Chapter seven. Seventh Epiphany to Abraham. Three pilgrims under the Mamre oak
The third, most mysterious and enigmatic interpretation is found in the Epiphany of Mamre, the appearance of the Most Holy Trinity Itself. The Trinitarian God appeared to righteous Abraham in three angels who came to the forefather in the form of three wandering men. Not three angels were the image of God (second interpretation), but God the Trinity appeared in the form of three angels.
This mysterious understanding has its basis in the text of Scripture itself. Abraham ran to meet them (Gen. 18:2), three wandering men. He addresses them in the singular: Lord! if I have found favor in Your sight
. It is quite possible to assume that Abraham is addressing here not one of the three, but, namely, three in the singular. This is fully consistent with what Abraham says: do not pass by your servant, and further, immediately without interruption: And they will bring a little water and wash your feet. In the singular - do not pass by, and in the plural - they will wash your feet. He is one, He is also three!
Further, He who remained with Abraham is directly called יְהוָה Yahweh, or, as before, the Master, אתי (Adonai) (Gen. 18:17 and Gen. 18:3).
The other two who came to Lot in Sodom are called two angels (Gen. 19:1). Lot addresses them - my lords (Gen. 19:2). But further, when leaving Sodom, Lot’s words to the angels leading him out of the dying city are very interesting: But Lot said to them: no, Master! Behold, Your servant has found favor in Your sight...
(Gen. 19:18–19). Lot speaks to the two of them, but refers to the singular Master!... Thy servant, etc. Conversion of Adonai, Divine! Here again is the mystery of unity and multiplicity.
And finally, the last and famous: And the Lord rained down... brimstone and fire from the Lord from heaven
(Gen. 19:24). The Lord on earth is from the Lord from heaven, and yet there is only one Lord!
It is difficult to speculate about what Abraham and Lot thought at the same time, but through their lips, in fact, the Trinity was confessed! – One God in three Persons – Adonai Yahweh.
Abraham's inner perception, of course, manifested itself in his worship. St. writes wonderfully about this. Demetrius of Rostov: “As [Abraham – G.F.] approached them, he was horrified, seeing their faces [the angels – G.F.] not usually, shining with the glory of God, and I understood certain saints, or the Angels of God’s life, bow to them first by worship (according to the theologians, fortune-telling) with the verb “dulga” [δούλος = slave, δουλικός = slave. – G.F.], they should honor the saints of God. Also, by the revelation of God, having cognized the life of Samago in the three persons of one God, he fell prostrate to the ground and worshiped Him with Divine worship, “latria” [λατρεια= worship of God. – G.F.] verb, they alone should honor God”610. Thus, from the worship of wandering angels as fellow servants of God, Abraham, according to St. Demetrius of Rostov, goes back to Trinity worship.
If, taken to extremes, the first and second interpretations could lead to the heresies of Arius and Barlaam, then the last, third interpretation may resemble paganism - a sensually revealed god or even gods. But the Christian interpretative fathers successfully avoided all these extremes of judgment.
Profanation of this interpretation should also be avoided. Thus, it would be ungodly and absurd to say that God the Father and the Holy Spirit came to Lot from Hebron, and he talked with Them. It should be said that the Father and the Holy Spirit appeared mysteriously to Lot in Sodom, during the famous events that took place there, when Lot received two angelic men as guests. And you shouldn’t even say that. Any naturalization of the Father and the Holy Spirit is impious.
It is one thing - the testimony of the Gospel that the Holy Spirit in bodily form, like a dove, descended on Jesus, and another thing - it would be extremely confusing if John the Baptist began to give grain to this dove and thus communicate with the Holy Spirit. This did not happen.
Perhaps he was the first to talk about the appearance of the Holy Trinity to the forefather Abraham. Athanasius the Great611. After him, this opinion was shared in the East by St. Cyril of Alexandria and St. Maxim the Confessor. It did not soon become predominant.
In the West, the appearance of the Holy Trinity in the Epiphany of Mamre was seen by St. Ambrose of Milan (d. 397), St. Caesarea of Arles and, in part, Blessed. Augustine.
St. Ambrose of Milan says: “Behold the sacrament before faith. God
appeared
to him (Abraham) and depicted (drew) three.”612. It was not three angels who depicted God, but God, having appeared, depicted, as it were, painted, three wanderers! An amazing and courageous thought of the holy father! And another time St. Ambrose says: “(Abraham) sees three; he worships one.”613 Worship of the triune God of the forefather Abraham.
