Greet a person on Easter day with the phrase "Christ is risen!" and answer - "Truly Risen!" primarily for Christians. This custom goes back centuries and has great meaning for believers. Also, during the exchange of these phrases, it is customary to kiss three times. You can say these words during the entire Bright Week that follows Easter.

This custom owes its origins to Jesus Christ himself, who lived and died for the sins of ordinary laity. After the apostles of Christ learned about his resurrection, they told every person they saw about it, saying the cherished phrase “Christ is risen!”. Those who heard this phrase understood that Jesus is the son of God, and, confirming their words, answered “Truly He is risen!”.

Another version says that these phrases are used for. For example, a layman can ask “Christ is risen!”, And the priest answers “Truly He is risen!”, - “God bless.” This option has not found distribution among the people, therefore it is rarely used.

Easter greetings today

Today, Easter greetings have taken on a slightly different meaning as younger generations have begun to take an interest in religion. Every day gaining more and more followers. On Easter Sunday, the person who comes from must be the first to say “Christ is Risen!”, And the one who returns must answer “Truly Risen!”. These greetings should always be said with joy, because the savior of all life, the son of the one who gave life and the possibility of existence.

But it is worth remembering that Christ never asked to celebrate his resurrection. The miracle that happened was only confirmation that he really is the son of God and carries his divine essence in himself. The Bible says that the celebration of Easter is only a consequence of a miracle, and does not call for celebrating it, but people are happy and love their teacher, so they honor him after 2 millennia.

For many centuries, greetings have changed, changed their meaning, Catholic and Orthodox Church celebrate Easter in different days. But despite this, every true believer truly rejoices at this bright holiday, which reminds us that there is a particle of something divine and bright in the world, that once Christ was resurrected and showed everyone that God exists.

1. Guarantee of our revival

The Apostle Peter says that God has revived "us by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead for a living hope"(1 Peter 1:3). He does not ambiguously link the resurrection of Jesus to our new birth. When Jesus rose from the dead, His existence took on new qualities: “reborn life” in human body and the human spirit, ideally suited for eternal communion with and obedience to God. By His resurrection, Jesus acquired the same new life for us as He did with Him. When we become Christians, we do not fully receive this "new life" because our bodies are still subject to aging and death. But our spirit is strengthened by the life-giving power of salvation. The new kind of life that we receive at regeneration, Christ gives us by His resurrection. This is why the Apostle Paul says that God has "made us alive" "with Christ... and raised up with him"(Ephesians 2:5). When raising Christ from the dead, God thought of our resurrection “with Christ” and, therefore, considered us worthy of communion with Christ's resurrection. Paul says that he sees the purpose of his life in "to know him, and the power of his resurrection..."(Philippians 3:10). Paul understood that even in this life, the resurrection of Christ gives new strength to Christian service and obedience to God. Associating the resurrection of Christ with the spiritual powers at work in us, Paul tells the Ephesians that he is praying for them to understand “How immeasurable is the greatness of His might in us who believe, according to the action of His mighty power, with which He acted in Christ, raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in heaven”(Ephesians 1:19-20). Here Paul is saying that the power by which God raised Christ from the dead is the same power that works in us. Moreover, Paul sees us as resurrected in Christ:

...we were buried with Him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life... So reckon yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus...

This life-giving power includes the ability to win more and more victories over sin, despite the fact that we will not achieve perfection in this life ( "sin shall not have dominion over you"(Romans 6:14)). Resurrection power also includes the ability to serve in the kingdom. It was after the resurrection that Jesus promised His disciples: You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses...”(Acts 1:8). This new, transcendent power for proclaiming the gospel, performing miracles, and overcoming the resistance of enemies was given to the disciples after the resurrection of Christ from the dead and became an integral element of the resurrection power inherent in their Christian life.

