Are we donating half a Bible to a museum?
And really, why? Old clothes or furniture are usually not used, they are replaced with new ones. The name “decrepit” seems to suggest that the first part of the Bible has also “dilapidated” and has lost its meaning for us. Is it so? It's not just the name (the Slavic "old" simply means "old, former"). After reading the New Testament and moving on to the Old, a person often experiences disappointment: it is both boring and irrelevant, but most importantly, there is too much blood on its pages. In the New Testament, too, not everything is clear and not everything is interesting, but hardly anything repels the reader so much. Someone might think that we are talking about two different gods...
A similar idea was expressed by the theologian of the 2nd century AD, Marcion of Sinope. He taught that there are two gods: the cruel Creator, about whom the Old Testament tells, and the merciful God of Love, revealed in the New. There is nothing in common between them; before Christ, people supposedly did not know the God of Love and worshiped the cruel Creator, mistakenly taking him for the highest deity.
Interestingly, Marcion’s disagreements with traditional Christianity did not end there. In order to “separate” the two Testaments, he had to significantly shorten the New. Marcion left only one Gospel and ten apostolic epistles, and from there he threw out everything that concerned the physicality of Christ, the reality of His earthly life. Marcion professed the dualism characteristic of Eastern religions: all matter, all corporeality is evil, and one must get rid of it for the sake of spiritual perfection, therefore Christ only looked like a man, but was only an incorporeal spirit who flew down from heaven to tell humanity about the True God. He was not born and did not die on earth; the suffering on the Cross, after which He ascended to heaven, was only an appearance. Of course, His disciples mixed up a lot of things and wrote them down incorrectly (this is a reservation made by almost everyone who wants to “edit” the Gospel to their own liking).
This teaching was rejected by the Church; its inconsistency was analyzed in detail, point by point, by almost all prominent church writers of that time. Indeed, such “Christianity” is incompatible with the very foundations of the faith of the Church. But it is suitable for Gnostics and all sorts of near-Christian sects seeking to use the Bible for their own purposes. The Church, on the contrary, has proclaimed and confirmed more than once that the Holy Scriptures, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, are inseparable for it.
To reject the Old Testament means to reject the flesh, the human nature of Christ. The point is not only that in His story the prophecies and hints with which the Old Testament is full are fulfilled, so that in the Gospels both the place (birth in Bethlehem), and the time of events (the crucifixion before Easter), and even individual details (Roman soldiers) turn out to be significant They did not break the legs of Jesus, just as they could not break the bones of the Passover lamb).
The point is also that the history of salvation for a Christian begins not with Christmas, but with the moment of the fall of man, when the very need for salvation arises. After all, you first need to understand what humanity needs to be saved from, why it turned out to be separated from God and enslaved to death. This is exactly what is said in the Old Testament. Moreover, its “bloodyness” is largely explained by the fact that it is an honest and detailed story about the fallen
humanity, and not a Christmas story about something cute, but completely unreal. And if we are also honest, we will have to admit that it was the Old Testament that, better than all other ancient books, managed to curb and limit this “bloodyness.”
In none of them was a person told with such amazing simplicity “do not kill, do not steal, do not commit adultery.” In fact, now people for whom murder, theft and adultery still remain a matter of valor and honor, at least try to disguise this attitude with various beautiful words. The recently released film “Apocalypse” shows a society where the commandment “thou shalt not kill” simply does not occur to anyone. I don't think we would want to be there. But once upon a time all of humanity lived like this.
New foundation
After the murder of Abel and the expulsion of Cain, the story of the Old Testament continues. God gave Adam and Eve another son, Seth, from whom good and pious descendants descended. His name means “foundation,” which can be interpreted as the foundation of a new humanity. After all, it was from this race that the sons of God came, as Scripture says, and from the “cursed” race came the sons of men. After the descendants of Cain and Abel began to marry each other, people on earth became increasingly corrupt. This continued until only righteous Noah and his family remained. The Lord, unable to tolerate grave human sins, decides to cleanse the earth and sends a flood. God warns Noah of his intention and commands him to build an ark, into which the righteous must take a pair of animals that are not capable of existing in water.
The flood lasted for one hundred and fifty days, after which the water gradually began to return to its channel. In the newfound place, Noah makes a sacrifice to God for his salvation. In response, the Lord gives him a promise to never again cause a Great Flood and points to the rainbow, which to this day symbolizes the vow made by God himself.
Steps to heaven
God was preparing humanity for the coming of Christ long before it took place. The experience of missionaries who worked among the wild tribes of Oceania shows: until the ideas about the One God and the law given by Him are assimilated, it is useless to preach the Gospel. Is it possible to talk about love for one’s neighbor with cannibals who love their neighbors so much that they lick their fingers?
