, throughout the entire existence of the church. On the custom to perform on Sunday. the day of the Eucharist says, as seen above, Διδαχἡ τὡν δὡδεχα ἁποστὁλων ; Pliny's testimony that Christians gathered in stato die to partake of food, ordinary, however, and innocent, is understood in the same sense. From the same second century, a detailed description of the liturgy on the "day of the sun" in 67 ch. 1 Apology of Justin Martyr. The prescription to celebrate the Eucharist on the "day of the Lord" is also found in a recently published monument of the 2nd-3rd centuries. - "Testamentum Domini Nostri Jesu Christi" (1 book, 22 chapters). The testimonies of the 4th and following centuries speak of the celebration on Sunday not of one liturgy, but of all-night vigils and evening worship. The existence of the former can be judged from the letter of Basil the Great, in which he notes that the custom of performing all-night vigils appeared in Caesarea only under him, but at first it seemed such an innovation that in order to justify it, one had to refer to the practice of other churches. In the same IV century. Sunday all-night vigils also appeared in Constantinople. We find direct indications of this in Chapter 8. IV book. Cer. History of Socrates, in 8 ch. VIII book. The stories of Sozomen and in the word of John Chrysostom on St. martyrs. As for the Sunday evening service, according to Socrates in 22 ch. V book. History, it took place in Caesarea Cappadocia, and according to the VIII conversation of John Chrysostom on statues and II teaching about the devil - in Antioch. At the same time, the celebration and attendance of Sunday worship was considered in antiquity a matter of such great importance that it was not canceled even during the period of persecution, when Christian assemblies were in danger of every minute attack from the pagans. Therefore, when some timid Christians asked Tertullian: “how shall we gather the faithful, how shall we celebrate Sunday? then he answered them: just like the apostles, secure by faith and not by money. If sometimes you cannot collect them, then you have the night, in the light of Christ the Light-giver” (On Flight, ch. 14). Based on this practice, the Sardic Council of 347 threatens in II Ave. day, for three weeks he will not come to the church meeting. In the same spirit, 21 Ave. of the Illibertine Council is expressed, and subsequently the sixth ecumenical council confirmed these decisions with a special canon (80), explaining that only an urgent need or obstacle can serve as an excusing circumstance. A necessary attribute of the Sunday service was the sermon delivered both at the liturgy and at the evening service. “Not every day, but only two days a week (Saturday and Sunday) we invite you to listen to the teachings,” says I. Chrysostom in the 25th discourse on the gospel of John. The 8th and 9th conversations to the people of Antioch about the statues testify to the utterance of his evening teachings. Three centuries later, the Trulsky Cathedral made the pronunciation of Sunday teachings an indispensable duty for all primates of the church. Among the features of the Sunday service also belonged to the custom of praying standing, without kneeling. It is mentioned by Irenaeus of Lyon, raising its beginning to the apostles, Justin the Philosopher, explaining that he marks the resurrection of Christ, Tertullian and who died shortly before the first ecumenical council of St. Peter, Bishop of Alexandria. “Sunday,” he says in 15 right, we spend, like a day of joy, for the sake of the Risen One on it. On this day, we have not even bowed the knee.” On the existence of this custom in the IV century. testifies to the 20th avenue of the first ecumenical council, in the 5th century. Blessed mentions him. Augustine in his 119th letter to Jannuarius, and in the 7th Trulsky Cathedral makes a special decree (90th pr.).

