Autocephaly recognized by some autocephalous Churches de jure :
84-588: Autocephaly and canonicity recognized by Constantinople and 3 other autocephalous Churches: Spiritual independence recognized by Georgian Orthodox Church: Semi-Autonomous: The Dormition of the Mother of God is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox , Oriental Orthodox , and Eastern Catholic Churches (except the East Syriac churches). It celebrates the "falling asleep" (death) of Mary
168-402: A liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does not mean "a large meal, typically a celebratory one", but instead "an annual religious celebration, a day dedicated to a particular saint". The system rose from a Celtic festival of commemorating each martyr annually on
252-587: A Jew by birth, born in Phoenicia , converted to Christianity in adulthood and lived as a monk for over 20 years in Palestine from 335–340 to 362, writes in " Panarion " in "Contra antidicomarianitas" about the end of the Virgin Mary the following: If any think [I] am mistaken, moreover, let them search through the scriptures any neither find Mary's death, nor whether or not she died, nor whether or not she
336-456: A commemoration (see Tridentine calendar ), so in 1908 they were moved one day earlier. When the 1969 reform of the Catholic calendar moved him to 28 January, they were moved back to 7 March (see General Roman Calendar ). Both days can thus be said to be their feast day, in different traditions. The General Roman Calendar , which list those saints celebrated in the entire church, contains only
420-606: A holy day. Recent scholarship has shown that The Dormition/Assumption of Mary (attributed to John the Theologian or 'Pseudo-John'), another anonymous narrative, may even precede the Book of Mary's Repose . This Greek document, edited by Tischendorf and published in The Ante-Nicene Fathers , is dated by Tischendorf as no later than the 4th century. The Greek sources for the early period are only late copies and
504-804: A proper Mass to every feast day of an Apostle. The present Roman Missal has common formulas for the Dedication of Churches, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Martyrs (with special formulas for missionary martyrs and virgin martyrs), pastors (subdivided into bishops, generic pastors, founders of churches, and missionaries), Doctors of the Church, Virgins, and (generic) Saints (with special formulas for abbots, monks, nuns, religious, those noted for works of mercy, educators, and [generically] women saints). This calendar system, when combined with major church festivals and movable and immovable feasts, constructs
588-486: A selection of the saints for each of its days. A fuller list is found in the Roman Martyrology , and some of the saints there may be celebrated locally. The earliest feast days of saints were those of martyrs, venerated as having shown for Christ the greatest form of love, in accordance with the teaching: "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." Saint Martin of Tours
672-599: A set, omitting the first three in the list above, and adding the Raising of Lazarus , Crucifixion of Jesus , and Harrowing of Hell . Mary was born to elderly and previously barren parents by the names of Joachim and Anna (now saints), in answer to their prayers. Orthodox Christians do not hold to the Roman Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, in which it is taught that Mary
756-506: A very human and personalised yet often localized way of organizing the year and identifying dates. Some Christians continue the tradition of dating by saints' days: their works may appear "dated" as "The Feast of Saint Martin ". As different Christian jurisdictions parted ways theologically, differing lists of saints began to develop. This happened because the same individual may be considered differently by one church; in extreme examples, one church's saint may be another church's heretic, as in
840-470: A young girl, where she lived and served until her betrothal to Joseph . December 25— Christmas . The nativity account ( Gospel of Luke 2:1–20 ) begins with Mary and Joseph (Mary's betrothed) traveling to Bethlehem to be enrolled in the Roman census ordered by Augustus Caesar . On the way, they look for a place for Mary to give birth to her child, but all the inns are full and the only suitable place
924-592: Is a cave (show as a stable in most Western descriptions) where animals are kept. The Theotokos (God-bearer, the Virgin Mary) gives birth ineffably (without pain or travail) and remains virgin after childbirth. This observance commemorates Christ's baptism by John the Baptist in the River Jordan , and the beginning of Christ's earthly ministry ( Gospel of Matthew 3:13–17 , Gospel of Mark 1:9–11 ). It
