Spiritual reading, or Why read the Bible and the works of the holy fathers?

About the benefits of spiritual reading

Man will not live by bread alone, but by every word of God (Luke 4:4). These are the words of the Savior Himself, which He uttered during His temptation in the desert. Thus, He showed how much more important food for the immortal soul is than bodily food.

Saint John Chrysostom speaks about it this way:

As bodily food is for maintaining our strength, so is reading the Scriptures for the soul. It is spiritual food that strengthens the mind and makes the soul strong, firm and intelligent, and does not allow it to be carried away by irrational passions.

It is impossible to consider yourself a Christian and at the same time not know the Holy Scriptures, in which, as St. Augustine put it, God talks to us. And the same John Chrysostom argued that reading Scripture, stronger than fire, softens a hardened soul and makes it capable of everything beautiful.

But an Orthodox Christian turns not only to the Bible, but also to the lives of saints and the spiritual heritage of the Church Fathers.

The Holy Fathers loved to compare spiritual books with a mirror into which the soul peers to see its shortcomings. One glance at the sacred books excites one to a pious life, said Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus.

That is why this reading is also called soulful. And indeed, nowhere will you find so much wisdom, examples of piety and fulfillment of the commandments as in such literature. This is all the more important in our times when there is a lack of spiritual guidance. To a large extent, the patristic works can fill it.

About reading that is good for the soul

On May 18, 2021, the Patriarchal Literary Prize will be awarded for the sixth time. This award is a sign of how highly the Russian Orthodox Church values ​​the work of writers. The chairman of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk, talks about this.

— Vladyka, there are many literary prizes in Russia. What is special about the Patriarchal Literary Prize? Which writers are nominated for it?

— This award is awarded for a cumulative contribution to the development of Russian literature. The nominee’s entire creativity and personality are evaluated. Two years ago, during the award ceremony, when Russia was preparing to celebrate the 215th anniversary of the birth of A.S. Pushkin, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill recalled the poet’s famous saying that “genius and villainy are two incompatible things.” It serves as a criterion that guides the commission when deciding whether to award the Patriarchal Prize, when, along with creativity, the author’s life path is also taken into account.

The award nominees include those contemporary representatives of literature who have served to strengthen spiritual and moral ideals in modern society and in the lives of individuals. Can such works be created by individuals who do not observe moral standards in their lives, who have never asked themselves questions from the sphere of spirituality and have not looked for answers to them? I believe that they cannot and will not be able to. In addition to the moral criterion imposed on the creativity and personality of writers, playwrights and poets, there is another, no less important requirement. Nominees for the Patriarchal Literary Prize must be the authors of works of a high artistic level worthy of Russian classics.

— This year the prize will be awarded for the sixth time. Who has already received this high award?

— The Patriarchal Literary Prize has been awarded since 2011, when the famous prose writer and publicist Vladimir Nikolaevich Krupin became its laureate.

The following year the number of laureates increased to two. The prize was awarded to the poetess Olesya Nikolaeva and the writer Viktor Nikolaev, a reserve officer who became widely known after the publication of his first book, “Alive in Help.”

Subsequently, it turned out that the award was received by three laureates annually. In 2013, these were publicist Alexei Varlamov, Russian poet, publicist Stanislav Kunyaev - editor-in-chief of the magazine “Our Contemporary” - and writer Yuri Loshchits, known primarily as the author of biographical prose.

In 2014, for the first time, a priest was named among the laureates of the Patriarchal Prize - Archpriest Nikolai Agafonov, whose literary work has long been loved by a wide circle of readers. Together with him, the award was received by prose writer Valery Ganichev and literary critic Valentin Kurbatov.

Last year's prize winners were writer, Great Patriotic War veteran Yuri Bondarev, poet Yuri Kublanovsky, as well as writer and film playwright Alexander Segen. Among the many award-worthy novels, stories, and scripts of the latter, I will only mention the book and the film of the same name “Pop” directed by Vladimir Khotinenko, which tells the story of the feat of the priests of the Pskov mission during the Great Patriotic War.

— Which of the 2021 nominees can you mention?

“A lot of good things can be said about each writer on this year’s short list of nominees.” Priest Nikolai Vladimirovich Blokhin became known as an Orthodox writer long before he was ordained to the priesthood. At the end of Soviet power, he was convicted and spent four years in prison for publishing and distributing spiritual literature. His first story, “Grandma’s Glasses,” written in a pre-trial detention center, is a fascinating read for children and adults.

The books of Archpriest Andrei Tkachev, a preacher, missionary and publicist, are distinguished by the author’s ability in simple language, in an unobtrusive form, to convey to the modern reader the ancient, timeless truths of the Orthodox faith. The literary work of the nun Euphemia (Pashchenko), a writer whose books are intended for children and youth, the author of hagiographic and local history literature, I think, does not need any special characterization.

Prose writer Alexander Vitalievich Gromov, in addition to his books, is known as the founder of one of the leading literary magazines in Russia, Russian Echo. Boris Petrovich Ekimov is the author of hundreds of works that reveal the life of a modern village.

Historian Alexey Yuryevich Karpov and art critic Valery Nikolaevich Sergeev write about Ancient Rus', revealing its ideals through the lives of Orthodox saints such as the blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky and the Reverend Andrei Rublev. Ksenia Igorevna Krivosheina, an artist and public figure of French Orthodoxy, has been researching and popularizing for many years the painting and literary heritage of nun Maria (Skobtsova), a participant in the French Resistance, executed in the gas chamber of Ravensbrück. Her book “Saving Beauty” is dedicated to the work of nun Maria. Writer, literary critic Boris Nikolaevich Tarasov is the author of deep and meaningful publications about philosophers and poets; some of his books have gone through several editions.

All the shortlisted nominees are very different authors, with their own themes and special style of writing. Of course, they are all very interesting and worthy people, really good, truly talented writers. I'm not ready to single out just one person right now. There will be a secret ballot to determine the laureates, and each member of the House of Trustees - and there are 30 of them - has his own likes and preferences, so it is difficult to say anything in advance.

— When will this year’s laureates be announced?

— Laureates are always determined directly during the ceremony. This year it will take place on May 18th. All members of the House of Trustees will receive individual ballots. While viewers and guests watch videos about each of the nominees shown on the big screen, clergy, writers, cultural figures - members of the House of Trustees - will make their choice, and based on the count of their votes, the counting commission will draw up a protocol and submit it to His Holiness the Patriarch for approval. After this, this year’s laureate or laureates will be announced, and according to tradition, they will be awarded immediately on stage. Thus, everything happens on one day in the presence of all nominees, guests and spectators.

— Is the Publishing Council involved in popularizing the work of writers who are laureates of the Patriarchal Literary Prize? Is this interesting to readers?

— Let me start with the fact that, as a rule, the prize winners are already well known to the Russian reader. It’s that secular writers may not be widely known among believers, and church authors are still in little demand among readers who are far from religion.

In order to inform both, for several years now the Publishing Council has been holding exhibitions and forums “The Joy of the Word.” This is an educational project aimed at ensuring that in all regions of Russia people have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the latest books, purchase spiritual literature, as well as high-quality children's and fiction books.

I am glad to note that the exhibition-fair has already visited many regions of Russia and even neighboring countries, and in a number of places it has become an annual event. I am glad that the geography of our project is expanding, every year it covers new cities.

It's no secret that a good book is much more accessible to people in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other large cities. But we want all readers to be able to buy good books. That is why employees of the Publishing Council, publishers, writers, and cultural figures come to different regions of Russia as part of the educational project “The Joy of the Word.” “The Joy of the Word” is not only an exhibition-fair, that is, it is not only an opportunity to see and purchase good books, it is also a lot of cultural and educational events.

It has already become a tradition that at these exhibitions and fairs, among other interesting events, meetings with the laureates of the Patriarchal Literary Prize are always held. During such meetings, readers ask them questions and learn about their new works. Writers, together with teachers, librarians, and students, discuss important topics, share their thoughts and impressions. People from different cities really appreciate such meetings. Authors also understand the importance of live communication with readers.

When holding the “Summer of the Lord” children's and youth competition, the works of the laureates of the Patriarchal Literary Prize are one of the thematic areas.

Meetings of laureate writers with schoolchildren, teachers, and library visitors are practiced during Orthodox Book Day, as well as at major secular book exhibitions and throughout the year.

— How should an Orthodox Christian build his home library? Is there a place for fiction there?

— In the library of an Orthodox Christian, the Gospel should be the main book. If financial capabilities and living space allow, you should try to acquire the Bible, lives of saints, writings of the holy fathers, publications explaining the Divine Liturgy and church sacraments, the fundamentals of doctrine and the rules of Christian life. I would recommend having books on Church history, as well as books that help you master the Church Slavonic language. You can give more specific advice if you know something about the person collecting such a library, how long he has been in the Church, what his education is, what his family composition is, and much more.

If there are children in the house, there should be a children's prayer book for them, the Gospel with an explanation accessible to children, Sacred history, the lives of saints, presented in a language understandable to children, books about church life and holidays.

As for fiction, is there any reason why Christians should not have it in their home library? It is a matter of choice for the people themselves: to have it at home or not to have it. I know of no reason why an Orthodox Christian should abandon Pushkin’s “The Captain’s Daughter” or the works of Valentin Rasputin. I believe that books on the history of our native country, about its centuries-old artistic culture, for both adults and children, are appropriate in the home library. People should not grow up to be “Ivans who don’t remember their kinship” and remain like that into adulthood. It would be nice not only to have Russian classics in your home library, but also to read them, know them, and develop your reading taste. You can also have good contemporary fiction. It is necessary to have books for children, written in good literary language, that teach goodness and help them understand “what is good and what is bad.” Children should see adults reading and follow their example. And adults should definitely read to children. It would be good to introduce the practice of family reading, when the whole family would gather to read a book and then discuss what they had read.

The home library should not contain books that are harmful to the soul, or entertaining “reading material” that pushes a person to sin. But fiction always has a place there. You just need to remember that absolute truth and answers to the most important questions must be sought in spiritual literature, first of all, in the Holy Gospel.

— The Publishing Council also holds a competition for schoolchildren “The Summer of the Lord.” Are you preparing a literary session? What do modern children write about?

— I want to start answering this question with Marshak’s lines that I remembered now:

“An auditor is coming to visit us incognito...” Among the children sitting in the first class, even the keenest eye will not discern that Pushkin may be in this mass.

Although the authors of the competition works are no longer first-graders, only the Lord knows whether any of the winners or participants in the “Summer of the Lord” competition will become a “literary successor.” From the history of Russian literature and the biographies of modern authors, we know that there are writers and poets who, from their youth, and even from childhood, tried their hand and then devoted their entire lives to literary work. There are also those who came to literature quite late and, it seems, “unexpectedly, suddenly” began to write. And some, who showed promise in their youth, later chose a completely different occupation.

If one of the finalists or participants in the competition eventually becomes a real professional writer, I will be very happy. It must be said that the finalists of the competition who graduate from school enter the Literary Institute named after A.M. Gorky on special terms. But regardless of the choice of future path in life (the main thing is that it is a worthy, bright path), participation in this competition, trying out a pen, and the acquired literary experience are in any case useful and interesting for the children themselves and for us, adults.

As for the topics of the essays, the young authors formulate them independently, choosing one of the following areas: Holy Scripture and Russian literature, the work of classical writers and the spiritual foundations of Russian culture, monasticism in Russian literature, the work of laureates of the Patriarchal Literary Prize. As you can see, all directions are quite broad.

Interviewed by Valentina Kuritsina lgz.ru

How should you read?

In the matter of spiritual reading, moderation and consistency are very important. This kind of literature cannot be devoured in volumes. The Holy Fathers advised reading little, but carefully, with reverence, so as not to lose interest in what you read. You must try to ensure that every word reaches your heart and mind, otherwise such an activity will turn out to be fruitless.

Saint Theophan the Recluse advised rereading the same thing several times, “chewing” what you read. He even recommended devoting no more than half an hour a day to this activity, and then thinking about what you read throughout the day. He considered the main thing to be doing this every day, especially during difficult periods of life.

It is also important to relate what is written in the Holy Scriptures to your life and try to put it into practice. The Monk Nikon of Optina wrote:

What good can it be if a person knows that he needs to pray and does not pray; knows that it is necessary to forgive insults, and does not forgive; knows that he needs to fast - and does not fast; one must endure - and does not tolerate, etc. Such knowledge, according to the word of the Gospel, will even be a condemnation for a person. Therefore, you need to read with attention and try to live in the spirit of what you read

We read the books of the holy fathers not in order to accumulate a lot of knowledge, much less in order to be proud of them. The Holy Scripture must be read not for knowledge, but in order to save one’s soul,” said Schema-Abbot John (Alekseev). Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk also warned about this:

If you only sharpen your mind from books, but do not correct your will, then from reading a book you will be even more evil than before, since the most evil are learned and intelligent fools, rather than simple ignoramuses

You need to read with great humility, and then the Lord Himself will enlighten a person’s heart.

Orthodox Life

Elders about the benefits of reading. 12 quotes.

