The meaning of prosphora in Orthodoxy. Prosphora - what it is and what it is for: the essence of bread

Prosphora - specially baked bread used to celebrate the sacrament of the Eucharist. (Magazine "Thomas" recommends this material for OPK lessons. You can download it in PDF format)

Prosphora is translated from Greek as “offering.” In the ancient Church, bread for the Liturgy was brought as a gift to God by those who came to church on Sunday to participate in the Liturgy, that is, all Christians of the community.

The prosphora depicts the bread of the Last Supper, which Christ divided among his disciples: And he took the bread and gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them, saying: This is My body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me(OK 22 :19). This is how the sacrament of the Eucharist was established, where Christians, under the guise of bread and wine, partake of the Body and Blood of the Savior and become one with Him. Participation in this sacrament is a necessary condition for every Christian to remain in the Church.

Last Supper. Ugolino di Nerio (1325-1330). Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)

Proskomedia - the first part of the Liturgy, during which the substance for the Eucharist is prepared from bread (in the form of prosphora) and wine.

To perform the liturgy, 5 large prosphoras are used.

Patriarch Nikon introduced this custom in the Russian Church in memory of the Gospel miracle of the multiplication of loaves, when five thousand people were fed with five loaves (Matthew 14 :15–21).

Five prosphorasto celebrate the Liturgy:

1. Lamb prosphora

Large prosphora with a cross and the seal IC XC NIKA. A Lamb is cut from it with a special knife - a copy.- cube-shaped bread.

During the celebration of the Liturgy, the Lamb becomes the true Body of Christ.

The unused part of the lamb prosphora is called antidor. According to custom, it is distributed to the faithful after the end of the Liturgy.

2. Mother of God prosphora

Large prosphora with the seal of MARY or the image of the Virgin Mary. At the proskomedia, a triangular-shaped particle is taken out of its upper part and placed on a special dish - paten - next to the lamb.

3. Nine-day prosphora

Dedicated to the saints. 9 particles are removed from her seal in memory of: John the Baptist; prophets; apostles; saints; Archdeacon Stephen and the martyrs; reverends; unmercenary; Joachim and Anna, Methodius and Cyril, Prince Vladimir and all saints; as well as the holy author of the liturgy that will be served: John Chrysostom or Basil the Great.

4. Healthy prosphora

is intended to remove two particles from its seal for everyone who will participate in the Liturgy, the clergy celebrating the Liturgy, the country and the people.

5. Funeral prosphora

From its upper part one particle is taken for all deceased Orthodox Christians.

The particles taken out (i.e., cut out) from the prosphora at the proskomedia depict the entire fullness of the Church. The priest places the particles on a special dish - paten. In the center is the Lamb - Christ, to the right and left of him are particles of the Mother of God and all the saints, at the edges are particles taken out for all living and dead Orthodox Christians.

Particles from small prosphoras, those that are distributed to the faithful after the Liturgy are also taken out by the priest during the proskomedia. At this time, he prays for the health and repose of those people, notes about whom were submitted before the start of the Liturgy. While reading the name, a particle symbolizing a specific person is taken out of the prosphora and placed on the paten. At the end of the Liturgy, the priest, with the words “washed, Lord, the sins of those who are remembered here with Your honest Blood,” pours all these particles into the Chalice with the Blood of Christ.

literally - “leavened bread”. Exactly This is the name of the large prosphora that is placed in front of the altar on Easter Bright Week. The artos is consecrated on Easter, and divided and distributed to believers on Saturday of Bright Week. Artos is kept at home until next Easter and consumed on an empty stomach during illness.

Easter cake - rich sweet bread with raisins - a folk reinterpretation of artos. Easter cakes are blessed in the church after the liturgy of Holy Saturday.

Many people, attending church services, noticed that small breads called prosphora were handed out. They are considered a real shrine that must be honored and protected so that it does not deteriorate. There are known rules regarding the use of such church treats.

What is prosphora and why do they eat it?

A small round loaf of bread made from leavened wheat dough is called prosphora. There are several facts about this church treat:

1. This word is translated from Greek as “offerings.”
2. No additives are added to such baked goods, with the exception of yeast and salt.
3. When figuring out what prosphora is in the Orthodox Church, it should be pointed out that this pastry consists of two parts, which symbolizes the union of human and divine essence in Jesus Christ.
4. On the upper part there is a seal in the form of a cross with equal sides and in the corners there are the letters: IC XC NI KA. The inscription presented means “Jesus Christ conquers.” The seal itself personifies the invisible seal of the image of the Lord.
5. If you are interested in what the prosphora symbolizes, then it is worth knowing that it represents the bread that Jesus divided among his disciples.

What types of prosphora are there?

There are five main types of sacred bread for the liturgy:

1. Agnichnaya. This is a large prosphora with a cross, from which a lamb is cut out with a special knife - cube-shaped bread. During the liturgy, he becomes the true body of Christ. The part of the prosphora that is not used is called antidor, and it is distributed to the faithful after the service.
2. Mother of God. This large prosphora bears the seal “Mary” or the image of the Mother of God. During proskomedia, a triangular-shaped part is taken out from the top and placed on a special dish along with the lamb.
3. Nine-day. This view is dedicated to all the saints and nine particles are taken from her seal.
4. Zazdravnaya. Two parts are taken from this bread for all participants in the liturgy.
5. Funeral. For all the deceased believers, only one particle is taken from the upper part of the prosphora.

There are special types of prosphora, which include artos - bread blessed on Easter night. The priest asks the Lord for blessings and help in healing illnesses. Artos is located opposite the Royal Doors throughout Bright Week, and on Saturday it is divided into small pieces and distributed to believers. This prosphora symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus Christ and recalls his presence on earth.

Prosphora - recipe

Sacred bread can be prepared at home using an old recipe. It is important to know how prosphora is baked, as there are several features that should be taken into account.

Ingredients:

• finely ground premium flour – 1.2 kg;
• Holy water;
• yeast – 25 g.

Preparation:

1. Pour some holy water into the container, and then add about 400 g of flour. Add boiling water and stir until you get a mass like semolina porridge.
2. When everything has cooled down, add a little salt and yeast. Stir and leave to rise. Then add the remaining flour and mix well.
3. Leave for another 30 minutes, and then transfer the dough to the table and roll out the layer. The bottom layer needs a thickness of 18-20 mm, and the top layer 11-12 mm. Cover with oilcloth and leave for another 10 minutes.
4. It is necessary to cut the layer into circles, taking into account that the lower part should be larger than the upper. Cover the lower halves with a towel and oilcloth and leave for half an hour. It is important not to let the dough dry out.
5. If you are interested in how to bake prosphora at home, then it is important to know that the baking sheet must be greased with a thin layer of natural wax, which is a component of solar energy. Place a stamp of the appropriate size on the top.
6. Lubricate the bottom and connect it to the top. Prick both halves with a needle to remove excess air, which will prevent voids from forming.
7. The oven should be heated to 200-250 degrees. Bake until done, which is 15-20 minutes.
8. The finished bread should be covered with several layers: a dry cloth, a wet one, then a dry one again and a blanket. Leave the prosphora in this state for an hour.

Prosphora - how to use?

There are several rules regarding how to properly eat sacred bread. This should be done in the morning on an empty stomach and to begin with, it is recommended to spread a clean napkin on the table and place bread and water on it. When figuring out how to eat prosphora at home, it is worth mentioning that before eating it, a prayer intended for this occasion must be said. They eat bread over a plate so that crumbs do not fall on the floor. It is important to note that prosphora should not be used in cemeteries and crumble on graves.