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#17327662536021008-659: Is depicted at the top of the icon in a similar aureola before the opening gates of heaven. This suggests that contemporary accounts of the deaths of the Desert Fathers accompanied by a sudden burst of light came to influence the development of the iconography of the Dormition. The Dormition is known as the Death of the Virgin in Catholic art, where it is a reasonably common subject, mostly drawing on Byzantine models, until
1092-768: Is generally consistent with the Julian Calendar, the dates of the fast are from August 7 to August 22. The Dormition Fast is a stricter fast than either the Nativity Fast (Advent) or the Apostles' Fast , with only wine and oil (but no fish) allowed on weekends. As with the other Fasts of the Church year, there is a Great Feast that falls during the Fast; in this case, the Transfiguration (August 6), on which fish, wine and oil are allowed. In some places,
1176-671: Is known by the Orthodox as both Epiphany (i.e., manifestation ) and Theophany ( manifestation of God ). These are bundled, along with Christmas, differently in some eastern Christian traditions. In the Gospel of Luke 2:22–35 , Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem. He was received in the arms of the elder Simeon , who then prayed, "Now let Thy servant depart (die) in peace,...for I have seen Thy salvation." This
1260-463: Is like John who leaned on the Lord’s breast, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” She is like St. Thecla; and Mary is still more honored than she, because of the providence vouchsafed her. Ambrose , however, who was a contemporary of Epiphanius, dismissed the view that Mary was martyred when exegeting Saint Simeon's prophecy in (Luke 2.35), seemingly critiquing those who took the prophecy literally, and reducing
1344-531: Is more important to look for the Blessed Virgin's spiritual attitude at the moment of her departure from this world. In this regard, St Francis de Sales maintains that Mary's death was due to a transport of love. He speaks of a dying “in love, from love and through love”, going so far as to say that the Mother of God died of love for her Son Jesus (Treatise on the Love of God, bk. 7, ch. XIII–XIV). Whatever from
1428-740: Is not superior to the Son who underwent death, giving it a new meaning and changing it into a means of salvation. Involved in Christ's redemptive work and associated in his saving sacrifice, Mary was able to share in his suffering and death for the sake of humanity's Redemption. What Severus of Antioch says about Christ also applies to her: “Without a preliminary death, how could the Resurrection have taken place?” (Antijulianistica, Beirut 1931, 194f.). To share in Christ's Resurrection, Mary had first to share in his death. The New Testament provides no information on
1512-525: Is said to be the first or at least one of the first non-martyrs to be venerated as a saint. The title " confessor " was used for such saints, who had confessed their faith in Christ by their lives rather than by their deaths. Martyrs are regarded as dying in the service of the Lord, and confessors are people who died natural deaths. A broader range of titles was used later, such as: Virgin , Pastor , Bishop , Monk , Priest , Founder, Abbot , Apostle, Doctor of
1596-502: Is seen as a first symbol of the resurrection of the faithful that will occur at the Second Coming of Christ. The event is normally called the "Dormition", though there are many Orthodox Churches with the name "Assumption". In Greek, "Dormition" is "Kimisis" (Coemesis) -- falling asleep in death—from which the word " cemetery " derives. Feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing
1680-618: Is shown higher than the apostles, increasingly so in later centuries, so that he seems to be floating in the air above rather than standing on the ground like the apostles. But his feet are always hidden behind the bier, leaving this ambiguous. There are similarities between the traditional depictions of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Byzantine icons and the account of the death of the Egyptian Desert Father , Sisoes
1764-607: Is the national independence day of India . The Maronite Church has a tradition that their Third Anaphora of the Apostle Peter or Sharrar (the Maronite redaction of the Holy Qurbana of Addai and Mari ) was originally composed for and used at the funeral of the Theotokos. This tradition probably developed because in its final form the anaphora has twelve paragraphs, i.e., one for each concelebrating apostle present at