But the indicated thoughts of St. Ambrose has not yet become his clear teaching. So, he writes, praising the virtue of hospitality: “Do you remember how Abraham, looking for guests, received God himself? Do you remember how Lot received the angels?”614. Here, St. Ambrose, rather, is inclined to interpret St. Justina - St. Chrysostom about the appearance of the Lord and two angels. Abraham receives the Lord, and Lot receives the angels.
It has already been noted that Blessed. Augustine, on the contrary, from the interpretation of the three wanderers as three angels signifying God in the Trinity, set out in his work “On the City of God,” goes back elsewhere to thoughts about the mysterious Trinity Theophany: “You see, Abraham meets three, and worships the One? ... Having seen the three, he understood the mystery of the Trinity, and, bowing, as it were, to the One, he confessed one God in three Persons”615.
In the West, the teaching of the blessed one prevailed. Augustine about the appearance of three angels to Abraham: “There is no doubt that they were angels, although some believe that one of them was Christ the Lord”616. The same opinion was held by St. Gregory Dvoeslov, Pope of Rome. The doctrine of the appearance of the Holy Trinity has not received its development in the West [after all, “Varlaam” is closer in spirit to the West! – G.F.], and therefore was not reflected in hymnography and iconography. Protestantism, which emerged later in the West, having inherited much from Catholic theology, is also not busy thinking about the Trinity Epiphany to Abraham under the oak of Mamre. The lack of in-depth understanding reduced everything to a prediction about the birth of a son to Abraham in a year and made the whole plot less interesting and mysterious. The latter clearly predominates in Renaissance painting, which often addresses the theme of Abraham's acceptance of strangers. Perhaps the main interest of these artists is Sarah, laughing at the news of the birth of her son.
In the East in ancient times the prevailing interpretation of St. Justin the Philosopher and St. John Chrysostom about the appearance to Abraham under the oak of Mamre of Christ, the Son of God and two angels. But they often spoke simply about the angels to whom Abraham showed hospitality. That is, the first interpretation (Christ and two angels) passed into the second (three angels). This understanding was reflected both in liturgical hymnography and in iconography. At the same time, the prevailing thought was the hospitality of the forefather. This interpretation was the main one (and maybe the only one?) in liturgical texts until the time of the first wave of iconoclasm (mid-8th century). This is how the great hymnographers of this period, St. Petersburg, wrote and sang. Andrew of Crete and St. John of Damascus. The latter is also famous as a great dogmatist, completer and systematizer of patristic dogmatic teaching.
St. Andrew of Crete (d. 740) says in the Great Penitential Canon: “At the oak tree of Mamre, the patriarch established the angels, inheriting the promises of old age to catch”617, or, as translated by the blind priest Gabriel of Pakatsky: “At the oak tree, the patriarch, dwelling in Mamre, and love of strangers feeding in his soul, he acquired the honor of treating the Angels to a meal and receiving a pledge of inheritance in his old age”618. It should be noted that Rev. Andrei Kritsky does not speak here about the Epiphany at all, but speaks only about the hospitality shown to the angels.
St. John of Damascus (d. 748) in the canon for the feast of St. Archangel Michael [November 8, Old Art.] also speaks of the hospitality shown by the forefather Abraham to the angels who came to him. There is no direct mention of Christ and the Epiphany here. But, on the other hand, Abraham himself is called a seer of God, and the troparion ends with a trisagion of praise to God. St. John of Damascus: “As Abraham, the seer of God, who loved strangers of old, and the glorious Lot, founded [φιλοξέυησας, philoxenisas] angels, and found fellowship with the angels, calling: holy, holy, holy art thou, God our father”619. Abraham, like Lot, through hospitality (philoxenia), gained communication with angels. There is still no teaching about the Trinity Theophany, but in fact the path to it is being paved: Abraham the seer of God, no one stands out among the angels, the Trisagion at the end.
