Life before the Messiah
The Apostle Peter, who once had the name Simon, was born in Palestine, in the city of Bethsaida. He had a wife and children, and was engaged in fishing on Lake Gennesaret. Simon's work was truly dangerous: calm waters could suddenly give way to a storm. Thus, the future apostle could spend days fishing, thereby earning food for his family. Such work instilled in him will and perseverance, which later became very useful to him: after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, hungry and tired Peter wandered around the earth, spreading the true faith.
The road to the Lord was open to Simon thanks to his brother Andrei. A fiery love for Christ was kindled in him for the rest of his life. For his devotion and fidelity, the Lord brought him closer to himself than all the apostles.
At the right hand of Christ
There are many biblical stories associated with the Apostle Peter. One of them tells how Simon and his comrades fished all night, but were unable to catch anything. And only in the morning, when the Lord entered the boat of the future apostle, ordering the fishing nets to be cast again, he received a large catch. There was so much fish that part of the catch had to be placed in the neighboring ship of his comrades. Simon was horrified by the unprecedented amount of fish. With trembling hearts, he turned to the Lord and, falling to his knees, asked Him to leave the boat, considering himself unworthy to be next to Jesus Christ. But the Lord, having chosen Simon for himself as his faithful disciple, raised him from his knees and proclaimed him not only “a fisher of fish, but also of men.” Both boats began to sink under the load of catch, but the Lord helped the fishermen pull the vessels ashore. Leaving everything, the man followed Christ, becoming a close disciple along with John the Theologian and James.
Authenticity of the Message
The Second Epistle of the Apostle Peter, despite its origin from him and its assignment to the same persons to whom the first Epistle was written ( 2 Pet. 3:1
), has been questioned for a very long time in the primal Church and is disputed by the Apostle Peter in modern times. The doubt of the ancients is evidenced by Origen (in Ioann., p. 88), Didymus of Alexandria (Comm. in. hanc. ep. ad. fm.), Eusebius (N. eccl. III, 3 and 25), Amphilochius (in Gregory the Theologian Carm. 125), Jerome (De viris ill. p. 1).
This Epistle was not in the ancient Syriac translation of the New Testament, it is not mentioned in the Muratorium catalogue, and Western writers until the end of the 4th century had no clear indications of it. But the same and other writers have indications of the existence of this Epistle and references to it as an Apostolic scripture [and one can be sure with certainty that it has already been recognized as authentic in the Church of Alexandria since the second century.
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Under the name of Petrov - and the undoubted one - he is quoted by Origen (in Iosuam hom. 7) and Didymus - who probably renounced his youthful doubts in adulthood (Enarr. in ep Iudae), and Clement of Alexandria seems to have written his own interpretation of him ( Cassiodora Instit. div. litt. praef. et c. 8 – Photius Biblioth. cod. 109).
Then there is a whole series of testimonies: Cyril of Jerusalem (Catech. 4), Athanasius of Alexandria (Synops et Orat. 2 contra Arian.), Gregory the Theologian (carm. 34), Hilary (de Trinit. lib. 1), Augustine (lib. 2 de Doctr. chr), Ambrose (De incarn. c. 8), Jerome (lib. I, contr. Jovin). In Eusebius (N. eccl. II, 23) it is ranked among the Conciliar.
The councils of Laodicea (rule 60th) and 3rd Carthage (rule 47th) consider it canonical. Ephraim the Syrian (Serm. contra impudic.) and John of Damascus (1:4, p. 18 De fide Orth.) testify to the beliefs of the Syrian Church; and very early, although not entirely clear, references to this Epistle in the Epistles of Clement of Rome (1 Cor. 7 and 11), in the Shepherd of Hermas (Vis. 3:7; 4:3), in Irenaeus (Adv. haer. 5 :23.2), speak of the same belief and recognition of this Message in the West].
Blessed Jerome even explains the reason for doubts about the authenticity of the 2nd Epistle, finding it in the difference in syllables between the 1st and 2nd Epistles (Ep. ad Hedib. Q. 2).