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#17327662536021848-464: Is the name of this feast; another is the Dormition of Saint Anna, Mother of the Virgin Mary . The first Christian century may be silent, but anonymous traditions concerning the Dormition began circulating as early as the third century and perhaps 'even earlier' such as the Book of Mary's Repose . According to some, before the 4th-5th century the Dormition was not celebrated among the Christians as
1932-619: The Theotokos ("Mother of God", literally translated as God-bearer ), and her being taken up into heaven. The Feast of the Dormition is observed on August 15, which for the churches using the Julian calendar corresponds to August 28 on the Gregorian calendar. The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Dormition not on a fixed date, but on the Sunday nearest 15 August. In Western Churches
2016-399: The 1899 San Ciriaco hurricane (the deadliest in the island's recorded history; Saint Cyriacus , August 8), the 1928 San Felipe hurricane (the strongest in terms of measured wind speed; Saint Philip , father of Saint Eugenia of Rome , September 13), and the 1932 San Ciprian hurricane ( Saint Cyprian , September 26). This practice continued until quite some time after
2100-539: The Anglican Communion , there are Principal Feasts and Principal Holy Days , Festivals , Lesser Festivals , and Commemorations . Before the advent of standardized naming of tropical storms and hurricanes in the North Atlantic basin , tropical storms and hurricanes that affected the island of Puerto Rico were informally named after the Catholic saints corresponding to the feast days when
2184-554: The Assumption . On 25 June 1997 during a General Audience Pope John Paul II stated that Mary experienced natural death prior to her assumption into Heaven, stating: It is true that in Revelation death is presented as a punishment for sin. However, the fact that the Church proclaims Mary free from original sin by a unique divine privilege does not lead to the conclusion that she also received physical immortality. The Mother
2268-561: The Canon of Matins ). There are also distinctions between Simple feasts and double (i.e., two simple feasts celebrated together). In Double Feasts, the order of hymns and readings for each feast are rigidly instructed in Typikon , the liturgy book. The Lutheran Churches celebrate Festivals, Lesser Festivals, Days of Devotion, and Commemorations. In the Church of England , mother Church of
2352-525: The Eastern Orthodox Church , the feast of the death and Resurrection of Jesus , called Pascha (Easter), is the greatest of all holy days and as such it is called the "feast of feasts". Immediately below it in importance, there is a group of Twelve Great Feasts (Greek: Δωδεκάορτον). Together with Pascha, these are the most significant dates on the Orthodox liturgical calendar. Eight of the great feasts are in honor of Jesus Christ , while
2436-525: The Holy Spirit descended upon them in the form of "cloven tongues of fire", with the sound of a rushing mighty wind, and they began to speak in languages that they did not know. There were many visitors from the Jewish diaspora to Jerusalem at that time for the Jewish observance of the feast, and they were astonished to hear these untaught fishermen speaking praises to God in their alien tongues ( Acts of
2520-645: The House of the Virgin Mary , and also with Constantinople where the Cincture of the Theotokos was enshrined from the 5th through 14th centuries. Eastern Christians celebrate the Dormition of the Theotokos on August 15 (August 28, N.S. for those following the Julian Calendar ), the same calendar day as the Roman Catholic Feast of the Assumption of Mary . "Dormition" and "Assumption" are
2604-648: The Immaculate Conception also recognizes that Mary was in need of salvation, viewing her as prevented from falling into the scar of sin, instead of being pulled up out of it. Orthodox thought does vary on whether Mary actually ever sinned, though there is general agreement that she was cleansed from sin at the Annunciation . The Exaltation of the Holy Cross (also called the Elevation of the Cross) commemorates
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2688-623: The Nativity of St. John the Baptist (24 June [ O.S. 7 July]), the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June [ O.S. 12 July]), the Beheading of St John the Baptist (29 August [ O.S. 11 September]), and the Intercession of the Theotokos (1 October [ O.S. 14 October]). In Byzantine art a slightly different group were often depicted as