How to cut prosphora correctly?

In temples, a special knife designed for this purpose is used to cut the sacred bread. It is called a spear and is a flat knife shaped like the tip of a spear. It cannot be stored with other cutlery. Many people are interested in whether it is possible to cut prosphora with a knife, but most clergy argue that ordinary kitchen utensils should not be used.

Prayer for accepting prosphora and holy water

It is believed that when a believer reads a prayer before eating prosphora and drinking holy water, this leads to the sanctification of the body and spirit, the illumination of thoughts, and this will also protect him from evil spirits. Parts of the prosphora are taken out at the end of the liturgy and believers must fold their palms into a cross, with the right hand covering the left. After handing over the prosphora, you must kiss the hand of the clergyman. Having brought the sacred bread home, place it on a clean napkin and before eating it, be sure to read a prayer before accepting the prosphora and holy water.

When can you eat prosphora?

You can eat sacred bread every day, with the exception of a number of restrictions, which will be discussed below. If you are interested in how to eat prosphora correctly, then it is worth knowing that sacred bread is usually consumed on an empty stomach with a sense of humility. The clergy say that it is beneficial for all believers to start their day with prosphora, which should be washed down with holy water.

Is it possible to eat prosphora without an empty stomach?

The rule regarding the use of sacred bread and water on an empty stomach did not arise without reason, since they are intended to instill reverence in a person and separate eating from eating. Although the holy gifts are received through the mouth, and the digestive system is involved in digestion, believers must understand that the church prosphora bread is not food and its absorption is a sacred act.

Is it possible to eat prosphora during menstruation?

There is an opinion that during menstrual periods a woman should avoid everything that has to do with the church, including she should refuse to eat sacred bread. This is explained by the fact that the woman is “unclean” and the holy prosphora will be desecrated. This topic is controversial, and different clergy have their own opinions on this matter. Saint Athanasius, back in 365, said that a woman during the days of natural renewal of the body cannot be “unclean,” therefore everything is provided for by God. In general, it is impossible to say for sure whether eating prosphora will be considered a sin.

Is it possible to eat prosphora on Good Friday?

It is considered the strictest day of fasting before Easter and, according to church canons, on this day it is necessary to refrain from consuming any food or drinks. The exception is prosphora and holy water. It is quite possible to last a day on bread and water, but do not forget that these foods should not be eaten to be full, but to receive blessings. As for when to eat prosphora on Good Friday, it is better to do it in the morning, and then, if possible, refrain from taking it.

What to do with dried prosphora?

Many people do not know how to properly treat sacred bread brought from church or made with their own hands. Like any other baked product, prosphora becomes dry after some time and many people don’t know what to do with it. It's simple: you need to soak the bread in holy water and eat it. It is important to know what to do with the prosphora brought from the church, so it must be stored in a holy corner next to the icons and holy water. For long-term storage, it is recommended to place the bread in a paper bag.

The prosphora has become moldy - what to do?

If the sacred bread has spoiled, then this is considered the result of a careless attitude towards the shrine and the clergy recommend confessing for this sin. For those who are interested in what to do with moldy prosphora, you should know that it must be dealt with in the same way as with other shrines that need to be destroyed. There are several options:

1. Bury in an untrampled place, that is, where people will not walk.
2. Let it float along the river, but it is important that it does not stick to the shore, so either chop it up or tie it to a stone.
3. You can take the spoiled prosphora to the church, where it will be burned.
4. The clergy allow you to crush the bread and give it to the birds, but it is forbidden to throw crumbs on the ground, so put them on a board. It is prohibited to give prosphora to animals.

An important church treat is prosphora, the use of which in the church is treated with particular scrupulousness. Essentially, these are unleavened breads made with holy water, wheat flour, which for some parishioners become a source of holiness. In reality, you need to know exactly what prosphora is so that one day in church you don’t get into an awkward situation. This topic needs to be given special attention among the masses.

What is prosphora in the Orthodox Church

Prosphora, translated from Greek, means “offerings” and has taken its strong position in the Orthodox religion. Essentially, it is a bread made from wheat flour, the main ingredients of which are yeast, holy water, and salt. According to the church laws of Orthodoxy, such unleavened baked goods symbolize the union of the human and divine essence in Jesus Christ. It is necessary to know what prosphora is and why it is eaten in Orthodoxy, so as not to show to the priest your own lack of education in church affairs.

Appearance and taste

Not all believers know for certain that the prosphora symbolizes the bread of the Last Supper, which Jesus Christ once divided among his disciples. Externally, this is a small round cookie, on the top side of which you can see a cross with equal sides and letters in the corners: IS XC NI KA. This inscription also has its own meaning and interpretation, and is translated as “Jesus Christ conquers.” Prosphora is a seal of the image of the Lord, which extremely rarely can become moldy, dry out, or become unusable.

Species

Before using such bread in church, it is important to know its purpose and all the existing varieties. According to church laws, the classification is as follows:

1. Mother of God prosphora. This is a large triangular-shaped loaf of bread that has the inscription “Mary” or “Holy Mother of God”. It is placed on a special dish along with the lamb, and is consumed mainly on religious holidays.
2. Agnic. This is a large cube-shaped bread, which during the liturgy becomes the true body of Jesus Christ. Externally, the prosphora is equipped with a cross, from which a lamb is cut with a special knife. The unused part of the bread, called antidor, is distributed free of charge to parishioners after the service.
3. Nine-day. From a seal of this type, 9 particles are taken out, which are dedicated to all the saints. It is required to use for John the Baptist, Joachim and Anna, the prophets, saints, apostles, Archdeacon Stephen and the martyrs, the unmercenaries, Methodius and Cyril, Prince Vladimir, all saints. Dedicated to the holy author of the liturgy, for example, John Chrysostom or Basil the Great.
4. Zazdravnaya. The sacred bread is divided into two symmetrical parts and eaten for all participants in the liturgy after the service in the church.
5. Funeral. For such a case, only one particle is taken from the upper part of the prosphora, which must be eaten for all the dead and deceased. This cannot be done in the cemetery after the funeral service and burial of the newly appointed servant of God; it is strictly forbidden to crumble the bread on the graves.

Artos and Antidorus in Orthodoxy

When studying the varieties of prosphora, it is worth highlighting such a church concept as “artos”. This is the Greek word “arto”, which literally translates as “leavened bread”. So what is artos and why is this concept important in the Orthodox religion? Such a prosphora is placed in front of the altar on Easter Bright Week, consecrated on Easter, and divided and distributed to believers on Saturday of Bright Week. Such bread is supposed to be kept at home, and eaten if a believer is suddenly overtaken by illness, he falls ill.

Antidoron (translated as “instead of communion”) is the unused part of the bread, which after the completion of the liturgy is distributed to all parishioners who wish. From the point of view of Christianity, this is the memory of Christ’s suffering on the cross. Therefore, it is necessary to use antidor carefully and carefully. It is important to clarify that such a portion of the sacred bread should not be given to unbaptized people. If artos is a symbol of the resurrection of Christ and a reminder of his stay on earth, but antidor is the eternal memory of his suffering for human sins.

