Christianity is one of the most widespread religions in the world. It appeared in the 1st century, and this event is connected with the birth and preaching of the laws of God by Jesus Christ, who is considered to be the son of God and the deliverer of mankind from the bonds of original sin.
Having several directions and currents, Christianity unites more than 2.4 billion people into one group. It strikes not only the number of believers, but also the geography of its distribution. Almost every country, every inhabited corner of the globe has one or another representation of this religion. Therefore, it is not surprising that some church dates are celebrated on a larger scale than state ones. One such example is the feast of the apostles Peter and Paul. We will talk about him today.
Memorial Day
The full name of this church date is the Day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. When is the feast of Peter and Paul celebrated by Orthodox Christians? It falls on July 12 according to the new style.
It should also be noted that, unlike many religious celebrations that have a changeable calendar, the Orthodox feast of Peter and Paul is celebrated onstrictly defined day. This church date, honoring the memory of the disciples of Christ, is determined by the day of their death. It was on July 12, with a difference of one year, that both Peter and Paul were martyred in the name of their faith and convictions, which they carried to the people, hoping to sow in the hearts of people the seeds of goodness, hope and faith in the Almighty.
First mentioned
When was the feast of Peter and Paul celebrated for the first time? This is a fairly common question that believers ask. The first mention of it dates back to the 4th century. The venue was the city of Rome, where this tradition was introduced by local bishops. Unfortunately, no reliable information about the events held at that time has survived to this day.
Apostles - who are they?
As you know, Peter and Paul were apostles. This concept has several meanings, but they all mean the messenger or follower of an idea. The main association that arises in almost all people at the mention of this word is precisely the disciples of Christ, who adopted his teachings about Christianity.
There were only 12 apostles who accompanied Christ. They were people of various professions. All of them came from different strata of the population. Neither the city, nor the occupation - nothing united these people. Nothing but faith in one God and his son Jesus.
A sincere attitude to one’s work, a deep conviction in the correctness of the chosen path and the ability to convince the people around them of this - this is what distinguished these people from the rest of the mass and predetermined the choice of Christ in choosing them as their own.students. Brothers James and John, Bartholomew, Thomas, Philip, Jacob Alfeev, Matthew, Simon the Zealot, Judas Iscariot, Judas Jacoblev, as well as brothers Peter and Andrew - these are the names of the first apostles of Christ, who comprehended the light of the future greatness of the kingdom of heaven during the life of the son of God.
Apostle Peter
Peter was one of the most beloved and close to Christ disciples. It was he who called him the Messiah and zealously served him, fulfilling all his precepts. The name Peter, meaning stone, was given to him by Jesus after accepting the new faith.
Up to this point, he was an ordinary fisherman, who bore the worldly name of Simon, had a wife and two children. The turning point in the life of the future apostle was the appearance of the son of God, who called him to be his disciple, showing a miracle: Jesus Christ reached his fishing boat right on the water. And he did it in a storm, and then pacified the raging elements.
There was a moment when the beloved disciple of the Messiah denied him three times after being imprisoned. But this act did not affect their further relationship. After repentance, he was forgiven, and more than proved the strength of his faith by his further activities.
Being an uneducated person, Peter already in his first sermon converted more than 3 thousand people to the true faith. He had the gift of healing people and knew how to foresee many events. He even predicted his death in advance, but was not afraid of this and followed the chosen path to the end. In 67 Peter was crucified in one of the squares of Rome.
Apostle Paul
Paul, unlike most of the apostles, was not a disciple of Christ during his lifetime. Saul, that was the name of Paul before he adopted Christianity, was born in Asia Minor, had a very good education for that time and was one of the most zealous persecutors of Christians. It is for this reason that his path to Jesus and faith was long and thorny.
On his way to Damascus to carry out another massacre of Christians in this city, he was blinded by divine light and heard the voice of Christ, who asked him about the reasons for the persecution of his followers. Christ called him to be his disciple and to further repentance. It is amazing that the people accompanying Pavel did not see or hear either light or voice.
After the return of sight to the sick one of the disciples of Christ, Paul was finally convinced of the power of God and the need to convey it to every person. Having a good education, Paul was an excellent orator and easily found his way to the hearts of not only ordinary people, but also philosophers, as well as pundits of his time. He, like many other apostles, could do great things, healing people and even resurrecting them from the dead.
Paul was the first to leave behind a written legacy of Christianity. He was martyred, having lost his head, since according to the laws of the Roman Empire, he, being its citizen, could not be crucified on the cross.
Disagreement between Peter and Paul
Despite the common ideas, goals and one direction, there were some disagreements between the great apostles. Paul was nota supporter of Peter's tolerance for certain habits and practices dating back to Old Testament times. Peter, in turn, considered some points in the statements of his like-minded person to be somewhat incomprehensible and indigestible. Of course, these disagreements were primarily due to the difference in education, which entailed such different life positions.
In the church, the feast of Saints Peter and Paul is associated with the moment of martyrdom, pilgrimage and atonement for sins, and this is reflected in church services.
Folk traditions
Among the people, the church holiday of Peter and Paul is always especially revered. On the day of its onset, the youth went out to meet the dawn. It was believed that the sun on such a day shines in a special way and can bring beauty, strength and good luck. People believed that water on this day can wash away sins and brighten the soul of a person. But people were afraid to swim, because the water could "take away the victim." Bathing in streams and lakes helped the peasants in their desire to cleanse themselves. This day was also auspicious for fishermen and peasants, who most often started harvesting.