* * *

“And only in the holy fathers and in the Gospel did I find something truly valuable. When a person begins to struggle with himself and strives to follow the path of the Gospel, then the holy fathers will become necessary for him and his relatives. The Holy Father is already a dear teacher who speaks to your soul, and it perceives it with joy and is comforted. Just as these philosophies and all sorts of sectarian nasty things caused melancholy, despondency, and vomiting, so, on the contrary, he came to his fathers as if he were visiting his own mother. They consoled me, admonished me, nourished me.”

Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev)

* * *

“...I sincerely rejoice that the Lord consoles you by reading the scriptures of your fathers and has given you some understanding of them; but we still cannot comprehend the depth of them, having done nothing good and not humbled ourselves; for “the mysteries are revealed to the humble.”

...You, reading the letter, do not understand the meaning of Scripture... and you, what you do not understand, do not test, but humble your mind and see poverty. The sacraments are revealed to humility.

The humble do not delve into the depths of the unknown, but humble their thoughts, and in time God will enlighten them.”

St. Macarius of Optina

* * *

“Do not stop reading the holy book until you have learned some lesson or rule for life.

Saint Theophan the Recluse

* * *

“- Geronda, reading what books can help people in whom good concern awakens?

— Let them read the Gospel first to understand what “Christ” means. [After they] become a little contrite, let them read the Old Testament. Do you know how difficult it can be when people who haven’t read anything ask for your help? It’s like an elementary school student going to a university professor and telling him, “Help me.” And then what should I say to the professor? That “one plus one equals two”?”

St. Paisiy Svyatogorets

* * *

“The most merciful Lord, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the mind of truth, foreseeing the scarcity of mentors in our present disastrous times, left the God-inspired teaching of the holy and God-bearing fathers who lived an active life, so that those who want to receive salvation would adhere to the right mind.”

Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk

* * *

“Read books in the morning for a quarter of an hour before work, and then chew the cud all day long - what you read is like a sheep chewing cud.

Copying from books is, perhaps, possible, you just need to assimilate it; what is clear, then read. You need to read less, but understand.”

St. Ambrose Optinsky

* * *

“If you are attacked and worried, for example, by envy on your brother, then immediately look in the book of some holy father about envy. In the same way - about the spirit of fornication, if it bothers you - look at the appropriate reading, and do the same with other passions. This is how a person learns to defend himself and resist passions.”

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov

* * *

“... Read one chapter of the Holy Gospel and two chapters of the Apostolic Epistles every day, starting with Acts, and ask the Lord to know the Truth.”

Archim. John (Peasant)

* * *

“I ask you, for God’s sake, read the word of God and the fatherly instructions more often, you will find benefit, you will find there that the only path to peace is patience and humility.”

Rev. Macarius of Optina

* * *

“...I earnestly ask you, as a sincere friend, not to fill your heads with your own waste and nonsense, but to use your memory to read the most spiritual and edifying books.”

Rev. Anthony Optinsky

* * *

“Stop reading a divine book when the soul no longer wants to nourish itself by reading—it means it’s full. If it hits any place, stand there and don’t read any more. The best time for the word of God is morning, the lives of the saints - after lunch, the holy fathers - shortly before bedtime. There are texts of Holy Scripture that warm the spirit, act on the heart and evoke tenderness and tears. Such passages should be written out and stored, in case of need, to excite the spirit (of course, before reading, read a prayer to God).”

Saint Theophan the Recluse

* * *

“So that we forget the Book of Life - the Holy Gospel, the corrupted mind and the world showered and showers us with its books, full of worldly vanity, talking only about earthly goods and events, or pleasures, often not at all nourishing the soul, but only arousing spiritual hunger.”

Saint John of Kronstadt

What is the best thing to read during Lent?

Lent is a particularly blessed time for saturating our souls with the Word of God, so spiritual reading occupies an important place in it. It is impossible to imagine that a Christian would spend this period without once picking up the Bible or patristic literature.

There are two books that are given primary importance during Lent:

• Gospel;
• Psalter.

Old Testament books

Three more books are read from the Old Testament during Lent:

• Being;
• Proverbs of Solomon;
• Book of the prophet Isaiah.

They are heard most often during services in churches. The Psalter is read twice a week, the Gospel in Holy Week should be read in full. Why does the Church bring these books of Holy Scripture to our attention?

The Psalter is an example of prayer literature, which is why some even call it an “oral icon” of Christ. The main theme of Lent is repentance. Most of the psalms are also written in a penitential tone.

Reading selected Old Testament books is associated with the early tradition of baptizing all catechumens (preparing for baptism) on Holy Saturday. This custom existed in the ancient Church. It was for this purpose—teachings and instructions in faith—that the books listed were read.

Although this tradition has not been preserved in our country, reading the books of the Old Testament from the entire Holy Scripture during Lent cannot be called accidental. This entire period for each of us can be compared with the time of the Old Testament waiting for our Messiah - Jesus Christ.

Gospel reading

Therefore, the Gospel is supposed to be read only in the last, Holy Week of Lent, and in its entirety. However, due to the length of such services, in many churches the reading of the Gospel begins earlier. It’s good if at home you can also concentrate and prayerfully go through Him entirely during fasting.

In addition, of course, it is also recommended to read the books of the Holy Fathers. In addition to the famous “Ladder,” these could be the works of Theophan the Recluse, Ignatius (Brianchaninov), Abba Dorotheus, John of Kronstadt and other ascetics. You can read only one (any) of the works of these ascetics, but carefully.

№37 (1030) / October 1 '19

Conversations with the priest

In this topic:

Conversations with the priest

Priest Vladimir Flavyanov: The Temple of God is also our home?

Conversations with the priest

Priest Nikolai Konyukhov: On reconciliation

What are the benefits of reading spiritual literature?

– In the current world, in the flow of information, when a person has to choose so much from its diversity, there must be guidelines. Our guidelines are the word of God, the Holy Scripture. Not every person is ready to immediately read the Holy Scriptures. For some this is difficult. Therefore, we have to read other literature, not just commentaries on the Holy Scriptures; especially when a Christian is preparing for the sacrament of Confession, Holy Communion, some guidelines are needed. Undoubtedly, there are benefits in reading spiritual literature.

In addition to the information that a person draws from reading spiritual literature, what else does he receive when he comes into contact with pages that provide spiritual food?

– If we read the works of the holy fathers, devotees of piety, we even begin to think like them - this is very important for a Christian. The Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Corinthians says that we Christians have the mind of Christ. If you look at it: what stream of thoughts do we constantly have? You need to cleanse your mind periodically.

Reading spiritual literature is a kind of cleansing for the mind and heart.

– Reading literature provides not only food for the mind, but also for emotions - it is clear that the current world offers us such information that it gives us not positive emotions, but negative ones.

You could say we become what we read. Reading shapes a person's consciousness. It is very important what we come into contact with. When we read the holy fathers, we change our minds in accordance with this. You must be selective in your reading. What books, in your opinion, should an Orthodox Christian read - perhaps from fiction, from the holy fathers?

– As for fiction, a significant part of our Russian fiction is nurtured in the Christian tradition. If we talk about what beginners should read from church literature in order to find answers to the questions they have, then we now have a lot of literature published. When I began to become a church member at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, books were ordered from abroad: they were sent by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia - you could write a letter, and books were sent from there. Now, if a beginner wants to read something serious, so that the reading is not at the level of a brochure, I would recommend for a serious person the books of Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk. There is a whole series of books - “Orthodoxy”, which touches not only on issues of doctrine, worship, and the moral life of a Christian, but also aspects of the cultural life of the Church and church history.

Question from a TV viewer: “How can I help a friend who is interested in the temple and wants to develop in this direction? What literature would you recommend at the first stages that would not scare him away, but would please him?”

– For a beginner, if he is interested in a wide range of issues, I would recommend the books and brochures of Archpriest Andrei Tkachev.

Are the books of Metropolitan Hilarion suitable for beginners? Or do they become too hard a food?

– I think not: Vladika Hilarion writes in fairly clear language.

Are such well-known, thorough books as “The Ladder” or the works of Abba Dorotheos suitable for a beginner? Should we start with them or should we start with something easier, on the border between fiction and spiritual literature? Maybe we should start with these books?

– “The Ladder” and the works of Abba Dorotheus are monastic literature. For the laity, it is undoubtedly useful; it is not without reason that the Holy Church annually, on the 4th Sunday of Great Lent, reminds us of Saint John of the Climacus: services are held for him on a separate Sunday. Nevertheless, if we approach this book practically, it is an instruction for monastics.

There is also a lot of literature for the laity. You can take our Russian holy fathers - for example, the works of St. Theophan the Recluse. One of the first books of his about Christian life that I came across was “What is spiritual life and how to tune in to it.” These are letters from the saint - more precisely, answers to questions from one person who wanted to devote his life to God. Naturally, this often happens to beginners - they immediately start talking about monasticism. A person who is not ready for this says that he wants to be a monk. And Saint Theophan writes: “No. First, live in the world, look, save yourself, be saturated with the word of God, and the Lord will show you which monastery to go to.”

What impressed you from what you read on the first steps of your spiritual path? Could you share your experience?

– When I began to become a church member in the early 1990s, the first canonizations of new martyrs took place. I had to read their lives. In 1992, the following were canonized: Metropolitan of Kiev Vladimir, Hieromartyr Veniamin of Petrograd, and Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth. I didn’t know then that I would have to create a hospital church in her honor in the city of Lytkarino.

After canonization, a lot of literature was published on this topic, I had to read a lot. This may have predetermined the fact that I eventually chose my first specialty - historian. I was amazed how people, in difficult conditions of persecution in the 20th century, found the way to God.

Metropolitan Benjamin wrote on the eve of his suffering: “As a child, I read the lives of the martyrs and thought how our times differ from those times when Christians so selflessly professed faith in Christ. And I didn’t think that in my lifetime all this would happen again, that we too would become participants in these events.” The Bishop, of course, did not know that he, too, was destined for a martyr’s death, nevertheless, he foresaw this.

Of course, such literature - the example of the holy saints of God - helps to look soberly at the things that are happening in the current world. For a decade and a half now, our Church does not seem to be persecuted; There are different times in the life of the Church, so the lives of the saints are very useful reading: we are not just studying some history, but trying to penetrate into the inner world of the saint of God - what choices he had to make in specific circumstances. This should help the Christian in his private life to make the right choice.

Probably nothing inspires more than a living example that you become acquainted with through reading books and lives?

– These are not only the lives of saints. Since childhood, I have loved church memoirs - the memoirs of figures in church history, especially the 20th century. One of the first books that I came across was published during my school years - “The Path of My Life” by Metropolitan Eulogius (this week was the 70th anniversary of his death). A very interesting fate of a man who was brought up in old Tsarist Russia, became a bishop, served in an interesting region - Kholmshchina, which then belonged to the Kingdom of Poland, although this is the territory of the Russian Empire. I had to interact with Catholics, Uniates, and defend the interests of the Orthodox. In the last decade of his life, Vladyka had to serve in exile and organize church life there. His book made a great impression - especially the moments when he was faced with a choice: to choose the path of a married priest or a monastic. He has very interesting thoughts; for example, he wrote: “I decided to try and left everything to the will of God.” As a result, Metropolitan Evlogy accepted monasticism and became one of the brightest hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church of the twentieth century.

Around the same time, the memoirs of Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov) came out. He also had to serve in exile, even on 2 continents - not only in Europe, but also in the USA, and then return to Russia. He began his ministry in the pre-revolutionary period as a monastic clergyman.

Of course, these are not canonized church figures, but nevertheless, Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov) is highly revered, especially in the Pskov-Pechersk Monastery, where he rests.

The most important book for an Orthodox Christian is the Gospel. Why is it useful to read the Gospel every day?

– We take physical food daily, and let the word of God, as the Apostle Paul says in his Epistle to the Colossians, dwell in you richly. We call ourselves Christians, but whose word resounds in our hearts and minds? Of course, it must be a Gospel sermon. In church public worship, the Holy Scriptures are read daily, the Gospel is read in Church almost every day (the only break is the weekdays of Lent).

But we cannot attend divine services every day. I know people who have a flexible work schedule - not every Sunday a person can go to church, hear the Gospel word, a sermon by a priest explaining the Gospel. Therefore, reading the Gospel is not only useful, but very important. You can read in different ways: some read in a row, some read a chapter or two a day. Someone reads along with the Church, in accordance with the beginning (passage) placed in the calendar. I know that among the laity and clergy the practice of the Optina rule of reading the Holy Scripture is quite widespread, when the entire New Testament is read in 89 days: the chapter of the Gospel, 2 chapters of Acts, or epistles (sequentially), or the Apocalypse are read; since there are fewer chapters of Acts, epistles and the Apocalypse than in the Gospel (in total), the last 7 chapters of the Apocalypse are read one at a time. After 89 days you can repeat this reading. Even experienced ascetics advise starting the day with Holy Scripture. After morning prayers, read a passage from the Gospel, the Epistles, the Acts of the Apostles, so that you can reflect on it all day. Some say that it is better to read the works of the holy fathers in the 2nd half of the day.

You need to keep the Gospel word, meditate on it and try to embody it in your life - so that this is not an intellectual action, but a living perception of the word of God.

– Holy Scripture is reading for all times. Although the texts were written in a specific era, the Holy Scriptures are the main part of our Church Tradition. At the same time, Holy Scripture cannot be understood outside the context of the tradition of the Church. The Fifth Ecumenical Council decided: if the word of God is interpreted, then it must be interpreted according to how the holy fathers explained it first of all. For the laity, especially beginners, reading the Gospel, the Epistles of the Apostles, and especially the Psalter causes certain difficulties. Here you can resort to interpretations, which are now being published and republished in large numbers, new commentaries are being written, not only purely historical, but also scientific, theological, and simpler ones.