How to eat prosphora at home and store it

This liturgical liturgical bread is supposed to be eaten only on occasion, so prosphora should not become part of the parishioners’ usual diet. The loaf should be kept at the altar in the church or at home near the holy icons. It is necessary to consume prosphora internally slowly, chewing each crumb thoroughly. If there are crumbs left after a meal, you definitely need to pick them up and eat them too. Other rules for using and storing this sacred bread are presented below:

1. It is important not to swear or use foul language if there is bread or prosphora on the table. Complete silence and spiritual subjugation are required.
2. The bread should not remain on the table; after eating, it must be carefully placed in a special bag.
3. Eating the sacred bread inside is allowed only after accepting the Orthodox faith and completing events serving God.
4. Prosphora can be brought home and consumed only after fervent prayer with pure thoughts and always on an empty stomach.
5. Such a meal is conducive to good deeds, helps to feel spiritual holiness and lightness, and allows a person to start a new life in the right way of thinking.

When to eat prosphora

Prosphoras, like sacred bread, sanctify the one who eats them. Such bread should be stored in special molds; it is advisable not to remove them from the icons, but to be consumed internally mainly on an empty stomach. If a woman is having her period, it is important to remember that during her menstrual period it is better for her not to appear in church at all and, especially, not to eat this sacred bread. The same restriction applies to Good Friday, when it is also undesirable to sanctify one’s own body. Below are other rules for the correct use of this church ingredient:

1. It is important not to mix the consumption of sacred mallow with other dishes during the main meal.
2. Before putting a piece in your mouth and slowly experiencing it, you should pray fervently.
3. Before eating such bread, after the service in church, you need to lay a clean and snow-white tablecloth on the table, pour about three sips of holy water into a glass.
4. When consuming, it is important to be especially vigilant so that not a single crumb remains on the floor.
5. After chewing the prosphora, you need to drink about three sips of holy water and not choke.

If the prosphora is dry or moldy

The malt cannot go bad - it cannot become moldy and sour. The only thing a prosphora can do in a church is dry out. It is not recommended to use it in this case, and it is unlikely to work. But throwing it into the trash bin is also strictly prohibited. To properly dispose of prosphora, you must:

• burning lamb loaf;
• burying in damp soil;
• direction into running water.

Many exemplary parishioners prefer to take it to church and give it to the ministers for further disposal. This is a good option, because the temple knows what to do if the food suddenly dries out and becomes completely unusable. Nothing complicated, especially since leaving such a spoiled and unusable dish in the house is also not recommended.

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With the blessing of the Most Reverend Simon,
Bishop of Murmansk and Monchegorsk

Prosphora as a sign of God's grace

Everyone knows how the youth Bartholomew (that was the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh in the world) learned to read.

He did not understand literacy and was scolded by his parents and teachers for this. Often the boy prayed to God, asking with tears to enlighten and teach him. One day, when his father sent to look for his runaway horses, Bartholomew saw a monk, a holy elder, silently praying under an oak tree. The elder saw with his spiritual gaze the future greatness of the boy and asked what he wanted. Bartholomew asked the elder to pray so that he would understand the letter. Raising his hands and eyes to heaven, the elder offered a prayer, and then gave Bartholomew a small piece of holy prosphora. In the life it is written that the elder gave a piece of prosphora with the words that it was being given as a sign of God’s grace.

Why is prosphora a sign of God’s grace?

First of all, what is a sign and grace?

Signs are objects or images that convey the spiritual meaning of Divine and heavenly truths and phenomena without depicting them directly.

The word "grace" is used in the Holy Scriptures in different meanings. In the New Testament we distinguish two main meanings of this concept.

Firstly, by the grace of God, the grace of Christ, we mean the entire economy of our salvation, completed by the Coming of the Son of God to earth, His earthly life, death on the cross, Resurrection and Ascension into heaven: by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you, it is God’s gift : not from works, so that no one can boast ().

Secondly, grace refers to the gifts of the Holy Spirit sent down and sent down by the Church of Christ for the sanctification of its members, for their spiritual growth and for their achievement of the Kingdom of Heaven.

In this second meaning of the word, grace is a power sent from above, the power of God abiding in the Church of Christ, reviving, life-giving, perfecting and leading a believer and virtuous Christian to the assimilation of salvation brought by the Lord Jesus Christ.

How does God's saving grace work?

Both spiritual birth and further spiritual growth of a person occur through the mutual assistance of two principles: one of them is the grace of the Holy Spirit; another is a person’s opening of his heart to accept it, a thirst for it, a desire to perceive it, just as thirsty dry land receives the moisture of rain. In other words, it is a personal effort to receive, store, and act in the soul of Divine gifts.

What does the prosphora that every Christian receives after the Liturgy signify, and how does God’s grace work through the prosphora?

How did prosphora appear?

The origin of prosphora goes back to ancient times.

The commandment to sacrifice bread has come to us from Old Testament times:

let him bring leavened bread as his offering, with a grateful peace offering ().

In the tabernacle of Moses there was showbread, consisting of two parts, which meant earthly and heavenly bread, that is, two natures, Divine and human.

In imitation of this, in Christian churches, breads (or prosphora) are made two-part, and with their two parts they signify the Divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ.

Prosphora is that leavened, that is, yeast, bread.

In ancient times, prosphora was the name given to the offerings of Christians, part of which served for the Liturgy, and the remainder for agape, a custom of the ancient Church, according to which all members of the local community (free and slaves) gathered together for a common meal, during which, apparently, the Eucharist. Agape thus reproduced the Last Supper. The original character of agape was strictly religious: the most important moment of the meeting was the celebration of the Eucharist. At the same time, it symbolized the social equality of all members of the community and their unity in Christ. The wealthier took care of food for the poor, but the poor also contributed their mite, or labor, to the common treasury. At the “supper of love” everyone gave each other the kiss of peace, here messages from other Churches were read and responses to them were written. Here is how agapa, a writer who lived at the end of the second and beginning of the third century, describes it: “Our small suppers ... are called by the Greek name agapi, which means love or friendship. No matter how much they cost, spending on them, which is done by believers out of love, is an acquisition. The poor are fed at this meal. The evening begins with a prayer to God. When (after supper) they wash their hands and light the candles, everyone is invited to go out into the middle and sing something to the glory of God, either from the Holy Scriptures or from themselves, as best they can. At the end of the supper, a prayer is also performed, with which the evening ends. They disperse without crowding, pushing or crowding; but with the same strict modesty and chastity with which they came to the meeting; because here they were nourished not so much with food and drink as with good teaching.” For agape, everyone who came brought with him ordinary bread, wine, oil - in a word, everything needed for the table. This offering (in Greek - prosphora), or donation, was accepted by the deacons; The names of those who brought them were included in a special list, which was prayerfully proclaimed during the consecration of the gifts. Relatives and friends of the deceased made offerings on their behalf, and the names of the deceased, included in a special list, were also proclaimed. From these voluntary offerings (prosphora), part of the bread and wine was separated with a prayer of benevolence, consecrated into the Body and Blood of Christ by the word of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, and other gifts, over which prayers were also said, were used for the public table. Thanksgiving and prayers over gifts were considered an essential part of the sacred rite, which is why the entire sacred rite during which the Sacrament of Communion was performed, the very Body and Blood of Christ, received the name - thanksgiving (in Greek - eucharist). As Christianity spread and communities grew larger, social differences between members of the Church began to make themselves felt, and the agapes changed their character, becoming the feasts of the rich. In Alexandria, psalms, chants and spiritual songs of ancient times (;) were replaced by musicians playing the lyre, harp, and flute, despite protests. In other places, wealthy Christians, on the contrary, began to avoid these meetings, but paid for them, and the agapes gradually turned into a kind of charitable institution. Then they were completely abolished in northern Italy by Saint Ambrose, because they gave rise to various disorders due to the abuse of wine and the unchaste behavior of some of the participants. The Third Council of Carthage in 391 decreed that the faithful prepare for the Eucharist by fasting, and therefore separated the Eucharist from agape. The Councils of Laodicea and Trullo (392) prohibited the performance of agape in the temple and thereby completely deprived them of their church-religious character. The attempt made by the participants of the Gangra Council (380) to return the agapes to their former meaning was futile. By the beginning of the 5th century, the agapes began to gradually disappear.

