How black magic infiltrated the Christian church
The existence of the "order of curses" in the Christian church is intriguing in itself. The purpose of the rite is not only to excommunicate the cursed from the Church and "deliver him into the hands of the devil," but also to call all kinds of misfortunes upon him.
Byzantine magic
Obviously, Byzantine magic is direct magic, moreover, black magic, which allows you to bring damage, remove it, or give an answer to the question of how to get your husband back. How could such a rite penetrate the Byzantine Church, and even more, as Almazov notes, and "practice very, very often"? The scientist does not give an unambiguous answer to this. He only notes that the texts he is studying are most likely a reworking, moreover, obviously vulgarized, of earlier monuments, apparently dating back to the Jerusalem Church. Based on these meager facts, we can only assume that the origin of such practices could have been influenced by the Old Testament tradition (with which the Jerusalem Church was most closely in contact) and that the interests of the empire became the most important factor in their popularization. Under the total pressure of the imperial power,The Byzantine Church could not, of course, oppose her will. And if the state interests demanded to punish the criminal at all costs, she had no choice but to obey.
The spiritual grounds for the introduction of the "institution of curses" into the liturgical practice were found, naturally, in the Bible. The Psalter is the most authoritative Christian book after the New Testament. In addition to the psalms, replete with complaints of oppression and calls to the Almighty to punish enemies, in the Bible you can find many other stories on which the apologists of "God's judgment" (as the psalmokatara is also called) could rely. For example, the story about the prophet Elisha, who in the name of the Most High cursed the teasing children, after which they were torn apart by a bear (II Samuel 2:24).
This ancient Middle Eastern tradition, incidentally, migrated into medieval Jewish practice. Since ancient times, the concept of "here" existed here - excommunication from the synagogue (the philosopher Benedict Spinoza was subjected to here, in particular, in the 17th century). Hasidim also have the concept of "kfida" - "anger of the righteous." A person who has been struck by this "anger" must suffer troubles if he does not correct himself. By the beginning of the 20th century, the combination of the traditions of kfida and kherem gained fame under the name of pulse de-nur (aram. "Blow of fire") - a terrible curse to which individuals especially guilty before the Orthodox could be subjected. Already today, ultra-Orthodox Hasidic groups have twice announced the imposition of the de-Nur's pulse curse on Israeli Prime Ministers Yitzhak Rabin and Ariel Sharon (in 1995 and 2005, respectively). The threats were serious. The first one literally a month later was killed by a religious fanatic, the second, less than six months later, fell into a coma, in a state of which he is to this day. And although the pulse de Nur is considered a fairly late phenomenon, its kabbalistic roots are possibly very ancient. In the Talmud, one can find a description of the spiritual world, which looks like the royal court of the Almighty, in which angelic ranks take the places of ministers and courtiers. Angels here are often subjected to "corporal" punishments, which are described as flogging with "fiery rods" (such punishments, according to the Talmudists, were, for example, the archangel Gabriel and even the prophet Elijah). And although the pulse de Nur is considered a fairly late phenomenon, its kabbalistic roots are possibly very ancient. In the Talmud, one can find a description of the spiritual world, which looks like the royal court of the Almighty, in which angelic ranks take the places of ministers and courtiers. Angels here are often subjected to "corporal" punishments, which are described as flogging with "fiery rods" (such punishments, according to the Talmudists, were, for example, the archangel Gabriel and even the prophet Elijah). And although the pulse de Nur is considered a fairly late phenomenon, its kabbalistic roots are possibly very ancient. In the Talmud, you can find a description of the spiritual world, which looks like the royal court of the Almighty, in which angelic ranks take the places of ministers and courtiers. Angels here are often subjected to "corporal" punishments, which are described as flogging with "fiery rods" (such punishments, according to the Talmudists, were, for example, the archangel Gabriel and even the prophet Elijah).for example, the archangel Gabriel and even the prophet Elijah).for example, the archangel Gabriel and even the prophet Elijah).