2. Christ's Resurrection Guarantees Our Justification

Paul links the resurrection of Christ to our justification (removal of guilt before God) in only one passage « Jesus betrayed for our sins and rose again for our justification.”(Romans 4:25). The resurrection of Christ from the dead was God's declaration of approval of Christ's work of salvation. Because Christ “He humbled Himself, being obedient even unto death, even the death of the cross… God exalted Him…”(Philippians 2:8-9). By raising Christ from the dead, God the Father actually says that he accepts the ministry of Christ, who endured suffering and death for our sins, considers this work completed and does not see the need for Christ to continue to remain dead. There were no unpaid sins, nothing provoked the wrath of God, and no guilt was left to be punished—everything was paid in full. By the Resurrection, God says to Christ: "I approve of everything you have done, and you find favor in My eyes." This explains why Paul can say that Christ "risen for our justification"(Romans 4:25). If God raised us up with him (Ephesians 2:6), then, because of our union with Christ, God's declaration of approval of Christ is at the same time a declaration of approval of us. When the Father essentially says to Christ, "All sins have been paid for, and I hold You not guilty, but righteous in My eyes," He is making a statement that applies to us as well, since we believe in Christ for salvation. Thus, the resurrection of Christ also serves as the final confirmation that He has earned our justification.

3. Christ's Resurrection Ensures We Also Receive Perfect Regenerated Bodies

In the New Testament, the resurrection of Jesus is associated several times with our final resurrection in the body:

God resurrected the Lord, He will also resurrect us by His power. He who resurrected the Lord Jesus will also resurrect us through Jesus and set us before Himself with you.

But the most extensive discussion of the relationship between Christ's resurrection and our resurrection is found in 1 Corinthians 15:12-58. Here Paul says that Christ is "the firstborn of the dead." In calling Christ the firstborn, Paul uses the agricultural metaphor (the firstfruits) to show that we will be like Christ. Just as the “firstfruits” or the first taste of the ripening harvest shows what the whole harvest will be like, Christ, as the “firstborn”, shows what our reborn bodies will be like when, at the end of the “harvest”, God raises us from the dead and brings us into Your presence.

After the resurrection, Jesus was left with nail marks on his hands and feet and a wound from a spear that pierced his ribs (Gospel of John 20:27). People sometimes ask, doesn't this mean that the scars from severe injuries received in this life will remain on our reborn bodies? The answer to this is that we will probably not have scars from the injuries received in this life, and our bodies will be perfect, not subject to decay and resurrected "in glory", since the scars left on the body of Jesus after the crucifixion are unique, they serve as an eternal reminder of His suffering and death for us.

It is also important to note the ethical significance of the resurrection

The apostle Paul believes that the resurrection is directly related to our obedience to God in this life. Concluding his detailed discussion of the resurrection, Paul exhorts his readers:

so, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always prospering in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain before the Lord.

We must continue to work tirelessly for the cause of the Lord, precisely because we too will rise from the dead, as Christ was raised. Everything we do to win people into the Kingdom and strengthen their faith will have truly eternal significance, for we will all be resurrected the day Christ returns and live with Him forever.

Second, Paul encourages us to consider the resurrection as our goal for a future heavenly reward. He sees the resurrection as the time when all our efforts in this life will be rewarded. But if Christ did not rise, and there was no resurrection, then “your faith is in vain: you are still in your sins; therefore also those who died in Christ perished. And if in this life alone we hope in Christ, then we are more unhappy than all men” (1 Corinthians 15:17-19). But since Christ has risen, and we have risen with him, we should strive for a heavenly reward and think about heavenly things:

So, if you have risen with Christ, then look for things above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God; think of the things above, and not of the things of the earth. For you are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, your life, appears, then you will appear with Him in glory.

The third ethical aspect of the resurrection is the requirement to unconditionally renounce the obedience to sin in our lives. Saying that we should consider ourselves “dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus”, due to the resurrection and the life-giving power of Christ working in us, Paul exclaims: “Let not sin reign in your mortal body ... And do not betray members of your sin" (Romans 6:11-13). In urging us to sin no more, Paul uses the fact that we have a new life-giving power to curb the dominion of sin in our lives.

The expression of one Eastern sage is appropriate here: "Die before you die." Our compatriots, posing as true believers, use symbols like a fish on their cars. A recent incident convinced me that the "particularly devout" use quotations from the Apostles' Creed... A sharp, piercing screech of car brakes - and a Lada stopped in front of me. It would have been clear to anyone that the driver was a Christian, since the sticker on the entire rear window simply screamed about it: "I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the future age." However, I was a little confused by the skull and crossbones - the symbol of death, around which it was written. My worst fears were confirmed when the doors opened and drunken youths climbed onto the road. Many people declare their faith but don't really know what they believe in. And what could you, a disciple of Christ, do to change this at least in your environment?

