Feast of the Cross

Exaltation of the Cross is the name of a Christian festival, which falls on the 14th of September in the Catholic and Orthodox liturgical calendar. The day is celebrated as Holy Cross Day in parts of the Anglican Church as well as those (especially English ) Lutheran churches that follow the Revised Common Lectionary. In addition, he is also performed in the Evangelical Protestant Tagzeitenbuch Michael Brotherhood.

History

The origin of this festival combines with the written around 350/60 Helena, Kyriakos - or proto Nike legend, the finding of the Cross of Christ by the Empress Helena in temporal association with the building of the Holy Sepulchre by Constantine. In this context, a cross relic was shown, were as ever spread around 350 Cross particles. From Jerusalem, the cross worship, including the custom of cross relics and cross representations used to show the people to worship ( they " increase " to = hold up ), as is done today in the Catholic Good Friday liturgy.

Emperor Constantine built a large church at the site of the tomb discovery, which was inaugurated in 335. It presented the Holy Cross is celebrated to worship: "The consecration of this holy Church is celebrated with great effort, because the Lord's Cross was found on the same day ." Thus was the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross after Holy Week to the important religious feast in Jerusalem.

In the year 614 the troops of the Persian King Khosrau II invaded Jerusalem. The cross of wood in a silver Kreuzreliquar - two other parts had Helena brought to Rome and Constantinople Opel in 325 - was kidnapped with Bishop Zacharias in the royal city of Ctesiphon near Baghdad today. The cross was but it recovered a few years by the victory of the Eastern Roman Emperor Heraclius over the Persians. 628 brought the Emperor, the first cross in triumph to his capital Constantinople Opel. According to recent studies, he moved on March 21, 630 with shiny entourage to Jerusalem to get there, the revered relic back to the Holy Sepulcher behind the Golgotahügel. To commemorate this event, as well as that of the Finding of the True Cross by Helena, the Church celebrates on September 14, the feast of the " increase of the Holy Cross ". The hl. Joseph of Antioch writes 630 on the return of the True Cross to Jerusalem:

" First you saw the triumph of the Emperor come to the gates of the Holy City. The emperor wore the golden shrine with the relics of the Cross personally approached the town gate. On his head he wore the crown of the Eastern Empire, he wore gold- and silver -embroidered vestments and was adorned me enough beads. But when he approached the gate, it seemed anything stop her. He put all his jewelry and his crown off and dressed with bare feet and only a light linen robe he continued on his way and carried the relic so in the Holy Sepulchre, as once had Christ our Lord do. "

A few years later Jerusalem fell after the siege in the year 637 to the new Islamic empire. But the day of remembrance of the victory over the Persians and the Exaltation of the Cross remained in Ostrom exist and its local role is perhaps to be compared with today's national holidays.

Today there are the largest known cross relics in the Vatican, on Mount Athos, in Brussels, Venice, Ghent and Paris, many smaller distributed in Europe, such as in the Benedictine monastery of St. Paul in Carinthia. Originally, this was kept in the famous Imperial Cross, which served the equivalent of King Henry IV, Rudolf of Swabia, as Reich cross. Today there is a large cross- particles in a separate reliquary cross, which is trimmed with emeralds and diamonds and is shown every year on Good Friday, the faithful within the liturgy for worship.

Liturgy of the feast

Roman Catholic

The first day's reading Num 21.4 to 10 EU linked the veneration of the cross with the Old Testament story of the copper serpent that Moses should customize for a snake plague and hang it on a pole. The upward glance to her rescue effected.

The Gospel from Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus night (John 3:13-17 EU) are to the interpretation: " As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes ( to him ), in him may have eternal life. "

The Preface of the day is the cross of Christ as the tree of life typologically the tree of the Fall opposite, of which death took his output: "You (God) hast founded on the wood of the cross, the salvation of the world. From the tree of paradise came death, by the tree of the cross arose life. The enemy [= serpent, devil ] who has won on the wood, was also defeated on a tree through our Lord Jesus Christ. "

The resulting in 600 hymns of Venantius Fortunatus in Lauds and Vespers of the feast of Exaltation of the Cross are the same as in Holy Week: Vexilla regis ( The King wins, his banner shines ) or Holy Cross, You Tree of fidelity.

Since Exaltation is senior to Mr. feast in the liturgical rank as one Sunday in Ordinary Time, it displaces it in the years when it falls on a Sunday.

Churches with the name " St. Cross ", in particular those in which a cross relic is venerated, celebrate on September 14, her patronage, often associated with cross procession and pilgrimage, as in Ottbergen near Hildesheim. The most important cross church, one of the seven Roman pilgrimage churches is Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. The Feast Exaltation of the Cross ' an own celebrations of the Equestrian Order of the Holy grave in Jerusalem.

Protestant

The liturgical color is red

Week saying: We preach Christ crucified as God's power and God's wisdom made us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption. (1 Cor 1.23 to 30 LUT)

Vote ( for selection):

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ( John 3:14 LUT)
When Christ was crucified in weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. (2 Cor 13.4 a LUT)

Sermons by Perikopenreihen:

I ( 2015, 2021, ...): Lk 16.10-13 LUT ( both Gospel reading of the day)
II (2016, 2022, ...): Phil 2:5-11 LUT ( Epistle at the same time of the day)
III (2017, 2023, ...): 4 Mos 21.4 to 9 LUT ( both Old Testament reading of the day)
IV (2012, 2018, ...): ( see II, since it is an (even ) Epistelreihe, so Phil 2:5-11 LUT)
V (2013, 2019, ...): ( I see, as it is an ( odd ) number Gospels, so Lk 16.10-13 LUT)
VI (2014, 2020, ...): ( see III, ie 4 Mos 21.4 to 9 LUT)

Cross on Good Friday worship

In the liturgy of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches is in the celebration of the Lord's Passion on Good Friday, the cross worship instead. A cross with or without representation of the Crucified is the celebrants shown aloft ( " Exaltation " ) and the priest invites all sung with a call to worship the cross. This traditional prayer reads "Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the salvation of the world. Come, let us adore him " (Latin: Ecce lignum crucis, in quo salus mundi pependit Venite adoremus. ! )! . After that, all present acclaim occur procession as the cross and venerate it by the classic signs of adoring squat and the kiss.

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