Starting in the temple, the celebration of Sunday. the day was not limited to its walls; it went beyond it, found a place in everyday, domestic life. Already from the first three centuries of Christianity, there are indications that it was consecrated on Sunday by liturgical actions. So, in the IV book. works of Irenaeus of Lyon against heresies, the idea is that holidays should be dedicated to the affairs of the soul, that is, to reflections, good speeches and teachings. The Fathers of the 4th century speak about this even more clearly. They often urged Christians to turn their homes into churches on Sundays through psalmody and prayer, the aspiration of the mind to God, etc. - one day a week (Sunday) to devote the whole to listening and remembering what you heard. “After leaving the church, he notes in another place (5th discourse on the Gospel of Matthew), it is not proper for us to take up obscene deeds, but, having come home, we must take a book and, together with our wife and children, bring to memory that was spoken." In the same way, Basil the Great advises wives that on the day dedicated to the remembrance of Sunday, they should sit at home and have in their thoughts the day when heaven will be opened and the judge will appear from heaven ... In addition, the fathers inspired that Christians prepare at home for a worthy and reasonable participation in public worship. So, John Chrysostom charges his flock with the obligation to read on Sunday. day at home that part of the gospel that will be read in the temple. To give Christians the opportunity to celebrate Sunday. day in a similar way, the church forbade for this time everything that interfered, in her opinion, with the creation of a pious mood, and above all - worldly affairs and activities. The first ancient evidence of the observance of Sunday rest is found in Tertullian in Chapter XXIII. essays on prayer. “On the day of the Lord, on which He has risen, we must be free,” says Tert., from any manifestation of sadness and sorrow, also putting aside deeds so as not to give place to the devil ... “On this (Sunday) day, John notes Chrysostom in a conversation about mercy. to antioch. people, all work ceases, and the soul becomes joyful from calmness. Socrates expresses himself in the same spirit in 22 ch. V book. his Church. East “People love holidays,” he says, because during them they take a break from work. 29 Ave. Laodicean Cathedral and 23 ch. VIII book. Apostle Regulations raise this custom to the level of a mandatory regulation. The first pronounces an anathema on the Judaizers, i.e., those who are idle on Saturday and do not celebrate Sundays, the second demands that slaves be freed from occupation on this day. The preservation of the Sunday rest was a matter not only of the church, but also of the civil authorities, who helped her by issuing special laws. The first of them belong to Constantine the Great. So, in March 321, he issued the following edict: “Let all judges, the urban population and artisans of every kind rest on the venerable day of the sun. However, in the villages, let the farmers work freely and freely, because it often happens that on a certain day it is too inconvenient to entrust the grain to the furrow, or the grapes to the pit, so that, having missed an opportunity, not to lose the auspicious time sent down by heavenly providence. Three months later, the emperor issued a new law, supplementing the previous one. “As far as we considered it indecent on the glorious day of the sun to engage in litigation and competition of the parties, it says, so much (we consider) pleasant and comforting on this day to do what is most related to consecration to God: so let everyone on a holiday (i.e. ., suns) have the ability to free and set free slaves; apart from these cases, do not carry out others (i.e., in courts). In addition, from the biography of Constantine the Great, compiled by the church historian Eusebius, it is known that he released on Sunday. day of all military people from military occupations. The successors of Constantine the Great continued to clarify and supplement the laws he had issued. Thus, around 368, Emperor Valentinian the Elder issued an edict demanding that "on the day of the sun, which has long been considered joyful, no Christian should be subject to debt collection." The next in time - (386) law of Valentinian the Younger and Theodosius the Great orders to stop on the Lord's day the conduct of all litigation, the production of trade, the conclusion of contracts, and “If anyone, the emperors add, deviates from this establishment of the holy faith, he must be judged. .. like a blasphemer.” These decrees entered into force until the first half of the VI century. code of Theodosius; in 469 were confirmed by the emperor Leo the Armenian, and as an integral part of the code of Justinian remained valid until the end of the 9th century, when the emperor Leo the Philosopher made an important addition to them. Finding these laws insufficiently strict, he forbade practicing on Sundays. day and field work, since they contradicted, in his opinion, the teachings of the apostles. No less, if not more, incompatible with the Christian celebration of Sunday. During the day, secular, worldly amusements appeared, especially those that were delivered by spectacles in the theater, circus, horse races and gladiator fights, and therefore they, like everyday activities, were banned. But since the church was to some extent powerless in the fight against addiction to such pleasures, the civil authority came to its aid. So, shortly before 386, Emperor Theodosius the Great issued an edict forbidding spectacles on Sundays. In June of the same year, 386, he was again confirmed by Theodosius and Gratian. “No one, say the emperors, should give spectacles to the people on the day of the sun and violate pious reverence with these performances.” Some time later, the fathers of the Council of Carthage in 399 decided to ask the secular authorities to forbid the presentation of shameful games on Sunday. and on other days of the Christian faith. A contemporary of the cathedral, Emperor Honorius, refused to grant this request on the grounds that judgments on such subjects were beyond the scope of episcopal competence. Theodosius the Younger turned out to be more indulgent than him, who issued the following law in 425: “on the day of the Lord, that is, on the first day of the week ... we forbid all the pleasures of theaters and circuses to the population of all cities, so that all the thoughts of Christians and the faithful are completely occupied deeds of worship." In 469, this law is confirmed by the emperor Leo the Armenian, who threatens to deprive him of his posts and confiscate his father's inheritance for non-fulfilment. In the 7th century for the termination of horse racing, as well as other folk spectacle, the Trulsky Cathedral spoke out in 66 Ave., and in the 9th century. Patriarch Nicephorus of Constantinople and Pope Nicholas announced that on Sunday. days should not be tolerant of theatrical entertainment. Not allowing on Sunday. On the day of engaging in worldly affairs, forbidding secular amusements and pleasures, the ancient church recommended doing deeds of Christian love at this time, and indicated a special, decent for a believer, way of expressing joy. Such deeds were various works of mercy and charity. Known even under the apostles (1 Cor. 16, 12), they are repeatedly mentioned by writers of later times. “You are in contentment and rich,” Cyprian, for example, says to one woman, how do you want to celebrate the Lord’s day without thinking at all about the offering? How do you come on the day of the Lord without a sacrifice? Tertullian, defining in 39 ch. The apologetics of the purpose of these fees, says the following: “this is a fund of piety, which is spent not on feasts, not on drunkenness, not on overeating, but is used to feed and bury the poor, to support poor orphans, to the elders, to alleviate the plight of the unfortunate, the victims shipwreck. If there happen to be Christians exiled to the mines, imprisoned in dungeons, then they also receive help from us.” John Chrysostom invites his listeners to such exact donations. “Let each of us,” he says in the 27th and 43rd conversation on the 1st epistle, to Corinth., on the day of the Lord put aside the money of the Lord; let it be made law.” Judging by the many examples of charity represented by the lives of the saints, in ancient times they provided material assistance to the poor, wanderers, orphans; but those who were imprisoned in dungeons aroused special pity. Both civil and spiritual authorities tried to alleviate their fate. So, the emperor Honorius issued an edict in 409, commanding that judges visit prisoners on Sundays and inquire whether the prison guards are denying them proper philanthropy, so that those prisoners who did not have daily bread should be given money for food; the edict recommends that the primates of the churches exhort the judges to carry out this decree. Subsequently, the Council of Orleans in 549 ordered the bishops that they should be on Sunday. days, they either personally visited the prisoners, or ordered the deacons to do this, and with exhortations and help alleviated the fate of the unfortunate. Proceeding from the same desire to honor the day of the Lord with deeds of love, Valentinian the Elder (c. 368) and Valentinian the Younger (c. 386) forbade the collection on Sunday. days, both public and private debts ... As for the joy caused by the remembrance of the resurrection of the Savior, then on Sunday. day it was expressed by breaking the fast. “On the day of the Lord we consider it indecent to fast,” remarks Tertullian in ch. writings "de corona militum". “I cannot,” Ambrose of Milan notes in letter 83, “fast on Sunday. day; to establish a fast on this day means not to believe the resurrection of Christ. As if to confirm such a view, 64 Ave. of the IV Carthaginian Cathedral forbids honoring those who fast on Sunday as Orthodox, and 18 Ave. of the Gangra Cathedral anathematizes such persons. We read the same thing in 55 Ave. of the Trulsky Cathedral: “If anyone from the clergy is seen fasting on the holy day of the Lord, let him be deposed; but if he is a layman, let him be excommunicated.” The 64th Apostolic Canon is expressed in the same spirit. The custom is to stop on Sunday. fasting was so respected that, according to Epiphanius and Cassian, even hermits observed it. Another expression of joy was the replacement of everyday clothes with more valuable and bright ones. An indication of this is found in the 3rd word of Gregory of Nyssa about the resurrection. Sunday celebration. days in the Russian church bore and bears almost the same character as in the east. Known originally under the name of "week", and from the XVI century. especially the 17th century. called "Sunday", it was primarily a day of worship. “On holidays,” says one teaching of the XIII century. - "The word is worthy of honor for a week, about nothing mundane... but just to get together in church for prayer." “Week, notes in the XII century. ep. Nifont, this is an honorable day and a festive one," is appointed in order to "go to church and pray." Sending on Sunday the days of ordinary services - the all-night vigil, the liturgy, except for the funeral (Belech charter of the 11th century), and vespers, the ancient Russian church singled them out from a number of other days of the week by performing religious processions. “Like other cities, we establish religious processions on the second Sunday after Easter, on Peter's fast,” writes Archbishop Theodosius of Novgorod in a letter of 1543 to Korel. A little later, the Stoglavy Cathedral established such Sunday moves in Moscow, starting from the week of all saints and up to the Exaltation. There was also a custom in the Russian Church to refrain from kneeling during Sunday worship. It is mentioned, for example, by the “Charter of Belech” of the 11th century, as well as by Kirik (12th century) in his questions. “Lord! he asked ep. Nifont, wives most of all bow to the ground on Saturday, leading in their justification: we bow for the rest. “Harrow the great one,” answered the bishop; don’t give on five vespers, but on a week after vespers, it’s worth it. ” However, the custom in question was valid only in the pre-Mongolian period. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries it begins to fall into disuse, so that, according to Herberstein, on the most joyful and solemn holidays, the people bowed to the ground with contrition of the heart and with tears. In everyday life, the celebration of Sunday. of the day was expressed in the dedication of free time to prayer, reading Holy Scripture, etc. Prayer was considered especially necessary, since it was seen as a means to warn believers from participating in various kinds of games. So, in one teaching of the XIII or XIV century. on the topic of honoring the holidays, it says: “when there are some gatherings of idol games, you stay at home that year (hour), not going out and calling -“ Lord have mercy. “Many are waiting for the coming of the holy Sunday. day, the author of the word notes, what a week is worthy of honor, ”but not all with the same goal; who fear God, then wait for this day to send up their prayers to God, and those who are lazy and lazy, so that, leaving the business, they gather for games. Another occupation that sanctifies Sunday. day, there were also deeds of love and mercy. They consisted in offerings for the decoration of churches, for the upkeep of monasteries and the clergy, and for doing good to poor neighbors. So, about Theodosius of the Caves, it is known that every week (i.e., Sunday) he sent a cartload of bread to prisoners in dungeons. But the main form of charity was the distribution of alms by hand to the poor, the poor and the sick. At the end of the service, especially on Sundays. and festive, they appeared at the doors of the church and begged for alms, which was considered the duty of every Orthodox Christian to give. As for the celebration of Sunday. day by abstaining from work, some monuments of the XI century speak of the existence of this custom. So, in the Belechesky charter there are two rules protecting Sunday peace. One - the 69th requires “not to be done a week until the evening”, the other - the 68th prescribes “on the week of the proscura (prosphora) of the oven, and if you don’t get bread, then bake a little with the proscuras”. The above rules, however, stand alone in ancient Russian writing. Attempts to introduce strict observance of Sunday rest were not successful. In ancient monuments, there are many accusations against those who, omitting worship, dissuaded: "I am not idle." But no one taught that work on Sunday. the day itself, no matter what it distracts from worship, is a sin. And indeed, according to Herberstein, “townspeople and artisans return to work after the festive mass, thinking that it is more honest to do work than to waste their wealth and time in drunkenness, gambling, and similar things.” He also notes that “the villagers work for their master six days a week; the seventh day is given to them for their own work. Finally, in his own words, "holidays are usually observed only by princes and boyars." But they, as can be seen from other monuments, did not consider worldly activities on Sunday to be a special sin. days. So, according to the annals, one can judge that on Sunday. the days of receptions and the departure of ambassadors fell, as well as royal trips to suburban and distant estates. Finally, by Sunday fairs and auctions were timed to days, which took place in cities and villages near churches and, moreover, during worship. In view of this, the aforementioned Archbishop of Novgorod Theodosius, establishing religious processions on three Sundays. per year, expresses the desire that trade be stopped for that time. Sunday non-observance rest, it is all the more strange that, judging by the composition of the Kormchas, which, among other laws, included the laws of Justinian regarding the protection of the holiness of holidays, Russian people were aware of the decrees prohibiting work on Sunday. days.