Go and teach all nations...

pastor of the Central Church of the ECB in Volgograd

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This week, many were surprised by the news that a quarter of Britons who call themselves Christians do not believe in the resurrection of Christ (data from the BBC). For those of you who are going to celebrate Easter this Sunday, such numbers may come as a shock...

For everyone reading this blog, I offer nine important things to know about the Resurrection.

1. Belief in the Resurrection is a key doctrine of the Christian faith. If you don't believe in the Resurrection, you don't have a personal relationship with God in and through Jesus Christ.

“For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).

“But if Christ is not risen, then your faith is in vain: you are still in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:17).

2. The Resurrection gives hope for eternal life to everyone who has died in Christ. The Bible teaches that because Jesus is now alive as a result of the resurrection, all who have a personal relationship with Him have the hope of eternal life with Him after death.

“But Christ has risen from the dead, the firstborn of the dead. For as death is through a man, so is the resurrection of the dead through a man” (1 Cor. 20-22).

Jesus said, “I'm going to prepare a place for you. And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2-3).

3. The disciples of Christ, who later became His apostles, did not at first understand the meaning of the resurrection. Jesus spoke to His disciples (His followers during His earthly ministry) about the resurrection, but they did not understand this truth until He was resurrected.

“And as they were coming down from the mountain, He commanded no one to tell what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. And they kept this word, asking one another what it means to rise from the dead” (Mark 9:9-10).

“Here some of His disciples said to one another: What is it that He says to us: you will soon see Me, and soon you will see Me again, and: I am going to the Father?” (John 16:17).

4. Jewish religious leaders were afraid of the possibility of the Resurrection. These religious leaders did not accept the teachings of Jesus because it threatened their authority and undermined their religious system. They feared the resurrected Messiah and Savior.

“They went and set guards at the tomb, and put a seal on the stone” (Mt. 27:62-66).

5. The resurrection of Christ became for the disciples a source of great joy and the foundation of their faith. When Jesus spoke to His disciples about His resurrection, He predicted that their grief over His death would then be replaced by joy that no one could take away from them. The Apostle John recalled these words in his Gospel in order to call the reader to faith in Jesus.

Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into joy .... So now you have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:20-22).

6. The resurrection of Christ is witnessed by eyewitnesses. Paul lists many who saw the resurrected Jesus.

“I remind you, brethren, of the gospel which I proclaimed to you, which you have accepted, in which you have been established, by which you are being saved, if you retain what was given as I proclaimed to you, unless you believe in vain. For I initially taught you what I myself received, that is, that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve; then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, of whom most are still alive, and some have died; then he appeared to James, also to all the Apostles; but after all he appeared to me as to a fiend” (1 Cor. 15:1-8).

7. The Resurrection Demonstrated That Jesus Is God's Son. Paul saw in the Resurrection the proof of the divinity and Sonship of Jesus (Rom. 1:3-4).

“... about His Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh and was revealed to be the Son of God in power, according to the spirit of holiness, through the resurrection from the dead, about Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 1:3-4).

8. The Resurrection of Christ Is the Foundation of Our Salvation. Jesus went to the cross because of our sins, because a sacrifice was needed, on which God's wrath would be poured out. And the resurrection of Christ became the foundation of our justification and salvation.

“... it will also be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus Christ our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our sins and rose again for our justification” (Rom. 4:24-25.

9. The resurrection of Christ empowers us to live a life that glorifies God. The power of the Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead - as indicated by the fact of the Resurrection - is the same power that dwells in us, giving hope for real changes in our lives, through which we can live a life that glorifies God.

“But if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who lives in you” (Rom. 8:11).

“…and how immeasurable is the greatness of His might in us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He worked in Christ, raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in heaven…” (Eph. 1:19-23; cf. Eph. 3) :20-21).

“…to know him, and the power of his resurrection” (Phil. 3:10).

Voice of Truth based on pastor Kevin's blog

The heart of Palestine, which attracts pilgrims from all over the world, is Jerusalem, and the heart of Jerusalem is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This place, associated with the most precious events of the sacred history for every believing heart, is in itself a monument of many historical epochs. The pilgrim expects to see splendor and luxury here, corresponding to a shrine of universal significance. But he finds simplicity bordering on poverty, which is the best evidence of the humility of the Lord, who gave His Life for each of us.

