“Deliver us from this lie”
In front of the Holy Sepulchre.
Dragging my feet, I went up to the Patriarchate. I wanted to meet Aristarchos, to speak with him. Upon arriving, I met him outside his office. “I was about to call you because…” I didn’t let him continue: “I urgently need to speak with you…” But he also interrupted: “We can’t talk now, I have to leave. A tour for a group of pilgrims from Crete is about to begin. They will start from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and tomorrow they will tour all the Holy Lands by bus. This is an opportunity for you to join this group. The tour will be led by Archbishop Theophanes of Gerasa. You will receive a lot of information about the matter that interests you.” “With all due respect, I am unable to undertake a long journey. I am very tired.” At that moment, I felt I had been a bit abrupt, so I took a step back. “Alright, I’ll go, but only for the tour of the church.” “Very well, one moment, I’ll call him so he can meet you and you can speak.” He called him in front of me. The tour would begin in less than half an hour. I went to the hotel, splashed some water on my face, changed my shirt (heat and humidity in Jerusalem), and returned to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Entering the church, I began to look for the group of Cretan pilgrims. I found them almost immediately, or rather, I heard them, as they were chanting a religious hymn with Archbishop Theophanes, whom a believer pointed out to me. I sat in a corner, leaned my head against the wall, and waited for them to finish. In fact, I must have dozed off for a bit, as when I opened my eyes, I saw that the group had moved several meters further away. I immediately ran to meet Theophanes. “Your Eminence, I am the journalist from Athens whom Aristarchos told you about.” I introduced myself properly. “Oh, Dimitris! Follow me, you will learn a lot.” The familiar tone surprised me. Along the way, I realized that he was a down-to-earth Holy Sepulchre Archbishop, warm, human, sometimes gentle and sometimes tempestuous in his speech, and above all, educated. Besides Theology at NKUA, he also studied Patristic theology in England. From 2005 to 2009, he served as Exarch of the Holy Sepulchre in Athens. In 2006, he was appointed representative of the Patriarchate in the dialogue with the Roman Catholics. Candidate for the patriarchal throne in 2005. He arrived in Jerusalem at the age of thirteen.
“Will you speak about the Holy Fire?” “If I don’t speak about that, what will I speak about? But in due time, when we arrive in front of the Holy Sepulchre.” More than half an hour passed until we reached the Holy Sepulchre. Theophanes stopped in front of each sacred spot in the church and explained its symbolism, theological, and historical value to the pilgrims. For my part, every time he changed spots, I also changed the marble where I was sitting. I was not only exhausted, but I also felt a familiar sharp pain in my back.
At some point, we reached the Katholikon, just a few meters from the Holy Edicule of the Holy Sepulchre. I sat on a choir stall as many pilgrims had not yet gathered. At some point, I heard a loud voice: “Dimitrisss, come, it’s time!” I ran with the camera in my hands and began to record his speech. This is the first video-document where an Archbishop of the Patriarchate
of Jerusalem, just a few steps from the Tomb of Jesus, speaks publicly about a “non-existent miracle”: “No light descends from heaven; it is natural light that is lit from the oil lamp and consecrated. It is time for the people to understand this. An official statement must eventually be made by the Patriarchate, telling the truth about how the Holy Fire is lit.”
While he was speaking, I simultaneously watched the faithful and waited for reactions. No reaction. Nothing. I hadn’t recovered from the shock when I approached Theophanes: “Your Eminence, have you done this before?” “Once or twice? Many times.” “And the faithful don’t react?” “Did you see anyone react? Sometimes I hear some murmuring, but that’s all. Only once, a few years ago, the situation got a bit out of hand and a group of zealots protested strongly1.” “What does the Patriarch say about what you’re saying?” “What can he say? He knows I’m telling the truth.” “I’ll buy you a coffee.” “I’ll treat you for coming to our city. I just need to help an old lady find a pharmacy, because
she needs to get some medicine, and I promised to take her myself. Come along if you wish. Afterwards, we’ll go to a quiet place to have our coffee.” It was about a twenty-minute walk from the church to the pharmacy. A venerable archbishop, seventy years old, offered to help a simple woman without expecting anything in return. His gesture impressed me.