.
In modern times (starting with Erasmus of Rotterdam, Calvin, Grotius) the authenticity of this Epistle began to be doubted more on the basis of the doubts of the ancients; but besides external evidence of the Epistle, there is much internal evidence in it in favor of its attribution to the Apostle Peter. The writer calls himself Simon Peter, a servant and Apostle of Jesus Christ, and says that he was honored to be a witness of the Transfiguration of the Lord ( 1:17–18
Mf.
17:1), includes himself among the Apostles, preachers of the Gospel (1:163:2), calls the Apostle Peter his beloved brother and speaks of his writings and their perversion by heretics
(
3:15–16
), which he himself complains about repeatedly Apostle Paul (2 Sol. 2:2 · 2 Cor. 10:10);
mentions that this is his second Epistle ( 3:1
) and addresses his readers with the same love and the same care with which he wrote the first Epistle. The spirit of the Epistle and the character of the instruction are purely Apostolic. Even the difference in language pointed out by Jerome is not so great that it could serve as a basis for doubting the authenticity of the Epistle. It is sufficiently explained by the circumstances of its origin and its dependence on the Epistle of the Apostle Jude.
Great sin
While still faithful to Jesus, the holy Apostle Peter heard from the Son of God a bitter prediction that he would renounce Christ before the rooster crowed at dawn. Not believing these words, Peter always swore his loyalty and devotion to God.
But one day, when Christ was arrested after Judas’ betrayal, the apostle and another disciple followed the Lord all the way to the high priest’s courtyard, where they were going to interrogate the Son of God. Jesus heard many accusations against him. False witnesses beat Him and spat in His face, but Christ endured all the torment. At that moment, Peter was in the courtyard warming himself by the fire. One of the maids of the house noticed him and said that the apostle was with Jesus. The fear that gripped Peter's heart did not allow him to admit this. The apostle, fearing for his life, denied the Lord and said that he did not know this man. Another maid who saw Peter leaving confirmed that she saw him with Jesus. The apostle swore that he never knew Him. The high priest's servants who were nearby said with confidence that Peter was one of Christ's disciples, but he, in fear, continued to deny it. Hearing the crow of a cock, the saint remembered the prophetic words of the Son of God and left the house in tears, bitterly repenting of what he had done.
This biblical story is very allegorical regarding the human soul. Thus, some theologians believe that Peter’s exposure by the maid is nothing more than a manifestation of the weakness of the human spirit, and the crowing of a rooster is the voice of the Lord from heaven, not allowing us to relax and helping us to constantly stay awake.
In the Gospel of John the Theologian, Jesus Christ completely restores Peter as his disciple, asking three times about his love for God. Having received an affirmative answer three times, the Son of God instructs the apostle to henceforth shepherd “his sheep,” that is, to teach the people the Christian faith.
Peter's Keys
17 Then Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven; 18 And I say to you: you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it; 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Matt. 16:17-19)
What are the keys of Peter in Matthew 16:17-19?
On this rock I will build My Church
This passage is one of the central points of contention in New Testament interpretation.
It has always been difficult to approach it calmly and without any prejudice, because the Roman Catholic Church uses it to justify its theory about the position of the Pope and the Church.
Related article: Biblical stylistics: images and prototypes
The Roman Catholic Church interprets this to mean that Peter was given the keys by which he admits a person into or excludes him from heaven, and that Peter was given the power and authority to forgive or not forgive a person his sins. Moreover, the Roman Catholic Church also asserts that Peter, endowed with these enormous rights, became the bishop of Rome, and that this power and power passed to all the bishops of Rome, and that now it resides in the Pope, who is the head of the church and the bishop of Rome .
It is easy to see how unacceptable such an interpretation is to the ordinary believer; It is also easy to see that both non-denominational Christians and Catholics can approach this passage not with a desire to get to its true meaning, but with a desire not to give up their positions and, if possible, even to destroy the positions of the other.
Let us now try to find its real meaning.
