What theologian and historian Leonid Matsikh said about God
Leonid Aleksandrovich in his lecture “Methods of Religious Knowledge” proposed not to confuse three concepts: God, religion and church. He defined God as the highest personal being, separate from the world he created. God, in his opinion, having created our world (and many others about which we have no idea), observes the development of life on earth, only occasionally interfering with the course of history, only in those cases when everything goes absolutely wrong for people .
In creating our world, he staged an “experiment” with consequences that were unclear to him. Thus, we conclude: predestination is a complex theological dogma, to which there is no clear answer. But we will look at it below. All theology is filled with it.
What is religion, according to L. A. Matsikh
Religion is a system of dogmas and doctrines, more or less understandable. Mostly there are few understandable ones. She proposes to consider those things that are far from most people, and tries to describe the entire set of phenomena that exist in the world. In practice this is unrealistic, because for our consciousness the world is deep and vast. There is too much that modern scientists still have to discover.
The ancient terminology is dark and confusing, and the word “predestination” is a predetermined human life, the salvation or condemnation of a person by God. Basic religious texts cannot reconcile their messages, which originated thousands of years ago, with constantly emerging discoveries and technological advances. The last thing worth emphasizing is that any religion considers only itself to be the immutable truth. Everything else is delusion.
Hellas and ancient Rome
This concept already appeared in the ancient world. The Olympian gods and people submitted to inevitability, to their fate, which was woven by the Moirai of the Greeks and the Parks of the Romans.
One of them, Clotho, weaved the thread of life, the other, Lachesa, weaved accidents, the third, Atropa, determined the inevitability of what was happening. They determined the life expectancy of each person and at the moment of death they cut off the thread of fate. According to Sophocles, predestination is man’s opposition to the power of the gods and his invariable loss. From here the concepts of fate and fate logically follow.
Christianity in general
Divine predestination is one of the most difficult questions in the philosophy of religion. It has to do with divine properties, the essence and manifestation of evil, and how grace relates to freedom.
People, as moral and free beings, can prefer evil to good; the presence of some in evil is an obvious fact. But since everything that exists is accomplished according to the will of God, it means that the existence of some people in evil and their subsequent death is also a manifestation of the will of God.
To resolve this contradiction, several local councils were held, at which the Orthodox teaching was more precisely defined: God wants everyone to be saved, but does not want to abolish moral freedom. Therefore, to save everyone, God uses all means, except those that deprive a person of this freedom. Consequently, people who consciously reject the help of grace for salvation cannot be saved and, according to the omniscience of God, are predestined to destruction.
God's predestination
In fact, your Ephesians passage is my second favorite passage, but the Romans passage gives us more specific information. What this passage teaches us is that God does indeed “foreshadow” those who will be saved. If we think about it, it may bother us, but God is outside of time, as I understand it. Romans 8:29-30 says that for those whom God foreknew, He predestined their calling, justification, and glorification. In other words, God has prepared a destiny for all (not just those who agreed to His offer) in that they can be saved, but for those who say yes, the path of their calling, justification and glorification is prepared and predetermined . But God wants all people to be saved, although not everyone agrees to accept His offer.
Who wants all people to be saved and know the truth. (1 Timothy 2:4)
So God's predestination, as I understand it, is that we will be saved if we are willing to accept His offer. I believe this can be applied to the Ephesians 1 passage you mention. If you want a good reference on the topic of predestination, I suggest reading Life in the Son by Robert Shank. This book is really good.
John Ochs August 25, 2021 Translation: Sergey Dyachenko
Teachings of the Apostle Paul
St. Paul writes in his writings that predestination is a person’s free choice of salvation. In full agreement with Christian doctrine, the Apostle Paul writes about those who are foreknown and predestined by God to eternal glory. St. John Chrysostom, interpreting this aspect, writes that everyone was called, but not everyone obeyed. The next theologian, Theophan the Recluse, explains that divine predestination does not restrict freedom. God gives each individual freedom of choice and foresees the overall outcome of all his actions. This theme was developed by St. Augustine.
Life of St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo
St. Augustine was born and lived in IV in Tagaste in North Africa. His parents were baptized. The mother was particularly pious. The child was, according to the custom of that time, only announced, but not baptized.
He received his education in his hometown, and then continued to study grammar and rhetoric in the city of Madaure, and then in the capital, Carthage. The young man led a wild life. He had an illegitimate son, Adeodate. Later, a treatise “On the Teacher” would be written for him.
At this time, Aurelius Augustine became interested in the works of Cicero and became interested in philosophy. He changes places of residence. For ten years, Augustine taught rhetoric and grammar in his native Tagaste, then moved to Carthage, then to Rome.
And now he is already in Mediolan, where he becomes the official rhetorician. Here he meets the great theologian Saint Ambrose, listens to his sermons and turns to Christianity. He is baptized and withdraws from the light. Having given all his property to the church of his hometown, Augustine comes to asceticism. His fame as a learned theologian begins to grow.
The community of the city of Hippo, where he happened to be passing through, insisted on his ordination to the rank of presbyter. At the same time, he founded the first monastery in Numidia and interpreted the Holy Scriptures. In the city of Hippo he received the bishop's chair, which he held for 35 years until his death. His activities can be divided into three parts: polemics with the Manichaeans, the fight against the schism and with the teachings of the monk Pelagius. As part of the polemic directed against the works of Pelagius and his followers, St. Augustine creates the doctrine of predestination.
The Bible and the Doctrine of Calvinism
Does the Bible teach the doctrine of election and predestination?
Man is free, he has a choice, not predestination
Both of these words (election and predestination) can be found in many passages in the Bible, let's look at some of them:
4 Knowing your choice, brethren beloved of God. (1 Thessalonians 1:4).
10 Therefore, brethren, be diligent more and more to make your calling and election sure; If you do this, you will never stumble. (2 Pet 1:10).
29 For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Rom 8:29).
As we can see, the word “election” means “chosen, selected”:
20 And if the Lord had not shortened those days, no flesh would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect whom He chose He shortened those days. (Mark 13:20).