When agapa, the “supper of love,” was separated from the Liturgy, only the bread used to celebrate the Eucharist began to be called prosphora.

How prosphora is used in Divine services

In general terms, modern worship retains the characteristics of ancient worship. At the proskomedia, after washing their hands, the priest and deacon retire to offer. The offering is that part of the altar where bread and wine were brought or offered for the celebration of the Sacrament. In our churches there is no this separate part, and therefore they go straight to the altar, behind which the name of the proposal remains.

Having made three bows before the proposal, with the words “God, cleanse me, a sinner,” the priest reads the troparion of the Great Heel, “You have redeemed from the legal oath...” and with the blessing of God (“blessed is our God...”) begins the proskomedia.

Proskomedia (in Greek - proskomidi) means bringing, that is, this word expresses the action of a person bringing, donating something to someone. The thing itself, brought, sacrificed, is called prosphora - that is, what is brought, a gift.

As we already know, the first prosphoras were ordinary bread. But over time, this was found inconvenient, and then prosphora began to be baked in the church.

For the Divine service, in fact, one prosphora is needed - the one from which a part is taken out for the Lamb, but according to the custom of ancient times, when five prosphoras were used, this amount is the smallest for performing proskomedia. There can be more than a dozen prosphoras, and in large churches there can be hundreds - there can be as many of them as there are notes “On health” and “On repose”.

In the Church Charter regarding the bread offered for the Sacrament, the following is prescribed:

it must be “from pure wheat flour, with fresh water, mixed naturally and well baked, leavened, unsalted, fresh and clean. A priest who dares to serve over bread that has blossomed, molded, or gone bitter, or is stale, or has become corrupted, sins gravely and will be thrown out, as the sacrament will not be accomplished on such sights.”

Together with the prosphora, red grape wine is used to perform the Sacrament, specifically red, as an image of blood.

What is the Eucharistic Lamb

The Eucharistic Lamb is a quadrangular particle, cut out during proskomedia from the first prosphora, which at the end of the Eucharistic canon is transformed into the Body of Christ. Proceeding directly to the proskomedia, the priest with his left hand takes the prosphora for the Lamb, and with his right hand the holy copy and, making the sign of the cross three times over the seal of the prosphora, each time pronouncing the words “In remembrance of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ,” cuts the prosphora on the right side seals (where the letters IC and NI are on the priest’s left side) with the words “Like a sheep led to the slaughter”; cuts on the left side (where the letters XC and KA are on the priest’s right side (with the words “And like a lamb without blemish, the one who shorn it straight is silent, so he does not open his mouth”); then he cuts the upper side of the seal (where the words IC XC) pronouncing with with the words “For His humility his judgment will be taken”; he cuts the lower side of the prosphora (with the words NIKA), saying: “Who will confess His generation?” and places it on the paten.

We need to explain the meaning of these words. The Savior's death on the cross was not an unexpected, unforeseen event - the Lord God revealed it to His chosen ones long ago, and they predicted it in the Holy Scriptures. For example, the king and prophet David in a psalm so accurately predicted the circumstances of the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross, as if he himself was an eyewitness: My God! My God! [listen to me] why have you forsaken me? The words of my cry are far from saving me. My God! I cry during the day, and You do not listen to me, at night, and I have no peace. Everyone who sees me mocks me, saying with their lips, nodding their heads: “He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him, let him save him, if he pleases him.” My strength has dried up like a shard; my tongue clung to my throat, and You brought me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded me, a crowd of evil ones has surrounded me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. One could count all my bones; and they look and make a spectacle out of me; They divide my garments among themselves and cast lots for my clothes ().

The death of the God-man on the cross was also revealed to the prophet Isaiah: He was despised and belittled before men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with illness, and we turned our faces away from Him; He was despised, and we thought nothing of Him. But He took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our illnesses; and we thought that He was smitten, punished and humiliated by God. But He was wounded for our sins and tormented for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed. We have all gone astray, like sheep; we have turned every one to his own way: and the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all. He was tortured, but He suffered voluntarily and did not open His mouth; like a sheep He was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. He was taken from bonds and judgment; but who will explain His generation? for He is cut off from the land of the living; for the crimes of my people I suffered execution. He was assigned a coffin with the villains, but He was buried with the rich, because He committed no sin, and there was no lie in His mouth ().

The Lord prepared people for the terrible purifying death of the God-Man not only with prophecies, but also with some significant events. Thus, the Passover lamb, which the Jews had to eat before leaving Egypt, contained the likeness of the Lamb of God and His death on the cross. This is just one feature of this similarity. Since all the firstborn of Egypt were to be destroyed that night, so that the firstborn of the Jews would not perish at the same time, they were commanded to smear the blood of this lamb on the entrances to their homes. Thus, the blood of the sacrificial Lamb became the means of salvation. Likewise, the blood of the spotless Lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ, is the salvation of people. These special, significant events are called prototypes, that is, preliminary images and similarities of how the promised Savior of the world was supposed to offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of people.

By remembering this prophecy, the offering of a bloodless sacrifice begins. Some words from this prophecy are spoken by the priest when he separates part of the prosphora from this sacrifice. And since, on the basis of this prophecy, Saint John the Baptist called the Lord Jesus the Lamb: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” then part of the prosphora, intended to be the body of the Lord Jesus for the cleansing of the sins of the whole world, received the name “Lamb.”

Having placed the separated middle of the prosphora on the Paten with the seal facing down, the priest makes a deep cross-shaped cut on the underside of the Lamb (before the seal) and says: “The Lamb of God is eaten (that is, sacrificed - Ed.), take away the sin of the world for the worldly belly and salvation.”

Then from the prophecy he moves on to the event itself and, touching the right side of the Lamb with a copy, he says: one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. And he who saw it bore witness, and his testimony is true (34-35). At the same time, wine, slightly dissolved with water, is poured into the Chalice (Chalice in Greek) in memory of the fact that blood and water flowed from the pierced side of Christ.

Historical evidence about the Lamb and its preparation is not very ancient. The absence of ancient evidence about the Eucharistic Lamb is explained by the fact that the proskomedia at which it is prepared is a relatively recent phenomenon. For a long time, it consisted of a simple selection of the best bread and wine brought by the people. The selected bread was consecrated in its entire, untouched form, in which it was brought and broken into pieces only immediately before communion.

Testimonies about the Eucharistic Lamb begin to be found in the 9th-10th centuries, although its preparation is not yet a generally accepted liturgical action. The first mention of the Eucharistic Lamb belongs to the Patriarch of Constantinople Germanus (died 740). In the main part, this sequence of sacred rites developed in this way in the 10th-12th centuries, the remaining additions were made in the 14th-15th centuries.

