FIRST AND SECOND FINDING

On March 8, the Church celebrates the memory of the First and Second Finding of the Head of John the Baptist. In non-leap years, the holiday is shifted by one day and celebrated on March 9. Usually, this day falls at the beginning of Great Lent. Therefore, according to the Statute, during Lent, the Presanctified Liturgy is to be performed on the Feast of the Finding. In leap years, this holiday falls on March 8. Since John actually suffered from Herod’s male cowardice and Herodias’ female cunning, some Orthodox preachers see this coincidence of International Women’s Day and the feast of the Head of the Forerunner as a numinous omen. Most likely, it is just a coincidence.

The Liturgical Charter also celebrates the celebration of the Third Finding of the Head of John the Baptist, which takes place on May 7 (25). The Finding of the Head of John the Baptist is a historical event. The ancient Church dedicated a special liturgical service to it. “The head of the Forerunner rose from the earth as a star, brilliant with rays of healing and immortality. It gathers the choirs of angels in heaven and assembles the human race on earth to sing with one voice the glory of Christ our God,” says the troparion of the Feast.

The Lord Jesus called John the greatest of all righteous men. “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist,” says the Gospel (Matthew 11:11). John is the last of the Old Testament prophets. He completes the Old Testament revelation and marks the beginning of the New Testament Gospel. John pointed to Jesus the Messiah to the people who came to him. John baptized Christ the Lord, who appeared to the world: “And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in Jordan” (Mark 1:9). It was John who initiated the gesture, the ritual, the sacred act that changed the history of the world. This immersion in water, baptism, which became a sacrament in the Apostolic Church, will determine the spiritual heartbeat of humanity until the end of time. Although the Finding of the Head is a historical event and has no direct relation to the economy of salvation, John’s own life, from the moment of his conception to his death at the hands of Herod, is directly and clearly connected with it. By economy of salvation, the Church understands the divine work of saving humanity in Jesus Christ.

John was a prophet. John was beheaded by Herod. “When Herod heard this, he said, ‘It is John, whom I beheaded, who has risen from the dead’” (Mark 6:16). The beheading of His Head became a prophecy of how dishonorable and shameful the Lord’s death would be from the point of view of people. Therefore, the discovery of John’s head throughout the history of the Church should be understood not by analogy with the discovery of the relics of great saints, but as a sign of the Victory of the Cross, and the feast itself should be interpreted by analogy with the celebration of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord.

The Exaltation of the Cross is one of the twelve major feasts of the Church. It is celebrated on a single day, September 27 (14), but in fact represents a celebration in honor of two “findings of the Cross.” The first discovery took place during the reign of Emperor Constantine. Around 326 Saint Helena found the historical Cross on which Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem. Almost three centuries later, when the Holy City was invaded by Persian armies, the Cross was captured. In 629, Emperor Heraclius solemnly returned it to the Holy Land from Persia.

The head of John the Baptist was also found during the reign of Constantine the Great. Then, due to human negligence, it was lost. The second discovery took place in 452 during the reign of the very pious and orthodox Emperor Marcian. It is clear that both the Exaltation and the Finding of the Head are double findings and double events. Over time, the authentic historical Cross of Christ was divided into parts and preserved in this separate manner. The head of John the Baptist was most likely also divided, and therefore there are several sacred places where the Holy Head is believed to be kept. The original historical event of the Finding and Exaltation of the Cross acquired a deep theological meaning. This did not happen with the feast of the Finding of the Head. Perhaps this is why, in search of reflection and understanding, the Third Finding of the Head of John the Baptist is celebrated separately during the liturgical year, in order to call upon the Church, as a community of interpreters, to create such a understanding.