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When the disciples of Jesus Christ recognized and confessed in Him Christ the Son of God: you are the Christ the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16), however, the full revelation of His glory was expected on earth (Matthew 20:20–28. Acts 1:6): The Lord declared that He must suffer much, die and rise on the third day (Matthew 16:21), for His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). ), but internal (Luke 17:21), spiritual and eternal (Ps. 144:13. Dan. 2:44), and that His followers, in order to maintain faith in Him and for the salvation of their souls, must be ready to endure everything (Matthew 16:24–26), and expect glory for themselves not on earth, but in heaven. In order to reveal this heavenly spiritual glory to his disciples, which will follow temporary suffering (Matthew 5:11), the Lord, in the 33rd year of his earthly life, in the last year of his preaching of the gospel, 6 days after the conversation about his suffering, death, resurrection and the responsibilities of his followers, was transfigured. For this, the Lord ascended the high Galilean mountain Tabor, accompanied by three of his disciples - Peter, James and John, who, as the Church says, wanted to share with the Lord his suffering and death (Matthew 20:22. Luke 22:33), and whose number was sufficient to legally testify to the truth of the transfiguration (2 Cor. 13:1). “The Lord will take up three,” says St. Ephraim the Syrian, sufficient witnesses to his transfiguration according to the law, who in spirit represented in his person and all the others. But since the future traitor, Judas, was unworthy of Divine sight and terrible vision, the Lord leaves others with him so that he would not have any excuse later.” On the mountain, with visible detachment from earthly things and in undisturbed silence, the Lord prays to the Father of lights (James 1:17) and during prayer the glory of His Divinity was revealed, as much as His disciples could contain it. The face of the Lord shone like the sun, his clothes became white as light, depicting the glory in which the righteous will be clothed physically after the general resurrection of the dead. On the mountain, witnesses of the Transfiguration of the Lord appeared in glory from another world - Moses and Elijah; according to the voice of the Church, the leaders of the law and the prophets, who were once honored with a vision of the Divine glory of the Lord, one at Sinai, the other at Horeb, testifying by his appearance on Tabor that Christ is God, who spoke of old by the law and the prophets, is the creator and executor of the law and the prophets and possesses both earth, heaven and the underworld. As the Lord of heaven and the King of earth and the Lord of the underworld during the transfiguration, the apostles appeared to Christ from earth, Elijah the Tishbite from heaven, and Moses from the dead. Moses and Elijah talked with the Son of God about His exodus, who wanted to die in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31), that is, about the death of the God-man on the cross. The intention of Jesus Christ - to show his disciples his heavenly divine glory - was completely justified. The heavenly glory of the God-man delighted them so much that they always wanted to contemplate it while on the mountain. Mentor, said the apostle. Peter To the Lord, it is good for us to be here: and we will make three canopies, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. At these words, a bright cloud overshadowed them and the voice of God the Father was heard: This is my beloved who eats the full: listen to him. During the voice, the frightened disciples, unable to look at the radiance of the Lord’s face, as the strongest of human vision, fell to the ground. Jesus Christ came and touched them and said: Arise, and do not be afraid. Lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except the Lord (Matthew 16:1–9; Luke 9:18–36). In memory of the glorious transfiguration of the Lord on Tabor, the Church established the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The beginning of this holiday is hidden in the ancient times of Christianity. In the 4th century St. Helena built a church on Mount Tabor in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, which was destroyed by Saladin in the 13th century. In the 4th century, between the writings of the Fathers of the Church, many teachings on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord are found, such as: in St. Ephraim the Syrian, St. John Chrysostom o; in the 5th century at St. Proklos Bishop of Constantinople, St. Leo the Great, etc. In the 5th century, Anatoly of Constantinople, in the 8th century, St. John of Damascus and Kozma of Maiumsky composed many hymns for the Feast of the Transfiguration, of which he is right. The Church now glorifies the transfiguration of the Lord. However, in the 12th century, the Feast of the Transfiguration was not yet universal in the West. Pophon, a presbyter of Trevir or Trier, who lived in this century, spoke of it as an innovation in some Western monasteries. In the 15th century (in 1457), Pope Callistus III established the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord everywhere in the Western Church and established on this holiday the very rite of worship that is still celebrated there - established for the following circumstance. Sultan Mohammed II, after the capture of Constantinople, rushed to the siege of Belgrade. Guniad, the military commander of Ladislaus V, King of