The word “predestine” means “to determine or describe in advance.” Therefore, the elect are those elect for whom something has been predestined.
Therefore, for those who can be described as chosen and appointed, words such as chosen and predestinated cannot be used.
There is also no indication of the time and conditions of such an election (in a certain sense). This can be seen from the context of the books of the Bible.
The Old Testament says that Israel was God's chosen one: “For the sake of Jacob My servant and Israel My chosen one, I have called you by name, I have honored you, although you did not know Me” [Isaiah 45:4].
This passage can be compared with [Matthew 21:43]: “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who bear the fruits thereof.”
In the Bible, Christ is called “God’s chosen one”: “And the people stood and looked. The leaders also mocked them, saying: He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ, God’s chosen one” [Luke 23:35].
The Bible also says that some angels were chosen: “Before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the chosen angels, I charge you to keep these things without prejudice, doing nothing out of partiality” [1 Tim 5:21].
The Bible says that God chose to fulfill His promise to Abraham through his second son Jacob rather than through his firstborn Esau [Rom 9:10-13; Wed Gen 12:1-3; 28:13-14].
The Bible, the New Testament, says that all Christians are called “God’s elect”: “Paul, the servant of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth [pertaining] to godliness” [Titus 1:1].
The Bible also says that God chooses the “saints” or “faithful in Christ Jesus” “before the foundation of the world”: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God the Father ours and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, since He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love, having predestined us as sons to Himself through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will" [Eph 1:1-5].
These people were chosen to “be holy and blameless before Him in love.” They were "predestined to be adopted as sons" [v. 5]. This election and appointment was “in Jesus,” i.e. “in Christ” and “through Jesus Christ” [v. 4, 5].
Therefore, from the creation of the world, God declared that redemption must be in Christ: “Who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the world began.
Now revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who abolished death and brought to light life and incorruption through the gospel” [2 Tim 1:9-10]. Since the elect are those who are in Christ, therefore everyone must be in Him in order to be saved [2 Tim 2:9-10].
Man is given free will in order to choose whether he will abide in Christ or not: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” [Matthew 11:28].
Repentant believers who have made their choice in favor of Christ are “baptized into Christ”: “as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” [Gal 3:27].
Election and predestination thus refer to a certain class of people, and not to a fixed number of people chosen out of the blue by God “without any regard to their faith or good works.”
The Bible teaches without any doubt about election and predestination, but not in the same way as human creeds invented by men teach about it.
The one who does something for this is saved, even if he runs. And not the one who is chosen and predestined.
“God is no respecter of persons,” but “wants all people to be saved”:
34 Peter opened his mouth and said, “Truly I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, 35 but in every nation whoever fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him.” (Acts 10:34-35).
11 Tell them: As I live, says the Lord God, I do not want the death of the sinner, but that the sinner should turn from his way and live. Turn yourselves, turn from your evil ways; Why should you die, O house of Israel? (Eze 33:11).
Bishop of Hippo and his teaching. Early Christianity
St. Augustine in the 4th century, in his teaching on grace, fell, as the theologians of his time believed, into a serious error. In his opinion, predestination is only God's decision about who can be saved and who will certainly perish. This is undeniable and immutable. This position has led to numerous discussions over the course of centuries.
The concept of predestination was associated with how a person himself, by his own will, participates in salvation, or is only able to accept the grace of the Lord. According to his views, original sin so distorted human nature that the individual now cannot overcome evil without the help of God. In the matter of salvation, a person’s free will does not play not only a significant, but also any role at all. Free will does not exist in people after original sin. Salvation is possible only for some - those whom God has chosen, to whom he has decided to give faith and save. The rest will die. That is, salvation is only the action of the omnipotent grace of God.
The teachings of Augustine the Blessed were accepted by the Western Church at the Council of Arossio in 529. At that time, the Western Church struggled with the teachings of the monk Pelagius, who denied the heredity of original sin and believed that a person could achieve holiness without the help of God's grace. His teaching was declared heresy.
The Doctrine of Grace and the Reformation
“The Reformation, when viewed internally, was but the final victory of the Augustinian doctrine of grace over the Augustinian doctrine of the Church.” This famous remark by Benjamin B. Warfield perfectly sums up the importance of the doctrine of grace to the development of the Reformation. The Reformers believed that they had freed the Augustinian doctrine of grace from the distortions and false interpretations of the medieval Church. For Luther, the Augustinian doctrine of grace, as expressed in the doctrine of justification by faith alone, was “the point on which the Church stands or falls.” If there were minor and not so minor differences between Augustine and the Reformers regarding the doctrine of grace, the latter explained them by more superior textual and philological methods, which, unfortunately, Augustine did not have at his disposal. For the Reformers, and especially Luther, the doctrine of grace constituted the Christian Church; any compromise or deviation on this issue by a church group resulted in that group losing its status as a Christian Church. The medieval Church had lost its "Christian" status, which justified the break with it the reformers made to reaffirm the Gospel. Augustine, however, developed an ecclesiology, or doctrine of the Church, which denied any such action. In the early fifth century, during the Donatist controversy, Augustine emphasized the unity of the Church, arguing heatedly against the temptation to form schismatic groups when the main line of the Church seemed erroneous. On this issue the reformers felt justified in disregarding Augustine's opinion, believing that his views on grace were much more important than his views on the Church. The Church, they argued, was a product of God's grace and therefore the latter had primary significance. Opponents of the Reformation did not agree with this, arguing that the Church itself was the guarantor of the Christian faith. Thus, the ground was prepared for a dispute about the nature of the church. We now turn our attention to the second great theme of Reformation thought: the need for a return to Scripture
Protestantism
The Reformation in Germany began under the influence of Martin Luther, Ph.D. He put forward a new religious teaching, according to which the secular state does not depend on the church, and man himself does not need intermediaries between him and God.
Martin Luther initially approved of the teachings of Pelagius, but those around him were strongly opposed, and Luther changed his mind. The doctrine of predestination was not included in Lutheran teaching.