How other prosphoras are used during proskomedia

From the remaining four prosphoras, particles are taken out that signify the composition of the Heavenly and Earthly Church. The priest takes the second prosphora and, remembering the Blessed Virgin Mary, takes out a particle from the prosphora, which he places on the Paten on the right side of the Lamb (from himself on the left), close to its middle, with the words from the psalm: The Queen appears at Your right hand (). This prosphora is called “Theotokos”.

From the third - in memory of the Old and New Testament saints, from the fourth - for living members of the Church, from the fifth - for the deceased.

In addition, particles are also removed from the prosphoras for health and repose with the remembrance of names served by believers. At the end of the Liturgy, the particles taken from the prosphora are immersed in the Holy Chalice, as the priest pronounces the words: “Wash away, O Lord, the sins of those remembered here by Your honest Blood, by the prayers of Your saints.”

The spear used to cut out particles from prosphoras is an instrument of Divine Providence

To cut out the Lamb from the first liturgical prosphora, as well as to cut out particles from other prosphoras, a copy is used - a flat iron knife in the form of a spear tip, sharpened on both sides, inserted into a wooden or bone handle. He is an image of the spear with which the soldier, wanting to make sure of the death of Christ on the Cross, pierced Him in the ribs. When remembering the suffering of the Savior at the service of the proskomedia, the Lamb is lightly pierced with a copy on the right side with the words: “One of the warriors is pierced with a copy of His rib.” As an image of one of the instruments of execution of the Savior and as a weapon of war and death in general, a sharp iron spear cutting soft prosphora bread is a symbol of the cruelty of this world. The forces of cruelty and death strive to strike and kill everything Divine and heavenly in the earthly. But, according to God’s vision, they turn out to be instruments that highlight, extract from the environment of the human world everything that is not of this world, that, being in the world, needs to be tested, so that it becomes clear or visible to everyone that it belongs to another world, God’s chosenness of the tested one. In other words, the instruments of the cruelty of this world providentially, against the will of the devil and his angels, serve for the glory of God, turn into instruments of God's Providence for the salvation of the human race, into instruments that make it possible to discover and demonstrate the depth of God's love for His creatures and their reciprocal love for God. Therefore, the church copy, on the other hand, means precisely the instrument of God’s Providence, distinguishing His chosen ones from among humanity. In this sense, the copy is similar to the sword, the image of which Jesus Christ uses in His sermon, saying that He brought not peace, but a sword to earth, a sword that spiritually, as it were, cuts humanity into those who accept and those who do not accept Christ (; 1-53).

In its spiritual meaning, the copy is to some extent similar to the Cross of Christ, for just as the Cross was formerly an instrument of shameful execution, and in Christ it became an instrument of salvation and the glory of God, so the copy, being an instrument of death, becomes in Christ an instrument of salvation for the faithful for eternal life in the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven. The latter circumstance imparts to the consecrated church copy the power of grace, capable of exerting a healing effect. The Trebnik contains a brief “Following the passion of an illness... with a holy copy,” which the priest performs over a sick person, making the sign of a cross over him with a copy.

The symbolic meaning of prosphoras

The spiritual meaning of the copy becomes especially clear when considering the symbolic meaning of the prosphoras from which the particles are extracted by the copy. Prosphora consists of two parts, which are made from dough separately from one another and then joined together, sticking to one another. On the upper part there is a seal depicting a four-pointed equilateral cross with the inscriptions above the crossbar IC and XC (Jesus Christ), under the crossbar HI KA (in Greek - victory). Prosphora, made from flour from the grains of countless ears of ears, means both human nature, consisting of many elements of nature, and humanity as a whole, consisting of many people. Moreover, the lower part of the prosphora corresponds to the earthly (carnal) composition of man and humanity; the upper part with the seal corresponds to the spiritual principle in man and humanity, in which the image of God is imprinted and the spirit of God is mysteriously present. God's presence and spirituality permeate the entire nature of man and humanity, which, when making prosphoras, is reflected by adding holy water and yeast to the water. Holy water signifies the grace of God, and yeast signifies the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit, giving life to every creature. This corresponds to the words of the Savior about spiritual life striving for the Kingdom of Heaven, which He likens to leaven put into flour, thanks to which the whole dough gradually rises.

The division of the prosphora into two parts visibly signifies this invisible division of human nature into flesh (flour and water) and soul (yeast and holy water), which are in an inseparable, but also unfused unity, which is why the upper and lower parts of the prosphora are made separately from one another , but then connect so that they become one.

The seal on the top of the prosphora visibly denotes the invisible seal of the image of God, which penetrates the entire nature of man and is the highest principle in him. This arrangement of the prosphora corresponds to the structure of man before the Fall and the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ, who restored in Himself this structure broken by the Fall. The prosphora is therefore also a sign of the Lord Jesus Christ, who united in Himself the Divine and human nature.

The prosphora is made round as a sign of the eternity of Christ and humanity in Christ, in general as a sign that man was created for eternal life. It is not difficult to see that the prosphora also marks the creation of God in the unity of the heavenly and earthly realms of existence and the heavenly and earthly fullness of the Church of Christ.

The prosphora, being a symbol of the deified Creature, can acquire different meanings depending on the course of the service, signifying both an individual person and all of humanity as a whole. When a four-part Lamb is cut out of the first service prosphora, this simultaneously symbolizes the Birth of Jesus Christ from the most pure womb of the Virgin Mary, and the separation of the sinless and divinely purified human nature of Jesus Christ from the environment of sinful humanity, from the environment of this world, from earthly life. This separation was effected through the malice of the people themselves, which persecuted Christ from birth and led Him to death on the cross. In connection with this it is found that the Lamb is carved with a copy.

The wisdom of the design of the prosphora allows it to be both a symbol of the Church and the God-created human nature restored in it through the communion of Christ. Prosphoras are basically a sign of a deified creature, a sign of the Church as the eternal Kingdom of God, of which the person bringing the prosphora strives to become a particle, and what he wishes for those for whom the particles were taken out of it.

The sharp iron spear cutting out these particles correspondingly means the trials of life that are allowed by God on the part of demonic forces hostile to man, so that these trials themselves turn out, despite the hostile will, to be a necessary instrument in the conditions of earthly life for the salvation of man, cutting off his sinful attachments and union with the Church of God's chosen ones. The copy was not created only for the convenience of cutting out particles from prosphoras. If the separation of the Lamb and the particles had a different spiritual meaning, it could have been done either by the hands of a priest by breaking it off, or by an object meaning anything other than an instrument of cruelty and bodily death.

How does the transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts occur?

Transubstantiation is the term used in Orthodox theology to define

the way of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the bread and wine of the Holy Eucharist. In transubstantiation he sees the miracle of God’s omnipotence, similar to God’s creation of the world out of nothing. The very essence of bread and the very essence of wine is transformed into the essence of the true Body and Blood of Christ, by the action of the Holy Spirit, whom the priest calls upon at this time to perform the Sacrament, through prayer and the words: “Send down Thy Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts that are set, and create This bread is the honorable Body of Thy Christ; and in this Cup, the precious Blood of Thy Christ, transposed by Thy Holy Spirit.”

