The eyes of God? The eyes of Christ in the painting open and close

A mysterious painting of Jesus Christ, who seems to open and close his eyes, attracts the attention of many visitors to the Handricat Gallery in Pilsen. The owner, Oldrich Klima, emphasizes that the work, painted by an unknown artist, evokes various emotions, from terror to delight. The painting, which is over 150 years old, encourages visitors to reflect on its deeper message.

A mysterious painting of Jesus Christ attracts people from all over the Czech Republic. The painting shows the face of the Son of God with eyes that open and close. Many visitors to the "Handricat Gallery" in Pilsen run by Oldrich Klima ask whether it is just a light trick or something more spiritual.

Jesus with closed eyes - this is the figure presented by this 150-year-old oil painting... but is it really?

You only need to take a step back and the Son of God will look at you with open eyes.

"It is truly a mysterious thing. Everyone who looks at the painting agrees that there is something profound inside it. Some people come back again and again to see it again," says the antiquarian Oldrich Klima. The painting, painted by an unknown artist, was once bought by Klim himself. Since he put it up in his shop in Pilsen, he has had many visitors.

"People react to the painting in different ways, some positively, others negatively. When I saw it for the first time, I was terrified. Now I am friendly towards it. It has good qualities and I do not see any evil in it," says Klima.

One viewer of the painting claimed that it depicts both an angel and a devil. No one knows, however, whether this was the artist's intention.

Jesus walked on... ice!

Scientific research suggests that the biblical stories of Jesus walking on water may have their origins in climatic phenomena. Professor Doron Nof of Florida State University suggests that during periods of cooling that occurred in northern Israel between 1,500 and 2,600 years ago, an ice sheet may have formed on the Sea of ​​Galilee. Such ice, capable of supporting the weight of an adult human, could be a rational explanation for the familiar image that appears in the Gospels.

Jesus Christ may not have walked on water as the Bible says, but rather slid across ice that formed during a period of climatic cooling, a scientific study suggests.

Unusual atmospheric and water conditions may have contributed to the formation of an ice cover on the surface of the Sea of ​​Galilee.

The study shows a period of climatic cooling in the area that is now northern Israel that occurred around 1,500 to 2,600 years ago.

Sub-zero temperatures could have contributed to the formation of an ice sheet capable of supporting the weight of an adult human.

"Spring Ice Cream"

The story of Jesus walking on water is recorded in three of the four Gospels, but Professor Doron Nof, an oceanographer at Florida State University (USA), insists that his study has found a more rational explanation for the event.

"If you ask me if I believe someone walked on water, I don't," Nof told Reuters. "I think there was some natural factor that could explain it."

The most interesting theories

The most likely theories are that the Star of Bethlehem was a planet or a combination of several planets:

SupernovaPlanetary conjunction . Astronomer Johannes Kepler proposed in the 17th century that the star of Bethlehem was a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. This rare conjunction occurred in 7 BC in the constellation of Pisces, a zodiacal sign that signified a good time for the Israelites. Kepler, however, was more inclined to a supernova.

John Mosley, program supervisor at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles (USA), believes that the Christmas star was a rare series of planetary conjunctions that occurred between 3 and 2 BC. "The show began on the morning of June 12, 3 BC, when Venus could be seen very close to Saturn in the eastern part of the sky," Mosley says in one of his articles. "Then Venus and Jupiter spectacularly paired up on August 12 in the constellation of Leo, which ancient astrologers associated with the destiny of the Jews. Between September 3 and June 2, Jupiter passed the star Regulus in the constellation of Leo, turned and circled it again, then circled the star a third time. This was an extraordinary event, since astrologers considered Jupiter the royal planet and called Regulus the "royal star." The consummation came on June 17, when Jupiter appeared so close to Venus that without a telescope it looked like a single star."