Temple history

The place of the Crucifixion and Burial of our Lord Jesus Christ was located outside the city wall of the Old Testament Jerusalem. His veneration began already in the time of the first Christians, but no temple structures were built over the Holy Sepulcher and Golgotha ​​at that time.

But the memory of this place was not lost after the destruction of the city by Emperor Titus in 70. According to the church historian Eusebius of Caesarea, during the construction in 135 by Emperor Hadrian, on the site of the destroyed Jerusalem, the new Roman city of Aelia Capitolina, on the site of the cave of the Holy Sepulcher, a temple was built in honor of the pagan goddess Venus. Blzh. Jerome Stridonsky adds that from the era of Hadrian to the era of Constantine the Great, a statue of Jupiter stood over the place of the Resurrection, and a statue of Venus stood on the rock of the Crucifixion, thereby preserving an indication of the location of Christian shrines.

The first church of the Holy Sepulcher was founded by St. Queen Elena and built under the direction of St. Macarius of Jerusalem. Roman architecture did not allow the presence of massive rocks in the building: therefore, the rock around the Holy Sepulcher had to be cut, hewing the cave from the outside, and brought to a round shape. Above it, Queen Elena erected a round rotunda - Anastasis (in translation: Resurrection). This form of the building is preserved to this day. In the same way, but in a cubic form, the Golgotha ​​rock was hewn. The majestic complex of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ was solemnly consecrated in the presence of Emperor Constantine and representatives of the clergy from different countries on September 13, 335.

The temple existed without changes until the capture of Jerusalem in 614 by the Persian king Khozroi, when its buildings were badly damaged. But under the guidance of the monk Modest (the future patriarch of Jerusalem), at the expense of the emperor Heraclius and Khosroy's wife, the Christian Mary, the temple was restored. In 637, when Jerusalem was besieged by Caliph Omar, Patriarch Sofroniy, fearing a repetition of the bloodshed of the Persian invasion, surrendered the city, and the Church of the Sepulcher and the main Christian shrines of Jerusalem were not damaged.

In 1009 Caliph El-Hakim, fueled by rumors and slanders against Christians, authorized the massacres of the Christian population of Jerusalem and the destruction of Christian churches. As a result of this destruction, the Constantine Basilica was irretrievably lost. Emperor Constantine VIII negotiated the right to restore the temple from his son El-Hakim. Construction work continued even in the reign of Constantine Monomakh, but in scale and splendor this building was far from its ancient predecessor.

Rumors about the destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher reached Europe and served as one of the reasons for agitation for the beginning of the Crusades. Capturing Jerusalem in 1099, in the middle of the 12th century. the crusaders rebuilt the temple on a grand scale in the majestic Romanesque style (the cathedral of the New Jerusalem Monastery near Moscow was later built in its likeness).

In 1187, Jerusalem was taken by Sultan Salah ad-Din. He allowed Christian pilgrims to freely visit Jerusalem and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. However, his successors repeatedly began the persecution of Christians in the Holy Land. The shrines were in poverty and desolation. In the 16th century Franciscan monks took up their restoration.

In the 1860s above the rotunda, a hemispherical dome was built from metal structures, with its shape reminiscent of the original completion of Anastasis during the time of Constantine the Great. The building still exists in this form.

Temple tour

The Church of the Resurrection of Christ consists of several aisles. At the entrance to the temple, the pilgrim stops in front of the Anointing Stone. Righteous Joseph and Nicodemus laid the lifeless body of the Lord at this place after being taken down from the Cross, anointed it with spices, and wrapped it in a shroud. This is a yellow-pink fragrant stone under a vault of many lamps.

To the right of the holy gates of the Church of the Resurrection and the Anointing Stone, you can climb the 17 steps to Holy Golgotha ​​along the marble stairs. Its name in translation means "frontal place". According to Jewish tradition, the head of Adam was buried in this place. That is why, by the Providence of God, the redemption of the human race took place here, where the Most Pure Blood of the Savior washed away the sin of Adam, spilling through a cleft in the rock. The open Calvary throne overshadows the very place where there is a small round hole in which the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord was installed. This hole is overlaid with a silver salary with an image of the Passion of Christ chased on it.

On the right side of the Calvary Cross, a deep crack is visible (it is now under glass), formed during an earthquake that occurred at the moment when Christ gave up His spirit. At the same time, the veil in Solomon's temple was torn.