After these words, transubstantiation immediately takes place: only the types of bread and wine that appear to the eye remain. The Lord wanted us not to see with our bodily eyes the Body and Blood of Christ, but to believe in our spirit that it was They, on the basis of the words spoken by Christ to his disciples at the Last Supper: This is My Body and This is My Blood. We must believe more in the Divine word, in His power, and not in our feelings, which reveals the bliss of faith.

How does the Holy Gifts take place?

The clergy partake of the Body and Blood of Christ under both types, separately, that is, first the Body and then the Blood of Christ. Then the Chalice with the Holy Gifts is brought to the laity for communion.

Flour, water and salt, united by fire, mean that God is completely united with us and gives us His help and assistance, and especially that He is completely united with our entire nature.

You should not eat completely stale or moldy prosphora. For the Lamb, it is more convenient to take a slightly hardened prosphora (baked the day before) than a freshly baked one, since it is easier to cut out the Holy Lamb from the former and, after consecration, it is more convenient to crush it into particles for the communion of the laity.

Ancient baking method:

Take 1200 g of premium flour (cereal). Pour a little holy water into the bottom of the bowl in which the dough will be kneaded, pour in 400 g of flour, pour boiling water over it (to give the prosphora sweetness and resistance to mold) and mix. After cooling, add salt diluted in holy water to the same bowl and add yeast (25 g). Mix everything thoroughly and after rising (after 30 minutes) add the remaining flour (800 g) and knead everything again. After rising (after 30 minutes), the dough is laid out on the table, rubbed well, rolled out with a rolling pin into sheets of the required thickness, cut into circles (for the lower part, a larger shape), straightened with your hands, covered with a damp towel, then dry and kept for 30 minutes. The smaller, upper part is stamped. The connecting surfaces of the prosphora are moistened with warm water, the upper part is placed on the lower part, and both parts are pierced with a needle to prevent the formation of voids. Then the prosphoras are placed on a baking sheet and baked in the oven until cooked (small ones - 15 minutes, service ones - 20 minutes). The finished prosphora is taken out onto the table, covered with a dry cloth, then a wet one, again dry, and on top of it a clean blanket specially prepared for this purpose. The prosphora “rest” for an hour. When they become soft and cool, they are put into baskets or other containers, where nothing else except prosphora is placed.

What is antidor

At the end of the Liturgy, the antidor is distributed to the worshipers - small parts of the prosphora from which the Holy Lamb was taken out at the proskomedia. The Greek word antidor comes from the Greek words anti - instead of and di oron - gift, that is, the exact translation of this word is instead of gift.

“Antidorus,” says the saint, “is sacred bread, which was brought in offering and the middle of which was taken out and used for sacred rites; this bread, as sealed with a copy and having received divine words, is taught instead of terrible Gifts, that is, the Mysteries, to those who have not partaken of them.”

The custom of distributing the antidoron apparently arose at a time when the ancient tradition of giving communion to all those present at the Liturgy disappeared. In the ancient Church, everyone present at the Liturgy considered it an obligation to receive communion. Even those who could not attend the Divine Supper considered the deprivation of the Holy Gifts too difficult for themselves. That is why the deacons distributed gifts to the sick, those imprisoned, and those under guard. Those who went on the road took gifts with them.

But subsequently such zeal weakened, as did the love for the Lord Jesus Christ. Many stopped going to the Divine Liturgy altogether, and of those who came, the majority did not take part in the Divine Supper. That is why, instead of the Holy Gifts, they began to distribute those loaves that remained from the bloodless sacrifice. At first it was called a blessing (in Greek - eulogia), because these loaves, although they were not consecrated as Holy Gifts by the invocation of the Holy Spirit, were blessed and sanctified by the fact that they were among the offerings. Since there was a confusion of concepts here (the Divine Supper itself was called a blessing - eulogia), the distribution of bread began to be called antidorea, antidor, which means retribution, reward.

The first evidence of the distribution of antidor particles to those who did not partake of the Holy Mysteries dates back to the 7th century and is contained in the rules of the 9th Council of Kamnet in Gaul.

In the Eastern Church, the first mention of antidoron appears no earlier than the 11th century. The oldest can be considered the testimony of the “Explanation of the Liturgy” according to the list of the 11th century. Next, we should indicate the testimony of Balsamon (12th century) in the 15th response to Patriarch Mark of Alexandria.

According to the Nomocanon, if the particles of the prosphora from which the Holy Lamb was taken are insufficient for the antidor, prosphora in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos can be used to prepare it. According to the instructions of the Helmsman, antidor is not taught to infidels and those under penance.

What is artos

The word artos (in Greek - leavened bread) is consecrated bread common to all members of the Church, otherwise - whole prosphora.

Throughout Bright Week, Artos occupies the most prominent place in the church, together with the image of the Resurrection of the Lord, and, at the end of Easter celebrations, is distributed to believers.

The use of artos dates back to the very beginning of Christianity. On the fortieth day after the Resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven. The disciples and followers of Christ found consolation in prayerful memories of the Lord - they recalled His every word, every step and every action. When they came together for common prayer, they, remembering the Last Supper, partook of the Body and Blood of Christ. When preparing an ordinary meal, they left the first place at the table to the invisibly present Lord and placed bread in this place. Imitating the Apostles, the first shepherds of the Church established that on the feast of the Resurrection of Christ, bread should be placed in the church, as a visible expression of the fact that the Savior, who suffered for us, became for us the true bread of life. The artos depicts a cross on which only the crown of thorns is visible, but there is no Crucified One - as a sign of Christ’s victory over death, or an image of the Resurrection of Christ. Artos is also connected with the ancient church tradition that the Apostles left a portion of bread at the table - a share of the Most Pure Mother of the Lord as a reminder of constant communication with Her - and after the meal they reverently divided this part among themselves. In monasteries, this custom is called the Rite of Panagia, that is, the remembrance of the Most Holy Mother of the Lord. In parish churches, this bread of the Mother of God is remembered once a year in connection with the fragmentation of the artos.

The artos is consecrated with a special prayer, sprinkling with holy water and censing on the first day of Holy Pascha at the Liturgy after the prayer behind the pulpit. On the solea, opposite the Royal Doors, on a prepared table or lectern, an artos is placed. If several artos are prepared, then all of them are consecrated at the same time. After censing around the table with the installed artos, the priest reads a prayer: “Omnipotent God and Lord Almighty, Who was Your servant Moses in the exodus of Israel from Egypt, and in the liberation of Your people from the bitter work of the Pharaohs, You commanded the lamb to be slaughtered, prefiguring the one slain on the Cross for our sake. Lamb, who takes away the sins of the whole world, Thy beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ! Even now, we humbly pray to You, look upon this bread, and bless and sanctify it. For we too are Thy servants, in honor and glory, and in remembrance of the glorious Resurrection of the same Son of Thy Lord Jesus Christ, who from the eternal work of the enemy and from the insoluble bonds of hell received permission, freedom and promotion, before Thy Majesty now in this all-bright, glorious and the saving day of Easter, this we bring: we who bring this, and kiss it and eat from it, make us partakers of Your heavenly blessing and take away all sickness and illness from us by Your power, giving health to everyone. For You are the source of blessing and the giver of healing, and we send up glory to You, the Beginning Father, with Your Only Begotten Son, and Your Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.”