Theologian and lawyer John Calvin formed his teaching on the basis of Lutheranism, making changes to it. He believed that the state with its power should be completely subordinate to the church. He also wrote that man is completely corrupt, and believed that Divine grace is the basis for man's salvation. And faith in God alone is not enough for the remission of sins.
According to Calvin, predestination is the inscrutable providence of God. He denied the existence of free will in humans and imposed a lot of prohibitions on luxury and entertainment on his followers. Calvin considered his teaching to be a development of the views of the Bishop of Hippo. He firmly believed that Christ died for the sins of only those “predestined to salvation,” and not of all mankind.
Doctrine of Predestination
It should be emphasized that this is not a theological innovation. Calvin does not introduce a previously unknown concept into the sphere of Christian theology. As we have already seen, the “modern Augustinian school” (schola Augustiniana moderna), represented by such representatives as Gregory of Rimini, also taught the doctrine of absolute double predestination: God destined for some eternal life and eternal damnation for others, regardless of their personal merits or demerits. Their fate depends entirely on the will of God, and not on their individuality. Indeed, it is quite possible that Calvin consciously adopted this aspect of late medieval Augustinianism, which bears an extraordinary similarity to his own teaching. Thus, salvation is beyond the power of people who are powerless to change the status quo. Calvin emphasizes that this selectivity is not limited to the question of salvation.
In all areas of life, he argues, we are forced to confront an incomprehensible mystery. Why are some people more successful in life than others? Why does one person have intellectual gifts that are denied to others? Even from the moment of birth, two babies, without any fault of their own, may find themselves in completely different circumstances: one may be brought to a breast full of milk and thus be nourished, while the other may suffer from malnutrition, forced to suckle at an almost dry breast . For Calvin, predestination was just another manifestation of the common mystery of human existence, in which some receive material and intellectual gifts that are denied to others. It does not raise any additional difficulties that are not present in other areas of human existence. Does the idea of predestination imply that God is freed from the traditional categories of goodness, justice, or rationality ascribed to him? Although Calvin particularly rejects the concept of God as an Absolute and Arbitrary Power, from his consideration of predestination emerges the image of a God whose relationship with creation is whimsical and capricious, and whose authority is not bound by any law or order. Here Calvin clearly places himself on a par with late medieval understanding of this controversial issue, and especially with the “via moderna” and “schola Augustiniana moderna” in the question of the relationship between God and the established moral order. God is in no sense subject to law, for this would place the law above God, an aspect of creation, and even something outside of God before creation above the Creator. God is outside the law in the sense that His will is the basis of existing concepts of morality. These brief statements represent one of Calvin's clearest points of contact with the late medieval voluntarist tradition.
In the end, Calvin argues that predestination must be recognized as based on the incomprehensible judgments of God. It is not given to us to know why He chooses some and condemns others. Some scholars argue that this position may reflect the influence of late medieval discussions of the "absolute power of God (potentia Dei absolute)", according to which the Capricious or Voluntarily Acting God is free to do whatever He wishes without having to justify His actions. This assumption, however, is based on a misunderstanding of the role of the dialectical relationship between the two powers of God, absolute and predetermined, in late medieval theological thought. God is free to choose whomever He wishes, otherwise His freedom will become subject to external considerations and the Creator will be subject to His creation. Nevertheless. Divine decisions reflect His wisdom and justice, which are supported by predestination rather than in conflict with it. Far from being a central aspect of Calvin's theological system (if one can even use that word), predestination is therefore an auxiliary doctrine that explains the mysterious aspect consequences of the proclamation of the gospel of grace.
God's Foresight
There is no need to confuse God's foreknowledge and predestination. If God foresaw events, he did not thereby predetermine them. He gave man freedom of choice, and if a person decided to sin, he thereby darkened his future. Divine foreknowledge is not predestination. God does not violate human freedom, otherwise He would not be God. Human freedom is an image of Divine freedom. God foretells, but does not predetermine. He only puts a person in such conditions so that he determines his direction: he will move towards sins, towards evil, or towards good, towards light. A person’s control over himself is important here.
Conversation with Elsa Lichtman
Army Surplus Morphine - Doubt At first, Elsa won't want to say anything. It's worth expressing doubt. Then black musicians will enter the conversation and believe that the goods are supplied by “whites.”
Morphine Overdose Victims - Doubt Once again, the singer knows nothing about the victims. Again this is questionable. The girl knew the deceased Cornell, and he was not a talented musician.
After all the questions, Elsa will hint who is behind all this. However, you already know - Meyer (Mickey) Cohen. His partner immediately offers to go to the Mocambo club with him, but Cole, it seems, has other plans - he decides to follow Elsa Lichtman. Further, the passage of the game LA Noire subtly hints at the intimate relationship between Cole and Elsa in her apartment.
The morning begins near the Makambo club. Follow the receptionist as he leads you to Mickey Cohen's table, dining with gangster Johnny Stompanato.
Fate and its predestination
The word "fate" can mean:
- The divine purpose is heavenly, that is, the full disclosure of the image and likeness of God - life in the Kingdom of God.
- Earthly realization of God-given powers for the glory of God.
- Fulfillment or non-fulfillment of Divine destiny.
- Life circumstances (God's providence).
- Rock, fate. (This is a confluence of life circumstances that cannot be avoided).
Belief in fate as inevitability, instead of communication with God, is contrary to Christian teaching. Instead of such an understanding of fate, there is the concept of fate as providence, God's providence. It is not blind fate that controls a person’s life, but the All-Wise Creator.
Each person chooses his own fate: good - to end up in heaven, or evil - to go down to hell. In this sense, everyone has their own destiny. So what does “predetermination of fate” mean? As we wrote above, God foresaw (but did not predetermine!) even before the creation of the world who would be saved and who would lose their soul. But He tries to guide man on the path of salvation. Man's predestination is to follow God's will.