The hymnographic understanding of the Epiphany of Mamre to Abraham changes sharply and clearly in the post-iconoclast period, in the second half of the 9th century. The doctrine of the Trinity Theophany clearly prevailed. The Trinity Theophany is sung by hymnographers: Clement the Studite (d. ca. 860), St. Joseph the Songwriter (d. 883) and Mitrofan of Smyrna (d. 910). The work of these hymnographers clearly coincides with the era of restoration and triumph of icon veneration, especially under Patriarch Photius. The icon is now not just an illustration of biblical events (say, the hospitality of Abraham), but a window into the spiritual world, and even the Epiphany itself. The event part loses its primacy. And even Abraham himself goes somewhere aside, or disappears altogether. Together with Abraham, the one who prays sees God, sees the Holy Trinity and worships Her. This is how prayer hymns and icons become. This turning point in hymnography and the triumph of the third interpretation in theology (the appearance of the Trinity in three angels) is determined by the triumph of the dogma of icon veneration in its Eastern Byzantine perception.
St. Clement Studite: “Of ancient times the sacred Abraham accepted the one Trinitarian Divinity: but now the co-throne Word of the Father comes to the children through the Divine Spirit, gloriously praised”620. St. Clement the Studite here clearly speaks of Abraham's acceptance of God the Trinity. True, further, in the same canon, St. Clement, as it were, softens the severity of his statement of the Trinity Theophany and moves on to the second interpretation that in the three angels the Trinity appeared only figuratively: “The disposition is hospitable, but the faith of Abraham is high, the essence of the forefather: with the same Divine Sacrament the figurative reception rejoiced, before Christ this one now rejoices.”621
And, finally, how vividly and directly St. Petersburg speaks about the Trinity Theophany. Joseph the Songwriter: “Thou hast seen how it is powerful for man to see the Trinity, and thou hast treated Thuya as a friend of the blessed Abraham: with the same reward thou hast received strange hospitality, even though thou hast been of countless tongues to the father by faith.”622 As in the troparion of the Transfiguration of Christ, it is stated here that the appearance of God took place “as much as a man can eat,” and specifically of the God of the Trinity. And how boldly it sounds: “And you treated Tuya like a close friend”! Truly, it is good for us to be here! - whether on Tabor, or under the oak of Mamre. A person cannot have a greater perception of God in the present age!
The divine flight of prayerful perception of the Trinity Epiphany under the Mamvrian oak of St. Clement the Studite and etc. Joseph the Songwriter is already revealed in detail and, as it should be, by Metrophanes of Smyrna in the Trinity canons of Octoechos at the Sunday Midnight Office.
So, the troparia of the Trinity canons of Mitrofan of Smyrna:
“Thou art of old to Abraham, as Thou didst appear as the Trinitarian One, and Thou didst figuratively reveal the only nature of the Divinity, the truest theology: and faithfully we sing of Thee, the One God, and the Trisolar One”623. In the words of Mitrofan of Smyrna, the worshiper worships the Holy Trinity, which figuratively appeared to the forefather Abraham. The moment of “imagery” is noted here, as before in St. Clement Studite.
“The Trihypostatic God appeared to Abraham at the ancient oak tree of Mamre, repaying Isaac for his love of hospitability for mercy: and even now we glorify him, as God is our father.”624 The Trinitarian God appears to Abraham. Abraham receives Isaac as reward for the mercy of hospitality.
“When You appeared to Patriarch Abraham in the form of courage, the Trinity Unity, You certainly showed Your goodness and dominion”625.
“Yes, having revealed in ancient times the Trinitarian hypostasis of dominion, You, my God, appeared in the form of men to Abraham, singing Your only power.”626
“The sacred Abraham was, in sacred ancient times, the Creator of all and God and Lord, in three hypostases he received rejoicing, and the only power he knew in three hypostases”627. Abraham came to know God the Creator in three hypostases, as well as the single power of three hypostases.
The liturgical interpretation of the Epiphany of Mamre is actually limited to the above hymns. The Trihypostatic Divine Trinity itself appeared to Abraham, but appeared in the images of three male angels. There are no other liturgical texts on this topic.
The doctrine of the appearance of the Trinitarian God to Abraham under the oak of Mamre, based on the interpretation of the words of the biblical text itself, is given by St. Gregory Palamas: “Let me remind you (only) of this, more wonderful than others, contemplation, when he [Abraham - G.F.] clearly saw the One Trihypostatic God, Who had not yet been announced in the Trinity. For it is said: God appeared to him at the oak of Mamre and looked, and behold, three men, and he came to meet them (Gen. 18:1). Behold, he saw the One God who appeared in three Persons. Therefore it is said: God appeared to him, and behold Three Men, and then, running to meet Them, he conversed, as it were, with One, saying: Lord, if I have found grace before You, do not minimize Your servant. And they, behold, Three, existing as One, talk with him. For it says: Speech to him: Where is Sarah your wife? Returning, I will come to you at this time at this hour, and your wife Sarah will give birth to a son. When Sarah heard it and laughed, the Lord said: Why did your wife Sarah laugh? - Behold, One God - and Three Hypostases, and Three Hypostases - and One God; for it is said: the Lord has spoken.”628
The teaching of St. Gregory Palamas about the unmanifested essence of God and His manifested energies. If together with St. Gregory firmly takes the position of the third interpretation of the Mamrian Epiphany, then it is quite possible to say: the Trinitarian God appeared to Abraham in His manifest Divine energies, in the form of three male angels. In this understanding, the three male angels are the Divine energies that appeared to the forefather Abraham, the Holy Trinity.