Jupiter . Astrophysicist Dr. Mike Molnar claims to have found solid evidence that the star of Bethlehem may have been the planet Jupiter in the form of an ancient coin. The Roman coin depicted the astrological sign for Aries (the Jewish sign) and a bright celestial object. Molnar believes the object is Jupiter: "Jupiter was eclipsed twice by the moon in the constellation of Aries in 6 BCE. Jupiter was a royal 'star' that granted kingdoms - power was extended when Jupiter was in closed conjunction with the moon... There is confirmation from a Roman astrologer that on April 17, 6 BCE, people believed that Jupiter had announced the birth of a divine, immortal, and all-powerful man bearing the Jewish sign, which was Aries."

What do you think? Was the star of Bethlehem an alien creation, a natural phenomenon, an extraordinary astronomical event, or perhaps a simple fable? Or what has been believed for centuries: a miracle?

Other theories

There are several theories - some logical, some strange - that try to explain what the mysterious "star" could have been:

Supernova . A supernova is a star which, as it were, enters a new phase of its life by exploding and emitting enormous amounts of light. In this case, the supernova could be one and would be too faint to be seen with the naked eye and in its new brightness could be of some significance to astrologers. The British astronomer David H. Clark and two colleagues announced in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal British Astronomical Society that the supernova explosion took place in the spring of 5 BC in the constellation Capricornus.

CribComet . A comet could also be seen by astrologers - there would be obvious movement in relation to the other stars in the sky.

And, depending on its trajectory, it could have sat still for a while. Since Halley’s comet appears to have appeared in 12 BC (no one knows for sure when Christ was born, although our calendar is based on his birth date of 1 AD; the best guesses are 2 or 7 BC), it’s worth noting that comets were considered harbingers of change—usually negative ones. Ancient Chinese astronomical records show that two objects were unexpectedly seen in the sky around that time. One was a comet that appeared in March 5 BC between Alpha and Beta Capricorni. Another comet appeared in March 4 BC near Altair in the constellation of Aquarius.

UFOs . Many people who believe that the traditional god or gods are actually extraterrestrial visitors have proposed that the "star" may have been an unidentified flying object - a spaceship - that guided the Magi to Bethlehem. This idea is truly ridiculous and is the only one that explains how an object could suddenly appear, move and stop over the birthplace of Jesus.

The story is Matthew's invention . It is curious that none of the other three gospel writers refer to the story of the miraculous star that so astonished Matthew. In fact, Luke's gospel is the only one outside Matthew's that describes the birth of Jesus (Mark and John go straight to his adulthood), but Luke does not mention a word about the wandering star.

So is this a star story created to establish the divinity of Jesus? Martin Gardner writes in Skeptical Inquirer magazine: "In my not-so-humble opinion, the star story is a mere myth, similar to many ancient legends of miraculous star appearances that announced great events such as the births of Caesar, Pythagoras, Krishna (the Hindu savior), and other famous dogs and deities

The Biblical Account

The Gospel of Matthew is the only book in the New Testament that mentions the mysterious star. According to Matthew's description, the "star" behaved as follows:

"So when they had heard the king, they departed: and behold, the star, which they had seen at its rising, led them until it came and stood over the place where the child was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy." (Matthew 2:9-10)

The star, whatever it was, was moving. Stars, in obvious relation to other stars in the night sky, do not move. They appear to move only one way—east to west—across the night sky because of the Earth's spin. They also travel across the sky from east to west for many weeks and months as the Earth orbits the sun.

The Magi saw a star in the east and followed it, probably as it moved west. We could just as easily say they followed it as it moved across the sky for a few days or weeks... but then the celestial object did something extraordinary - it stopped and "stood over the place where the child was." Whatever this object was, it stopped in the sky, so the Magi knew where they would find the child. There is no other record of a star stopping. Just this one.