Calvinism
John Calvin, the founder of Calvinism, in one of his doctrines spoke about the predestination of human salvation. That is, God predetermined or programmed the lives of people, how they will live, develop, whether they will be saved or not.
John Calvinism and the Calvinist Order
This entire program was laid down from the beginning of the creation of the world, and man is not able to change his destiny. And although there is common sense in the words of John Calvin, his followers expanded his doctrine and elevated it to the rank of immutable truth, in which not everyone who wants to is saved, but everyone who is chosen and predestined.
This doctrine takes some passages from the Bible as its basis, taking words out of context and does not look at the entire Bible in the context of the entire book. Here are some examples of Calvinism on which their doctrine of "election and predestination" is based:
4 For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love, 5 Having predestined us to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will. (Eph 1:4-5).
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were ordained to eternal life believed. (Acts 13:48).
16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you. (John 15:16).
25 At that time, Jesus continued speaking and said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes;
26 to her, Father! for such was Thy good pleasure. (Matthew 11:25-26).
Islam and predestination
This teaching took a lot from Christianity, changing its basic concepts in its own way. The result was a rather original work by Muhammad - the Koran. It, as the Prophet himself said, was dictated to him in the desert by Allah. Whether it was so or not, now no one will know. But legends talk about this.
The traditions of the Prophet say that one of the Israelis fought for a thousand months (when calculated, a fantastic number is obtained - more than 83 years) under the banner of Allah. This was a completely extraordinary service, since in those days human life was short. All the companions of Muhammad were saddened that they could not repeat such a feat.
Immediately after the meeting with the Israeli, Archangel Jibril arrived to the Prophet. He announced that in honor of such a long service of the son of Israel, Allah would grant the Prophet and his companions a night that was better than a thousand months. He then dictated the 97th chapter of the Qur'an, which is called "Power".
It said that Allah sends the Quran to His Prophet on the night of predestination or greatness. This night is more beautiful than the thousand months that the Israelite served. This night all the angels descend to earth and greet all believers. On this holy night, Allah forgives sins and fulfills all the requests of believers. This night comes and repeats several times during the last ten nights of Ramadan. These are the odd hours of the night when the Prophet indulged in especially intense meditation and reflection and worship of Allah. Here are their dates - 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th and 29th nights. Which one will be a night of greatness?
In the Koran, everything is clear to believers and ministers and there is no confusion. But, however, there were and continue to be disputes between the three schools of theologians about the doctrine of predestination.
In addition, Islam also has the concept of “fate”. Even before the creation of the world, the omniscient Allah knew what would happen in nature and society, what a person or animal would do good or bad. A person who believes in Allah knows well what he will approve of and what may cause him displeasure or even anger. But a person is weak and makes a mistake in his choice, and therefore he must repent after a bad deed.
Divine predestination in the Reformed tradition as Christian experience
The culturological tools traditionally include an analysis of analogies of cultural forms, without which no morphology of culture is conceivable. Such an analysis always presupposes some conditional isolation from the continuous flow of cultural phenomena of various traditions, contextual fields, a certain number of similar realities, the so-called. "cross-cutting themes". Religious traditions, since they are included in human cultural life, are also not protected from such “predatory” penetration of cultural thought. Surveying the surface of religious phenomena, a cultural view will discover phenomena in internally so dissimilar spiritual traditions that can quite possibly be subsumed under the general rubric of “cross-cutting themes.” This applies not only to Christian or Jewish traditions, but also applies to the religions of the Far East, Indian religions, ancient religiosity, Islam, and even the religions of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Another thing is that based on theological discourse, that is, considering these phenomena as if from within spiritual traditions, one will inevitably have to be skeptical about such a universalization of the phenomena of religious experience: some elements of spiritual life, belonging to different religious traditions, which secular cultural scientists confidently turn out to be too essentially dissimilar put under one heading. One of these “cross-cutting themes” found in the religious traditions of the world is the theme of divine predestination.
In the ancient world there was a strong belief in the predetermination of all earthly events and human fate. The Moiras, goddesses of fate, forever spin on their spindle the threads of fate, which even the gods of Olympus have. They tirelessly carry out their work and mercilessly cut these threads of life at the very moment when they least expect it.
Secular scholars often point out the similarity of predestination to the concept of Karma, the law of cause-and-effect retribution in Indian religions. All living beings, from the inhabitants of the anthill to the gods, from people to hungry preta spirits, are involved in the wheel of rebirth and are subject to Karma.
In Islam, there is also a teaching about the predestination of all human paths in this world. A person cannot independently choose submission to Allah or resistance to him: all this is a direct decision of Allah. “But you will not wish unless Allah wills...” (Holy Quran, 76:30);
“Thus Allah leads astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills...” (Holy Quran, 74:34). However, it should be noted here that these passages in the Koran have been interpreted ambiguously throughout the history of Muslim peoples.
The Jewish tradition of the pre-Christian era was also sensitive in its own way to the question of predestination. Thus, the community of the Sons of Light, the Essenes, held the most radical view of divine predestination. The Essenes believed in the complete predetermination of everything that happens in the created world. The Sadducees, who did not believe in an afterlife, did not believe in predestination. The Pharisees took a more compromise, “middle” position on this issue.
In Christianity, in the Western, namely Augustinian, theological tradition, the problem of divine predestination and the associated set of questions and practical consequences received the most significant development.
St. Augustine wrote a lot about predestination and with his characteristic definiteness. His teaching developed, as often happened in church history, during the theological confrontation with the Pelagian heresy. The heresiarch Pelagius insisted that a person had the opportunity to achieve holiness and salvation through his own efforts. The heresy of Pelagius captivated people of late antiquity with its anthropological position close to Stoicism. In Pelagius's interpretation, sin is an act and only an act. Any of them, including sinful ones, may be committed, or may not be committed. Man is free not to commit sin. For this he does not need any special grace or support. In this regard, the Pelagian concept itself denied grace as some energy flowing into a person. Grace, according to Pelagius, is these or those historical conditions or events favorable for a person’s Christian choice that God sends to help him. The Incarnation and earthly life of Jesus Christ is interpreted by Pelagius as an example of what every Christian can fully accomplish. There is no original sin that affects human nature. Sin is an act and a consequence of individual choice. In his Epistle to Demetrias, Pelagius writes:
“Wherever we talk about volition or unwillingness, about election or rejection, everywhere we speak not about the power of nature, but about free will (libertas voluntatis)”[1].