Is it enough to read the Gospel - or is it necessary to read it with commentaries?

– You can read the Gospel without commentary, but, naturally, questions arise, and a person can turn to his confessor for clarification. The confessor will give his explanation, but it is very useful to read the interpretations given by the holy fathers of our Church (St. John Chrysostom, for example, for whom the main work of life was preaching the Gospel in the broad sense of the word; he left commentaries on some biblical Books).

You said that the Psalter is especially difficult for beginners. Why is this Book so difficult to read and what is the benefit of reading it?

– The benefits of reading the Psalter are undeniable. Saint Basil the Great says that no other book praises God as much as the Psalter: at the same time it is not only the Book of Holy Scripture, but also the Book on which the daily services of the Holy Church are based. Even on Easter days, when kathismas from the Psalter are not read, many parts of the service are quotes, verses from the Psalter, antiphons, for example, at the Easter service, or allusions to the texts of the Psalter.

What is the most important thing that can be said about the Psalter? We usually call the prophet Isaiah the Old Testament evangelist: many of his prophecies about Christ came true almost literally. But in the Psalter there are also many messianic passages that speak about Christ - David, who lived about 9 centuries before the Savior, seemed to have seen with his own eyes what was happening to Him: he seemed to have foreseen both the suffering on the cross and other moments of the Gospel history. The Psalter depicts various states of the human soul. This is also a persecuted person - David had to be like that in his life; and a repentant mood, when a person, honored by God with many gifts, committed many sins in his life; these are various psalms of praise. All shades of the state of a person’s soul (struggle or, conversely, his blessed, peaceful state) are reflected in the Psalter.

A call from a TV viewer: “What spiritual literature can I recommend an unchurched person to read? Does reading classical literature provide spiritual development?

- Our classical literature, and Western literature too, is imbued with religious tradition. What is important here is what a person will choose when reading this literature. If a person lives with the Church, participates in church sacraments, tries to correlate the rhythm of his life with the rhythm of church life, fasts, holidays, then when he reads spiritual literature, he will find positive aspects there, it will be easier for him to penetrate the Christian tradition.

Beginners need to read more literature about preparing for the sacraments. Now there is a lot of such literature (from pre-revolutionary to modern). When I became a church member in adolescence and began going to Sunday school, the question of repentance and Confession arose for me. There was little literature then. I was greatly impressed by the book of Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) “The Experience of Constructing the Confession” - I still recommend this book to people who want to read something short. It consists of two parts: the first part - according to the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament, and the second - according to the nine Beatitudes. If the Decalogue says what not to do and limits, then the Beatitudes say what must be done. The whole benefit of the book is to make a person feel his sinfulness. And sometimes a person cannot get over himself, he is used to living in worldly formats: success built on pride and vanity is important. We are taught in advertising and slogans: “Take everything from life! You deserve it! And when a person begins to become a church member, he comes to his senses and realizes that he has not lived like that.

What should a person who is completely far from the temple read in order to attract him to spiritual life? Maybe fiction can serve as a bridge here?

‒ If a person does not have a heart for God and the Church, I don’t think that he can be convinced by any arguments - only if there is a direct example. I often remember the story of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh’s conversion to faith and his establishment on the spiritual path. When he was a young man studying at an educational institution and in exile, he was little interested in questions of faith. One day they were called and told that a well-known priest at that time, Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov, would visit the school. After the clergyman’s speech, young Anthony began to have thoughts, and he decided to deal with them once and for all: he came home and asked if they had the Gospel. I opened the table of contents and looked at which one had the fewest pages. It turned out to be the Gospel of Mark. I read this Gospel in one gulp - and never parted with this book again.

So there are different ways of turning to God. If a person reads the shortest Gospel of Mark, we do not know what will happen in the person’s heart. We can offer the works of theologians on natural science who are trying to defend the Christian view of the world, and an atheistic person will read them. And we will have hope that he will be convinced of the existence of God. But you can’t pin your hopes on any book, even the most serious one.

Recorded by: Lyudmila Kedys and Olga Rumyantseva

You can view or listen to the full version of the program on the website of the Soyuz TV channel.

In other rooms:

Tips for Beginners

It’s good if you have a priest you know who can help you decide on the range of Orthodox literature and the extent of your reading. Nikon Optinsky generally advised taking a separate blessing for each book, but you can also take one general blessing for the selected literature.

What to do if you don’t have such a mentor? In this case, you can use several tips:

1. The volume of spiritual reading must be measured against one’s own strengths and circumstances. It is better to read a little, but constantly.
2. The choice of literature should correspond to the lifestyle you lead and your spiritual inclinations. The lesson will be idle if you cannot apply what you read to your life.
3. You can select readings on the topic of the sinful inclination that torments you most: read about it or about the virtue opposite to it. This will make it easier to overcome the passion that is fighting you.
4. You should not immediately take on spiritual heights and read the classics of ascetic literature, as beginners in the Orthodox faith often do. It's better to start with something simpler. For example, take modern authors who can speak clearly and accessible to any audience. Alexander Torik, Andrey Tkachev, Tikhon (Shevkunov) - their books today can be easily found both on the Internet and on bookshelves.
5. If something in the books of the Holy Fathers or Scripture seems incomprehensible to you, you should ask someone who knows. Since trying to understand on your own, from your own mind and without knowledge of the context, can have harmful consequences, it is useful to turn to qualitative interpretations. If you read a chapter from the Gospel every day, then you can turn to the explanations of John Chrysostom, Theophylact of Bulgaria or Bishop Michael (Luzin). If the issue still remains unresolved, then it is better to leave it until time, then it will become clearer.
6. You should apply everything you read only to yourself, compare it with your life, and not with someone else’s. Otherwise, we will begin to condemn and lecture our neighbors, thereby only causing ourselves harm.
7. Before reading spiritual literature and Holy Scripture, we must ask the Lord with humility to enlighten our minds and grant us a correct understanding of what is written. You can pray in your own words; there is also a special prayer before reading spiritual books:

Lord Jesus Christ, open the eyes of my heart, so that when I hear Your Word, I understand it and fulfill Your will. Hide not Your commandments from me, but open my eyes, that I may understand the wonders of Your law. Tell me the unknown and secret of Your wisdom! I trust in You, my God, and I believe that You will enlighten my mind and meaning with the light of Your mind, and that then I will not only read what is written, but also fulfill it. Make it so that I do not read the Lives of the Saints and Your Word as a sin, but for renewal and enlightenment, and for holiness, and for the salvation of the soul, and for the inheritance of eternal life. For You, Lord, are the illumination of those who lie in darkness, and from You is every good gift and every perfect gift. Amen

Professor A.I. Osipov talks about what books are useful for lay people to read:

Conversations with the priest. Holy Fathers. Key to Scripture

In the St. Petersburg studio of our TV channel, Abbot Philaret (Pryashnikov), a resident of the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra, answers questions from viewers. – The topic of today’s program is quite complex: “Holy Fathers. Key to Scripture." When we talk about the holy fathers and Tradition, we are faced with two very difficult circumstances. Firstly, some people have the feeling that the holy fathers are some kind of creative group of people who got together and wrote their works. And, secondly, very often the Orthodox Church is accused of the fact that Tradition is very important for us. In contrast to this they say: “Only Scripture, that ’s all you need to think about, and not about some Tradition and not about what the Holy Fathers wrote.”
But what would happen to us if we did not have the works of the holy fathers? Could we really cope with all the diversity of what is set out in the Holy Scriptures ourselves? – The question is not easy, because you are always faced with the desire of many people to comprehend the truths of Holy Scripture. And every time people open the Old and New Testaments, they get confused in the definitions and do not understand the text that is in front of them. In this case, we, of course, turn to those holy, spirit-bearing saints of God to whom the Lord revealed this and gave such talent. We all, living under this sky, are endowed by the Creator with certain talents. The quantity and quality of talent is different for everyone.

It must be said that there are not so many holy fathers who interpreted the Holy Scriptures. You can name ten names, one way or another known in the history of the Christian Church. Why do we turn to them? Indeed, there is such an understanding: only Scripture; everything written there is the basis. But it must be said that Holy Scripture is just a part of Holy Tradition written in language. In what language? In the language of the people who follow Christ and profess Christianity. Because Sacred Tradition is much broader. These are the works of the holy fathers, the Bible itself, and the Divine Liturgy - everything that makes up the life of the Christian Church.

The Holy Scripture, as the Apostle Paul says, is inspired by God, useful for teaching, reproof, and instruction in righteousness. That is, this is a kind of guideline for the life of a Christian. But how to understand the relationship between Holy Scripture and interpreters?

If we take historical directions, various areas of science, we will see that there are some fundamental works. There are some explanations for these works. Philosophy turns its gaze to Socrates, Plato, Plotinus.

Let's take any science and see that there is not only one thing. Because any science, any human movement or part of reality is the totality of everything. A person is born and receives a birth certificate. He is learning, he is going through some stage. And all this is the story of a person.

Also the history of the Church of Christ. And the holy fathers reveal to us secrets that we often may not see or notice. Why do they say this? The huge mistake is that people (this is where the holy fathers differed from such people) presented the Holy Scriptures as a set of facts, events, prophecies, and predictions. You cannot take some verses out of a certain text and build something on it, because it was said at a certain time to a certain person.

Therefore, the holy fathers are not even interpreters, but people who are immersed in the text, go, one might say, into the past and try to interpret by the grace of the Holy Spirit, by their education, by the instruments that are in their hands. It is important to understand that patristic exegesis and the interpretation of Holy Scripture in general are still developing today. Christian truths do not develop because they are established (we do not argue that God became Man).

But other forms appear that explain more accurately and show some details. The science of archeology and the science of studying texts do not stand still. New things are discovered, and in the context of these discoveries the interpretation of Holy Scripture, patristic exegesis, lives. But the holy fathers-interpreters - Ephraim the Syrian, Jerome of Stridon, Theophylact of Bulgaria, our Theophan the Recluse (who devoted a lot of time to the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures) - lived at a certain historical time. Of course, interpreters are influenced by the atmosphere in which they live, events, changes in social life. Therefore, there is a whole complex here; not every holy father took up the pen and interpreted the Holy Scriptures. For this, of course, a gift from above was needed.

– Now there are many people who interpret the Holy Scriptures in one way or another. And about this, many different disputes arise that lead to irritation in society. Now there is a public order to ensure that the text of Holy Scripture is understandable. There are many translations into colloquial Russian.

In this case, I am not talking about a prayer rule adapted for people who do not want to pray in Church Slavonic. But in this case I’m talking about the Holy Scriptures and new interpretations, which arouse very great interest and many temptations. How should an Orthodox person react to this? Does it make sense to adhere only to those holy fathers who have already been tested by both time and spiritual experience? Or treat with the same spiritual joy what is new now?

– In our society there are both conservatives and those who want to change life, take it to completely different planes. In the church environment there are also orthodoxies who worship something old, which, perhaps, cannot be changed. And there are people who try to translate some parts of the service into Russian, but forget that there is a tradition in which we live. This is our Russian tradition. That Slavic language, which is a special language, was developed by Cyril and Methodius for worship. He's sublime, yes. Over time it may be adjusted. The Russian language has changed. We see that over the centuries some changes have been made.

If we are talking about form, the form of explanation may change, this is natural. But the essence must remain that enduring truth, which is preserved in the Church from generation to generation thanks to the efforts of the holy fathers.

These dogmas cannot be changed. And language can change. But how carefully do we need to approach this... We need top-level specialists to approach translations.

We use the Synodal translation. People often ask, “Can I use this scripture?” If it says that it is printed by the Holy Governing Synod, then we say that this is a time-tested text of the Holy Scriptures. But I want to say again: we need to be afraid of excessive reformation - what modern society is now subject to. When many values ​​disappear, they try to talk about obvious things. Here it is necessary: ​​sin is sin, and good is good.

- In any language.

Question from a TV viewer: “By the time of the Baptism of Rus' in 988, biblical texts, liturgical books and other Christian literature already existed in the Slavic language. Is it possible to say with firm confidence that the information it carries has not been lost with translations of the Bible into the languages ​​of the peoples of the world?”

– Any serious work should be handled by specialists. Today there is an Institute of Bible Translation in Moscow. And there sit doctors of sciences, scientists who know their business. A person who knows only the main points does not undertake translation. It's the same here. If we look at Cyril and Methodius, they were people with an excellent education (philological, perhaps, if they compiled the alphabet and alphabet for the Slavic peoples).

How were translations made from Slavic into Russian? Not right away. It was meticulous work, sometimes tortured, possibly allowing for mistakes. But it didn't happen right away. A comparative analysis was mandatory and the originals were compared. The scholars who translated the text did not just use the Slavic Bible, they turned to the Septuagint and Hebrew copies. It is a huge job when translating from a language that is losing clarity into the language of modern life. But this is just a form.