2772-596: The Theotokos has already undergone the bodily resurrection , which all will experience at the second coming , and stands in heaven in that glorified state which the other righteous ones will only enjoy after the Last Judgment . The Dormition tradition is associated with various places, most notably with Jerusalem , which contains Mary's Tomb and the Basilica of the Dormition , and Ephesus , which contains
2856-844: The United States Weather Bureau (now called the National Weather Service) started publishing and using official female human names (initially; male names were added starting in 1979 after the NWS relinquished control over naming to the World Meteorological Organization ). The last two usages of this informal naming scheme in Puerto Rico were in 1956 ( Hurricane Betsy , locally nicknamed Santa Clara after Saint Clare of Assisi , feast day August 12 back then; her feast day
2940-572: The ascension of Christ into heaven, nor when, where, or how she died, for the Gospels say nothing of this. The foundation for the feast of the Dormition is to be found in a sacred tradition of the Church dating from apostolic times, apocryphal writings, the constant faith of the People of God, and the unanimous opinion of the holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church of the first thousand years of Christianity." Epiphanius of Salamis (c. 310/20–403),
3024-548: The death of Jesus , dying in AD 41 . The use of the term dormition expresses the belief that the Virgin died without suffering, in a state of spiritual peace. This belief does not rest on any scriptural basis, but is affirmed by Orthodox sacred tradition . Some apocryphal writings testify to this opinion, though neither the Orthodox Church nor other Christians accord them scriptural authority. The Orthodox understanding of
3108-786: The motu proprio Summorum Pontificum , divides liturgical days into I, II, III, and IV class days. Those who use even earlier forms of the Roman Rite rank feast days as doubles (of three or four kinds), Semidoubles, and Simples. See Ranking of liturgical days in the Roman Rite . In the Eastern Orthodox Church the ranking of feasts varies from church to church. In the Russian Orthodox Church they are: Great Feasts , middle, and minor feasts. Each portion of such feasts may also be called feasts as follows: All-night vigils , Polyeleos , Great Doxology , Sextuple ("sixfold", having six stichera at Vespers and six troparia at
3192-655: The "Palm of the Tree of Life" narratives, the "Bethlehem" narratives, and the "Coptic" narratives—aside from a handful of atypical narratives. The events of the Dormition of the Virgin and her burial are dealt with in several known apocrypha such as the "Liber de transitu Virginis Mariae" by Pseudo-Melito of Sardis (5th century), a passing reference in Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite , and narratives by Pseudo-Cyril of Jerusalem, and Pseudo-Evodius. Around this time,
3276-848: The "Three Feasts of the Saviour in August". These are: the Procession of the Cross (August 1), the Transfiguration (August 6), and the Icon of Christ " Not Made by Hand " (August 16). It is customary in some places to bless fragrant herbage on the Feast of the Dormition. In some places, the Rite of the "Burial of the Theotokos" is celebrated at the Dormition, during the All-Night Vigil . The order of
3360-409: The 6th century. Thus eleven of the twelve feasts were celebrated in the Greek East for some time prior, as most of the hymnographic content is datable to the 5th century. Besides the Twelve Great Feasts, the Orthodox Church knows five other feasts that rank as great feasts, yet without being numbered among the twelve. They are: the Circumcision of Christ (1 January [ O.S. 14 January]),
3444-414: The Apostles 2:1–11 ). Jesus had gone with his disciples (later called apostles ) Peter , James , and John (also called John the Evangelist ) to Mount Tabor . Christ's appearance was changed while they watched into a glorious radiant figure. There appeared Elijah and Moses , speaking with Jesus. The disciples were amazed and terribly afraid. This event shows forth the divinity of Christ, so that
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3528-399: The Church . The Tridentine Missal has common formulæ for Masses of Martyrs, Confessors who were bishops, Doctors of the Church, Confessors who were not Bishops, Abbots, Virgins, Non-Virgins, Dedication of Churches, and Feast Days of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Pius XII added a common formula for Popes. The 1962 Roman Missal of Pope John XXIII omitted the common of Apostles, assigning