This position may seem plausible and common sense, like many heresies, but it does not touch the very core of the theological questioning of the overall human situation, which is firmly tied to the problem of death, evil and destruction. Pelagius tries to separate the theme of death from the theme of sin. In biblical terms: death would have overtaken Adam even if he had not sinned. We interpret death as evil because of our own sinful views, or rather sinful choices. In essence, death is not evil, but is included in the picture of God’s good plan for the world and man.
St. Augustine does not agree with a theological anthropology that does not take into account the reality of the fundamental sinfulness of man, does not take into account the fact that human nature is fraught with death and defeat by sin. In contrast to the Pelagian heresy, which refers to the free will of man in the matter of his salvation, Augustine develops the doctrine of divine predestination.
Augustine’s work “On the Predestination of the Saints” is dedicated to divine predestination. The first book to Prosper and Hilary"[2]. There is no consensus on the personality of Ilarius. In this work, Augustine not only substantiates, based on the Holy Scriptures, the double predestination of some to salvation, and others to evil and final, eternal hellish death, but also unfolds before the readers a picture of how he himself came from some misunderstanding of this important problem to a clear doctrine of predestination. The Holy Bishop of Hippo considers predestination not so much from the side of divine power over the objects of the created world, but from the anthropological side. Powerful processes in the universe, tectonic shifts in the depths of the world, the majestic picture of the origin of various forms of life, the power of God over every smallest fragment of the frighteningly vast world reality: Augustine does not find enough time for this side of predestination. But the anthropological consequences of predestination for humans are very important. But for Augustine, as a saint and great theologian, the extremely serious subject of interest is not the predetermination of human actions and events, which, in general, are immersed in a single abyss of movement and seething cauldron of world events and processes. For him, the most important question is the question of saving a person or his final death.
The impossibility of salvation without faith is not only a well-defined axiom of Holy Scripture, but also a logically obvious condition for reaching the gates of Heaven. In this regard, the question of the emergence and growth of individual faith inevitably arises. Does its origin depend on the good will of a person who freely chooses to believe? Blessed Augustine gives the story of the conversion of the Apostle Paul.
“...He, burning with hostility towards the faith he was persecuting and fiercely resisting it, was unexpectedly turned to it by a more powerful grace. Converted by the One who was to do this, according to the word of the prophet: “By converting, you will revive us” (Ps. 84:7), so that not only from the unwilling one would become willing to believe, but also to endure persecution from the persecutor, defending that faith, which he had previously pursued. Thus, he was granted not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him. And therefore, speaking about that grace, which is not given according to any merits, but produces all merits, the apostle says: “Not that we ourselves are able to think anything of ourselves, but our ability is from God” (2 Cor. 3 ,5). Here let those who think that the beginning of faith comes from us, and its growth from God, listen and weigh these words.”[3] Augustine insists: “faith, because of which we are Christians, is the gift of God...”[4]
Those. the individual faith of a Christian is not the result of his autonomous decision, but depends entirely on the power of God, on His Holy Will, that is, on Predestination. Therefore, the call to salvation does not apply to all people.
“However, I little considered the calling itself,” says St. Augustine about the times when his Christian path was just beginning, “that which occurs according to the intention of God: for it, this calling, is not such for all those who are called, but only for the elect.” [5].
These ideas originate in the theology of faith of the Apostle Paul. It is no coincidence that already at the dawn of modern times, Protestantism, with its special attention to Paul and Augustine, absorbed the topic of predestination into the orbit of its dynamically developing theology. The topic of a separate study is the problem of the relationship and difference between such concepts as “fate” and “fate” in the ancient world, “the omnipotence of God” in early Judaism and “predestination” in the Apostle Paul and Augustine. One thing must be noted right away: all these realities have signs of morphological similarity from a cultural point of view, and deep differences from a theological point of view.
The concept of divine predestination in classical Protestantism manifests itself in the most consistent, logical and at the same time radical way. However, behind predestination among Protestants there is precisely a specifically Christian experience. This is precisely the Christian experience, which very often remains unrecognized and unrecognized as a specifically Christian experience within our Eastern Christian, Orthodox church tradition. This is apparently connected with the absolutization of Christian confessional boundaries as a psychological, by no means theological, attitude that is quite widespread in our Orthodox environment.
John Calvin
The doctrine of divine predestination was most clearly expressed and brought to particularly radical conclusions by the Genevan reformer John Calvin. In his fundamental work, “Instruction in the Christian Faith,” predestination is given a significant place. “Instruction…” consists of four books and in each of them ideas are developed, if not directly resulting, then internally related to the idea of divine predestination. The first book is entitled “On the Knowledge of God as the Creator and Sovereign Ruler of the World.” Calvinists have traditionally insisted that the true nerve of their creed is the doctrine of God's sovereignty over all creation. There is nothing in the world that eludes God's Omnipotence and contradicts His Will. The will of God predetermines everything: from the breath of the breeze to the subtle movement of the human soul. In some paradoxical way, God predetermines all those phenomena that we recognize as destruction and evil, but evil does not have God as its source.
What exists as evil, philosophically speaking, is evil for us. Evil in itself does not exist. We are unable to understand and see what is really hidden behind evil. Moreover, all the things that surround us are unknown and not known by us in their essence, since the immutable Will of the Creator remains a hidden and unknown Will.