We sat in a coffee shop, and I immediately got to the point: “So, if we’re talking about natural light that is consecrated, it means there’s no miracle.” “Well, that is the miracle, that it is consecrated, but in the Church’s way. Just as with the blessing of the waters at Epiphany, where water does not fall from heaven but is consecrated by Divine Grace, so too with the Holy Fire, light does not come from heaven, but it is the natural light from the oil lamp that is consecrated by the Patriarch’s prayer. Come closer and see the prayer, I have it printed. Read what it says at this point I have underlined: “Διά τοῦτο ἐκ τοῦ ἐπί τοῦτον τόν φωτοφόρον σου Τάφον, ἐνδελεχῶς καί ἀειφώτως ἐκκαιομένου
φωτός εὐλαβῶς λαμβάνοντες διαδιδόαμεν τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς σέ τό ἀληθινόν φῶς…””
And he continued: “It says it clearly, for those who understand what they are reading: from the light that burns continuously – the so-called ‘Ever-burning Lamp’ – we take the light and give it to the faithful. It’s that simple. The same happens in all Orthodox churches on that day. It is neither a miracle nor a mystery, which is why no Church Father dealt with it, nor any Ecumenical Council. It is a ceremony, as I told the pilgrims. Ultimately, the matter of the Holy Fire is illuminated through the Divine Liturgy, which is sealed with ‘We have seen the true light…’ The non-ecclesiastical view of the Holy Fire ceremony in the Holy Sepulchre by some believers degrades the Divine Liturgy itself, which constitutes the highest experience and realization of Christ’s work. Unfortunately, we do not tell the truth to the faithful, but the truth should not cause scandal. And this is the truth. I have been here for 57 years, do you think I wouldn’t know it? All the older Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood members know it, and some of the younger ones, but many don’t say it so as not to scandalize the people. However, a clergyman who wears the cassock must honor it. He cannot tell lies or half-truths. Metropolitan Cornelius of Petra, for example, has said it publicly. And indeed, he himself ‘brought out’ the Holy Fire in 2001 as locum tenens, after the death of Diodoros. This says a lot. Listen to a story to make you laugh. Once, a Russian rented a small plane from Cyprus and came to see the ‘miracle.’ I happened to meet him and told him the truth: ‘You know, the truth cost you 35,000 euros, but it was worth the money, the Light is consecrated.’ He was shocked! Listen, Dimitris: when you hear about a ‘miracle,’ you must investigate three things: first and foremost, if it is a natural phenomenon. Second, if it is a demonic experience, as the Fathers say, and third, it might be a miracle, but miracles happen in a mystical way and are primarily spiritual; a person changes in their contact with Christ, they are transformed.”
Returning to the hotel, I was surprised to notice that the phrase Theophanes spoke of, in the “Prayer of the Holy Fire,” was not present in the text about the Holy Fire that had been withdrawn a few days earlier. Specifically, while the Patriarchate had posted the entire Prayer, it had removed from it the most revealing phrase: “ἐνδελεχῶς καί ἀειφώτως ἐκκαιομένου φωτός.” Only this phrase was missing from the entire text. An alteration of text, and religious text at that, with an obvious purpose2.
It was Tuesday afternoon, July 3. The return ticket was for Saturday, but there was no reason for me to stay in Jerusalem until then. It made no sense; I had learned what I wanted, and furthermore, my stomach couldn’t handle any more truth. I changed the ticket for Thursday.
“Would you like some watermelon?”
So much had happened in just two days. It would take time for me to fully comprehend what I had discovered in Jerusalem. I knew it. I called Aristarchos and told him I would go that afternoon to say goodbye. The same for Theophanes. That Wednesday, all I wanted was to clear my mind of thoughts. Difficult. I took a long walk through the old city, navigating the crowded alleys with countless shops selling all sorts of souvenirs. Crosses, icons, candles, prayer ropes… An entire city pulsed to the rhythm of that tremendous force called Faith.
I passed by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for the last time. I sat on a stone and observed the endless stream of pilgrims, with what awe and emotion they approached the sacred space. They prayed, wept, pleaded for a miracle that would heal some pain or
illness or impasse. Their own or that of people they cared about. Thoughts and questions ran through my mind:
Oh my God, what am I about to do? Who am I going to contend with? Who am I to tell them that it is this way and not otherwise, regarding the Holy Fire? Do I have this right, even if the evidence is irrefutable? Will the truth harm or save? Can I bear the weight of this revelation?