3612-423: The Church," Emperor Maurice (582–602) issued an edict which set the date for the celebration of the Dormition on August 15. After this time more "mainstream" Dormition narratives began appearing, their content still in part based upon the earlier, mostly anonymous, narratives. Modestus, Patriarch of Jerusalem (630–632) said at this celebration, while preaching, that he regrets the lack of specific information about
3696-430: The Dormition Fast. From August 1 to August 14 (inclusive) Orthodox and Eastern Catholics fast from red meat , poultry , meat products , dairy products (eggs and milk products), fish, oil, and wine. In churches that follow the old or Julian Calendar , the fast is from August 14 to August 28. In the Coptic Orthodox Church , Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church , whose calendar
3780-422: The Dormition in art is found on a sarcophagus in the crypt of a church in Zaragoza in Spain dated c. 330. The written historical and archaeological record aside, a fairly representative example of mainstream Orthodox teaching is that Church Tradition preserved a more ubiquitous oral tradition. According to Sophia Fotopoulou, "We have no historical data to indicate how long the Mother of God remained on earth after
3864-406: The Dormition is compatible with Roman Catholic teaching, and was the dominant belief within the Western Church until late in the Middle Ages, when the slightly different belief in the bodily Assumption of Mary into heaven began to gain ground. Pope Pius XII declared the latter a dogma of the Catholic Church in 1950 . The Feast of the Dormition is preceded by a two-week fast , referred to as
3948-467: The Eves of the Transfiguration and the Dormition. The first day of the Dormition Fast is a feast day called the Procession of the Cross (August 1), on which day it is customary to have an outdoor procession and perform the Lesser Blessing of Water . In Eastern Orthodoxy it is also the day of the Holy Seven Maccabees, Martyrs Abimus, Antonius, Gurias, Eleazar, Eusebonus, Alimus, and Marcellus, their mother Solomonia, and their teacher Eleazar. Therefore,
4032-412: The Father ( Nicene Creed ). While the disciples were still looking into the air for Jesus, an angel appeared and told them that the Lord would return again in the same manner as they had seen him go into heaven ( Acts of the Apostles 1:9–11 ). Fifty days after the Resurrection, on the existing Jewish feast of Shavuot , while the disciples and many other followers of Jesus were gathered together to pray,
4116-402: The Great . In both Christ is seen coming to receive the soul of the dying saint surrounded by an aureola or cloud of blinding light and accompanied by the angels and prophets. In Byzantine icons the other Christs shown surrounded by such a cloud of light are those also seen in icons of the Transfiguration , the Resurrection and the Last Judgment . In some icons of the Dormition the Theotokos
4200-450: The Russian Orthodox, though it is not by any means a standard service in all parishes, or even most cathedrals or monasteries. In Jerusalem, the service is chanted during the Vigil of the Dormition. In some Russian churches and monasteries, it is served on the third day after Dormition. The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church , which is an Oriental Orthodox Church, celebrates the Feast of Dormition on August 15 with great importance, as that day
4284-440: The cases of Nestorius , Pope Dioscorus I of Alexandria , or Archbishop Flavian of Constantinople . In the Catholic Church feast days are ranked in accordance with their importance. In the post- Vatican II form of the Roman Rite , feast days are ranked (in descending order of importance) as solemnities , feasts or memorials (obligatory or optional). Pope John XXIII 's 1960 Code of Rubrics , whose use remains authorized by
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#17327662536024368-419: The circumstances of Mary's death. This silence leads one to suppose that it happened naturally, with no detail particularly worthy of mention. If this were not the case, how could the information about it have remained hidden from her contemporaries and not have been passed down to us in some way? As to the cause of Mary's death, the opinions that wish to exclude her from death by natural causes seem groundless. It
4452-447: The corresponding feast is known as the Assumption of Mary , with the exception of the Scottish Episcopal Church , which has traditionally celebrated the Falling Asleep of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15. Christian canonical scriptures do not record the death or Dormition of Mary. Hippolytus of Thebes , a 7th- or 8th-century author, writes in his partially preserved chronology of the New Testament that Mary lived for 11 years after