The Orthodox throne is separated by a colonnade from the Roman Catholic aisle of Golgotha. In the place of the Catholic throne, according to legend, the soldiers nailed the Savior to the Cross.

Having descended from Calvary, the pilgrim enters the chapel of Adam, arranged under Calvary. Behind the throne, through the iron grating, you can see the continuation of the Golgotha ​​crack. Leaving the aisle of Adam and going to the right, the pilgrim comes to the Greek aisle of desecration and the laying of a crown of thorns, where under the throne is a part of the stone brought from the praetorium. The Lord sat on this stone while the purple robe and the crown of thorns were placed on Him.

From this place, the pilgrim descends twenty-eight steps down to the underground Armenian church of St. Helena, and from it twelve more steps lead to the dungeon, where the holy Empress Helen found the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. At the place where he was found, in the very deepening of the cave, a Greek throne was built. In this dungeon, huge fragments of natural rocks are visible in the form in which they remained after the earthquake that occurred during the Crucifixion of Christ.

Climbing up and turning right along the gallery, the pilgrim comes to the chapel of the separation of the Lord's robes by the soldiers. They divided among themselves, according to the custom of that time, the clothes of the Crucified, tearing them into four parts. The tunic (shirt) was woven, and they did not want to tear it, but agreed to give it to one of them, to whom it would get by lot. Thus, the soldiers literally fulfilled the prophecy of King David: “You will divide my garments for yourself and for my clothes you will cast lots” (Ps. 21:19).

Next, we go to the Greek chapel of St. mch. Longinus, a centurion who believed at the time of Christ's death at the sight of wondrous signs. “And the centurion and those who were with him guarding Jesus, seeing the earthquake and all that had happened, were terrified and said, Truly this was the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54).

On the opposite side of the temple from Calvary, in the northern part, there is a stone, which is called the "bonds of the Savior." It stands at the entrance to a small cave where the soldiers guarded the criminals while preparing the instruments of their execution on Golgotha. The holy feet of the Savior were enclosed in two holes of this stone during the installation of the Cross.

Not far from here is a place marked with a marble circle, where the Lord appeared after His Resurrection to Mary Magdalene. In the western part of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, in the aisle of the Syrians-Jacobites, there is the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus Christ, carved into a natural rock. As is known from the Gospel, after being taken down from the Cross, Christ was placed in a new tomb that belonged to Joseph. After his death, Joseph was buried in this more modest tomb.

The main object of worship for an Orthodox pilgrim is the Holy Sepulcher, which is located in the Rotunda of the Church of the Resurrection. Under its high dome is a chapel, or small church(in Greek - Kuvukliya), lined with marble, with decorations on the walls and a dome in the middle. Kuvuklia is divided into two parts: the first is called the chapel of the Angel - the herald of the joyful Resurrection of Christ (three meters long and wide). In the middle of this aisle stands a marble vase, in which is embedded a part of the stone that the Angel rolled away from the doors of the Sepulcher. During the service of the Liturgy, this stone serves as an altar. The entrance to the chapel of the Holy Sepulcher is very low and narrow: 112 cm high, 72 cm wide. The cave itself is also small. Three sides of the Tomb are leaning against the rock, and the fourth is open and lined with marble. The top is also covered with a marble board, as if divided in the middle. During the Liturgy, the top board on the Holy Sepulcher serves as an altar on which the Gifts for the Eucharist are prepared. Between the Kuvuklia and the Anointing Stone, a marble circle is depicted on the floor, enclosed by an iron lattice cap. The Mother of God stood here when Christ was taken down from the Cross and wrapped in a shroud.

Worship in the temple

In the 19th century the temple was divided among six different Christian communities - Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Armenian, Coptic, Syrian and Ethiopian, whose monastery is located on the roof of the temple. The partition was not peaceful. Only in 1852 did the agreement, signed under the pressure of the Turkish Sultan, consolidate the status quo. Christians of other Churches can visit the temple as ordinary pilgrims. On the Holy Sepulcher, as well as on Golgotha, three Divine Liturgy: at 12 o'clock at night - Greek, Orthodox; behind it - Armenian, and the third - Catholic. The plot of land occupied by the temple has been owned by two Muslim families since the time of Salah ad-Din. They also keep the keys to the temple.