After the prayer, the priest sprinkles the artos with holy water, saying: “This artos is blessed and sanctified by sprinkling sowing sacred water, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen" (three times). The lectern with the artos is placed on the sole in front of the image of the Savior, where the artos lies throughout Holy Week. It is kept in the church throughout Bright Week on a lectern in front of the iconostasis. On all days of Bright Week, at the end of the Liturgy with artos, a procession of the cross around the temple is solemnly performed.

On Saturday, after the prayer behind the pulpit, a prayer is read for the fragmentation of the artos: “Lord Jesus Christ, our God, the Bread of Angels, the Bread of Eternal Life, who came down from Heaven, feeding us on these all-bright days with spiritual food of Your Divine blessings, for the sake of the three-day and saving Resurrection! Look now, we humbly pray to Thee, to our prayers and thanksgivings, and as Thou blessedst the five loaves of bread in the desert, and now bless this bread, that all who eat from it may receive physical and mental blessings and health through the grace and generosity of Thy love for mankind. For You are our sanctification, and We send up glory to You, with Your Originless Father and Your All-Holy, Good, and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.”

The artos is fragmented and at the end of the Liturgy, during the kissing of the Cross, it is distributed to the people as a shrine.

The genus artos at the lower level of consecration represents Easter cake, church ritual food, but not at all worldly luxury.

About eating prosphora, antidor and artos

The prosphora, which is given after the end of the Liturgy, is sacred and is reverently eaten by the believer before taking any food.

According to the rules of the Church, the antidoron must be eaten in church, on an empty stomach and with reverence, because this is holy bread, bread from the altar of God, part of the offerings to the altar of Christ, from which it receives heavenly sanctification.

Particles of artos received in the temple are reverently kept by believers as a spiritual cure for illnesses and infirmities. Artos is used in special cases, for example, in illness, and always with the words “Christ is risen!”

The prosphora and artos are kept in the holy corner near the icons. Spoiled prosphora and artos should be burned yourself (or taken to a place for this) or floated down the river with clean water.

Prayer for accepting prosphora and holy water

Lord my God, may Your holy gift and Your holy water be for the enlightenment of my mind, for the strengthening of my mental and physical strength, for the health of my soul and body, for the subjugation of my passions and infirmities, according to Your boundless mercy through the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother and all the Saints Yours. Amen.

Why does the Church sanctify Easter cakes and Easter cakes?

Christian Easter is Christ Himself with His Body and Blood. “Easter Christ the Deliverer,” as the Church sings and the Apostle Paul says (). Therefore, one should especially receive communion on Easter day. But since many Orthodox Christians have the custom of receiving the Holy Mysteries during Great Lent and on the bright day of the Resurrection of Christ, only a few receive communion, then, after the Liturgy is celebrated, on this day special offerings of believers, usually called Easter and Easter cakes, are blessed and consecrated in the church, so that they can eat from them it reminded of the communion of the true Pascha of Christ and united all the faithful in Jesus Christ.

The consumption of blessed Easter cakes and Easter cakes on Holy Week among Orthodox Christians can be likened to the eating of the Old Testament Easter, which on the first day of Easter week God's chosen people ate as a family (3-4). Also, after the blessing and consecration of Christian Easter cakes and Easter cakes, believers on the first day of the holiday, having come home from churches and having completed the feat of fasting, as a sign of joyful unity, the whole family begins bodily reinforcement - stopping the fast, everyone eats the blessed Easter cakes and Easter, using them in throughout Bright Week.

Once upon a time, in distant childhood, returning from the bread store, I could eat half a loaf of bread and then guiltily apologize to my mother that it was too appetizing. Nowadays you rarely find this unique smell. We are sliding more and more into artificiality, substitutes for taste and smell, and moving away from nature. What a person inhales, what he consumes, is how he lives, and the quality of his existence largely depends on how he does it.

Often visiting the Ioninsky Monastery, more than once or twice I saw how whole flocks of children circled around the monastery prosphora and, having received the coveted still hot prosphora, ran off to play further with happy faces. The Kiev Botanical Garden, where the monastery is located, is always crowded: there are a lot of children and youth. God works in mysterious ways. Who knows, maybe by sharing the prosphora with someone, the child will open the doors to the church and his parents...

Do you know how prosphora is made? The recipe is practically the same, but the tastes are different. Why do people go to another church to buy prosphora when they can bake them themselves? And many from afar come to the monastery to St. Jonah of Kyiv for prosphora. We know the matter, there is a reason, probably...

So I decided to come in and see how my favorite sunny bread is made.

Prosphornia

No big deal, easy job

I got, I must say, in the midst of it. It’s me, the artist, who can afford to sleep sometimes, but the guys get up early to knead the dough.

At first I only had time to turn my head - I couldn’t even keep track of what and how, but then I got used to it, and it became interesting. But as soon as I point the camera, the process is already over. The excitement really started to fill me! And the sun in the window also began to play hide and seek: it would appear, then it would hide. And the prosphora workers work and smile. Here and there I disturb them. The premises are small, but I take up a lot of space.

Just then the guys began to pray:

“Our blessed and God-bearing fathers Spyridon and Nicodemus, as they acquired boldness towards the Lord by their equal angelic life. For his sake, enrich Christ with incorruptibility and the miracles of your might; We pray to you diligently, ask for cleansing and great and rich mercy for our souls.”

“Krin kindness to Spyridon, and to Nikodim victorious, both holy prosphora sheets, pure bread as a gift to God, and to yourself as a fragrant sacrifice: pray to Christ God that our souls may be saved.”

I remembered the lines from “The Kaidash Family” by Nechui-Levitsky: “ Meanwhile, Melashka served in Kyiv at the malt milk plant. She lived the first week quietly, calmly, like God was at her door. The work of the mallow maker was not difficult after the hard work of the mother-in-law. The food was good».

I looked at the prosphora workers and thought: “Never mind, not difficult work! So have time to spin... What kind of work did the mother-in-law have then?!”

I stopped and began to pray in prayer to ask St. Jonah to tell me how his prosphora are made. After that, I was allowed... I began to keep up with the workers and make shots, and ask questions about what and how. And they treated me with kindness and began to tell me...

I'll go to the prosphora...

From the conversations it became clear that a specific education is not needed to become a prosphora student. And even if you graduate from the Institute of Food Technology, this knowledge is unlikely to be useful in practice.

They get into prosphora bags in different ways. Father David, for example, served as a sexton, and when the prosphora was being built, he himself proposed his candidacy, taking responsibility for the future work. Friends and acquaintances came. As a result, a friendly, well-coordinated team of 12 people emerged.

Why does the prosphora maker need to be diligent?

This is an extremely responsible matter. Prosphora is an integral part of liturgical life, and the diligence of the prosphora player plays a key role. It only seems simple in appearance, but, as I have seen from my own experience, there are many subtleties of baking art hidden here, personal secrets acquired over the years, obtained through trial and error, begged and suffered.

It is known that the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, while still a youth Bartholomew, received from the hands of the holy elder Monkorizan a small piece of holy prosphora as a sign of God’s grace. And until the end of his days, he baked prosphora on his own, without passing on this blessed work to the brethren.

The prosphora in the Church is a symbol of Christ. Each ingredient has its own special meaning.

The prosphora consists of two parts, symbolizing the two natures of Jesus Christ - God and man. Each part is first made separately, and then they are connected. The round shape of the prosphora symbolizes the sign of eternity and that man himself was created for eternal life.

Flour, water and salt, united by fire, mean that God is completely united with us and gives us His help and assistance, and especially that He is completely united with our entire nature.

The secrets begin...