Pun
It contains a play on words. In Greek, Peter is Petros , and stone is petra . Peter's Aramaic name was Cephas, which also means stone in Aramaic.
In both languages there is a play on words. When Peter made his discovery, Jesus said to him: “You are Peter ( Petros ), and on this rock ( petra ) I will build My Church.”
No matter how you look at it, this is huge praise.
This metaphor was not at all strange or unusual for the Jews.
Stone and Abraham
The rabbis used the definition stone, rock in relation to Abraham.
They had a saying: “When the Holy One saw Abraham who was about to rise, He said: “Behold, I have discovered the rock (petra) on which I will create the world,” and therefore He called Abraham the rock, (sur), for it is said: “Look to the rock from which you were hewn."
Abraham was the rock upon which God's people and God's purpose were founded.
Stone and God
Moreover: the word stone (sur) is repeatedly applied to God Himself.
- “He is a stronghold [in Barkley: a rock]; His works are perfect” (Deut. 32:4).
- “For their intercessor [in Barclay: stone] is not like our intercessor” (Deut. 32:31).
- “There is no stronghold [in Barclay: stone] like our God” (1 Samuel 2:2).
- “The Lord is my rock [Barkley: stone], and my fortress, and my deliverer” (2 Chron. 22:2).
- The same phrase is found in Ps. 17:37: “The Lord is my rock [at Barkley: stone] and my refuge, my deliverer.”
- “Who is [Barkley’s rock] a defense but our God?” (Ps. 17:32). The same phrase is in 2 Samuel. 22.32.
One thing is absolutely clear: to call someone a stone was the greatest praise, and the thoughts of every Jew who knew the Old Testament, when using this phrase, turned to God, Who Himself was the true stone of his protection and salvation.
What then did Jesus mean by using the word stone in this passage? Theologians have given at least four answers to this question.
Theologians' opinions
1 Augustine , the most prominent of the Western Church Fathers, believed that the stone signified Jesus Himself.
Jesus seemed to say: “You are Peter, and on You, as on a rock, I will build My Church; and the day will come when, as a reward for your faith, you will become great in the Church. 2 Another interpretation is that the rock is a confirmation of the truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God.
This truth was revealed to Peter from above. The fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God is indeed the basis, the cornerstone of the faith of the Church, but such an explanation hardly exhausts the whole meaning of these words. 3 The third explanation is that the rock is Peter's faith. The Church was founded on the faith of Peter. This faith was the spark that was supposed to ignite the faith of the universal Church. This faith was the initial impetus that would one day set into motion the worldwide Church. 4 And the last explanation is still the best. It boils down to the fact that the stone is Peter himself, but in a special sense.
Peter is not the rock on which the Church is founded: that rock is God Himself. He, Peter, is the first stone of the entire building of the Church.
Peter was the first member of the Church
Peter was the first of the people of the whole world to discover who Jesus was, the first to take a leap of faith and see in Him the Son of the Living God. In other words, Peter was the first member of the Church, and in this sense the entire Church is built on him.
Jesus seems to be saying to Peter: “Peter, you are the first among men to understand who I am, and therefore you are the first stone, the corner stone, the foundation, the very beginning of the Church that I am founding.” And in subsequent centuries, every person who received such knowledge like Peter becomes another stone in the building of the Church of Christ.
Two points
To clarify, here are two points:
1The Bible often uses pictures to demonstrate one specific point. You should not put emphasis on the details of the picture, only this point is important. The picture of a building is often used in connection with the Church in the New Testament, but the picture is used for many purposes and from different points of view.
Here Peter is the foundation in the sense that he is the only man upon whom the Church is built, because he was the first man to discover who Jesus was.
In Eph. 2:20 says that the foundation of the Church is the prophets and apostles.
20 being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone (Eph. 2:20)
In other words, the Church on earth is founded and lives on through their service, their witness, and their faithfulness.
There, in Eph. 2:20 says that Jesus Christ is the cornerstone; He is the force that holds the entire Church in unity; without Him the whole building would crumble and fall apart.