It is possible that these two medieval traditions - Jewish and Christian - could feed each other. It was, of course, difficult for the Byzantine emperors to pass by such an effective "spiritual weapon". And the matter, I think, is not only and not so much in criminals. Although the problems with corruption in the Byzantine Empire were no less painful than we are today, it is unlikely that only the need to punish a thief who was hiding from justice could force the Byzantine authorities to agree to such a serious "edition" of the Orthodox liturgy and the very moral principles of Christianity. But the Byzantine state was constantly exposed to threats of conquest from the outside, and this was already serious! Do we have the right to assume that initially the practice of imposing curses was used in moments of especially terrible danger threatening the empire? It is knownthat over the thousand years of its existence, Byzantium was saved many times literally by a miracle. Here are just the most expressive examples. In 600, the allied army of the Avars and the Slavs approached Constantinople, but a sudden outbreak of plague forced them to sign a peace with Byzantium. In 626, Constantinople was again besieged by the Avars, Slavs and Persians, but the city was saved by a conflict that suddenly broke out between the allies. In 668, Muslims besieged Constantinople for the first time. The sudden outbreak of an epidemic forces them to lift the siege. In 813, the leader of the Bulgarians, Krum, at the head of a huge army, almost took Constantinople. Only the sudden death of the Bulgarian king saves Byzantium from inevitable destruction. During the III Crusade (1189-1192), the Byzantine emperor Isaac Angel made an alliance with the Sultan Saladin,promising him to detain and destroy the army of Frederick Barbarossa, which was approaching Constantinople. By a strange coincidence, crossing the river, Barbarossa drowns, and the German army, having lost the emperor, turns home. However, separate agreements with the sultans did not save Byzantium from the capture of Constantinople by the crusaders in 1204. But in 1355 the Serbian king Stefan Dusan, proclaiming himself "the emperor of the Serbs and Greeks", launched a grandiose campaign against Constantinople. Never before was the dream of a Slavic empire in place of the Byzantine one so close to being realized. But … again (for the umpteenth time!) Byzantium was saved only by the unexpected death of a formidable enemy.turns home. However, separate agreements with the sultans did not save Byzantium from the capture of Constantinople by the crusaders in 1204. But in 1355 the Serbian king Stefan Dusan, proclaiming himself "the emperor of the Serbs and Greeks", launched a grandiose campaign against Constantinople. Never before was the dream of a Slavic empire in place of the Byzantine one so close to being realized. But … again (for the umpteenth time!) Byzantium was saved only by the unexpected death of a formidable enemy.turns home. However, separate agreements with the sultans did not save Byzantium from the capture of Constantinople by the crusaders in 1204. But in 1355 the Serbian king Stefan Dusan, proclaiming himself "the emperor of the Serbs and Greeks", launched a grandiose campaign against Constantinople. Never before was the dream of a Slavic empire in place of the Byzantine one so close to being realized. But … again (for the umpteenth time!) Byzantium was saved only by the unexpected death of a formidable enemy.) Byzantium was saved only by the unexpected death of a formidable enemy.) Byzantium was saved only by the unexpected death of a formidable enemy.
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Although such an explanation of the events of the past is curious, one cannot tear out even the most incredible pages of history …
Everyone remembers two years ago the confrontation between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Chukchi bishop Diomid (Dzyuban), which ended in anathemas of the last elite of the Russian Orthodox Church and the overthrow of the most rebellious bishop from dignity. Soon after these events, Archbishop Mark (Tuzhikov) of Khabarovsk and Amur, who was temporarily appointed governor of the Chukotka diocese, complained to journalists that, according to his information, Diomed urged parishioners “to pray to the Prophet Ilya so that the plane from Khabarovsk (on which the new ruler flew to rebellious Chukotka) did not land in Anadyr. " Whether this was the case remains unclear. But if such a "battle of magicians" in the sky over Chukotka did take place, the victory in it definitely remained with Archbishop Mark.
A year after the tumultuous events (literally on the same day with Diomedes' anathemas), Archbishop Eusebius (Savvin) of Pskov anathematized a local communist journalist who drew public attention to land manipulations of the diocese. Moreover, in the text made public by the diocesan authorities, it was especially emphasized that the godless journalist "is anathema - damnation." Then the public's attention was attracted by a message from Ukraine, where four monasteries of the Russian Orthodox Church gathered to pray for the enlightenment of some journalists slandering them, and not somehow, but "by sending illnesses and misfortunes to them."
The latest in time was the story with the statements of the head of the Yekaterinburg diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. The threats of Archbishop Vincent (Morar), promising the wrath of God to all opponents of the idea of building an Orthodox cathedral in the center of Yekaterinburg, including their offspring "up to the seventh generation," made such a serious impression on the townspeople that another protest rally against the construction of the cathedral gathered dozens of times more people than the previous one.