And here philologists-scientists have to find clear formulas. Let us remember the history of the Ancient Church. What was the problem with Ante-Nicene theology? Pre-Nicene theology did not develop a clear formulation about the Persons of the Holy Trinity, Christ, how many natures there are, how they were united. Therefore, all this is a huge work on which our Church has always focused. Because the foundation of Christianity must remain unshakable. Including part of the Holy Tradition - the Holy Scriptures - is a serious thing. The Church has always taken both interpretation and translations very seriously. Therefore, when we open the Holy Scriptures, there is no need to be embarrassed. Everything that is in the Church is tried and true.

– Moreover, the Synodal translation was also not immediately accepted in the Church. He raised a lot of doubts. Thank God that now we have this translation - and we can read the Holy Scriptures in ordinary Russian and understand it. But here I would like to ask one more question.

You have a huge amount of work dedicated to the ministry of the clergy on Sakhalin. I read a lot of documents that are in your second volume. And it always amazes me: the people who lived on Sakhalin and on the islands nearby were uneducated. The fishermen who lived there permanently did not know how to read and write. What language did the clergy speak, who met them and communicated with them under the most difficult conditions? In this case, in your opinion, how is understanding built between people?

It's the same story in our modern society. People can read and write, but are spiritually illiterate in understanding the Holy Scriptures. How should you communicate with them now? They will not read either Theophylact of Bulgaria, or Tikhon of Zadonsk, or Theophan the Recluse. They had never heard of either father.

“There is a huge responsibility here for our clergy. I think that in the library of every priest and catechist there should always be interpretations. This is a synthesis when the priest opens the Holy Scriptures, interpretations and, passing everything through himself, thinks through the form of presentation of what a Christian will hear in churches today. Therefore, clergy have a huge responsibility. On a priest who can today go into the media space, speak on television and write on the Internet...

I think everything possible is being done in this regard today. Today we have a huge number of educated clergy who take advantage of this and understand their role through preaching. Because Holy Scripture is a sermon. The essence of the sermon does not change, but the language of presentation, of course, changes depending on the historical aspect. Before the revolution they said this, but in our time we speak in modern language about eternal truths that cannot be changed under any circumstances.

– Question from a TV viewer: “The Church is built on the epistles of the Apostle Paul. But in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, in the 14th chapter, he writes that one must still speak in one’s own language. How did it happen that we immediately adopted that language and began to serve in it, because no one had ever understood it? Why did this happen?”

– I'll start with the Message. You need to look at it carefully and not take it out of context. In early Christian times there was such a gift - speaking in tongues. What was this gift? The man spoke, and people of different languages ​​understood what the apostles and their disciples were talking about. But in Christian communities there appeared people who passed off incoherent speaking as the influx of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps this is being said here because there is no Holy Scripture before my eyes, I would open it and look.

How did it develop historically? If we look at early Christian times, what language was in use? Greek. Why did Christianity spread so much? Because it was the territory of the Roman Empire and the majority of the people spoke Greek.

Therefore, the Apostle Paul spoke his sermon in Greek. If he appeared among the Jews, he spoke Hebrew. He spoke a language that was understandable to people who lived in a particular country or city. I want to say more. There were times in the Western Church when the Holy Scriptures were read only in Latin, and the Bishop of Rome for a long time resisted allowing national peoples to have their own languages.

Imagine, in Bulgaria they served not in Slavic, but in Latin in churches. What is the problem with the Church Slavonic language? The fact is that we don’t know our Slavic language, we don’t study it. This is part of the Tradition of our Russian Church (as part of the Tradition of various parts of the Ecumenical Orthodox Church).

It is clear that the Greeks speak their own Greek, the Serbs speak their Serbian. But for us, the Slavic language remains the language of communication with God. And the problem is not that we do not understand it, but that we do not know it. And when a person is constantly in this atmosphere, misunderstanding of his Slavic language does not become a problem for him. Moreover, when going to church, he reads the Gospel passage in Russian, which will be read during the service. I don't think there is a problem with this.

We've gone off topic today. We are talking about the patristic heritage, how we should treat it. But, thank God, the patristic heritage has now been translated into Russian. In order to understand both Slavic and Russian worship and our traditions, the holy fathers tell us in Russian. This is a progressive process of learning about our Christian world. And a person must make an effort and learn. And so, of course, everything was simply laid out and shown. Maybe someone chooses this simplicity. But we choose the tradition that is dear to us.

– For a tradition to become dear, it must become native, because at some time we tried so sharply to get away from everything: “we will destroy the whole world of violence to the ground.” As a result of the denial of church life and everything that was connected with the Church, of course, the holy fathers were forgotten. Are there any new studies now, new translations of the holy fathers?

- Indeed, it is so. Our academic schools have departments of the Holy Scriptures, where specialists work, and Western science also does not stand still, archeology is discovering something, dissertations, studies, etc. are being written. That is, a lot of work is being done today. I read somewhere that many of the works of the holy fathers have not yet been translated, but are found in the original sources, in the language of one or another holy father. In principle, there is a lot of work to uncover this spiritual potential, this heritage. This is done gradually because it is a lot of work. There are departments and entire associations that are engaged in this or that work.

But here it is important to understand that you can become fixated only on the Holy Scriptures, unfortunately, without seeing the rest. And I want to read the same John Chrysostom. Why do we need interpretative fathers? He writes this: “In reality, we should not have any need for the help of Scripture, but should lead a life so pure that instead of books the grace of the Spirit serves, and so that, just as they are written with ink, so our hearts are written by the Spirit. But since we have rejected such grace, we will at least use the second path,” that is, by studying the Holy Scriptures under the prism of the understanding of the holy fathers. Because a person (John Chrysostom says) can often make mistakes, a sinful person, when he does not live by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we need to study these books very seriously; they are given to us to help. Modern church science is indeed carrying out very painstaking and complex work so that there are more books of the holy fathers-interpreters for our edification.

– There are Lopukhin’s interpretations. These are four large volumes. And at one time this was the most common interpretation of the Holy Scriptures. It was possible to follow the text of the Holy Scriptures every day, and it was convenient. Now Lopukhin is already quite difficult to understand (it is written in complex language). If you start reading interpretations of the Holy Scriptures, what do you recommend? Which author should you read first? We know a lot of them. But which of the fathers can beginners read?

– A person must decide what he wants. The Holy Scriptures are huge, there are a large number of books. Does he want to study Old Testament topics, the New Testament, the Gospel, or understand the Epistles of the Apostles? We see that modern exegetes and interpreters take on a narrow direction and limit themselves to boundaries. Because this is a huge world, labor-intensive work - to interpret, understand, tell, choose a language, you cannot rush in this matter.

I have already spoken about Theophan the Recluse. He has small excerpts from the Holy Scriptures for every day, deep quotes. At least start with this. But he didn’t just read and forget, but maybe he wrote something down, underlined it and said: “Yeah, this is an interesting idea.” Theophylact of Bulgaria also has very brief interpretations of the Holy Scriptures, for each verse. And you can find a lot there too. Probably, these famous authors are for us.

There are, of course, modern researchers, teachers of theological academies, who publish their literature based on various sources. That is, a person must decide what he wants. Does he want to learn more about the Gospels or does he want to see what comments there are on the Epistles of the Apostles, or study some historical moments? From a huge list of literature, he will already choose everything he wants.

– When you were studying, you probably encountered exactly this while studying the Holy Scriptures. Who exactly helped you?

– A huge number of sources were involved (after all, this is higher education), but for me John Chrysostom is a great writer. It’s not for nothing that they called him “golden lips”; he has such beauty in the flight of thoughts and depth of reasoning! Moreover, now there are magnificent translations of John Chrysostom, already Russian, and not semi-Slavic, in which one encounters words from the past.

– He has about thirty volumes, I think.

- Yes.

– Question from a TV viewer: “I’m 63 years old, I came from a completely atheistic environment, I’m a geographer and biologist by education. When I listened to lectures on the Internet with interpretations of John Chrysostom on the Book of Genesis, they helped me recover from materialism. Of course, you need to listen and read this. Now everything is there, I just don’t know why people use it so little. And on the Soyuz channel there are interpretations of both the Old and New Testaments, interpretations of the priests. All this is clear, accessible, open, listen. But even among my friends, very few people use this for some reason. That's more of the problem."

- Yes I agree. You don’t have to go far, look how many libraries, collections of great books, creations of the human mind there are in our city (or any other). And how many people are simply not interested in them... I was once on duty in our cathedral in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra - and a rather intelligent man came up, we started talking, he asked how a scientist could be a believing Christian. I say: “Let's remember the great writers. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky...” And he says to me: “But he is not an authority for me.” I stopped the whole conversation and said: “Sorry, I can’t answer your questions.” That is, a person has his own worldview and understanding of the issue, and stands on an erroneous, subjective opinion. After all, human opinion is subjective.

There is a certain truth; let's say the commandments of Christ. This is a certain standard, certain boundaries, a tuning fork against which I measure my life. It’s the same here with writers and thinkers. It is clear that, perhaps, some of them could be mistaken due to the fact that they adhered to a materialistic view of the surrounding reality. And whoever was a Christian, it is clear that through his heart, through his creativity, he examined the depths of human tragedy, the Fall, and changes in the human personality. Everyone stands on the foundation that is laid in his soul, in his heart.

It's the same here. There are a huge number of Christians, but, unfortunately, it turns out that some people reduce Christianity precisely to the ritual side: to do something, to worship so much. These are all tools, as the same holy fathers say. Fasting and prayer are just tools in our hands to achieve a certain goal...

Someone once asked who to read? If you go to a bookstore today, there is a huge amount of literature there. We can say that everyone writes. Why is the Church attentive to whether there is a seal of approval for what is printed with a blessing? Reviewed by the Publishing Department, they are also specialists. If something is written incorrectly, a person will seize on this wrong thought, and then it will be difficult to convince him and put him in the right frame of mind. That's why they always say: pay attention to what you read. But if you don’t read anything at all, this is probably not good, especially in spiritual life.

– Yes, but there is another very serious question. We even read now, flipping from the first to the tenth page. Because time is short and we don't value what we read. And we read all this without the desire to bring spiritual benefit to ourselves, without prayer. How dangerous is this?

– You need to start any business by asking God for blessings. It’s the same here: even when opening a book, we can turn to the holy man who wrote this creation, ask him to give reason. We can turn to the Lord and say: “Lord, please help us understand this, accept it and implement it in our life.” And if you just read, you can be a well-read person, erudite, shine with this erudition in people, but not apply it in your life, read it without passing it through your heart. There is such a danger here: I will have an encyclopedic knowledge of all the basics of Christianity, history, dogma, interpretations, but for me it will remain just a set of conclusions without spirituality, that is, it will not benefit me.

– Question from a TV viewer: “There are lives of saints, they are included in Tradition, as I understand it. I'm wondering how they were passed down: orally or did someone write them down? Some you read are just fairy tales: talking bears, smart lions, whatever is there... How was it all put together?”

– The lives of the saints themselves arose from acts of martyrdom. These were prototypes of those hagiographic creations that we have today. Of course, the holy father or ascetic did not write about his own life; either his disciples wrote or collected memories. The question is: who edits and watches these memories? Indeed, hagiographic literature often admits some things that are incompatible with Christianity. It was not understood that way. We are not talking about the holy fathers, but about those who wrote the biography of a person - a historian, researcher, collector. There are collectors of folklore, they simply collect and put into one place what they saw or heard, perhaps without double-checking, without fully understanding the depth. It's the same here. I don’t know about talking bears, but what we read about St. Seraphim of Sarov is real personalities who wrote about his life.

Often among ascetics who follow God’s path in their lives, you often see some interesting pattern that repeats itself. Remember St. Sergius? A peasant whose son had died while praying came to him. The monk simply approached him, took him by the shoulder, and he was resurrected. That is, in the lives of saints there are moments that we cannot fully understand. The Life is composed of certain incidents. And if you miss any detail from them, questions arise. Therefore, you should always be very careful when writing such literature. But there is also an order. People want to read about Matronushka, about someone else, about something wonderful, perhaps inexplicable. The order is being completed. Hagiographic literature is edifying literature.

– In the 19th – early 20th centuries, the most widely read literature was hagiographic, and not in the sense that some people read it, but it was sold in very different versions (from large and expensive publications to small brochures). Everyone read it. They didn’t read detective stories or collections of jokes, everyone read hagiographic literature.

– Because there is a lot of edification in this literature.

- Exactly. But it was very popular literature that was republished.

– She was also more accessible. Still, serious literature, patristic, academic, was inherent in theological schools. And if we remember pre-revolutionary times, it is clear that not every person of simple origin could afford to have some kind of serious academic literature.

– At the beginning of our church revival (about thirty years ago) there was no literature at all, and then it suddenly appeared in very large quantities. How can a modern person now understand patristic literature?

– Approaching this is a little subjective. Let’s say, if we take letters to the spiritual children of Theophan the Recluse, Ignatius (Brianchaninov), we need to look carefully here. There is the general and there is the particular. The private does not always concern my life. We say this: literature is written for the monk. Yes, there are specific issues, but there are general ones: the desire for salvation, overcoming sinfulness and vices. How we do this in particular varies. That is, when choosing literature, I must first look at who it was written to and what it will be about. If I love some historical moments, I can find historical literature; I love patristic patericons, incidents from the lives of saints - please, there are a huge number of them. That is, each book is devoted to a specific topic.

