The Holy Land and Syria

by Frank G. Carpenter

With towel and basin the Greek Patriarch washes the feet of his twelve bishops each Easter Week, thus commemorating Christ’s washing of the feet of His apostles. The bishop representing Peter always raises objections, which the Patriarch overrules

Then the Patriarch prepared for the washing. Standing in front of his chair, he first took off his great dome of a hat. As he did so his long gray locks fell down almost to his waist and his fair, open, dignified face shone out under the sun. He next laid off his grand gown; piece by piece the cloth of gold was removed, until at last he stood forth in a white robe of the finest cream-coloured silk crêpe bound round the waist with a gold-and-white girdle. In this still grand attire personating the Saviour, he took a long Turkish bath towel and twisted it about his loins. Then stooping over he poured the water from the gold pitcher into the basin.

The twelve bishops, in the meantime, were busy getting their feet out of their English congress-gaiters and pulling off their white cotton socks for the washing. Each bared one foot and held it out to be washed as the Patriarch came around with the basin. The Patriarch did the washing very quickly, rubbing each foot with water and drying it with a towel. As he finished he bent over and kissed the foot he had washed and then went on to the next. The last bishop represented St. Peter, and, after the example of Peter of the past, he objected to having his feet washed by the Lord; he rose and gesticulated violently. But the Patriarch opened the Bible and read to him the admonition of Christ to Peter, shaking his hand at Peter as he did so. A moment later Peter sat down humbly and submitted to the washing.

At this moment the bells of the Greek churches all over Jerusalem burst out in a chorus of rejoicing. The preacher against the wall chanted louder than ever, while the great crowd surged this way and that in their efforts to get nearer the platform. The Patriarch descended, the bishops followed, and in double file they marched out through the crowd, with the kavasses clearing the way. A priest carried in front of the Patriarch a vase of the holy water in which the feet were washed, and into this His Beatitude dipped a great bouquet of roses with which he sprinkled the water over the crowd. The people held up their faces to catch the purifying drops and rushed to the platform to wipe up with their handkerchiefs what was spilled on the floor. Those who succeeded in thus wetting their handkerchiefs then pressed them over their faces.

The “miracle” of the holy fire also takes place in the church in front of the tomb two days after the foot-washing ceremony. The Latin churches have not taken part in it for more than three hundred years. The Roman Catholics protest against it, and it is now managed entirely by the Greeks and the other sects of the Orient.

The Greeks say that the “miracle” has been celebrated ever since the days of the apostles. It is mentioned in theological literature as far back as the ninth century, and in the twelfth century it was made use of to arouse a religious fervour against the enemies of Christianity. Most of the pilgrims of the Eastern churches believe that the fire actually comes down from heaven and that they are able to ignite their candles from flames sent by God.

This sacred fire appears in the tomb of the Holy Sepulchre precisely at two o’clock in the afternoon of the Saturday before Easter. On the morning of that day all of the lights of the church are put out, and the people stand for hours and wait for the great event. There are holes in the walls of the Sepulchre itself, and through these the candles of believers are passed to the Patriarch of Jerusalem, who is inside. He lights them with the sacred flame as soon as it appears and hands them out burning. Other candles are lighted from these, and runners carry the holy fire all over Palestine, to Bethlehem and to Nazareth, and to the Sea of Galilee.

The night before the miracle hundreds sleep in different chapels and in the rotunda, in order to hold good places for the morrow, and during the day the churches are thronged to such an extent that people are often injured by the crush. In the morning everyone has a bunch of candles in his hand. There are ten thousand dozens of candles in the crowd, and all are to be lighted within an hour with fire from heaven, as they believe.

When the ceremonies begin, the Greek Patriarch and his bishops in gorgeous dresses march three times round the Sepulchre with banners, praying. They ask God to send down the fire, and their march is preceded by a flag and a cross. There is chanting and crossing, and then the Copts follow their Ethiopian Patriarch, gorgeous in his gold cap and gown. Now there is silence, and the only sound is that of the squeezing mass as it breathlessly watches.