Hungary, fortified himself in this city. The prayers of the pious inspired the besieged. The complete defeat of the infidels and the victory won by Christians with very weak forces on August 6, 1456, on the day of the Transfiguration, was called upon by everyone for the miraculous help of God. The Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, in terms of the importance of the event, is great and the twelfth. It is the day of the new Epiphany for the disciples of Jesus Christ, who at the first time of His baptism were not yet called to the rank of apostles, it is the day of the bodily and visible manifestation of the divine glory of the Son of God to the apostles, which for them was still hidden under the roof of His flesh (Luke 18:31-34). “Man is visible, but God is hidden, Christ ascends to Tabor,” sings the Church. The Transfiguration of the Lord serves as the manifestation of a new heavenly kingdom of glory, which the disciples of Christ did not think about and for the achievement of which believers, as the Savior Himself predicted at the Last Supper, must eat with Him new bread and wine (Matthew 26:29. Luke 22:16–18); and besides, for the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, new fruits ripen: therefore, at the Liturgy of this feast of Rights. The Church blesses and sanctifies the firstfruits. The custom is sacred and significant. The firstfruits of fruits were brought to the altar in the Old Testament, according to the law of Moses (Exodus 23:19, Lev.23:10, Numbers 18:12–13), for the glory of God (Proverbs 3:9). The apostolic and conciliar rules also stipulate that some first fruits should be offered, for example. new ears of grain and vegetable fruits for their consecration through prayer and blessing, in order to bless and consecrate in these firstfruits all the fruits of the earth for use for the glory of God and for the benefit of the believers. The Apostolic Decrees preserved the prayer for the consecration of the first fruits. An offering and a blessing to their rights. The Church inspires that in it, as in a sacred society, everything - from man to plant - should be dedicated to God, as the property of God and the blessing of God is called upon for its use. For the earth is the Lord's and the fulfillment thereof, and all who live on it (Ps. 23:1). By offering and blessing fruits, the Church obliges us to abstain from them until they are blessed and thereby, by the way, helps to protect us from diseases that can occur without a blessing from eating unripe fruits, and by eating from consecrated fruits it brings down the blessing of God on those who sacrifice their property to God. According to legend from St. Father, since the time of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, it has been decreed to use “the bunch where it is found. If anyone from the brethren takes a bunch before the holiday, then let him accept the prohibition for disobedience and not eat the bunch for the entire month of August. From this, let others learn to obey. The grapes should be offered at the meal after this holiday three times a week - on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.” For the sake of the holiday, it was decided to allow fish at the meal if it happened on Wednesday or Friday. By celebrating the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Church solemnly confesses and glorifies the union of Divinity and humanity in the person of Jesus Christ and His voluntary and true suffering for us and for our salvation. St. Ephraim the Syrian, in his conversation on the day of the Transfiguration, says: “The Lord led the apostles to the mountain in order to reveal to them who He is and whose Son (Matthew 17:5), in order to reveal to them the glory of His Divinity and to show that He is the very Savior of Israel Who was promised through the Prophets.” Likewise, Moses and Elijah, by their appearance on the mountain, testified to the Divinity of the Transformed One, that He is the One who spoke of ancient times to Moses and Elijah, and together they saw, according to the Church, in the face of the Lord on the mountain two natures. Confessing and proclaiming the Divinity of the Savior, the Feast of the Transfiguration inspires that the suffering and death of the Son of God are voluntary and saving. “Yes, when (the apostles) see You crucified, the Church proclaims, they understand free suffering, and the world preaches that you are truly the Father’s radiance.” Confirming the Orthodox faith in St. The Trinity and the union in the person of Jesus Christ of Divinity and humanity, the Feast of the Transfiguration overthrows the errors of those false teachers whose wickedness is exposed by the great feasts of Epiphany and the Nativity of Christ. By His transfiguration, the Lord once deigned to protect His disciples from despondency and to lead them to the highest hope amid the disasters that were to befall them in the world (Matthew 16:22, 28): thus, the Church, by celebrating the transfiguration of the Lord into heavenly glory, prepared for all of us, morally consoles us during earthly suffering, filled with hardships and sorrows, instilling in us that beyond the short-term through sorrows the glory of eternal bliss will shine forth, in which our body will also participate. And to those who follow the path of the cross, the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord inspires that for our gracious transformation from the darkness of sin into the light of truth and virtue, which opens the doors of heaven, impartiality to the delights of the world