All Old Russian decrees regarding Sunday came from representatives of the spiritual authorities; the secular did not take any part in this matter. Nowhere, neither in "Pravda" of Yaroslav the Wise, nor in the "Code of Laws" of John III and IV, nor in various judicial charters, are there any laws and orders regarding holidays, including Sundays. day. And only in the XVII century the secular government decided to take up this matter. The first to attract his attention were folk amusements, incompatible with the idea of ​​the holiness of the Resurrection. day. But at the beginning of the XVII century. only one decree was issued, - by Mikhail Feodorovich of May 23, 1627, which forbade, under pain of punishment with a whip, to converge on "bezlelitsa", that is, on merrymaking. The next two decrees of the same content, one of December 24 of the same 1627 and the other of 1636 belong to Patriarch Philaret and Joasaph. More energetic and active was the secular power under Alexei Mikhailovich. Around 1648 they were forbidden at any time in general, and on Sunday. days in particular, a whole series of superstitious customs and non-superstitious amusements: "any drunkenness and any rebellious demonic action, mockery and buffoonery with all sorts of demonic games." Instead of indulging in such entertainment, the decree commands "all service people, both peasants and all officials" to come on Sunday. days to church and stand here "quietly with all godliness." The one who disobeyed was ordered to “beat the batogs” and even exiled to Ukrainian cities (for disobedience for the third time). On August 11, 1652, a new decree was issued by the tsar forbidding the sale of wine on Sundays throughout the year. Five years before him, on March 17, 1647, an order was issued to stop work on holidays. “The Great Sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich pointed out, and ... St. Joseph, Patriarch of Moscow, was laid down with the entire sacred cathedral, the decree says: according to the rules of St. apostles and st. fathers on Sunday the day is by no means befitting for anyone to do, lord and mistress, neither slave nor free; but exercise and come to the church of God for prayer.” With some changes and additions, this decree became part of the Code of 1648. It was in Article 26 of its X Ch. says: “but against the resurrection. days through the entire Sabbath, a Christian from all work and from trade stop and go into seclusion for three hours, until evening. And on Sunday day of the rows do not open and do not sell anything, besides edible goods and horse feed ... And there is no work on Sunday. don't work for anyone for a day." 25 article of the same X ch. prohibits the conduct of court cases on Sunday: “on Sunday. day, she says, no one. judge and do no deeds, besides the most necessary public affairs. But according to the law of 1649, legal proceedings are prohibited on Sunday. days until noon. These orders were subsequently confirmed by the Moscow Cathedral of 1666 and the decree of Alexei Mikhailovich of August 20, 1667. days of fairs and auctions; the decree orders to transfer them to another time.