Of course, Calvin was repeatedly criticized not only on moral grounds, but also on purely philosophical grounds. Thus, for example, it seems contradictory to believe that evil, even if it is evil for us, is not rooted in God if God predetermines everything, including the movements of our hearts. If the entire course of my consciousness is predetermined and evil is revealed within its scope as evil for me, from here, it would seem, there can be only one logical consequence: the creator of evil for us is God. This philosophical conclusion would be a clear heresy if it were accepted at the theological level. However, such a move would be illegal intellectual barbarism; such a vulgarization of Calvin’s teachings would sin against the truth. Meanwhile, we have no reason, and no need, to deny that Reformed theology is deep.
God cannot be called the source of evil for us, since God and evil for us are not realities of the same order. We know about evil for us, but we know almost nothing about God and His Will. It is revealed to us, of course, from the Holy Scriptures that God is good and does not accept evil, even if it exists only relatively, as evil for us. However, God—as much derided by the Enlightenment deists—is interested in what happens in us. God's wrath indeed falls on the heads of those who participate in the spread of evil. This anger is genuine. Calvin does not skimp on describing this wrath and exposing all the guilt of sinners. And this despite the fact that predestination also applies to the issue of human salvation.
Jesus Christ saved and redeemed only a limited number of people. This is perhaps the most scandalous conclusion of Calvinism regarding divine predestination: the doctrine of double predestination and limited salvation. Such teaching has been repeatedly called inhumane and unevangelical. Not only does it seem to create the deepest disunity between people who are justified and those who are convicted, but it also dooms a person to a purely individual relationship with God. Such conciliar actions as worship or common prayer cannot save. Moreover, individual prayer can neither add nor subtract anything in the matter of human salvation. The Christian is left alone with God and His Holy Will, in other words, with predestination.
Calvin's emphasis on double predestination, some to salvation, others to eternal destruction: this is no doubt an emphasis first made by himself. For example, it was unusual for Augustine. The famous British theologian Alistair McGrath, in his book The Theological Thought of the Reformation, made valuable observations about the very style and nature of the theology of John Calvin.
“...It is not entirely correct to talk about Calvin developing a “system” in the strict sense of the term. Calvin's religious ideas, as presented in the Institutes of 1559, are systematized on the basis of pedagogical considerations; and not a leading speculative principle. Calvin considered biblical exposition and systematic theology essentially identical and refused to draw between them the distinction that became common after his death.
After Calvin, Calvinism was forced to defend itself in the face of Lutheranism and Roman Catholicism. It was then that Calvinist theologians fully turned to the methods of Aristotelianism, to which Calvin himself was very restrained and cautious.
“Thus, the starting point of theology was general principles, not a specific historical event. The contrast with Calvin is quite obvious. For him, theology focused on Jesus Christ and came from His appearance as evidenced in Scripture. It is the new interest in establishing a logical starting point for theology that allows us to understand the attention that began to be given to the doctrine of predestination. Calvin focused on the specific historical phenomenon of Jesus Christ and then proceeded to explore its meaning (that is, in appropriate terms, his method was analytical and inductive). In contrast, Beza started with general principles. And then he moved on to explore their consequences for Christian theology (that is, his method was deductive and synthetic)”[7].
In other words, the thought of John Calvin is a reactive thought: the Genevan reformer observes, records, analyzes, reacts to what is given in reality. In this sense, John Calvin’s type of thinking is close, no matter how paradoxical it may be, to the great classic of German philosophy, Kant. The doctrine of predestination is the result of many observations and interpretations of reality through the prism of biblical narratives. Like Calvin, with his individualism of faith, two centuries later Kant, analyzing the data of human perception, will come to the idea of the autonomy of reason. Despite the relativity of such an analogy, it is still possible to compare the development of Reformed theology and the fate of German philosophy after Kant in some significant ways. The great follower of Calvin, Theodore Beza, who first proclaimed the doctrine of predestination as the “governing principle” of Reformed theology, did a truly Hegelian work. Only now, with the advent of the “governing principle,” has it become possible to assert that the limited election of people to salvation preceded the Fall. The Fall thus becomes God's instrument to bring about election. This opinion was held by Beza and his supporters, but it was completely alien to John Calvin himself. This seductive and dangerous potential of Reformed theology, which was actualized by Theodore Beza, had not only a productive side, but also led to dire consequences in terms of denominational divisions within Protestantism and, more broadly, to serious historical conflicts and schisms in the European world. This legacy has been theologically overcome in our time, in the theology of Karl Barth. Thus, only in the 20th century did theological and church-practical prospects for weakening confessional boundaries within Christianity and creative positive ecumenism appear.
The Roman pontiff, Pope Pius XII, saw fit to call the Swiss Reformed theologian Karl Barth "the second theologian after St. Thomas Aquinas." In any other era in the West except ours, such a statement would have been simply unthinkable: confessional boundaries and the wary attitude of Christians towards each other were too strong. In the 20s of the 20th century, in addition to the well-known “massification” of culture and the “moral crisis” that burst into politics with totalitarian, inhuman movements such as Bolshevism and Nazism, unusually unprecedented opportunities also arose for understanding and rapprochement between historical Christian traditions . And in the second half of the 20th century, these opportunities were complemented by a new atmosphere of freedom throughout the secular society of bourgeois countries, human freedom of a level that would previously have been impossible.
Karl Barth (1886-1968) Swiss Calvinist preacher and theologian
As for the position of Karl Barth, he did not reject the doctrine of divine predestination and election to salvation. It is symbolic that almost three and a half centuries after Calvin, Barth begins his ministry in the same church in Geneva where Calvin served. Barthian understanding of predestination is predestination to salvation, but not predestination to condemnation. Here is what Barth writes in his “Church Dogmatics”: “The truth of the doctrine of predestination, first and foremost, no matter how it is understood specifically and no matter what, at first glance, contradictory aspects and moments appear in it, is with all circumstances the sum of the Gospel. It is the Gospel: good news, joyful, encouraging, comforting, helpful news.”[8] Karl Barth considered the idea of a certain dark side of predestination, rejection and damnation, independent of the good news, of the Gospel, to be a historical stratification and, in essence, a serious theological distortion. In fact, such a doctrine of predestination unwittingly presupposes in the Gospel the implicit presence of the poison dysangelion, i.e. bad news. Such a vision is possible only and exclusively from extra-Christian premises. Barth states this directly in the first lecture of his Introduction to Evangelical Theology: “God, who would confront man only as infinitely exalted, distant and alien in his inhuman Divinity, if he somehow revealed his presence for man, could to become for him only the God of “disangelia,” bad news, the God of the contemptuous, judgmental, deadly “No,” whom man should fear, strive to flee from, and, since he is unable to satisfy Him from afar, he would prefer simply not know Him"[9]. But such a “description” of God presupposes the forgetting of Jesus Christ. Barth insists that the essence of evangelical theology is not at all in the interpretation and interpretation of the books of the New Testament, but in perceiving every word, deed and revelation of God addressed to man through a single focus - through Jesus Christ. This is exactly how Barth perceives predestination: as the election of a person, but not as rejection.
