| |
Acknowledgments |
10 |
| |
Introduction |
11 |
| |
PART I: History |
|
| 1. |
The founding of the Church of Jerusalem and the long-standing dispute over the custody of the Tomb of Christ |
17 |
| 2. |
The rite and the miracle of the Holy Fire |
33 |
| 3. |
The first appearance of the Holy Fire |
43 |
| 4. |
Late antique ceramic lamps lit during the Holy Fire ceremony |
46 |
| |
PART II: Historical Accounts |
|
| 1. |
Saint Gregory the Illuminator (c. 330) |
49 |
| 2. |
Saint Theodore the Sabbaite (c. 836) |
51 |
| 3. |
The Arab philosopher al-Jahiz (c. 848) |
53 |
| 4. |
The French monk Bernard (867) |
54 |
| 5. |
Arethas’ letter to the Emir of Damascus (c. 920) |
56 |
| 6. |
The Arab historian al-Masudi (c. 940) |
57 |
| 7. |
The Arab Ibn al-Qass (940) |
60 |
| 8. |
The elder Othmarus (10th c.) |
65 |
| 9. |
The letter of the cleric Niketas to the Emperor of Byzantium, Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (c. 947) |
67 |
| 10. |
The Persian al-Biruni (c. 1000) |
73 |
| 11. |
The destruction of the Church of the Resurrection in 1009 |
82 |
| 12. |
Richard the Blessed of Saint Vanne (1027) |
86 |
| 13. |
Bishop of Orleans Odolric (c. 1025–1028) |
92 |
| 14. |
The speech of Pope Urban II (1095) |
95 |
| 15. |
The capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders (1099) |
98 |
| 16. |
The French chronicler Fulcher (1101) |
104 |
| 17. |
Codex L (1101) |
105 |
| 18. |
The Chronicle of Bartolf (1101) |
113 |
| 19. |
The Italian historian Caffaro (1101) |
118 |
| 20. |
The German historian Ekkehard (1101) |
122 |
| 21. |
The English historian William of Malmesbury (1101) |
126 |
| 22. |
The Armenian historian Matthew (1101) |
128 |
| 23. |
The French historian Guibert (1101) |
130 |
| 24. |
The Russian abbot Daniel (1005–1007) |
138 |
| 25. |
The ring around the sun on the day of Holy Saturday |
148 |
| 26. |
The scientific measurements of Russian physicist Andrey Volkov on Holy Saturday 2008 |
150 |
| 27. |
The German historian Albert of Aachen (1119) |
155 |
| 28. |
Peter the Venerable (1147) |
158 |
| 29. |
Codex 79 of the Library of Turin |
161 |
| 30. |
The Icelandic abbot Niculas Bergsson (c. 1154) and the two anonymous Icelandic pilgrims |
161 |
| 31. |
The German Bishop Theodorich (c. 1171) |
163 |
| 32. |
The Persian historian Ali of Herat (1173) |
165 |
| 33. |
The capture of Jerusalem by Sultan Saladin (1187) |
166 |
| 34. |
The Itinerary of Richard and the History of Ambrose |
171 |
| 35. |
Saladin before the Holy Fire (1192)
a. The Itinerary of Richard
b. The History of Ambrose |
173
176 |
| 36. |
The Syrian geographer Yaqut (1228) |
183 |
| 37. |
The Persian al-Qazwini (1260) |
184 |
| 38. |
The English author John Mandeville |
185 |
| 39. |
The Byzantine Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos (c. 1360) |
186 |
| 40. |
Perdikas the Ephesian (14th c.) |
188 |
| 41. |
The Russian archimandrite Grethenios (1400) |
189 |
| 42. |
The German traveler Johann Schiltberger (1425) |
190 |
| 43. |
The Swiss historian Felix Fabri (1483) |
192 |
| 44. |
The Russian diplomat Basil Posniakov (1560) |
196 |
| 45. |
The column that was split by the Holy Fire (1579) |
199 |
| |
PART III: Modern Accounts |
|
| 1. |
A personal attestation (2008) |
215 |
| 2. |
The British archaeologist Charles Warren (1867–1870) |
217 |
| 3. |
Monk Parthenius (1845) and Bishop Meletios (1867) |
219 |
| 4. |
Patriach Kyrillos II (1868) |
225 |
| 5. |
Monk Mitrophanis (1926) |
230 |
| 6. |
Patriarch Damianos I (1897–1926) |
233 |
| 7. |
Patriarch Diodoros I (1981–2000) |
236 |
| 8. |
Bishop Christodoulos (1998–1999) |
238 |
| 9. |
Patriarch Irinaios I (2001–2005) |
240 |
| 10. |
Patriarch Theophilos III (2009) |
241 |
| |
Epilogue |
243 |
| |
Bibliography |
253 |
| |
Manuscripts |
259 |
| |
Index |
260 |