With Peter the Great, a new period in the history of the celebration of Sunday begins in Russia. day. In accordance with the laws that appeared during its course, it can be divided into two parts, or eras. The first, embracing the XVIII century. (1690-1795), is characterized by the fall of ancient piety and, in particular, the veneration of Sunday. days. This began in the reign of Peter. By his nature, he represented the complete opposite of his father: as much as the latter loved worship and silence, so much Peter - noisy gaiety and feasts; besides, he could not boast of a commitment to ritual piety. Under such a king, the persecution of worldly amusements could no longer take place. On the contrary, now, following the example of the king himself, Resurrection. days are days, predominantly over others used for worldly amusements. And indeed, in one of his decrees, Peter allows folk fun on Sunday. days, however, - only at the end of the liturgy and, moreover, only "for popular polishing, and not for some kind of disgrace." As if in addition to this, they were open on Sunday. days and taverns (decree of September 27, 1722) How harmful were such orders to the celebration of Sunday. day, it can be seen from the words of Pososhkov that on Sunday. one day one could hardly find two or three pilgrims in the church. At the end of his reign, Peter decided to take up the restoration of the holiness of the holidays. For these purposes, on February 17, 1718, a decree was issued obliging all people - commoners, townspeople and villagers to go on Sunday. days for vespers, matins, and especially for the liturgy. At the same time, under the fear of "taking a considerable fine," it was forbidden on Sunday. days to trade in cities, villages and villages with any goods, both in shops and in squares. But work and entertainment on Sunday. days and now were not forbidden. An exception is made only for government offices exempted from classes under § 4 of the Regulations. After Peter the Great, in the cares of the secular government about the veneration of Sunday. the day was followed by a break; and during the reign of Anna Ioannovna and the rule of the Germans, the previous decrees on the resurrection. day ceased to be fulfilled. With the accession of Elizabeth Petrovna, the government's concern for the protection of the sanctity of Sunday resumed for some time. day. So, in 1743, she forbade the use on Sunday. days for any work of “convicts and slaves” and open taverns before the start of the service. The last prohibition, however, did not bring any benefit, so that a few time after its appearance, the synod complained that "there is noise, fights and stingy songs in taverns during worship," and asked to move these institutions, built in close proximity to the churches, to another place. But the request, for fear of loss, was not respected. A year after the issuance of these orders, a command was issued to stop the custom of doing on Sunday. days visits to "noble persons", and in 1749 "any executions" were forbidden. The attitude of the government towards Sunday is completely different. day under Catherine II. Thanks to the spread and strengthening of the ideas of the Encyclopedists in society, respect for him begins to weaken again. It comes to the fact that the work on Sunday is praised. days. So, in the decree of 1776 it is said: “who, out of his special diligence and zeal for service on Sunday. the day he makes a survey, then this will relate to his diligence. As for the sale of wine, under Catherine it was forbidden to trade in taverns only during the celebration of the liturgy (and before it began) and, moreover, only in those located at a distance of less than 20 sazhens from the church.

With the death of Catherine the Great, the first era of that period in the celebration of Sunday ends. day, which begins with Peter I. It is characterized by a gradual fall in the celebration of this day, a gradual weakening of legislative measures aimed at maintaining it. Drinking trade prohibited on Sunday. days by decrees of Alexei Mikhailovich, is now allowed throughout this day. Entertainment, in the 17th century. not allowed on weekdays, are now prohibited only on Sunday mornings. Works previously prohibited are now encouraged. Attendance at worship, previously compulsory, is now left to the will of everyone.

With the accession of Pavel Petrovich, a new period begins in the history of the celebration of Sunday. day. Paul himself provided an example of this. During his life, he managed to render important services to the restoration of his veneration. So, by decree of 22 Oct. 1796 Pavel Petrovich banned theatrical performances "on all Saturdays." An equally important measure aimed at preserving the holiness of the Resurrection. of the day, is the manifesto of 5 Apr. 1797, commanding “everyone to watch, so that no one, under any circumstances, dares on Sunday. days to force the peasants to work. Moreover, Pavel Petrovich was decided in 1799 “not to produce on Sunday. days of drinking sale at the time when divine liturgy and a religious procession "... In 1833, the "Code of Laws" was drawn up, relating in the XIV volume to the issue of celebrating Sunday. day. The Sunday legislation is presented in it in the following form. Sundays are dedicated both to rest from work and at the same time to devout piety. Based on the latter provision, the law advises, refraining from a dissolute life these days, to go to church for the service of God, especially for the liturgy. At the same time, the civil authorities took upon themselves the obligation to take care of the protection during worship of order, peace and tranquility both in the temple and around it. In accordance with the first provision, the law is released on Sunday. days public places from meetings, educational institutions from classes, and nowhere is it allowed to carry out state and other public works, both free and state masters, and prisoners. Likewise, it is forbidden to employ landowning peasants for master work. Drinking houses, bucket and damask shops, as well as commercial ones, should be opened only after the end of the liturgy. Finally, the law forbids the beginning of games, music, theatrical performances, and all other public amusements and amusements before the end of the Sunday Liturgy. Introducing this resolution, the compilers of the "Code of Laws" for some reason did not include in it the order of Pavel Petrovich about the inadmissibility of theatrical performances and performances "on all Saturdays." But this gap was filled later, namely by the decree of September 21, 1881, which forbade the day before Sunday. days, all performances, except for dramatic performances in foreign languages. Having coped with this point, the legislation has not yet resolved another issue not touched upon in the Code of Laws, namely, about Sunday rest, the cessation of trade and work. And therefore, attempts to resolve it in the affirmative sense belong to private corporations - city dumas, village gatherings, etc. They began approximately from 1843, when Metropolitan Filaret, with the consent of the citizens of Moscow, asked the governor general to ban trade on holidays or, at least at least move it to the afternoon. In 1860, the same Metropolitan Philaret presented to St. the synod petition that all kinds of trade in shops and squares, fairs and markets, as well as taverns, be prohibited from the evening before until vespers on Sunday. day. But he did not live to see the fulfillment of his desires; it followed after his death and, moreover, not in all cities. In the sixties and following years, many city dumas began to issue resolutions on the transfer of bazaars from Sunday. days on weekdays, on the closure or restriction of Sunday trading. Decrees of this kind were made in Penza (1861), Nizhny Novgorod (1864), Novorossia and Bessarabia, Pskov (1865), Tambov, Irkutsk, Yelets and other places. In defense of the celebration of the resurrection. days were performed in 1866 by St. synod and the Ministry of the Interior. In both cases, the question was raised: should the bazaars be abolished? Having agreed with the Chief Prosecutor's arguments about their abolition, the Minister of the Interior did not dare to indicate to the governors an article of the law, by virtue of which the latter must abolish Sunday bazaars everywhere, as the Chief Prosecutor had requested. Because of this, the solution of the question of Sunday rest and trade turned out to be completely dependent on the representatives of the city in the subsequent time. And therefore, while in some it is settled more or less satisfactorily, in others trade continues as before, there is almost no rest. The good undertakings of individuals have been shattered and are being shattered by the indifference of the masses. Such, for example, is the fate of the desire of some St. Petersburg merchants to stop on Sunday. days of trade and release the clerks from work. Even more unattractive is the behavior of the Duma of the city of Kotelnich in the Vyatka province. In 1888, she decided to stop on Sunday. days of trade, received the highest gratitude for this, but did not carry out her decision. In other cities, orders made were canceled after a short period of time. So, in Moscow it was decided in the spring of 1888 to trade on Sunday. days only from 12 to 3 pm. But at the insistence of the merchants, in the fall of that year, this Duma resolution was canceled. As for other work on Sunday. days, there was no question of banning them until recently.