So what was this "star"? Apart from observing how the star came to a stop, Matthew gives it no other specific characteristics. The account does not say whether it was unusually bright, colorful, or otherwise unusual. Tradition holds that it was unusually bright because it caught the attention of the magi. However, some research suggests that the magi were Persian astrologers. Therefore, the star—which might have looked quite normal to others—had some astrological significance to them. But it has not yet been explained how it came to be standing still in the sky.

What was the Star of Bethlehem?

The Star of Bethlehem, described in the Gospel of Matthew, has become one of the most recognizable symbols of Christmas. Its mysterious nature has stirred much controversy and speculation. Was it a miraculous manifestation heralding the birth of Jesus, or perhaps a natural astronomical phenomenon such as a comet, a supernova, or a conjunction of planets? In this article, we will look at various theories about the star, including proposals regarding its possible connection to astrology and hypotheses about its cosmic origins. What conclusions can be drawn from these considerations?

The Star of Bethlehem: Was It a Miracle or an Extraordinary Astronomical Event?

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star at its rising, and are come to worship him." (Matthew 2:1-1)

The above quote is the New Testament description of the appearance of the "Star of Bethlehem" - one of the enduring symbols of the Christmas season. Its true nature is also a subject of controversy and debate.

Was the star of Bethlehem a paranormal event—a miracle—announcing the coming of the Messiah? Or was it a natural, spectacular, heavenly event that occurred, as historians have calculated, at the exact time Jesus was born?

The miraculous apparitions of Garabandal

In the small Spanish village of Garabandal, officially known as San Sebastian de Garabandal, controversial events took place between 1961 and 1965 that shocked world opinion. Four girls aged between 11 and 12 claimed to experience apparitions of the Virgin Mary and St. Michael the Archangel, delivering messages and prophecies to crowds. Despite numerous witnesses and hard-to-explain phenomena such as levitation, the Catholic Church, including diocesan bishops, denied the supernatural nature of these events. The Garabandal case remains a subject of debate and research to this day.

For four years, strange things have been happening in the small Spanish village of Garabandal. Four girls claimed that the Mother of God and St. Michael the Archangel were appearing to them. In the presence of a crowd of people, they "talked" to the people who supposedly appeared to them, and passed on their "prophecies." There were phenomena that were hard to explain. There are even witnesses who claim that the girls were levitating.

Garabandal (real name: San Sebastián de Garabandal) is a small village of less than 300 inhabitants, picturesquely situated 70 km from the city of Santander in Cantabria, northern Spain.From 1961 to 1965, events took place there that shocked public opinion around the world and then led to the negative position of successive diocesan bishops of Santander, supported by the Holy Office and later by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The phenomena in question are most often referred to as apparitions of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Michael the Archangel, and were experienced by four girls aged 11 to 12: Conchita Gonzalez, Maria Dolores Mazon, Jacinta Gonzalez and Maria Cruz.

Over the course of seven years, from August 17, 1961 to May 8, 1967, the Ordinariate of Santander issued five information notes, each of which questioned the supernatural nature of the events.

In December 1977, the new bishop of Santander, Juan Antonio del Val, confirmed the decisions of his predecessors and in 1985 he established a commission for the canonical reinvestigation of the Garabandal events. The investigation resulted in the preparation of an official dossier that was sent to Rome at the end of November 1991. The commission's conclusion was in line with the earlier rulings.

Bishop del Val's successor, Bishop José Vilaplau, after taking over the diocese of Santander on September 29, 1991, asked the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for its position on the "apparitions" in Garabandal. On November 28, 1992, he received a response in which the Congregation considered all previous judgments and the results of the commission's work to be satisfactory.

Bishop José Vilaplaua, in a letter dated October 11, 1996, recalled all the previous rulings on the Garabandal incidents, and summed up his position, this time final, in a brief confirmation of the previous decisions:

"I share and accept the decisions of my predecessors and the position of the Holy See. Regarding the Eucharistic celebrations in Garabandal, I maintain the decisions of my predecessors and order that Masses be celebrated only in the parish church, with references to alleged apparitions being inadmissible."The visions and messages of the Garabandal apparition began on June 18, 1961 at 7:30 p.m. It was then that an "angel" appeared, first to Conchita, and then to all four visionary girls, but said nothing.