The interpretation of the Epiphany of Mamre has its own iconographic representation, and even, moreover, the icon itself interprets the theological meaning of the biblical text, sometimes ahead of theologians. Prayer boldly comprehends what the mind of the researcher-interpreter timidly stops at.
The first millennium of Christianity reflects in the icon the Christological interpretation of the Mamrian Epiphany of St. Justin the Philosopher and St. John Chrysostom. Icon painters depict the hospitality (philoxenia) of Abraham. One angel often stands out from the others, sometimes with a cross-shaped halo or robe corresponding to Christ. But, from the beginning of the second millennium, the theological iconographic rethinking of the Mamvian Epiphany begins. In 1066, the inscription (Holy Trinity) appeared for the first time on the miniature of the front Psalter of the Studite Monastery. Such an inscription appears in monumental painting no earlier than the second half of the 12th century. in Cappadocia, Patmos. It is quite possible that the iconographic rethinking of Abraham’s hospitality was influenced by the Trinity canons of Metrophanes of Smyrna. And finally, the theology of the Trinity Theophany under the Oak of Mamre reaches its highest flowering in the 14th century. no longer in Byzantium, but in Moscow Rus', in the prayerful feat of St. Sergius of Radonezh and among his students. Among them is St. Andrei Rublev, who creates (at the beginning of the 15th century) his brilliant and immortal work, the icon of the Life-Giving Trinity.
Three angels reveal the Holy Life-Giving Trinity. Abraham's treat turns into a cup containing the head of the eternally slain sacrificial calf. The oak of Mamre is the tree of life, the mountain is the world above, the tent is the Church of God. There is no Abraham at all. The one who prays contemplates with his gaze the eternal mystery of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity.
It is interesting to note that even on the icon of St. Andrei Rublev, which most clearly reflected or, better, revealed the third Trinity interpretation, there is a trace of the original, Christological interpretation. Apparently, the iconographic tradition of the entire first millennium could not disappear altogether. This can be seen in the fact that the middle angel on Rublev’s icon still retains the features inherent in Christ. His attire clearly corresponds to the attire of Christ according to the iconographic canon - a crimson tunic, a blue himation and an ocher-colored clavium - a sling on the right shoulder.
In connection with the heresy of the Judaizers in the 15th-16th centuries, which included iconoclasm, the question of the authority to paint the icon of the Holy Trinity, and, accordingly, the meaning of the Epiphany of Mamre, again arose in Rus'. This prompted the fighter against the heresy of the Judaizers. Joseph of Volotsky to write essays outlining the interpretation of the Trinity Theophany to Abraham under the oak of Mamre.
St. Joseph Volotsky: “Let us now talk about one wicked heretical teaching of theirs [the Judaizers – G.F.]: as if the Holy and Life-Giving Trinity should not be depicted on honest icons, for Abraham, as they say, received and treated God with two angels, not the Trinity. This is their custom - to pervert Holy Scripture..."629. Next, Rev. Joseph expounds the doctrine of the Trinity Theophany. Thus, he writes: “Let us next consider the mystery of the appearance of the Holy Trinity to Abraham. The Holy Trinity, ineffable and incomprehensible, appeared to Abraham ineffably, incomprehensibly and indescribably. Abraham, as if talking with One and the Same, turned first to Three, then to One. He addressed One like this: Lord! if I have found favor in Your sight
;
to the Three - like this: And they will wash your feet
. There was a mysterious meaning in the fact that Abraham, seeing the Three, called Them One Lord - this is how Scripture declares the unity of the Divinity; when Abraham addressed the Three, he thereby showed the Trinitarian and Triple Personality of the Divinity”630.