In the afternoon, I went up to the Patriarchate. The meeting with Aristarchos took place in his “cell.” I confided in him what the Patriarch, Theophanes, and, most importantly, the sacristan had told me. He did not react. “Would you like some watermelon?”
After a few minutes, he began a profound monologue. At the end of each sentence, there was a question mark. “I cannot understand… But why must it be this way? Why was this method chosen? Why didn’t they think of placing the oil lamp lit the day before? What is the point of it being extinguished just before the ceremony?”
I didn’t understand; I thought he was asking me. “Your Eminence, are you asking me?” “No, no… I’m thinking. All this with the lighter above the Tomb offends us, it shows disrespect.” These were his exact words. I asked him directly if he knew precisely about the extinguished oil lamp and
lighter. He was absolute: “No, no, I had no idea. I only knew that it is placed lit and from there the Light is taken.” In the end, I asked for his opinion on whether I should make all this public. “I don’t know… I’m not sure if it will do good or harm. Think about it, but above all, keep the protection of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in mind.” I kissed him and left.
A few meters further was the cell of Archbishop Cornelius of Petra. The windows were open and there was light inside. I rang the doorbell. Nothing. I persisted. No movement. I called him on the phone. He picked up. Just as I began to tell him who I was and why I wanted to speak with him,
he abruptly interrupted me: “I don’t speak with zealots!” “No, don’t hang up on me, I am not a zealot, I am outside your door and I would like to speak…” “What exactly do you want to know about the Holy Fire?” “How it is lit.” “I have said it. It is lit from the oil lamp.” “And how is the oil lamp lit?” “How are oil lamps lit? Goodbye.” I tried with a last word to persuade him to open the door for me, but in vain. A few months later, I was finally lucky. He opened both his door and his… soul to me.
Next was Theophanes’ cell. He welcomed me with figs in his hands. “Come, take some, but they’re not like those from our homeland.” I tasted them. They were bland, as they water the fig trees there. We sat at a small table in the kitchen. His reaction regarding the extinguished oil lamp and the lighter – about which I informed him – was as follows: “This is an irreverent act, which, I confess, I was unaware of. We, the Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood members, know that the oil lamp is placed lit and from there everything happens. Evidently, we are dealing with a well-kept secret that passes from sacristan to sacristan and is known by very few.”
At this point, he paused and continued: “But let’s look at it differently. What does it matter if the oil lamp is placed lit or extinguished and then lit? The essence is that – one way or another – we are deceiving the faithful by letting them believe it is a miracle. This is unacceptable; it does not honor us. Listen, Dimitris, I will reveal something important to you. Patriarch Theophilos, Aristarchos, and I are roughly the same age. We came to Jerusalem around the same time. For many years, we were inseparable friends. So, when we were young, we made a promise: that if one of us ever became Patriarch, he would tell the faithful the truth about the Holy Fire. Do you understand?” “I understand, but what happened when Theophilos became Patriarch? Did you remind him of that old promise you made to each other?” “And of course, I reminded him. His answer was: ‘It’s too late now, Theophanes; even professors – meaning educated people, he implied – believe it, we cannot scandalize the world.’ That was his answer.”
“Your Eminence, I want you to tell me, hand on heart. I know the sacred mission of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, its enemies, as well as the threatening environment from those of other faiths and claimants to its privileges. Do you believe I should reveal the truth about the Holy Fire?” “I will not hesitate to answer you. I have been here for nearly six decades, serving God and the Truth of our Christ as a Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood member. Nothing is more Christian than to serve and speak the truth. It is not possible for the truth to harm the Church. What does Jesus say in John? ‘Know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ Therefore, you have a duty, now that it has fallen to you for the truth to be revealed, to spread it. Deliver us from this lie.”
- Isidore described the incident as follows: “I was in my office and heard voices outside the church. A group of Old Calendarists were cursing Theophanes, shouting ‘traitor’ and ‘Judas,’ and other epithets. If I hadn’t intervened to protect him, along with some other fathers, they surely would have beaten him. They attacked him with hatred. They were people driven by ignorance and religious fanaticism.” ↩︎
- The following link contains the archived page of the Holy Fire presentation – along with the altered Prayer – on June 22, 2018, that is, a few hours before the new description we discussed took its place. It should be noted that the alteration has existed since February 2009, at least, hence an archived page exists: https://archive.li/G1yrJ ↩︎