Three days later, the "angel" saw her again. On the orders of the local priest, the girls asked: "Who are you and why have you come?" but received no answer. Before the "angel" spoke, he appeared to the girls twice more, and under his figure appeared a signature of letters and Roman numerals incomprehensible to the visionaries.

It was not until July 1 that the "angel" began to speak. He introduced himself as "St. Michael" and announced the coming of the "Virgin of Mount Carmel."

The next day, on Sunday at 6:00 PM, the "Virgin" appeared for the first time, accompanied by two angels - twins "St. Michaels". In a triangle on a luminous red background appeared - as the girls said - a looking eye and a signature in "Eastern" letters that they did not understand.

From then on, the "Virgin" appeared to the girls with varying frequency, and extraordinary events accompanied this.

On October 18, 1961, she told them: "You must make many sacrifices! You must do great penance! You must visit the Blessed Sacrament frequently! But above all, you must be good! If you do not do this, a great chastisement will come upon you. The chalice is filling up! If you do not change, God's chastisement will fall upon you!"

On June 19, 1962, the girls told us that the Virgin gave them another message:The Virgin told us that we do not fear punishment, because we ignored her first message, living as if it did not exist. Now the punishment will come, because the world has not improved; now, when the Virgin has repeated this message for the second time, we have ignored it. The world is getting worse and has to change, but nothing has changed at all."

Two days later, a third message came, very similar in content to the previous one. On June 29, an "angel" appeared and announced a miracle, and sent the girls to the Virgin for its date. She, in turn, sent the visionaries to an impersonal voice, which indicated the date of July 18. On that day, the miracle of the visible "communication" of Conchita by the angel took place.

The next and final message to the whole world came on Sunday, January 18 at 11:45 p.m. in the presence of crowds. To the surprise of all present, the bearer of this message was not the "Virgin" but an "angel":

"Since my revelation of October 18, 1961 has not been fulfilled and communicated to the world, I tell you that this message is already the last. Just as the cup was filling up before, so now it is overflowing. Many cardinals, many bishops and priests are on the road to damnation, dragging many souls with them. Less and less worship is given to the Eucharist. We must avoid God's anger by doing good works. If you ask God for forgiveness with a sincere heart, he will forgive you. I, your Mother, beg you through my ambassador St. Michael to amend your ways, because this is already the last warning. I love you very much and do not want your damnation. Ask us, we will obtain it for you. You must make many sacrifices. Reflect on the suffering of Jesus."Conchita Gonzalez received another surprising message from the Virgin of Garabandala, according to which after John XXIII there will be three more popes and then the End of Times will come.

Believe or not?

There are many such miracles. Will any of the stories written by Zuchniewicz prove to be a sign from God that will make it possible for John Paul II to be beatified? - this question is asked by the author of the book, and probably by all those who loved John Paul II. However, for many people the Polish Pope has long been a saint - a mediator of God or, as John Paul II himself called himself - a hidden engine of God, modest, humble and quiet, who repeated: "Miracles are performed by God, not me. I pray, it is a mystery".

Certainly, Zuchniewicz's book will not provide proof of their existence to non-believers or those who doubt miracles; there are no medical certificates documenting the inexplicable improvement in the health of the people featured in the book. However, these people exist and testify that they have experienced a miracle, including those who once did not believe in miracles or in God, and today are the most faithful of the faithful, priests, nuns, missionaries.

The book "Miracles of John Paul II" by Paweł Zuchniewicz, published by Wyd. Prószyński i S-ka, will be available in bookstores on January 26.

Healing Stories

This is just one of a dozen or so moving stories collected by journalist and publicist Paweł Zuchniewicz in the book entitled "The Miracles of John Paul II". Zuchniewicz wrote down with extraordinary delicacy the accounts of witnesses who experienced the miraculous power of the Polish Pope, sent to him by email from Poland and around the world.