This election does not contain any rejection for man, since Christ took upon Himself all rejection, all condemnation and all death. Karl Barth makes the seemingly paradoxical statement that Jesus is the only truly rejected person. For all other people, predestination does not contain any death. It would be a mistake to assume that the Swiss theologian believed in ἀποκατάστασις, that is, in the theory of universal forgiveness and restoration. Barth completely rejected this theory as a frivolous attitude towards the words of God.
Of course, critics of Karl Barth find a logical contradiction in this position. Not everyone will be saved, but every person should know that God promised him salvation, and that means he will be saved.
Some researchers note a certain closeness of Karl Barth's teaching on grace to the spirit of the Orthodox theological tradition. Therefore, every Orthodox Russian person who suffered from Stalin’s terror in the 30s, 40s or 50s could ask Bart: “Will the maniac and murderer Beria also be saved?” I would venture to suggest that if today we had the opportunity to decisively demand an answer, Karl Barth would answer something like this: “The murderers will be in hell, but people will be in Heaven.”
The divine predestination of Reformed theology and the times of Calvin and the era of Barth remains opaque to pure and unalloyed cultural analysis without the use of theological resources. At the same time, theology, deprived of cultural inoculation, reveals weakness due to the implicit influence of ultra-confessionalism, which retains its position in Orthodox church intellectualism.
Magazine “Nachalo” No. 27, 2013
[1] Pelagius. Epistle to Demetrias. Erasmus of Rotterdam. Philosophical works. M., 1987. P. 594.
[2] It should be noted that Prosper of Aquitaine subsequently became an authoritative Gallic follower of Augustine and perhaps the first theologian to directly criticize the teaching of St. John Cassian on grace and free will.
[3] Augustine Aurelius, Bishop of Hippo. About the predestination of the saints. M., 2000. P. 5.
[4] Ibid. S. 4.
[5] Uk. Op. S. 8.
[6] Alistair McGrath. Theological thought of the Reformation. Odessa, 1994. P. 163.
[7] Ibid. P. 164.
[8] Barth K. Church dogmatics. T. 1. M., 2007. P. 319.
[9] Barth K. Introduction to Evangelical Theology. M., 2006. P. 20.
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Lyrics by F. I. Tyutchev
The deeply religious poet-philosopher F.I. Tyutchev undoubtedly knew what “predestination” means in Orthodoxy. It is no coincidence that Tyutchev gave such a title to his short and bitter poem. If predestination is given by God and fate, then no matter how hard you fight, a sinful person will not escape it.
F. Tyutchev's love did not appear on the basis of an instant glance. The witty, cheerful, elegant beauty gradually entered first his house, to visit his daughters, and then into the poet’s heart. They explained exactly in mid-June 1850. F.I. Tyutchev did not forget this date even after Elena Ivanovna passed away. He called this day “blissfully fatal.” His love for the young student of the Smolny Institute, Elena Deniseva, turned into evil. They loved each other with all their souls. As Tyutchev wrote fifteen years later, she breathed her whole soul into him. The result was a sinful relationship and E. A. Denisyeva was rejected by the world and her parents for 14 years.
Tyutchev created the poem “Predestination” at the very beginning of their acquaintance, 13 years before the death of Elena Alexandrovna. But the drama of the situation, when one person loves and another allows himself to be loved, is fully reflected in it.
We begin to analyze Tyutchev's poem "Predestination". In the fifties, Tyutchev's philosophical lyrics became especially gloomy and heavy. During his connection with Elena Alexandrovna, the poet goes deeper into a dark and hopeless state. All the poems that make up the “Denisyev” cycle are full of despair and self-condemnation. Already in 1851, he admitted that he loves murderously and destroys what is dearest to his heart. His love brought undeserved shame upon the young woman. Tyutchev would write “Predestination” in the same year, 1851, when he discovered that he was destroying the woman he loved and could not help himself.
Interrogation of the head waitress
Shooting at the 111 Club Shooting Incident - Doubt The waitress claims that it was not her shift on the night of the shooting and she knows nothing about the causes of the conflict. This sounds doubtful. Indeed, the girl has something to hide: after Goldrick bought the club, “cool” guys began to visit the establishment.
Knowledge of McGoldrick - True The girl says that the murdered McGoldrick knew little about the restaurant business, he simply bought the club for a lot of money. This is true. The money apparently came from the sale of illegal goods. Quite possibly morphine.
When the conversation with the girl is finished, go outside, get into the car and head to the Blue Room bar. This name came across more than once during the playthrough of the game LA Noire, it’s time to find out what’s what. At the bar you can talk to singer Elsa Lichtman, who appears to be the leader of the local downtrodden blue-collar musicians.
Two families
The poet was torn. His soul was attached to two women. Both idolized him. With one of them, Ernestina Fedorovna, he lived, as expected, in marriage. This was his warm and dear home. Ernestina Fedorovna made every effort to save the family without expressing any reproaches. But his soul was also yearning for another home.