In 1 Pet. 2:4-8 says that all Christians are living stones brought into the building of the Church.
4 Coming to Him, a living stone, rejected by men, but chosen and precious by God, 5 you also, like living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it is written in the Scripture: Behold, I lay in Zion a cornerstone, chosen and precious; and he who believes in Him will not be put to shame. 7 Therefore He is a treasure to you who believe, but to those who do not believe a stone, which the builders rejected, but which has become the head of the corner, is a stone of stumbling and a stone of offense, 8 over which they stumble, not obeying the word, whereupon they are abandoned. (1 Peter 2:4-8)
In 1 Cor. 3:11 says that Jesus is the only foundation, and that no man can lay another.
11 For no one can lay any other foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 3:11)
From this it is clear that the New Testament writers took the picture of a building and used it in different ways, but in all these pictures the idea runs that Jesus Christ is the real foundation that holds the whole Church in unity.
By telling Peter that He would build His Church on him, Jesus did not mean that the Church would depend on Peter; The Church depends on Himself and on God the Rock. But Jesus meant that the Church began with Peter and in this sense Peter is the foundation of the Church, and no person can take this honor from him.
2The second point is that the word church (ekklesia) in this passage does not accurately convey its intended meaning. We can think of the Church as a social institution, an organization with buildings and administration, services and meetings, and other forms of activity. And Jesus in all likelihood used the word kualham , which in the Old Testament is called the society of the sons of Israel, the assembly of God’s chosen people.
Jesus actually said this to Peter: “Peter, you are the beginning of a new Israel, a new chosen people of God, a new society, a new brotherhood, those who believe in My name.”
Peter was the first
Peter was the first in the community to believe in Jesus.
The Church that began with Peter was not a Church in human understanding, much less it was a Church of a certain denomination.
With Peter began a community, a fellowship of believers in Jesus Christ, which cannot be identified with any particular church or limited to any particular church; all who love the Lord belong to it.
Thus, the first part of this controversial passage can be said to express this idea: Peter is the foundation, the cornerstone of the Church in the sense that he was the first in the vast brotherhood of those who joyfully confess that Jesus Christ is Lord; and, ultimately, God Himself is the rock on which the Church is built.
Hell Gate
Jesus goes on to say that the gates of hell will not prevail against His Church.
What does it mean?
The idea of an overcoming gate is not the most common and easily understood picture. And there are several explanations here.
1Perhaps this is a picture of a fortress. This assumption may be confirmed by the fact that on the top of the mountain overlooking Caesarea Philippi the ruins of a large castle have been preserved to this day, which could well have stood there in all its splendor in the time of Jesus. It may well be that Jesus in this case sees His Church as a fortress, and the forces of evil besieging this fortress, and says that the besieging forces of evil will never overcome the Church.
2There is another interpretation related to the fact that in ancient times in the east, elders and leaders gathered at the gates, especially in small towns and villages, giving advice and administering justice. For example, the law says that if a man has a turbulent and disobedient son, he must bring him “to the elders of his city and to the gate of his residence” (Deut. 21:19), and judgment and justice will be done there.
19 Then let his father and his mother take him and bring him to the elders of their city and to the gate of their residence (Deut. 21:19)
In Deut. 25.7 says that if a daughter-in-law has a certain problem (if her brother-in-law, the brother of the deceased husband, does not want to take her), she should go “to the gate, to the elders.”
7 If he does not want to take his daughter-in-law, then his daughter-in-law will go to the gate, to the elders, and say: “My brother-in-law refuses to raise up the name of his brother in Israel, he does not want to marry me”; (Deut.25:7)
The gate was a place of simple justice where the elders gathered. And therefore, it may be that the gate, the gate, has become synonymous with the place of administrative power.
Once upon a time, the government of the Ottoman Empire was called the Sublime Porte (porta, in Italian and French - door, gate). Then this phrase means that the powers of hell will never overcome the Church.