To prepare the dough, the best wheat flour is taken, salt and yeast are added to it and kneaded in clean water.

Not every flour will do: just buying it in a store is a big risk of dooming your business to failure. Therefore, prosphora makers choose regular, trusted suppliers who understand all the responsibility.

It is quite difficult to choose these. In Ukraine, for example, there is practically no premium flour on sale. But what is sold under this name is not really such. Plus, as a rule, good flour turns out to be too expensive and unaffordable for the prosphora budget. Therefore, many try to work with private mills that have been proven for years.

1. Here's your first secret - where to get flour. If there are no reliable suppliers, you can buy it in the store. But how can you check the quality since it’s sealed? The basic principle is not to buy flour in plastic bags. Only in paper. The flour must “breathe” so that there are no self-heating processes, which will cause it to acquire a musty smell. Look at the expiration date and release date. The old flour has already lost some of its flowability, and there may be bugs in it. Buy only fresh, but don't take too much. Bring it home, open it, smell it, taste it. Flour should not be sour, bitter, have a moldy taste or foreign odors. If you chew it, there should be no feeling of sand on your teeth. And, of course, make sure there are no bugs, weeds or impurities.
2. The second secret is water. The quality of the finished product largely depends on its purity and taste, and if you consider that the taste of water is different everywhere, then the prosphora will taste different everywhere.
3. The third secret is the clarity and coherence of the actions of the prosphora players. The prosphora should turn out beautiful, golden in color, with a fragrant crispy crust that retains moisture and prevents it from drying out quickly.

Equipment for mixing and rolling out dough and baked goods can be used the same as in the baking industry. Or you can do it manually - it depends on your needs and capabilities.

An ancient recipe for making prosphora

You need to take 1.2 kg of premium flour, the so-called semolina. Coarse wheat flour is the finest grinding wheat flour that has passed through the finest sieve. In the old days, it was sometimes also called candy flour.

A little holy water is poured into the bottom of the dish (previously it was a wooden barrel, but now it can be a stainless steel pan), then about 400 g of flour is poured in and, pouring boiling water, mix until a homogeneous mass is obtained, like semolina porridge. The steaming gives the effect of sweetness and resistance to mold.

Then, after cooling, add salt diluted in holy water and add 25 grams of yeast. When the dough begins to rise after half an hour, add the remaining 800 g of flour and mix everything thoroughly again.

After about another half hour, the risen dough is laid out on the table and rolled out to the desired thickness. Rolling is possible either manually with a heavy rolling pin or using special equipment. As a result of rolling, we should get a homogeneous, not loose dough, similar to towels. For the bottoms, the thickness of the layer should be 18-20 mm, and for the tops 11-12 mm. For service prosphoras, the thickness is correspondingly greater.

After rolling out for about ten minutes, the dough should settle down, it is best to cover it with oilcloth.

Baked on wax

The next stage is cutting into circles And. In this case, the lower part is made larger, and the upper part is made smaller. The lower part is adjusted by hand, giving it the desired shape, covered with thick fabric (or a towel) and oilcloth, and also left for about half an hour. This is where you need to be careful - make sure that the dough does not dry out, otherwise both the taste and shape of the prosphora will be lost.

The finished lower parts of the prosphoras are placed on a baking sheet pre-greased with a thin layer of natural wax (another component of solar energy and an incomparable aroma). Wax is not as greasy as oil, and it does not leave marks on the prosphora; moreover, the use of oil is unacceptable according to church regulations.

If there is no wax, you can use baking trays made of food-grade aluminum, which do not need to be lubricated with anything. True, the wonderful effect of the sun and the aroma of honey will no longer be there. The same applies to baking sheets with special non-stick coatings.

And the upper part is stamped with the appropriate size. These seals, as a rule, are different for all monasteries and are also a sign of one or another prosphora.

After the upper and lower parts are ready, they are glued together. In this case, the place is moistened with water and pressed lightly, but so as not to damage the seal.

Then both parts are pierced with a needle to release air and prevent the formation of voids, ensuring maximum density of the finished prosphora.

A metal baking sheet with prosphora is sent into a hot oven, heated to 200-250 degrees, and baked at the same temperature until ready (small ones - up to 15 minutes, and service ones - about 20 minutes). The prosphora should acquire a golden color. You need to constantly check to make sure they don't burn.

Relaxing under four blankets

After taking the prosphora out of the oven, they are laid out on trays and covered with several layers: dry linen, then wet, and then dry again and a blanket on top. In this state, the prosphora “rest” for about an hour. When they become soft and cool, they are placed in baskets or boxes, where nothing but prosphora is placed at all.

Service prosphora is prepared in the same way, but has its own characteristics. The baking process should be under constant supervision, and it is best to pause it in order to make additional punctures and pressings, to release air. If it burns, you will have to change the temperature.

And even if you follow everything to the smallest detail, every time everything will be a little different. Because in nature there is no identical interaction of natural components, and external forces also influence the result. Create, and may God help you!

How sacred bread can heal goats

...I was going home. Time flew by instantly - however, as always when you do something with interest. At the temple I met the abbot of the monastery Bishop Jonah. This is the dialogue we had with him:

– Vladyka, what, exactly, is the secret of the Ionian prosphoras? Why do people from many temples come to buy them here?

– The guys who carry out obedience in our prosphora do their work in such a way that their products meet the highest standards required for prosphora. It is far from always possible to achieve this at home, which is why clergy purchase prosphora for worship from us.

– Is it possible to order prosphora as a birthday gift for a relative or friend?

– You can order, but you need to understand that at first prosphora is the most ordinary bread with an image or seal applied to it. But after a piece about health or repose, or in memory of saints is taken out of it, the prosphora becomes a shrine that can be given to friends and relatives, but only to those who understand what it is. So that people don’t throw it away or feed it to animals.

– When did you first pick up the prosphora and how did you feel?

– I first learned what prosphora was back in childhood: my believing great-grandmother had dried prosphora, which she ate only on holidays, since she lived far from the church. Today, church-going children know what prosphora is and that it is by no means an ordinary bun. In general, by the way a child calls sacred bread, one can see the degree of churchliness of his parents.

– Do you bake bread in a prosphora pan?

- No, only artos - bread that stands at the Royal Doors of the iconostasis throughout Bright Week after Easter, and after that is distributed as a blessing to believers.

Interestingly, the canonical instructions say that artos can also be given to animals in case of illness. And there was a case when one of our brothers and his grandmother’s goats got sick, no treatment helped. Then the brother brought several pieces of artos to his grandmother, she gave them to the goats, and they were miraculously healed. This was the miracle associated with the sacred bread.

But under no circumstances should consecrated prosphora be given to animals or birds. It is intended exclusively for human consumption.

So, did the classic ever wear a prosphora?

I walked home and thought: what kind of “easy and dust-free” work did the classic writer write about? Has he actually ever been to a prosphora service, let alone a Lavra one?

All our troubles come from ignorance, from arrogance and disbelief. If everyone, at all posts and in all areas, worked as the prosphora workers work and believe, the people would live in prosperity, and the earth around would be fragrant. There would be no war, no destruction. The fields would not be strewn with mines and shrapnel, but with elite varieties of selected wheat and rye. And our neighbors would respect us and come for our products.

God grant that we live to see this soon, and that our children enjoy the smell of freshly baked bread.

Forgive us, Lord, our sins and give us ordinary earthly happiness!