4536-432: The cyclones either made landfall or started to seriously affect the island. Examples are: the 1780 San Calixto hurricane (more widely known as the Great Hurricane of 1780 , the deadliest in the North Atlantic basin's recorded history ; named after Pope Callixtus I (Saint Callixtus), whose feast day is October 14), the 1867 San Narciso hurricane (named after Saint Narcissus of Jerusalem , feast day October 29),
4620-437: The date of their death, their birth into heaven, a date therefore referred to in Latin as the martyr's dies natalis ('day of birth'). In the Eastern Orthodox Church , a calendar of saints is called a Menologion . "Menologion" may also mean a set of icons on which saints are depicted in the order of the dates of their feasts, often made in two panels. As the number of recognized saints increased during Late Antiquity and
4704-474: The day is sometimes referred to as "Makovei". Finally it is also considered the First of the three "Feasts of the Saviour" in August, the Feast to the All-Merciful Saviour and the Most Holy Mother of God. In Orthodoxy and Catholicism, in the language of the scripture, death is often called a sleeping or falling asleep (Greek κοίμησις; whence κοιμητήριον > coemetērium > cemetery, a place of sleeping; Latin: dormire , to sleep). A prominent example of this
4788-530: The death of the Virgin Mary. According to Truglia, "John of Thessalonica ," another 7th century author, "wrote a narrative admittedly based upon details found in earlier homilies." Theoteknos, bishop of Livias sometime between 550 and 650, also wrote a Dormition narrative similar in its content. In Rome the feast called Dormitio Beatae Virginis was established by Pope Sergius I (687–701), borrowed from Constantinople. According to later tradition, Mary, having spent her life after Pentecost supporting and serving
4872-429: The different names respectively in use by the Eastern and Western traditions relating to the end of Mary's life and to her departure from the earth, although the beliefs are not necessarily identical. Both views agree that she was taken up into heaven bodily. The Orthodox Church specifically holds one of the two Roman Catholic alternative beliefs, teaching that Mary died a natural death, like any human being; that her soul
4956-445: The disciples would understand after his Ascension that He was truly the radiant splendor of the Father, and that his Passion was voluntary. Gospel of Mark 9:2–9 The Orthodox feast of the Dormition is analogous to what Roman Catholicism calls the Assumption of Mary . According to Orthodox Tradition, Mary died like all humanity, "falling asleep", so to speak, as the name of the feast indicates. (Catholic theologians are divided on
5040-662: The end of the Middle Ages . But often the moment just after death is shown, without Christ, but with the apostles crowded around the bed. The Death of the Virgin by Caravaggio , of 1606, is probably the last famous Western painting of the subject. After this depictions of the Assumption become usual, with the Virgin shown alive, rising to Heaven. Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church Autocephaly recognized by some autocephalous Churches de jure : Autocephaly and canonicity recognized by Constantinople and 3 other autocephalous Churches: Spiritual independence recognized by Georgian Orthodox Church: Semi-Autonomous: In
5124-400: The feast corresponds to that of their Orthodox counterparts, whether Eastern Orthodox or Oriental Orthodox. The Catholic doctrine of the Assumption covers Mary's bodily assumption to heaven, but the dogmatic definition avoids saying whether she was dead or alive at that point. The question had long been in dispute in Catholic theology; although Catholic art normally portrays her as alive at
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#17327662536025208-450: The first Dormition narratives among mainstream authors appear, namely Jacob of Serug and Theodosius of Alexandria . These late—5th and 6th century Dormition narratives come from differing communions, so not all of their content was accepted, but only the basic idea that the Virgin Mary blissfully rested and her soul was received in heaven by her Son Jesus Christ at Dormition. According to Nikephoros Kallistos Xanthopoulos in his "History of
5292-459: The first half of the Middle Ages , eventually every day of the year had at least one saint who was commemorated on that date. To deal with this increase, some saints were moved to alternate days in some traditions or completely removed, with the result that some saints have different feast days in different calendars. For example, saints Perpetua and Felicity died on 7 March, but this date was later assigned to St. Thomas Aquinas , allowing them only