and prayer are necessary. For the Lord, for His transfiguration, not without reason, ascended to a height that removed Him from the earthly world, and having lifted His body to the mountain, from here, prayerfully and in spirit, He ascended to heaven and was transformed into the glory that was hidden below. “Enlightened by the radiance of the virtues, let us ascend the holy mountain, so that we may see the divine transfiguration of the Lord. High mountain - the heart is cleansed from the passions of those who have it, we will see Christ’s transfiguration, enlightening our mind.” Repose of Saint Theoktistus, Bishop of Chernigov Before entering the Chernigov department, Blessed Theoktist asceticised at the monastery of St. Antonia and Theodosius. He accomplished so much here in spiritual life that, according to Polycarp, he was among those great elders by whose prayer the deceived Nikitas was healed 54 . In 1103, after the death of Abbot John, he was elected and ordained Abbot of the Lavra. In 1108 he built it in the Lavra at the expense of the prince. Gleba stone refectory. In the same year he begged V. book Svyatopolk to ask M. Nicephorus, so that the name of St. Theodosius would be included in the synodics of saints of all Russia and St. Theodosius is included among the saints 55. During his time in the Pechersk Lavra, there apparently was a special phenomenon in the air spaces, which amazed his contemporaries, to their spiritual benefit 56. People who consider themselves smart look at everything easily, ignore everything: but are they smarter than those who are edified by such phenomena for the salvation of their souls? In January 1113 Ave. Abbot Theoktist was consecrated bishop of Chernigov; in Chernigov everyone was happy about this, because Theoktistus’s predecessor John had been sick for a long time, which is why they had not seen archpastoral service for a long time, but the princess was especially happy, since he was her spiritual father 57 . In May 1115, the saint was at the transfer of the relics of St. princes Boris and Gleb to a new stone church built by the Chernigov prince. Oleg. 58. – In the same year he buried this prince in the Chernigov Spassky Cathedral 59, and the next year the princess nun Predslava, sister of the Chernigov prince David 60. - Prince David, meek, kind, pious, served as a consolation for the virtuous shepherd. Having lost (1120) his son Rostislav, the pious prince, both out of love for his son and out of reverence for St. Princes Boris and Gleb, of whom the latter was his baptismal name, built a stone church near the cathedral in honor of St. princes Boris and Gleb. The blessed saint joyfully consecrated it 61. Close to the time of the book. David the Chernigov preacher said: “I will present you with an example not from a foreign land. David Svyatoslavich did not start enmity with anyone. Let someone else start a war: he stopped this war with submission; he reigned in the Grand Duchy because he was the eldest of the brothers. If anyone committed injustice towards him, he suffered everything on himself. Has anyone ever kissed a cross? I never changed my word my whole life. Let another not fulfill his words in front of him: he fulfilled his own - he did not offend anyone, he did not harm anyone. The brothers, seeing him like this, obeyed him like a father, and obeyed him like a sovereign. His reign was peaceful... Will someone say that he did not have a wife? No, he had children. Nikolai Svyatosha was his son and there were two others. Or will someone say that he did not have a home, and therefore could fulfill the commandment of the Lord? It happened to me more than once that some ignorant people say: we cannot be saved with a wife and children. The prince had not one house, but many. The prince of the entire Chernigov land fulfilled the commandment of God, throughout his life he had no quarrel with anyone... Be ashamed, being at enmity with your brothers and half-bloods” 62. In the new church, Prince. David was preparing a tomb for himself: this is how he remembered death! On August 1st he lay on his deathbed. The saint who loved him, noticing his closeness to death, ordered the canon to be sung to the cross of the Lord, the guardian from the spirits of evil. - At this very time a white dove flew in and sat on the chest of the dying man; the prince died and the dove flew away. – The deceased prince was buried in the Spassky Cathedral and laid in the new Boris and Gleb Church 63. The prince and the saint, who loved each other, were not separated for long: on August 9, blessed Bishop Theoktist 64 also fell asleep. - According to the RCP. Saints and in the canon of Kyiv saints he is placed among the saints of the Kyiv Lavra, and in one list of calendars it is directly said: “he was founded in the Pechersk Monastery.” - So, blessed one. Theoktist, in the place of his monastic deeds, awaits the day of the general resurrection 65. Collection l. I, 120. II, 288. 7, 21. Nikon. l. II, 40. Collection l. I, 121. II, 288. Collection l. II, 3. 289. I, 127. III, 4. Collection l. II, 6. Sl. May 2 about St. to Boris and Gleb. Word on St. Day to. Boris and Gleb at Pogodin in Izv. VII, 407 408. Step. book I, 234. 235. Collection l. I, 128. V, 9. Nikon. l. V, 54. RKP. calendar: "St. Theoktist, Bishop of Chernigov, was in the year 6597 = 1089 Apr. in 39 AD. This is the year of the healing of Nikita. "Ordained in the Pechersk monastery." it is said in the Oten calendar. Meletius Sirig in the canon, after Ephraim and Isaiah, prays to the hierarch Theoktistus. Akathist, Kyiv 1674