3There is also a third possibility if we return to the idea that the rock on which the Church is founded is the conviction that Jesus is the Son of the Living God. Further, hell, Hades is not a place where sinners are punished, but a place where, according to the ancient Jewish faith, all the dead went. But the gate, of course, exists to keep someone inside, to lock it, to close it, to control it.
But the gates of Hades could not hold Jesus alone. He broke the chains of death!
As the author of the book of the Acts of the Apostles put it:
“God raised Him up, breaking the bonds of death, because it was impossible for it to hold him... For You will not leave My soul in hell, nor will You allow Your holy one to see corruption” (Acts 2:24.27).
So this may be a solemn indication of the coming Resurrection.
Jesus may have said, “You have revealed that I am the Son of the living God. The time is near when I will be crucified on the cross and the gates of Hades will close behind Me. But they are powerless to keep Me there. The Gates of Hades are powerless against the Son of the Living God.”
However we understand it, this phrase is a jubilant expression of the indestructible bond between Christ and His Church.
Peter's position
We now come to two sentences in which Jesus sets forth certain privileges given to Peter and certain duties laid upon him.
1He says that he will give Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven. This is a difficult phrase, and we will do well to first note what we can be quite sure of.
- This phrase always means some kind of special strength and power. Thus, the rabbis had a proverb: “The keys of birth, rain and resurrection from the dead belong to God.” This means that only God has the power to create life, send rain, and raise the dead to life. This phrase always indicates special power and strength.
- In the New Testament, this phrase is usually associated with Jesus. In His hands, and only in His hands, are these keys. In Rev. 1:18 The risen Christ says: “And alive; and he was dead, and behold, he is alive forever and ever, Amen; and I have the keys of hell and death." And in Rev. 3:7 about the Risen Christ it is said: “The Holy One, the True One, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one will open.” It must be understood that this phrase indicates some kind of heavenly right, and, no matter what promise was given to Peter, it cannot be considered that it takes away or infringes on any right that belongs only to God and the Son of God.
- All of these New Testament pictures go back to the picture in Isa. 22:22, where Isaiah describes Eliakim, on whose shoulders (ramen) the key of the house of David will be placed and he alone will open and close.
22 And I will put the key of the house of David on his shoulder; he will open, and no one will stop him; it is a ban, and no one will open it. (Isa.22:22)
Eliakim was to be a faithful steward. The housekeeper carries the keys of the house with him, opens the doors in the morning and closes them in the evening, and through him visitors gain access to the king.
Thus, Jesus tells Peter that in the future he will be the steward of the kingdom of heaven. In this case, Peter is given the right to open, not close, the gates of the Kingdom.
And this was fully realized. At Pentecost, Peter opened the door to three thousand souls (Acts 2:41).
41 So those who gladly accepted his word were baptized, and that day about three thousand souls were added. (Acts 2:41)
He opened the doors to the pagan centurion Cornelius to let in the vast pagan world (Acts 10). In Acts. 15 tells how the Jerusalem Council opened the doors wide to the Gentiles, and that this was made possible because of the testimony of Simon Peter. (Acts 15:14).
14 Simon explained how God initially looked upon the Gentiles to form them into a people for His name. (Acts 15:14)
The promise that Peter would be given the keys to the Kingdom of God meant that Peter would be given the ability to open the doors to God for thousands of thousands of people in the future. But the keys to the Kingdom of God are not only held by Peter; Every Christian has them, because each of us is given the opportunity to show the way to the kingdom to other people.
2In addition, Jesus promised Peter that whatever he binds will remain bound, and whatever he looses will remain loose.
One theologian, Richard Glover, believes that this means that Peter will bring the people to a consciousness of their sinfulness, then freeing them from their sins by preaching to them about the love and forgiveness of God. This is a wonderful and undoubtedly fair thought, because this is the duty of every Christian preacher and teacher, but this meaning does not exhaust the phrase.
Letting go, loosening, and binding are very common Jewish phrases.