Despite the division of the Christian Churches, the veneration of the Holy Sepulcher, Golgotha ​​and other shrines of Jerusalem is, perhaps, a little of what truly unites all Christians today and reminds us of the apostle’s call to seek what is above, “where there is no Greek, no Jew, no circumcision, not uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but all and in all Christ” (Col. 3, 11).

After the Sabbath, at night, on the third day after His suffering and death, The Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of His divinity, came to life, i.e. rose from the dead. His human body was transformed. He came out of the tomb without breaking the stone, without breaking the Sanhedrin seal and invisible to the guards. From that moment on, the soldiers, without knowing it, guarded the empty coffin.

Suddenly there was a great earthquake; an angel of the Lord descended from heaven. He, approaching, rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb of the Lord and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were as white as snow. The warriors who stood guard at the tomb trembled and became like the dead, and then, waking up from fear, fled.

The angel of the Lord rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb

On this day (the first day of the week), as soon as the Sabbath rest ended, very early, at dawn, Mary Magdalene, Mary Jacobleva, John, Salome and other women, taking the prepared fragrant myrrh, went to the tomb of Jesus Christ to anoint His body, because they did not have time to do this at the burial. (The Church calls these women myrrh-bearers). They did not yet know that guards were assigned to the tomb of Christ, and the entrance to the cave was sealed. Therefore, they did not expect to meet anyone there, and they said among themselves: "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?" The stone was very large.

Mary Magdalene, ahead of the rest of the myrrh-bearing women, was the first to come to the tomb. It was not yet dawn, it was dark. Mary, seeing that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb, immediately ran to Peter and John and said: "They took the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they put Him." Hearing these words, Peter and John immediately ran to the tomb. Mary Magdalene followed them.

At this time, the rest of the women, walking with Mary Magdalene, approached the tomb. They saw that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. And when they stopped, suddenly, they saw a luminous angel sitting on a stone.

The angel, turning to them, said: “Do not be afraid: for I know that you are looking for Jesus crucified. He is not here; He is risen as I said while still with you. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And then go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead."

They went inside the tomb (cave) and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. But, looking, they saw an angel in a white robe sitting on the right side of the place where the Lord was laid; they were terrified.

The angel says to them: “Do not be horrified; you are looking for Jesus, the crucified Nazarene; He is risen; He is not here. Here's the place where He was laid. But go and tell His disciples and Peter (who by his renunciation fell away from the number of disciples) that He will meet you in Galilee, where you will see Him, as He told you."

When the women stood in perplexity, suddenly, again, two angels in shining clothes appeared before them. The women bowed their faces to the ground in fear.

The angels said to them: "Why are you looking for the living among the dead? He is not here: He is risen; remember how He told you when he was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful people, and be crucified, and rise on the third day."

Then the women remembered the words of the Lord. And having gone out, they fled from the tomb in trembling and fear. And then, with fear and great joy, they went to tell His disciples. They didn't say anything to anyone on the way, because they were afraid.

Having come to the disciples, the women told about everything they had seen and heard. But their words seemed empty to the disciples, and they did not believe them.

Meanwhile, Peter and John come running to the tomb of the Lord. John ran faster than Peter and came to the tomb first, but he did not enter the tomb, but bending down, he saw the sheets lying. Peter runs after him, enters the tomb and sees only the linens lying, and the kerchief (bandage) that was on the head of Jesus Christ, not lying with the sheets, but rolled up in another place separately from the sheets. Then John came in after Peter, saw everything, this and believed in the resurrection of Christ. Peter marveled at what had happened in himself. After that, Peter and John returned to their homes.

When Peter and John left, Mary Magdalene, who came running with them, remained at the tomb. She stood and wept at the entrance to the cave. And when she was crying, she bent down and looked into the cave (into the tomb), and saw two angels in a white robe, sitting, one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of the Savior lay.

The angels said to her: "wife! Why are you crying?"

Mary Magdalene answered them: "They have carried away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him."

Having said this, she looked back and saw the standing Jesus Christ, but from great sadness, from tears and from her confidence that the dead do not rise, she did not recognize the Lord.

Jesus Christ says to her: "Woman! why are you crying? Whom are you looking for?"

Mary Magdalene, thinking that this is the gardener of this garden, says to Him: "Lord! If you carried Him out, tell me where you put Him, and I will take Him."