As for the celebration of Sunday. days in Western Europe , and here it has its own history. So, from the VI century. before the beginning of the Reformation, it is characterized by strict observance of Sunday rest and the issuance of laws no less stringent in order to protect it. This can be confirmed by the decisions of two councils - Orleans 538 and Masonic 585. The first banned on Sunday. days of field work, as well as work in vineyards and vegetable gardens; the second threatens with canes the peasants and slaves for field work on Sunday, officials for violating Sunday. days - by deprivation of office, and for clerics by six months' imprisonment. No less strict are the civil ordinances on the resurrection. day. So, according to the law of Hildsrich, the last of the Merovingians, harnessed to Sunday. a day in an oxcart is deprived of the right one. The Allemans had a law according to which the disturbed resurrection. day for the fourth time is deprived of a third of the estate, and the fifth violator - freedom. Subsequently, Charlemagne listed in detail in his decrees what was forbidden on Sunday. days of work. After him, care for the protection of Sunday. day passed into the hands of the popes, but they did not add anything new to the former decrees. Exactly the same views were held by the representatives of the Reformation, and moreover, as those who did not consider the celebration of Sunday. day by divine institution, and their opponents. Of the first, Calvin defined in his church decrees severe penalties for violating Sunday. day. The teaching of the latter found fertile ground for itself among the Puritans, thanks to whom it established itself in England and was even introduced into the Westminster Confession (1643-1648). The latter requires that on Sunday. the day Christians, putting aside all worldly affairs, not only spent it in sacred rest, but also in public and private liturgical exercises. In the same XVII century. was issued in England a number of laws directed against all kinds of Sunday amusements and work. Their completion is the act of Lord Day, which is still the basic law in English Sunday law. Strict observance of Sunday peace passed from England and its colonies, especially to the North American states, finding support here among the Methodists. Sunday was no less strictly observed. peace and in Germany XVI-XVII Art. Laws 1540, 1561, 1649, 1661 prohibited on Sunday. days almost all work and entertainment. In the 18th century, when the old religious foundations shook in Europe, the zeal for observing the celebration of Sunday also weakened. day. In France, an attempt was even made to completely destroy it. The decline of rigor in observing the rest of Sunday. days is noticeable during this time in England; thus, one of the orators of the parliament complained in 1795 that “work on large buildings is being carried out contrary to all propriety on Sunday. day". With the onset of the 19th century a reaction began against former hobbies and the restoration of the trampled dignity of Sunday. day. England was the first to take this path. The laws in it remain the same as they were in the 17th century, but due to popular sympathy in England, Sunday is observed more strictly than in any other state. peace. On this day, all government offices are closed; factory and all other work stops, six-seventh shops are closed; the number of rail trains is reduced by four-fifths; in many places, at the request of the public, post offices are closed; even museums, galleries are not available for visitors on this day. And peace and quiet reign among the practical people. Other states are following the example of England. So, in 1861, at the Geneva meeting of the Evangelical Union, it was decided to propagandize in favor of the Sunday. day. In eight cantons of the Swiss, “Sunday unions” arose, which then formed the “Swiss Society for the Consecration of Sundays. days." The results of his work are evident. Postal officials are released from work in Switzerland every other Sunday; office hours in postal and telegraph offices are limited, railway officials are also released from work every third Sunday, and the reception and issuance of ordinary luggage on Sunday. completely prohibited. 14 years after Switzerland, she responded to a question about the veneration of Sunday. day Germany. It was first initiated in it in 1875 by the central committee for an internal mission at the congress in Dresden. After that, "Sunday Unions" began to form, and a year later Germany already had quite a few representatives at the international "Sunday Union", which was in 1876 in Geneva. Some of the German “Sunday Unions” are affiliated with the internal mission, others are independent of it, but all of them, in order to promote the ideas of Sunday rest, arrange public readings about Sunday. issue, appoint prizes for the best essays on this issue, publish magazines specially dedicated to Sunday. day, they make petitions to the government, appeals to the people, etc. Agitation in favor of the resurrection had a special effect. days in Prussia. Prussian chief church council instructed to deal with the question of the resurrection. day to district synods. The latter addressed the relevant appeals to the communities and industrial institutions. In Mork County, the Evangelical Union began publishing a flyer, Celebration and Violation of Sunday. day. An Appeal to the German Christian Population". In some cities of Saxony, "Sunday unions" arose. In Westphalia, lawyers began to make collective announcements that on Sunday. days their office is closed. The Rhine Provincial Synod went even further; he unanimously accepted the following proposals regarding the resurrection. of the day: to insist on the application of existing laws and police regulations for rest Sunday. day and ask the main church council to help ensure that the overseers of trade have a third Sunday. was free from classes, the transportation of goods by rail was reduced, classes in government offices were discontinued, various Sundays. pleasures and amusements are limited, and the clergy have taken care to set up Sunday and other societies to help make Sunday a day of rest. Finally, France also joined the general movement. In 1883, a committee was formed in it to promote the consecration of the Sunday. day, and on March 11, 1891, the first meeting of the formed league of "Sunday rest" took place. He is looked after by both the Evangelical and the Roman Catholic committees. Under the influence of them, many representatives of the trade have declared a desire to stop work on Sunday. days, and some railway companies - to stop receiving and sending low-speed cargo. Focused on Sunday. peace in Austria. In 1885, its archbishops issued a district message, urging the faithful to honor Sunday. day, and in the same year some laws protecting its holiness were issued.