They were especially used in relation to the decisions of great teachers and rabbis. Every Jew understood the meaning of the words permit and prohibit. To bind something meant to prohibit; to let go, to untie meant to allow. These expressions were used when making decisions regarding the meaning of the law. In a context such as this, these phrases can only have such a meaning.
So Jesus says this to Peter: “Peter, you have a grave and heavy responsibility. You will have to make decisions that will affect the good of the entire Church. You will be the leader and guide of the young Church. Your decisions will be of such great importance that they will influence the souls of people, both on earth and in eternity.”
The privilege given to Peter meant that he would be God’s steward, giving people access to the Kingdom of God. The responsibility to bind and loose, to untie, means that Peter will have to make decisions in the sphere of church life and practice that will have far-reaching consequences. And, indeed, when reading the first chapters of the book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles, we see that this is exactly what Peter did in Jerusalem.
If we paraphrase this passage, which has caused so much controversy and controversy, it is clear that it is not about church forms, but about salvation.
Jesus said to Peter, “Peter, your name means rock, stone, and you are meant to be a rock. You were the first of the people to recognize in Me who I really am, and therefore you will be the first stone in the building of the community and brotherhood of My people. This brotherhood will not be overcome by the forces of evil that besiege it, just as they will not be able to hold Me in chains of death. And in the days to come you will be a steward, opening the doors of the Kingdom of God so that Jews and Gentiles may enter, and you will be a wise ruler and guide, solving problems and directing the work of a young and growing brotherhood.”
Peter made a great discovery, he was given a great privilege, and he was given a great responsibility. Each person must make this discovery for himself; then he too will receive the privilege and the same responsibility will be entrusted to him.
Pass to Heaven
The Apostle Peter is the keeper of the keys of the Kingdom of God. Having sinned before the Lord more than once, he became a conductor between God and people. After all, who, if not he, knew all the weakness of the human essence and was once plunged into this powerlessness. Only thanks to Christian faith and repentance was Peter able to comprehend the Truth and enter the Kingdom of God. The Lord, seeing the devotion of His disciple, allowed him to be the guardian of the Heavenly Paradise, giving him the right to admit those souls of people whom he considered worthy.
Some theologians (for example, Augustine the Blessed) are confident that the gates of Eden are guarded not only by the Apostle Peter. The keys to heaven also belong to other disciples. After all, the Lord always addressed the apostles in the person of Peter as the chief among his brothers.
After the resurrection of Christ
Jesus appeared to the chief of the apostles first after his resurrection. And after 50 days, the Holy Spirit, who visited all the disciples, endowed Peter with unprecedented spiritual strength and the opportunity to preach the word of God. On this day, the apostle was able to convert 3,000 people to the faith of Christ, delivering a fiery speech filled with love for the Lord. A few days later, by the will of God, Peter was able to heal a man from lameness. The news of this miracle spread among the Jews, after which another 5,000 people became Christians. The power that the Lord endowed Peter even came from his shadow, which, overshadowing the hopeless sick lying on the street, healed.
“Connect us all to each other”
Liturgy translated from Greek means “public service”, “common cause”, the common cause of all Christians, therefore the Liturgy, by definition, cannot be performed in an empty church, a priest cannot perform it for himself
It is fundamentally important that at least a few people, even on the most “insignificant” weekdays, participate in the Divine Liturgy and partake of the Body and Blood of Christ
But Maundy Thursday is the day when everyone, without exception, tries to take part in this sacrament, to share the Lord’s Table, to be together with each other and with Christ, when the Savior unites us all together.
Now we will talk about the composition “Communion of the Apostles,” which we see, for example, here, in the iconostasis of the St. Nicholas chapel of the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki.
And in the Kazan chapel of our church, on the altar barrier, we will see a white stone bas-relief depicting the Communion of the Apostles. To the right and left of the apostles we see the following inscription: “Unite us all, from the one Bread and Chalice who partake of communion, to one another into the one Holy Spirit in communion,” these are words from the text of the divine liturgy of St. Basil the Great.