So, instead of the doctrine of love for one's neighbor, which we are accustomed to associating with Christianity, only uncompromising battles for property and a barrage of curses appear to the attention of an astonished society. Which, naturally, makes inquisitive minds plunge into the history of the issue. And here truly amazing discoveries await the persistent and curious researcher.
Coals of fire will fall on them …
In 1912, Alexander Almazov (1859–1920), a professor of church law at Moscow University, published a small book in Russian entitled “The Curse of a Criminal in Psalms. On the history of the judgment of God in the Greek Church”, which contained extracts from the Greek nomokanon of 1528 and the Greek manuscript collection of 1542. The attention of the researcher was attracted by a special church rite that existed in the Byzantine Church at least from the 13th to the 17th century, which bore the name "Psalmokatar" (literally translated from Greek "curse with psalms") and was used against criminals - both church and criminal, hiding from justice.
The very existence of the "order of curses" in the Christian Church is intriguing in itself. “Do not swear,” “Pray for those who curse you,” “Love your enemies” - this is how the Gospel teaches. The purpose of the rite in question is not only to excommunicate the cursed from the Church and "deliver him into the hands of the devil," but also to call upon him all kinds of harm, up to physical and spiritual death.
The classical psalmokatara was usually performed in the church after the liturgy. To perform it, seven priests were required - as in the sacrament of anointing (that is, healing). The number of priests was probably associated with the number of the main Gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are also recognized as seven. But if in the rite of blessing the priest calls on the sick one of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, then in the rite of psalmokatara everything happens exactly the opposite. The role of the priests here is to deprive the condemned successively of all the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
How was this dark rite performed? At the end of the Liturgy, the priests went to the middle of the church, carrying out the sacred utensils prepared in advance. Namely - a vessel of vinegar, quicklime and seven black resin candles. Putting a piece of lime in the volume of a chicken egg in a vessel with vinegar, the priests lit resin candles and began prayers. Under the influence of acetic acid, lime boiled and hissed, filling the space of the temple with a tangible stench, black candles in the hands of the priests were mercilessly smoking - all this should have made a great impression on those present, Almazov notes. As, however, the “prayers” themselves, in turn pronounced by the priests: the so-called “troparion of Judas” (“Today Judas leaves the Teacher and accepts the devil, the love of money is blinded, the darkened light falls away”) and certain fragments from the Psalter. For example: “Judge,Lord, offending me … May their path be dark and crawl … May a net come to him … may it embrace and, and let it fall into a net”(Ps. 34); “Put a sinner on him, and let the devil stand at his right hand. Always judge him, let him come out condemned, and let his prayer be a sin. May his days be mali … may his sons be Siri, and his wife a widow … May his children be for destruction, in one generation may his name be consumed. Let the iniquity of his father be remembered before the Lord, and let the sin of his mother not be cleansed”(Psalm 108); “Fiery coals will fall on them; if I cast them down in passion, they will not stand. A pagan husband will not be corrected on earth: a wicked unrighteous husband will be caught into corruption”(Psalm 139).let him come out condemned, and let his prayer be a sin. May his days be mali … may his sons be Siri, and his wife a widow … May his children be for destruction, in one generation may his name be consumed. Let the iniquity of his father be remembered before the Lord, and let the sin of his mother not be cleansed”(Psalm 108); “Fiery coals will fall on them; if I cast them down in passion, they will not stand. A pagan husband will not be corrected on earth: a wicked unrighteous husband will be caught into corruption”(Psalm 139).let him come out condemned, and let his prayer be a sin. May his days be mali … may his sons be Siri, and his wife a widow … May his children be for destruction, in one generation may his name be consumed. Let the iniquity of his father be remembered before the Lord, and let the sin of his mother not be cleansed”(Psalm 108); “Fiery coals will fall on them; if I cast them down in passion, they will not stand. A pagan husband will not be corrected on earth: a wicked unrighteous husband will be caught into corruption”(Psalm 139).