It’s the same here: a person should look at what interests him now and what he wants to read about. There are collections of sayings of the holy fathers, they are called “Symphony” or “Fatherland”. Let’s say they contain excerpts on the topic of illness, as the holy fathers wrote about it. This book is very convenient to have. About illness, about suffering, about death - in these small chapters there are short sentences that are very precisely verified by the author, and they will be very useful.

– Previously, at a time when it was very difficult with any literature (including scientific literature), people who had the right and opportunity to visit serious libraries made quote books for themselves: they wrote out some especially congenial quotes in notebooks. These quotation books were very popular in the mid-20th century. Can a person now bring himself spiritual benefit if he starts such a personal quotation book for himself?

- Undoubtedly. This is very convenient because I will write out exactly what I need. I read that some ascetic, a monk, had his entire wall covered with excerpts from the Holy Fathers and the Holy Scriptures. And when he needed an answer to a question, he simply looked up and found the right line. It's the same here. Of course, I don’t suggest sticking it on the wall, but just keeping a notebook where you can write down some thoughts. Sometimes you even hear something interesting on TV: “Oh, I need to remember this, because it might be useful to me.” This is a very convenient thing - personal notes for myself, if something really touched me and is important to me.

– In the title of the program we used the following phrase: “The Key to Understanding Scripture.” What is the most important key, in your opinion?

– This is the purity of the human heart. When we have the grace of God in our hearts, then, by reading the Holy Scriptures or opening the books of the Holy Fathers, we will receive great benefits both for ourselves and for our lives.

– Every time you prepare for a sermon, you probably read a lot. Bless our viewers.

– Dear brothers and sisters, may the Lord protect you on all the paths of your life. Learn your faith and put it into practice.

Presenter Gleb Ilinsky

Recorded by Natalya Kultyaeva and Elena Kuzoro

Light of the world

Almost 2 years ago, the information department of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church, together with the literature distribution department on Rogozhsky, began operating the official online store of ancient Russian literature and church utensils “Ismaragd”. This initiative has received a lot of positive feedback; a huge number of orders from all over the world have already arrived in the online store over the current period. Today our regular author offers sayings of the holy fathers about the spiritual benefits of book reading. With her article, she expresses gratitude to the creators and employees of the Ismaragd for organizing the opportunity to purchase church literature for people from remote areas.

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In the article I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the creators and employees of the website ismaragd.ru for organizing the opportunity to purchase church literature for people from remote areas.

You are the light of the world... So let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven (Matthew 5; 14, 16).

The Lord gave this commandment to His first disciples and the apostles, and with them to all followers of the Christian faith. But it often happens that we, having completely given ourselves over to everyday worries and worries, no longer remember this high calling of ours, or even don’t think at all and don’t delve into the deep meaning of the Gospel words. And this happens mainly due to our inattention to the matter of internal improvement, which may be associated, first of all, with a lack of diligence in reading spiritual books. The Holy Fathers say that oblivion is a no small sin, when we forget about the essence of our teaching and, constantly catering to bodily needs, practically do not care about the eternal salvation of the soul. In any business, you must always improve and strengthen your skills in order to move forward and not lose previously achieved success. Thus, according to spiritual law, “our mind needs to be constantly trained and guided by holy books, because it cannot remain idle. For if he does not do good, he tends to evil” [1].

Let us understand, brethren, the power of the teaching of the holy divine books. Listen to the lives of St. Basil the Great, and St. Cyril the Philosopher, and many other saints, as they first tell about them, saying that from childhood I adhered to the holy books, and was also inspired to do other good deeds. See how the teaching of the holy books is the firstfruits of a good deed. Let us also, brothers and sisters, follow the path of their life and their good deeds, and let us learn from the words of the book, doing the will of God, as we are taught, so that we may be worthy of eternal life [2].

In these post-Easter days, we will listen for a long time to the chants of the solemn holiday canon: “Now everything is filled with light...” According to ancient church tradition, spring is the time of the creation of the first world, when God said: “Let there be light.” Now, after the Resurrection of Christ, here we also see the beginning of a New endless age, into which we are entering thanks to the Redemptive Sacrifice of our Savior, who showed us His true saving Light. In this Light we already clearly distinguish what is good and evil, sin and virtue, and we also accept obligations and great responsibility before God and people: according to the word of the Lord, “to whom much is given, from him much will be required.” He who sins in ignorance will suffer his punishment, but, undoubtedly, a greater sin is committed by the one who dares to consciously transgress the holy commandments and moves away from the light into darkness. The Holy Apostle Paul speaks about this in his epistles:

You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord: walk as children of light (Eph. 5:8).

The faithful and righteous path of how to walk through life “in the light of the Lord” will be revealed to us by the holy books:

“The first light is Christ our God, because it enlightens all creation, our souls, our bodies, and our minds. The second light is daylight, enlightening our bodily eyes. The third light is the holy books, with which we get rid of all the demonic tricks and sinful passions and temptations of this world in the present century. Saints and books of Divine Scripture show us the beginning, middle and end of the saving path - the heavenly ladder to the Kingdom of Heaven. Just as a wingless bird is unable to fly high, so the mind cannot figure out how to escape without books. Just as the eyes are the lamp for the body, so the mind is the lamp for the soul, and the holy books are the mirror for the mind. Holy books open the conscience in each of us, reveal and eradicate passions, expose demonic networks, teach virtue, strengthen us in suffering and sorrow, remind us of the hour of death, reveal the enemy Antichrist, talk about the Coming of Christ, foretell the joy of the Kingdom of Heaven, remind us of the endless agony. And they separate good from evil, and show the difference, and put the main thing in the center, as if scattering pure gold and silver, and rare pearls, and precious stones on a platter; they are like a wise teacher, and like a skilled military leader, and like a ship’s helmsman, and a mentor to those who are lost on the dangerous and vain, and full of excitement, path of this age to the Kingdom of Heaven. They are like the bright sun shining during the day, and like a clear month for those floating in the everyday night of this century on the troubled sea of ​​this world, for everyone who wants to be saved and reach the Kingdom of Heaven. Solitary reading, as well as attentive and diligent listening to the holy books of Divine Scripture for one’s own salvation and improvement, gives rise to various virtues and serves as the source of all good, and drives away from us all evil and sinful passions, lusts, lusts and actions - our own and demonic. In pure and humble hearts, the Lord God writes the words of His secret and through the Holy Spirit reveals it to ascetics who tirelessly persevere in spiritual labors and, without sparing themselves, suffer for His name” [3].

When we read the experienced instructions of the holy fathers, it is as if we are talking with them, and we gain for ourselves a priceless treasure in the matter of spiritual reasoning. The lives of the holy martyrs and ascetics call the soul to feasible feats in order, as far as possible, to try to imitate the high example visible in them. Some also say that hagiographic readings encourage the saints themselves to pray at the Throne of God for those who commemorate them. The Holy Gospel - “The Book of Books” and “the mouth of Christ”: it is known that the Lord will judge us according to the Gospel commandments, and then we will not be able to say anything to Him in our justification if we now remain in ignorance and neglect the study of the Law of God set forth in the Holy Scripture.

There is no fear that a ship can be built without a nail, nor a righteous man without the reverence of the book [4].

Nails hold together all the components necessary for construction, so we, in building our spiritual home and adding virtue to virtue, must fasten them together through daily teaching. Otherwise, we may not be able to withstand the onslaught of sudden temptations: after all, the Lord Himself says that only those who listen to and keep His Holy Word have a solid foundation of faith, and without constant pious exercises, our eternal enemy easily leads the human mind to his side.

The bridle of the horse is the ruler and abstinence: we also have bookish abstinence [5].

Bodily passions fight and incline the soul to sin, therefore the lusts of the body are often compared to animal nature. A young and hot horse, although with difficulty, is restrained by a small bridle if the owner puts enough effort into it. Likewise, we can pacify inappropriate movements of the flesh and soul if we keep and renew in memory the holy commandments of the Lord and patristic instructions. Here we involuntarily think about the difference between the corruptible and the incorruptible, about future joy and torment, about the Coming Judgment and eternal reward.

Beauty is the sail of a ship, and book veneration is also for the righteous [6].

The holy righteous did not have just one virtue, but all of them together, and when they achieved perfection, they showed their spiritual beauty, which they acquired through many years of study, for the common benefit of the whole world. And the more wisdom they offered for the salvation of many, the more they adorned the Christian race. Wisdom does not come without long-term work, therefore, everyone who wants to save their soul and fruitfully serve to enlighten their neighbors should diligently read books. This is the only way to recognize how to come to perfection and walk a truly righteous and godly path, drawing others along your path.

Whenever, brother, an evil thought clouds your mind, take comfort in the Holy Scripture and its reverence, and through this God will drive the demons away from you. Where the Holy Scriptures are, there is joy for the righteous and salvation for souls. Just as the trumpet gathers its howl, so the holy words are spoken, the angels of God copulate. But where there is sniffling and harp and satanic songs, then demons gather: there is darkness of the soul and destruction, but joy for the hostile devil. The Holy Scriptures are revered, they gather good thoughts and give birth to the fear of God. In this way, the trumpet blaring during battle pours cheerfulness and courage into the warriors against the enemy: in the same way, the Holy Scripture will guide you to the truth and awaken you to goodness. Therefore, brethren who often come, listen to the Holy Scripture, so that we may understand the will of God, drawing from him the water of life, which is able to cool down our kindled passions, and guide us on the path of salvation [7].

“Living life is not a field to cross,” says the famous Russian proverb. And how many unforeseen circumstances can there be, how many disasters and sorrows with the help of which the crafty adversary “clouds the mind”, trying to crush our spiritual strength with thoughts of despondency and despair. How often it happens that it is in such difficult circumstances that a person suddenly finds himself alone and does not see support for himself anywhere and does not find words of consolation among people. of Holy Scripture heal us - a true friend and adviser who will never betray or forsake, but will be able to help in any trouble and show a saving way out. Yes, we can say from life experience that holy words are like “living water” for a suffering soul, which brings with it peace and hope in every sorrow. The Lord in the Holy Gospel also speaks of the great honor for those who listen and keep His word, calling them not only His friends, but also brothers and sisters. The words of God, according to the interpretation of Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria , should not only be listened to oneself, but also transmitted to others, for pious edification.

“How sweet is Your word to my throat, more than honey to my mouth,” (Ps. 119:103) - this is what the holy psalmist says about the joy of spiritual praise. Saint John Chrysostom calls the words of God “dearest than gold and precious stones, and sweeter than honey and honeycomb” [8]. For everything visible will pass away and change, but the Word of God abides forever. And it is the duty of our Christian love to both learn ourselves and share with others this precious gift from above, in order to inherit a part with a good and prudent servant, who did not hide his talent, but multiplied and received for himself an incomparable reward for his, albeit small, but faithful and diligent work.

Learn to be a faithful man, a worker of piety, and learn to live according to the words of the Gospel: stewardship of the eyes, enslavement of the body, humility of the mind, having a pure thought, consumption of anger. Be compelled to do good deeds for the Lord's sake: we deprive, do not take revenge, hate, love, persecute, endure, blaspheme, pray. Kill your sins by being crucified with Christ, and place all your love on the Lord, so that you may find the angel of darkness, the firstborn of councils, apostolic thrones, patriarchal rods, martyr’s crowns, and the praises of the righteous. I thought I was wretched, and in the morning I die and become dust. Verbs, I am not worthy of any person to look at. By always thinking this way, you can be saved in Christ Jesus our Lord [9].

[1]. “The flower garden of the holy monk Dorotheus” [2]. "Zlatoust", lyrics. 31st [3]. “The flower garden of the holy monk Dorotheus” [4]. "Zlatoust", lyrics. 31st [5]. "Zlatoust", lyrics. 31st [6]. "Zlatoust", lyrics. 31st [7]. "Zlatoust", lyrics. 106th [8]. "Zlatoust", lyrics. 80s [9]. "Zlatoust", lyrics. 31st

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ABOUT READING THE GOSPEL

Venerable Parthenius of Kyiv on reading the Gospel.

Having made it his rule to read the Gospel every day and read it all often, the elder gave this rule to his disciples, his spiritual children. He also gave them books of the Gospel with his own inscriptions, such as: “Here I convey to you grace - the Holy Gospel. Read the four evangelists once a week, so that you may be worthy of the true grace and mind of God and receive a good end, eternal pleasure, with the vision of the three hypostases shining in the Divinity of the same essence, without being deprived.” “Here you are, child of God, passionate about the Gospel. Read it when the opportunity arises, and even more so in times of sorrow, may the Lord comfort you then. To the one who loves the Lord, everything is done, and it is good to be with God, but it is boring without Him, and then everything is evil to us.” “I give this book, the Holy Gospel, for the obedience of my spiritual child to me... Accept this commandment from me, unworthy: read all four Evangelists in two weeks. This book is the mother of all books, it is also the prayer above prayers, and it is the ruler into the Kingdom of Heaven, and it brings people to true understanding on earth, and it makes it worthy to see God with the heart while still in the flesh, and face to face in the future, it is worthy to enjoy a sweet vision Holy Trinity". “Here is my Gospel for you, spiritual child. Pray for me too and remember my love for you; and above all, pray with an honest and simple-minded life. Patience is most needed, preserve virginity, maintain silence: for in a pagan monk and one with many words, salvation is doubtful; silence collects, and verbosity scatters. Pray hard, don't feel sorry for yourself. Scolding, beating and strangling are a gift from God and grace from above to the monk.” “Be upon you the blessing of God, my spiritual child, the protection of our undoubted hope of the Mother of God and the help of the Wonderworkers of Pechersk. Here is the commanded monastic rule for you: rising from sleep - an akathist to the Savior, and going to sleep - to the Mother of God and five kathismas a day; The Gospel is all in two weeks, and hand over the canons to the church. Do not get bogged down in various readings, but say the Jesus Prayer between hours, mixing with it the joy of the Mother of God. Consider that human salvation is vain, but in God we will create power, and He will destroy our enemies. Pray for me and remember my love, and I entrust you to the grace of the Most Holy Spirit, amen.”