How important they are, how dear they should be to each of us. “Unite us all, who partake of the one Bread and Cup, one to another, in the communion of the one Holy Spirit” - this is a call to unity with each other, and with Christ, and in Christ.
Dungeon Escape
During the reign of Herod Agrippa, Saint Peter was caught by persecutors of Christians and imprisoned along with the Apostle James, who was later killed. Believers in Christ continually prayed for Peter's life. The Lord heard the voice of the people, and an angel appeared in prison to Peter. The heavy shackles fell off the apostle, and he was able to leave the prison unnoticed by everyone.
Each of the students chose their own path. Peter preached in Antioch and on the Mediterranean coast, performed miracles and converted people to the Christian faith, and then went to Egypt, where he also spoke about the coming of Jesus Christ.
What happened at the Last Supper?
Many details of what Jesus did and said at the Last Supper are recorded in the New Testament.
Questions about Jesus and the Church05/09/2018
Those few hours that preceded the Passion and death of Jesus on the cross were imprinted in the memory and hearts of those who were with Him with extraordinary power.
For this reason, many of the details of what Jesus did and said at the Last Supper are recorded in the New Testament. This episode of the Savior’s life generally belongs to those that are reported in the most detail (according to Joachim Jeremias). In this case, only the Twelve Apostles were with Jesus (Mt 26:20; Mk 14:17.20; Lk 22:14). Neither the Blessed Virgin Mary, His Mother, nor any of the other holy women were with them.
In the version of the story of the Last Supper, which is set out in the “Gospel of John,” it is said that Jesus then performed an act full of hidden meaning, which He explained after the completion of this act as washing the feet of His disciples. In this way, Jesus set an example for His followers to humbly serve one another (John 13:1-20). Then comes one of the most dramatic moments of the episode: Jesus announces that one of those present is going to betray Him. The students look at each other in bewilderment, stunned by these words. Jesus restrainedly points out Judas as a traitor (Mt 26:20-25; Mk 14:17-21; Lk 22:14 and John 13:21-22).
If we talk about this dinner as such, the most amazing phenomenon during it was the establishment of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. There are four versions of the story about this event in the New Testament. Thus, this is reported in three synoptic Gospels (Matt 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20) and in one of the Epistles of St. Apostle Paul (1 Cor 11:23-26). All these stories are very similar to each other. They are very laconic: each of them contains only a few verses. Thus, the actions and words of Jesus spoken to His disciples were recorded, giving rise to this Blessed Sacrament, and becoming the centerpiece of the new ritual. This is what St. says about this. Evangelist Luke: “And he took bread and gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them, saying: This is My body, which is given for you; Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19).
These words reveal a huge difference between what happened during this particular meal, which was attended by Jesus and His Apostles, compared to a regular dinner. After all, during the Last Supper, Jesus did not distribute bread to the disciples at all. Under the guise of bread, something completely different was hidden: “This is My Body.” And Jesus gave the Apostles present there the authority necessary to repeat what He had just done: “Do this in remembrance of Me.”
At the end of the Last Supper there was another special event that was appropriate at that time. The Holy Evangelist Luke reports that Jesus “also took the cup after supper, saying: This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20).
It became clear to the apostles that earlier during this unusual Meal they had witnessed that the Body of Jesus was given to them as food under the guise of bread. Now, like this, the Blood of Jesus was offered to them to drink in a cup under the guise of wine. As a result of these events, it became generally accepted in the Christian tradition that the feeding of the disciples of Jesus with His Body and Blood, which was to be performed in the future in memory of Him, was an actual sign of that Sacrifice, which was to reach its climax on the Cross a few hours later.
And subsequently, each Holy Mass became a remembrance and bloodless realization in the present moment of the suffering, death on the cross and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Moreover, at the end of the Last Supper, Jesus continued to speak with such emotion that these words also penetrated deeply into the hearts of His Apostles. The Gospel of John reproduces this long and moving conversation. It is at this moment that Jesus pronounces a new commandment, the fulfillment of which will become a distinctive feature of a Christian: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, let you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).