An even more impressive rite of damnation is presented in a 1542 handwritten Greek collection from the Vatican Library collection. Judging by the appearance of this notebook, Almazov notes, it was undoubtedly in great use. Here we no longer see an inverted rite of blessing, but in fact - a real "black mass" (or rather, "black liturgy"). They began to prepare for the curse already during the evening service. For the celebration of the "liturgy" it was supposed to prepare the sacred utensils already known to us, and it was supposed to call the people to the service with blows to the beat with the left hand. Priests entering the ministry had to turn their clothes inside out and change their shoes from left to right foot. The Rite prescribed during the Great Entrance to light black candles, pour vinegar into a vessel with lime and in the clouds of black smoke and a spreading stench read the psalm:"Lord judge those who offend me." Then it was supposed to extinguish the candles by dropping them into a vessel with vinegar, to break the vessel itself, and "all this should be done so that no one understands what is being done." The charter drew attention to another important point: if the purpose of the rite was the death of the cursed, he should be remembered among the dead, if only a terrible disease among the living.
It was believed that the damned by this rank, after a few days, should turn black, swell, sit down and fall under the wrath of God, in other words, die. In this case, the body of the deceased should not have undergone decay. Unlike the Russian Church, where the incorruptibility of the body is considered a testimony to holiness, in the Greek Church incorruptibility was considered a sign of the special sinfulness of a criminal (that is, a sinner so much that even the earth does not take him). The dead man who did not undergo decay became a vurkalak (vampire) - this is how the Greek priests taught their flock.
Greek heritage in Russia
The remarkable Russian philologist Boris Uspensky in the article “An episode from the case of Patriarch Nikon. A Page from the History of Greek-Russian Church Relations”also explores the phenomenon of psalmokatara, concluding that they were familiar with this practice in the Russian Church. In 1663, Patriarch Nikon, by that time already disgraced, was accused of cursing the Tsar and his family using the texts of the psalms. The case has been thoroughly investigated and equally thoroughly documented. During the investigation Nikon confessed to pronouncing witchcraft oaths, denying, however, that they were directed against the king. Nikon claimed that he pronounced curses on the captain Boborykin, with whom the Patriarch had a land dispute over the villages surrounding the patriarchal residence in New Jerusalem. During the proceedings it turned outthat psalms with curses to various offenders and enemies in the Nikon monastery were read regularly. Nikon himself even stubbornly defended his right to “pray for those who offended”, referring to various sacred texts, and tirelessly threatened his numerous enemies to send down God's punishment on their heads. After attending one of these "prayer services", Boborykin remarked to the New Jerusalem brethren: "You should have been burned for the kind of prayer you serve," and returning to Moscow, informed the tsar about the atrocities taking place in the Patriarch's residence. True, the latter's witchcraft practices were of little use to him. Numerous offenders of Nikon did not "swell" and did not "dissipate", so that he even had to make excuses for the ineffectiveness of his rituals. So, in a petition in 1665, Nikon explains that the absence of God's punishments does not mean at all that his "prayers" are not effective,because the punishment should follow not in this, but in the next world.
Boris Uspensky gives another remarkable example of the black book, described in the memoirs of Archimandrite Lazar (in the world of Luke Zalensky, 1729–1807), rector of the Russian embassy church in Constantinople in 1766–1799. Archimandrite Lazar tells about a certain Greek who decided to convert to Islam, but died unexpectedly, and did not manage to complete his plan. The question arose - how to bury him? The Turks, recognizing the Greek as unworthy of burial according to the Islamic rite, forced to bury his Greek priest. The Greek priest, "having laid on his neck … the epitrachelion inside out, taking in both hands a great censer with smoking black incense, used in the wind (that is, as a remedy for an epidemic disease)", began to wave it around, reading at the top of his throat in Turkish -Greek: "Not ours, not yours, come the devil, take it, having made him an eternal memory."
In turn, Alexander Almazov cites a document from the Council of the Russian Church in 1689, in which the former monk Sylvester Medvedev is cursed. Moreover, the form of the curse clearly goes back to the Greek models: “And may he be excommunicated and anathematized from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit … now and after death is not forgiven; and his body will not crumble … and the earth does not accept him … So, twenty years after Nikon's witchcraft manipulations, the whole church Council has completely mastered the practice of cursing, forgetting even about its own national tradition, according to which an incorruptible body was always recognized as a sign of holiness.
All subsequent famous church excommunications and curses on Russian soil, as a rule, had political overtones. Stepan Razin, Emelyan Pugachev, Ivan Mazepa, Lev Tolstoy were subjected to such. In 1911, Bishop Germogen of Saratov proposed to anathematize "the obvious heretic Vasily Rozanov." The case, however, dragged on, and by 1917 it was resolved by itself. The court of history intervened, excommunicating both the autocracy and the Russian Church itself. But the thousand-year experience of church curses is not forgotten, as we see, even today.