Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre
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The Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre,
The brotherhood's symbol is the taphos, a monogram of the Greek letters tau (Τ) and phi (Φ), for the word taphos (τάφος, meaning "sepulchre, grave").[1][2] It can be seen on most Greek Orthodox buildings in Jerusalem.
The brotherhood is seated in the Central Monastery of Saints Constantine and Helen, Jerusalem,[N 2] northeast of Megali Panagia Nunnery.[6]
Name
The Holy Sepulchre refers to the burial chamber, or
.The organization is also known as the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood,[7] and its members referred to as Hagiotaphites or Agiotaphites, from the Greek hagios ("holy") and taphos ("sepulchre").[8]
History
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Organisation
Jordanian Law No. 227, dated 16 January 1958, regulates the Brotherhood's government.
Holy places
- Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem
- Site of Christ's baptism in the River Jordan (Qasr el Yahud)
- Mount Tabor
- Nazareth, the city of the Annunciation (the Church of St Gabriel)
- The Sea of Galilee (also known as the Lake of Gennesaret and the Sea of Tiberias)[dubious ]
- Capernaum, the "Town of Jesus"
- Cana
- Jacob's Well in Nablus.
Status quo
After the renovation of 1555, control of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre oscillated between the Roman Catholic
The primary custodians are the Greek Orthodox Church, which has the lion's share; the
Under the status quo, no part of what is designated as common territory may be so much as rearranged without consent from all communities. This often leads to the neglect of badly needed repairs when the communities cannot come to an agreement among themselves about the final shape of a project. Just such a disagreement has delayed the renovation of the
A less grave sign of this state of affairs is located on a window ledge over the church's entrance. Someone placed a wooden ladder there sometime before 1852, when the status quo defined both the doors and the window ledges as common ground. The ladder remains there to this day, in almost exactly the same position. It can be seen to occupy the ledge in century-old photographs and engravings.
None of the communities controls the main entrance. In 1192, Saladin assigned responsibility for it to a Muslim family. The Joudeh Al-Goudia a noble family with a long history were entrusted with the keys as custodians. This arrangement has persisted into modern times.
Breaches of the status quo
The establishment of the status quo did not halt the violence, which continues to break out every so often even in modern times. For example, on a hot summer day in 2002, a Coptic monk, who was stationed on the roof to express Coptic claims over Ethiopian territory there, moved his chair from its agreed spot into the shade; this was interpreted as a hostile move by the Ethiopians, leading to an altercation that left eleven people hospitalized.[9]
In another incident in 2004 during Orthodox celebrations of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, a door to the Franciscan chapel was left open. This was taken as a sign of disrespect by the Orthodox and a fistfight broke out. Some participants were arrested, but no one was seriously injured.[10]
On
See also
- Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
- Fathers of the Holy Sepulchre
- Custody of the Holy Land
- Order of the Holy Sepulchre
- Palestinian Christians
References
- ^ Greek: Ιερά Αγιοταφιτική Αδελφότητα, Ierá Agiotafitikí Adelfótita; Palestinian Arabic: اخوان القبر المقدس
- Arabic: الدير المركزي (المعروف بدير القديسَين قسطنطين وهيلانة)[5]
- ISBN 978-0-19-879255-0.
A taphos (the symbol of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre) is usually engraved on the entrance of Greek Orthodox churches
- ISBN 978-0-86565-147-0.
Taphos: Greek for "sepulcher" and the monogram of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. Composed of the Greek letters Tau and Phi, the Taphos sign appears on the front of most Greek Orthodox buildings
- ^ "Holy Monasteries and Churches in Jerusalem". Jerusalem Patriarchate.
- ^ "Ἱεραί Μοναί καί Ναοί ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ". Πατριαρχείοv Ιεροσολύμων (in Greek).
Κεντρικόν Μοναστήριον Ἁγίων Κωνσταντίνου καί Ἑλένης, ἔνθα ἡ Ἕδρα τῆς Ἁγιοταφιτικῆς Ἀδελφότητος.
- ^ "الكنائس والأديرة داخل المدينة المقدسة". بطريركية الروم الاورثوذكسية (in Arabic).
الدير المركزي (المعروف بدير القديسَين قسطنطين وهيلانة) حيث مقر أخوية القبر المقدّس
- ^ "The Feast of Saint Melani at the Patriarchate". en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info. 13 January 2018.
the Nunnery of Megali Panagia adjacent to the south-west side of the Hagiotaphites' Central Monastery
- ^ "Hagiotaphite Brotherhood". Jerusalem Patriarchate.
The Holy Brotherhood of the All-Holy Sepulchre
- ^ Société de géographie du Cher (1909). Bulletin (in French). Typ. de M.H. Sire.
Du grec hagios, saint, et taphos, tombeau
- ^ Christian History Corner: Divvying up the Most Sacred Place | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction
- ^ Fisher-Ilan, Allyn (2004-09-28). "Punch-up at tomb of Jesus". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-04-27.
- ^ Armenian, Greek worshippers come to blows at Jesus' tomb - Haaretz - Israel News
- ^ "Riot police called as monks clash in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre". London: Times Online. November 10, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
- ^ "Once again, monks come to blows at Church of Holy Sepulcher". The Associated Press. November 10, 2008. Archived from the original on November 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
External links
- The Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre at the Jerusalem Patriarchate
- An Historical Glance at the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulcher by St. Raphael of Brooklyn