We advise you to study the Icon of the Unbrided Bride
Death of a student
The Apostle Peter knew, by the will of God, when his death would come. At that time, he was able to convert 2 wives of the Roman Emperor Nero to the Christian faith, which caused the unprecedented anger of the ruler. Christians, who were persecuted and exterminated during that period, persuaded the apostle to leave the city in order to avoid death. Coming out of the gate, Peter met Christ himself on his way. The surprised apostle asked the son of God where He was going, and heard the answer: “To be crucified again.” At that moment, Peter realized that it was his turn to suffer for his faith and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. He humbly returned to the city and was captured by the pagans. The death of the Apostle Peter was painful - he was crucified on the cross. The only thing he managed to do was persuade the executioners to execute him upside down. Simon believed that he was not worthy to die the same death as the Messiah himself. That is why the inverted crucifix is the cross of the Apostle Peter.
Background
Photo: Flickr.com
Maps have been known to mankind for a long time; their exact origin has never been established. It is believed that playing decks were invented by the Chinese or Egyptians. They appeared in Europe in the 14th century. In Rus' they arose during the time of Ivan the Terrible.
At first, the authorities did not attach much importance to the hobby of card games, but over time they began to eradicate card games, seeing in them the machinations of evil spirits. In the Code of 1649, it was prescribed to do the same with card players as with thieves - flog, cut off their hands and fingers.
The attitude towards cards became more tolerant after Peter I came to power. Many representatives of the upper class began to show a passion for gambling. No one thought about who the ace was, what the various card suits symbolized.
Crucifixion of the Apostle
Some people confuse this symbolism with satanic movements. In anti-Christian teachings, it is the inverted cross that is used as a kind of mockery and disrespect for the faith of Orthodox and Catholics. In fact, the crucifixion of the Apostle Peter has nothing to do with this. As such, it is not used in worship, but has its place as a historical fact. In addition, the cross of Peter is carved on the back of the throne of the Pope, as this apostle is considered the founder of the Catholic Church. Nevertheless, the wider dissemination of this crucifix causes many disputes and disagreements among many, mostly non-believers and ignorant in church affairs. For example, when the Pope arrived on a visit to Israel with the Peter's (inverted) cross, many regarded this as his hidden affiliation with Satanism. The image of this crucifix on the epitrachelion (ecclesiastical vestment) of the head of the Catholic Church also evokes ambiguous associations among atheists who condemn the act of a disciple of Christ. Nevertheless, it is impossible for a simple person to fairly judge Peter, who was able to recover from human weakness and rise spiritually. Being “poor in spirit,” the Apostle Peter, whose biography is complex and multifaceted, did not dare to take the place of Christ. But, defending his faith, he dies in agony in the same way as the Son of God once did.
Symbolism of playing cards
Photo: Flickr.com
The essence of a standard deck of cards resembles the classic hierarchical distribution of roles in society, led by a king. However, in the cards at the very top it is not the monarch, but Daus. Thus, the cards become not ordinary fun, but a model of superiority over the world of the Devil, leading his subjects, even if some of them are involuntary, because he is even higher than the king. This is the true essence of the cards, which are simply dangerous to joke with.
In Orthodoxy, there is a strict church ban on even touching cards that are directly called satanic.
Petrovo Retreat
In honor of Peter, the Orthodox Church established a period of fasting, beginning a week after Trinity and ending on July 12, the day of Peter and Paul. Lent proclaims the “firmness” of the Apostle Peter (his name translated means “stone”) and the prudence of the Apostle Paul. Peter's Fast is less strict than the Great Fast - you can eat both vegetable foods and oil, as well as fish (with the exception of Wednesday and Friday).
Peter, a disciple of Christ, is a great example to many lost souls who desire repentance. For those who correct their sinful lives, the Apostle Peter will definitely open the gates of Eden with the keys that the Lord commanded him to possess.
