A contemporary and fellow disciple of Julian, St. Gregory the Theologian, in a sermon against Julian, says that at that time there was a shining cross in the sky and the clothes of the spectators were sealed with crosses. Many of the outside spectators, as historians write, ran to watch this spectacle of the struggle with the mysterious fiery element. The enemy of Christianity had to confess his own impotence, but did not repent of his malice.

In the battle with the Persians, the enemy's arrow struck Julian. As he was dying, he cried out with sorrow: "Thou hast conquered me, O Galilean"! (this is how he called the Lord Jesus Christ). After the death of Julian the Apostate, all subsequent emperors of the Roman Empire took care of the establishment of Christianity throughout the empire. But from the seventh century onwards, new sufferings began for Christians in the East. In 614 .

the Persian king Chosroes took possession of Jerusalem, handed over ninety thousand Christians to the Jews for execution, took Patriarch Zachariah with many other Christians into captivity, burned down the Church of the Resurrection, stole the jewels of the temple and carried off the Cross of Christ to Persia. After 14 years, in 628, the Greek emperor Heraclius defeated the Persians, returned all the captive Christians, led by Patriarch Zachariah, and St.

The cross was returned to Jerusalem with honor. Rejoicing and thanking God, the emperor Heraclius wished to bring the Cross to Jerusalem himself. But at Golgotha an invisible force stopped the Cross, and the king was powerless to carry it. Then Patriarch Zachariah pointed out to the emperor that the Son of God – the King of Heaven – carried the Cross to Golgotha in humility and humiliation. The emperor humbly obeyed the Patriarch, took off his royal robes and barefoot brought in the Holy Synod.

The Cross to the church on Golgotha, where the Patriarch again erected the Holy Cross over the people. Soon after this great event, the false prophet Mohammed appeared in Arabia. Suffering from childhood epilepsy (nervous seizures) and hallucinations (ghostly visions), he himself believed in his vocation to create a new religion, and at the age of 40 he preached his own sermon. In 632 .

with his followers, he conquered Mecca (in Arabia, the birthplace of Mohammed) and established his faith. Then his followers conquered Egypt, Syria, Palestine and Jerusalem itself by force of arms. Gradually, Mohammedanism (the teaching of Mohammed) spread more and more, and the Greek Empire became weaker and weaker. Finally, in the middle of the XV century (1454 )

, under Emperor Constantine Palaiologos, the Turks conquered Constantinople itself. Ecumenical Councils Among Christians there sometimes appeared people who incorrectly expounded Christian teaching and wished to impose their false teachings (false, incorrect teachings) on the whole Church. The Church calls such false teachings heresies, and false teachers heretics.

When the general persecution of Christians ceased, heresies began to agitate the life of the Church especially. In order to combat heresies and to instruct all Christians how to believe correctly, Orthodox, Councils (assemblies) of bishops – pastors and teachers of the Church gathered, following the example of the Holy Apostles, as far as possible from all over the world, that is, from all countries where there were Christians. As St.

the Apostles gathered at the Council in Jerusalem (the Apostolic Council in the year 51 – Acts 15:1-35), when it was necessary to decide whether Gentile Christians should fulfill the ceremonial law of Moses; so the Fathers of the Church, i.e. the bishops, to whom the Apostles transferred their authority (through successive ordination), gathered at Councils when any teaching contrary to the faith of Christ appeared. Such general councils (from all over Christendom)

, which affirmed the truth of Christ under the influence of the Holy Spirit and were accepted by the entire Church of Christ, are called Ecumenical Councils. There were seven Ecumenical Councils. At the First and Second Ecumenical Councils, the Symbol of Faith was composed. The Symbol of Faith is a brief exposition of the entire Christian, Orthodox faith. Every Orthodox Christian should know it.

It is sung by us at the Divine Liturgy. The Seventh Ecumenical Council defended and confirmed the veneration of holy icons. The Fall of the Roman Church. Enlightenment of the Slavs After the period of the Ecumenical Councils, the western part of the Church (the Roman) separated from the Universal Orthodox Church and formed a separate Roman Catholic Church. It happened like this.

After the apostles, their successors, bishops, began to govern the Church, who, having the same degree of priesthood, had different powers. The bishops of smaller cities were subordinate to the bishops of large cities, who were called metropolitans. Metropolitans, in turn, were subordinate to the bishops of the capital cities, who were called patriarchs. The highest authority in the Church belonged to the Councils, to which the patriarchs were also subordinate.

There were five patriarchs at that time: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem. (The Patriarch of Alexandria was called the Pope, and then the Patriarch of Rome was also called the Pope. For a long time, other bishops were also called popes (the word "pope" means father). All five patriarchs had the same rights and were independent of each other.

There was neither the highest nor the lowest among them, but only in the order of enumeration did the Pope of Rome occupy the first place. But in the course of time, the Popes of Rome, expanding their dominions, began to strengthen themselves in power and began to strive to subordinate all the patriarchs to themselves, that is , for the Pope to become the head of the Church of Christ. Such a claim of the Popes of Rome was recognized by the Church as illegal.