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Reading the Psalter tames passions, and reading the Gospel burns the thorns of our sins: for the word of God is a consuming fire. Once, over the course of forty days, I read the Gospel about the salvation of one soul who had done good to me, and in a dream I saw a field covered with thorns. Suddenly fire falls from Heaven, the thorns that covered the field are burned, and the field remains clear. Perplexed about this vision, I hear a voice: “The thorns that covered the field are the sins of the soul that did you good; the fire that burned him is the word of God, what you have given her for her.”

How to read the Gospel for loved ones?

The Orthodox Church has deep respect for the Holy Gospel. In the Temple, the Gospel is always on the Throne and symbolizes the presence of Christ Himself. Reading the Holy Gospel, like prayer, is a constant activity in the spiritual life of a Christian. And Saint Afanasy Kovrovsky (Sakharov) recommends reading the Gospel for those who find themselves in a difficult and seemingly hopeless situation. He offers his recommendation in an instructive story: “The Kiev ascetic Hieroschemamonk Parthenius (March 25, 1855) used to read the Holy Gospel for those of his spiritual children who found themselves in any difficult situation. Once, when he was reading the Gospel about a certain man, he had a vision: a field overgrown with all sorts of weeds. Suddenly fire comes down from heaven and burns up all the thorns. And it was explained to him that the thorns were the sins of that person, and the fire that burned them were the words of the Holy Gospel read by Father Parthenius. And from Metropolitan Kirill I learned that from one of the elders he received the text of a prayer, which the elders advised to add to the reading of the Gospel after each chapter. I attach this text separately. I myself was in a very difficult situation in Turukhansk - in a terrible prison there. Metropolitan Kirill began to read the Gospel for me, and I was unexpectedly released, so we finished reading the Gospel of John together.”

Prayer while reading the Gospel

Transmitted to Saint Athanasius (Sakharov), Bishop of Kovrov, by Hieromartyr Kirill (Smirnov), Metropolitan of Kazan and Sviyazhsk:

“In the hand of Thy great mercy, O my God, I entrust my soul and body, my feelings and words, my conscience and thoughts, my deeds and all the bodies and souls of my use, my entry and exit, my faith and life, course and death my life, the day and hour of my dying, my repose and rest, the resurrection of my soul and body. But You, O Most Merciful God and invincible Goodness of the whole world, kindly Lord, accept me more than all the most sinful people into the hand of Your protection and deliver me from all evil. Cleanse my many, many iniquities and always delight me from future falls into sin, and never in any sin when I anger Your love for mankind; with it cover my weakness from demons, passions and evil people; Forbid the enemy, visible and invisible, guiding me along the path of salvation, bring me to You, the refuge and land of our desires. Grant me a Christian death, unashamed, peaceful, keep me from the airy spirits of malice, at Thy Last Judgment be merciful to Thy servant (Thy servant), and rank me at the right hand of Thy blessed sheep, and with them I may glorify Thee, my Creator, forever and ever. Amen".

PRAYERS BEFORE READING THE HOLY GOSPEL

When starting to read the Holy Scriptures, one should always pray that the Lord will send understanding. The Lord will fulfill this request, and then immediately, or in due time, previously incomprehensible places become clear and understandable. The Athonite elder Schema-Archimandrite Ephraim advised the following: “Only after you have prayed to the Lady Theotokos in front of Her holy icon, make three prostrations to the ground, asking Her mercy for yourself, and begin reading with attention and reverence. This is what St. Gregory Palamas did throughout his godly life.

Brief prayers before reading Scripture:

We pray to You, Lord, Source of all enlightenment, open our minds to understand the Scriptures. Lord Jesus Christ! Open the ears and eyes of my heart, so that I may hear Your words and do Your will, because I am a stranger on earth, do not hide Your commandments from me, O Lord, but open my eyes and I will understand the wonders of Your law. For I trust in You, my God, that You may enlighten my heart.

Prayers to St. John Chrysostom before reading and listening to the Word of God

Lord Jesus Christ, open my eyes of heart to hear Your word, and to understand, and to do Your will, as I am a stranger on earth: do not hide Your commandments from me, but open my eyes, that I may understand the wonders of Your law: tell me unknown and secret Thy wisdom. I trust in Thee, my God, may I enlighten my mind and meaning with the light of Thy mind, not only to honor what is written, but to create, so that I may not read the lives and words of the saints as a sin, but for renewal, and enlightenment, and for holiness, and for salvation of the soul, and an inheritance of eternal life. For You are the One who enlightens those who lie in darkness, and from You comes every good gift, and every gift is always perfect, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Give, Lord, now to my unworthiness also the grace of understanding, so as to recognize what is pleasant for You, and what is useful for me, and not only to recognize, but also to do, so as not to get carried away and not to cleave to empty things, to have compassion for the suffering and to condescend to sinners.

Prayer after reading St. Gospels

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the words of Your Divine Gospel, pour out Your grace into my heart for the destruction of my passions and sins and grant me strength for correction, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary before reading

Teach us, Mother of God, to be diligent in studying the Word of God, with heartfelt, contrite prayers, in order to learn from there a humble way of thinking and serving the salvation of ourselves and our neighbors.

Prayer for illness and sorrow

(Read before and after reading the Holy Gospel) Save, O Lord, and have mercy on Thy servant (name) with the words of the Divine Gospel, which are about the salvation of Thy servant. The thorns of all his sins have fallen, Lord, and may Your grace, scorching, sanctifying the whole person, dwell in him, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. From... (name of evangelist) Holy Gospel reading. Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

PRAYER RULE for children, relatives, loved ones who are in illness and sorrow

I. YOU NEED TO READ FOUR CHAPTERS OF THE GOSPEL EVERY DAY

For example: Today: Matthew 1, Mark 1, Luke 1, John 1 Tomorrow: Matthew 2, Mark 2, Mark 2 chapter from Luke, 2nd chapter from John And so on... And before, after reading each chapter, prayer: “Save, Lord, and have mercy on Your servants (names) with the words of the Divine Gospel, which are about the salvation of Your servant. The thorns of all their sins have fallen, Lord, and may Thy grace dwell in them, scorching, cleansing, sanctifying the whole person in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen". All evangelists do not have the same number of chapters, therefore, starting from the 17th chapter, read: 17th chapter of Matthew 17th chapter of Mark 17th chapter of Luke 17th chapter of John

II. READ THE VIRGIN RULE

Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the Fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls. (Read 150 times daily). Before each ten, you need to read “Our Father” once, and after that, “The Doors of Mercy.” And the petition: “Most Holy Theotokos, save and have mercy on the servant of God (name).” Elder Schema-Archimandrite Fr. Ioannikiy from Chikhachevo gives his blessing to read the prayer “Queen of Heaven, forgive my whole life, save my family” at every ten.

III. READ ONE KATHISMA OF THE PSALMTER - on the last Glory “Save, O Lord, and have mercy on Thy servant (name).”

IV. 33 PROMOTIONS TO THE EARTH:

30 bows with the prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, save and have mercy on your servant (name)” 1 bow with the prayer “Most Holy Theotokos, save and have mercy on the servant of God (name)” 1 bow with the prayer “St. Father Tikhon, pray to God for servant of God (name)” 1 bow with prayer “Saint (you need to turn to the saint whose name your relative bears), pray to God for the servant of God (name)” This rule can be read throughout the day. Prayer for them has a stronger effect on neighbors than a word to them, because prayer brings into action the Almighty God Himself, and God does with His creation whatever He pleases. According to the publication “Prayer Rules”, Zadonsk, 2006.

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You ask why reading the Holy Fathers is necessary! Isn’t it enough to be guided by the Word of God, the Holy Scripture alone, the pure Word of God, in which there is no admixture of human words?

I answer: when reading Scripture, it is absolutely necessary to read the Holy Fathers of the Eastern Church. This is what the holy Apostle Peter says about the Holy Scriptures: “Every prophecy in a book does not exist according to its own telling” (Russian translation: no prophecy in scripture can be resolved by oneself). “It was not by the will of man that prophecy came, but the holy words of God were enlightened by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:20-21). How do you want to arbitrarily understand the spiritual word, which was not pronounced arbitrarily, but according to the inspiration of the Spirit, and itself prohibits arbitrary interpretation of itself. The Spirit spoke the Scriptures, and only the Spirit can interpret them. Men inspired by God, the Holy Fathers interpreted it. Therefore, anyone who wants to acquire true knowledge of the Holy Scriptures needs to read the Holy Fathers. If you limit yourself to reading one Holy Scripture, then, of necessity, you must understand and explain it arbitrarily. Due to the same necessity, it will be impossible for you to avoid errors; because “a spiritual person does not accept the Spirit of God, and cannot understand, because this must be judged spiritually.” “No one knows the message of God, but the Spirit of God” (Cor. 2:14,11).

The heretics of all times especially hate the Scriptures of the Fathers: the writings of the Fathers reveal the direct meaning of the Holy Scriptures, which the enemies of the Truth would like to distort to confirm their false ideas. The heresiarch Eutyches expressed his dislike of the Fathers at the local Council of Constantinople. “The Holy Scriptures,” he slyly said, “should be respected more than the fathers,” and he said because then the writings of the holy patriarchs of Alexandria Athanasius the Great and the recently deceased Cyril clearly exposed his blasphemous error. The Universal Church, on the contrary, has always had special respect for the Scriptures of the Fathers: these Scriptures have preserved church unity, for which a universally accepted, true, grace-filled explanation of Scripture is necessary. Ecumenical councils always began with the reading of those patristic Scriptures in which dogma or tradition were set out in particular detail, the consideration of which was the subject of the council’s meetings. And relying on the patristic Scriptures, the council denounced heresy and pronounced Orthodox teaching and confession. In the same way, in private life, holy ascetics were initially brought up by the Scriptures of the Fathers; only then did they move on to reading primarily the Holy Scriptures, when they had already achieved special spiritual success. “Deep is the sea of ​​Scripture,” said St. John Climacus: “and the mind of a silent person does not rush through it safely: it is dangerous to swim in clothes, and to touch theology to a passionate one” (Sk. 27, about silence). This danger, this disaster, obviously lies in an arbitrary interpretation, in a false concept of Scripture, which is why many monks fell into disastrous error.

In vain do heretics display their imaginary respect for the Holy Scriptures - false, hypocritical: what kind of respect for the word of God is it when it is left to everyone, no matter how vicious he may be, to understand and interpret it arbitrarily? The Holy Church, accepting the gracious interpretation of the Holy Scriptures by the Holy Fathers, thereby proves its deep respect for the Holy Scriptures: it honors it as the word of God should be honored. She teaches her children not to be impudent in relation to the Word of God, keeps them from proud self-will and disorderly conduct, commands them to be brought up by reading the Holy Fathers and, with their guidance, to penetrate into the wonderful light of the word of God, which strikes with blindness those who dare to look at it without proper preparation, with an unclean mind. and a sin-loving heart. One has only to pay attention to the worship of the Eastern Church to be convinced of its deep reverence for the Holy Scriptures. The Gospel - the all-holy book containing words spoken to people by God Himself incarnate - is always present on the holy throne, vividly depicting Christ Himself. Only sacred persons are allowed to read it publicly; when it is read, everyone listens to it, as if it were Christ speaking; when it is taken out of the altar, lighted candles precede it. It is brought out and relies on an analogue in the middle of the temple: then all the Orthodox Christians present reverently kneel before it, as before the word of God, kissing it with fear and love. And at this time the heretic, who had just boasted of his respect for the Holy Scriptures, is seduced by the reverence of the children of the Holy Church for the Gospel, mockingly calling their worship of the word of God idolatry, the worship of paper, ink, binding; poor blind man! he sees in this book only paper, ink, binding - he does not see the Gospel of Christ. The public reading of the Apostolic Epistles is performed by deacons and readers; the reading of other Holy Scriptures is performed by the readers in the middle of the temple. Church hymns, composed by the Holy Fathers, contain a complete course of dogmatic and moral theology. Glory to God, who has preserved His Church in purity and holiness! Glory to the holy Eastern Church, the only holy and true! All traditions, all its customs are holy, fragrant with spiritual anointing! Let all who oppose her, all who separate themselves from union with her, be ashamed.

Have reverence for the Holy Scriptures, the reverence due to a true son of the true Church; have due trust and reverence for the scriptures of the fathers. The same Spirit of God that acted in the prophets and apostles acted in the holy teachers and pastors of the church: the witness of this dogma is the removed apostle: “God ordained,” he says, in the Church the first are the apostles, the second the prophets, the third the teachers” (1 Cor. 12 , 28).