Literature. Vetrinsky Monuments of an ancient Christian church. T. V, part 9. Brief information about the resurrection. day. - Christian Thursday, 1837, III. Review of ancient decrees (I-IX centuries) on the veneration of Sunday. day. - "Orthodox Interlocutor", 1867, I. Sergievsky, On the behavior of ancient Christians on Sundays and holidays. 1856 Sunday celebration. days of the ancient Christians. - "Guide for rural shepherds", 1873, I. Istomin, Meaning of Sunday. days in the public life of Christian peoples from the point of view of Western moralists. - "Faith and Reason", 1885, Nos. 13-14. State and Sunday day. - "Orthodox Review" 1885, III. Belyaev, On the rest of the resurrection. day. Smirnov, Celebration of Sunday. days, 1893

* Alexander Vasilievich Petrovsky,
Master of Theology, Lecturer
St. Petersburg Theological Academy,

Text source: Orthodox theological encyclopedia. Volume 3, column. 956. Edition Petrograd. Appendix to the spiritual magazine "Wanderer" for 1902 Spelling modern.

No, I don't mean service workers, hospitals, or other shift-working businesses. Today, Sunday is increasingly becoming the sixth or seventh working day, even for ordinary office workers who, having remote access to corporate mail or a stack of printed documents, voluntarily prefer to finish in a calm home environment what they did not have time to complete on working days. Someone moonlights or takes overtime, and someone only on Sunday can find time to think about a serious new project. Even Sunday communion in in social networks somehow imperceptibly turns into “work in social networks”, and here everyday life finally merges with weekends.

In a word, the centuries-old Christian tradition of devoting the seventh day to rest and spiritual practices, which was interrupted in our country in the 20-40s of the twentieth century, and then returned in the form of a seven-day work week with a day off on Sunday, is somehow gradually loosened.

Of course, Russia never resembled either Victorian England, where on Sundays it was impossible to send letters or go to a restaurant, or to other European countries, where shops on the “day of the sun” are constantly locked up. But for Russians of all classes, and for Soviet citizens, the day off was a day filled with special meaning.

“Whether we are believers or not, this day is still not like the rest,” says Jocelyne Bonnet, ethnologist and author of a study on this topic *. “He occupies a special place in European consciousness and culture. It helps to regulate our social life, but also the life of our soul. Depriving yourself of a weekly day of rest and rest can cause a strong internal imbalance.

“When problems arise in a family, we know that often it is due to a lack of communication and time that children and parents spend together. And we are in a hurry to reduce this time? - the psychoanalyst Svetlana Fedorova is surprised. – Remember, the etymology of the word “Sunday” suggests that on this day we are given the opportunity to rise, return to ourselves, turn to our souls, understand and do what we really want. Turning Sunday into another working day is a step towards cultural and social regression!”

Let's try to regain the lost meaning of Sunday and learn to enjoy it again.

Cultivate symbols

“Sunday, unlike the change of days and seasons, is not a given of nature, but an achievement of culture,” explains Jocelyn Bonnet. Invented by the Babylonians, the seven-day week had at first a religious basis. Religion teaches us that God created the heavens, the earth and the sea in six days, and rested on the seventh day. It so happened that the Jews set aside Saturday for serving God and spiritual concerns, while Muslims chose Friday, and Christians chose Sunday. “The mythology of Sunday rest is an important distinguishing feature of the culture of all Christian Europe,” the ethnologist notes. This day of rest, which at the beginning of its history was one of the components of religion, and in the era of the industrial revolution became a social conquest, is mythological insofar as it is part of the cultural heritage. And self-awareness: “To work five or six days is to be human,” continues Jocelyn Bonnet. - Work seven days - a slave. We should once again revive the cult of Sunday as a non-futile day, filled with soulful deeds, not burdened by either work (as far as possible) or consumerism!

Recreate the rituals

“Once Sunday was marked by very special social rituals: a church service, a family dinner, a Sunday walk ...” recalls sociologist Jean-Claude Kaufmann. “Even the body had its own rituals,” says Jocelyn Bonnet. - Everyone put himself in order, put on the best clothes, "Sunday". “Today we are not witnessing the disappearance of rituals, but rather their specialization,” adds Jean-Claude Kaufmann. “Each of us makes his own arrangements, and the Sunday of some is not like the Sunday of others.” Some traditions are preserved, such as a Sunday walk: get somewhere in nature, out of town, into the forest, or even just wander the streets ... Others change: Sunday lunch tends to turn into a Friday or Saturday dinner, church services are supplemented or replaced by trips to exhibition, cinema or theater. Finally, some Sunday rituals have only recently appeared, such as brunch or a Sunday run. Or as a trip to shopping mall- will note maliciously-minded readers ...

One way or another, there is something important that is designed to distinguish this day from the six others, namely: Sunday classes should be different from everything that we do on other days. It doesn’t matter if we are making chairs, cooking something unusual or getting behind the wheel - in any case, we indulge in activities that take us away from everyday life for this short and blissful time.

Release Sunday

In fact, it turned out very well that Sunday is only part of the weekend. Which starts off rather briskly on Saturday with some unpleasant backlog, continues on a more relaxed Sunday, and ends on a sad Sunday evening. Therefore, in order to enjoy Sunday to the fullest, you need to free yourself from shopping, cleaning, friendliness and children's lessons - in a word, from everything that could not be done in a week. Try to fill the end of Friday and Saturday with these things and unload your day off as much as possible. Otherwise, the sadness of Sunday evening threatens to visit you much earlier ...