St. Joseph of Volotsky also touches on the question of why St. the fathers interpreted the Epiphany of Mamre in different ways: some saw the appearance of Christ (God) and two angels, others - three angels, others - the Holy Trinity Itself. St. Joseph believes that they all said the same thing, that they all confessed the appearance of the Holy Trinity, but some spoke about it directly, while others, speaking about angels, meant God, because God in Scripture actually appeared more than once in the form of an angel or was called such . St. Joseph Volotsky: “Therefore, our holy fathers and teachers act well and fairly when they write in different ways: sometimes that Abraham was honored to receive the Holy Trinity in his tent, sometimes that Abraham received God with two angels, and sometimes that the patriarch entertained the angels; and all this is true. If in reality it were otherwise, would the holy fathers, who knew the Divine secrets, dare to contradict the Holy Scriptures? After all, the Scripture says: God appeared to Abraham, and they sometimes write that angels appeared to Abraham, sometimes that God appeared to Abraham with two angels, sometimes that the Holy Trinity appeared to Abraham. From this it is clear that God appears in the form of an Angel and in the form of a Man. An angel cannot call himself God.”631
As for the opinion of Rev. Joseph about the appearances of God in the form of an angel or a man, then it is certainly true. An angel cannot call and reveal himself as God - that’s right! However, the texts we cited earlier from St. fathers show that, in this case, they hardly thought as the Venerable would have liked. Joseph. Still, they not only spoke differently, but also interpreted differently. Yes, St. John Chrysostom definitely says: “Here, in the booth of Abraham, the angels and their Lord appeared together”632, i.e. he distinguishes two angels as ministering spirits from their Lord. Further, about the two angels who headed to Sodom, Chrysostom says: “then the angels, as ministers, were sent to destroy those cities.” Theology and, especially, the icon, the prayerful contemplation of the Orthodox East clearly chose the path of St. Andrey Rublev, Rev. Joseph of Volotsky and reverently behold the mystery of the Trinity Epiphany under the oak of Mamre.
...But there remains an exegetical mystery, left to us by the holy fathers, perhaps forever.
St. Nicholas-Joasaph Cathedral in Belgorod
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(Genesis 12, 13, 18, 19)
Many years have passed since the flood. People multiplied and settled all over the earth. Almost all of them forgot the true God and began to pray to the sun, moon, and various animals, considering them to be gods. They made their images from stone and wood and worshiped them as gods. Such images of false gods are called idols, and the people who worship them are called idolaters or pagans. Only among the descendants of Shem were there still people who remembered the true God and worshiped Him.
ABRAHAM'S OBEDIENCE TO GOD
One of these people was Abraham, who lived in the Chaldean country near the city of Ur. One day the Lord appeared to him and ordered him to leave his relatives and his native land and move to a foreign country, where the inhabitants were very rude pagans. This was the land of Canaan, a thousand kilometers from Ur. At the same time, the Lord promised to take care of Abraham and said that he would have large descendants, and that the Savior would appear from his descendants.
Abraham obeyed the Lord, took his wife Sarah and his nephew Lot and moved where the Lord commanded him. The Lord blessed Abraham: his flocks multiplied and finally became so large that he had to be separated from Lot. Abraham remained in his original place, and Lot moved to the city of Sodom.
APPEARANCE OF THREE ANGELS
The Lord appeared to Abraham several times. One day He appeared to him in the form of three angels. At first Abraham mistook Them for strangers. He ran out to Them, begged Them to come in to him and began to treat Them as best as possible. Only later from Their conversation did he understand that this was the Holy Trinity. When leaving, the Lord told Abraham that He wanted to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because their inhabitants were terrible sinners. Abraham stood up for them and said: “Lord, if there are at least 50 righteous people there, will You really destroy them with the sinners?” “No,” said the Lord, “for their sake I will have mercy on the whole city.” - Abraham asked: - What if there are only 45 righteous people? “Still, I will have mercy on the city for them,” said the Lord. Abraham began to reduce the number of righteous people and reached 10. And the Lord promised for the sake of only 10 righteous people to have mercy on Sodom and Gomorrah.
DESTRUCTION OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH
In these unfortunate cities there were not even 10 righteous people. When the angels of God came there, Lot alone received them; and even then the residents wanted to punish him for it. Then the angels told Lot and his family to quickly flee the sinful city and not even look back. And Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by a rain of stones and fire. Lot's wife turned around while fleeing and became a pillar of salt.