In accordance with the words of the apostle, the words of the Holy Scriptures, I direct the Church that the first place in our pious reading should be occupied by the writings of the apostles. Among the writings of the apostles, the Gospel occupies first place. To correctly understand the New Testament, read the holy teachers of the Church, read the psalter and other books of the Old Testament. Purify yourself with the Gospel commandments and pious deeds. According to the purity of the soul, God appears to it, God’s word is revealed to it, hidden for carnal eyes by the impenetrable veil of human words.

Interpretations of the Holy Fathers on the messianic passages of the Bible

According to the remark of Bl.
Theodoret , “He very rightly assigned the east to Judas, because the Divine prophets cry out for the Lord Christ (Zech. 6:11 and Mal. 4:2),” calling Him the east (tv. vol. 1, p. 193).

“The fact that at the meal there was a crimson robe, that is, a purple covering,” says St. Kirill of Alexandria

, – could be, as it seems to me, a covert indication of the royal dignity of Christ” (vol. 3, p. 15).

“Under living and clean water,” says the same St. Father, understand the life-giving Word of God, truly pure and completely unrelated to sin, which appeared in the flesh as if in an earthen vessel; for that the flesh is dust and was taken from the earth, how or from what side can this be doubtful? Under the earth taken from the tabernacle, understand Him who suffered death for our sake, for this was said to human nature (Gen. 3:19)” (TV Part 3, pp. 76–77).

“A lamb is also offered along with the birds, so that Christ may be understood in everything,” says the same saint. Father: in the birds - as one who came down from above and from heaven, and in the lamb - as from below and from the earth, for the Word, being God by nature, became flesh (John 1:14)” (v. part 3, p. 222 ).

In this (second) blessing (of the priest), according to Bl. Theodorite

(tv. vol. 1. p. 201), – “the coming of God and our Savior is predicted, for His economy according to the flesh is full of mercy, which is why reconciliation with God has been granted to us, for this is taught by the subsequent blessing (cf. Eph. 2:14) "

According to St. Ephraim the Syrian

, these “twelve oxen represent the twelve apostles” of Christ (TV Part 6, p. 547).

“Incense filled with incense,” according to the interpretation of the same St. Father,” depicts the soul of Emmanuel, which was not disturbed by sinful passions” (ibid.).

“Christ is depicted in a calf,” says St. Kirill of Alexandria

, - because of his great strength and because the one that prevails between tame and clean animals is a calf, surpassing the size of the body - so everything related to Christ has mental superiority, and He Himself surpasses and surpasses everything with incomparable differences; - in a ram - because of its perfection; - in a lamb - because of its innocence; - in a goat - because of its slaughter for those who sinned, since the goat, according to the law, is a sacrifice for sin (Lev. 16:10), and Immanuel for our sake he underwent death, I, we are redeemed from past sins, because of the slaughter that He endured for us” (TV Part 2, pp. 247–248).

According to the explanation of St. Cyril of Alexandria

, “in both calves Christ is indicated: in the calf offered as a burnt offering, as completely holy... The calf also points to Him, destroyed by fire for sin (for Isa. 53:5). The first is burnt, and the second is sacrificed, so that in two you may understand one, as if in the perfect virtues of the most fragrant mentally and as if in the simplicity and gentleness of the one being sacrificed (Jer. 11, 9)” (vol. 2, p. 317).

„Unclean about the souls of men

”, according to his own explanation, “we must consider none other than the Jews, defiled by the murder of Christ and subject to accusation of uncleanness due to insolence against Emmanuel and inevitably deprived of participation in our holy holiday” (vol. 3, p. 255 –257).

“The Law commands aliens to follow the same rules as the Jews, and this, as explained by Bl. Theodorite

, - foretells the calling of the Gentiles” (vol. 1, p. 203).

“Because Moses asked Joab to go, and he did not go,” according to the interpretation of St. Ephraim the Syrian

, - depicts how Emmanuel called on the Jewish people to follow His teaching, but the Jews did not follow” (TV Part 6, p. 548).

According to the explanation of the same St. Father, this “prayer of Moses was a prototype of the intercession of Christ, who in human form prayed and asked us from God and the Father all the best, and when he rose up to our aid, then the enemies fell and the adversaries and those who entered into the struggle with the glory of the Divine fled, because that on the cross He triumphed over the principalities and powers, and by His death He abolished the prince of this age, according to what is written (John 12:31; 16:11; Heb. 2:14)” (TV Part 1, pp. 265–267) .

St. Cyril of Alexandria notes about these words: “the scribes and Pharisees, saying: “We are known as Moses was God” (John 9:29), as if repeating those ancient words, and in even more rude expressions: is it Did God and the Father speak to Christ alone? Did He not also speak to our fathers? that is, in Sinai” (vol. 5, pp. 237–239).

According to the remark of Bl.
Jerome
, “as a type of Jesus Christ, Moses is portrayed as the meekest of all people who were on earth” (TV. vol. 3, p. 94).

“Moses gave Joshua the son of Joshua this name as a prophet only for this purpose,” says the ap. Barnabas

, “so that all the people understand that (God) the Father reveals everything to the son of Nun about His Son Jesus,” and His very name is obvious. (“Message” chapter XII, p. 62).

And St. Clement of Alexandria

already directly says that “through Jesus, the son of Joshua, it is pointed to Jesus, the son of God,” precisely because “the name Jesus was a pre-image of the Lord,” as “proclaimed as the name of the Teacher, bringing salvation with Himself” (i.e. Jesus Christ) (“Teacher” book 1, chapter 7, – pp. 63–64).

And according to St. Chrysostom, he (Joshua) “had a transformative name - Jesus,” (for) “the name Jesus was a type of Christ (and) he was called by this name, as a type, and this was a prediction and prophecy” (“Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews” p. 420).

According to the interpretation of St. Justin Martyr

(“Conversation with Tryphon the Jew” ch. 113, p. 332),
St.
Irenaeus of Lyons (“Excerpt” XIX, p. 702) and
St.
Cyril of Alexandria (tv. part 1, pp. 148–149; part 2, pp. 106–188; part 9, p. 80), the commonality of the names of this leader of the Jewish people and the Savior of the whole world significantly indicated the similarity of the ministries of the image with the Prototype.

And, according to the interpretation of Bl. Jerome

, “Joshua is the image of the Savior of the universe” (tv. vol. 1, p. 262; vol. 14, p. 321).

A bl. Theodorite

At the same time, he reasons as follows: “When Absiah was sent as a spy, Moses called him Jesus, because he was the image of the true Jesus, who, in organizing our salvation, was outwardly likened to the spies. For just as the spies used both the clothing and the speech of those peoples whom they spied, so God the Word, putting on human nature and speaking in its language, arranged for our salvation” (TV. vol. 1, p. 211).

“This sign,” notes St. Clement of Alexandria

, – serves this great grape, the Logos, which was squeezed out for us” (“The Teacher” book 2, chapter 2, p. 131).

And, according to the explanation of St. Ephraim the Syrian

, “this is represented to us by the image of the cross, and those who carried the grape represent the image of two thieves” (TV Part 6, p. 555).

Likewise, St. Gregory of Nyssa

says: “The grape hanging on the tree, Who is other than the One who in the last days of the Grape hung on the tree, who bled for us and was stained with blood, whose blood became a saving drink for believers?” (TV Part 1, pp. 358–359).

St. Ephraim the Syrian

regarding this he notes: “how Moses was once in danger of being stoned by the ungrateful Jewish people; so the Savior was exposed to the same danger (John 8:59) from the ungrateful Jews” (part 6, p. 411).

According to the interpretation of bl. Theodorite

, “those who fell for unbelief in the wilderness were an image of the Jews who did not believe (in Christ), and the uncircumcised children, who instead of their fathers, under the leadership of Jesus, took possession of the land promised to their ancestors (v. 23) - an image of the pagans who believed (in Christ)” (TV Vol. 1, pp. 211–212).

“Corah and others who rebelled against Aaron and wanted to receive his priesthood,” according to St. Ephraim the Syrian

, - represent the image of the high priests who rebelled against our Lord and, according to what was said in the parable of the vineyard (Matthew 21:38), wanted to receive His inheritance” (TV Part 6, p. 557).

And according to the interpretation of St. Cyril of Alexandria

, “it was written through this future madness of the Jews against Christ, for He is our Bishop, introduced into His title by the decision of the Father, just as by a decision from above the Divine Aaron was elected priest and leader (Ex. 24, 14; 28, 1). But Korah, Dathan and a wild crowd of like-minded people very brazenly resisted the decision from above and rebelled against the Divine law; They very ardently opposed their madness and insolence to the Supreme Priest and the chosen one from all others” (vol. part 2, p. 148).

According to St. Cyril of Alexandria

, both “The Divine Aaron was brightly and especially chosen from the clan of Levi for the sacred rite,” and “Emmanuel was chosen by God and the Father as the Lawmaker and instead of the Bishop for us, having to offer Himself as a sacrifice for us” (v. part 2, p. 208).

And “Aaron’s rod itself, which had its place in the Divine Tabernacle and was brought into the Holy of Holies,” according to his own interpretation, “is accepted as a type of Christ and, as having flourished and produced nuts, serves as a sign of His resurrection”97.

And according to the interpretation of St. Ephraim the Syrian

, “Aaron’s rod, which alone of all the rods has grown cold, serves as an image of Emmanuel’s venerable flesh, for Emmanuel was made the son of the nature of the corruptible, he alone remained incorruptible in the tomb, and His flesh did not remain in the tomb” (TV Part 6, pp. 558–559).

And, according to the remark of bl. Jerome

, “about Aaron’s rod it is said that it, which was considered dead, flourished in the resurrection of the Lord” (TV. vol. 4, p. 183).

According to church hymns, Aaron’s dry, then vegetated rod prefigured Christ the Savior, seedlessly born of the Virgin Mary, and even more often, the Ever-Virgin Mother of God herself.

a) “Aaron’s rod of the vegetated, which from Jesus symbolizes the grown root, The Most Pure One, the flower of the world who has risen, God incarnate” (Bogor. according to 1 canon. April 23).

b) “Once upon a time, the vegetated Aaron’s rod, imagine the Virgin: You alone gave birth to vegetation without a husband, now having received the heavenly rain in your womb” (Octoechos ch. 1, Sat. Eternal. p. 8, Bogor.).

c) “You have vegetated in the Word of God, a hedgehog, and a miracle from afar was revealed by Aaron’s rod” (Chapter 1, Monday, Ecclesiastical, paragraph 7, vol. 2).

d) “You manifested Aaron’s rod, which flourished without drink, to the Most Pure Mother of God, without seed giving birth to the incarnating God without fail” (chapter 3, Sat. ecumenical paragraph 3, trop. 1).

(Chapter 4, Week. Morning. Sunday Sed. 3, 1 verse each).

That is why in the service for the Nativity of the Mother of God it is sung: “Aaron’s rod is born from the root of Jesse”... (Verse, on Litia “and now.”

Close to the patristic understanding, the spiritual and mysterious meaning of the vegetating rod of Aaron is indicated only in that church song, according to which the vegetating rod of Aaron predicted the saving fruits of the death on the cross and resurrection of Christ the Savior for the Church:

According to the interpretation of St. Ephraim the Syrian

, “by the sacrifice of the red-haired youth, the law depicts the mystery of the death of Christ, and the color of the sacrifice indicates blood, and the fact that the sacrificed youth did not experience the yoke means that Christ did not bow under the yoke of slavery and sin” (vol. 6, p. 526).

argues the same way . Kirill of Alexandria

. “The young woman should be red,” he says, “for the sacrament of the incarnation was accomplished in blood (Phil. 2:8) and the image of the economy was in blood for our sake and for us. A red color can be a sign of blood, and a very clear one. The all-perfect, immaculate youth, completely free from all uncleanness and not knowing sin, is the Lord Jesus Christ, since He knew no sin (John 8:46; 14:30). Having become under the law according to the economy, Jesus Christ was and is at the same time free, as by nature God, and was not at all bound by the yoke of slavery and did not experience it at all. That’s why it is said that a young woman should be brought who has not experienced the burdens of the yoke” (TV Part 5, pp. 271–273).

This interpretation is fully shared by Bl. Theodorite

.
“God commands to bring a red-haired young woman,” he says, “to represent the earthly body (of Christ), because the name of Adam also serves as an indication of that red earth from which his body was formed; The virginity of the young woman prefigures the sinlessness of the Lord Christ, (and the fact that) the yoke was not placed on the young woman makes it clear the freedom of our Savior, because the yoke means slavery, and the Lord, when they demanded the didrachm, said: “ Then are you free
,
are you sons
?” (Matt. 17:26)” (TV Part 1, p. 216).

“The slaughter of a youth outside the regiment,” according to Bl. Theodorite

, – means the suffering of the Savior outside the gates (Heb. 13, 12. 13)” (TV. vol. 1, p. 216).

“The burning of the youth with fire after the slaughter is indicated, it seems,” thinks St. Kirill of Alexandria

, – to the temptation (test) even to death, which Christ underwent for us” (vol. 5, p. 275).

And “the law commanded to burn the whole young woman with her skin and everything else,” according to the bl. Theodorite

, – because in the Lord Christ everything is pure” (TV. vol. 1, p. 216).

“Cedar tree,” according to St. Cyril of Alexandria

, – perfectly points us to incorruptibility (in Christ), since cedar does not rot; The scarlet thread very clearly marks the incarnation of the Word, since the Word is, as it were, connected with flesh and blood” (TV Part 5, p. 276).