However, even without cannibalism, monstrous things happen in such tribes. I personally had the opportunity to talk with a man who spent twenty years in Papua New Guinea. He said that the “cult of cargo” flourished there (from the English cargo “cargo”). The Papuans saw the highest value in material objects brought by white people and understood the preaching of Christ through the prism of this cult. Having heard, for example, that whoever follows Christ will receive in the future life a hundred times more than he gave in this life, one tribe chose a volunteer, crucified him on the cross (!), and put tools, clothes and other supplies in the grave so that, when the crucified one is resurrected, instead of one ax, you will receive a hundred at once.
There is no doubt that if it were not for the long centuries of “preparation for the Gospel,” as early Christian writers called this process, no other attitude towards the preaching of Christ could be expected. Of course, this preparation also included the preaching of pagan sages, philosophers and teachers, who instilled in their listeners ideas of goodness, justice and mercy, but the Old Testament still played the main role in it.
In the book of Genesis we encounter an amazing image: Jacob dreams of a ladder along which angels descended from heaven to earth and ascended back (Genesis 28:12). In a sense, the Old Testament is the same ladder along which, even before the incarnation of Christ, the messengers of God’s will descended to people so that they could take their eyes off the earth and reach for something higher.
In the end, we simply will not understand almost anything in the New Testament if we do not turn to the Old. Its main event is the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. But what is a sacrifice? Why is it needed? Who brings it and for what reason? All this can only be understood from the Old Testament.
After all, humanity really was not at all like it is now. Reading not only the Old Testament, but also other texts of that time, we see that the commandment “thou shalt not kill” sounded in a world where killing your personal enemies and in general anyone you didn’t like was considered not only normal, but very commendable and “ cool." Therefore, the Old Testament is a ladder along which humanity (primarily the chosen people, Israel) ascended to the level at which it could accept the Gospel message. And the Law played the main role in this.
Life on Earth: Cain and Abel
When Adam and Eve were on earth, they began to have children, the first of whom were Cain and Abel. The first brother worked on the land, while the second one tended the flock. Abel was more meek and a believer, often in prayer and hoping for the mercy of God.
Cain had a hard and cruel heart, without the fear of God. The Lord accepted Abel’s sacrifice, but rejected the second brother’s lamb. Cain, embittered, harbored a grudge. He called Abel into the field and killed him there. The Lord, seeing not only actions, but also knowing human thoughts, warned Cain about possible misfortune and convinced him to overcome evil plans, which were the beginning of an indelible blood sin. But the elder brother, blinded by envy and hatred, committed the sin of fratricide. For this, the Lord cursed Cain.
Law as a teacher
Mercy and truth will meet, truth and peace will kiss
- we read these words in the Psalter (Ps
84:11
). This is a good reflection of the very essence of the Old Testament. Since ancient times, its interpreters have emphasized that it combines two principles: mercy and justice. They necessarily complement each other; mercy without justice degenerates into connivance with evil, and justice without mercy degenerates into merciless vindictiveness.
Therefore, the Old Testament first affirms the Law, certain rules of behavior and punishment for their violation - but also proclaims mercy for the sinner who violates this Law. Even in Old Testament times, the Jews stated the essence of the Law very briefly: “Love God and your neighbor, and everything else is just a commentary.” Indeed, one part of the Law detailed the rules of worship, and the other set out the rules that people had to adhere to in their relations with each other.
In themselves, these rules may seem archaic and petty to us - people of the modern world, but in that era no one thought so. When they began to translate the Bible into the language of an African tribe, its representatives, who had already converted to Christianity, were asked where to start. Of course, the expected answer was “from the Gospel” or, at least, “from Genesis,” but the converts were interested primarily in Leviticus, a most boring book, from our point of view, which listed all sorts of ritual institutions. The tribe was accustomed to living in a world where religious regulations (all kinds of taboos) play a huge role, and a new faith for them meant, first of all, a new system of taboos.
The Old Testament rules were not at all random or meaningless. For example, the Lord commanded the Israelites to perform circumcision as a sign of their belonging to God, a sign of the covenant made between Him and His people. And only when the Israelites became accustomed to this sign and began to disparagingly call their neighbors “uncircumcised” did the words of the prophet become possible: Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will visit all the circumcised and the uncircumcised: Egypt and Judah, and Edom and the sons of Ammon, and Moab and all those who cut the hair of the temples, who dwell in the wilderness; For all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart
(Jer
9
:25-26; Deacon Stephen refers to this passage in Acts
7:51
). What does "circumcised heart" mean? Of course, we are not talking about cardiac surgery, but about a person dedicating not part of his body to God, but all his thoughts and feelings.