WHAT IS THE HOLY TRINITY?
Why did the Lord appear to Abraham in the form of three angels? By this He revealed to people for the first time that He is the Trinity. Previously, people only knew that God is One; Now we have learned that there are Three Persons in Him. This mystery is incomprehensible. None of us, sinful people, understands it. Sin pollutes our mind and prevents us from seeing God. And love cleanses our heart and brings us closer to the Lord. The Savior said: “Happy are the pure in heart, they will see God.”
When people fell into many sins, they forgot everything they knew about God - they became pagans. And to the pure-hearted: kind, obedient and fair Abraham, the Lord showed the secret of the Holy Trinity. Our Savior Jesus Christ revealed it to us even more clearly: we now know that the Holy Trinity is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Holy people who struggled with sin all their lives and cleansed their hearts explained the mystery of the Holy Trinity better than us. It's like love between people. When several people love each other, they are all like one person. One was upset - everyone was sad, one was happy - everyone was happy. But these are not three Gods loving each other, but One God. One Saint tried to explain the mystery of the Holy Trinity this way: look at the sun - there are three things in it: circle, radiance and warmth, but these are not three suns, but one. Likewise, the Most Holy Trinity, although it has three Persons - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, is not divided into three Gods. But this only “looks” like the Holy Trinity. We cannot truly understand Her. But the more we love God and each other, the closer we draw to Him.
Here is a prayer to the Holy Trinity: Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord (God the Father),
cleanse our sins;
Master (God the Son),
forgive our iniquities;
Holy One (God the Holy Spirit),
visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy Name's sake
(i.e., for Your own sake).
These last words apply to the entire Holy Trinity.
The Lord revealed this great secret about Himself to Abraham, appearing to him in the form of three angels. When we want to depict the Holy Trinity on an icon, we depict It in the form of three angels.
QUESTIONS ON THE TOPIC:
- Who are the pagans?
- Who remained faithful to God?
- Why did God tell Abraham to leave his country?
- Who did Abraham take with him?
- How did the Lord appear to Abraham?
- Why did the Lord agree to have mercy on Sodom and Gomorrah?
- How did Lot escape?
- What did the appearance of the Lord in the form of three Angels mean?
- Why is the Holy Trinity a mystery?
- Give examples that partially explain the Holy Trinity?
- Repeat the prayer to the Holy Trinity.
Independent work:
Continuation of previous work.
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Illustrations are expected to be published in this chapter! 03/09/2013 // Admin
Abraham. The appearance of God to Abraham in the form of three strangers
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Gospel of Matthew (5.8)
When almost all the people on earth were pagans, in Asia, among the descendants of Shem there lived a righteous man named Abraham, who remained faithful to the One God. Abraham lived in the country of the Chaldeans, not far from Babylon. He was rich, had a lot of cattle, silver and gold, and many servants; but had no children and grieved about it. God chose righteous Abraham to preserve the true faith, through his descendants, for all mankind. And in order to protect him and his descendants from his native pagan people, God appeared to Abraham and said: “Get out of your land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” God singled out Abraham for his obedience and promised a huge offspring, from which the Savior of the world promised to the first people would be born, who would bless all the nations of the earth. Abraham was seventy-five years old at that time. He took his wife Sarah, his nephew Lot and all his property, and moved to the land that the Lord showed him. This land was called Canaan and was very fertile. Here the Lord again appeared to Abraham and said: “All the land that you see I will give to you and your descendants.” Abraham built an altar and offered a thanksgiving offering to God. After this, the land of Canaan began to be called promised, that is, promised, since God promised to give it to Abraham and his descendants. Now it is called Palestine. This land is located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and the Jordan River flows through its middle. When the herds of Abraham and Lot multiplied so much that they became crowded together, then they decided to disperse amicably. Abraham said to Lot: “Let there be no discord between us, since we are relatives. Is not the whole earth before you? Separate yourself from me; If you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” Lot chose the Jordan Valley for himself and settled in Sodom. But Abraham remained to live in the land of Canaan and settled near Hebron, near the oak grove of Mamra. There, near the oak of Mamre, he pitched his tent and built an altar to the Lord. Here one of the significant events in Old Testament history took place - the appearance of God to Abraham in the form of three strangers. This was the first revelation of God - the Trinity in the Old Testament. One day, on a hot day, Abraham was sitting under the shade of an oak tree, at the entrance to his tent, and saw three strangers standing opposite him. Abraham loved to entertain strangers. He immediately stood up and ran towards them, bowed to the ground and began calling them to him to rest under a tree and refresh themselves with food. The wanderers came to him. According to the custom of that time, Abraham washed their feet, served bread, immediately prepared by his wife Sarah, served butter, milk, the best roasted calf, and began to treat them. And they ate. And they said to him: “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied: “Here, in the tent.” And one of them said: “In a year I will be with you again, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Sarah, standing behind the entrance to the tent, heard these words. She laughed to herself and thought: “Should I have such consolation when I am already old?” But the stranger said: “Why did Sarah laugh? Is there anything difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will be with you, and Sarah will have a son.” Sarah was scared and said: “I didn’t laugh.” But he told her: “No, you laughed.” Abraham then realized that these were not simple wanderers, but that God Himself was speaking to him. Abraham was 99 years old at this time, and Sarah was 89.
