Circumcision of the Lord - what is this? Circumcision of the Lord: the history of the feast

The main events related to the earthly life of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, the Orthodox Church celebrates very widely and deliberately solemnly. There are twelve such big holidays, as a result of which they are called Twelve. Only one event in the life of the Savior in this series of celebrations does not fall. This is circumcision of the Lord. What is this holiday, in general terms can be understood from its name.

What the Church Celebrates

On the eighth day after Christmas, which took place in the Bethlehem cave, the Virgin Mary and her betrothed (imaginary husband) Joseph brought the Bogomiladz to the Jerusalem temple. As law-abiding Jews, they had to perform a compulsory rite. With the circumcision of the foreskin, the Son of the Virgin Mary was named Jesus. The fulfillment of this ritual enabled the Savior to be considered a full-fledged descendant of Abraham, and therefore, to have the right to morally instruct his fellow tribesmen and be to them a true Messiah. In accordance with the liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church, this feast is called Circumcision according to the flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ. Liturgical texts on this day glorify and denote the miraculous name.

Circumcision of the Lord. history of the holiday

The Church's establishment of the triumph of Circumcision was due to the need to counteract the intemperate pagan tradition of celebrating the New Year on the territory of the Roman Empire. By the beginning of the 4th century the annual liturgical cycle was almost formed. The revelry of carnal pleasures was logical to oppose the church holiday and the preceding post. The Circumcision of the Lord was the best fit. That this was an extremely necessary measure is evidenced by the records of the fathers of the church of those years. Thus, St. Ambrose of Milan on the very day of the newly established feast complains, referring to the flock with the words of the apostle Paul: "... I am afraid for you," exclaims the bishop, "I was not in vain laboring for you." Was there any sense among the inhabitants of Mediolan (modern Milan) in general to preach Christianity - that's what the saint is thinking about. In other words, the unbridled faith in the days of the January festivals reached such an extreme that the very meaning of faith in God was called into question. In the period between Christmas and Epiphany, a post was added, the culmination of which was Circumcision of the Lord. What kind of a feast is this Circumcision, the question among ordinary members of the communities did not arise, although the underlying meaning was the Jewish religious background. In the era when Christianity became the state religion, changes in the liturgical statute could be born not only within the ecclesiastical environment, but also by the willful decision of the hierarchs from the submission of the most august persons. A vivid example is Circumcision of the Lord. The history of the holiday shows that the zealous propaganda activities of the Church Fathers led to the complete eradication of the January Bacchanalia. At least two centuries later, there are no accusatory speeches on the subject in ancient annals.

Theological interpretation

Christ had to perform all the Old Testament rites and confirm them by fulfilling the legitimacy of the Law of Moses. The first in a series of ceremonial order was the Circumcision of the Lord. Christianity, despite the obvious Old Testament origin, gives this event a significant symbolic meaning. The holiday symbolizes the need for spiritual circumcision of the heart. In other words, without a cardinal change in the moral state, it is impossible for a person to enter the society of God's chosen people. Spiritual circumcision means victory over evil inclinations, true repentance and conversion of the sinner to God.

The Oldest Tradition of the East

The Orthodox tradition closely echoes many of the ancient Jewish teachings. At the same time, theologians maintain that the Old Testament history of mankind is a period of moral preparation for the coming of the Savior - a hint, a shadow, a prototype of the modern Christian church. The triumph of the Descent of the Holy Spirit occurred on the day of the Hebrew holiday of Pentecost. The Presentation of the Lord, the performance of the sacrifice on the fortieth day after the birth of the male infant, the introduction into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin directly refer to the Sinai legislation.

And the Circumcision of the Lord has a close connection with the Old Testament. The tradition of circumcision was established by the ancient patriarch Abraham by revelation from above. The Lord commanded the elders to mark the concluded union between Him and the people to cut off the foreskin. It was kind of an initialization of members of the elected society. Abraham ordered to perform a rite over his son, all his fellow tribesmen, and even bought slaves. Since then, Jews are obligatory to circumcise all male babies on the eighth day after birth.