And according to the explanation of bl. Theodorite

, “
The cedar tree
was a sign of the cross, for just as it is not rotting, so the cross is life-giving. “The sucking of scarlet” signified the Master’s blood, and the hyssop depicted the fact that the warmth of life destroyed the coldness of death” (TV. vol. 1, p. 216).

“It is said about the one who burns a young woman that he is unclean until evening in the image of those who crucified the Lord Christ,” notes Blessed. Theodorite

(TV vol. 1, p. 216).

“God legalized the sacrifice of the red-haired youth for the sin of the whole people,” continues the same Teacher of the Church; “she represents the saving suffering that took away the sin of the whole world” (ibid.).

St. John Chrysostom

only briefly notes: “some think that this young woman was an image of the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ” (tv. vol. 1, p. 457).

And “by ‘ashes’ we mean nothing else,” says St. Kirill of Alexandria

, – as a cleansing accomplished through Christ” (TV Part 5, p. 175).

According to St. Epiphany of Cyprus

, here the law mysteriously said “about those who lay hands on Christ and give Him up to the cross, as having need of cleansing”98.

And “the third day, on which purification with water was prescribed for those who touched the dead, according to St. Cyril of Alexandria

, means the time of the resurrection of the Only Begotten” (TV Part 5, p. 279).

“By a house desecrated (by a dead person), by the dishes in it, and by an uncovered vessel, in this case the Lawgiver seems to be pointing out to us,” says the same saint. Father, to the host of Jews who killed the Lord, which collectively means everything that is in the house. And separately - under each of the vessels, because a person is like a vessel on earth” (ibid.).

According to the explanation of the same St. Father, “not believing in the miraculous power of Moses and the help of God, ancient Israel was indignant and grumbled due to the lack of water, prefiguring that, not believing in Christ, Israel was mad against Him” (ibid, pp. 228–229).

Moses himself, who expressed his disbelief by this act, prefigured that “Israel had not to believe even the Divine signs performed through Christ. Moses strikes the rock with his rod when their unbelief was first revealed, for, not believing in Christ, Israel was mad against Him. Moses strikes him twice, for the Jews also insulted Jesus Christ with two strikes, because, firstly, they killed the Author of life; the second blow, as if adding to the first, they wanted to convince that He remained among the dead (Matthew 28: 13–15)” (ibid. 128–129).

According to the same St. The father, Aaron's successor in high priesthood, his son Eleazar, may be an image of the only High Priest of Christ (TV Part 1, p. 212).

Following Jesus Christ (John 3:14), the Holy Fathers and Teachers of the Church here see a prototype of the Savior’s death on the cross.

Ap. Barnabas

says that “Moses makes a brass serpent and places it on the tree to show the image of Jesus (Crucified)” (last chapter XII, pp. 61–62).

In this sense, St. Justin Martyr

says to the Jews: “The sign was given to you of him who was crucified among the snakes that bit you, because God gave you the sacraments before their time.” For,” he argues, “is it really necessary to think that the people were saved then through the serpent, whom God cursed at the beginning and killed with a great sword (Is. 27: 1). Are we really going to understand this so unreasonably and not take it for symbols? Shouldn’t we attribute this to the image of the Crucified Jesus?” (“Conversation with Tryphon the Jew” ch. 112, p. 330; ch. 131, p. 363). “The image and sign used against the sting of the Israelites from the serpents was obviously erected for the safety of the believers, because even then the death of the serpent was foretold through Him who had to be crucified and salvation to those who, having been bitten by it, resort to Him who sent His Son into the world, Who was crucified" (ibid. ch. 91, p. 301). And in his “1 Apology” he says: “Moses, by inspiration and action of God, took copper and made an image of the cross” (chapter 60, p. 100).

Obviously, with this event in mind, St. Irenaeus of Lyon

in the same spirit he says: “those who heard Moses easily accepted the Author of the life of God (i.e., Jesus Christ), who through faith in Him revived man from the bite of the serpent” (“Against Heresies”, book IV, chapter XXIV, – I; p. 493).

St. Ephraim the Syrian

regarding this place he only notes: “in this is presented the image of Him who said... (John 3:14)” (TV Part 6, pp. 561–562).

Like him and St. Gregory of Nyssa

says: “that the serpent lifted up in the desert is a sign of the sacrament of the cross, God’s Word clearly teaches this when it speaks (John 3:14).” At the same time, “the look of those bitten by snakes at the serpent hanging on a tree foreshadowed the view of the suffering for us of the Sufferer. Suffering is a cross; why, just as the one who looks at Him, as the Scripture says, does not suffer harm from the poison of lust, so whoever looks at the One who ascended on the tree drives passion away from himself” (vol. 1, pp. 360–361).

Bl. Theodorite

also says that “the copper serpent typifies saving suffering, for,” he argues, “just as the copper serpent was an image of serpents, but did not have snake venom, so the Only Begotten Son had a human body, but did not have the sin of filth (Rom. 8:3 ; 1 Peter 2:24). II, how those who were bitten, looking at the copper serpent, received salvation; so, those wounded by sin, undoubtedly believing in the suffering of our Savior, turn out to be conquerors of death and acquire eternal life” (vol. 1, p. 218).

St. Cyril of Alexandria

also finds that “the copper serpent in the desert is the image of Jesus Christ” (TV Part 5, pp. 285–286).
Cyril of Jerusalem
(“Catechetical Teaching” XIII, 20; p. 253) and
Epiphanius of Cyprus
(tv. part 2, p. 80) also hold the same opinion

Only St. Gregory the Theologian

expresses a unique view according to which “although the brass serpent is hung against the biting serpents, it is not as an image of Him who suffered for us, but as representing the opposite and saves those who look at it, not through the confidence that it is alive, but because the one deposed is himself killed and kills with him the forces that submitted to him” (TV Part 4, p. 176).

On the contrary, St. John Chrysostom

explains in detail “why” this serpent was a prototype of the crucified Jesus Christ (tv. 6, p. 821; cf. “Conversations on the Gospel of John” part 1, pp. 166, 311, 386).

In church hymns the Messianic and educational meaning of the copper serpent is repeatedly sung.

a) “The serpent, like Moses, who was exalted on the tree, the divine exaltation was a prototype of Christ, who put to death the flattering serpent, and revived all of us who were killed by crime” (Octoechus ch. 2. Wednesday morning can. p. 7, trop. 2).

b) “Moses raised up the serpent, prefiguring Your Divine crucifixion, the Word without beginning, and by him fell the poisonous serpent who was an intercessor for the fall of Adam” (Chapter 4, Friday morning canon 1, paragraph 1, trop. 2).

c) “Prototype your passion, the Word, the great Moses, who of old lifted up the copper serpent on the tree, weaned those who see from the poisonous remorse of the serpent: for, O Lord, I crucified the former Ti, from the wounds of the godless serpent we have completely delivered” (-Chapter 6. Friday morning. channel 1, paragraph 6, trop. 2).

d) “Moses lifted up the serpent on the tree, forming Thee, Jesus, who was lifted up on the cross by will and who drove out the poisonous malice of the evil one, and attracted men to Himself” (3rd sept. Vel. p. Wednesday morning p. 9, trop. 1) .

e) “Moses first lifted up the serpent onto the tree, O Savior, imagining Your exaltation on the cross, O Most Blessed One” (5th week of the V. p. Friday morning. p. 9, trop. 2).

f) “Raising up the serpent Moses, imagining Your crucifixion of old on Mount Sinai, crucified for our sake, and freeing men from the serpent’s enmity and poison”... (5th week of Easter Tue. morning, paragraph 2, trop. 1).

g) “Just as Moses raised up the serpent of old, so you were raised up on the tree, O Generous One, the flattering enemy of the serpent’s poison and malice, driving away and saving us” (6th sept. Tue. morning p. 2, trop. 1).

h) “Moses placed on the pillar the medicine of corruptive deliverance and poisonous remorse and on the tree, in the image of the cross, on the ground of the reptile serpent, the tether, the evil one exposing the harm in this.” That is, “Moses placed a medicine on the pillar that relieved the deadly and poisonous wound, and, tying across the tree - the image of the cross - the serpent creeping on the earth, thereby triumphed over the disaster”... (Exalted morning can. p. 1, trop. 2).

St. Cyril of Jerusalem

cites these words among the predictions about the burial of Jesus Christ (“Catechetical Teaching” XIV, 3, p. 280).
And according to the explanation of bl.
Theodoret , - (these) words befit Him, because just as a lion and a sleeper are terrible, so the Master’s death became terrible both to death and to the devil... And the words: “Who will awaken him?” show His (Christ’s) ineffable power, for He resurrected Himself, according to His own prophecy (John 2:19)” (TV Part 1, p. 96).

Bl. Jerome

held the same opinion regarding these words of Balaam (v. vol. 4, pp. 154. 169; vol. 9, 156), noting that “by the name of the lion he mysteriously calls Christ” (tv. 7, p. 375; vol. 14, p. 83).

Obviously, bearing in mind this prophecy of Balaam, St. Justin Martyr

says: “That He (Jesus Christ), like a star, is about to shine from the race of Abraham, Moses showed in the words: “A star will rise from Jacob and a leader from Israel.”99

Besides St. Justin Martyr

(“1 Apology” ch. 32, p. 71)100 Saints
Irenaeus of Lyons
(“Against Heresies” book III, ch. IX, 2; p. 295),
Athanasius the Great
(tv. part 1, p. 126),
Cyprian of Carthage
(part 2, p. 40),
Cyril of Alexandria
(part 2, p. 109).
And St. John Chrysostom
says that Balaam here “prophesied about Christ, for,” notes St.
Father, the Spirit of God was with the sorcerer” (TV. vol. 6, p. 629). A bl.
Theodoret indicates the purpose of this prophecy and the meaning of his last words, saying: “through Balaam he predicted the salvation of the universe, so that such prophecies would be preserved among the pagans. This prophecy is evidenced by its actual fulfillment, for He who came from Judah (i.e., Christ) in the flesh captured not only the princes of Moab, but also “all the sons of Seth,” and the sons of Seth - all men, because Seth’s descendant is Noah , from Noah - the whole human race” (TV. vol. 1, p. 222).

Obviously, Bl. also agrees with this interpretation . Jerome

, when he says: “the wise men from the east, on the basis of the prophecy of Balaam, realizing that the Son of God was born, who would destroy all the power of their art, came to Jerusalem and worshiped the Child (Matthew ch. 2)” (TV. vol. 7, p. 356–357; vol. 8, pp. 223)101.

The messianic nature of Balaam's prophecy is also recognized in church hymns, in which Jesus Christ is glorified as the star from Jacob.

a) “Now from Jacob, as Balaam spoke, Christ is born”... (Can. Prev. Birth. Chr. p. 5, trop. 3).

b) “The sorcerer Balaam’s fortune-telling is now being fulfilled: for a star has arisen from Jacob, and guide the wise men bearing gifts to the sun of glory, kings from Persia” (ibid. p. 3, trop. 3).

(1 Can. on the Birth Chronicle, paragraph 4, trop. 2).

d) “The star that came forth from Jacob rose from Thee, O Most Pure One”... (Octoechos chapter 4, Wednesday, ecc. can. p. 1, trop. 2).

St. Irenaeus of Lyons

apparently, he sees here both a prototype of Jesus Christ (in Balaam himself) and a prophecy about Him (in his words), as can be judged by his following remark on these words: “when Balaam in ancient times spoke this through parables, he was not recognized; and now, when Christ appeared and fulfilled this, he was not believed. Therefore (Balaam), foreseeing this and being surprised, says: “Alas, alas, who will live when God puts this in place”” (“Rep.” XV, - p. 700).

“The time of new fruits,” according to the explanation of St. Cyril of Alexandria

, - prefigures the mystery of the resurrection of our Savior, for human nature flourished for the first time only in Christ, having got rid of corruption and already casting off the decay of sin” (Part 3, p. 266).

St. Cyril of Alexandria

This decree is given the following Messianic and educational meaning: “the ministry in the shadows and the instruction in the prototype came to an end on the eighth day, on which Christ was resurrected and the time of circumcision in the spirit came” (ibid, p. 300).

“Phineas is an image of Christ,” notes the same St. Father (TV Part 1, p. 202). And “the banner trumpets that preceded the ark,” according to the explanation of St. Ephraim the Syrian

, - mean the trumpets of the prophets who cried: Emmanuel is coming” (TV Part 6, p. 567).

“We see that these five kings were killed by Phineas (says St. Ephraim the Syrian

) the image of Emmanuel, Who brought the power of sin to exhaustion” (ibid.).

“The third day,” according to St. Cyril of Alexandria

, means the time of resurrection,” of course, of Christ (TV Part 1, p. 206).

“Moses and Eleazar,” according to the same St. Father - can be the image of the One High Priest and Lawgiver of Christ” (ibid, pp. 212. 214).

According to St. Ephraim the Syrian

, “
vessels of gold
,
hryvnias and rings
” “and so on - these are the essence of the apostles themselves. Just as Moses and Eleazar “brought these vessels into the tabernacle of meeting,” so Emmanuel, having taught the apostles and saints, introduced them into the hidden glory of the heavenly tabernacle” (TV Part 6, p. 568).