Don't demand too much

In fact, while we usually get a little exercise in the morning and a walk with the kids in the afternoon, couple relationships often don't get enough time. “After all, most of all we dream of relaxing at the end of the day, lying, for example, in front of the TV,” the sociologist notes. “And this is hardly compatible with the efforts that partners in a married couple sometimes need to make in order to find a second wind.” As a result, Sunday, which in principle is intended for shared pleasures, brings disappointment, which is the stronger, the less we were ready for it. Meanwhile, the recipe for weekend happiness is simple: reconsider your tasks and moderate your ambitions, because we cannot embrace the immensity. And at the same time, come up with a plan that the whole family will be happy with - one and only, but stick to it strictly!

About it

Ethnologist Jocelyne Bonnet's book "Sunday in Europe" ("Dimanche en Europe", Éditions du Signe, 2003). Panorama and evolution of social traditions across Europe, from Portugal to Poland. A fun stroll through the markets and balls that make this day different from any other.

The Old, Old Testament has lost its power, everything that was written in it:

14 having destroyed by teaching the handwriting that was about us, which was against us, and he took it from the midst and nailed it to the cross;
(Col.2:14)

Today, a blank slate is every person who receives Christ in baptism as their Savior.

36 Meanwhile, continuing on their way, they came to the water; and the eunuch said, Here is water; what prevents me from being baptized?
37 Philip said to him, If you believe with all your heart, you can. He answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
(Acts 8:36,37)

New Testament, new conditions of salvation, pure man, without sin.

No one in the first century could even imagine that the Holy Spirit could descend on a Gentile, everyone was sure that this was the prerogative of the Jews only. An example is the surprise of Jesus' disciples when Peter preached to Cornelius, the Roman general:

34 Peter opened his mouth and said, “Truly I know that God shows no partiality,
(Acts 10:34)

44 While Peter was still continuing this speech, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.
45 And the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Gentiles,
46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said:
47 Who can forbid those who, like us, have received the Holy Spirit to be baptized with water?
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay with them for a few days.
(Acts 10:44-48)

No one could even imagine that God would turn His attention to such people, pagans. After these events, the Apostles were worried, were alarmed by these innovations, so Peter even had to explain his actions.

1 The apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles also received the word of God.
2 And when Peter came to Jerusalem, the circumcision rebuked him,
3 saying, You went to uncircumcised people and ate with them.
4 And Peter began to tell them in order, saying:
5 In the city of Joppa, I prayed, and in a frenzy I saw a vision: a certain vessel descended, like a large sheet, descending from heaven at four corners, and descended to me.
(Acts 11:1-5)

Despite receiving the great gift of the Holy Spirit by the Gentiles, Peter was still embarrassed to communicate with them and shunned the Jews. When Paul became aware of this, a serious conversation took place between them.

The Old Testament has been fulfilled and it does not have to be observed, the Gentiles are now on a par with the Jews!

11 And when Peter came to Antioch, I confronted him personally, because he was being reproved.
12 For before the arrival of some from Jacob, he ate with the Gentiles; and when they came, he began to hide and withdraw, fearing the circumcised.
(Gal. 2:11,12)

Subsequently, in some churches, the Apostles struggled with the general opinion that one must still circumcise a pagan, one must observe the religious holidays of the Old Testament in order to become a true Christian:

2 Behold, I, Paul, say to you, if you are circumcised, you will not benefit from Christ.
3 Again I bear witness to every man who is circumcised, that he must keep the whole law.
4 You who justify yourselves by the law have been left without Christ, fallen from grace,
5 but we wait by the spirit and hope for righteousness by faith.
6 For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has power in Christ Jesus, but faith working through love.
(Gal.5:2-6)

Many novice Christians ask themselves the question - How to spend Sunday in an Orthodox way? Let's try to answer this question. The time of the holiday is a time of special service to God. And since God especially dwells in the temple, then on holidays it is necessary to visit the temple of God.

With what zeal should we respond to the invitation of the Heavenly King, to whom every holiday, every Sunday, with special strength and perseverance, the Holy Church calls us to the house of God, where the Heavenly King Himself is present by His grace! “For those people, says Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, who, out of weakness, out of need, out of duty of obedience in sacred times, are forced to stay in their homes, it must be said: at least when they hear the exalted voice of the bell announcing the high minute of bloodless sacrifice, let them send into the church a reverent thought, a pious desire, let them sanctify themselves with the sign of the cross, as if together with those who are coming to the altar; the angel of the temple will meet them and count them from a distance among those really coming and will offer their memory to the altar of the Lord.

Returning home from the church, a Christian must maintain a prayerful mood here too.

If on weekdays, when a person is entertained by worldly cares and labors, he cannot always devote much time to prayer, which is so necessary for his soul, then on Sundays and holidays he must devote most of his day to this pious and saving occupation.

Saint Tikhon, Bishop of Voronezh, went to church almost every day for Liturgy and Vespers, and he himself sang in the kliros. He spent his nights without sleep and went to bed at dawn.

Prophet David prayed at the beginning of the night, got up for prayer at midnight, prayed in the morning, in the evening and at noon.

That is why he said: in the seven days of the day praise Thee (Ps. 119:164).

Abba Dula, a disciple of the Monk Bessarion, said: “I went into my cell to my elder and found him standing at prayer; his hands were stretched out to heaven, and he remained in this feat for fourteen days.

Prayer is a reverent conversation between the human soul and God. Quite decent on holidays and conversation with people, but, of course, not all, but only about divine objects.

The soul after pious conversations is filled with holy thoughts, feelings and desires. The mind becomes clearer, brighter; regret about the badly spent past penetrates into the heart - the will would still want to do only one thing that is pleasing before God.

Oh, that each of us would love to speak and hear more about things that concern God and the soul; then faith and virtue would not be with us only in words, but would be the life and property of the heart, of our whole being.

It is equally useful and salutary both to conduct soul-saving conversations and to read soul-saving books. The Holy Apostle Paul commands his beloved disciple, Bishop Timothy, to read holy and soulful books as one of the main means for success in the spiritual life. Attend to reading (1 Tim. 4:13), he writes to him. And the holy fathers, following the apostle, command everyone to read the holy books as one of the important means for spiritual perfection.