Apostles of circumcision

After the descent of the Holy Spirit, faith in Christ began to spread widely throughout the civilized world. At first the sermon sounded among the Jewish communities of the Mediterranean. Over time, the Gentiles also joined in. With this category of newly converted in some communities, misunderstandings began to arise. The fact is that for several decades the Jews, when entering the Christian community, had already been circumcised before. Performing the Old Testament rites began to demand from the Gentiles. That is, it was first necessary to perform the Jewish ritual, and then to receive baptism. The apostle Paul, in his message to the community in Colossi, compared baptism with an ancient circumcision. The custom leading the story from Abraham was a sign of the union of people with God, and now the New Testament spiritual circumcision is made, not made by hands. Its essence is not in material symbols, but in detachment from sinful life.

A Triumphant Celebration

Day of Circumcision unites two more significant events. In the Russian Empire, which used the Julian calendar, the New Year celebration for the modern chronology was on January 14. In the secularized Soviet era, after the transition to the Gregorian style, this day began to be called the authentic term "Old New Year". The Russian Orthodox Church, which adheres to the orthodox calendar, set a special holiday on January 14 in the first day of the secular new year in 1701. Circumcision of the Lord, in addition, is celebrated together with the memory of the great teacher of the Church of St. Basil, who served in the fourth century as archbishop in the Middle Eastern city of Caesarea. In liturgical texts, all three events are organically intertwined.

Liturgical features

All celebrations in honor of the Savior and the Theotokos have the so-called days of pre-holiday and supper. That is, even before the main event and after it for several days, the liturgical chants celebrate the great triumph. Analogy can be done with the sunrise and sunset. In the morning the sun did not rise yet, and the world around is already illuminated. So it was in the evening: the sun disappeared, but still light. Circumcision of the Lord is celebrated only one liturgical day. On the very day of the feast a rare divine service is performed - the Liturgy of Basil the Great. This rank is served in Lent, Christmas and Epiphany Eve and Circumcision of the Lord. That this is the first day of the new year is witnessed by a special prayer service after the Liturgy, during which the blessing of God for "the future summer" for citizens, rulers and the whole state is sought.

Circumcision of the Lord. Icon

There are few pictures of this event. The icon of the Circumcision is not used by the icon painters. Usually in the temples, an icon is placed on the anale, the icon of Saint Basil the Great, whose memory is performed on the same day. True, among the frescoes of the internal paintings of ancient temples, one can see Circumcision of the Lord. The icon, as a rule, depicts the Virgin Mary with the God-Bearer in her arms, Joseph the Betrothed and the Elder with a ritual knife, preparing to perform the ritual.

Moral lesson

Liturgical hymns contain not only laudatory content, but also have a significant didactic meaning. Any event from the life of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God or the saints can be a reason for extracting a moral lesson. The Circumcision of the Lord does not stand aside either. That this is a very important precedent can be verified by examining the following excerpt from the liturgical texts: "The All-Good God was not ashamed to be circumcised with carnal circumcision, but He showed Himself the image and the mark of salvation: the Creator of the law - the law fulfills."

The leitmotif of the teachings that are heard from the church pulpits on the day of the Circumcision of the Lord is a moral example of obedience to the laws for one's own good. The God-man Jesus Christ did not need to perform any religious ritual on him . But did the Founder of the new spiritual society have the right to demand from his followers constant submission if he himself did not fulfill the laws established through divine revelation?

The Old Testament Tradition and the Mystery of the Name

Also, the church on this day draws the believers' attention to their names. The name of a Christian is given at baptism not arbitrarily, but in honor of the saints. At the same time, a special prayer is read, linking the new member of the Christian community with his heavenly patron. In addition to a certain semantic load (for example, Alexander in Greek means "courageous", Victor - "winner", etc.), the name is an important component of the formation of the inner world of man, his secret personality. This is especially true in the modern world, when exalted parents, for the sake of modern trends, call their children almost dog names.

Many nations of antiquity had a custom of naming with two names. The first, true, knew only the bearer and his relatives. The second name was intended for use in everyday life. This was done so that detractors, through mystical influence, could not harm the subject. If our ancestors attached such importance to the names, then the Christian name should not be an empty phrase, but a testament to belonging to the highest moral category of society.