5376-419: The first transmissions and earliest witnesses can be only found and accessed through the fragmentary translations into Christian Palestinian Aramaic and Syriac. Shoemaker identifies liturgical elements in "Pseudo-John", and the Six Books Apocryphon (dated to the early fourth century), which implies that the Dormition was a holy day in some circles by the 4th century. Additionally, the earliest known appearance of
5460-449: The funeral mass of the Theotokos. In Byzantine art and that of later Orthodox schools the standard depiction shows the body of the Theotokos lying dead on a bed or bier . Behind this stands, or floats, Christ holding a small body wrapped in a winding cloth , representing the soul of the Theotokos. He often has a mandorla around him. The apostles surround the bier, and the sky may have figures of angels, saints and prophets. Christ
5544-412: The issue of whether Mary died. Today most would favor an actual death before the Assumption.) The Apostles were miraculously summoned to this event, and all were present except Thomas when Mary passed from this life. She was buried. Thomas arrived three days later, and desiring to see her one more time, convinced the other apostles to open her tomb. To their surprise, her body was not there. This event
5628-665: The nascent Church, was living in the house of the Apostle John, in Jerusalem, when the Archangel Gabriel revealed to her that her death would occur three days later. The apostles , scattered throughout the world, are said to have been miraculously transported to be at her side when she died. The sole exception was Thomas , who was preaching in India . He is said to have arrived in a cloud above her tomb exactly three days after her death, and to have seen her body leaving to heaven. He asked her "Where are you going, O Holy One?", at which she took off her girdle and gave it to him saying "Receive this my friend", after which she disappeared. Thomas
5712-410: The number of options to either natural death or assumption: Neither the letter of Scripture nor history teaches that Mary passed from this life by suffering execution, for it is not the soul but the body [some speculate] which is pierced through and through by the material sword. More Dormition traditions began surfacing in manuscripts during the late 5th century. Stephen Shoemaker characterised them as
5796-405: The other four are dedicated to the Virgin Mary —the Theotokos . The Twelve Great Feasts are as follows (note that the liturgical year begins with the month of September): With the exception of the Presentation/Entrance of the Theotokos, appointed hymns for all of the Twelve Great Feasts are found in the Georgian Iadgari (Chantbook) of Jerusalem which was compiled in approximately the middle of
5880-455: The physical point of view was the organic, biological cause of the end of her bodily life, it can be said that for Mary the passage from this life to the next was the full development of grace in glory, so that no death can ever be so fittingly described as a “dormition” as hers." The Feast of the Dormition has a one-day Forefeast and 8 days of Afterfeast . The feast is framed and accentuated by three feasts in honour of Jesus Christ , known as
5964-429: The point of assumption, but typically rising from a sarcophagus , many Catholics believe she had died in the normal way. Pope Pius XII alludes to the fact of her death at least five times, but left open the question of whether or not Mary actually underwent death in connection with her departure, in his Apostolic constitution , Munificentissimus Deus (1950), which dogmatically defined ex cathedra (i.e., infallibly)
6048-525: The realization that very sad events are soon to come. Among the Russian Orthodox, willow branches are substituted in the celebration of this event, owing to the lack of availability of palm trees in Slavic climes. Forty days after the Resurrection, while blessing His disciples ( Gospel of Luke 24:50–51 ), Christ ascended into heaven ( Gospel of Mark 16:19 ), taking His place at the right hand of
6132-668: The recovery of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. The Persians had captured it as a prize of war in Jerusalem in the year 614, and it was recovered by the forces of the Eastern Roman Empire ("Byzantine Empire") in 629. The cross was joyously held up for veneration by the Christian faithful upon its recovery. According to Tradition, Mary was taken— presented —to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem as
6216-533: The service is based on the service of the Burial of Christ on Great and Holy Saturday . An Epitaphios of the Theotokos, a richly embroidered cloth icon portraying her lying in state is used, together with specially composed hymns of lamentation which are sung with Psalm 118 . Special Evlogitaria for the Dormition are chanted, echoing the Evlogitaria of the Resurrection chanted at matins on Sundays throughout