It is especially useful to read the Holy Scriptures. “If we read the Holy Scriptures with faith,” says St. Basil the Great, “we feel that we see and hear Christ Himself. What needs, whether by a living voice, or through scripture, who speaks to us? It's all the same. So in Holy Scripture God speaks to us as truly as we speak to Him through prayer.”

It is very useful and saving for the soul to do good on holidays. The holy apostle Paul advised the Christians of the Corinthian church to establish a permanent collection for the benefit of the needy: do as I have established in the churches of Galatia. On the first day of the week (that is, every Sunday - Approx. Ed.), Let each of you save and collect as much as his condition allows (1 Cor. 16: 1-2). St. John Chrysostom, inspiring this commandment to the Christians of Constantinople, says: “Let us arrange in our house an ark for the poor, which should be located at the place where you stand for prayer. Let everyone put aside the money of the Lord at home on Sunday. If we make it our rule on Sunday to set aside something for the benefit of the poor, we shall not break this rule. The craftsman, having sold something from his works, let him bring the firstfruits of the price to God and share this part with God. I do not demand much, only I ask you to set aside at least a tenth. Do the same not only when selling, but also when buying. Let all those who acquire righteousness observe these rules.”

The ancient Christians lovingly honored the holidays with abundant offerings to the church, of which one part went to the maintenance of church employees and church needs, and the other to help the poor. “These offerings,” says one ancient Christian writer, “serve as a pledge of piety; because they do not go to feasts, not to drunkenness, not to overeating, but to feed and bury the poor, to youths and maidens who have lost their property and parents, to old men who, due to weakness, can no longer leave their homes and do work, also those who suffered misfortune and imprisoned for their faith in ore-digging, on islands and dungeons.

Many of the people sufficient in respect for the holidays themselves distributed generous alms to the poor brethren, fed the hungry, looked after the strange and went to hospitals, trying with words of consolation and various services to alleviate the suffering of the sick. So the writer of the life of St. Martha, talking about how she honored the divine holidays, among other things, says: “She was inexpressibly merciful to the poor, feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked. Often entering hospitals, serving the sick with your own hands, giving burial to the dying from your labors, and giving white clothes to those who are baptized from your needlework.

The common custom of ancient Christians was to arrange festive meals for orphans, wanderers and all the poor during the days. In the early days of Christianity, this kind of meal was established at churches and the tombs of martyrs; but subsequently they began to be arranged by benefactors only in their own homes. The generosity of some Christians extended to the point that sometimes, due to the large gathering of beggars, on one holiday they arranged several meals one after another. So it is known that one Christ-loving brother, named Isaiah, was distinguished by special charity during the holidays: having created a hospice and a hospital, he tried to put to rest all those who came to him and served the sick with all zeal: three, and four meals representing the poor for the sake of. If one of your relatives or friends is sick, go to the sick person, comfort them as much as you can. Maybe someone close to your heart lies in the cemetery. Go to the grave of the deceased, pray for him. Now, in many churches, on holidays, extra-liturgical interviews of pastors with the people are arranged. It's good to visit them.

This is how a Christian should spend a Sunday or a holiday. But is this really how we do it?

Many of the Christians, dissatisfied with their constant earnings, also devote time of sacred rest to their work, thinking through this to increase their fortune. But in vain they think so. The Prologue contains such a story.

Two artisans lived side by side, both of whom were engaged in the same craft: they were tailors. One of them had a wife, father, mother and many children; but he went to church every day. However, despite the fact that through this he took up a lot of time for work in the craft, he adequately supported himself and fed himself with the whole family, thanks to the blessing of God, daily requested for work and for his home. The other one devoted himself too much to the craft, so that often on holidays, which should be devoted to the service of God, he was not in the temple of God, but sat at work, but was not rich and hardly fed himself. So he began to envy the first; one day he could not stand it and asked his neighbor with irritation: “why is this and how do you get rich? for here I work harder than you, but I am poor.”

And he, wanting his neighbor to remember God more often, answered: “Here I am, going to church every day, often finding gold along the way; and so little by little I acquire. If you want, we will go to church together, I will call every day; but only everything that each of us would not find - to divide in half. The poor man believed, agreed, and together they began to visit the temple of God every day, where the soul involuntarily disposes itself to prayer and where the grace of God invisibly touches the heart of man; the other soon became accustomed to such a pious custom. But what? God apparently blessed him and his work: he began to get better and grow rich. Then the first one, suppressing a good thought, confessed to his neighbor: “I didn’t tell you the whole truth before, but from what I said for the sake of God and your salvation, what good is it for your soul and for your estate! Believe that I did not find anything on earth, no gold, and did not visit the temple of God because of gold, but precisely because God said: Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all this will be added to you (Matt. 6: 33). However, if I said that I found gold, I did not sin: after all, you found and acquired. - Thus, the blessing of the Lord on those who revere the Lord sacredly serves as the best and most reliable companion for labors.

Those who disrespect the holy holidays can always be comprehended by God's punishment. After all, having a holiday completely free from work, they are too lazy even to go to the temple of God, and if they come, they stand absent-mindedly in the church of God, praying unzealously, thinking about how they could spend the holiday more cheerfully. And when they come home, they indulge in unbridled fun.

Of course, there is no sin in innocent pleasures and complete rest from constant work. The Monk Anthony the Great often said to his disciples: “just as one cannot constantly and strongly strain the bow, otherwise it will burst, so it is impossible for a person to be constantly in tension, but he also needs rest.” But the best joy for a Christian is in God; - therefore, the best joy of a Christian on the day of the holiday should be the joy of reading soul-saving books, conducting pious conversations and doing godly deeds. However, not only is a Christian not prohibited on this day from any reasonable entertainment - visiting any museum or exhibition, relatives or friends, etc., but even these healthy and useful entertainments are strongly recommended. But it is completely inconsistent with the holiness of Sunday to indulge in drunkenness, sing disorderly songs, and indulge in excesses of every kind. St. John Chrysostom says: "The feast is not for us to act outrageously and multiply our sins, but to purify those that we have."

Once upon a time the Lord God, through the mouth of His prophet, spoke to the Jews, who spent their feast days in the service of one sensuality: My soul hates your feasts (Isaiah 1:14). This is a terrible word. Let us fear the wrath of God, let us spend the feasts holy, not indulging in feasting and drunkenness, nor sensuality and debauchery, nor strife and envy (Rom. 13:13), but let us spend the feasts in purity and righteousness.

ABC of Faith