And later - the words of the Apostle Paul, abolishing this custom for Christians: Circumcision is useful if you fulfill the law; and if you are a transgressor of the law, then your circumcision has become uncircumcision. So, if an uncircumcised man keeps the statutes of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted against him as circumcision? (Rom 2:25-26). That is, if you act according to the will of God, you do not need any additional signs, and if not, they will not help you. But if the Apostle Paul had addressed the people of Abraham’s time in this way, they would have heard in them only complete indifference, disregard for God’s commandment. To become an exception, you must first master the rule.
Likewise, the chosen people, in order to come to New Testament freedom, had to go through a kind of school of the Law, learn both mercy and truth; It is no coincidence that the same Paul called the Law a teacher to Christ (Gal 3:24-25), that is, he compared it with a slave who took a child to school and picked him up from it (in Greek it was he who was called “teacher”). Christ had to teach all the most important things, but it was still necessary to reach His school.
Noah's family. Babel
Noah had three sons, who after the flood, along with their wives, stayed with him.
Together with their father, they began to cultivate the land and started building vineyards. One day Noah tried wine and fell asleep naked, experiencing for the first time the full intoxicating power of an intoxicating drink. In this form he was found by his son Ham, who told his brothers about what he had seen, thereby showing disrespect for his father. Shem and Japheth, on the contrary, hastened to cover the body of the naked parent. When Noah woke up and found out what had happened, he cursed Ham and his entire family, condemning them to eternal submission to the descendants of their brothers. This is how three tribes appeared - the Shimites, the Japhites and the Hamites. The latter decided to free themselves from the burden of subordination at any cost and planned to build a tower as high as the heavens in order to elevate themselves. The Lord, having learned about this plan, divided the Hamites, giving them different languages. Thus, people were unable to agree among themselves and realize their plan. The site of the unfinished tower was called Babylon.
Have we grown out of the Old Testament?
But now, the reader will say, now we have the New Testament, we are in school, why do we need a “school teacher”? He may have been important once, but those times are long gone. However, let’s not forget that this same slave also picked up the child from school and took him home. In fact, can we say that we have completely grown out of the Old Testament and have overcome it?
This is not just ancient history, but Sacred History (as the Bible is often called), to which we constantly turn in our prayers and meditations. Some people know, for example, that at Matins in Orthodox churches a canon is sung, consisting of eight or nine songs. But does everyone remember that these songs, except the last one, are tied to the Old Testament (the song of the Israelites after crossing the sea, the song of the three youths in the Babylonian oven, and so on)?
Of course, Christians today do not observe the ritual instructions of the Old Testament (in Protestantism, however, there are exceptions like Adventists): they do not keep the Sabbath, eat pork and do not make sacrifices. But all Christians, without exception, are called to follow in their lives the principles that are contained in these instructions: to devote part of their time to prayer and sacred rest, to beware of all uncleanness, and finally, to sacrifice to God and their neighbor, if not their sheep, then their strength, time, and means , talents.
What can we say about the Law and moral standards? Can we say with a pure heart that we have surpassed the Old Testament norms? Not at all. I would be very glad if our officials strictly applied in practice such a wonderful Old Testament principle as the equality of everyone before the law, regardless of their position and influential friends.
Or take the famous principle of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth (Lev 24:20). At first glance, it calls for inhumanely maiming criminals, but in fact it limits retribution: you cannot inflict more harm on the offender than he inflicted on you. How great it would be if all countries were guided by this principle in international relations! Alas, until now, for one threat to knock out a tooth, one usually gets one’s head knocked off right away - if one is strong enough, of course. By the way, quite recently in the squares of civilized countries tongues and nostrils were torn out, hands were chopped off - but the Old Testament does not know punishments that cripple a person. Even scourging is limited to forty blows, so that your brother will not be disfigured by many blows (Deut. 25:3). Let us listen: a convicted criminal is your brother, whose dignity you must protect even when punished. Have we outgrown this already? They haven't matured yet, in my opinion.
Christ himself constantly emphasized that he came not to break, but to fulfill the Law. In fact, what is fundamentally new in the New Testament is the news of the miracle of the incarnation of God, of Christ. And much of what we usually attribute to His preaching has already been heard in the Old: “love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18), and even an appeal to God as the only Father (Isa. 63:16). It’s just that there these sayings are somewhat lost among the multitude of details and details, but Christ brings them with special force, concisely, expressively, and most importantly, sets a perfect example of the fulfillment of these words. In clashes with the scribes and Pharisees, He denies not the Old Testament at all, but an incorrect, mundane understanding of it and the aggressive imposition of such stereotypes on everyone else.