He who has great faith is given great grace... Rev. Simeon the New Theologian
Three Angels, Three Travelers visiting Abraham
Children's conversations of Archpriest Alexander Sokolov
The righteous Abraham and Sarah lived to old age, but they still had no children. Abraham was very sad about this.
There was an oak grove near Abraham's dwelling.
One day on a hot summer afternoon, Abraham sits near his house, under a wide, spreading oak tree, and sees three strangers walking past.
Abraham was a gentle, hospitable person. He gave shelter to everyone, was ready to feed, drink and calm everyone. He gets up, bows low to the travelers and asks them to come in and rest.
The travelers agreed, and the hospitable Abraham runs to Sarah, telling her to quickly bake the loaves; then he runs into the herd, chooses the best calf and tells the servant to roast it. Then he returns to his guests and washes their feet.
Do you understand, children? Old, rich Abraham, who has so many flocks, so many servants, himself washes the feet of the people he sees for the first time! Why?
But why: the wanderers walked on foot, in hot weather, along a road heated by the sun. Feet are covered with dust and ache from heat and fatigue. How nice it is when they are washed with clean, cold water!
At that time, in those countries, the first courtesy, the first treat, was washing your feet from the road.
What, my friends, turned out to be? It turned out that Abraham, for his hospitality, was honored to receive the Lord Himself and two Angels, who appeared to him in the form of three strangers.
When Abraham, standing in front of the guests, served them at the table, the Lord said to him: “Abraham! this same year I will come to you again, then Sarah your wife will have a son.”
Sarah was nearby. She heard that she would have a son; due to her old age, she considered this impossible for herself and laughed.
The Lord, Who sees everything that happens in our soul, said to Abraham: “Why is Sarah laughing, is it difficult for God to give a child to parents even in old age?”
Do you know what happened next? The Lord promised more than once: as many stars as there are in the sky, so many descendants will he have.
And so, a year after the visit of the wandering angels, a son was born to Abraham and Sarah. The baby was named Isaac, which means “laughter.”
This is a reminder both to the descendants of Abraham and to all of us that it is wrong to laugh at the words of God, as Sarah laughed. After all, the Lord always fulfills what he promises!
Abraham's Sacrifice
The Lord always fulfills what he promises. Do you remember what God promised Abraham? He promised a son. And then Isaac was born.
Little Isaac grew up and was kind and pious, like his father.
But listen what happened!
One day God said to Abraham: “Take Isaac, your only son, whom you love so much, and go to the land of Moriah to the mountain that I will show you. There you must sacrifice Isaac to Me.”
Marvelous! It is incomprehensible what God demanded!
Abraham immediately thought: “God wants this, and I must fulfill God’s will. And the Lord is free to resurrect the son I killed to fulfill His promise of numerous offspring and the future Savior of the whole world.”
The next morning, Abraham got up early, chopped dry wood to make a fire, then led out the donkey and put the wood on it, then took two servants and his son Isaac and set off. Abraham did not say anything to Isaac about what he wanted to do.
The road was long. Only on the third day did they come to the mountain.
Abraham said to both servants: “Wait here under the mountain, and I will go up to the top to pray. When we are ready, we will return to you. We won't stay there long."
Abraham took the wood and placed the bundle on Isaac's back. “Bring this,” he told him. Abraham himself took fire in one hand and a sharp, large knife in the other.
And Isaac went up the mountain next to his father.
Abraham walked quietly and silently. When they had walked a little, Isaac said: “Dear father! You have fire and a knife, but where is the lamb that we will sacrifice? “Don’t worry, my dear child,” said Abraham, “God will send a lamb when we climb the mountain.”