Then Jesus Christ says to her: Maria!"

Appearance of the Risen Christ to Mary Magdalene

The well-known voice made her come to her senses from her sadness, and she saw that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself was standing before her. She exclaimed: " Teacher!" - and with indescribable joy she threw herself at the feet of the Savior; and from joy she did not imagine the whole greatness of the moment.

But Jesus Christ, pointing her to the holy and great mystery of His resurrection, says to her: “Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brothers (i.e., disciples) and tell them: I ascend to My Father, and to your Father, and to my God and your God."

Then Mary Magdalene hastened to His disciples with the news that she had seen the Lord and that He had told her. This was the first appearance of Christ after the resurrection..

Appearance of the Risen Christ to the Myrrhbearers

On the way, Mary Magdalene caught up with Mary Iakovleva, who was also returning from the tomb of the Lord. When they went to tell the disciples, suddenly, Jesus Christ Himself met them and said to them: " rejoice!".

They came up, took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him.

Then Jesus Christ said to them: "Do not be afraid, go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."

So the resurrected Christ appeared a second time.

Mary Magdalene with Mary Iakovleva, entering the eleven disciples and all the others, weeping and weeping, announced great joy. But when they heard from them that Jesus Christ is alive and they saw Him, they did not believe.

After that, Jesus Christ appeared separately to Peter and assured him of His resurrection. ( Third phenomenon). Only then did many cease to doubt the reality of the resurrection of Christ, although there were still non-believers among them.

But before all, as evidenced by the antiquity of St. Church, Jesus Christ delighted His Blessed Mother telling her through an angel of his resurrection.

The Holy Church sings about this in this way:

An angel crying out more graciously: Pure Virgin, rejoice! and pack the river: rejoice! Your Son is risen three days from the tomb, and raised up the dead: rejoice people! Shine, shine, new Jerusalem! the glory of the Lord has risen upon you: rejoice now and be glad, Zion! You are pure, show off, Mother of God, about the rise of Your Nativity.

The angel exclaimed to the blessed (Mother of God): Pure Virgin, rejoice! and again I say: rejoice! Your Son rose from the tomb on the third day after death and raised the dead: people, rejoice! Glorify, glorify the Christian Church, because the glory of the Lord has shone over you: now triumph and rejoice! But you, Pure Mother of God, rejoice in the resurrection of the one born by you.

Meanwhile, the soldiers who were guarding the tomb of the Lord and fled from fear, came to Jerusalem. Some of them went to the high priests and they were told everything that happened at the tomb of Jesus Christ. The high priests, having gathered with the elders, held a conference. Due to their evil stubbornness, the enemies of Jesus Christ did not want to believe His resurrection and decided to hide this event from the people. To do this, they bribed the soldiers. Having given a lot of money, they said: "Tell everyone that His disciples, having come at night, stole Him when you were sleeping. And if the rumor about this reaches the ruler (Pilate), then we will clap for you in front of him and save you from trouble" . The warriors took the money and did as they were taught. This rumor spread among the Jews, so that many of them believe it to this day.

The deception and lies of this rumor are visible to everyone. If the soldiers were sleeping, they could not see, and if they saw, then they were not sleeping and would have detained the kidnappers. The guard must watch and watch. It is impossible to imagine that the guard, which consisted of several persons, could fall asleep. And if all the soldiers fell asleep, then they were subject to severe punishment. Why were they not punished, but left alone (and even rewarded)? And the frightened disciples, who locked themselves in their homes from fear, could they possibly decide, without weapons against the armed Roman soldiers, on such a brave deed? And besides, why would they do it when they themselves lost faith in their Savior. Besides, could they roll off a huge rock without waking anyone up? All this is impossible. On the contrary, the disciples themselves thought that someone had carried away the body of the Savior, but when they saw the empty coffin, they realized that this did not happen after the abduction. And, finally, why didn't the leaders of the Jews search for the body of Christ and punish the disciples? Thus, the enemies of Christ tried to obscure the cause of God with a crude interweaving of lies and deceit, but proved powerless against the truth.

NOTE: See in the Gospel: Matthew, ch. 28 , 1-15; from Mark, ch. 16 , 1-11; from Luke, ch. 24 , 1-12; from John, ch. 20 , 1-18. See also 1st Epistle of St. app. Paul to the Corinthians: ch. 15 , 3-5.