6300-734: The services on weekdays during the Dormition Fast are similar to the services during Great Lent (with some variations). Many churches and monasteries in the Russian tradition perform the lenten services on at least the first day of the Dormition Fast. In the Greek tradition, during the Fast either the Great Paraklesis (Supplicatory Canon ) or the Small Paraklesis is celebrated every evening except Saturday evening and
6384-458: The year as well as on Lazarus Saturday and Great and Holy Saturday. This Epitaphios is placed on a bier and carried in procession as is the Epitaphios of Christ on during Great and Holy Saturday. This practice began in Jerusalem , and from there it was carried to Russia , where it was followed in various Dormition Cathedrals, in particular that of Moscow . The practice slowly spread among
6468-408: Was assumed into Heaven; John, who died a normal death; and Thecla, who was a martyr. This further shows that he was open to various options for her end, and did not know which of the options she actually experienced. And if I should say anything more in her praise, [she is] like Elijah, who was virgin from his mother’s womb, he always remained so perpetually, and was assumed and has not seen death. She
6552-482: Was buried—even though John surely travelled throughout Asia. And yet, nowhere does he say that he took the holy Virgin with him. Scripture simply kept silence because of the overwhelming wonder, not to throw men's minds into consternation. For I dare not say—though I have my suspicions, I keep silent. Perhaps, just as her death is not to be found, so I may have found some traces of the holy and blessed Virgin. ...The holy virgin may have died and been buried—her falling asleep
6636-555: Was conceived at that time "by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary", as stated in the Nicene Creed . A mere few days before His brutal crucifixion , Jesus was received by adoring throngs at his entry into Jerusalem on the back of young donkey ( Gospel of Matthew 21:1–11 ). The crowds threw palm branches in his path in jubilation, and even the children shouted praises to Him. The Orthodox celebrate this day with joy, but with
6720-565: Was one of the things that Mary "pondered in her heart"—the fact that others recognized that her Son was the Messiah . This feast is also known as the Meeting of the Lord , or Hypapante . According to the Gospel of Luke 1:26–38 , the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce to her that she would conceive and bear a son, even though she "knew no man." This date is selected to be exactly nine months ahead of Christmas, indicating that Christ
6804-484: Was preserved from the ancestral sin that befalls us all as descendants of Adam and Eve , in anticipation of her giving birth to the sinless Christ. The Orthodox believe that Mary, and indeed all mankind, was born only to suffer the consequences of the ancestral sin (being born into a corrupt world surrounded by temptations to sin), the chief of which was the enslavement to Death, and thus needed salvation from this enslavement, like all mankind. The Roman Catholic doctrine of
6888-426: Was received by Christ upon death; and that her body was resurrected on the third day after her repose, at which time she was taken up, both in body and soul, into heaven when the apostles, miraculously transported from the ends of the earth, found her tomb to be empty. The specific belief of the Orthodox is expressed in their liturgical texts used at the feast of the Dormition. The Eastern Catholic observance of
6972-470: Was taken to his fellow apostles, whom he asked to see her grave, so that he could bid her goodbye. Mary had been buried in Gethsemane , according to her request. When they arrived at the grave, her body was gone, leaving a sweet fragrance. An apparition is said to have confirmed that Christ had taken her body to heaven after three days to be reunited with her soul. Eastern Orthodox theology teaches that
7056-499: Was with honour, her death in purity, her crown in virginity. Or she may have been put to death—as the scripture says, 'And a sword shall pierce through her soul'—her fame is among the martyrs and her holy body, by which light rose on the world, [rests] amid blessings. Or she may have remained alive, for God is not incapable of doing whatever he wills. No one knows her end. In the next chapter, Epiphanius compares Mary with three different people, who died in three different ways: Elijah, who
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