Type of Christ
Among the many stories in the Old Testament, the story of Abraham's sacrifice stands out. He was a pious descendant of Shem who believed in God. At that time, idolatry spread throughout the earth, and people forgot the fear of God. For the righteous life of Abraham and his wife Sarah, who had long since despaired of having children, the Holy Trinity visited their tent. At that time, the righteous were at a very old age. But since everything pleases the Lord, a year later a son, Isaac, was born into the family of Abraham. They loved their child immensely. And God, seeing the attitude of the parents towards their son, decided to make sure of the true faith and love of the righteous. The Lord asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to him. The righteous man knew that God always wants only good, so he went to the mountain, taking logs for making a fire and his young son. The Lord, seeing Abraham’s devotion, asked him to slaughter a ram caught in the bushes instead of his only beloved child. Thus the righteous man showed his fear of the Lord, for which he was rewarded with numerous offspring, from whom the Savior himself subsequently emerged.
This biblical story precedes the story of the great sacrifice of the Son of God for human sins. Like Abraham, the Lord did not spare his son for the redemption of the human race. This plot is also described in the Bible (New Testament). This coming of Christ significantly changes the lives and consciousness of people, their attitude towards each other.
Moses. God's Commandments
The famous biblical prophet Moses, who saved the Jewish people from Egyptian oppression, became a mediator between the people of the whole world and the Lord, who gave the 10 commandments. Inscribed on two tablets, they expressed man’s attitude towards God and his neighbors. These commandments must be observed by those who want to be closer to the Lord.
Before taking these sacred tablets, Moses fasted for 40 days and nights while on Mount Sinai. Having received the commandments, the people of Israel entered into a covenant with God, according to which people must live in accordance with God's Law.
Origin of Scripture
The origin of Scripture is the ineffable love of God for His creation. The Lord created man and never leaves him alone. He takes care of people as a loving Father, reveals Himself and His holy will to people. By following it, it is easier not to go astray and not fall under the seduction of the enemy of the human race.
The words of Holy Scripture are addressed not to specific people of this or that era, but to all humanity at all times.
The Lord reveals himself to people, reveals to them the process of the creation of the world itself, and everything necessary for a person to be able to dwell with God forever. This is how the Holy Scriptures were formed. It contains everything necessary, given by God to humanity through the prophets, apostles, who compiled certain books. For knowledge to be properly preserved and passed down from generation to generation, it becomes inspired records.
The Bible is recognized as the most read book in the world
Scripture contains no personal human invention; it contains only what was given by the Lord Himself. For this reason, some letters were not included in the Holy Scriptures, since they are not canonical. Over the centuries, the church - the Body of Christ - led by the Holy Spirit, has defined the canonical Scriptures, rejecting all errors and lies. For example, the canonical Bible does not include the apocryphal book of the prophet Enoch. But it can be found in a heretical organization calling itself the “Ethiopian Orthodox Church,” which is not actually a Church. There is no heresy in the Orthodox Bible, there is only truth in it.
Numerous sects, Catholicism and Protestantism, make adjustments to the scriptures in order to justify certain sins. In particular, Catholicism publishes “scripture” for gay people, removing information about the sin of sodomy from the text. The true Holy Scripture, in the form in which it was given to people, has preserved Orthodoxy.
Inspiration of Holy Scripture
The term “inspiration” indicates that the Scriptures were compiled by people chosen by the Lord - prophets and apostles, by inspiration, being led by the Holy Spirit, with the help of God-given grace. You can see differences only in the artistic style of writing by different apostles or prophets, but the Truth, essence, and events were preserved undistorted.
Jesus Christ spoke about the inspiration of Scripture when he said that the prophet David, by inspiration, calls Him Lord. The apostles also spoke about this. The Apostle Peter said that prophecies were spoken according to the will of God, the prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, but they did not say anything personally. The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to his disciple Timothy: “All Scripture is inspired by God.”
Definition of the term "inspiration"
Cultural and literary heritage
It so happened that covenant is a word that has a notational and educational character. He who has eyes, let him see; he who has ears, let him hear the word of God or the word of a respected and significant person. Therefore, covenants that are consonant with advice do not just share experience, but also bequeath values.
The worldly interpretation of the word “covenant” is revealed in a detailed analysis and cases of use by V.I. Dahl’s dictionary. The variety of cognate words comes down to the fact that a covenant is a certain word or opinion of an authoritative person, giving the one who heard it advice about the possibility of choosing his own path.
What is a profession
“Testament” is a poem by Taras Shevchenko from 1845.
“Testament” is a 2007 feature film by E. Kusturica about the order, testament, of a dying grandfather to his grandson, which led to the creation of a new happy family.
“Zavety” is a literary and political magazine of the early 20th century in Russia (1912-1914).
In the history of culture there are references to cherished holidays. On this day, residents of a certain locality or area held celebrations in honor of a saint who helped them in difficult times. A natural disaster or emergency (drought, epidemic, fire, etc.) united residents and was often accompanied by an appeal to the saints asking for help and protection. As a sign of getting rid of the problem, residents considered it their duty to thank the saint for his attention and help.
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