The father said nothing more. He walked on silently. Isaac also did not say a word, although he was surprised.
When Abraham and Isaac climbed the mountain, Abraham built an altar and placed wood on it without saying a word. Isaac calmly watched what his father was doing.
When the altar was ready, Abraham bound Isaac's hands and feet and laid him on the wood. The obedient boy allowed him to do whatever his father wanted.
But, children, it was hard for father! The father felt bitter when he saw his son lying on the fire!
Now he had to stab him with a knife. It was hard... But Abraham thought with faith: “This is what God wants, and I must do it.”
And so, he took a large, sharp knife in his right hand and raised it.
But suddenly I heard a voice from heaven above me. It was an Angel who said: “Abraham! - "I'm here!" answered Abraham. Then the Angel said: “Do not lay hands on your son, because I now know that you fear God.”
As soon as Abraham heard these words, he threw the knife far, far away from himself. He quickly untied his dear Isaac, hugged and kissed him with joy that he remained alive.
God then said to Abraham: “Because you did not withhold your only son for Me, I will bless you and will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven and like the sand on the seashore, and through your descendants, from whom will come Christ the Savior, all nations will receive blessings.” land."
Abraham went home with his son and rejoiced that he had fulfilled the will of God and that, at the same time, his son Isaac, honored with such a great promise of God, remained alive.
About why Eve could not resist...
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Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Gospel of Matthew 5, 8
When almost all the people on earth were pagans, in Asia, among the descendants of Shem there lived a righteous man named Abraham, who remained faithful to the One God.
Abraham lived in the country of the Chaldeans, not far from Babylon. He was rich, had a lot of cattle, silver and gold, and many servants; but had no children and grieved about it.
God chose righteous Abraham to preserve the true faith, through his descendants, for all mankind. And in order to protect him and his descendants from his native pagan people, God appeared to Abraham and said: “Get out of your land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
God singled out Abraham for his obedience and promised a huge offspring, from which the Savior of the world promised to the first people would be born, who would bless all the nations of the earth.
Abraham was seventy-five years old at that time. He took his wife Sarah, his nephew Lot and all his property, and moved to the land that the Lord showed him.
This land was called Canaan and was very fertile. Here the Lord again appeared to Abraham and said: “All the land that you see I will give to you and your descendants.” Abraham built an altar and offered a thanksgiving offering to God.
After this, the land of Canaan began to be called promised, that is, promised, since God promised to give it to Abraham and his descendants.
Now it is called Palestine. This land is located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and the Jordan River flows through its middle. When the herds of Abraham and Lot multiplied so much that they became crowded together, then they decided to disperse amicably.
Abraham said to Lot: “Let there be no discord between us, since we are relatives. Is not the whole earth before you? Separate yourself from me; If you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”
Lot chose the Jordan Valley for himself and settled in Sodom. But Abraham remained to live in the land of Canaan and settled near Hebron, near the oak grove of Mamra. There, near the oak of Mamre, he pitched his tent and built an altar to the Lord.
Here one of the significant events in Old Testament history took place - the appearance of God to Abraham in the form of three strangers. This was the first revelation of God - the Trinity in the Old Testament.
One day, on a hot day, Abraham was sitting under the shade of an oak tree, at the entrance to his tent, and saw three strangers standing opposite him. Abraham loved to entertain strangers. He immediately stood up and ran towards them, bowed to the ground and began calling them to him to rest under a tree and refresh themselves with food.
The wanderers came to him. According to the custom of that time, Abraham washed their feet, served bread, immediately prepared by his wife Sarah, served butter, milk, the best roasted calf, and began to treat them. And they ate.
And they said to him: “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied: “Here, in the tent.” And one of them said: “In a year I will be with you again, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”
Sarah, standing behind the entrance to the tent, heard these words. She laughed to herself and thought: “Should I have such consolation when I am already old?”
But the stranger said: “Why did Sarah laugh? Is there anything difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will be with you, and Sarah will have a son.”
Sarah was scared and said: “I didn’t laugh.” But he told her: “No, you laughed.”
Abraham then realized that these were not simple wanderers, but that God Himself was speaking to him. Abraham was 99 years old at this time, and Sarah was 89.
He who has great faith is given great grace... Rev. Simeon the New Theologian
© Video course prepared by the editors of the website “The Law of God”
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