The poem "Predestination" was written at the beginning of the connection. It celebrated the kinship of souls and their fatal duel. The poet had a presentiment that the immensity of love could only be interrupted when a woman’s heart wears out in pain. We begin the analysis of the poem “Predestination”. What did Fyodor Ivanovich see at the very beginning of his alliance with Elena Alexandrovna? An unequal struggle of hearts, when one will inevitably love and suffer. Indeed, Denisyeva, who considered herself the real, true wife of Fyodor Ivanovich, fell into loneliness, which was brightened up only by children. They were recorded in the metrics as the Tyutchevs, but not as nobles, but as petty bourgeois.
Interrogation of Felix Alvarro
Informed of Coolridge Heist - Doubt Felix claims to know almost nothing about the heist. He, like the entire crew, was questioned and then released. Sounds very doubtful. But even if you doubt the words of a former colleague, you will not receive useful information.
Motive for Shooting - False The former Marine claims he doesn't know why they tried to kill him. It's a lie. The evidence that confirms this is the sniper's notebook. The gangsters think that the morphine is in the possession of former crew members. Courtney Sheldon met with gangsters and had to settle everything. In addition, Felix claims that a certain Jack Kelso has been in Los Angeles for several months.
You need to establish its location; to do this, go to the telephone nearby. After receiving the address, head to his apartment. This time there will be no search, no knocking down doors, no running around. Jack will immediately go with you to the police station.
A little from the biography of E. Deniseva
Elena Alexandrovna came from a poor noble family. She lost her mother early, and her father remarried. She was raised by her aunt, who worked as a teacher at the Smolny Institute. Naturally, the girl received an education there, acquired secular manners and could make a good match. The life story of Elena Alexandrovna anticipates the analysis of the poem “Predestination.” It was clear not only to Tyutchev, but also to her that such meetings would not end well. After all, the girl, who had already left and began to shine in the world, should have simply gotten married and become a good wife and mother. Divine predestination swept away all human plans and good intentions.
Adultery, a disgrace for the family - she lived with these stigmas for fourteen years, pouring all of herself into the poet. The poem "Predestination" shows the tender hopelessness of this relationship, which cannot have a legitimate continuation. However, it was durable and did not tear. Whose credit is this? We think that the woman who became more and more attached to Fyodor Ivanovich. He was her light in the window, the thread that connected the hermit with the world. Breaking off the relationship meant not only ruining his reputation, but also killing the mother of his three children.
Interrogation of Mickey Cohen
Finkelstein drug operation - Doubt Naturally, Mickey claims to know nothing about Lenny Finkelstein's dealings. This is doubtful, although you have no evidence. Mr. Cowan will indirectly confirm that he knew about his brother-in-law's affairs, but will not name the supplier.
111 Club shooting incident - Doubt Cole believes that Marines, one of whom was the owner of the 111 Club, were behind the morphine theft. Of course, Mickey knows nothing about this. Sounds doubtful. Apparently, Cowan has first-hand knowledge of the drug business, but he is not going to provide you with any valuable information.
Next, the passage of the game LA Noire directs you to the police station: you need to talk with Harry Colwell, who was investigating the case of the theft of morphine from the army ship Coolridge. In addition to morphine, a box of Browning submachine guns, a box of Thompson submachine guns and a box of Valor cigarettes were stolen. Almost all of this was found at the scene of the shootout at the 111 club. The main character will want to see the Coolridge's cargo manifest.
Simply review the list on page two to ensure that the property found in the club was stolen from the ship. But more interestingly, among the crew of the Coolridge was McGoldrick, the murdered owner of the 111 Club.
Apparently, someone decided to pin him down to get a new batch of morphine. There are only two such people in the city - Dragna or Cohen. But they won’t let you finish: right now in the city they are shooting at a bus with people from a machine gun. All police officers must rush to the scene of the incident. The passage of the game LA Noire tells you to do the same.
Upon arrival, you will see a psycho perched at the top of the building with a machine gun. You need to go upstairs and neutralize it. To begin with, you should take a powerful weapon from the arsenal in the trunk, then run around the building where the shooter is holed up, from the back side. Climb the stairs to the roof and, using cover, kill the scoundrel. Now we need to search his corpse.
In the left inside pocket of the jacket you will find a notepad with notes on the bus route, the inscription CL -234 and “Mocambo 3rd table”. The shooter's weapon was a machine gun from stolen supplies.
Now passing the game LA Noire will provide you with a meeting with an old acquaintance - a Marine. Felix Alvarro was on the Coolridge crew list and is now the driver of the very bus that was fired upon. You need to have a heart-to-heart talk with him.
Artistic means of the author
The theme of the poem “Predestination” (analysis shows this) is hopeless, unpromising love. She, strong and passionate, cannot be overcome by two hearts. First, in the first quatrain there is a meeting, then a fatal merging of souls and their fatal duel (culmination), and then the poet foresees the death of the weak and tender. When we talk about the poem “Predestination,” we conduct an analysis of the topic. Now let's talk about the structure of the verse
What artistic means did the poet use when writing “Predestination”? Tyutchev wrote the verse in iambic tetrameter. It's a joyful size. But since the poet’s soul was torn by anxiety and confusion, he introduces pyrrhichs and clauses into it. Thanks to these techniques, in the work “Predestination” the verse becomes minor. The poet also uses metaphors, anaphors, lexical repetitions, and inversion. Tyutchev writes the poem “Predestination” as an expression of his views on love and fatal fate. The short form of the poem, only eight lines, contained not only the meeting, but also a prophetic future about the demise of love.
In May 1864, the sick Elena Alexandrovna gave birth to a son. She already had a daughter, Elena, and a son, Fyodor. The baby and daughter would die in 1865. Fyodor Ivanovich took these tragedies extremely hard. He felt as if his heart had been torn out and his head cut off, and he cried continuously. Son Fedor Fedorovich will grow up, become an officer and die in a hospital during the First World War.
Later, throughout the entire “Denisiev” cycle, the leitmotif will be the thought of death, annihilation, destruction, for which the poet blames himself. He bitterly regretted that he had not published a book dedicated to her during Elena Alexandrovna’s lifetime. We looked at the poem “Predestination” (Tyutchev). The analysis is given as complete as possible.