There is, for example, the story of Wiktoria Szechyńska, a 23-year-old Pole who, according to her parents, was given an extra 18 years of life by John Paul II. Wiktoria was born with a tumour on her heart that grew very quickly, doctors saw no chance that the child would survive the operation, and without it they gave her a maximum of three years. When the girl was just over two, her parents managed to take her to Rome for an audience with John Paul II.

"Danuta - Wiktoria's mother - would never forget this meeting. (...) The Pope took Wiktoria in his arms and kissed her.

- Trust in God, he said. - It will be as God decides.

After meeting the Pope, Victoria got a very high fever. The doctors at the hospital were unable to bring her down. The child was fading before her eyes. "She will soon pass away," the doctor said.

The parents reconciled themselves with their fate. It was good that she had at least received a blessing from the Holy Father, they thought. However, several days passed, and Wiktoria was still alive. And she did not feel any worse. One day she got up and asked for food. The doctors examined her again. It turned out that the disease had disappeared".

British Kay Kelly was healed of cancer after meeting the Polish Pope, and 70-year-old Sister Ofelia Trespalacios from Venezuela has had her long-standing nausea and dizziness lifted. Thanks to the Pope and prayers for the intercession of Sister Faustina, Italian Ugo Festa got out of his wheelchair after many years and started walking. Mieczysław Wisłocki, a Polish doctor and father of eight, should have been dead or at least paralyzed after a stroke he suffered in 1992, but after the prayers of John Paul II he recovered completely.

Miracles in a book collected

The book "Miracles of John Paul II" by Paweł Zuchniewicz will soon debut on the publishing market, collecting moving stories of people who experienced the miraculous power of the Pope. The publication will include accounts of witnesses who claim that their healings were the result of John Paul II's prayers and mediation. The book, which will hit bookstores on January 26, asks questions about the nature of miracles and their meaning in the context of faith, providing both moving stories and reflections on spirituality.Through His touch, deadly diseases receded, His prayers caused the sick to rise from their beds and escape death, through Him God gave people "signs of supernatural order". In a few days, a book about the miracles performed by John Paul II will hit bookstores.

On May 12, 1990, Javier Lozano Barragan, Bishop of Zacatecas in Mexico, greeted the Holy Father at the local airport. Not far from him stood a couple with a five-year-old boy, Heron Badillo. The child looked terrible. Pale, sunken cheeks, a head without a single hair. Heron, held in his mother's arms, was clutching a small dove that he was to release in honor of the Holy Father. He sensed that something important was happening. Finally, he saw it up close. A gentle, smiling face, a white skullcap on his head, a cross on a chain gleaming in the bright sun. What did this man want from him? The Pope raised his hand. Heron continued to clutch the bird. The Pope repeated the gesture. The boy understood. The dove flapped its wings and rose into the air. John Paul II smiled broadly. He leaned down and kissed the child's hairless head. After a moment, he walked away.

"Mom, I'm hungry," the boy said once they were in the car.

- Hungry? - the mother was surprised, because her son, who suffers from leukemia, had not eaten any normal food for two weeks.

- Yes, I want chicken, he replied.

Fall 1990. Javier Lozano Barragan arrived at the Vatican to meet John Paul II. They were to meet for lunch and the bishop wanted to surprise the Pope. Before lunch, he checked to see if he had two photographs with him that he wanted to show the Holy Father. One was from May 12, 1990, showing the Pope being welcomed at the airport. Next to the Pope was a hairless boy who was letting a dove fall from his hands. The other was of the same boy. The same, but not the same. His face had rounded out and hair had sprouted on his head. A few hours later, during lunch, Barragan showed the Holy Father one photograph, then, with a triumphant expression, offered the other. At the sight of the photographs, John Paul II became serious.

- God does great and wonderful things, he said.